We meet up with Italian writer and blogger “Chiara Soma” on her visit to London.

LOVELY NAME …DO YOU KNOW THE MEANING OF IT?
Oh Thank you! I don?t know the exact origin of it. But I remember that when I was born, my father chose this name, and when the other people asked him why, he always said: ?Si chiama Chiara, perch? la chiarezza ? la cosa pi? bella del mondo.? The correct English translation I guess it?s – more or less – ?Her name is Chiara, because clarity and honestly are the most important quality of the word.?

SO HOW HAS YOUR DAY BEEN?
It was a good day, thanks! I woke up early and then I went out for a walk. It was a beautiful sunny Sunday here in Arco, the small Italian town where I live.

HOW DOES WRITING MAKE YOU FEEL ?AND WHERE CAN IT ?TAKE YOU?
Writing makes me feel good, because it?s a way to reorder my mind and relieve stress. I haven?t any idea where this can take me in the real life and if I?m going to write a new blog or not, but for certain it can bring my mind far far away.

WHAT WOULD YOU SAY YOUR PHILOSOPHY FOR LIFE IS?
I don?t have one in particular…more in general, I believe in ?The second chance? and in the different point of view. I just finished a beautiful and very interesting book: ?The Choice: Embrace the Possible? written by Dr. Edith Eva Eger, an eminent psychologist and a Holocaust survivor. She said: ?We don?t know where we?re going, we don?t know what?s going to happen, but no one can take away from you what you put in your own mind.? This is my personal philosophy, at the moment.

WHERE DO YOU WANT TO TRAVEL IN THE WORLD?
I had a serious car accident 3 years ago. In that period, 15 days before ?The trouble?, I was going to leave for Mexico. Well, from that moment I went to the hospital and stayed there for 6 months, so I couldn?t leave anymore. I don?t know when, but soon or later, I will go to Mexico!

IS ITALIAN FOOD THE BEST?
I love Italian food, of course. 😉 But I also like others… for example, the Indian food for me is delicious. I?m vegetarian and the Indian kitchen offers a lot of options without meat.

WHAT TEN WORDS DESCRIBE YOURSELF?
Testarda – Stubborn
Casinista – Troublemaker
Simpatica – Friendly
Insolita – Unusual
Complicata – Complicated
?Mai contenta? – ?Hard to please?
Solare – A joyous person
Versatile – Well rounded
Un p? cinica – A little bit cynical
Divertente – Funny

HOW DO YOU MAKE YOURSELF FEEL POSITIVE?
Writing, of course. And then …spending my time with my dog, my friends and their little child! They?re like a second family for me.

WHAT?S ON YOUR SPOTIFY AT THE MOMENT?
I haven?t a Spotify list at the moment, but in this period I listen to a lot of Irish music! I went to a festival last weekend and here I found a new band, their name is ?The Rumpled?. They?re Italian but they play Irish folk so well! I bought their CD and I listen to it every day.

HOW CAN WE MAKE EACH OTHER FEEL GOOD IN THIS CRAZY WORLD?
In my opinion, the secret is to slow down a bit, because there is too much stress in a simple day, we need to appreciate more the little things that this life offers.

WHAT?S YOUR FAVOURITE WORD?
Empathy. Because understand the emotion and the state of mind of each other is a gorgeous skill.

BIG LOVE XX