[1][2][3][4] He was a professor at University of Torino and he worked mainly on geometric methods applied to mechanics, mathematical physics and general relativity.
[7] Francaviglia's scientific interests covered a wide range of topics, including the application of differential geometry in mathematical physics, classical mechanics, general relativity and field theories, calculus of variations, symmetries and conservation laws, quantization and thermodynamics.
He was author of over 250 papers,[8] three monographs and 11 encyclopaedia long entries, and he supervised 6 PhD students.
He also served as a member of the Board of the International Society on General Relativity and Gravitation (IGRG) for nine years (1986–1995).
A special issue of the last journal has published a collection of scientific contributions from several Francaviglia's collaborators,[12] presented in a workshop in his memory two years after his death.