Last month, I packed my violin and headed to Genova, Italy from Istanbul Turkey. Genova and it’s beautiful places, and the city of Portofino was a city I’d only ever imagined through postcards and old films. It turned out to be one of the most memorable trips of my life, equal parts performance, adventure, and a little Italian glamour — and none of it would have come together without my Italian manager, Sabrina, who organised the whole trip with such care.

The highlight was performing at Covo di Nord Est, a legendary nightclub right on the coast that’s hosted some huge names over the years. There’s nothing quite like the feeling of stepping out with a violin in a room built for beats and bass — watching a crowd that came for one kind of night discover they loved something unexpected too. The energy in that venue was unlike anything I’d experienced: the sea air drifting in, the lights, the sense that music could bend and hold a room in ways I hadn’t fully appreciated until I was standing in the middle of it.

Between performances, I made the most of being in that part of Italy. Genova and its surrounds are stunning — narrow medieval streets that open suddenly onto the Mediterranean, pastel buildings stacked up the hillsides, and food that made me rethink every meal I’d had before. I wandered through the old town, found tiny trattorias with no English menus (my favourite kind), and let the whole trip slow down into something more than just a work engagement.

One of my favourite parts of the whole trip was a photo shoot with photographer Bo Marcello. We shot at a beautiful old castle nearby along with a few other local spots around the region, and there’s something about Italian light — golden, soft, slightly theatrical — that made every frame feel like it belonged in a film. Bo had such a distinct eye, and it was a joy to be directed by someone with that level of creative instinct. I was also wearing beautiful pieces from Accinnelli Designs for the shoot and the concerts — their jewellery added exactly the right touch of elegance against all that stonework. Those photos are still some of my favourites from that era.

Looking back, that trip taught me something I still carry into every performance: the room doesn’t have to be built for you for you to belong in it. A dance club on the Ligurian coast and a formal concert hall ask very different things of a performer, but the job is the same — read the room, bring your full self, and let the music do what it does.

Genova gave me a nightclub set I’ll never forget, a castle full of golden-hour photos, and a reminder that some of the best creative work happens when you say yes to the unexpected!