He was born in Siena on 10 August 1960 and studied at the University of Siena, where he graduated with honours in Statistics and Economics in 1984.

He joined the Bank of Italy in 1985 where he worked in the Research Department, collaborating on the surveys of households and firms. From 1992 to 1998 he worked in the Bank's regional economic research unit in Florence, where he studied the local economy and banking system.

In 1998 he moved back to the Research Department as coordinator of the regional economic research units before being appointed as Head of the Regional Analysis Division.

In 2011 he became Head of the Economic and Financial Statistics Department, renamed the Directorate General for Economics, Statistics and Research on 27 January 2014.

From 15 June 2015 to 31 December 2019 he was Deputy Director General for Economics, Statistics and Research.

On 1 January 2020  he was appointed Head of the Directorate General for Markets and Payment Systems.

He was a member of the European System of Central Banks' Statistic Committee and the Committee on Monetary, Banking and Balance-of-Payment Statistics of the European Union.

He was a member of the committee for the direction and coordination of statistical data (Comstat) for the National Statistics System (Sistan).

He was a member of the committee that guarantees the quality of statistical data (Cogis).

He is currently a member of the Scientific Committee of the Observatory on the public finances and public policy evaluation of the Senate of the Republic and of the Scientific Committee for measuring the macroeconomic impact of counterfeiting at the Ministry for Economic Development.

He has written extensively on the subjects of income and wealth distribution and on various aspects of local economy. His published works include: Imprese o intermediari? Aspetti finanziari e commerciali del credito tra imprese in Italia (with S. Chiri and M. Omiccioli, Il Mulino 2005); Il sistema finanziario e il Mezzogiorno. Squilibri reali e divari finanziari (with F. Panetta, Cacucci, 2006); La ricchezza degli italiani (with G. D'Alessio, Il Mulino 2006); and Critique of the southern principle: Public policies and the Mezzogiorno (with M. Magnani and G. Pellegrini, Laterza, 2010).