Captain Paparo attended Nino Bixio Nautical Institute in Sorrento, and during his summer holidays he joined cargo vessels to enrich his skills. Once graduated in 1997, he started to work on ferry vessels as Deck Cadet, until 2002 when he joined the cruise industry. In 2008 he was promoted First Officer, and ten years later he reached the role of Master. He is well proficient with new generation Azimuthal propulsion vessels, as well as conventional systems vessel. Captain Paparo joined MSC Cruises in 2022, after twenty years of experience in the cruise industry.