My holidays: Paolo Rotondo

Actor Paolo Rotondo.

What was your greatest holiday?

I remember being in Italy and totally broke, but decided to go to Greece nonetheless. I slept on the deck of a ship, on beaches, next to a goat and ate only pistachios some days ... and yet it was amazing fun.

And the worst?

When I visited Cuba I decided I would holiday like the locals and booked a hotel that Cubans use.

The queues for food and organised group activities nearly made me question socialism ...

If we bump into you on holiday, what are you most likely to be doing?

I'll be in the water frolicking with my children, or underwater, snorkelling or scuba diving.

If we could teleport you to one place in New Zealand for a week-long holiday, where would it be?

Drop me off on Great Barrier Island, please.

How about for a dream holiday internationally?

I would got to the Aeolian Islands in the Tyrrhenian Sea, off Sicily.

What's the dumbest thing you've ever done when travelling?

I left my passport on the back seat of a cab and when I realised, I decided to run after the taxi.

Aisle seat or window seat?

Window.

Complete this sentence: I can't travel without ... A good book to read.

What's the best travel tip you've ever been given?

No matter how embarrassing, always attempt to speak a few words of the language.

What was the most memorable meal you've had while travelling?

Spaghetti alle vongole on the island of Ischia in the bay of Naples. Freshness, simplicity and supreme flavour.

What's the best thing you've brought back from a trip?

Experiences.

Favourite airport to land at?

Auckland Airport, because Aotearoa is home.

What's the next trip you've got planned?

A family trip to Italy with my young kids.

Going West Books + Writers Festival presents an especially restaged, intimate production of Kororareka: The Ballad of Maggie Flynn by Paolo Rotondo.
Te Pou Theatre, 44A Portage Rd, New Lynn, September 21-23.