He was born in Viterbo, Italy. After studying with the baritone Sesto Bruscantini, he made his debut as Don Bartolo in The Barber of Seville (Il barbiere di Siviglia) in 1986 at the Teatro Carlo Felice in Genoa. He performs mostly comic opera roles and has been acclaimed for his interpretations of Don Bartolo (Il barbiere di Siviglia), Don Magnifico (La cenerentola), Taddeo (L'Italiana in Algeri), Dr Dulcamara (L'elisir d'amore), and Leporello (Don Giovanni). His repertoire also includes the roles of Fra Melitone (La forza del destino) and Don Geronio (Il turco in Italia). He has performed at major concert halls and opera houses, including: La Scala in Milan, the Royal Opera House in London (Covent Garden), the Metropolitan Opera in New York, the Vienna State Opera, the Accademia Nazionale di Santa Cecilia and the operas of Paris, Chicago, Amsterdam, Berlin, Hamburg, Zurich and San Francisco. During the 2008-09 season, he made his debut as stage director with a new production of The Barber of Seville at the Tuscia Opera Festival in Viterbo and has since directed several productions at the Teatro Comunale in Bologna. As well, he has collaborated with the Opera Festivals of Glyndebourne, Macerata and Savonlinna. For the GNO, he sang the role of Fra Melitone in the opera La forza del destino during the season 1997/98. His recordings include, among others, La bohème, Le nozze di Figaro and Francesca di Foix. // // Last update of the biography: December 2015 - The list of productions below is complete.