Gianni was born in Perth WA, from Italian parents who migrated here in the 1950’s. He has a lived experience of mental illness, getting unwell early in life.
In the last 20 years Gianni has gone back to studying, which is his proudest achievement, and completed his mature age Tertiary Entrance Exam in 2001-2002, then completed two degrees – a Bachelor of Arts degree at the University of Western Australia, majoring in Italian, receiving a Mentoring award for mentoring other students at UWA, and secondly, a Bachelor of Contemporary Arts degree at Edith Cowan University, majoring in Photomedia.
Gianni’s main areas of interest are photography, computers, reading, movies and going for walks. He is a West Coast Eagles member as well as a member of the Vincent Men’s Shed and the WA Camera Club and attends the Lorikeet Centre on a regular basis.