Team

Gabriella discovered shiatsu in 1987, and it was love at first sight. She chose to devote herself entirely to this discipline, leaving her secure job at a United Nations agency behind her.

After graduating, she continued her professional training by studying with several internationally renowned teachers in Italy and abroad. Of all these teachers, Pauline Sasaki had the most profound influence on Gabriella's approach to shiatsu. Gabriella studied with Pauline in Italy, Europe and the United States and participated in a small study group on Pauline’s Advanced Quantum Shiatsu for seven years.

Following Pauline's death, Gabriella decided to share her teachings and Quantum Shiatsu by offering workshops in Italy and across Europe.

Meeting Pauline Sasaki and studying with her was a privilege and a great gift for Gabriella. This opened up new horizons for her, offering not only new techniques, but also a new philosophy and a renewed vision of human beings and their potential.

Beyond different techniques and theories.
'There is a field beyond right and wrong. I’ll meet you there,' wrote Rumi.
Shiatsu can be that field because, due to its human, philosophical and social value, it brings us closer to the meaning of life and leads us on a journey of endless discovery and exploration.

It was this profound dimension of shiatsu, present in every touch and pressure, that won me over many years ago, and it continues to fascinate me in my practice today.

Noemi finds the convergence of many skills and areas of knowledge acquired through her diverse studies in humanities, science and art in Shiatsu.
Originally from Rome, she considers herself a citizen of the world.

Following various personal explorations, she approached shiatsu as a way of supporting life through this ancient healing art, and as a means of embracing her role as an agent of change, first and foremost for herself.
She graduated from the European Shiatsu Institute and is listed in the FISieo professional registry. She specialises in Wellmother, Fascia and Pauline Sasaki’s Quantum Shiatsu Evolution. The latter has always been her passion, and she is currently deepening her studies with Gabriella Poli.

Noemi is the founder of TOUCH, an initiative that promotes shiatsu as a way to support individuals while honouring their uniqueness and personal evolution. It is also a means to expand consciousness and raise awareness of one’s full potential.

Originally from Rome, Francesca del Carmine is a Shiatsu practitioner registered with Fisieo and ROS.
Although she initially trained in economics and pursued a career as a business organisation analyst, she ultimately decided to pursue her passion for performing energy treatments that promote well-being and activate our innate self-healing and rebalancing abilities.

In 2019, she began training to become a shiatsu practitioner at the European Shiatsu Institute in Rome under the guidance of Gabriella Poli and Giovanna Ipsevich.

Her desire to make this valuable practice available to anyone who wants it and her firm belief in the role of Shiatsu as a tool for supporting individuals have led her to devote herself entirely to treatments, which she performs in Viterbo and Tarquinia, where she lives.

Sicilian by birth and Roman by adoption, Vania graduated from the Igea Shiatsu School in Rome, where she continues to study and collaborate. In recent years, she has also approached Sei-ki with great curiosity, finding in this practice an even deeper and more personal resonance.
When she’s not on the futon, she teaches at a high school north of Rome, where the teachings of Shiatsu are a precious resource, especially for surviving faculty meetings!
Vania is part of the organizing team of the European Shiatsu Congress 2026, a special occasion to meet, share experiences, and grow together. Within the group, she is responsible for keeping in touch with speakers, participants, and translators... in short, lots of emails, but also many meaningful connections!

Graduated from the European Shiatsu Institute in Rome, following the teachings of Master Masunaga.
She is a member of the Italian Federation of Shiatsu Teachers and Practitioners.
She has attended numerous seminars, including Level I and II on fascia and Shiatsu, Shiatsu for pregnancy and childbirth, mobile and seated Shiatsu, and Shiatsu for people living with cancer.
She volunteers as a Shiatsu practitioner with the “Peter Pan” association.

Her Shiatsu practice offers support in discovering or restoring psycho-physical balance, improving quality of life through greater self-awareness and body awareness.

Giulia was born and raised in Genoa, but since 2007, her curiosity and international spirit have led her to live abroad. Today, she calls Vienna home, where she passionately cultivates Shiatsu, Seiki, and medicinal plants.
She loves traveling, learning languages (she speaks five), and discovering different cultures.
Optimistic, smiling, and endlessly curious, she dives deep into anything that captures her interest.

She firmly believes in the importance of creating connection between people, a value that guides all her commitments and transforms her experiences into opportunities for growth and sharing.

Born in Tarquinia, where she still lives, she studied languages and Art History. For the past 23 years, she has been working at the Information Points of the Municipality of Rome, offering assistance and hospitality to tourists from all over the world.

In 2017, she began her journey as a Shiatsu practitioner at the European Shiatsu Institute in Rome. A member of FISieo, after graduating she passed the exam to be admitted as a certified practitioner in the Shiatsu Operators Register (ROS).

She also volunteers as a Shiatsu practitioner with the Peter Pan Association in Rome, which supports and cares for parents of children with cancer.

She combines her two passions, tourism and shiatsu, by making 'welcoming the other' her leitmotif — the driving force that propels her through life. Encountering Shiatsu first as a recipient and then as a practitioner opened up a new path for her, enabling her to forge a deeper connection with life.

Chiara Fasanelli was born in Rome on 3 February 1972.
While searching for a new hobby, she discovered Shiatsu almost by chance in 2019 — and it immediately turned out to be so much more than that.
It was love at first sight. Her curiosity was awakened like never before, inspiring her to study with great passion until she obtained her diploma from the European Shiatsu Institute in October 2024.

But it doesn’t end there. Although she still considers herself a beginner, she is completely captivated by the desire to continually progress in this art, which enables one to connect with others through touch and experience life more deeply.

For this reason, she has decided to offer Shiatsu on a voluntary basis at the Peter Pan OdV association, where she cares for the parents of children with cancer alongside other colleagues.

Building on the skills she gained at RAI, where she has worked in the directing department since 2003, she is available to ESC 2026 for logistics and media contacts.

Emanuela Gamberini was born in Rome in 1970.
She discovered shiatsu around 2018, during a challenging period of personal growth. After graduating from IES in 2021, she continued her studies in fascia (Level I) and Quantum Shiatsu with Gabriella Poli. At around the same time, she became a sound massage practitioner using harmonic singing bowls (Albert Rabenstein method), a NatureTherapy® facilitator and an Argentine tango instructor. As a tangotherapy practitioner, she focuses especially on working with people with disabilities, Parkinson's disease and Alzheimer's disease.
As a volunteer with the Peter Pan Association, she uses Shiatsu to support parents of children receiving care at Bambino Gesù Hospital.
A common factor in all her activities is non-verbal dialogue consisting of presence, listening and connection with others.

Patrizia Franco is a 76-year-old Neapolitan woman who is recognisable by her glasses. She graduated in psychology in 1978. She specialised in learning disorders during the developmental stage and gained experience working with children with cognitive and motor disabilities in schools and specialised centres, as well as with adults affected by Alzheimer’s disease.
After a tumultuous life spent abroad and a variety of different jobs, she arrived at the Igea Shiatsu School in 2014, where she found her home and a place where her diverse experiences, skills, and sensitivities could finally be recognised and integrated.

People say about me that:
– I have sea-blue eyes, the color of the Norwegian fjords
– an open, radiant face, always ready to smile, marked by creases of warmth and friendliness.

My ancestry is diverse, ranging from Russia to England and Scotland, with a predominance of Norwegian and Italian roots.

I’ve had multiple professional experiences: from working as a simultaneous interpreter (Italian–Norwegian–English), to interior designer, to executive secretary in a multinational company, to conference organizer, to collaborating with the ""10 in Condotta"" center for re-education of families with dogs. I also worked in the accreditation office of the Internazionali di Tennis in Rome.

Life led me, while working at the ""Maria Azi"" decor shop in Trastevere, to meet and collaborate with the bookstore ""Nero su Bianco"", owned by Mariangela Mincione, who has been a publisher for over 10 years.

For some years now, I have been deeply interested in Traditional Chinese Medicine, which eventually brought me to Shiatsu, for me, a true source of vital energy!

He is a professional shiatsu practitioner and trainer.
He is registered with the ROS (Register of Shiatsu Practitioners of the Italian Shiatsu Federation – FISieo) and began his journey into the world of shiatsu almost by chance in 1995 when he attended the Hakusha School.
From that moment on, his life changed; encountering this discipline, together with Chinese medicine and other healing and personal growth techniques, turned his interest into a profession.
He has been the director and educational coordinator of the Hakusha School of Shiatsu and Moxa in Milan since 2007, and a member of the Examination Committee of the Italian Federation of Shiatsu Teachers and Practitioners since 2012.
Despite his dedication to the well-being of others, he has always been passionate about technology and computers. This has led him to manage the school’s website and social networks, combining his human and digital sides.

Renato Zaffina, born in Lamezia Terme, is a Shiatsu teacher and practitioner, holding a FISieo certification and practicing under Italian Law 4/2013. He is the educational director of the Shiatsu School ISBN and has long been committed to promoting Shiatsu in dialogue with Integrated Medicine. Within FISieo, he has held several roles: president, head of communication, institutional communication coordinator, and member of both the Executive Board and the Scientific and Technical Committee. He is currently FISieo’s liaison with Slow Medicine and collaborates with the Paracelso Laboratory of the University of Ferrara on the project “Health and Care Diaries in Shiatsu.” He has been a speaker at national conferences and cultural events on Shiatsu in healthcare systems, end-of-life care, and the arts as a relational tool. His work combines practice, research, and education, with a strong focus on integrating Shiatsu into health pathways, fostering an approach centered on the individual and the quality of care.

Eleonora Carmi was born in the province of Venice, where she developed her love of nature, travel and art from an early age. After a long career in restoration, she discovered a different form of 'restoration' in 2017: shiatsu. She immediately recognised it as a transformative and deeply regenerative path.

Having completed her shiatsu training, Eleonora turned to yoga, seamlessly combining the two disciplines until they became her work and her life path. Driven by genuine curiosity and a constant desire to grow, she also undertook Quantum Shiatsu training, further developing her sensitivity and ability to help people achieve true mind–body balance.

She offers treatments and practices that promote grounding, awareness, and well-being, combining listening, presence, and technique. She is always open to learning and considers every experience an opportunity to evolve, both in her practice and in life.