Away from the desk
Hobbies
In the mountains
Hiking — Tra Cielo e GEA
In July 2018 I set out to walk the Grande Escursione Appenninica solo — a roughly 370 km traverse of the Tuscan-Emilian Apennines, following the high passes and ridgelines down into the Garfagnana. I documented each stage on a dedicated blog and tracked the route live by GPS, walking in support of ValtiberinAutismo, a charity supporting families affected by autism in the Upper Tiber Valley.
From the Borgo
Crossbow — Balestra Antica all’Italiana
I shoot the balestra antica all’italiana — the historical Italian crossbow — in the tradition of my home town. Sansepolcro is famous for the Palio della Balestra, a centuries-old crossbow contest fought in Renaissance costume against the neighbouring town of Gubbio, and one of the oldest living tournaments in Italy.
Be prepared
Scouting
Scouting has been part of my life since 1986. I grew up in AGESCI, the Italian Catholic scouting association, with the Sansepolcro 1 group — now Valtiberina 1 — from 1986 to 2004, serving as Capo Reparto (troop leader) and Capo Gruppo (group leader), and earning my Wood Badge in 2002. Today I am a Cub Scout leader with the 2nd Balsall Common group, where the cubs know me by my jungle name, Kaa.
At the table
Board Game Design — Kaboom!
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Kaboom! is a card game in which players race to defuse a bomb by working out which wires to cut: defuse it correctly and you win, but if it goes off, whoever got the most agents out of the building takes the round instead. It won the Gioco Inedito “Best Unpublished Game” award at Lucca Comics & Games (2009/2010) and was published by dV Giochi.
In hand
Magic: The Gathering
I have been playing Magic since the late ’90s and, after a break, picked it up again — first in the US, later in the UK — even competitively. My best results are an 11–4 finish at a GP with more than 2,000 players and a Top 8 at a PTQ with more than 800 players. I still follow the game and play from time to time, though work and family make it a challenge to devote the time it deserves to stay competitive.