#446: SPOTLIGHT: Tristan Bruzzese

#446: Tristan Bruzzese 

Nov 11, 2025

A Backbeat of Community 

Question for Tristan:

Does one particular travel experience come to mind (whether travel for work or vacation) that had a substantial and LASTING impact on your life? 

Tristan's Response: 

This past year I’ve been fortunate enough to travel to some incredible places, including Japan and several European countries like Italy, Austria, and Croatia. The collective time spent away from home was at times ecstatic yet bittersweet. I spent most of my summer working remotely in Florence, which was incredible on its own; yet one weekend stands out. On a whim, I decided to visit the small town of Prato just outside the city.

There, I stumbled upon a community of artists filled with joy, love, and adventure — all visible through their conversations, smiles, and, of course, their art. The group of maybe twenty people was hosting a two-day event centered on the phrase “Cosa ti fa brillare gli occhi?” which translates to “What makes your eyes light up?” What drew me in, and ultimately left the deepest impression, were the conversations I had — and the ones I couldn’t quite have.

There weren’t many English speakers. In fact, I had only one full conversation with a photographer who casually mentioned hiking from the south to the north of Italy over a three-month period. Wow. The rest of the interactions were a linguistic dance, a game of charades where my two weeks of Italian went head-to-head with their fragments of English — and I loved it.

Those halting exchanges taught me that connection doesn’t solely depend on fluency. There’s a kind of generosity in trying to understand one another, in smiling through mistakes until meaning lands (though I found that with a couple of glasses of wine, meaning stuck faster). That trip left a lasting mark on me. It taught me patience, openness, and a deeper appreciation for the many ways people reach for understanding. More than anything, it made me aware that language, at its heart, is simply a way of saying I see you, I’m listening, and I want to understand you.