Angelo Mazza was born in Reggio Emilia the son of Luigi Rocca, a Count, a title Giovanni inherited.
His mother, Donna Francesca Saporiti, was from an aristocratic Genoese family.
After a classical education, he traveled to Bologna to study design under Francesco Rosaspina, where he learned wood engraving.
In 1816, the Duke of Modena named him professor of engraving at the newly formed Scole di Belle Arti in Reggio.
Among his pupils were Carlo Raimondi, Pelli, Canossini, Bosi, Francesco Segnani, Belloli, and others.