Ricci began studying music as a child and at age twelve started accompanying voice lessons given by the famous baritone Antonio Cotogni, who had performed several of Giuseppe Verdi's operas under the composer's supervision.
At this early age, Ricci began taking meticulous notes on traditions, which Cotogni was passing on to him from work with 19th-century composers and conductors.
Among the many great conductors with whom he worked were Gino Marinuzzi, Vittorio Gui, Ettore Panizza, Tullio Serafin, Victor de Sabata; as well as singers such as Ezio Pinza, Beniamino Gigli, Toti dal Monte, Giacomo Lauri-Volpi, Maria Caniglia, Tito Gobbi to name but a few.
Ricci was the author of a collection of four volumes on "Variations, Cadenzas, and Traditions", and of two books "Puccini interprete da se stesso", and "34 anni con Pietro Mascagni".
Ricci was also active as a vocal coach at the Accademia Nazionale di Santa Cecilia, where he taught (amongst many others) Sesto Bruscantini, Richard Miller, Anna Moffo, Rosalind Elias, Ezio Flagello, Joanna Bruno, Peter Lindroos, Lucia Aliberti[1] and Martti Wallén.