I'LL BE IN THAILAND FROM 25.09.15 TO 28.10.15. DO ZOBACZENIA, FOLKS!

I grew up in Bologna, a nice Italian town between Florence and Milan known for its ancient university and its 'spaghetti bolognese' (although I'm afraid you won't find them in my hometown). I consider myself lucky for having lived in some of the best places in Europe so far.

Upon leaving Bologna, I stayed for a couple of months in Berlin (2002), six months in Oslo (2005), seven months in Utrecht (2008), nine months in Oxford (2010-2011) before moving a few miles westwards to Abingdon-on-Thames, Oxfordshire where my girlfriend and I lived for around 3 years (2011-2014).

We moved to Poland living in Krakow for a couple of months and then relocated to Warsaw, where we now dwell in a nice cosy flat on the eastern bank of the river in the picturesque district of Praga-Północ.

All of this wandering life taught me a lot, broadening up my views on many a subject. I've met amazing people and became a fan of German, Norwegian, Dutch, British and Polish habits, language, food, music, literature, politics, beers and other silly oddities.

I put cold weather over warm weather, mountain over sea, city life over country life and bike over car. I also have a kind of fascination (or an obsession) for Scandinavian countries, Finland and the Faroe Islands. The places I prefer are definitely the ones named in at least three different languages. I think there is no real home without a cat living in (even though - alas! - we don't have one now).

Why I’m on Couchsurfing

In Italian we have the same word for saying "host" or "guest" and it's "ospite". So, let's say I'd like to be a good ospite. Both hosting and being hosted.

Apart from CS, I had the opportunity of sleeping on many couches Europewide such as in Berlin (2002), Oslo & Fredrikstad (2005), Perugia (2006), Turin (2007), Rotterdam (2008), Brighton (2009), Warsaw (2010), Oxford (2010-2014), Milan (2014) and Oslo (2014).

I'm also on BeWelcome, just in case. You can find me here:
http://www.bewelcome.org/members/LorenzoBerardi

At the moment my official couchsurfing experiences are:

AS A GUEST
Jan 08 @ Merel - Utrecht NED (1)
May 08 @ Manan - Stockholm SWE (2)
May 08 @ Karin - Gothenburg SWE (2)
May 08 @ Martin - Stockholm SWE (2)
Jul 08 @ Lisa - Utrecht NED (2)
Jun 10 @ Marlies - Oxford UK (3)
Jun 11 @ Ania & Lukasz - Goczalkowice POL (1)
Aug 11 @ Lisa - Vienna AUT (3)

AS A HOST
Jun 08 > Giacomo from Bologna ITA in Utrecht (2)
Jul 08 > Vicky & Jessica from Toronto CAN in Bologna (2)
Sep 08 > Lisa from Vienna AUT in Bologna (3)
Dec 08 > Eric from Montreal CAN in Bologna (1)
Dec 08 > Arina from Kiev UKR in Bologna (3)
Jan 09 > Jeanne from Montreal CAN in Bologna (3)
Jan 09 > Paulina from Warsaw POL in Bologna (3)
May 09 > Aga & Marysia from Gliwice POL in Bologna (1)
Jul 09 > Malte from Copenhagen DEN in Bologna (3)
Jul 09 > Ryan from New York City USA in Bologna (1)
Sep 09 > Marianne from Münster GER in Bologna (3)
Oct 09 > Tinne from Leuven BEL in Bologna (3)
Nov 09 > Emma from Amsterdam NED in Bologna (2)
Feb 10 > Ilze from Riga LAT in Bologna (2)
Sep 10 > Marianne & Marco from Münster GER in Oxford (2)
Sep 10 > Giulia from Bologna ITA in Oxford (3)
Aug 11 > Lisa from Vienna AUT in Abingdon (1)
Dec 11 > Elke from Bruxelles BEL in Abingdon (1)
Aug 12 > Karolina from Warsaw POL in Abingdon (3)
Jul 13 > Alessia & Tim from Swindon UK in Abingdon (1)
Jan 14 > Giacomo from Bologna ITA in Abingdon (3).

I had a 18 month hiatus in hosting due to a number of reasons, but am now eager to welcome interesting and reliable couchsurfers in Warsaw. I finally have a guest room to offer and several non-Couchsurfing good friends of mine have already tested it and liked it.

Interests

Oh well, to name a few:

freelance journalism, listening and telling stories, cycling, buying English-written books I won't have time to read, independent radio broadcasting, Polish and Warsaw local history, modern architecture, playground basketball, barbecuing :o)

I may speak very little (and mostly broken) Polish, but I'm in love with Warsaw and its fascinating - if very troubled - history. I learnt a lot about this town by asking Polish friends, reading features, watching documentaries and looking at old blurry photographs. I sometimes joke that there's not a single building standing (or not standing anymore) in my district of Praga-Północ that I don't know the history of, so try to ask and challenge me ;o)

• cats
• books
• literature
• architecture
• documentaries
• dining
• cooking
• beer
• drinking
• politics
• reading
• music
• cycling
• basketball
• freelancing
• history
• journalism
• languages

Music, Movies, and Books

I never stop getting interested in what other people suggest, book reviews and am fascinated by European and American literature. I wish I could read more Asian, South American or African novelists, though. It would be silly to write down a long list here. My Goodreads profile, below, will do:
http://www.goodreads.com/user/show/183865

As for music, again, too much stuff to be written down here. It's a long time I don't use Lastfm, but you could get an idea of what I like here:
http://www.last.fm/user/LerriBi

I'm not an expert on films and no more a moviegoer. Let's just say I'm currently into Polish movies and still rate 'Citizen Kane' and 'Once Upon a Time in America' as my two favorite films overall.

One Amazing Thing I’ve Done

I would pick the Camino de Santiago by bike!
I've never felt happier than in those 14 days of September 2007 cycling all the way from Bordeaux in France to Finisterre in Spain.

Teach, Learn, Share

Taught Italian and English. Learned and shared Norwegian bokmaal. Studied but soon forgot French. Had a brief and fruitless infatuation with Dutch and Turkish. Currently struggling with Polish (and with my inexplicable laziness to learn it).

What I Can Share with Hosts

Stories, books, cooking, music, homemade Spritz (an Italian drink provided I found the right ingredients). Just you ask!

Countries I’ve Visited

Australia, Austria, Belgium, Croatia, Denmark, Estonia, France, Germany, Greece, Hungary, Iceland, Italy, Nepal, Netherlands, Norway, Poland, Portugal, San Marino, Slovakia, Slovenia, Spain, Sweden, Switzerland, Thailand, United Kingdom

Countries I’ve Lived In

Germany, Italy, Netherlands, Norway, Poland, United Kingdom

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