I had an unconventional childhood as my parents moved to Italy when I was five years old and set up an agriturismo business in the Maremma, southern Tuscany. While they entertained and catered for guests I went to primary and secondary school in the nearby town of Paganico.
Just over a decade later, in the mid 1990s, we sold up and moved to a smaller place in Lucignana, a village in the province of Lucca.
Although I am officially based in Ramsgate, in the South East of the UK, I still have a very close emotional tie with Italy and spend much time in the Tuscan hills.
And when I am not working, I enjoy travelling. My travels have taught me much about the subtleties of communication and it always amuses and interests me to discover similarities and differences between languages. I like to think that visiting other countries has made me a more inquisitive and attentive linguist.
