Manuel Piazza

Manuel Piazza (born 13 October 1999) is an Italian pair skater. With his skating partner, Anna Valesi, he is the 2024 Italian national brozne medalist and has won seven senior international medals, including silver at the 2022 Bavarian Open.

Early years
Piazza began learning to skate in 2006. He placed sixth in junior men's singles at the Italian Championships in December 2016 and again in December 2017.

In 2018, he teamed up with Alyssa Montan to compete in junior pairs. Making their international debut, Montan/Piazza won silver at the Inge Solar Memorial – Alpen Trophy in November 2018. The following month, they took silver in the junior event at the Italian Championships.

In their second and final season together, Montan/Piazza won the Italian national junior title and placed 16th at the 2020 World Junior Championships in Tallinn, Estonia. The two were coached by Ondřej Hotárek, Luca Demattè, and Franca Bianconi in Bergamo, Italy.

2021–22 season
In the 2021–22 season, Piazza began competing in the senior ranks with Anna Valesi. Making their international debut, Valesi/Piazza took bronze at the Tayside Trophy in November 2021. The following month, they placed fourth at the Italian Championships.

In January 2022, Valesi/Piazza were awarded silver medals at two events – the Icelab International Cup and Bavarian Open.

2022–23 season
In September 2022, Valesi/Piazza won bronze at the Lombardia Trophy and placed seventh at the 2022 CS Nebelhorn Trophy. In October, they were invited to their first Grand Prix event, the 2022 Skate America, where they finished fifth. They were seventh at the 2022 Grand Prix of Espoo.

2023–24 season
Beginning the international season at the 2023 CS Nebelhorn Trophy, Valesi/Piazza finished ninth. On the Grand Prix, they came sixth at their lone assignment, the 2023 Grand Prix de France. They were subsequently invited to the 2023 Cup of China, following the withdrawal of Americans Chan/Howe. They were sixth at that event as well.

Competitive highlights
GP: Grand Prix; CS: Challenger Series