For the next entry in our New Team Series, we meet Vittoria Porro & Leonardo Pietrocola, intermediate novice ice dancers who represent Italy.
Tell us about your individual skating journeys, including any early special memories.
Leonardo: I started skating when I was very young, and the ice instantly became my absolute passion.
In my junior career, I’ve had the privilege of winning three Italian national youth titles with my previous partner—a memory I hold very close to my heart and one that keeps me motivated to continue pushing myself.
Vittoria: For me, skating started out just as a hobby, but it quickly turned into something much bigger.
My favorite memory so far was meeting Leo a year ago; it was the start of a wonderful adventure that has brought me all the way to this point.
What drew you to ice dance?
Ice dance has a very unique charm. We were both drawn to the ability to express deep emotions through the music, combined with the extreme technical precision of couple skating. Feeling the speed, the perfect harmony with your partner, and truly dancing on the razor’s edge is something magical that you just can’t find in any other discipline.
Tell us how your partnership started?
Leonardo: A year ago, we were both looking for the right turning point in our careers. When we tried out together on the ice, we instantly knew the chemistry was exactly what we needed. We’ve only been skating together for a year, but the connection felt natural right from day one.
Vittoria: Yes, right from our very first training sessions, everything clicked perfectly. Together, we found the right balance of determination and fun, which allowed us to hit the ice as a true team from the get-go.
What is it that you like most about dancing with new partner?
Leonardo: What I love most about Vittoria is her incredible lightness on the ice and her bright personality. She always brings such positive energy to the rink, both during our toughest training sessions and in the middle of competitions.
Vittoria: What I appreciate most about Leo is the experience and confidence he brings to the ice. He is an incredibly hard worker; I know I can trust him blindly with every single element, and that inspires me to always give my absolute best.
What experiences do each of you bring to the partnership?
Leonardo: I bring the experience of competing in major events and the mindset of someone who has already won three national youth titles. I know what it takes to manage the pressure of high-level competitions.
Vittoria: I bring a fresh energy, a strong willingness to learn, and fierce determination. Even though we’ve been skating together for only a year, we’ve already won a gold medal and achieved two other podium finishes in both national and international competitions, proving that our partnership is already very solid.
What has been the biggest adjustment for each of you so far in the partnership?
Coming from different skating backgrounds, our biggest challenge at the beginning was aligning our technique and styles so we could move perfectly as one. Achieving flawless synchronization takes a lot of time, but we work hard every single day to perfect even the smallest details.
Tell us about your training site and coaching.
Our headquarters is the Pat Torino club. This is where we spend hours every day, splitting our time between on-ice sessions and off-ice athletic and artistic training to ensure every aspect of our performance is meticulously cared for.
We are also guided and supported by the brilliant coaching staff at Pat Torino. They dedicate themselves to us daily, helping us grow both technically and artistically as we prepare to face the exciting new challenges ahead.
Behind our journey, we are also incredibly lucky to have Valter Rizzo and Brunilde Bianchi as our coaches. Having the opportunity to work with them is a privilege; they are extraordinary coaches and mentors whom we trust completely and blindly. They don’t just teach us technique, they build our confidence and guide us every single day. They are the solid foundation of our growth, and we believe in them with all our hearts.
Who is choreographing your programs.?
Our programs are choreographed and crafted in close collaboration with our coaches. Choosing the music and building the step sequences is a beautiful process; we always look for pieces that highlight our speed and interpretive skills on the ice, working tirelessly to make sure every single note matches a precise movement.
Our choreographies this year were created by Lukáš Csölley. Working with him is an absolute dream come true. As a former Olympian, Lukáš brings a level of artistry, vision, and experience that completely transforms the way we move on the ice. We are immensely grateful to him for sharing his incredible talent with us and for helping us find our own artistic voice.
If you could have a lesson with any ice dancer past/present, who would it be? Why?
We would absolutely love to have a lesson with some of the greatest ice dance couples in the world, both past and present. We constantly look up to world-class champions—especially those who have made history for Italian ice dance—to learn the secrets behind their effortless flow and razor-sharp precision on their blades.
If we could choose, we would definitely pick Charlène Guignard and Marco Fabbri. We actually had the honor of sharing the ice with them last year in Mentana during summer training. It was a unique opportunity because we got to watch them create the program they performed at the Milano Cortina Winter Olympics. But our biggest thrill was getting to perform right after them during the ‘Una notte al Palavela’ show organized by Club Silencio. For us young skaters, seeing such great champions up close is incredibly emotional. They share an energy that makes you realize you can hope, you can fight, and you can make it. They are the reason why we ice dance.
Our question for Charlène and Marco would be: how do you build such a strong connection as a couple to become such great champions?”
What is each of you looking forward to most this skating season? What will be your biggest challenge(s)?
Leonardo: The upcoming 2026/2027 season is going to be incredibly important for us because it marks our official debut in the intermediate category. Confronting this new, higher level will definitely be our biggest challenge, but we can’t wait to step out onto the competitive ice.
Vittoria: I am most looking forward to competing and finally showcasing the fruits of all our hard work. The bar will be set much higher, but our goal is to build on last year’s successes—like our gold and podium finishes—and prove our worth in the intermediate field.
Please share anything you would like our readers to know about you as a team?
We are a team that dares to dream big. We are fully aware that the road ahead is long and that we have to work incredibly hard every day to make our dreams a reality. Our ultimate goal is to honor our club and do our absolute best to represent Italy proudly, and always skate with our hearts.
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