Antonella was born in a beachside town near Tuscany in Italy, close to Pisa and Lucca. She is a professional Italian and German lecturer, and holds a Masters in Foreign Languages and Culture (majoring in German Studies). Antonella has taught Italian and German at universities and schools around the world, including at the University of Sydney where she is undertaking a PhD in Italian Studies.

Antonella has designed and delivered language courses, coordinated and supported strategic projects, and collaborated and liaised with multiple organisations and stakeholders. In 2018, she wrote the article Connecting language students with the work environment: 'Made in Italy: Italian at work', and in 2020 she was awarded the Dean's Citation for Excellence in Tutorials from the University of Sydney.

Antonella is creative and is always looking for new ways of doing things relevant to curricula based-courses, particularly for adult learning. Her teaching philosophy is a lifelong curiosity and a craving for change and improvement. Antonella's teaching method aims to foster enthusiasm and wellbeing alongside knowledge. She also loves meeting new people, and parties!