Born in Piacenza on 16 May 1937, he carried out his studies at the Alberoni College in Piacenza, in Siena and at the Pontifical Gregorian University in Rome, where he graduated in Church History. He received priestly ordination on 30 June 1963 from His Excellency Msgr. Umberto Malchiodi, Bishop of Piacenza and family friend.

He has taught Church History at Alberoni College and at the Pontifical Gregorian University. After achieving emeritus, he teaches History of Pontifical Diplomacy at the Ecclesiastical Academy of Rome, a prestigious school for the training of pontifical diplomats. Over the years he has published a number of books and essays which have been translated into many languages, giving thus an international dimension to his contribution as a priest and as a scholar.

The first area of his interests was that of the formation of the clergy and of the figure of the priest and Vincentian history. The second area in which it became established came in the 1970s following the appearance of new works of Church histories. The third area of interest was that of Gallicanism and Jansenism. The fourth area was that of popular missions in the Modern Era. The fifth area was his studies conducted on modern spirituality he tried to insert spirituality within the history of the Church. The sixth area is that relating to the French Revolution. The author has addressed it to try to understand the change in the situation of the Church that occurred in the 700s. The seventh area was that of the study of the Age of Reforms.