Photograph by Gianluca Colla
Photograph courtesy Dario Piombino-Mascali
Birthplace: Messina, Italy
Home: Bolzano, Italy
What did you want to be when you were growing up?
I wanted to be an archaeologist.
How did you get started in your field of work?
While studying biological anthropology in Pisa, I realized that I could apply all that I had learned to the huge number of mummified remains present in my native island, Sicily.
What inspires you to dedicate your life to anthropology?
I like the idea that this enormous cultural heritage will be protected and appreciated by future generations.
What's a normal day like for you?
When I am on a mummy mission, I work in the crypt as long as permitted, documenting, sampling, and taking notes. It is great to go out in the evening after a long, tough day.
Do you have a hero?
My hero is my mentor, Professor Arthur Aufderheide, a pathologist specializing in mummy studies I had the honor and privilege to work with. He is the godfather of modern mummy research.
What has been your favorite experience in the field? The most challenging?
The work I cherish the most is the study on little Rosalia Lombardo, Palermo's Sleeping Beauty, which we CT scanned in late 2010.
What are your other passions?
I love traveling, swimming, reading books about art history, and am a great cook.
What do you do in your free time?
I often go jogging, go out with my friends and colleagues, and collect old photographs of the Capuchin Catacombs of Palermo, the museum of which I am curator.
Latest Explorer News
- Will Shrinking Rivers Force Kurdistan’s Nomads to Abandon Their Lifestyle?
- Passenger Ship Spots Illegal Fishing Activity
- Taking Risks to Reach the Top
- Exploring the Ghosts of Wrangel Island
- Artists Evoke Care for Oceans at Blue Vision Summit 4
- BioBlitz 2013: What an Explorer Gets Excited About
- An Expedition Back in Time in Mozambique
- Announcing the 2013 Class of Emerging Explorers
- Mysterious Mounds: Uncovering Matagalpa Archaeology in Central Nicaragua
- 1,000 Miles to Blister Town
Follow @dariopiombino on Twitter
News
-
Lost "Sleeping Beauty" Mummy Formula Found
Rosalia Lombardo, or "Sleeping Beauty," as she's known, appears to be merely dozing beneath the glass front of her coffin in the Capuchin Catacombs of Palermo, Italy.
Inside National Geographic Magazine
-
Where the Dead Don't Sleep
Sicily's macabre mummies offer lessons about life.
In Their Words
I like the idea that this enormous cultural heritage will be protected and appreciated by future generations.
—Dario Piombino-Mascali
-
Jane Goodall
Over the course of 50 years Jane has witnessed the lives of three generations of chimpanzees.
-
Explorer Moment
Ed Viesturs shares an early morning view from Everest.
Advertisement
Photos
-
Mummy Pictures
Anatomist Giovan Battista Rini (1795-1856) "petrified" corpses by bathing them in a cocktail of mercury and other heavy metals.
Newsletter: Explorer Updates
-
Sign Up Now
Stay in the know with updates about the exciting work of our explorers with our newsletter.
Meet Our Anthropologists
-
Wade Davis
Wade Davis has been described as "...a passionate defender of all of life's diversity."
- Kenny Broad, Ecological Anthropologist
- Constanza Ceruti, Anthropologist/Archaeologist
- Elizabeth Kapu'uwailani Lindsey, Filmmaker/Anthropologist
- Jill Pruetz, Biological Anthropologist
- Michael Wesch, Cultural Anthropologist and Media Ecologist
- Aziz Abu Sarah, Cultural Educator
- Cheryl Knott, Biological Anthropologist
Our Explorers in Action
-
Famous Women Explorers
Meet female explorers who have pushed the limits in adventure, science, and more.
Meet All Our Explorers
-
Explorers A-Z
At the heart of our explorers program is the quest for knowledge through exploration and the people who make it possible.
-
Explorers by Category
Browse our different areas of exploration and discover the fascinating people behind the projects.
