Professional profile
Classical Archaeologist | Ancient Topography Specialist | Latin American Archaeology Expert | Earthen Architecture Specialist | Climate Change & Cultural Heritage Scholar | UNESCO & Faro Convention Expert
I am an archaeologist and researcher at the National Research Council of Italy (CNR). I was appointed as a Level III Researcher in 2001 and have been a Senior Researcher (Level II) at CNR ISPC since 2021. My scientific activity focuses on historical and topographical research, with particular attention to the survey methodologies, the remote sensing analysis, and the development of Geographic Information Systems (GIS) applied to the study, protection, and enhancement of cultural heritage.
My research interests include the study and conservation of earthen architecture, the relationship between cultural heritage and climate change, and participatory heritage valorisation processes, with a specific focus on the involvement of local communities. In this field, I am a member of Rete Faro Italia and part of the coordination team of the ISPC Faro Network Working Group. I am also an expert in the ancient topography of the Lazio region (Sabina area) and in the study and classification of Roman wall paintings.
Since 2006, I have been conducting research in Latin America and directing the Italian Mission in Peru, co-funded by the Italian Ministry of Foreign Affairs and International Cooperation (MAECI). The mission is dedicated to the conservation and valorisation of the archaeological site of Chan Chan (Trujillo), inscribed on the UNESCO World Heritage List since 1986. In 2025, together with the Universidad Privada Antenor Orrego of Trujillo (UPAO), I founded the research group ARQUITERRA PERU–ITALIA, devoted to the study of Peru’s earthen monumental heritage. The group was awarded funding under the PROCIENCIA 2025–2027 call with a project addressing the hydrological and anthropogenic risks affecting earthen-built heritage in the Moche Valley.
I have collaborated with the Italian Archaeological Mission in Assyria (Iraqi Kurdistan, Duhok Governorate), where I served as head of the CNR OU for the PRIN 2015 project “Archaeological Landscapes of Ancient Iraq between Prehistory and the Islamic Period (PAdAI)” and directed the CNR OU for the project “Land of Nineveh”, funded by the Italian Agency for Development Cooperation (AICS).
Since 2017, I have carried out research in Montenegro, collaborating on two MAECI Projects of Major Relevance and leading a bilateral CNR–Ministry of Culture project at the archaeological site of Municipium S, in the Pljevlja region, focused on the ecomuseum-based valorisation of archaeological heritage.
I am the scientific coordinator of the ISPC–IRSA (CNR) agreement within the Horizon Europe project SD-WISHEES (2023–2026), which focuses on the impacts of extreme hydroclimatic events on cultural heritage.
Alongside my research activities, I am involved in training and third mission initiatives. I have coordinated international cooperation projects in Peru (IILA, AICS, Regione Lazio), organised training courses for officials of the Peruvian Ministry of Culture, and delivered lectures and seminars at the Universidad de Lima and UPAO. I have served as co-supervisor of undergraduate theses and as a tutor for research fellowships for young Italian and Peruvian scholars.
I am a member of the Editorial Board of the journal “Mediterranea. Studies and Research on the Ancient Mediterranean”.
CNR Disciplinary Fields and Research Management Sectors
- SH6_3 Archaeology of early literate societies and early civilizations
- SH6_6 Digital, computational, virtual and geospatial archaeologies
- SH8_1 Science and Technologies for Cultural Heritage
MUR Italian Scientific-Disciplinary Sector
- ARCH-01/D Classical Archaeology
- ARCH-01/F Ancient Topography
- ARCH-01/G Archaeological Research Methods
Groups & Labs CNR ISPC
Archaeology in Lazio Research Group →
Digital Representation and Survey Lab →
Publications
Highlight
F. Colosi, C. Bacigalupo, A. De Meo, S. Kobata Alva, R. Orazi, G. Rojas Vasques, F.J. Leon Trujillo (2025). Chan Chan (Perú), la ciudad de tierra. La amenaza al paisaje cultural de un sitio Patrimonio Mundial. ACE. Architecture, City and Environment, 20 (58). DOI: https://dx.doi.org/10.5821/ace.20.58.12658
F. Colosi, C. Sfameni (eds) (2023). Ville romane nella Sabina Tiberina. Il territorio di Forum Novum. IT: CNR Edizioni. ISBN: 978-88-8080-527-4
F. Colosi, E.S. Malinverni, F.J. Leon Trujillo, R. Pierdicca, R. Orazi, F. Di Stefano (2022). Exploiting HBIM for Historical Mud Architecture: The Huaca Arco Iris in Chan Chan (Peru). Heritage, 5, 2062-2082. DOI: https://dx.doi.org/10.3390/heritage5030108
