⚠️ VERY IMPORTANT ⚠️
Please check "My Home" (infos / rules) before sending a request. If you can't confirm that I will refuse the request. I try to host everyone, I give my time (and my house) to help you, I ask you to take your time to read my profile and send a real request (not copy/paste and not super short).

INTERNET ROAMING 📱💸
If you need an eSim while traveling in Switzerland (or anywhere else) you can register on Airalo, if you use my code MARCO5352 you get 3$ discount.
For example in Switzerland 1GB for 1 week costs 4.5$, with my code only 1.5$.
https://ref.airalo.com/Hyxq

UPDATE March 2022 – Stand with Ukraine 🇺🇦
If you're Ukrainian and need a place to move temporarily:
- for a short period I can host up to three people (but unfortunately I don't have a private room)
- for a long period you can check on these pages to get the correct information about visas and placement:
https://www.sem.admin.ch/sem/en/home/sem/aktuell/ukraine-krieg.html
https://www4.ti.ch/di/ucraina/home/
https://www4.ti.ch/di/ucraina/
https://ukraine.campax.org

*******

Hi :)
I'm Marco, I live in Lugano, the biggest city (population: 66'500) of Canton Ticino, the southern region (Italian-speaking part) of Switzerland.

I studied communication sciences and I left at the third year to work for my web agency.
I also work as documentary photographer / photojournalist, and since I'm photo-addicted I started LuganoPhotoDays a photo festival in my city in 2012, that I organise yearly.

As I like to complicate my life I started to study for a bachelor in Geography (Scienze umane dell'ambiente, del territorio e del paesaggio) at the university of Milano in September 2016 and got the degree in October 2020.
I started a Master in Teaching Geography at Secondary School in September 2020 and started to work as a teacher (in training) in September 2020.

When I don't work I like to dive in the lake of my city or elsewhere; I was also a volunteer in a rescue team as diver. I did yoga, I like to swim, sometimes I run, mostly I like to walk or hike. I like to go to the cinema and go out with friends for a beer or wine...
...and of course I love to travel around the world and meet people!

My photo portfolio https://www.marcocortesi.ch
My facebook https://www.facebook.com/Marco.Cortesi.Photography/
My instagram https://www.instagram.com/marco.cortesi
Photo festival https://www.luganophotodays.ch
My geography blog: https://www.geograficamente.ch

"I love to travel, but hate to arrive." (Albert Einstein)
"Who lives sees much. Who travels sees more." (Arab proverb)
"If you want to go quickly, go alone; if you want to go further, go together." (African proverb)

Why I’m on Couchsurfing

I like to meet people and share experiences about travel.

Since I registered in 2005 I surfed:
in Switzerland 🇨🇭 Guatemala 🇬🇹 Poland 🇵🇱 and Hungary 🇭🇺

I started to host in 2016... and I hope to continue with this wonderful experience.
I became CS Ambassador in 2023. 🗺️📍

Hosting statistics (since March 28th, 2016)
• nights: 345
• guests: 252 (M: 44%, F: 56%)
• from 60 countries:
🇦🇱🇦🇷🇦🇺🇦🇹🇧🇩🇧🇾🇧🇪🇧🇴🇧🇷🇧🇬🇨🇦🇨🇱🇨🇳🇨🇴🇨🇷🇨🇿🇪🇬🇪🇪🇫🇮🇫🇷
🇩🇪🇬🇷🇭🇰🇭🇺🇮🇳🇮🇩🇮🇷🇮🇪🇮🇱🇮🇹🇯🇵🇱🇹🇱🇺🇲🇾🇲🇽🇳🇵🇳🇿🇳🇴🇵🇾🇵🇪
🇵🇱🇵🇹🇷🇴🇷🇺🇸🇦🇸🇬🇸🇰🇸🇮🇰🇷🇪🇸🇹🇼🇨🇭🇳🇱🇹🇷🇺🇦🇬🇧🇺🇸🇺🇾🇺🇿🇻🇳
• Map of hosted people: https://t.ly/40gjD

Interests

• photography
• documentaries
• concerts
• festivals
• wine
• beer
• wine tasting
• yoga
• running
• movies
• traveling
• socializing
• music
• hiking
• scuba diving
• swimming
• geography
• languages
• volunteering
• travel
• cinema
• trekking
• jogging
• treking

Music, Movies, and Books

Movies: Donnie Darko, Le fabuleux destin d'Amélie Poulain, The Green Mile, The Lord of the Rings (trilogy), The Secret Life of Walter Mitty
Series: X-Files, Breaking Bad, Game of Thrones, Stranger Things, The Rings of Power

Books: 1984 (George Orwell), Sophie's world (Jostein Gaarder), The Lord of the Rings trilogy (J.R.R. Tolkien), Guns, Germs, and Steel: The Fates of Human Societies (Jared Diamond)

Music: everything :)

One Amazing Thing I’ve Done

- visited more than 60 countries
- trekking in the Andes up to 4435m (Peru)
- flying fox over the Zambesi river (Zimbabwe)
- zip line 1590m long in Monteverde (Costa Rica)
- technical scuba dive in the Arch of the Dahab's Blue Hole (Egypt)
- hot air balloon flight in Serengeti National Park (Tanzania)
- rafting class 4 in Sarapiqui river (Costa Rica)
- ride a hopper car of the Train du Desert, the longest train in the world, for 10h30 / 450km (Mauritania)
- visited the Ice and Snow World of Harbin (China)
- published a photo book about Chernobyl www.whiteness.ch

...and went back to study (Geography degree) at 35 years and started a completely new job (teaching) at 39

Teach, Learn, Share

I can teach Italian and give my knowledge about photography and geography.
I can show some photos from previous travels.

I like to learn new languages, discover new cultures, etc. :-)

What I Can Share with Hosts

Share my travel experience, teach Italian, talk about photography, ...

Invite to my place in the future (or in advance if you can) and help you to visit my Region / Country.

Countries I’ve Visited

Albania, Andorra, Armenia, Austria, Bosnia and Herzegovina, Botswana, Bulgaria, China, Costa Rica, Croatia, Cuba, Czech Republic, Dominican Republic, Egypt, El Salvador, Estonia, France, Germany, Greece, Guatemala, Honduras, Hungary, Iceland, Iraq, Ireland, Italy, Japan, Kenya, Kosovo, Latvia, Liechtenstein, Lithuania, Macedonia, Malta, Mauritania, Moldova, Monaco, Montenegro, Morocco, Netherlands, Norway, Panama, Peru, Poland, Portugal, Romania, San Marino, Senegal, Serbia, Slovenia, South Africa, Spain, Sudan, Svalbard and Jan Mayen, Sweden, Switzerland, Tanzania, Turkey, Ukraine, United Arab Emirates, United Kingdom, United States, Vatican City State, Zambia, Zimbabwe

Countries I’ve Lived In

Germany, Switzerland, United States

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