(May 14) “We Italians abroad are good. We are competitive, prepared, ambitious. Moreover, everyone envies our spirit of initiative, our joy and sense of humor.” Matteo Polleschi has little more than thirty years and is product manager at Sophia Antipolis, the technology park located between the French cities of Nice and Cannes. “I deal with Product Lifecycle Management,” says the italian engineer. “It goes from the software used by online travel agencies to meeting with clients and do marketing analysis.”.The technology center where he works hosts companies involved in electronics, telecommunications, biotechnology and pharmacology. Matteo does not define himself a “drained brain” and adds: “In general I think it’s wrong to call ‘excellence’ all those who work abroad. Who decides to emigrate is just a ‘normal’ person. However I can say that our preparation is very high and we Italians are generally talented: in the international workforce, among the best.” Polleschi decided to leave his town – “my beloved, hated, and ‘steady’ La Spezia” – to study Aerospace Engineering at the Polytechnic University of Turin. “After that, I worked at my thesis in California at UC Berkeley. After graduation, I was lucky enough to be admitted to the MBA of the College des Ingenieurs, a school that cleared up my mind and made me realize my way.” Polleschi is happy to live abroad: “I love traveling and discovering new cultures, so this my natural condition. I believe that the so-called ‘new migration’ is something inevitable, because in Italy is really hard to find a job, not to mention that usually salaries are much lower than in Europe. And more, in Italy the companies don’t innovate so the country looks like in a dead end.” Matteo is really satisfied about his life abroad, and he found no difficulties apart from “the lack of stracchino, a soft cheese produced in Lombardy,” as he adds jokingly. He concludes leaving the door opened for his return:”I’ll come back one day, after seeing enough of the world.” (Gil/Red)
