LILLI
ANNA: What qualities do you seek in your connections with women?
LILLI: I definitely look for generosity of feelings and of living. I look for courage; I admire women who face life with bravery, who have the courage to break certain patterns. And I seek the ability to always look at the world with fresh eyes, never stopping.
A: What has your chosen profession taught you?
L: The value of truth in what you write, because it’s not always upheld, and not by everyone. Especially when I started out, it was unthinkable not to go where something had happened. For example, if there was a murder, a shooting, or a protest, you had to be there. I spent years covering protests because I started as a journalist during the turbulent years of 1977–78, reporting the truth as I experienced it.
A: Did you travel a lot for work?
L: Not really, I wasn’t much of a field correspondent. I focused on covering Rome’s news, I had a daughter, and I raised her on my own, so I made a choice to prioritize her. I don’t think it limited my career to focus only on Rome, quite the opposite. This world, like any world, is always evolving, there’s always something new to discover, always something new to see. We have the most beautiful art in the world, we have the Vatican with its immense cultural and religious significance, and we have an incredible history behind us.
A: What lessons do you feel you’ve passed on to your daughter or the people in your life? And what’s the most valuable lesson you’ve received?
L: I think I’ve passed on a deep cultural appreciation for Italy. I truly believe our country has unique values that should be celebrated. I think one is first and foremost a citizen of their own country and then a citizen of the world. As for what I’ve learned, it’s that you should approach everything with seriousness and care, but in the end, everything is relative.
A: Can you identify a major challenge you’ve had to overcome?
L:The biggest challenge I’ve faced was raising Silvia on my own. Of course, I come from a different generation, so when I had my daughter with a colleague who was married at the time, it caused an uproar in my family.
But I wanted her so much, and it was incredibly hard, it was a brutal time. To make things even more difficult, unlike what usually happens, he filed a lawsuit to claim paternity, and I fought against it. I was convinced it would have been harmful to the child and no one understood my decision; people thought I was crazy… But I believe it was the best decision of my life, it was courageous and it changed me.