‘Enjoy getting lost in new places’

Name: Sandro Zerafa
Age: 36
Occupation: Musician and artistic director

My best holiday ever…

I feel uncomfortable on airplanes... to the extent that I can give you data about airplane disasters

My travels have been mostly work-related. A year ago, I toured Brazil and we had some days off in Rio de Janeiro and Recife. This journey meant a lot to me as I had been immersed in Brazilian music and culture since my early days playing Villa-Lobos on the guitar. Music, next to football, is the strongest element in Brazilian popular culture.

A recent trip to Naples was also memorable. Naples is a unique city, a sort of a North African medina in Europe with crumbling baroque buildings and ongoing theatre in its streets.

I would never return to…

I end up falling in love with almost every place I visit, though Le Havre (in France) and Liege (in Belgium) must be the two most dreary-looking cities I’ve been to.

The most dangerous place I’ve visited…

I have never felt unsafe anywhere, although I must say that certain dimly-lit streets in the Lapa district of Rio de Janeiro looked a shade unfriendly, and I was a bit apprehensive about the midnight taxi ride to the Mangueira favela in Rio. And all this is, of course, paranoia stemming from the bad rap this city gets in the media. Rio is generally safe, though like in any big city you have to becautious.

My favourite city…

Tough one. I hesitate between New York, Rome and Rio de Janeiro. New York is the city of the ephemeral, constantly reinventing itself, and it’s also the capital of jazz.

Rome is a crazy juxtaposition of eras and it doesn’t feel like a museum city, with a vibrancy that seems to be resonating back from ancient times.

Rio de Janeiro is a city of strong contrasts and also a celebration of lightness of being.

My most memorable experience on anaircraft…

I feel uncomfortable on airplanes. To the extent that I can give you data about airplane disasters and what could go wrong on a flight.

I have developed a ‘perverse’ interest in aerodynamics and I can get really worked up thinking about wind shear and crosswinds on runways. All this seems to be getting worse with time.

My most treasuredholiday souvenir…

Probably the piece of paper containing the lyrics to the 2011 carnival song by the famed samba school Estação Primeira de Mangueira in the north area of Rio de Janeiro.

The lyrics were distributed in the hangar/rehearsal space in the Mangueira favela where rehearsals are held every Saturday night.

The decibel level was inhuman as the 100-strong bateria laid down the beat for the song which would represent Mangueira in the carnival two months later.

G.R.E.S. Mangueira is one of the most popular samba schools in Brazil and the ambience in the rehearsal space was intoxicating.

Another souvenir I cherish is a Berber carpet bought in a village in the Atlas mountains in Morocco.

The friendliest people…

Portuguese people are really relaxed and next to the Cariocas they are the friendliest people on earth.

I never travel without...

My 160Gb iPod (indispensable on flights and during long waits at airports) and my ear plugs (indispensable tools for the chronic insomniac).

The taxi ride I will never forget…

Or should I say, the taxi ride I hazily recall. Several years ago I was in the South Korean capital Seoul for three days to perform. After ingesting unorthodox amounts of Korean soju (served in innocent looking teapots), completely jetlagged and sleep deprived (after failing to fall asleep on the 12-hour flight and having succumbed to two mind-numbing action films courtesy of KLM airlines), I ended up in a disco (probably for the second time in my life).

A string of hazy events (drenched in Korean hip-hop) ensued and I woke up in my hotel. I had to go ask at the reception to understand better how I found my way back to the hotel.

Up till today it’s still a mystery how I managed to find a cab in Seoul and give directions to the driver.

My all-time favourite holiday photo...

Sunset and caipirinha in Ipanema beach. Runner-up: fisherman on Galata bridge in Istanbul.

An unforgettable hotel...

The only time I slept in a dorm room was in a hostel in New York, and it was not a pleasurable experience… for the other occupants, as I discovered one morning when I was repeatedly insulted by an Italian guy (who obviously underestimated the multilingual capabilities of the Maltese) who couldn’t sleep due to my loud snoring. And he wasn’t the only one who couldn’t sleep, of course.

Sometimes I would love to see Paris through the eyes of a tourist, as it must feel marvellous

I return most often to...

Italy.

My ideal travel companion...

My wife Angele.

Country with thebest cuisine...

Italy, without any doubt. Whether it’s the carbonara in Rome, the riso, patate e cozze in Bari, the pizza in Naples, the ragù in Bologna or the risotto in the Piedmont, food is a religion in Italy.

France is a close runner-up with the best cheese and the best wine on earth, and Lyons and thesouth-west are great gastronomical temples.

I also had some memorable meals in Morocco, Lisbon, and strangely enough, Belgium.

My next holiday plans…

I would love to visit the Greek islands, Iceland, Reunion Island and Japan.

My dream trip…

Whisky distillery hopping in Islay (Scotland)!

I partied hardest in…

Paris, where I have been living for the past 12 years. Sometimes I would love to see Paris through the eyes of a tourist, as it must feel marvellous.

My travel tip…

Enjoy getting lost.

Sandro Zerafa has just released his album Urban Poetics on PJU records. www.sandrozerafa.net.