When he was six years old, his mother died and he subsequently grew up under the auspices of the English expatriate community and was particularly involved with the so-called Scorpioni, who inspired his semi-autobiographical film Tea with Mussolini (1999).
Cando tiña seis anos morreu a súa nai e foi criado por unha comunidade de ingleses expatriados e veuse envolto particularmente co grupo Scorpioni, que inspirou o filme semiautobiográfico Tea with Mussolini (1999).