The death of the historic singer-songwriter brought back to the forefront the woman who stood by him for decades. A teacher and a graduate in Visual Arts, she carved out her own path in education, research, and artistic production, while building with the musician a family of two children.
The death of Piero, on October 7 at 81, once again drew attention to his personal history and the bonds that shaped his life. Among them, the one he maintained for decades with Mariana Schettini, his second wife and partner until his last days.
At 55, Schettini has a career of her own in the art world and in education. Although her name became linked to the interpreter of classics such as Mi viejo and Para el pueblo lo que es del pueblo, her professional journey includes teaching, research, cultural production, and work across different creative disciplines.
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Low-key, she shared with Piero a life far from constant exposure. The couple split their years between Buenos Aires and Córdoba and had two children, Giuliano and Fiorella de Benedictis, who also chose music as a professional path.
The Love Story of Mariana Schettini and Piero
According to Radio Mitre, the romance between Mariana Schettini and Piero began around 1990. She was 19 years old, while the musician was about 45. The age gap was 26 years, and over time, they built a relationship that stretched for more than three decades.
When that bond began, Piero had already formed a family. His first marriage was to María Laura Lampreabe, the mother of his two first sons, Mariano and Juan de Benedictis.
The singer’s family history was marked by an early loss: Mariano died when he was only 40 days old. A little later, Juan was born in 1975, who followed in his father’s artistic footsteps and devoted himself to music and acting. Years later, his relationship with Juana Viale connected him to one of the best-known showbiz families in Argentina, and together they had Ámbar de Benedictis.
After that initial family phase, Piero again placed his faith in love with Schettini. With her he welcomed Giuliano, born in 2002, and Fiorella, in 2003. The two grew up with a father who was already a celebrated figure in popular music, with songs that had crossed generations.
Despite the long public career of the singer-songwriter, the couple kept their life intimate and away from the flashes. Mariana occasionally shared on her social networks images of trips to the theater, concerts, art exhibitions, and family moments—snapshots of a life shared where music and culture occupied a central place.
A Career of Her Own Between Art and Education
Beyond his story with Piero, Schettini developed a multidisciplinary career. She is a professor and holds a bachelor’s degree in Visual Arts from the National University of the Arts (UNA), and broadened her training with studies in character makeup and costume design at the Instituto Superior de Arte of the Teatro Colón, as well as training in film direction and communication technologies.
Her professional journey blends artistic creation with teaching and research. Over the years she worked in educational institutions, took on leadership and pedagogical advisory responsibilities, and participated in projects linked to visual languages and contemporary artistic practices.
Teaching work is a central axis of her career. From that position, she guided student formation and participated in academic initiatives, while continuing to explore different forms of expression and cultural production.
Her experience also extends to the stage and audiovisual realms. She worked on theater, opera, and musical projects, taking on roles in artistic direction, set design, and costume design. She also contributed to audiovisual and multimedia productions, a field in which she integrated cinema, communication, and the visual arts.
Throughout her career, her works have been exhibited in galleries, cultural centers, salons, and biennials, both in Argentina and abroad. She also collaborated with artists and professionals from different disciplines, in a journey that unites individual production with collaborative work.
Currently, Schettini remains connected to the creative world and is part of the studio of artist Gaspar Libedinsky, according to Radio Mitre. Her activity thus maintains the intersection of research, experimentation, and creation that underpins her training.
The Family They Built and Piero’s Legacy
Music also served as a meeting point between Piero and his children. Fiorella chose to follow that path and shared with her father the musical project Lo mismo que vos, an EP that gathered both voices. In a 2025 interview with LA NACION, the young artist spoke about the influence he had on her life and highlighted a lesson she kept from her father: “The idea of living life with a bit of tenderness is one of the most beautiful things he taught me.”
That bond between music and family was once again evident during the singer’s farewell. At the wake, his son Juan and Fiorella performed “Mi viejo,” one of his most emblematic songs, in a moment charged with emotion.
Mariana Schettini was present with her children and the rest of the family to bid farewell to the artist. After decades of shared life, her image became linked not only to Piero’s romantic history but also to the family they formed and to a parallel career she developed between classrooms, stages, and creative spaces.
