She was born in Santa Fiora, province of Grosseto (Tuscany), and is the niece of renowned Italian novelist Elsa Morante.
Her roles include La tragedia di un uomo ridicolo (1981), directed by Bernardo Bertolucci, Bianca (1984) and The Son's Room (2001), the latter both directed by Nanni Moretti. She worked with Gabriele Muccino in Remember Me, My Love and in Spain she acted in La Mirada del Otro directed by Vicente Aranda.
She attracted considerable attention with her performance as the neglected Madame Jourdain, with whom the young Molière falls in love, in the 2007 release Molière (film).
She also provided the voice of Helen Parr/Elastigirl in the Italian-dubbed version of The Incredibles cartoon.