About Alessandra Bocchi
I was born and raised in Milan, Italy.
I earned my Bachelor’s at King’s College London in international relations and my Master’s at UCL in political philosophy. I loved philosophy, a subject in which I excelled (the only one, as I wasn’t so good at doing what I didn’t enjoy). I became a student representative for my course and started writing for student newspapers, university blogs, and I became editor of my University’s public policy journal.
As I aspired to become a journalist, I later completed the National Council for the Training of Journalists Diploma at the Press Association news agency in London, with exams in media law, political affairs, and shorthand. I passed with a Gold Standard, 100% results in shorthand.
I was thrust into the Arab world shortly thereafter for my first job as a journalist when Islam was gaining increasing notoriety in Europe. I was curious to learn for myself what the controversy was about. I worked for local newspapers, Tunisia Live and Libya Herald, and regional newspapers, including The New Arab, Al-Monitor, and Middle East Eye. I was drawn to taboo issues, like the life of former Guantanamo Bay detainees, the persecution of Christians, and forged virginity tests on women.
I returned to Italy with a renewed perspective; my university-enclosed liberal, utopian views had been shattered, but my principles remained the same, and so had my idealizing tendencies for a better future. The difference was that I realized another version was needed.
I became a “professional journalist” with the Italian government, which requires us to pass exams in Italian law, political affairs, and writing. A remnant system from the fascist era that was ironically kept to make journalists follow an ethical code. I worked for the Italian newspapers Il Foglio and Il Giornale, among others, reporting on foreign policy. I also worked as a freelance journalist from Italy for American publications such as First Things Magazine and The Spectator.
I subsequently won the Joseph Rago Fellowship for Excellence in Journalism at The Wall Street Journal. I worked as an assistant features editor and writer for the Editorial page in New York.
When the fellowship ended, I returned to my place of origin once again. A plant needs solid roots to grow. I had always held a passion for art that I wanted to cultivate, so I signed up for a Renaissance painting school in Milan, which introduced me to the artistic universe (a cosmos of its own). I realized it was interconnected to the reality I attempted to understand in my journalistic work.
Today, I’d like to harness those formative years while relinquishing their limitations to create something authentic that can enrich the lives of others.
That’s why I created Alata Magazine, which creates “metaphysical journalism” by reporting on the issues of today from a philosophical perspective, aiming to create a new European identity. The drawings are all made by me with a unique style I thought of for the page.
I also created my painting page, Painting Life, where I explain my journey in the realm of fine arts with figurative oil paintings. In my paintings, I seek to create a new Renaissance style, using the techniques and symbolism of the past to inspire modern storytelling.
This is my more personal page where you can find occasional posts about my life related to what I do.
