ERSILIA
ANNA: Have you always lived on the Island?
ERSILIA: No, when I turned 18, I decided to leave. I had goals, and I knew I had to work to achieve them, so I left. I went to train to become a hairdresser, I’ve always had a passion for it, then, I came back to the Island and opened my own business.
A: Why did you decide to return?
E: Because there’s a calling, a sense of peace, you wake up and see the sun, the vast sea, and breathe in fresh air. When I became a mother, I decided I wanted to stay here and raise my children here. My eldest has now left to attend boarding school because the Island has limited options for education.
A: What do you wish for your children?
E: Always the best—that they can work with passion. In Italy, there are significant challenges, and you always have to work hard no matter what, but I wish for them to find something they truly love.
A: What does being a woman mean to you?
E: I feel lucky to be a woman, we’re sharper and tougher. I have a 9-year-old daughter, and right now, it’s very challenging to manage her because she’s so stubborn. But then I think, good, when she grows up, she’ll have the resilience to keep moving forward. Italy often presents us with many challenges when it comes to laws and protections, and we have to keep being determined and relying on our innate strength.
A: What lesson have you learned in life that you consider fundamental?
E: Definitely humility, which allows you to live life calmly, being simple and sincere while embarking on paths of growth without craftiness.