Petra Perazzini
About me
I am half Italian and half Austrian and have lived in Turin, Rome and Brussels. I had been working as an EU project assistant for 10 years but when I moved to Rome in 2001, I decided to open a children’s bookshop specialised in illustration books. In 2013, my husband, who is Belgian, accepted a new job in Brussels and so I came back to Brussels for the third time! Since then I have been involved as a volunteer in various Belgian associations, supporting children of immigrant families and persons with handicaps but also organising conferences – I have even met the Dalai Lama in a conference in Brussels!
I am a very curious and enthusiastic person, I like visiting art exhibitions, listening to all kinds of music, but above all, I Iove contemporary dance. Two of my favourite choreographers happen to live in Brussels, Anne Theresa De Keersmaeker and Sidi Larbi Cherkaoui. I spend my free time discovering new places in town.
Why Brussels
I am very happy to be living in Brussels because it has become a very cool place to live. It has a human dimension and at the same time a lively and accessible cultural and artistic life. I like its multicultural profile and the fact that Belgians do not take themselves too seriously.
Artists performing in Belgium often say that here they find a certain freedom of expression that it is difficult to find in other countries. I also appreciate the fact that Brussels has many green areas and the forest is just 5 minutes away from my home.
