Lucio Visintin, ICTP, Italy

Lucio Visintin, Acting Library Head, The Abdus Salam International Centre for Theoretical Physics (ICTP), Trieste, Italy

Q: What led you into your chosen profession?

A: I think I was predestined: I used to catalogue everything in my childhood, from books to toy soldiers. Yet, I became a librarian by chance. I applied for a job that was advertised in a way that suited me, but rather generically, and I found out it was a position in a library only when I was called for an interview. As a book lover working in a highly specialized research library, I must admit that 90% of our holdings are beyond my intellectual reach... very frustrating!

Q: What book are you reading right now?

A: Germinal by Emile Zola, a classic. It's a social novel set in a 19th century French coal mine during a strike.

Q: Who do you admire the most (past or present) and why?

A: Abdus Salam stands out among the persons I've known in my life. He was not only a great scientist, Nobel laureate in physics, the creator of the Centre where I work, and a light in the dark for the scientists in developing countries. He was a man with a vision... and with the strength to make things happen.

Q: What was the first and last music record you bought?

A: My very first record was Pink Floyd's The Dark Dide of the Moon. I bought it 35 years ago, and it is still in my desert island list. The most recent one is a live record by Mario Biondi, cool jazz–soul, great to travel with.

Q: If you could have any career other than your chosen profession, what would you choose?

A: I would have loved to be a musician, but alas! I have no talent...

Q: If you could have dinner with any three people, past or present, who would they be?

A: Given my passions for literature, cinema and music, having Umberto Eco, Clint Eastwood and Bono at the same table would make for a brilliant conversation. No ladies, that's right, my wife could be reading this...

Q: Money no option, where would you like to go on vacation?

A: Japan attracts me, with its blend of traditional culture and the most modern, highly technological society. Whatever the money option, I think I will get to see it, someday.

To find out more about The Abdus Salam International Centre for Theoretical Physics, go to www.ictp.trieste.it