Born in Lagonegro, Potenza, she started her international career at the 1992 IAAF World Cross Country Championships, where she came 41st in the junior race. Later that year she competed on the track at the 1992 World Junior Championships in Athletics and was 14th in the 10,000 metres final. She represented Italy at the 1995 IAAF World Half Marathon Championships and began to make her impact on the road running scene in the late 1990s under the tutelage of Renato Canova.