I went away twice, living in Rome, Florence and for a long period in Milan, but there’s no alternative: when Budapest calls you back, you’ll just take a flight and go back to her! I’m a journalist and social media manager, so I do a lot of interviews, short videos and going around in the everyday Budapest to show to our readers how amazing this place is.

My job is very various, as ITL Group loves to start new projects and it’s quite an unique place to work in, I think. In 2014, for example, with ITL Group we wrote and printed out a beautiful investment guide, an elegant book packed with useful information and astonishing pictures of Hungary.

1. When did you arrive in Hungary and what brought you here?
It was 2008 and my university (I studied Journalism in Florence) proposed me an Erasmus at the Budapest College of Business and Communication, one day to decide. When they called me back I said yes, honestly without any kind of preconception about Hungary. I don’t wanna say it was like to be born again, as I was twenty and quite sure about what I wanted from my life, but it certainly was a fresh new start, with my eyes back to my childhood. I mean that I was looking at everything like a 7 years old, I was surprised and enthusiast, in every moment of that experience, which was supposed to last 4 months and it’s almost going on still now!

2. Have you ever been an expatriate elsewhere?
Yes, I lived in London in summer 2007 to improve my English while working. Previously, during the high school, I went to Dublin for the same reason. Also, between 2011 and 2012 I lived in Milan one an half year, which it’s kind of expatriating, since in Italy each region it’s a world by itself!

3. What surprised you most about Hungary?
How people care for family, for their roots, and for traditions. Also how life here is more natural: in Italy we are all focused on work and running the entire day for it. Here the morning life is quite slow, expect when people are off from work and going to do something afterwards. I find Hungarians less stressed and more effective in what they do, so at the end they have time to spend with the family and friends or doing sports, hobbies etc.

4. Friends are in Budapest for a weekend - what must they absolutely see and do?
I change my list (that I actually have, on paper) every time I discover something amazing I haven’t seen before, but I would say a nice and long walk around in the seventh and in the eight district (yes it has a bad reputation, but no fear, it has an amazing architecture). Then I’d suggest to go to the Gellert hill and then up again still in Buda, to the Gul Baba temple. Things to do? A run in Margit Island and along the river and spending a night around, trying different terraces and ruined pub. I’m in love with coffeeshops, so I’ll include some of my favorite to the tour, since Budapest has a wide choice of amazing ones.

5. What is your favorite Hungarian food?
I’ll be honest: I’m not really found for Hungarian kitchen, bocsánat, it’s just to far from the plain simplicity I like.

6. What do you miss most from home?
Some vegetables and fruits which here are hard to find and Greek yogurt, which is not Italian! But most of all my turtle, my friends and, well, my parents. The “mamma” is the mamma!

7. What career other than yours would you love to pursue?
In a dream world I’d be a novelist. That’s my absolute love, but luckily enough I can manage to do it during the night!

8. What's a job you would definitely never want?
Data entry or anything involving the repetition of the same act for several times and sitting all day. I have to feel free to invent something while I’m working, otherwise I turn in a completely different person and try to escape!

9. Where did you spend your last vacation?
In my adult life I didn’t try a real vacation, yet, as I go home for the holidays. But I went to Wien in the Easter weekend, then in Frankfurt in October.

10. Where do you hope to spend your next holiday?
I’m very thrilled about my next vacation…in New Zealand to meet my best friend, who moved there.

11. What was your favorite band, film, or hobby as a teen?
Reading and writing were my hobbies. Although I got distracted by life and friends and spent a lot of time just hanging out, during my teen years. Agitation described me, I had to go, always, couldn’t bear stillness and monotony. My favorite bands were Radiohead, Queen, Depeche Mode, Metallica and Muse.

12. Apart of temptation what can't you resist?
I need to run every day, that’s my strongest addiction!

13. Red wine or white?
Red.

14. Espresso or cappuccino?
Espresso, but standing at the bar, please!

15. Morning or night person?
Even if I wake up very early I’m definitely I night person.

16. Buda or Pest?
Pest.

17. What would you say is your personal motto?
The harder you work, the luckier you get!