Buffon was born into a family of Italian athletes on 28 January 1978. His mother, Maria Stella, was a discus thrower and his father, Adriano, was a weightlifter. Following their athletic retirement, they subsequently worked as P.E. school teachers. Buffon's two sisters, Veronica and Guendalina, played volleyball for the Italian national volleyball team, and his uncle, Dante Masocco, was a basketball player in Serie A1, who also represented the national team. Former Milan, Inter, and Italy goalkeeper Lorenzo Buffon is also a cousin of Gianluigi Buffon's grandfather. Buffon is a Roman Catholic.