``I enjoy the city so I choose to live here,'' says Dario Dezio, with just a trace of an accent. Those words sum up the sentiments about the city which is home to this chef and partner of La Pizzeria nine months of the year.Dezio came to Pune from his native Italy as a tourist to India in 1990 but liked what he saw so much that he decided to stay on. ``I think Pune is a beautiful city. Of course, the pollution is bad - and the garbage dumps overflow with kachra but then it is a lot cleaner now than it was nine years ago,'' he says. Beggars used to be another source of irritation but now he believes he can handle them.``I stayed on in Pune also because the Osho ashram fascinated me,'' he says. A chef before moving to the ashram, Dezio decided to go back to his former vocation and put his culinary skills to good use.Dezio may be far from his hometown of Ragusa, Sicily, but says he feels totally at home in Pune. ``Actually, Indians and Italians have a lot in common. We Italians are an emotional people and family life is very important for us as well''.Being a chef himself, Dezio's interest in Indian food is natural. South-Indian food like idlis and dosas are a favourite with him as are dal makhani and even the humble chapati.In his spare time, Dezio likes to go shopping on M.G. Road or stroll down the tree-lined paths of Koregaon Park. When the city smells and air gets to him and he's in the mind for a longer spell away from the city - then it's a weekend at Mahabaleshwar or Panchgani.Communication? No problem! This Italian lets his hands and expressions do the talking. He has picked up a smattering of Hindi, which he believes needs improvement. And he's got the perfect recipe for that - watch a Govinda movie! ``I've heard that he is very funny so now I will check him out''.
