Profile

Born in Monza in 1977, but now residing in Biassono—the cradle of the Lombard Enlightenment and birthplace of the intrepid explorer Gaetano Osculati—Alberto Caspani holds a degree in Theoretical Philosophy from the University of Milan, where he graduated under the supervision of Professor Carlo Sini with a thesis titled 'Control and Transgression in Michel Foucault'. Following his early experience as a local news reporter for Il Cittadino di Monza e Brianza and Il Giorno, he began producing reportages and features for various national and international publications, including: TTG Italia, Altreconomia, OnRoadMag, Il Mondo dei Trasporti, Travel Quotidiano, Viaggiando, Bell'Europa, D La Repubblica delle Donne, il Venerdì di Repubblica, Panorama Travel, Africa, Kodin Kuvalethi e Russia Beyond The Headlines.

He conducts field research into the major spiritual and philosophical traditions of Asia, Africa, the Americas, and Oceania. His collaborations include work with The Asia Institute in Seoul, alongside shaman Eun Mi Pang; the Theosophical Society in Chennai (India); the Mowanjum Aboriginal Art & Cultural Centre in Derby and The University of Western Australia (Australia); the Melnikov Permafrost Institute in Yakutsk (Russia); the Tibetisches Buddhistisches Zentrum in Hüttenberg (Austria); and the Atelier Immaginale, run by the Iris Association at the University of Milano-Bicocca.
 

In 2012, he founded the 'Gaetano Osculati' Cultural Association, dedicated to rediscovering the history of Italian exploration by highlighting national excellence and talent. Under the patronage of the Italian Geographical Society, the 'Odoardo Beccari Mission' was organized in Borneo in 2016, followed in 2018 by the 'Gaetano Osculati Mission' to Ecuador, under the patronage of the Lombardy Region. In 2019, to celebrate the 150th anniversary of the Suez Canal's opening, he conceived and launched the 'Manfredo Camperio Mission', in conjunction with the inauguration of the Casa degli Esploratori (House of Explorers) network in Arcore (Monza and Brianza). The following year, the 'Alberto Ferrero Della Marmora Mission' took place in Sardinia, anticipating the UNESCO recognition of the island's cultural landscape. Deepening his study of Gaetano Osculati's 'Notes on a Journey through South America in the Years 1834-35-36' (1844), a new field research project was carried out in 2024 to verify the Brianza-born explorer's claim as the first to discover the Chinchorro mummies in Chile. This was conducted in collaboration with the Italian Honorary Consulate in Arica and the Italian Cultural Institute in Santiago. The subsequent dialogue with Chilean institutions has opened the door to reconsidering how this ancient civilization evolved along the coasts of the Atacama Desert, leading to the identification of new migration routes in the Lake Titicaca region of Bolivia and highlighting previously unstudied rock art sites. The following year, research into the origins of the American people led to a new expedition into the Brazilian Sertão. This initiative, in collaboration with archaeologist Leonardo Troiano, initiated a cultural twinning process between the municipality of Pedro II and Biassono, marking the 150th anniversary of the birth of the Emperor of Brazil—a great admirer of the Biassono explorer, Gaetano Osculati. 

He is the head of the travel section at ICOO (Institute of Culture for the East and the West), for which he also curated the exhibition 'Kulabob, the Long-Lost Brother from Papua New Guinea', organized by the Museum of Peoples and Cultures in Milan, as well as 'Costantino Beltrami: The Dream of a New World' at the Museum of Natural Sciences in Bergamo. In January 2023, he launched the #SocialCafeVerri initiative, a cultural hub for entertainment and education that pays tribute to fellow citizens Pietro and Alessandro Verri. Its periodic publication is 'Il Verro d'Oro' (The Golden Boar), which takes center stage at the Biassono Enlightenment Festival.

When in residence in Biassono, Alberto Caspani develops projects with the 'Carlo Verri' Civic Museum and the Lambro Archeohistorical Research Group. He conducts philosophy seminars at the University of the Third Age (UTL) and the Institute for Group Research in Lugano (in collaboration with the counseling company Morbidevoci.ch), and indulges his passion for literature by publishing short stories and books. From 2011 to 2021, he served with Lista per Biassono, a civic movement represented in the city council, where he held the position of majority leader. As president of the Environmental Compensation Commission for the Pedemontana Highway in Biassono, he conceived the 'Ansperto Trail from Biassono' project (2024), successfully integrating it into the Municipal Land Management Plan (PGT).

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