My name is Manuela and I am a traveler by passion and profession and author of the Project India magazine.

The curiosity to discover the world and learn about other cultures and remote places has always distinguished me from a young age, and it has evolved over the years into something deeper.

I wanted to connect with people on a different level, experience what it means to live in these places that I love, assimilating the local etiquette, The lifestyle of a daily life so different from mine.

From shopping to the market and cooking typical local dishes, to entertaining relationships with my new friends without risking offending them accidentally with behaviors that, For my culture, they are courtesy but not in theirs, breathe an atmosphere different from that of the house, sometimes even far from my comfort zone.

Today I am the person who are largely thanks to these life experiences, who allowed me to expand my views, overcome my fears and limits, and consequently my vision of things has also changed.

I managed to make my passion my job, In fact, I have been working in tourism for twenty years. I first opened my travel agency, then I took care of the planning of various destinations for a tour operator, and now I personally manage a tour operator www.enjoydestinations.it which gives me great satisfaction.

Project India was born from the desire not to contaminate my love for India with work. I hope you understand from each of my articles that I love every possible and imaginable form of this culture and its people, but work often tends to submerge and flatten everything. It all boils down to purely technical aspects, that is, whether the hotels are more or less central, if there is wifi, or how many steps the room is from the sea.

I'll try to explain myself better.
A few years ago I sent clients to stay in a wonderful royal palace, with an architecture from a thousand and one nights, where the furniture and each present object are a work of art.

The Maharaja who deals with his management with great care is still today, A wonderful person who thanks to this work hotel for people from the whole village and with the earning of this Heritage Hotel managed to build the only school in the country. Those who stay in this building have the opportunity to contribute to all this.

Has the opportunity to live a unique culinary experience, where it is possible to participate in cooking lessons directly from the Maharaja private chef, Visit the local village completely outside the tourist routes, with its characteristic market and a temple just outside the town which is still one of those magical places that I keep most jealously in my heart.

Not to mention the numerous boat excursions that can be done on the river to admire the local flora and fauna. My clients complained that they had nothing to do, They didn't have a television in their room and they were bored.
My experience is different.

I still remember when some women approached me in a temple, they made me sit on the ground with them to ask me where I was from, if I was married, how old was I, they wanted to know everything about me.

When they learned that a 40 years I was married but I had no children, and examining me they saw that I was not wearing any jewellery, ( I don't have many actually, I spend all my money on travel and don't wear any out of respect for the countries I visit, but in India it is customary for a woman to have a dowry in jewels ), they therefore thought that I was poor and probably unlucky because I had not been blessed with the arrival of a child.

They welcomed me as one of their own, who took me by the hand, who patted me on the back, who caressed me, some with a very intense look, all in their own way, even those who didn't speak English, it gave me a feeling of love, sharing, such intense complicity and acceptance… I had never felt something like this in my entire life.

They invited me to their home to offer me a hot meal and introduce me to their family. I cried, and every time I think about it I can't hold back the tears.

Project India is dedicated to all those who are moved by people's smiles, who believe that our culture doesn't have to be better than others, to those like me who are amazed at how most illnesses can be cured with medicinal herbs alone, and for those who are still able to marvel at the beauties of nature, for all those who want to deepen their knowledge of a friendly people, generous and anchored in human values ​​now forgotten by Western culture.