At GO, the presentation of Questa non è una guida a Bali (Solferino) by Chiara Milani.
For the occasion, the author will be in conversation with director Paolo Genovese, who wrote the book’s preface.

The Book

“I knew nothing about Bali, except for what I had occasionally seen on social media: white beaches stretching as far as the eye could see, waterfalls in the jungle, and temples perched above the ocean. Which, in any case, seemed like a good place to start.”

When Chiara buys her first ticket to Bali together with her partner Mauro, she is thinking only of a holiday: something easy, uncomplicated. She is mistaken. On that journey, and on many subsequent stays, the island reveals not only its beauty—breathtaking landscapes of temples and rice fields, the richness of its food and colors—but much more.

In the darkness of a sleepless night, in the relentless pounding rain, or in the unexpected event that cancels an excursion and takes you elsewhere, Chiara discovers beauty. She finds even more of it in the generosity and friendship of people like her guide Wilan, willing to share days and thoughts with her.

In this book, Chiara recounts her experiences and encounters: prayers in sacred places and jungle excursions, journeys on makeshift means of transport, and celebrations experienced by chance. She shares what she has learned through immersion in Balinese spirituality and the wisdom of its people: patience, acceptance, and the very nature of happiness. She illustrates the island’s traditions, its language, and the paths that lead respectfully closer to its soul.

She also traces out valuable itineraries for those who wish to discover the island not as tourists, but as travelers: intimate, sensory routes through lesser-known places, capable of returning us to the present stronger, richer in life, and more open to joy and love.

The Author

Born in 1989, Chiara Milani began her career at a very young age, in 2007, as an intern on film sets. She worked as an assistant alongside experienced script supervisors, from whom she learned the foundations of the profession. In 2015, she took part in the production of Perfetti Sconosciuti, a project that marked a turning point in her professional career.

From then on, Chiara alternated between television and film productions. Among the projects she has worked on are Nero a Metà (dir. Marco Pontecorvo), Scordato (dir. Rocco Papaleo), Come un gatto in tangenziale (dir. Riccardo Milani), The Place (dir. Paolo Genovese), American Night (dir. Alessio Jim Della Valle), Cassamortari (dir. Claudio Amendola), and, most recently, the Disney Plus series I leoni di Sicilia, directed by Paolo Genovese.

Daughter of renowned director Riccardo Milani, Chiara is now also a writer. Questa non è una guida a Bali is her debut book, recently published by Solferino, with a preface by Paolo Genovese.