Ciao
I’m a Product Designer living in the countryside near Bologna. I’m a quiet person who loves simple things: cats, gardening, snorkelling and photography.
As a designer, my strength is generating ideas quickly. Give me context and I’ll come up with multiple paths forward. If you ask for an immediate opinion, I usually need a bit of time to think it through.
As a human, I can reliably pick a good melon at the supermarket.
I love crime books with a touch of irony, practise swimming despite being terrible at most sports, and fully rely on my eight hours of sleep. I adore Scandinavian design, all animals, and would open a shelter if I ever won the lottery.
I’m never sure how much of our personal story belongs next to a résumé. Maybe not much, or maybe just enough to show the person behind the job title. If you’re curious, here’s mine.
Apertures & Algorithms
I was born in Lugo, a tiny town in Emilia-Romagna, and grew up with two great passions: photography and computers. I learned to shoot on film, took part in local contests, exhibited my photos… basically the classic small-town kid with a camera. Meanwhile, I was also the kid who built PCs for fun and fixed every printer within a 10-km radius.
After studying languages in high school, I moved to Bologna for Computer Science at the University of Bologna and graduated in 2012. My thesis - thanks to Professor Danilo Montesi - was about visualizing Twitter data from the Bologna earthquake. I finished it convinced I would never touch graphs again. (Naturally, life laughed.)
My last exam at university was statistics, that I avoided with Olympic-level dedication. With only a couple of weeks left, I found a mathematician in Bologna who gave private lessons. I don’t remember his name, but I remember his apartment: piles of dusty books, tiny lamps, and one enormous table. He explained statistics so simply it was basically disarming, and by the end I loved it. I passed with a 30 and realized something important: I’m perfectly capable of changing my mind… even about statistics.
First Gigs
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First Gigs 〰️
During university, I worked for Apple. They had an initiative called Apple on Campus, where students could work as on-call helpers to assist university staff with IT problems. On weekends, I sold printers, Epson printers, mostly - in shopping malls. And sometimes projectors, too.
While I generally don’t enjoy jobs that involve constant contact with the public, selling printers actually helped me step out of my comfort zone.
One day, an older man came into the shop - he was opening a farm stay (agriturismo) and wanted to print menus on a thick, absorbent yellow paper he also used for placemats. I knew exactly which printer would handle that specific paper perfectly. It wasn’t the cheapest option, but I was confident it was the only one that could print flawlessly on that kind of paper.
He trusted me and bought the printer, and came back the following week just to thank me and tell me it worked perfectly. That moment really boosted my confidence - though, truth be told, I was probably too honest to be a great salesperson. Once I’d learned enough, I decided to move on from that job.
While studying, I also spent 4 months in Maastricht (it’s a long story). There is where is started to truly appreciate frozen pizzas. And fries.
Wordpress (didn’t) changed my life
Right after graduating, I somehow started two jobs at once. I joined a non-profit as a Web Designer, mostly editing WordPress templates and doing a lot of layout work in InDesign. At the same time, I founded StudioMagenta, a wedding photography studio. What began with a couple of weddings a year eventually grew to 29 weddings annually across Italy and Europe. I definitely didn’t see that coming.
Because I clearly enjoy a challenge, I also invested in a franchised ice cream shop in Florence. The first year went so badly that I ended up acting as the manager, driving to Florence every couple of weeks to check on things. The second year we didn’t make a profit, but at least we didn’t lose money, which honestly felt like a win. Eventually, I stepped away from that adventure and focused on simplifying my life, from three jobs down to two.
I soon realized that even two jobs were too much. After about a year, I left the non-profit. I had learned a lot, but editing WordPress templates wasn’t what I wanted to keep doing. I wanted to focus on design properly, so I applied to Scuola Politecnica di Design in Milan.
I moved there without really knowing anyone, except for a couple of people I’d met online through photography. I met one of them on the day of my school interview, and a couple of years later, in 2015, I helped him co-found FusilloLab, now run entirely by him, my friend Michael.
My interview went well, and I later earned a Master’s in Multimedia and Web Design from Scuola Politecnica di Design.
Marta, Marwa and me the last day or the Master.
A very empty Fusillo Lab. My friend Michael is on the left.
The year I met UX
The goal of the Master’s program was to give you a taste of everything: a bit of front-end development, UX, and UI design and then let you figure out what you wanted to focus on afterwards. It quickly became clear that I didn’t want to code. And it also became clear that I wanted to be a UX Designer.
To be honest, I didn’t even know what UX Design was before moving to Milan. But Milan opened my mind. That year I met brilliant people from all over the world and got a full immersion into what design really means.
That same year, WIRED launched a competition tied to the EXPO, calling for innovative apps and ideas related to the event. The school decided to participate, and I teamed up with Olivia, a classmate of mine, to propose a dog-sitting app called WOUF!. Since dogs weren’t allowed at the EXPO, we thought a map of dog services and sitters for tourists could be useful.
Everyone in the class submitted a project, but we were the only team to make it to the finals. I presented our app on stage in front of a jury that December. We didn’t win, but it was absolutely terrifying - and one of the things I’m still proud of.
After graduating, I started an internship at a web agency in Milan called Bitmama.
Originally, I planned to stay in Milan just for one year (the duration of the Master). Turns out I stayed for ten. (Ten!)
Banks and cruises
I spent three years at Bitmama, working on many different projects and learning a lot. Two experiences stood out: a year-long consultancy with Banca Intesa, where I learned how to manage clients and negotiate, and an international project for Carnival UK, which had me flying to England every other week for research sessions and presentations. It was my first real international assignment, in a country I’ve always loved.
After three years in a web agency, I felt ready to move to the client side, first at Giorgio Armani and later at Moncler. Milan was an important chapter for me. I enjoyed my routines, from the cheese shop that made a blue-cheese-and-champagne dip to the bakery under my flat and the jasmine bushes in the park. But eventually, I realised I wasn’t a Milan person.
After three years in fashion, I understood it wasn’t the right world for me. The career growth was slow and the problems didn’t feel meaningful enough. I did gain strong experience in retail and e-commerce, but I need constant learning and challenge to stay engaged.
During that time, I also took a pottery course and learned how to throw simple pieces. The most difficult thing I managed was a teapot.
In 2020, I adopted my cat Edo from a shelter. A few months later, in the strange COVID period, I joined Sysdig, where I still work today. And yes, it turned out to be challenging enough. And now, funnily enough, I work with graphs.
Throughout all these years, I’ve traveled as much as I could - with a few hiccups here and there - visiting beautiful places and, of course, taking photos along the way.
Oman
Maldives
Scotland
India
Japan
Iceland
Svalbard
Portugal
Lofoten
Ireland