 Born in Atripalda, Cassese was educated at the University of Pisa (at the prestigious Collegio Medico-Giuridico of the Scuola Normale Superiore, which today is Sant'Anna School of Advanced Studies), where he met his mentor, Giuseppe Sperduti, who was an international lawyer and a member of the European Commission on Human Rights.Cassese eventually decided to pursue an academic career in public international law under Sperduti's guidance.Cassese was the Professor of International Law at the University of Pisa from 1972 to 1974.