Of Italian and US parents, Caterina was raised and educated in Italy, Australia and Germany, specialising in languages and law. After working in comparative criminal law research in Germany she joined the Council of Europe, where she has worked on constitutional issues and criminal law reform, and monitored trafficking for sexual exploitation. She directed the office in Georgia and worked for many years with the Council’s anti-torture monitoring, where she focussed on women in prison. Since September 2018, Caterina manages the Council’s team working on gender equality.