Andrea Mirandola, a quiet metalhead in the family

Heavy metal music, drums, books and home: the techno-manager Andrea Mirandola, head of information systems at Etra Group, talks about his free time

TOndrea Mirandola, degree in Computer Engineering, was born in Isola della Scala near Verona on 28 October 1972. Today she lives in Soiano del Lago in the province of Brescia. Married since 2001, he has two daughters aged 15 and 11 named Chiara and Maria.

HEAVY METAL AND DE ANDRÈ

A possible match? Of course it does for Andrea and it’s not so strange, that everything can be done with the drums. He spends much of his free time like this, listening to and playing the instrument that struck him as a boy. «I love music in general and I listen to it more and more during work-related travel, especially the heavy metal genre and Italian singer-songwriters, from Guccini to De André to Gaber. The passion for metal? I’ve been carrying it since I was a teenager and I’ve never abandoned it, even the groups I listen to are still those of the youth. While at university, however, I approached Italian singer-songwriters, another energy that remains within me. But I also like making music and that’s why I play drums in a local group called “Decanter”, a name that is a destiny. We play for passion but above all to be together: our rehearsal room is an old parish cellar where wine was once made, hence the name. We have been playing together for about twenty years, more or less since I got married and we are a good group, between music, chat and a glass of red».

PAPER BOOKS AND WALKS

“Correct. I love reading any kind of book, from fantasy novels to Pirandello, which I adore, to essays ranging from technology to spirituality. Among my favorite books I can not fail to mention 1984 by George Orwell, The excluded of the aforementioned Pirandello, The Lord of the Rings by Tolkien, it seems obvious to me, e I Francis by Carlo Carretto. Then I like walking in the mountains in the summer, which for a thousand reasons I practice less and less to my great regret».

THE RECHARGE? BETTER SLOW

Andrea, your Sundays? «A typical day is very familiar; it begins with a slow breakfast, which is rare on working days, which I enjoy with my wife: it is our morning moment of sharing, calmly, to tell each other about the past week or the one to come, think about things to do. When the girls wake up, I talk about Chiara and Maria, my daughters, the extra work begins: they dedicate themselves to their homework and study and I do some work around the house or go with my wife to do the classic shopping trip. In the afternoon I always set aside some time to be with my daughters, take short walks around, and also practice with the drums: who knows why time becomes less and less, but I try to find more. In the evening, if there are no particular outings planned, the classic family film to enjoy the calm and beauty of being together in total relaxation». No national sport? «I don’t follow football, in reality I don’t follow any sport in particular. Before university I was a full-back who, as was the custom at the time, marked a man like pincers; then I went to study away from home and I stopped».

I RENOUNCE THE MOUNTAINS BUT NOT THE CAMPING

Finally, can you tell us about your holidays? «We like to travel if possible in company. We play the summer holidays by alternating the sea and the mountains, even if in recent years the sea wins, in spite of myself. Personally I prefer the mountains, but it’s impossible not to indulge the young girls at least a little. In any case, we prefer the camping-bungalow style to the hotel, so as to experience the times of the holiday and the nature of the places in total relaxation. Weekend getaways, when we succeed, see us in cities of art, Assisi above all, a place that for us is a privileged and fundamental destination for recovering energy, with its spirituality a source of breath and true peace».

Luciano Guglielmi CIO, director of the steering committee for the Foundation for Digital Sustainability – senior advisor of PwC – Board member and ambassador of CIO AICA Forum