Big ideas.
One brick
at a time.

I’m Massimiliano Tarquini. I started programming at sixteen on my Commodore 64, and I have never stopped. Computers, languages and tools have changed, but the curiosity remains: starting with a problem and looking for a solution that works, can be understood and can grow over time.

In 2000, I began writing Java Mattone dopo Mattone. The first version, shared freely on the Internet, reached many programmers; in 2002, Hoepli published the book. It became part of my professional journey and shaped my approach to sharing knowledge: start with the foundations, explain each step and build the tools to tackle new problems alongside the reader.

Today, I conduct research on language models in civilian and military contexts. This work is part of a journey that continues to bring together programming, study and experimentation. Artificial intelligence opens up possibilities I want to explore with the same curiosity I had at the beginning, while maintaining a focus on quality and responsibility for the choices I make.

The Mattone dopo Mattone series grows from this connection between experience and the desire to understand. In my books, I guide the reader through concrete questions, examples and checks, without hiding the difficult steps. This is the spirit in which I return to Java, explore language models in Understanding LLMs and describe the journey in From Prompt to Software — Brick by Brick.