Less than two months after the marriage, she was the victim of the Sicilian Mafia in the Via Carini massacre that also killed her husband and the escorting officer Domenico Russo.

She was born in Borgosesia, in the province of Vercelli, Piedmont, in 1950 to a family of the Milanese "good bourgeoisie".

Emanuela followed her maternal engagement and graduated as a volunteer nurse of the Italian Red Cross.

She became the wife of the general of carabinieri and Prefect of Palermo Carlo Alberto dalla Chiesa (who was a widower since 1978) on 10 July 1982, after many hesitancies of dalla Chiesa due to the age gap (30 years), and only overcome thanks the determination of Emanuela.

She was honored with the Medaglia d'oro al merito della Croce Rossa Italiana (Gold Medal of Merit from the Italian Red Cross) and Medaglia al merito della sanità pubblica (Public Health Medal of Merit).