I was born and grew up in Italy, in Bolzano, the capital of an autonomous province, South Tyrol. This is, for those who do not know it, a very particular cultural territory, where different languages and cultures coexist. Among these, the German language group is dominant in the territory, which only a century ago became part of the Italian borders. My family is Italian: my grandparents settled in Bolzano after the Second World War and my dad came here from central Italy for work in the 70s, when he met my mom.

Studying German at school in Bolzano did not lead me to speak the language fluently. Schools in South Tyrol are (still today) divided between language groups: Italians in Italian schools and German speakers in German schools. This unfortunately does not bring about a union between the different groups and the two cultures remain in most cases well separated. This over the years has made me feel a bit confused about my identity, I felt a bit foreign, even though I was born here. In 2014 I went to feel like a "foreigner" in other places: first in Vienna, Austria, and then in Munich, Germany. In these countries, I finally learned to speak the language that has accompanied me since childhood, German, fluently.

But the challenges of course never end, as they have to. In fact, I am now learning to deal with another form of communication, with which in the beginning I felt out of place: the world of social networks and the Internet. I do not have a predisposition for technology, but I appreciate the great advantages it has to offer. Being able to connect with people from all over the world is a great personal and professional achievement for me. Now living elsewhere, both physically and virtually, is part of my life. I have friends of all nationalities and a multicultural family, which I love very much. Cultural barriers and borders are a creation of our species. In fact, if you look at our beautiful world from above, as when you are on an airplane, it is clear to us that borders do not exist, everything is connected and united in a wonderful whole.