Turisti Per Sempre

The smoke travelling from the United States that is currently covering Calgary's sky has reminded me of this amazing book awarded with the 2007 Pulitzer Prize and considered by many one of the best books of the last two decades. Set in a post-environmental catastrophe, The Road is a book about survival, endurance, fear, acceptance and love. A father and son’s journey along a road in a world where the sun does no longer shines and the sky is no longer blue; where danger lurks around every corner and human nature has recessed to its animal origins. It’s a world where all the values we know have been swept away and replaced by urgent needs, where there is no space for inner thoughts or self-doubt. It’s a book about life and death. Nevertheless, even in this bleak environment, the bond between son and father is stronger than anything else: stronger than starvation, fear, danger and, ultimately, death. The writing reflects the scenario that is set to describe: fragmented, a...

Tre settimane di vacanze italiane. Sono state delle belle vacanze all'insegna del sole, del mare, del buon cibo e di tanti Spritz. Vacanze durante le quali ho avuto modo di riabbracciare la mia famiglia ed i miei amici più cari, quelli con i quali non importa quanto tempo sia passato, ti ritrovi immediatamente. Sono state delle vacanze benefiche anche dal punto di vista sociale perché nell’era di Facebook, in cui nulla è come sembra, è stato fondamentale riaffermare le amicizie vere, che Facebook a volte rischia di offuscare, rafforzare quelle in erba ma con grosso potenziale e mettere una croce su quelle inutili alle quali Facebook ti porta a dare un’importanza fittizia.  L’Italia l'ho trovata così come l'avevo lasciata. Qualche buca in più, qualche negozio in meno. Un non-cambiamento tutto sommato positivo in un Paese in cui il peggio non è mai venuto. Gli italiani, in generale, li ho trovati peggiorati: tristi, rassegnati, incattiviti, appesantiti dalla pros...

There is a question that is often asked to expats: "Can you really feel at home in another country?" It  sounds like a simple question which, for many people, has a pretty simple answer: no. In my case, it is not that simple. The answer lies in the definition of "home". There is the simple meaning whereby home is "a house, apartment, or other shelter that is the usual residence of a person, family, or household." Then there is another definition, a more subtle one: "home is the place in which one's domestic affections are centered”. In other words, home is a place of belonging, of identity. It is that  space with which we identify and we draw boundaries around. And here is where most homes differ from one another. For the majority of people, home is a safe place, a habitat they know and feel comfortable in. It’s endurable and defined by the same people, the same habits – traditions, even. But there is a difference between “feeling at home” and...