Clare Mountain

Identity card

He says of himself that he has a "tolla face" (what does that mean? I didn't feel like investigating) and that he (almost) never gets angry. She's not too obsessed with the future (she does what she can… and that's welcome, I might add). She has always been attracted by the possibility of describing the phenomena of the world with a rigorous formalism, a way, let's say, of 'putting order' in science and, who knows, perhaps also in life. She especially loves to travel to places not approved for 'our' lifestyle and if she could have chosen among the discoveries of the past she would have wanted to discover the theory of quantum physics. Today we know Chiara Montagna better.

What or who brought you closer to the world of science? 

It happened a bit by chance… when I was little, I didn't particularly want to be a scientist, and it also took me a while to realize that I was! I definitely got into physics in high school; then I chose to study it at university, and a bit naturally it came to continue the path with a doctorate… and here I am! In hindsight, I think the thing that most attracted me was the possibility of describing the phenomena of the world with a rigorous formalism, a way of 'putting order', let's say.

Have you managed to tidy up your little one?

In truth, over time I have realized that one can sort out such a tiny number of issues… and by making so many approximations! Having said that then one gets over it, all in all I feel satisfied with what I do and how I do it.

As a child, what did you dream of becoming when you grew up?

It's a difficult question… at one point I wanted to be a veterinarian. Then the philosopher, from an older girl… 

What subjects were you passionate about at school? 

Definitely mathematics and physics, but also philosophy and literature, chemistry, biology… well, I was never too bored at school, I would say.

What teenager were you? 

I think I have had the great fortune of never having any major problems, either in my studies, or worse in my health or in my family; for this I was able to have a lot of experiences, I've always been curious, moderately rebellious. Then studying away from home, the University years were a real godsend in terms of more or less legitimate experiences of various kinds… 

I won't go into too much detail about the less legitimate ones... but if you want to tell us about one, maybe you've lived indirectly...

With a friend we went on holiday to Corsica to take a ride in the mountains, a path that crosses it from north to south (the GR20). We set off on foot, with the tent, and we managed a bit before reaching the beginning of the path, along which we would then find the well-organized shelters. We embark, we arrive and to go from Bastia to Calenzana, where the GR20 begins, we hitchhike. Having landed in the late afternoon, in the meantime, let's leave and see where we can get. Finally, a man to whom I would not have entrusted my worst enemy loads us, with the tactic 'I'll only show myself as a woman'… but in short, we save the skin and arrive at Ile Rousse in the evening. We find a campsite, but it has no place. So we decide to pitch the tent in the opposite countryside… we would have left the next morning anyway! Once the tent is set up, we go to drink a beer, indeed, the very kind owner of the place also fills our water bottles for the night… with beer to be precise! We finally go to sleep, and shortly after dawn we hear strange voices… we open the tent and there is the gendarmerie who wants to give us a fine! Let's play dumb (we knew full well that wild camping was forbidden but in extreme cases!), dismantle the tent in one minute and off we go… towards new adventures!

Was there a reference "myth" that inspired you? 

I had some 'myths' as a child, for example one of my scout leaders or my high school physics teacher. I must say, however, that growing up these myths have been somewhat re-evaluated. Perhaps what has inspired me the most, always and still, has been my family who have always supported me, letting me make my own choices even if maybe not always shared.

Reevaluated, however, in the end important for having directed certain choices, right?

Very important, especially as examples in the moment of growth. I think then, becoming adults – and then also old (laughs ed) it is also important to relativize the mythologies that have accompanied us.

Where did you graduate and what memories do you have of your university career? 

I graduated in Pisa, and I have wonderful memories of my university years. All in all, I had a linear path, I graduated practically on time and well; I was lucky, because I always liked what I was studying. I also had the good fortune to have a very close-knit group of fellow students and also friends and roommates who certainly helped me both from a strictly 'scholastic' point of view and from a social and cultural point of view. My memories are therefore of relatively little time spent studying, and a lot of time spent partying, traveling, skiing, swimming, climbing...

The most exciting moment of your career? 

Hm, difficult. Perhaps when I received the proposal to do a post-doc at Rice University in Houston: exciting because it implied changing life and perspectives!

Accepted?

Yes, yes! 

But the most emotional moment in your private life? 

I will be trivial, but I would say becoming a mother. Which isn't even a moment, but a journey... you discover reserves of love and energy that would otherwise be unimaginable!

What do you think you would have become if you hadn't been a researcher? 

Probably a drunk! Who knows, I've never had great doubts about this choice.

It's always a gift, isn't it?

Drink, or have no doubts? 

Both…

I think it is also a gift to be convinced of what you are doing after all, and not to ruminate on the things that have not been done, on the choices that we could have made differently.

How long have you been at INGV?

Since 2007, with a short interval in the US.

What's the first thing you do when you get home? 

I say hello to everyone, I take off my jeans and put on overalls, and I start tidying up the frenzy I find everywhere!

How did you experience this lockdown period? 

All in all quite good. Luckily we live outside the city, so we've always managed to get out at least a little for a walk; we also managed to organize ourselves decently with work, despite two relatively young children at home all day. In short, it could have been much worse!

What is, in your opinion, the scientific discovery that would change the history of science? 

Perhaps understanding the nature of dark matter and energy could change some of our perspectives

A city you've visited that has remained in your heart and one you've always dreamed of moving to? 

I'm lucky, all in all I've seen many places… and I can't easily choose one that stands out. Perhaps Hamburg amazed me more than others, it is a city that I found very lively and impressed me. To move… well, not counting family and children, perhaps I would have gladly moved to Houston, where I've already been for a while and which I've loved very much… who would have ever thought!

What have been your best trips?

South Africa, especially for spaces and nature; a trip to Czechoslovakia shortly after the fall of the wall, when everything was not yet so homogenized with 'our' lifestyle; St. Petersburg, because I have a great fascination for Russian culture. In general, I also love traveling to try and find the differences in styles and ways of dealing with life in different cultures, and these trips have been very interesting (especially) from this point of view.

Don't you also have the feeling that we are increasingly living in a world that divides good and bad without knowing how to read the nuances of cultures and thoughts?

I believe it is very, very important to know different, distant cultures and experiences. Partly because we are slowly losing them, my feeling is that globalization has made the world smaller also from a cultural point of view, and I don't think that's a good thing. And also because seeing different things, different ways of living and thinking, always helps us to interpret and contextualize even what we experience. 

And yes, in general I seem to perceive some tendencies towards extreme simplification which then translate into Manichaeism, a refusal to investigate and confront each other, a continuous search for opposition rather than mediation. In short, it seems to me that we are not living in a very open era from a cultural point of view. Unfortunately. But maybe instead I'm wrong, and the world today simply has ways of building culture that are different from those that belong to me, which however are from 20/25 years ago, and I'm not up to speed... I hope so!

What would you have liked to discover, among the discoveries of the past? 

The theory of quantum physics!

What is your main concern?

In general I'm not very restless, I try to do what I can as well as I can and on the things I don't have power over, I'm quite fatalistic let's say… restlessness doesn't really belong to me, fortunately. Having said that, my greatest worries/hopes are certainly linked to the future of my children, who can be well in every sense. 

The conversation you've never had and would have liked to have…with whom?

I would have liked to be able to talk more with my grandparents as an adult, who certainly had very interesting and close stories to tell (I'm thinking of the war, of our places as they were 100 years ago... a world that is all in all close but which is becoming more and more distant).

As a researcher, is everything always explicable?

I'd say no, and luckily! Empirical science gives us some answers, but then I believe that life also has other aspects that don't necessarily require explanations, and even if they did, they couldn't be given by science.

Your promise kept and the one you failed to keep…

I try to promise as little as possible… but let's say for now the marriage promise holds :). Those not maintained are a slew, that's why I stopped!!!

Your love at first sight?

The journey, be it physical, experiential, virtual (which I know through a book)

What's your X-Factor? 

I would say the face of Tolla.

You like sport? 

Very very much. A fundamental part of my life.

Have you ever practiced any? 

I played basketball, let's say I had a minor basketball career, however I got to play in national leagues. Then outdoor sports (swimming, skiing, hiking, a little climbing), lately the pandemic has made me discover tennis and I play it as soon as I can!

Listen to the music? 

A lot. Another fundamental part of my life, especially as soon as possible live.

What's your favorite genre? 

I listen to all sorts of music, but if we have to pick a genre, definitely the 90s-early 2000s indie rock that I grew up with.

Favourite book? 

'War and Peace', which however plays with 'Crime and Punishment'. About Russia...

What do you think about the exclusion of Russian sportsmen, artists, scientists from tournaments, conferences, etc.?

It's very complicated. I don't know the Russian situation well today. I certainly condemn the war and the invasion of Ukraine; I believe that the more or less common people of Russia have no great faults, unfortunately it seems to me that today it happens that politics is always, everywhere very (too) detached from the reality of the people. What to say. I think a Russophobia isn't justified – I have to say that I haven't even experienced it, but maybe I also have a particular way of getting informed, I rarely read the newspapers, I don't have television…

Following tennis, for example, there was this fact that Wimbledon ousted Russian athletes. Dunno, at first glance it seems wrong to me... but deep down I think I don't have the skills to be able to judge the situation correctly.

If you had to remember one of your "first days" which one would you remember? 

Again perhaps a bit trivial but… the first day as a mother! But maybe even the first day of life not at my parents' house.

What do you do when you are not at work? 

I play tennis, and also basketball, more rarely; play with the children; I read; and I try to do some turns when I have more time.

Do you have a place of the heart?

Meadows in general are my favorite places. It's a small town in the hinterland in Western Liguria where we have a family home, Zuccarello.

Your best luck? 

I almost never take it.

It can never be missing in your suitcase? 

A book, boots, towel, bathing suit and toothbrush.

Are you more sweet or savory in the kitchen? 

Savory!

Favorite dish? 

Mozzarella di Bufala… it's maybe not a real dish but it's definitely at the top of the list for me!

Do you like cooking? 

I try to avoid it as soon as I can…!

One thing you understood “when you grew up”? 

That life is never understood (but 'there is nothing to understand', after all, as the good De Gregori sang!)

What do you keep from your childhood? 

Lots of good memories, luckily. Some teachings and 'slow' ways of living that I try hard to keep alive.

Last question: what is the song that you would never stop listening to? 

Uh, tough question… Johnny Cash, Hurt (Nine Inch Nails cover).