I was born in 1951 in Adelaide, the capital of South Australia; I'm the eldest of four children—two brothers and a sister. My father and mother were doctors; my father was a general practitioner, my mother an anaesthetist.
I grew up in a place where lots of Italians lived, and I wonder today if this has anything to do with the attraction I've always had for Italy. My father's Italian patients were generous; they brought us vegetables from their gardens, tomatoes, broad beans... and then there were the olive groves. The climate there is often described as ‘Mediterranean’.
I went to the University of Adelaide, enrolled in the faculty of Arts. In 1976, I moved to Sydney and began working at universities as a researcher and lecturer. For many years, I taught and conducted research in collaboration with a colleague, Andrew Metcalfe. Our research focused on the theme of relationship, relationships in general, not only those between human beings… the logic of relation versus that of separation.
How did I end up in Anghiari? It was December 2002 when Andrew, his family and I rented a mill near San Giustino. We wanted to spend some time in Italy for a research project and were both on sabbatical. His children were looking for an internet connection, and someone recommended the internet point in Anghiari.
I remember well the first time I saw Anghiari, arriving along the road from Sansepolcro. I remember the incredible sight of the walls suddenly rising… Then, while the family was at the internet point in the piazza, I went exploring the historic centre, with excitement… I was thrilled by the alleys, the little gardens. And I noticed two things in particular: the Free University of Autobiography in Piazza del Popolo and Busatti's little shopfront in the historic centre. Then we went to the Taglieschi Museum, where there were two things I've always remembered: the wooden statue and the Robbia ceramics. After this brief visit, I said to myself: this is the right place for me.
Then, in January, the family returned to Australia, and my brother and sister-in-law came to visit me for a short vacation. I decided to show them Anghiari on market day, Wednesday. On that freezing day, I happened to meet a Canadian woman under the Loggia; we talked, and she put me in touch with other people in Anghiari. After the market, we went to Busatti (where Philip and Elizabeth bought a lot!) and to La Nena for lunch—I still remember the pappardelle with wild boar. Then, we went to Monterchi to see the Madonna del Parto, and there it started to snow. In the silence, in the wonder of the snow, looking at the landscape through the museum window, I wanted to cry with joy.
Yes, it was love at first sight! I returned in the spring of 2003, this time to Anghiari, to the house of the Canadian, Marco. And since then, I've been coming here often on sabbaticals. In 2011, I retired, reluctantly, because I enjoyed the research and working with students, but hated the administrative side. In 2016, I decided to start collecting interviews here. I'd already done similar research with Andrew and another colleague on the place where I live in Sydney which resulted in a book called On Bondi Beach.
Now, I want to talk about the things I love here!
I love the way of life in Anghiari, and I love the sense of community: when I step outside the house, people greet me, hug me; here, I find authentic encounters, and no rush... everything is ‘tranquillo’. Where I live in Australia, everyday life is stressful, everyone is separated, closed off, in a rush. Here, I feel like a different person, more open, much more relaxed. Anghiari fascinates me. It's a traditional town, but also full of life, culture... a cosmopolitan town. A real place, with a real and vibrant community, and a place where the past is present. Here, I feel alive, joyful. Of course, I realize that I'm a foreigner, a visitor, but, at the same time, I feel at ease, I feel at home here.
In my daily life, I love rituals. I pick up the newspaper from Angela, and we chat; then I go to the bar, the grocery store, meet people, and talk to many. I ask questions, introduce myself—things I would almost never do in Australia. Then, I often do a walk along the paths in the hills surrounding Anghiari. What a beautiful landscape! And every now and then, I interview someone who lives here, on the topic of belonging to Anghiari.
So, back to my research project in Anghiari. In December 2015, I began writing a blog in English about Anghiari. Then, feeling grateful for the welcome I've always received here, I wanted to give something in return. So, when I came back to Anghiari in December 2016, I began conducting interviews about belonging. I continued in the spring of 2018 and 2019, and then, when I returned after Covid in April 2023, I started again. I continue conducting the interviews, and I've now completed about thirty. Most have been conducted in Italian, and they have taken about an hour. A friend, Mirella Alessio, who lives in Turin, transcribes and translates them for me, and I've published edited versions on my blog in Italian and English.
There are various ways I have, and still do, find people to interview, for example through word of mouth or personal introductions... someone always leads me to someone else. Sometimes I've heard of someone and then, by chance, when I see them on the street or in the piazza, I introduce myself and explain my project. Sometimes, when I’ve been in a restaurant, a shop, or a store, I've asked the owner or manager if they were available for an interview. (In fact, almost everyone I’ve asked has been happy to do it!)
It has been a wonderful way to get to know the people of Anghiari, and, as you can imagine, this project about belonging has also given me a sense of belonging to this beautiful place.
Interview conducted by Stefanie Risse on June 1, 2024, in Anghiari, Palazzo Testi