Nicola Simbari was born in Calabria, Italy. When he was a child, his family relocated to Rome as his father, worked as an architect to the Vatican. The Renaissance masterpieces and beauty of the Sistine Chapel inspired Simbari so much that he decided to study art by the time he was 12 years old. He went on to attend the Accademia delle Belle Arti, and by 22 opened his first studio in Rome.