Paolo De Ruggiero was born in Rome to a family of historians, philosophers, and other academics, among which count the famous Renzo De Felice and Guido de Ruggiero. He has grown up amidst intellectual circles and has been passionate about Roman history all his life. He received a BS in Economics from the University of Rome in 1983 and an MBA from Purdue University in 1990. In the course of his 20 year career as business executive with blue chip multi-national corporations, he has lived in several European countries, China, and the United States of America. Married with two children, he now lives in the suburbs of Paris with his family and three large dogs. He is a wine collector, and an Opera lover.