Since July 1, 2025, Alberto Ricci has played a pivotal role in reorganizing and improving the Sapienza Herbarium collections.
His first mission? Bringing new order to the Educational Herbarium of Pharmaceutical Botany (HBF)—a valuable collection that, at the start of his work, consisted of 26 cubbies containing an original core of historical specimens, later enriched with materials from other collections. The goal is ambitious yet essential: to restore the original collection and recover its full value.
And the results have been impressive from the very beginning!
Alberto has already completed the first phase of the project, carefully examining each cubby and identifying sheets that do not clearly belong to the original collection. These materials have been set aside and will be reallocated, ready to be appreciated and enhanced in new ways.
But that’s not all. Each cubby now has a detailed inventory and has been reorganized according to its original numerical order. The collection will undergo restoration and will later be digitized—meticulous work that makes it clearer, more accessible, and ready for the future.
And the journey doesn’t stop here!
Alberto has already embarked on a new challenge: reorganizing the Bazzichelli Herbarium – Apuan Alps (HB-AP). This effort aims to restore accessibility to a section of the Bazzichelli Collection dedicated to specimens collected in the Apuan Alps.
Step by step, the herbarium’s heritage is coming back to life, ready once again to tell its story!