Benedetta Mattei
Born in Rome on January 1, 2004, Benedetta Mattei is a first-year student at the "Gioberti" hotel institute in Trastevere, with the goal of working as a receptionist and waitress. She leverages her knowledge of culinary recipes and restaurants. Passionate about sports, she has been playing football for two seasons in Rome's integrated team and has been doing rhythmic gymnastics for 10 years. But her favorite sport is track and field, between short sprints and long and high jumps. Among her passions are theater – she is an avid regular subscriber – and music: she is a member of the White Hands Choir of the Popular School of Music in Testaccio, participating in numerous concerts throughout Italy. For completeness: Benedetta has Down syndrome, her intestines were reconstructed on the third day of her life, she underwent heart surgery at one year old, and she was struck by leukemia at two years old. Through school, sport, theater, and music – weaving a network of friendships and opportunities (friend of three Popes and stars of sports and entertainment) – she is personally building a biography that is not a "medical record."
Articles
Leisure
I Voted No
Benedetta Mattei • March 30, 2026
Testimonial · Leisure
Singing My Way
Benedetta Mattei • January 30, 2026
Leisure
You've Got to Give Us Work! (And Let Us Sing…)
Benedetta Mattei • December 23, 2025
Spirituality
Parties I Want (and Parties I Don't)
Benedetta Mattei • November 26, 2025
Spirituality
Lucio, Who's Never in a Hurry (and Why Stools Matter)
Benedetta Mattei • November 1, 2025
Leisure
Dinner Conversation Never Gets Boring
Benedetta Mattei • September 10, 2025
Spirituality
Questions from a Champion
Benedetta Mattei • September 1, 2025
Spirituality
Working at the Restaurant Is Always Fun
Benedetta Mattei • August 18, 2025
Spirituality
Better to Dance Than Rage
Benedetta Mattei • May 28, 2025
Spirituality
The Bride and I Both Wore White
Benedetta Mattei • February 12, 2025
Spirituality
I Decide to Chew on the Upper Left
Benedetta Mattei • December 18, 2024
Spirituality
Aunt Giuliana, Grandmother's Walker, and My Questions
Benedetta Mattei • November 26, 2024
Spirituality
I Wait for Dawn—Not for Scouts at Noon Mass
Benedetta Mattei • October 16, 2024
Spirituality
Baglioni and the Kangaroo
Benedetta Mattei • August 16, 2024
Spirituality
I Love Working as a Waitress
Benedetta Mattei • March 25, 2024
Spirituality
So Many New Things
Benedetta Mattei • February 19, 2024
Spirituality
Amen
Benedetta Mattei • December 19, 2023
Spirituality
Me, Myself
Benedetta Mattei • December 2, 2023
Spirituality
At Baglioni's Concert, Which Doesn't Feature Tozzi
Benedetta Mattei • September 22, 2023
Spirituality
My Period and the Vending Machine at School
Benedetta Mattei • August 30, 2023
Spirituality
Mr Rain and LDA Are One
Benedetta Mattei • June 1, 2023
Spirituality
What a Degree Is
Benedetta Mattei • May 5, 2023
Spirituality
School, Tattoos, and Time That Matters
Benedetta Mattei • April 21, 2023
Spirituality
I Shoot Penalties Too
Benedetta Mattei • March 29, 2023
Spirituality
Proud of Myself
Benedetta Mattei • February 15, 2023
Spirituality
Work, Concerts, Research, and Friends!
Benedetta Mattei • December 15, 2022
Spirituality
The Professor Wants Me in Class
Benedetta Mattei • October 24, 2022
Spirituality
I Hate This
Benedetta Mattei • October 18, 2022
Spirituality
The Most Beautiful Thing
Benedetta Mattei • June 22, 2022
Spirituality
Go Roma!
Benedetta Mattei • May 28, 2022
Spirituality
Not a Chance
Benedetta Mattei • April 12, 2022
Spirituality
Goals and Bread Shared
Benedetta Mattei • March 23, 2022
Spirituality
The Name Tag Says "Benedetta M."
Benedetta Mattei • March 6, 2022
Family
I Cheered for Empoli
Benedetta Mattei • February 23, 2022
Spirituality
Birthday Parties, Best Friends (and a Dad Who Lost It)
Benedetta Mattei • January 27, 2022
Spirituality
Birthdays and Green Passes
Benedetta Mattei • December 21, 2021
Spirituality
I Sang Every Single One
Benedetta Mattei • November 29, 2021
Family
I Wanted to Stop. But I Couldn't!
Benedetta Mattei • October 20, 2021
Spirituality
School Has Started—But I'm Still Not Sure What's Happening
Benedetta Mattei • September 15, 2021
Spirituality
Why the Beach Isn't the Same Anymore
Benedetta Mattei • August 23, 2021
Spirituality
My Friend Gimbo Won the Olympics
Benedetta Mattei • August 12, 2021
Culture
Padel: A Word That Makes No Sense
Benedetta Mattei • August 7, 2021
Spirituality
Back to the Sea
Benedetta Mattei • July 6, 2021
Spirituality
Year-End Pizza
Benedetta Mattei • June 18, 2021
Spirituality
Let Me Show You Rome
Benedetta Mattei • May 12, 2021
Spirituality
What My Teachers Actually Said About Me
Benedetta Mattei • April 14, 2021
Culture
I Voted
Benedetta Mattei • March 2, 2021
Spirituality
My Résumé
Benedetta Mattei • February 13, 2021
Spirituality
I'm on Strike—and I'm Not Alone
Benedetta Mattei • January 13, 2021
Faith and Light
Ogni tanto salvo, sennò finisce male
Benedetta Mattei • December 14, 2020
Spirituality
Sometimes You Have to Swear to Be Heard
Benedetta Mattei • November 11, 2020
Spirituality
I Decided. Me, Myself
Benedetta Mattei • October 12, 2020
Spirituality
School's Off to a Great Start
Benedetta Mattei • September 17, 2020
Culture
Dear President Sergio Mattarella
Benedetta Mattei • September 16, 2020
Spirituality
My Friend Sister Marie-Théo-of-God
Benedetta Mattei • September 4, 2020
Spirituality
I Like It, But Only Sometimes
Benedetta Mattei • August 20, 2020
Spirituality
The Penalty Taker of Tyrrhenian Waters
Benedetta Mattei • August 6, 2020
Spirituality
From Dawn Till Well Past Midnight
Benedetta Mattei • July 22, 2020
Culture
Shakespeare vs. Insinna
Benedetta Mattei • June 24, 2020
Spirituality
Report Card (and Mask)
Benedetta Mattei • June 17, 2020
Spirituality
Ugh
Benedetta Mattei • June 3, 2020
Spirituality
The Arrow on Viale Marconi
Benedetta Mattei • May 7, 2020
Spirituality
Giuseppe Conte Called Me
Benedetta Mattei • April 24, 2020
Spirituality
What More Could I Do?
Benedetta Mattei • March 31, 2020
Spirituality
Shops and Pants
Benedetta Mattei • March 24, 2020
Spirituality
It Has to End Right Now
Benedetta Mattei • March 17, 2020
Spirituality
If I wait a little bit, the answer comes
Benedetta Mattei • February 18, 2020
Spirituality
Me, Lorenza, and the Ham
Benedetta Mattei • February 6, 2020
Spirituality
Gossip
Benedetta Mattei • January 22, 2020
Spirituality
At the Pope's Birthday Party
Benedetta Mattei • January 8, 2020
Family
In the South Curve
Benedetta Mattei • January 3, 2020
Spirituality
I Don't Like Cooking
Benedetta Mattei • December 18, 2019
Spirituality
I Have to Tie My Hair Back. That's the Rule
Benedetta Mattei • December 2, 2019
Culture
I Don't Like Going to the Movies
Benedetta Mattei • November 18, 2019
Spirituality
I'm Not Losing Mine
Benedetta Mattei • November 5, 2019
Faith and Light
Always
Benedetta Mattei • October 28, 2019
Spirituality
Dancing. But Without Elia (For Now)
Benedetta Mattei • October 18, 2019
Sport
Next Time I'm Doing It Again
Benedetta Mattei • October 7, 2019
Family
I'm Not Afraid Anymore—Because Sara Is My Best Friend
Benedetta Mattei • January 27, 2019