He is honorary member of the Academy of Sciences of Albania (2006),[1] external member of the Academy of Sciences and Arts of Kosovo (2008) and full professor (1991) of the Albanology section of the University of Calabria.
[2] Altimari was born on 21 February 1955 in San Demetrio Corone in Calabria, Italy and is of Arbëreshë descent.
After finishing the lyceum in his hometown in 1973, he graduated from the Faculty of Literature and Philosophy of the University of Calabria in 1978.
From 1991 is full professor in Albanology in the University of Calabria; he started his academical career in the field of Albanian language, literature, and philology, and Balkanic philology and linguistics, first associated with the Faculty of Literature and Philosophy of the University of Calabria, and followed later by University of Mannheim and Ludwig Maximilian University of Munich via German Academic Exchange Service (DAAD), Università degli Studi di Napoli "L'Orientale", "Cattolica" of Milan, as well as universities in Lecce, Trieste, Tirana, Shkodër, and Gjirokastër.
[3] As of 2012, he is part of the editorial staff of albanological periodicals as Studia Albanica of Tirana and is scientific director of "Res Albanicae" of university Foundation "Francesco Solano" of the University of Calabria.