He wrote a chronicle (sometimes Chronica regni Siciliae) of the Mezzogiorno from the death of William II of Sicily in 1189 to 1243.
Richard was a companion of Stephen of Marsia, the abbot of Montecassino, and dedicated his chronicle to him.
It is largely, but far from mostly, focused on the Terra Sancti Benedicti, the lands of the abbey of Montecassino.
The first part was written beginning in 1216 and covers the time between the papal visit to San Germano and the death of Stephen of Marsia in July 1227.
Altered and expanded to stand on its own, the chronicle was finished after the Roman visit of Pope Innocent IV in October 1243.