LUCCA Cronicles 1, with Luis Rokeach, scientist with focus on aging, artist and photographer.

Welcome to the first episode in a series of conversations with some of the remarkable people I have met—and continue to meet—in Lucca, Italy, a place where I have spent much of my time over the past six years.

These are people from very different worlds: artists, adventurers, scientists, seekers, and free spirits. What they have in common is that they have sparked my curiosity and invited me to see life from a different perspective.

My first guest is Luis Rokeach. Luis is a scientist whose work focuses on the biology of aging at the cellular level, but he is also an artist, photographer, and sculptor.

We first met over an aperitivo, and I felt an immediate connection. Our conversation quickly turned to psychoanalysis when Luis told me that he has been in analysis for most of his life. He was born in Argentina, a country often said to have a unique love affair with psychoanalysis.

We also talk about a dream he had years ago about a building in Lucca—long before he had ever set foot in the city.

A small note before you listen: we recorded this conversation in a café, and the background noise gradually became louder as the afternoon went on. I hope it won't distract too much from what I found to be a fascinating conversation. In future episodes, I'll be looking for quieter places to record.

I hope you enjoy listening.