If you have a garden and a library, you have everything you need.
Cicero was right. A house with a beautiful garden and lots of books is an excellent formula for happiness, especially if you have lived for ten years in Beijing, in a mini-apartment on the 15th floor of a skyscraper, without even a tiny balcony on which to grow a little geranium.
It was my love of travelling and the culture of the far east that took me to China. I graduated in oriental languages and then did my Masters in tourism marketing; in China, I organized tours for those who wanted to discover Europe by visiting the main capitals and tourist attractions, which naturally include my own city, Rome.
I used to go back and forth several times each year, and every time I left, my nostalgia for the climate and the colours of my home region, but above all my family, grew more acute. This is why I decided to return home and resume studying to become a licensed tourist guide. It was pretty tough, but I was able to beat the competition from younger newly-graduated colleagues!
My home is full of books and souvenirs of my travels and my stay in China. Even in my kitchen, which is attractive and inviting, and where I wanted plenty of space for my friends and the tribe of siblings, nephew and nieces; the fragrance of Chinese star anise and ginger – which I almost always use in my fusion recipes – often lingers there.
I am still an insatiable globetrotter, and as soon as I get the chance, I hop onto an aeroplane for a long week-end or a longer holiday. Next destinations? Madrid and Japan!