Anna Kraczyna was born and raised in Florence by American artist parents. She has dual American and Italian nationality and is bilingual and bicultural. She owes her surname to her Russian émigré grandparents. Following a long and successful career as an international fashion model, which took her to live in Milan, Paris, and New York, Anna returned to her native Florence where she graduated in Italian Literature from the University of Florence. She is a simultaneous interpreter, as well as a translator from English into Italian and vice versa. Anna lectures on the Italian language, literature, and culture at American universities and colleges in Florence. She has taught at campuses including Stanford University and Sarah Lawrence College.