A while ago the Italian magazine Voglio Vivere Così — the one that tells the stories of people who decide to change their life and leave — interviewed me. The headline they chose says it better than I could: “In Brazil, there’s a love for life.”
That is exactly what I found here. I left the province of Milan, arrived in Brazil in 2017 almost by chance — a volunteering project — and never went back. Today I live in Vidigal, the favela over the sea between Leblon and the Dois Irmãos peaks, and I have been guiding here in Rio de Janeiro for nine years.
Why I’m telling you this
Because it is the heart of Vidapiena. “A full life” — vita piena — is not a slogan: it is why I take people inside the communities, not past them. In the interview I told a simple story: in Italy my next-door neighbour never said hello; here the neighbourhood throws a party once a month for everyone’s birthdays. This is the Rio I want to show you — not from behind a car window, but on foot, greeting the people we meet.
The difference between seeing Rio and living it is right here: you come in as a guest, with respect, where life actually happens.
Come and live it yourself
If this story caught your attention, the next step is simple: read the full interview on Voglio Vivere Così and then come and walk with me. The Vidigal Favela Tour starts from the very community where I live: mototaxi up, down through the alleys, and a grand finale facing Christ the Redeemer.
Message me on Instagram or on WhatsApp and we’ll pick the right tour for you together. See you in Rio.