 From 1862 to 1869, he was a lecturer at the University of Modena, and in 1869 became a professor of zoology and comparative anatomy at the University of Padua.In 1862 he founded the "Società dei Naturalisti Modenesi" (Modena Society of Naturalists), and in 1871, the "Società Veneto-Trentina di Scienze Naturali" (Trento-Venetian Society of Natural Sciences).He is credited with establishment of the bacteriology laboratory at Padua.