Gabriella Rovagnati was born in Morbegno (So) on 11 January 1950. After graduating from Sondrio's Liceo-Ginnasio Statale ‘Giuseppe Piazzi’ in July 1969, Gabriella Rovagnati studied Modern Foreign Languages and Literature at the Faculty of Arts and Philosophy at the University of Milan, specialising in German Language and Literature and graduating with honours in April 1974. His career took place at the University of Milan: here, first as a researcher, then as an associate professor, he taught History of German Literature and History of German Theatre until 2010. In addition to her scientific research, she has continued to work as a literary translator. She collaborated extensively with the Studienstiftung des Deutschen Volkes (Bonn) and the Kulturstiftung der Länder (Berlin). She was awarded the Ehrenkreuz für Wissenschaft und Kunst, I. Klasse [Honorary Cross for Science and Art] of the Republic of Austria in 2005; in 2006, she was awarded the Bundesverdienstkreuz am Bande [Cross of Merit with the title of Knight] of the Federal Republic of Germany. At 2015, Gabriella Rovagnati founded the OMNIBUS Cultural Association in Morbegno, her hometown, which organises meetings and conferences dedicated to every field of knowledge.

Since 2018, she has also been publishing prose in her own handwriting.

In 2022, she was awarded the title of Knight of the Order of Merit of the Italian Republic.