JULY 24

Biography

Born in Avellino in 1973 from a mother from Avellino and a Neapolitan dad. While studying architecture, he began his career in the entertainment industry as a clown and entertainer. His TV debut took place in 2001 with a show for children and, in the following years, he hosted several more shows for local Campania channels, also participating as a provocateur in some Rai variety shows, including the "OscarTv". His first appearance on "Striscia la Notizia" takes place in 2005, after winning the show’s auditions for new correspondents. After a few years as a “apprentice correspondent”, in 2008 he appears on the show with the same costume which still characterizes him today: green velvet jacket, dark green shirt, trousers and brown shoes.

Since 2009 he has been among the first to lead, with his reports, the battle against the so-called Land of Fires. For the topics treated and the scandals uncovered with his reports, he has often been the victim of aggressions and intimidation, though that has never affected his determination. For this reasons, he has become throughout the years a point of reference for the people of his land, seeking redemption and legality. In addition to Giampaolo Fabrizio, impersonator of Bruno Vespa, in 2010 he hosted some episodes of "Striscia la Domenica", the Sunday version of the show, and has also participated as an actor in some RAI films. #noncifermanessuno is the name of the motivational campaign dedicated to Italian students which has, thanks to more thank 100 meetings since 2014, led him to become a speaker in the most important Italian universities, conveying positive messages and useful actions not to be discouraged.

His commitment to the new generations and the originality of the format he developed has earned him the title of honorary professor in "languages of journalism" of the University of Parma and a medal from the President of the Italian Republic. He loves photography and to experiment with innovative ways of communication. He had anticipated back in 2010 the trend of selfies with the project "One Photo One Day": a collection of a selfie a day (which has been going on for the past 8 years and has now more than 2700 photographs). He often collaborates with organization dealing with solidarity and volunteering. He has been the testimonial of numerous initiatives, also becoming the protagonist of a comic book for schools "Se casco senza casco sono caschi miei!", developed in collaboration with UNICEF.

PHOTO CREDITS: Alfonso Maria Salsano