Born in Corigliano Calabro, the son of a tailor, Otranto graduated in Classical Literature at the University of Bari.[1]
The main object of Otranto's studies was the history of Christianity, particularly the history of early Christianity in central and southern Italy up to the time of Pope Gregory I (590-604).[1] He founded the Centro di studi Micaelici e Garganici in Monte Sant'Angelo, a research institute mainly devoted to studies related to the Archangel Michael cult.[2] He served as a full professor of History of Christianity and Churches in the Faculty of Literature and Philosophy at his alma mater, and starting from the early 1990s he was visiting professor in a number of foreign universities.[3] In 2012 he was awarded the Premio Presidente della Repubblica for his career.[2]
Otranto died of a cerebral haemorrhage in Bari, on 5 January 2023, at the age of 82.[3]
