Born Marisa Bertetta in Santa Cruz, California, she was first "discovered" at age 16 walking through a San Francisco café by two Italian modeling agents. After talking to her parents, Marc and Krista Bertetta, she was on a plane to Italy with her mom a few months later. Marisa gained attention when she appeared in a 1997 issue of Perfect 10 magazine. Although she came in third behind Ashley Degenford and Monica Hansen in Perfect 10 magazine's first annual model search, she was repeatedly showcased in following issues, including the covers of the Winter 1998, Aug/Sept 1999, and Fall 2004 editions. She has two sisters, Maleah and Alisha, and attended Monte Vista Christian School in Watsonville, California.
Atypically, Marisa was able to move from a start as a nude magazine model to high profile mainstream work after she was spotted by fashion photographer Mario Testino in Manhattan Beach, California in 2001. She soon worked with the likes of Victoria's Secret and appeared in the coveted Sports Illustrated Swimsuit Issue (2002–2007). In particular, she featured in the 2004 and 2005 editions' sections of body painting. Raphael Mazzucco's photograph of Marisa wearing a iPod bikini in the 2007 edition became one of the most famous photos ever published in that magazine. She's also appeared in other magazines such as Fitness, Shape, and Vogue, as well as working on campaigns for Nordstrom, J.Crew, and Tommy Hilfiger. In 2004, she served as a modeling judge in the short-lived reality television series Manhunt: The Search for America's Most Gorgeous Male Model
In 2007, Marisa shot her first television commercial for Victoria's Secret with fellow supermodel Heidi Klum, as well as appearing in a cameo on the HBO show Entourage.
