Cappellini started skating at the age of three and switched to ice dance when she was 11 or 12. She skated with Federico Bassi, Luca Lombardi, and Matteo Zanni. She and Zanni placed fifth at the 2004 World Junior Championships. The next season, they won the bronze medal at the Junior Grand Prix Final but had to withdraw from the 2005 Junior Worlds after the original dance due to Zanni's food poisoning. Their partnership ended after his father was severely injured in a car accident and he decided to stop competing.