excellence in relationship
Faculty & Mentors

Director of Palazzo Ducale Fondazione per la Cultura in Genoa since 2024, Ilaria Bonacossa is a curator and art critic. She previously directed the Museum of Digital Art in Milan and Artissima, the International Fair of Contemporary Art in Turin. After graduating in Contemporary Art History from the University of Milan and completing a Master’s in Curatorial Studies at Bard College, she worked with the Whitney Museum in New York. She was a curator at the Fondazione Sandretto Re Rebaudengo for seven years and Artistic Director of the Villa Croce Museum in Genoa from 2012 to 2017.

A journalist with an economic focus, a lawyer and an expert in the international art market, Roberta Olcese specialises in communication strategy and divides her time between Genoa and Lugano. She has been a contract professor at the Faculty of Architecture of the University of Genoa and has lectured on the Art Economy Master’s programme of Il Sole 24 Ore. She writes for Milano Finanza and Gentleman (Class Editori) and since 2008 has co-hosted the television programme Top Lot on Class CNBC. She has also contributed to publications such as Vanity Fair and Il Sole 24 Ore Art Economy.

Soprano Serena Gamberoni trained at the Bomporti Conservatory in Trento and studied with artists including Raina Kabaivanska. After winning the Aslico European Competition, she sang in Italy’s major opera houses and made her debuts at Teatro alla Scala and Covent Garden, working with conductors such as Riccardo Muti, Myung-Whun Chung and Antonio Pappano. Since 2020 she has led the Carlo Felice Academy for Opera Singers in Genoa, preparing young artists for their debut in leading roles. She also teaches for the Andrea Bocelli Foundation and has been a guest teacher at the Wexford Opera Academy and in London.

Bass Giovanni Battista Parodi made his debut at Teatro alla Scala in 1999 in Beethoven’s Fidelio, the beginning of an international career that has taken him to many of the world’s leading opera houses. He has performed at the Paris Opera and on the stages of Vienna, Madrid, Naples, Verona, Brussels, Budapest and Strasbourg, as well as in Toronto, Quebec City and at Lincoln Center in New York. To the students of Accademia XXI he brings the experience of a career on the international opera stage spanning more than two decades, and a direct understanding of what it takes to sustain it.

Matteo Zoppi teaches philosophy across academic and theological institutions in Liguria. He is Tenured Professor of Philosophy of Being and Thought and of Topics in the History of Philosophy at the Higher Institute of Religious Sciences of Liguria, and teaches Metaphysics and Theodicy at the Affiliated Theological Institute of Genoa, part of the Theological Faculty of Northern Italy. He is also Adjunct Professor of History of Medieval Philosophy at the University of Genoa, in the Department of Antiquity, Philosophy and History (DAFIST), and a member of the Académie Saint-Anselme of Aosta.

Francesco Marchiaro graduated in Cultural Heritage from the University of Turin and in Archaeology and Art History from the Università Cattolica in Milan, developing a particular interest in antiques explored in his master’s thesis on the Lombard cabinetmaker Giuseppe Maggiolini. In 2021 he joined Wannenes as Junior Specialist in the Ceramics and Antique Furniture departments, contributing that same year to the catalogue of the exhibition Le Porcellane dei duchi di Parma at the Royal Palace of Colorno. Since October 2025 he has been one of Wannenes’ youngest auctioneers.

Cosimo Bizzarri is a writer, strategist and educator working in the field of design. Over twenty years he has edited artists’ books, design publications and magazines, including Colors, founded by Oliviero Toscani and Tibor Kalman, and has written for The New York Times, The Guardian, The Atlantic, Der Spiegel, Wired and Apartamento. He is co-founder of PROSA, a studio that helps companies, brands and organisations define their ethos and tone of voice and communicate in a conscious, meaningful way. He regularly holds courses, lectures and workshops on design and editorial processes in Italy and abroad.

Stefano Brunelli holds three degrees in History, Philosophy and Theology. His life is shaped by two enduring interests: study and travel. Each year, he embarks on two journeys to different parts of the world, and his curiosity has taken him across all five continents. He also dedicates his time to mentoring and engaging young people through sport.

Stephanie Castelli is Admissions Officer at Accademia XXI. Drawing on her work in education, she sees admissions not as an administrative procedure but as the first stage of formation: a process of careful listening, from the first conversation to the reflective interview, through which students and families can understand whether the year is truly right for them. She looks beyond grades to curiosity, openness and readiness to grow. Once a student is admitted, she remains a point of reference for both student and family throughout the residential year, ensuring continuity from the first contact.

Stephanie Castelli is Admissions Officer at Accademia XXI. Drawing on her work in education, she sees admissions not as an administrative procedure but as the first stage of formation: a process of careful listening, from the first conversation to the reflective interview, through which students and families can understand whether the year is truly right for them. She looks beyond grades to curiosity, openness and readiness to grow. Once a student is admitted, she remains a point of reference for both student and family throughout the residential year, ensuring continuity from the first contact.

Based between Genoa and New York, Melissa Johnson Carissimo is a Person-Centered Counselor and Positive Psychology Coach, and Accademia XXI’s Well-being Mentor. She is the creator of Metaphoric Affect Processing (MAP), a sensory and poetic approach to emotion regulation developed in hospital settings, researched in oncology, psychiatry and palliative care, and taught internationally. Before her work in mental health, she studied at Amherst College, earned a degree in Creative Writing from Columbia University and worked in literary book publishing. At the Academy she leads the weekly Best Life Lab.

Born in Malolos, in the Philippines, Michelle Pasqual moved to Italy in 2007 and has since developed extensive experience in housekeeping and in creating welcoming, well-cared-for environments. At Accademia XXI she takes care of the spaces that students call home for the year, bringing warmth, attentiveness and care for the small details that make everyday life special. She is delighted to be part of life at the Academy, helping each student feel at ease from the very first day, so that the residential experience can become a genuine and lasting sense of home.

Anthony E. DiResta is a partner at Holland & Knight, based in Washington, D.C. and Miami, and co-chair of the firm’s Consumer Protection Defense and Compliance Team. A former federal prosecutor, he served as Director of the Federal Trade Commission’s Southeast Regional Office and has spent over four decades at the forefront of government enforcement. He advises companies and executives on regulation, compliance and crisis management, including emerging areas such as artificial intelligence and data privacy. Recognised by The Best Lawyers in America, he also serves on the boards of arts and education institutions.

Alina Ignatieva, PhD, is an Executive Coach and People & Culture expert based in Luxembourg, accredited by IMD and ICF. She spent thirteen years at Ferrero, holding HR and organisational development roles across Luxembourg, Belgium and Russia, up to HR Director and member of a plant’s Executive Committee. Since 2018 she has been a Board Member of CTF Holdings, and she now supports organisations and leaders in change management, cross-cultural communication and corporate culture. She also produces When Art Meets Leadership, a podcast on what the art world can teach us about leading with vision and excellence.

Tamiko Brown-Zablith is Founder and Managing Director of Minding Manners International in London. A certified International Etiquette and Diplomatic Protocol Consultant, she holds an MA in Protocol, Diplomacy and Cross-Cultural Relations and studied Intercultural Communication at the University of Cambridge. Her career spans the American President’s Office of Special Events and the Historic Royal Palaces, with work in more than 25 countries. Named the International Etiquette Expert for the Royal Wedding by CNN, she has trained royal families and members of the UN, NATO and the European Commission.

Born in Turin in 1947, Paola Agosti began working as an independent photographer in 1969, travelling across Europe, South America, the United States and Africa. She has portrayed political leaders, cultural figures and internationally renowned artists, with particular attention to the faces and stories of women. She documented the decline of peasant life in the poorest areas of Piedmont and the Piedmontese emigration to Argentina, and photographed the great protagonists of twentieth-century European culture. Her work has been the subject of numerous books and exhibitions in Italy and abroad.

Letterio Mauro is Professor of History of Philosophy at the University of Genoa and Director of the Department of Antiquity, Philosophy and History (DAFIST) within the School of Humanities. He is a member of the FINO Consortium, the doctoral network in philosophy of North-Western Italy, and has been visiting professor at the University of Salamanca in Spain. His academic path brings together research, teaching, international exchange and university leadership, and offers students a view of philosophy as a living discipline that continues to question how we think, choose and live.

Graduated in Art History, Cristiano De Lorenzo has followed a path shaped by many interests, moving from entertainment to museums and private institutions, editorial work and university teaching. His career in the auction world began in 2008 in Christie’s European Public Relations department in London. In 2013 he moved to Hong Kong, where he spent three years as Head of the President’s Office at Christie’s Asia, before returning to Italy in 2016. Passionate about art, architecture, design and literature, he is always glad to serve as auctioneer for charity events.

Alvvino is an Italian collage artist and art director based in Milan, whose work spans editorial, publishing, advertising and visual communication. His illustrations have appeared internationally in magazines, branding campaigns and books, for editorial clients including The New York Times, The Financial Times, Billboard, HarperCollins, L’Express, Barron’s, La Repubblica, Vanity Fair, Inc. Magazine, il Saggiatore, Internazionale, Drapers, Domus and The Good Life. His collages have also featured in projects for brands such as Campari, Red Bull, Nike, Moleskine and Technogym.

Elisabetta Trezzani graduated from the Politecnico di Milano in 1994 and joined Renzo Piano Building Workshop in 1998, where she has been a Partner since 2011 and President of the Board since 2024. After working on Aurora Place in Sydney, she ran the site office for the addition to the High Museum in Atlanta. With Mark Carroll she led the teams behind the new Whitney Museum in New York and the Harvard Art Museums, and was Partner in Charge of a SoHo residential tower. She currently oversees the new Campus Nord of the Politecnico di Milano, the Prata housing complex in Lisbon and a project in Hangzho.

Guido Wannenes is an internationally renowned antiquarian and auctioneer, and CEO of Wannenes, the auction house active in Genoa, Monte Carlo, Milan, Rome and Turin. The company is organised into teams of experts and specialist departments covering the most important categories of art and collecting. Its work draws on close connections with a wide network of art historians, antiquarians, gallery owners, directors of public and private museums, specialised journalists and collectors. With Accademia XXI students he shares an inside view of the art market, where knowledge, judgement and relationships meet.

Giovanni Novi is a Genoese entrepreneur whose career has been closely linked to international shipping and maritime trade. After beginning his career as a broker in London, he co-founded Burke & Novi in Genoa in 1961, developing it into a leading international shipbroking group. He served as President of the Yacht Club Italiano and held senior roles in Sail Training organisations, helping organise major international Tall Ships events. Appointed Cavaliere del Lavoro in 1995, he later served as President of the Port Authority of Genoa and President of Genoa Airport. He is Honorary President of Burke & Novi.

Stefano Di Rico is an award-winning campaigner, youth advocate, public speaker and consultant whose work focuses on young people’s wellbeing, fulfilment and civic engagement. He has worked across charities and early-stage start-ups and advises organisations in paediatric health, mental health, education and pre-careers on putting young people at the centre of their work. He hosts the podcast Creating Your Ladder, is a Fellow of the Royal Society of Arts (FRSA) and an Aspen Institute UK Rising Leader. He is currently studying Politics, International Studies and Hispanic Studies at the University of Warwick.