What is Julia doing (with an Austrian) in Madonie

A dynamic, adventurous, assertive and adventurous traveler.

Which is Julia Treasurer The thirty-two-year-old from Palermo traveled the world, worked in the luxury fashion sector and then returned to Sicily, choosing to live and invest in… Madonie In a small mountain village and not in the big city.

Palermo by birth and Sicilianism running through her veins, cosmopolitan By profession the residents of Petralia Soprana adopted her with Penny, her partner who followed her from Austria in this return option.

“In life, I almost always manage to achieve what I set out to achieve,” this is how the story of this very young girl begins, such is the beginning that gives an accurate idea of ​​her determination.

She had just turned eighteen when newly graduated Liceo Garibaldi left Palermo behind. Inside the bag, she collects with the clothes the dreams and hopes that arrive with her to Rome, where she enters the Academy of Fashion and Design to attend courses for designers and fashion designers, with the ambition of becoming a professional in this sector.

Status

From here on out it will be one Breathless lifeA whirlwind of events and a wealth of experience and skills that will be his passport to enter important doors in the coming years. She studies hard and works hard because, in addition to the classes she attends regularly, she has been hired by a prestigious fur company that includes her on its staff.

In her second year at the Academy, she was co-selected for the Riccione Moda Italia Prize, dedicated to young fashion designers, and won first prize in three sections, a springboard that took her to the top.

Without rest and with a huge desire to learn and work Fly to CanadaIn Toronto for a month and a half where he obtained his master's degree and then returned to ancient Europe in Denmark In Copenhagen, where he specialized in a second master's degree.

Here it comes Brazil…or rather she gets there without imagining that she will stay there.

“I first arrived on a study visit to the industrial area of ​​Paraná, not thinking that I would find a place to work there: six years in total, the first three years of which with an assignment from the Fashion Federation as a consultant for the production chains of companies, one of which in particular asked me to work exclusively with them.”

On the other side of the world her family follows her at a distance, Sicily and Italy a world so far away that she rarely returns to.

He is always looking for new horizons and job opportunities, so he leaves for them Greece In Kastoria, she follows a course organized by one of the most important companies in the fur sector, where she is explicitly told that there will be no possibility of employing anyone, and that it will only be a refresher course.

“What should I do instead?!” I arm myself with courage and introduce myself to the businessman with whom I managed to interview, and perhaps because of my persistence but also because of the experience gained, at the end of the meeting his response will be: …Okay, then you start tomorrow! »

Panic and happiness. In Europe a Frankfurt He worked for another wonderful four years traveling around the world in the company's offices which had various locations.

This is where the pandemic hits the head and neck. Everything suddenly stops, the company is forced to lay off its employees, and she remains locked in a small apartment alone, far from everyone and everything, locked in a forced and disturbing isolation.

“It was a very difficult moment to face, alone and away from my family without being able to reach them, with uncertainty about the situation, in a foreign country… with only one desire: to return home, Return to Sicily».

He lives there for another two years Austriain Innsbruck, with Benny, his Austrian partner who does itSnowboard coach But his idea remains the same and the call is strengthened to its roots.

“In the end, I did and saw a lot: I traveled to do the job I wanted, I met different places and people, I ate and tasted different foods, and I discovered cultures that I didn't know…or maybe I was. “Just tired and full.”

The epidemic breaks the frantic rhythm and gives her a way to think, and upon her return she finds a dimension in the village to which her parents moved that she had not seen before in years.

The city welcomes her, embraces her, reassures her in its intimacy, and in this hermitage she finds energy again, time slows down, the nature around her, the silence, but also the people who, just as they welcomed her parents, do the same for her and with her. Benny who fell in love with this place from far away Austria so much that he also started to think that it would be nice to live there.

“When I asked Benny to move in with me, he agreed, but he set one condition An indispensable condition“It's just good not to go live in a big city.”

So Petralia Soprana It became their meeting place, the perfect place for both of them, including work.

Within a month, they pack their bags and take everything they have saved. After renting, they find a house to buy, renovate it and move in. It overlooks a stunning view.

What convinced you to live there permanently at a critical time when we talk about the impact of population decline in countries?

“there Quality of life To the human dimension Quality time Which is priceless – explains Julia -. If you decide to do something in the city, the problems are always the same: public transportation, if there is parking, how much traffic you have to deal with to get there, standing in line to get a place at the table or in the office, not Having good quality human relationships. Here you can even greet people you don't know.

And then it is not true that there is nothing to do: you have the cinema, you have the theater a few kilometers away, you have restaurants, bars, shops, supermarkets just like in the city, except that you don't have to stand there. Endless queues or wading through crowded intersections.

You enjoy nature, good food at your fingertips, and everything at your fingertips. “Here I go out in the morning and smile, and I would say that this is not an easy thing these days.”

And the a job?

“I looked around and saw what was missing and what I could do for the area,” she says. So with the help of my parents, who couldn't wait to have me around again, we created a place where I created a place that wasn't just a simple place Shop, But much more than that.

A place where people can meet and discover flavors and knowledge, chat with me and get an idea about Madone, what you can do or see, experiences with the locals, in short something that was a taste of the area with a cultural and not just commercial feel.

“I have contacted craftsmen, farmers, hiking guides, and publishers, and here there are books you can go back and buy, inform yourself and make friends, and come back to gain experience and experience the mountains.”

Talking about Penny.

“Now everyone knows him, he has entered the hearts of the residents, he has made friends, he has integrated perfectly into the community, he is waiting for the snow to work as a ski instructor, he sold what he had in Austria and got a small house where hospitality is offered… while waiting for the snow to appear.”