I was so skinny, they gave me the nickname stechetto - the stick. I was tall, thin, ugly and dark like an Arab girl. I looked strange. All eyes. No flesh on my bones.

Success, I would find out, is interior. It has to do with self-fulfillment and the joy of living.

I like to cook for my friends. It is an act of love because in cooking you can create so many plates and recipes, if you know how to - otherwise you make a mess - but I like it because it's like a ceremony. You cook for your friends and after, you drink wine and play cards.

I do 45 minutes a day of stretching and abdominals and I lift light weights of half a kilo. Otherwise, if you strain your muscles, then you have to be quiet and stay without any exercise for a long time. I do heavier weights gradually. I'm going to become Superwoman with oil on my muscles!

I work when I feel like I can do something that pleases me, that I think I can give a little more than I've given up to yesterday.

Cooking is an act of love, a gift, a way of sharing with others the little secrets -- 'piccoli segreti' -- that are simmering on the burners.

You can always dream. Life is full of dreams that you can fulfill.