By way of introduction, my name is Eric Sylvers. I am a journalist by training and a walker by nature. I am based in Milan and write mostly about cellular phone technology and Italian economics for the International Herald Tribune and The New York Times.

When a chief executive resigns unexpectedly, when the police raid the headquarters of a major company or when somebody attempts a hostile takeover of an Italian bank I’m there on the scene (the scene being my desk tucked away in an office in the center of Milan). But as soon as humanly possible I run for the mountains, hills, lakes and seaside for fresh air and a chance to stretch my legs while satisfying my insatiable desire to walk. When things align just right, my passion for the outdoors and my job as a journalist click perfectly and I get to write about hiking Europe’s highest peaks or exploring an outlying Sicilian island.

For the record: I was born in Chico, a small town in northern California not far from San Francisco, on May 20, 1971.

Oh yeah, I eat a lot. Most people who know me would likely put that near the top of the list of my distinguishing characteristics, some might even claim that I walk as much as I walk so that I can eat as much as I eat.