I have been a waiter, an actual one, for long time. 

I attended a tourism-oriented vocational high school, and I specialized as a waiter. Non-Europeans might wonder "What is a vocational high school?" This is the lowest tier of the secondary education system and is not conceived to pursue university studies. In fact, until early 2000s, vocational school students were not even allowed to attend university; more recently, the Italian educational system has been reformed--a reform that clearly benefited me.

Owed to this early education, I accumulated over 10 years of experience as a waiter and bartender, all over Monferrato and in Bordighera, while completing my high-school and university studies. The transition from a vocational high school to university has been rough, but where our educational background cannot help, determination might do the trick. 

While working, and despite the heterodox secondary education, my experience at the university was brilliant. I obtained the highest grades in both undergraduate and graduate courses. This is an almost unique case in Italy, statically speaking. I am within the 1% of undergraduates from my cohort (11 students out of 47k, according to anagrafe.miur.it), in Italy, who graduated with honors, after attending a vocational high school. Similarly, I am within the 1% of two-year master's graduates from my cohort (7 students out of 19k), in Italy, who graduated with honors after attending a vocational high school.

"Mens sana in corpore sano." 

I have been a "tapascione" for as long as I remember. A few days after obtaining my PhD, I finished my first marathon, in 3h59'58" (yes, I can and must say that I did it in <4h!). I used to do Krav Maga and karate. When I visit my family in Italy, I ride my mountain bike all over the beautiful Monferrato countryside with my brother. When I do not run, I try to find time for other activities, such as basketball or swimming, or weightlifting. Recently, I have been learning to inline skate and picking up a passion for road biking.

I love to study languages. 

Besides Italian, English, and French, I can speak other languages with lower proficiency. German (now basic, but a few years ago I reached the intermediate level) and Spanish (basic). Additionally, in the past, I studied Swedish and Japanese. Last but not least, I grew up hearing people around me speaking Piedmontese; this language is not an official language in Italy and is not protected by the Constitution as other Italian minorities' languages, but it is categorized as a regional language by Piedmont itself, UNESCO classifies it as an endangered language, and it is Pope Francis' first language.