Fabrizio Cimarelli: Sublime Renaissance Mind
by Bradley Basker
He peers through the eyepiece, focusing the telescope on the promise of cosmic wonders. It is 5 a.m. The sun shoots spectacular solar flares, and Fabrizio Cimarelli finds them beautiful. The 21-year-old Renaissance man lives in Cagli, Italy, a city of about 12,000 people, but his muses and aspirations extend into the universe's endless space.
The cosmos are more than a mere fancy. Fabrizio says he wants to be a scientist and studies physics at the University of Bologna. His dream is to research what the universe is made of and how it evolves. He knows that mastering English is necessary for a successful career, so each interactions with English speakers is precious. Every encounter is a step closer to fulfilling his dream.
Fabrizio knows that a job in physics could take him from Italy, but this is something he’s prepared to do.
“I don’t mind where I go as long as I can do what I love,” Fabrizio says.
The proof of his passion lies in the fact that he pays for his own education, working at the Cagli community youth center to pay for university taxes and living expenses. Financial burdens and cosmic mysteries rest on his shoulders, but he has no time for worry.
“I take life for what it is,” he says. “The more you think about things, the more pessimism
you can have.”
Working around the clock requires he have a playlist of classic rock. Led Zeppelin, his favorite band, often provides his personal soundtrack as he sells treats to children and jokes with friends.
Taking a break from work, he grabs a cigarette, a guitar and a seat and indulges in a late-afternoon sernande. He sweeps aside his long locks. His sunglasses reflect a billow of smoke as he strikes a chord. Melodies are on his mind and in his fingertips.
When Fabrizio was 10, he says, his father sent him to music school in Pesaro, Italy. He admits it was difficult in his youth to appreciate artists like The Beatles, but he believes 12 years of music study broadened his interests to include nearly every genre. His eclectic tastes reflect in the variety of instruments he plays: bass guitar, 12-string acoustic guitar, violin, flute and piano. He recently took up the clarinet and the jazz harmonica.
He once spent two days with friends in Ferrara playing music in front of restaurants. Free food, drinks and crowds of people enjoying his music were his only compensation, and that was all he needed. But, he says, he would never consider music as a career. It is his precious hobby, his pastime -- all the time.
Though his eyes are on the skies, his ears tuned to rock riffs from countries across the ocean, Fabrizio’s heart is for Cagli. Even if he took a job abroad, he would only go for six months, a practice he says is typical for Italians in his field. The temporary post would be great, but he could never fully commit to a life abroad.
“If I lived in New York, I would be dead in two weeks,” he says. “I prefer the lifestyle here. It is relaxing.”
Fabrizio values the simple life. The relaxing Cagliese breeze is his element. He may be looking at the sun, but Cagli is the star in his universe.
