I do some of my best thinking on planes.

I was lost in deep thoughts once again on Friday, when my BA flight took a sharp turn over Lake Garda before landing in Verona.

I’ve always believed that Lake Garda has a soul. It was left behind by a melting glacier millions of years ago and its depths feel mysterious.

I remember swimming in the lake at night the summer after graduating from high school. Surrounded by darkness, I went under water and listened… There was this strange humming sound…the voice of the lake.

Lake Garda was so dear to me while I was growing up in Italy. I remember waterskiing just before sunset and getting very close to the rocks that plunge into the water. It was such a powerful feeling… as if the mountain was transmitting all her strength to me.

I watched the opening scene of the new Bond movie the other week and recognised them right away ….those amazing cliffs in the north of the lake.

The day after my arrival I had another comforting experience.

I hate to rush around shopping malls on a Saturday in Italy. But this time I left with a smile on my face.

I looked around at the shoppers and realised just how multicultural Italy has become.

There were people from North Africa, Eastern Europe, Sri Lanka, etc. It made me feel less strange and turned the trauma of not remembering the names of half of the products I had to buy into a funny exercise.

Who says that things don’t change for the better?!

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