I was born in Aarau, Switzerland, on the 18th of March, 1973. My family moved immediately to Bari, southern Italy and then to Milan when I was 3 years old. As a little child I was fascinated by nature, a passionate reader of Gerald Durrell's expeditions all over the globe, and sure I was going to become a biologist when I grew up.

In 1984 I came to New York City for the first time, where I attended the 6th grade. My science teacher at the time, Mr. Mueser, further stimulated my love for animals and habitats, and suggested I should use photography to document my findings.

When I was 14, I moved to Lugano, Switzerland, where I started high school, and began to be interested in art and history. Soon after, I started to suffer strong headaches accompanied by sight problems and loss of consciousness. These phenomena happened more and more frequently, and I started to visit neurologists all over Europe, as well as seeking alternative cures, just to alleviate the problems.  

 

I came back to NYC to visit a noted specialist, was thoroughly analyzed, did all sorts of tests and biopsies, and, unfortunately, failed to once more to discover the cause nor a way to halt what was happening.

I went on having strokes for approximately 10 years, each causing loss of memory, sight loss, some paralysis, as well as having to learn how to read and write over and over again.  

I then started to attend a school for disabled people. During that troubled decade, what terrified me the most was my inability to communicate through words, which had completely lost meaning and significance to me.

I started again to communicate through images; photography rescued me where words failed.   My interests shifted again, and, while biology still thrills me, a sense of urgency has driven me to photography. I worked as a photographer in Lugano, studied a year at the International Center of Photography, and I am currently working as a photographer in NYC.