I worked as a waiter and bartender for over ten years while completing my studies. I had graduated from a tourism‑oriented vocational high school--the lowest tier of Italy’s secondary system and not designed for university‑bound students. Despite this unconventional start, I transitioned to university and thrived academically. Statistically, my path is extremely rare: out of 47,000 students in my cohort, only 11 vocational‑school graduates earned a bachelor’s degree with honors, and only 7 out of 19,000 earned a graduate degree with honors. (source: anagrafe.miur.it)

"Mens sana in corpore sano."  I have been a "tapascione" for as long as I can remember. A few days after earning my PhD, I completed my first marathon in just under 4 hours. Over the years I've practiced Krav Maga and karate, and I used to ride my mountain bike through the Monferrato countryside with my brother. I still run regularly, and when I’m not, I try to make time for other activities like basketball, swimming, weightlifting, inline skating, or road biking.

Since the age of 20, I've lived with a permanent 12,000 Hz tinnitus. It is a constant background noise that disrupt focus, sleep, and occasionally slow down my speech or make me lose the thread of the argument. If you want to know what it sounds like, try this link. Despite this challenge, I've learnt to manage it and live a full, productive life. If you are a researcher, or inspire to become one, feel free to reach out for coping strategies.

I love learning new languages. esides Italian, English, and French, I have basic proficiency in German (intermediate a few years ago) and Spanish, and in the past I also studied some Swedish and Japanese. I grew up hearing Piedmontese, a regional language that UNESCO classifies as endangered. It was Pope Francis' first language, and as an Occitan language with Germanic influences, it sounds closer to Provençal or Gascon than to Italian.

Road trips and camping. Italians don't typically have a passion for road trips and camping, but I got mine from my wife. Our last big adventure started in Billings, brought us through breathtaking routes, passing by Mount Rainier, Astoria, and Portland, before looping back through Yellowstone National Park. Here is the map! And, of course, we drove with 70s, 80s, and 90s rock music blasting in the background.