Stories that celebrate the beauty of being yourself.
Welcome back to the fourth episode of #PEOPLE. A space where we meet women who tell their stories through what they do, what they love, and how they choose to be in the world.
This time we met Licia Florio, founder of Ciao Mondo. A project born from a simple, everyday gesture: stopping, breathing, and finding a space for oneself.
Because let's face it: sometimes just getting on a mat is enough to completely change your energy. Outside, everything moves non-stop: notifications, thoughts, commitments, but inside us something different happens. The rhythm slows down, the body listens, the mind begins to make a little less noise. That's where Ciao Mondo is born: from the moment you reclaim a space all your own.
Licia told us that her project started a few years ago with the idea of creating wellness experiences through breath and movement. Initially as a gift to the community: a daily practice including yoga, pilates, barreballet, and freedom dance. Today it is an online school with live and recorded classes, but also a project that lives offline, through events and moments designed for practicing together.
The beauty is that there is no single way to feel good. Some need to slow down, some to move, some to sweat, some to release tension, some simply to switch off their minds for a while. And Ciao Mondo starts right here: we are all different, so we need different practices, taught in different ways.
Within this world there are more than 50 teachers spread across Europe, each with their own style, their own voice, and their own energy. But the thread that holds it all together is always the same: breath.
For Licia, in fact, breath is almost a small daily magic. Something very simple, that we always do, but that when we learn to listen to it can change the way we live a day. “Breath helps you govern your mind. Truly, you are the person who can manage your life in any difficult moment you are in.”
And perhaps this is the heart of her story: not wellness as a goal to be pursued at all costs, but as a place to return to. Even if only for a few minutes. Even if only to remember that the body is there, that the breath is there, and that sometimes you can start again from a very simple thing: inhale, exhale.
With Licia we also talked about femininity, but without complicated definitions. For her, it is something spontaneous that comes from within: a state of mind that is also expressed through the choice of a particular outfit. Preferably comfortable, in which you feel at ease.
When we asked her what LUCE means to her, Licia replied: “For me, LUCE is Martina (our founder), one of my dearest friends.” And so, by association, it is joy, happiness, something that makes you smile. In a broader sense, for her LUCE is total well-being and total balance.
Licia is like that: calm, present, kind. She doesn't arrive with a bang, but her presence alone fills a room. Just like that feeling that remains after a practice, when you get up from the mat a little lighter than before. And after saying "ciao mondo," you are ready to welcome it back with a new energy.
Discover the complete interview and other content here.
Credits – Art Direction: Luce team, Photographer: Martina Bertacchi, Artist: Licia Florio from @Ciaomondo