He was the first European [citation needed] explorer to visit extensively the Horn of Africa region, also referred to as Benadir, to which he gave its current name of Somalia.

He then crossed the Danakil Desert, and arrived in Harrar, Ethiopia, where he lived for several months and conducted a series of scientific studies .

[8] He collected many poems circulating in the region at the time including some that covered the sage Guled Haji and the demise of the powerful Sultan Hersi Aman.

[1][6] His journey covered an area of more than two thousand kilometers until he reached Alula, and is documented by a large number of maps and photographs that he put together during the trip.

[2] Robecchi Bricchetti's collection of insects was initially assigned to a team of specialists (Carlo Emery for ants, Raffaello Gestro for beetles, Pietro Pavesi for spiders and scorpions, Paolo Magretti for wasps and grasshoppers, Arturo Issel for the shells, etc.).

The Natural History Museum, Pavia, received his photo-archive, his library and a selection of weapons and items collected during his thirty years of travels and explorations.