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Overview
About Me
I am Italian and naturalized Brazilian, but I consider myself a world citizen. Throughout my life and career, I have travelled to more than 40 countries, on all continents of the world. Since June 2023, I have been living in/near Paris, France. Before, I lived for around 22 years in Italy and 20 in Brazil (1971-72; 1998-2000; 2003-2019), but I also lived in Eritrea (1984-1986), Indonesia (2000-2003) and Jamaica (2019-2023). I have a Master's degree in Biological Sciences and am an expert in natural sciences, environment and sustainable development, with over 25 years of professional experience as a manager and coordinator of international technical cooperation programs and projects in those areas. Since June 2023, I have worked at the Headquarters of the United Nations Educational, Scientific and Cultural Organization – UNESCO, where I coordinate several initiatives for the benefit of Small Island Developing States (SIDS), with a focus on those of the Pacific region. In parallel, I have also worked as a translator and simultaneous interpreter, especially with Italian and Portuguese, mainly for Brazil-based clients. I also have a lot of knowledge and practice in the field of general culture and the arts. Since I was a teenager, I have been writing poetry, stories, song lyrics and various other things, especially in Italian, English and Portuguese.
What do I do to entertain myself? Besides travelling around, I love reading books, watching movies and series, playing sports (even without being good at any!), listening to and singing music (I love karaoke!), walking in nature, and visiting museums and monuments. And I love doing fun programs with friends and interesting people, who defend their ideas and values and are brave enough to challenge prejudices, popular beliefs and social conventions.
Little gifts (especially if typical of your country) or nice actions of appreciation and little contributions are always welcome, but not required. Courtesy and kindness are recommended, if not required, and everything else you do or don't do at my place should be driven by common sense. For example: if I prepare you a meal, you don't need to wash the dishes, but if you offer to do it, I still appreciate it (and may accept...). Instead, if you prepare a meal, especially if it's just for you and you are having it at my place while I am away, then I expect you to wash the dishes instead of leaving the "surprise" for me, regardless of the quantity.
Last but not least, summarizing it all... Feel like at home, but don't forget you are a guest... ;-)
Why I’m on Couchsurfing
With Couchsurfing, I hope to have more chances to meet new people, either by being hosted at their homes or by hosting them and sharing time, anywhere, anytime. The Couchsurfing community is composed of persons from any walk of life and any country, and thus I look forward to learning more and enjoying new life experiences together because I am passionate about discovering, studying, valuing and promoting the particularities of each person and each culture. I enjoy meeting people of any social and cultural context, with any gender, religious, political and sexual orientation. Most of all, I highly value the development and deepening of any human relationship, as long as there is mutual respect for differences.
Interests
- books
- music
- travelling
- nature
- football
- trekking
- hanging out
- walking around
- creative writing
Music, Movies, and Books
Music: David Bowie, Coldplay, Pink Floyd, Beatles, Rolling Stones, Renato Zero, Cesare Cremonini, Vasco Rossi, Sergio Cammariere, Caetano Veloso and many other artists, of any genre and from any place in the world.
Movies: Cinema Paradiso, La meglio gioventù, Jerry Maguire, 2001 Space Odissey, Cidade de Deus etc (just mentioned the first ones that came to my mind...)
Books: all/almost all those of Isabel Allende, Herman Hesse, Richard Bach, Andrea De Carlo, Luigi Pirandello, Pablo Neruda, Eugenio Montale, etc etc
One Amazing Thing I’ve Done
Scuba-diving in Manado (Sulawesi/Celebes province, Indonesia): one of the best places to explore the underwater world!
Teach, Learn, Share
International development cooperation, environment, sustainable development, climate change, Small Island Developing States, science diplomacy, Italian music, creative writing, travel experiences etc...
What I Can Share with Hosts
Amazing talks about personal life and work experiences; ideas; knowledge of biodiversity, environmental conservation, climate change and sustainable development; hangouts; music listening; books and stories; creative writing; walkouts in natural environments; travel across the world etc.
Countries I’ve Visited
Argentina, Australia, Austria, Brazil, Canada, Costa Rica, Cuba, Curaçao, Czech Republic, Dominican Republic, Ecuador, El Salvador, England, Eritrea, Ethiopia, France, Greece, Guatemala, Guyana, Hungary, Indonesia, Ireland, Italy, Jamaica, Japan, Kenya, Malaysia, Martinique, Monaco, Mozambique, Panama, Peru, Portugal, Saint Kitts and Nevis, San Marino, Singapore, South Africa, Spain, Switzerland, Thailand, Timor-Leste (East Timor), United Arab Emirates, United Kingdom, United States, Vatican City State, Venezuela, Viet Nam
Countries I’ve Lived In
Brazil, Eritrea, France, Indonesia, Italy, Jamaica