Carolina, in her Own Words

(Day 11 0f 30 – story crumbs from the world of Loveandpizza.it 🍕)

I promised you an interview with the woman herself – and here she is. Now, Carolina is tricky to pin down, because she’s already lived every page of this story… and she’s under strict instructions (from me) not to give the ending away.

So she’ll happily tell you about herself – the chocolate, the “just for a year,” the being completely done with love – but the moment you stray anywhere near the plot, she clams up. Watch. 😏

Fair warning: she refused my very first question. Naturally.

Straight in at the deep end

Me: So… at the beginning of the story, we see you arriving back in Napoli. Why did you leave in the first place?

Carolina: Haha. You don’t mess about, do you? Straight to the point. Sorry – I can’t talk about the story. You’d be really cross with me if I gave the good bits away, wouldn’t you?

Me: Fair. Good girl! You’ve passed the test. Let’s start with some basics, then.

Carolina: That’ll be better.

First, the basics

Me: Right. What’s your full name?

Carolina: Carolina Lombardi.

Me: And you were born in São Paulo, right?

Carolina: Not really. I moved to São Paulo to study, but I’m originally from a small town in the countryside.

Me: And is it true you studied Medicine?

Carolina: Yep. Six years of hard work – blood, sweat and tears – and I became Dr Carolina Lombardi. Even though, by the end, I had no idea what to do with the degree.

Me: What do you mean?

Carolina: Well, the truth was – and I could finally say it out loud, because my family already knew – I wasn’t sure I wanted to be a doctor.

Me: That’s a big thing to realise, isn’t it? Especially after all those years at university…

Carolina: I know.

Me: So is that why you went to Napoli to teach English? Just for a year?

Carolina: Yes, that was the reason. It was only supposed to be for a year, but you never know, eh? (winks)

Me: Could you speak Italian at all, when you arrived?

Carolina: Not fluently. I’d studied it for a year at uni, and it’s so similar to Portuguese that I thought it’d be easy to pick up. Besides… I’d be teaching English, so I didn’t imagine I’d be speaking much Italian anyway…

The “completely done with love” section

Me: Unless you met someone…

Carolina: Ha! I met a lot of someones. Napoli’s full of them.

Me: You know what I mean. Meet a guy. Were you single, when you set off?

Carolina: Freshly cheated on, freshly dumped, and, I’ll admit it, fully planning on never falling in love again.

Me: And how did that plan work out?

Carolina: (grins) Nice try. You and I both know exactly how that turned out… but I’m not spoiling it for everyone reading this. 😌

Me: You should never say never, Carolina.

Carolina: So I’ve been told. (mischievous) That’s all you’re getting.

Me: Did you want children?

Carolina: I’d love children, one day. But then, you need to fall in love and get married for that, don’t you? So… (shrugs)

Faith, expectations, and a great many hobbies

Me: Let’s change the subject. Are you religious, Carolina?

Carolina: I believe in God. I’m Catholic. I go to church on Sundays, and I pray. And I think being kind, and doing right by people, matters more than almost anything.

Me: So, you weren’t sure you wanted to be a doctor, which is why you went to Napoli. What were your expectations?

Carolina: Honestly? I wasn’t really sure. I just thought it was going to be a brilliant year, and that I deserved a break. I wanted to visit as many places as I could, learn as much as I could, meet new people, and get to know myself. I suppose those were my expectations.

Me: And were they met?

Carolina: I’d say the unexpected happened. But I can’t say any more than that. 😏

Me: Do you have any hobbies?

Carolina: I love taking photos! I photograph everything. My mother always says she can’t understand how I take so many photos and yet appear in almost none of them.

Me: Perfect for Napoli, then – it’s a gorgeous, interesting place.

Carolina: I know! I remember how excited I was! I bought a guidebook and circled so many places I wanted to visit. Mind you, Lisa’s the real photographer of the two of us. I usually end up pinching some of her photos.

Me: Any other interests?

Carolina: I love learning new things, so I buy books on whatever I want to know more about. One of the first things I swore I’d get was an Italian cookbook, so I could learn to make all those yummy dishes.

The important things: food, music, books

Me: What’s your favourite food?

Carolina: Pizza—

Me: Perfect! You couldn’t have picked a better place.

Carolina: —and chocolate!

Me: Any chocolate?

Carolina: My favourite’s Lindt. The taste of paradise…

Me: E quanto à música? Você gosta de música italiana?

Carolina: I like a bit of everything, I guess… dance, classical, pop. Big fan of Bon Jovi and U2. Not heavy metal or funk, though.

Me: A favourite book?

Carolina: The Little Prince, I think – a classic, isn’t it? I also love chick lit and a good crime novel. Right now I’m reading one my sister Clara recommended, about Jack the Ripper, called Portrait of a Killer, by Patricia Cornwell. Write it down, so you read it. It’s really good. Oh – and I can’t leave out Wuthering Heights, Little Women, and anything by Jane Austen. Emma is my favourite.

Me: Favourite film?

Carolina: Ooh, tough one. I love a good rom-com – anything that makes me cry happy tears – and anything set in Italy, obviously. My great-grandparents were from Verona, so give me a bit of star-crossed, balcony-scene, Romeo-and-Juliet romance and I’m done for. Have you ever seen Under the Tuscan Sun? And Only You? I LOVE that film! I also love a good thriller. I’ll watch a horror film… but I get terrible sleep afterwards. If any.

Happy, angry, sad (and thoroughly Brazilian)

Me: What do you do when you’re happy?

Carolina: I can’t stop smiling. Oh – and I eat chocolate.

Me: And when you’re angry?

Carolina: I swear. Not terrible words – I’ll say “shit” sometimes. And the “f-word” when I’m really mad. And now I’ve learned cazzo, I suspect I’ll be saying quite a few of those. (chuckles) Oh, and I eat chocolate. (grins)

Me: When you’re sad?

Carolina: I need to be on my own. I write. And I eat chocolate.

Me: What can someone do to cheer you up?

Carolina: Give me chocolate. Haha. No – seriously – come to me with good news, even if it’s not for me. It makes me happy to see people I love happy.

Me: What can someone do to annoy you?

Carolina: Be unfair – to me or to anyone else. Oh, and chew gum with their mouth open, like a cow. Drives me nuts.

Me: Anything you do that you know annoys people?

Carolina: Haha. Good question. Lisa would say I make people guess what I’m about to say. I’ll start something, or ask, “guess what?” She hates it.

On Lisa

Me: You’ve mentioned Lisa. You must be close, to have been on this whole adventure together…

Carolina: She’s my best friend. I “inherited” her from my oldest sister, Clara. (quotation marks in the air) We get on brilliantly.

Me: What do you like best about her?

Carolina: What’s not to like? Probably that she’s got an answer for everything and always tells me what she thinks – no matter how bad it is.

Me: And least?

Carolina: Same answer. Haha. And that she’s almost always right.

A few last ones

Me: A funny childhood memory?

Carolina: Oh, yes! When I was ten, I told my mum I’d seen my oldest sister kissing a boy from our street. Mum was furious with her. I felt terrible – we’d always been so close. Clara still gets cross when I bring it up in front of our parents.

Me: Your biggest fear?

Carolina: Losing someone I love. That one’s not a joke.

Me: Have you got a secret?

Carolina: Come on – if I told you, it wouldn’t be a secret anymore, would it?

Me: “You are the kind of person who…”

Carolina: …would literally bump into you in a shop – knock you flying, more like. I’m terribly clumsy; consider this your warning. And who’d try to break up a fight – I’ve done that plenty of times with my sisters.

Me: Why do you think readers will like Carolina?

Carolina: I’m not sure, but I really hope they do. I went off to an unknown city on an adventure to find myself, and I think so many women have that same wish. Hopefully my story gives them a little push. Besides, a friend told me the other day that I went on an “Eat Pray Love” sort of adventure… though she said she wouldn’t mind a few “Fifty Shades” updates, too, which I told her “no way, José” to. (chuckles)

Me: Interesting. So, did someone sweep you off your feet, in the end?

Carolina: (a slow smile) Let’s just say the girl who swore off love got the surprise of her life. That’s all you’re getting out of me. 😌

Me: Carolina, thank you so much. I can’t wait for everyone to read all about your adventures in Napoli.

Carolina: The pleasure was mine. I hope they enjoy it.

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And there she is – Carolina. She’ll give you the chocolate, the swearing, the Bon Jovi and the Jane Austen, the whole warm, stubborn, wonderful lot of her… and not a single word about how it all turned out. For that, I’m afraid, you’ll have to read the book. 😏

Do you have more questions for Carolina – before or after Loveandpizza.it? Leave them in the comments below, and I’ll schedule another interview! 👇

Dani. x

P.S. Loveandpizza.it is coming back in English, Italian and Portuguese. Save your slice and you’ll be first to know the moment your edition’s ready. 🍕