Born in Athens by an Italian father and a Greek mother, Genna made her high school studies in Greece, then she moved to Italy with her family.

[1] In Rome she enrolled at the school of the Teatro dell'Opera di Roma and she followed the acting courses held by actress Teresa Franchini.

[1] She had her breakout in 1949, with Renato Castellani's neorealist post-war drama It's Forever Springtime, in which she also had her first major role.

[1] In spite of the critical appreciation she received, Genna's career mainly continued in less ambitious productions, including several RAI TV-series.

[1] In 1957 Genna married Amedeo Nazzari with whom she had a daughter, Evelina, also an actress, and she retired from show business.