Marco and Erica engage with Carolina Larriera for a lengthy and detailed interview

In this intimate episode of Between 2 Italians, Marco and Erica engage with Carolina Larriera for a lengthy and detailed interview, full of emotion, honesty and connection. Our presenters combine empathy with humour and genuine curiosity in their interaction with Carolina, resulting in a heartfelt and varied conversation that you won’t find anywhere else. 

Live from London and Brazil, this episode features the opinions of Carolina on Sergio, the 2020 feature film based on the true story of her late partner, the UN diplomat Sergio Vieira de Mello. Carolina herself resigned as the UN High Commissioner for Human Rights only in 2005, having also spent her life working as an economist, consultant, human rights activist and professor. Marco and Erica are justifiably amazed by the number of roles she fulfils in her life. Having worked in the UN, Carolina is very well travelled, which of course intrigues Marco and Erica, who also love travelling and experiencing different cultures. She shares her thoughts on a Chinese painting in her home which she found in Beijing, seriously concerns Marco about banana pizza in Brazil and discusses the various situations she experienced all around the world when working for the UN. 

Carolina dedicates a lot of her time to helping the world’s less fortunate people, using her skills as an economist to work for the poor, rather than the rich. She now works alongside her late partner Sergio’s mother to run the Centro Sergio Vieira de Mello, a charity dedicated to bringing aid to under-privileged children and teaching them advanced life skills to help their development. Marco and Erica discuss Carolina’s charity work with her, finding out how online platforms like Zoom have helped her to reach more people, and asking about her plans for expanding the Centro Sergio Vieira de Mello’s reach. 

Given that Carolina has worked extensively in conflict-stricken countries, and experienced the tragic Baghdad bombing in 2003, in which she lost her partner Sergio, Marco and Erica discuss some difficult and serious matters with her. Despite the heavy nature of much of the interview, all three maintain a light-hearted approach, and in watching this episode, you will be able to gain an understanding of Carolina’s experiences and her worldview, while still enjoying the feel-good energy that Marco and Erica bring to even their most serious interviews. 

To find what Carolina thinks about the portrayal of her relationship and life in Sergio, or to hear talk globalisation and pizza with Marco and Erica, make sure you watch the full episode of Between 2 Italians.