WHO AM I?

A brief History: where do I come from, where I went, where I want to go next. Follow me on a short journey.

My name is Andrea Villa, and I was born in Milan in 1973, during a difficult time in Italian history, marked by attacks against state officials and successful entrepreneurs by extremist factions of the radical left and the mafia. However, in the 1980s and 1990s, Milan experienced a golden period of economic and cultural revival. Despite the devastating loss of my father at the tender age of 11, I grew up in this environment believing, rightly, that I could become anything I wanted if I worked hard enough for it. Successful American TV series grew this dream, and multiple Japanese cartoons by masters like Hayao Miyazaki and the recently deceased Akira Toriyami fueled my desire to create. I developed a love for photography, which my father was passionately involved in, and listened to Duke Ellington and Frank Sinatra from a young age, before moving on to great American and English contemporary musicians. I had and still have today a strong preference for rock and blues, both black and white, and a true obsession with Eric Clapton and Mark Knopfler. While studying as a graphic industrial expert at the San Giovanni Bosco Institute in Milan, I began performing in pubs and theaters at the age of 15. After graduation, this passion turned into a profession, and although I pursued it for a short span of 6 years, collaborating with well-known names in Italy and Europe, such as Miguel Bosé, enriched me with fantastic experiences.

London and the Anglo-Saxon world

As the great poet Dante Alighieri wrote: “the book was the go-between…” In my case, the experience of studying in England at the age of 16 was the go-between. Although catapulted from Milan to a small provincial town like Hull, in a typically cold and rainy English winter, and into a dilapidated two-story framed house owned by a very kind widow with a 12-year-old son who seemed to have never known that there were languages other than his own, I fell madly in love with the English language, its straightforward and pragmatic culture, and their resolve. Just two days in London were enough to broaden my horizons in a way that made it impossible to return to Milan alone. I have come back often both for work, tourism, and study, in England and Scotland, and their “Harry Potter” atmospheres will forever be part of my life.

I was fortunate to meet people who helped me find my way.

My life changed again after finishing my musical interlude. Through the director of the Salesian graphic school where I graduated, I met Giulio and Giorgio Lari, founders of Pixelway: a photo retouching studio, a pioneer in the field in Milan. In 1998, such realities could be counted on one hand, and Pixelway was definitely at the top of the list in Italy. My technical knowledge of printing processes and photocomposition blended well with the inventiveness, photographic taste, and rigor of Giorgio, a famous fashion photographer from the 1980s. Giulio’s meticulousness, even linguistic, and his boundless artistic culture, helped me grow professionally in a way I could not have experienced elsewhere. The partnership lasted for 8 years until, driven by the need to step out of my comfort zone, I founded Digital Area in Milan in March 2006.