Rossi was born in Lecco. As well as the Olympics, he has also been successful at the ICF Canoe Sprint World Championships with seven medals. This includes three golds (K-2 1000 m: 1995, 1997, 1998), three silvers (K-2 1000 m: 1993, 1994; K-4 200 m: 1998), and one bronze (K-1 500 m: 1997).