Hi there!

I'm Chiara and I come from the very far North of Italy, right on the Switzerland border, from a city called Como. Said city is quite famous here in Italy (and around the world I hope!) for its Y shape and for the fact that George Clooney's got a vacation house here ... exciting eh? No? Well... sorry.

But let's get back to me. I graduated from university in 2015, specifically in languages, English and German. I'm now working in a big multinational company in the customer service department.... when I'm not travelling at least!

Why I’m on Couchsurfing

I'm on Couchsurfing because I LOVE meeting new people! I actually don't have lot of space to host someone at my place but my brothers and I, some times, manage to squeeze some foreign friends in a nice corner of the house. We have hosted travellers from all over the place and I'm usually the "tour guide" who takes them around the city. Said travellers so far have been people we already knew from university or our own travels. I really enjoy making new friends and (at least try) keeping in contact with them as much as possible.

I'm also on Couchsurfing because, let's face it, it's the cheapest possible way to travel around and the easiest way to meet locals. I also believe that visiting a city by yourself and doing it with someone who actually lives there (or at least following their recommendations) are two totally different things and the first pales if compared to the second. And who knows, if we find out we like each other well enough, once you have hosted me, maybe I can repay the favor and host you myself in Como.

Interests

I love sports, I'm actually not a huge follower but I do like playing them myself. I've been playing volleyball since I was 4 but I really enjoy being active in general, especially if I get to be outside.
I love animals (I actually have a lot of pets at home) and gardening. In my garden my family grows any kind of vegetable and fruit. My friends know better than to accept any invite to my house in Summer because they are well aware that they will end up picking fruit with me for hoooours, but I always treat them to home made cakes, ice-cream or jam on toast afterwards so I'm sure it's not that bad!
It probably sounds clichè, but I love hangin' out with my friends in my free time ... I know, who doesn't? right?

• animals
• pets
• culture
• gardening
• traveling
• sports
• volleyball
• history
• languages
• tourism

Music, Movies, and Books

I do enjoy a good action movie, or a "nerdy" or historical one, but I'm also a sucker for American romantic comedies and BBC series. I quite like TV series as well such as Fringe, Supernatural, Outlander, Lucifer, Castle...just to name a few. But I usually have no patience for having to wait for a single episode to come out only once a week so I always end up having to binge-watch the entire season at once, shame on me.

Books are a big passion of mines, I think my Kindle might be considered an extension of my arm by now. I read any kind of book thrown my way and I'm always looking for new recommendations.

My music of preference sways a lot depending on my mood of the moment. It varies from Linking Park to Taylor Swift, from Imagine Dragons to Shawn Mendes, from Of monster and men to Ed Sheeran .... let's just say it varies a lot.

One Amazing Thing I’ve Done

I've WWOOFed in Scotland for 7 months and in Canada for 4! Which basically means that I spent a lot of time in the middle of nowhere, surrounded by sheep, with my wellies perpetually stuck in mud eating haggis and... I loved every single second of it! (Well, except for the haggis part, yuk!)
I helped out, in exchange of accomodation, in a couple of extremely rural and isolated crofts up in the Scottish Highlands and in the middle of the Canadian nowhere. I honestly, hands down, had the time of my life. The places I've seen, the people I have met... WWOOFing has really been the One amazing thing that I have done.

Teach, Learn, Share

Well, the only thing I have ever taught have been English and volleyball, but if you are not interested in those I hope I can share with you interesting bits of Italian culture, history and cousine. Italy is my beloved homecountry and I'm only happy to share everything I know about it... especially while sitting in front of home made pizza, pasta or panzerotti!

Countries I’ve Visited

Austria, Belgium, Canada, Croatia, France, Germany, Greece, Italy, Poland, Portugal, Romania, Switzerland, United Kingdom, United States

Countries I’ve Lived In

Canada, Germany, Italy, United Kingdom