# 12
Photo and concept by © Rob Venom 2022
I was born in Milan, but I grew up in Naples. In 1990 I started to study piano jazz in Rome, I lived there from 1997 till 2011 when I moved to London.
I started my music career in Rome playing in several bands, in some TV shows, and musicals. I was teaching music as well.
At one point though, I felt like if Italy was ‘stealing my time’… offering me just peanuts.
Someone called me to play as piano player and composer in a jazzy album in Abbey Road.
That was the time when I deeply felt that London could have been the town for me.
I love music but I am also a designer, so I love everything which has to do with images like videos, or sculptures.
Since I moved to London, I have been working as a film and ads composer as well.
In Italy, if you aren’t connected to the ‘right people’, it’s almost impossible to work in that field .
Here in London, I am commissioned to score for film and tv because people like my music… and that’s it!
I also find reading and travelling great sources of inspiration.
What do you do in your life in London?
I spend most of my time in my studio, practising, composing and producing. I truly love doing it!
Then 2 or 3 times a week, I have gigs and sometimes I play in some jam sessions after a dinner with friends.
At least once a month, I go to see a musical, visit a museum, see a film or gigs somewhere, London is full of interesting events every day!
What is the reason to leave Italy and come to London?
I left because Italy is dead. I am an eclectic musician, I love more than one style of music and I love composing music for films and ads.
Because of this, because of my aspirations, I felt that London was for me the best European town to move to.
Also London is a magical city, and I cannot live without magic in my life!
What were your best and worst experiences in London.
I have two unforgettable experiences in London.
The first one was when I recorded an album in Abbey Road Studios, and the second one, when I went to Bafta to the premiere of the first movie I scored.
The worst one was when my first landlord destroyed his piano (where I practiced every day) because he needed wood for the barbecue that night….!
I am not joking!
I asked you to choose a place in London that you like or you are tied to, what was your choice and why you made it?
I will chose Abbey Road because I started a new chapter of my life in those famous Studios.
And also my first address was in Boundary Road, a street off Abbey Road: I will never forget that neighbourhood and what it meant to me.
During your early times in London, did you have any problem?
We are Italians: after facing the daily difficulties we are challenged by when we live in Italy, once we move away everything else is simpler!
What do you think about this project?
I love this project because it shows the strong determination of those Italians who want to do something important in their lives.
Those Italians that fight everyday to leave a mark on this planet; this is impossible in Italy.
How do you think you could support and promote Italian culture?
