[1] He is among the leading authorities on the life and works of Leonardo da Vinci having written of over 200 publications on the artist.
[2] In his youth he studied with the art historian Anna Maria Brizio, a specialist on the works of Leonardo da Vinci.
[3] Currently, Marani is a Full Professor in Modern Art History at the Polytechnic University of Milan, as well as president of the Raccolta Vinciana [it] institute.
[4] Marani's publications include more than 284 articles and books on the life and works of Leonardo da Vinci.
[5] He has written numerous essays on other Italian Renaissance artists, including Francesco di Giorgio Martini, Ambrogio Bergognone, Bramantino and Bernardino Luini, and contemporary artists such as Peter Greenaway, Igor Mitoraj, Alessandro Papetti and Medhat Shafik.