First Floor

“The walls were a patchwork of irregular metal sheets and mirror, bending and folding in ways that made the space impossible to map. “The three-story house

The study

Sometimes everything hurts. And in that hurt, something true begins to speak. This is the music of the First Floor — the sound of what we carry, and what carries us.

Watts painted Hope blindfolded, sitting on a globe, holding a lyre with only one string left. And yet she plays. The First Floor is that single string — the one that never breaks.

George Frederic Watts, Hope, 1886, Oil, Tate Britain

Our deepest fear is not that we are inadequate. It is that we are powerful beyond measure. This is the moment that lives on the First Floor — the one that changes everything.

These are the stories of the First Floor — where emotions live, where minds meet, where the personal becomes universal. Each one is an invitation to feel a little more, understand a little deeper.

  • The Courage to Begin Again

    There is a quiet moment in life when everything still appears intact — and yet, something within us no longer aligns. There comes a point when continuing along the same path is no longer possible. Not because the road has disappeared, but because we have changed. Reinvention does not usually announce itself with clarity. It…

  • Deliberately Old-Fashioned

    Innovation is a driving force in my life. It attracts me, ignites me, sometimes unsettles me.And yet I keep wondering where authenticity takes refuge in an age when we can delegate almost everything — even writing.This fragment was born from a walk between memory and technology. University — Wednesday, November 17Footprints in Time When I…

  • Poetry: a space for being more human

    I recently published Nella carne, nel cuore (In the Flesh, in the Heart).A book in which I sought to weave together reflection, poetry, and short narratives, adopting a poetic style to explore—from different perspectives—emotions, intuitions, and thoughts. This publication also became an opportunity to reflect once again on the meaning of writing, and more specifically, of writing…

  • When Work Finds Its Rhythm: What Music Taught Me About Leadership and Growth

    The Soundtrack of Work I’ve always loved music. All kinds of it. I grew up playing the piano—introduced to it by my mother, who inherited a long family tradition of passionate music lovers.Over time, I realized how much the discipline of music has shaped the way I think, collaborate, and lead. Music isn’t just background…

  • Balancing the Inside and Outside: A Lesson from Formula 1

    I’ve been passionate about Formula 1 since childhood. What has always drawn me in is the fusion of technological excellence and human precision—machines engineered at the edge of possibility, driven by athletes who operate within fractions of a second. As an aerospace engineer, I often think of F1 not just in terms of aerodynamics, but…

  • The Melody of Chaos

    “Nathan… stop chasing perfection. The world, life—they’re chaotic. Don’t look for order where there is none. Find the melody, the rhythm that drives chaos. Listen to some jazz, not just Bach.” That’s how Guglielmo da Baskerville said goodbye this morning as I left Montecassino. His real name is Dom Benedetto, but the days I spent…

  • The 32km Wall and the Long Project: Lessons from the Edge

    When I started training for my first marathon, I kept hearing about the infamous 32 km wall. At first, I thought it was just a metaphor. Then I hit it. It’s real. The wall is that moment—usually around kilometer 32—when your body’s glycogen stores are nearly gone. Your muscles start tightening, your legs feel heavy,…

  • The Future Is Virtual—But It Must Be Human

    “Throughout the history of our species, we humans have always imagined other, better futures for ourselves, intangible worlds that we expect to be more fulfilling and experientially rich than our daily lives. Our ability to visualize and believe in these futures is itself a cultural technology, one that we use to improve our experiences of…

  • From Boardrooms to First Dates: The Surprising Affinity Between Dealmaking and Dating

    Today, on my way home from an important company event, I passed through the central station of Basel, the city where I live. Watching couples reconnect in front of the station entrance—some rushing into each other’s arms, others just quietly walking side by side—I found myself reflecting on an analogy I had casually used earlier…

  • Strive for Excellence by Embracing Imperfection 

    “Excellence is never an accident. It is always the result of high intention, sincere effort, and intelligent execution; it represents the wise choice of many alternatives – choice, not chance, determines your destiny.” – Aristotle   We live in a world that often glorifies perfection, leaving many of us feeling unrelenting pressure to meet impossible…