Carla Marchelli

Born in Genova, Carla Marchelli moved to Cortina d’Ampezzo where her family had taken refuge during World War II after the first air raids. She won seven medals at the Italian championships – three gold (downhill 1954; giant slalom 1955 / 1957), two silver (downhill 1953 / 1956), and two bronze (giant slalom 1953; slalom 1956).

Marchelli competed at the 1956 Winter Olympics in her hometown where she was sixth in downhill. Two years later, at the World Championships in Badgastein, she won a bronze medal in the downhill. She later competed in all three Alpine events at the 1960 Squaw Valley Games, her last major international competition.

While in America, Marchelli met an Italian professor who encouraged her to finish her university education and invited her to the Institute of Genetics in Pavia. After a trial period, she was offered the opportunity to conduct research at the new Centre for Genetics and Biology, opened in Napoli in 1962,

Alongside skiing and studying, Marchelli also obtained her scuba diving licence from the American Navy’s Marine Corps School in 1960, and a glider pilot’s licence in 1995.