Her Bio (wikipedia): Vanessa was born in Rome to Italian Gabriella, her mother and American John, her father. She lived in Rome until she was 8, and then moved to Washington D.C., her father's birthplace. She lived there until 2002, when she returned to Italy as a model. She was cast to appear in the 2005 Italian movie Natale a Miami, along with Christian de Sica, and consequently her popularity soared. In March 2006, she made her debut as a soubrette at the Festival di Sanremo with Claudia Ced