This is a great job

I have a great job indeed, even when I’m always about to doze off during breakfast because I’m so tired, even when I spend my evenings off sleeping on the sofa in front of the tv, even when I feel that I have no social life at all… I have a great job.

This job is great because it allows me to live in a great place, because I do not have to drive to work (well, actually I do but it’s 500 metres!) in the traffic or take the underground every morning, because I know that I did my bit for the environment by growing organic, cooking organic and wearing my guests out by telling them once and again that this ORGANIC cheese or salad is very good, because I like to cook and experiment, because after 8 years my bread now tastes like the real thing, because I love the sound that my guests emit when they try what I cook (mmmhhhhhh!) most of all because of the amazing people I meet!
This year, somehow because of my job, I met Diana (I’ve been chatting with her for a long time and she almost saved my life with her suggestions and love, but we had never met), she runs Baur B&B (2014 update: Baur B&B is now closed and Diana is off for a new adventure) a beautiful, stilish B&B in Southern Piedmont and is a very gifted potter. I also met Gloria, she’s a brilliant teacher, writes books with stunning titles and runs Casina di Rosa, a very nice rental in Maremma (fascinating and unknown area of Tuscany), I also met innkeepers and other travel related professionals that are regulars on a very useful site called Slow Travel. (Update: slow travel is no longer online, but it lives on as Slow Europe)
During the summer I was lucky enough to be chosen as one of the stops in Anna and Matt’s amazing trip along Europe and Africa in search of typical foods and great experiences, they write about their trip at Culinary Anthropologist, I also met Lucy Pope a talented photographer that was even patient enough to deal with my family’s aversion to being photographed and Richard Hammond, the Guardian’s eco-travel correspondent, guidebooks editor and manager of Green Traveller, a very interesting guide for those who want to lessens their impact on the environment when travelling.
Of course these are just a few of the very important people that I met this year because of my job, the others are my guests, the ones that were willing to share a bit of themselves, the ones who were interested in what we do, the ones that loved our cats, our dog and our job with us.

This is a great job indeed!