A Master Restorer and Head of the Vatican Museum Restoration Laboratory, where she passionately worked as a restorer for over 30 years. Roman-born, Maria has trained under her mentor and former Head of the Restoration Laboratory, Gianluigi Colalucci. Coming from a background in the Classical Study of Restoration, she specialised in Paintings, working in Naples, Padua and ultimately establishing herself in Rome. Here, under the direction of Francesco Buranelli, she was entrusted with the restoration of the entire Ciclo dei Quattrocentisti in the Sistine Chapel, with frescoes depicting Stories from the Old and New Testaments by Perugino, Botticelli, Ghirlandaio, and Cosimo Rosselli, for the Jubilee Celebrations of 2000. She then directed the restoration of Pinturicchio’s Borgia Apartment, which became her passion, due to the historical themes and technical peculiarities that led her to develop innovative restoration methodologies. Materials and biotechnology thus became part of her professional background, which she directed towards sustainability. The management and methodological complexity of large-scale construction projects would then become her great challenge. These have included the restoration of the Complesso del Santuario of the Scala Santa in Rome, the Gallery of Geographical Maps, the Candelabra, the Hall of Constantine in the Raphael Rooms, and the paintings of the Vatican Pinacoteca, under the direction of Antonio Paolucci. The exclusive restoration of Michelangelo’s “Conversion of Paul” in the Pauline Chapel in the Vatican Apostolic Palace enthroned her love for art and conservation, as rooted in the transmission of the values the process conveys. These same values she believed in, are what have guided her in promoting and fostering Italian culture abroad, particularly during her time in London. The English capital nurtured her fascination with contemporary art through direct encounters with various artists and techniques. This experience carved a path for her desire to curate and promote her own events, particularly in London and in her beloved Bracciano, just outside Rome on the lake’s shore.