Gianna Tognin started working when she was very young, in 1969, as an apprentice restorer at the company of Guido Nicola, where she gained experience working in different sectors of restoration - especially on canvas paintings - from lining to cleaning to pictorial reintegration.

Alongside Gian Luigi Nicola, who will marry a few years later, she also intervenes for a certain period on frescoes and stuccos on many external worksites - essential to remove the carbonate concretion covering the frescos of the Church of San Remigio in Pallanza - and on sarcophagi and archaeological material; at the end of the Sixties Gianna joined Gian Luigi, in the operation of reassembling the Temple of Elessya.

From 1974 to 1998 he was co-owner of the artisan company of Gian Luigi; with him, she carried out essential interventions including the restoration project of the Tomb of Nefertari, in 1975. In 2004, they offered consultation for the restoration of the tomb of Ramses II at the invitation of Christian Le Blanc, director of the French archaeological mission.

In 1999, she became a manager of Nicola Restauri Srl; her field of specialisation is, in particular, the conservative restoration and the lining of the paintings on canvas.

Since 2015 she is Vice-President of the Cultural Heritage Association Guido Nicola for Restoration.

Beyond the restoration

Gianna cultivates her great passion for art by reading voraciously, following programs and documentaries dedicated and in her free time, as soon as possible, she goes to exhibitions and museums.

Her knowledge learned from self-taught has become a valuable tool also for art historians attending the Laboratory.

An excellent cook, house lover, caring grandmother, Gianna is also passionate about flowers and plants, and she is the one to take care of the green areas of the laboratory.

Her practical skills and her organisational support are fundamental for receptions and events in Nicola's House.