Born in the Northern Italian town of Bolzano, one of five children of two working middle class parents, she was sent to boarding school. At age 8, she discovered the drums and played percussion in a band from age 15 to 18, and appeared on television, performing for viewers of channel Rai 1. While attending both the Academy of Fine Arts and the Academy of Costume and Fashion in Italy, she was invited to join the fashion models being presented for advertisements. This led to her first modeling jobs which, in turn, led to the beginning of her movie career.