[1] Born in Lucca, Giannini in 1991 became a professor at the University for Foreigners in Perugia, holding the chairs of Phonetics and Phonology (1992-1994), Sociolinguistics (1994-1998) and of Glottology and Linguistics (1998-2013).

[1] As a candidate in Tuscany with the Civic Choice party of Mario Monti, Giannini was elected senator in February 2013.

[2] In November the same year, she was appointed secretary and coordinator of the party Scelta civica.

From 2017, Giannini served as adviser to the European Commissioner for Research and Innovation Carlos Moedas.

[5] In 2018, UNESCO Director-General Audrey Azoulay appointed Giannini as one of four new members of the organization's senior management team.