It's about Europe, as seen from Berlin—and looking toward the East.

It's about its past, its present, its possible future. From Berlin, the once divided city that now embodies the spirit of "looking beyond," I look especially toward the East of this continent: for many, still less known; for too many, still less relevant than the European West. Yet, it is there, in Central and Eastern Europe, that the future of this continent unfolds.

So, what is "Beyond Berlin" about?

It is not journalistic reporting or insights. Here, I deliver stories that may start from the present and dive deeper into the past, going to the roots of today's news. Or, I might start from the past to reflect on present and future.

What kind of content do I publish?

Short or mid-length essays. Photo stories. Podcasts. With a weekly frequency. I do not spam people with unrequested opinions and chats. But I am happy to engage on the stories and exchange views.

Does it make sense to support "Beyond Berlin" as a paying subscriber?

I am gradually introducing a paywall and some premium content. But my primary goal is not to earn money from this, but interest and recognition. Therefore, I will be super happy if you choose to contribute to this journey and even more if you write to me to share your thoughts.

This is me.

If you were to draw a line between the places where I have spent most of my time, you would understand why I consider myself a child of the East-West divide and, on mother's side, a granddaughter of the "World of Yesterday".

I come from the north-east of Italy, an area with a rich and turbulent history, including the Isonzo Front in the First World War, the Nazi occupation zone in the Second World War and, finally, the Italian border with the Soviet bloc for the first eighteen years of my life. A few kilometres from my home was Gorizia, a city that, like Berlin or Görlitz, was and still is divided into two distinct cities, one Italian and the other Slovenian.

I was born in Udine, lived and studied in Milano and Vienna, spent several years in Salzburg and have been living in Berlin for a few years now, still spending some of my time in Vienna (one foot in Prenzlauer Berg, Berlin and the other foot is in the 9th District of Vienna).

It is curious—and meaningful, if you believe coincidences do not exist—that the most important stations of my life (Udine, Salzburg, Berlin) all lie on the same longitude.

This 13° longitude sits close to the geographic center of Europe, if one considers Europe, as I do, to stretch from Lisbon to Luhansk.

• Berlin: 13°24′ East

• Salzburg: 13°03′ East

• Udine: 13°23′ East

I am doomed to identify myself as a Mitteleuropean. And I am happy to be such.

To know more: valentinagiannella.eu.

Finally, this picture speaks more than a thousand words:
this is the only flag that still moves me.

Digital rights.

Beyond Berlin is a blog, a photo story and a podcast.

I have taken almost all of the pictures featured and gladly make them available under a Creative Commons CC BY-ND licence: I allow others to re-use my photographs for any purpose, including commercial; however, they may not be shared with others in an adapted form and credit must be given to the author.

Where photos are not mine, they are either in the public domain or made available under a Creative Commons licence (e.g. Wikimedia, German Bundesarchiv) or come from social media accounts, with the source mentioned and linked.