2025 — A Year Measured in Places, but Lived in Decisions

2025 — A Year Measured in Places, but Lived in Decisions

2025 wasn’t measured in kilometers, but in conversations, decisions, stages, silence, and growth.

Different cities — same journey.

I used to think travel was about distance.

Airports. Miles. Time zones.

In 2025, I learned it’s mostly about decisions.

Some cities are neutral.

Others confront you.

A few quietly change the way you think.

This year unfolded exactly like that.

Switzerland came with its usual precision — Basel and Zurich reminding me that rigor and calm can coexist. Something is reassuring about places that work well; they force you to ask whether your own systems are equally honest.

In Basel, I’m always confronted with the high-end forefront of technological and conceptual advances in dentistry. The Straumann team, as always, brought sharp ideas and ambitious projects. It’s also where my Garmin starts warning me that my body battery is struggling — meetings, interviews, short but intense conversations with the ceramic team, the regenerative team, and with Sébastien and his bag full of James Bond gadgets. “Q,” as I usually call him.

And yet, despite the intensity, I love waking up at 6 a.m. to go for a run along the Rhine. It’s unbeatable. The sound, the majesty, the raw power of the river — staring at it gives you a kind of energy that no espresso ever will.

This Year i had the opportunity to host a Chinese and a Turkish group for theorectical part of the IExcel and the hands-on

In Zurich, the third European Symposium for Ceramic Implants took place in a deep, quiet setting in Hoboken. Man… I could write a book in that place. It was 3 days of intense ceramic discussion and the board hosted once again the venue in a year marked by the lack of raw material for implant manufacturers , the celebration of the 60 th anniversary of the first implant with a keynote speach by Thomas Albrektson and the big presence of key universities!

Germany, in Stuttgart, felt technical and exact. No noise. No excess. Just function. It mirrored many conversations I was having with myself: simplify, refine, remove what doesn’t serve.

There, we organized a great ceramic meeting with Frank, Jens, and Stefan — all in German. I was the only one speaking English, but we had a lot of fun. In the Porsche town, I managed a wonderful 12 km run along the river. Simple. Honest. Perfect.

Then came contrast.

Baku surprised me. Modern, ambitious, unapologetically fast. A city looking forward without asking permission. What a difference from eight years ago. I loved that my room faced the Caspian Sea. A very cool Straumann meeting with Yeliz — intense, dynamic, full of ideas.

I love the mixture of ethnic , and being just 100km of Iran , 900 km fro Baghdad and next to Turkmenistan!!! ,. Here I had the chance to meet old friends and relive the city !!

Riyadh amplified that feeling. Transformation on a scale that’s hard to grasp unless you’re standing in it. These places don’t whisper change; they declare it. I was genuinely amazed by the cleanliness, the order, and the pace of progress I witnessed.

New York, as always, didn’t need to prove anything. It simply reminded me who I was when I first arrived there twenty years ago — curious, slightly reckless, deeply hungry to learn. Every return feels like a quiet conversation with a younger version of myself.

A very special time, present with Elena at the NYU International Symposium with Anabele Oquendo, and later at the Greater New York Dental Meeting with Cláudia and Mario.

Spain brought balance. Madrid’s intensity. Sierra Nevada’s silence. The city pushes; the mountains listen. Somewhere between the two, perspective returns.

In Madrid, together with Antonio, Ignazio, and Laurence, we took over the Straumann Iberia section leadership — a very cool project and a big responsibility. 2 events, one in February for the Innovation Tour to present the IEXCEL in Iberia and another for the ITI study club director and Fellow meeting.

We came back a second time for our SC Director meeting and Fellows in October, the first over our new leadership ! Quit intense days with of working and putting some ideas 💡 on the board !!

Sierra Nevada followed as a short vacation with Daniel and the kids. Snow, laughter, reset. We actually caught olvery nice weather !!

In Santiago de Compostela we made the Atlantic simpósium with Toni ! A time to be in the best seafood restaurants and partying with the students !! Santiago by night …. Crazy

Going North to Austria and the beautiful city of Krems and i had the chance of visiting this nice universitu DPU Danube university and meet wonderfull and new people ! Henrique came with me and we had a wonderfull time.

The Mediterranean offered light. Malta, Cyprus, Istanbul — different histories, same sun. Places where time stretches and reminds you that not everything urgent is important. Istanbul, especially, lives between worlds: East and West, old and new, certainty and doubt. It felt familiar.

North Cyprus was impressive — a large meeting to launch IEXCEL with the Lizette Riley team, beautiful beaches, time to reconnect with Tommy and the Turkish team !!, and moments that reminded me of past wars and older scars of history.

In Malta, Elena was setting up for the Ormco World Symposium. What a party. What an atmosphere. Reconnecting with Pau Garcia, the aligner crew in full force, the incredible and rich history of la Valletta, the beaches of north part of the island , and some great dives — unforgettable.

Mexico was visceral. Guadalajara, Mexico City, Teotihuacan. Scale, history, humanity layered on top of each other. Standing in Teotihuacan, you feel small in the best possible way. It’s grounding. Humbling. Necessary.

The highlight was taking the kids and reconnecting with Luis and Maria. Watching Portugal win the Nations Cup in Xochimilco — home of La Llorona — was surreal. We blended leisure with work effortlessly. It was also great to connect with the ITI Mexico section, give lectures, and in Guadalajara see Elena deliver a beautiful course. And still… time for fun with the kids.

ITI Mexico was full of energy , and a combination of 3 study club in cidade de maxico.!

Aligner Master Class Guadalajara , here we spend 3 gorgeous days visiting while Elena run the course!

Making a painting in Frida khalu house with the inspiration of Diego Rivera is an out-of-this-world experience !! And tacos, tequila, and mezcal, what a country !!

Home came in different forms.

Madeira — steady, emotional. Home of Jeanne’s office and her incredible team. Always good to cooperate clinically, to go for espetada and poncha, and to dive in the wild north of the island Porto Moniz !!

The Algarve — quiet and honest. Home of the Straumann Esthetic Days. I had the opportunity to host the event together with Helena. What an event. What a feeling to do this in my own country.

Of course algarve is the place where we spend our August month having fun in the beach

Porto where in the middle of this confusion I was uncle , my sister gave birth to Mariana !!! Highlight of the year !!

Italy delivered elegance. Milan’s rhythm. Cortina’s stillness in the Dolomites. With Silvio, Daniel, Hugo, Granado, Enio, and Barbosa, we climbed two beautiful via ferratas — effort, silence, trust.

And Paris, as always, closed the loop. Beauty without apology. Complexity worn lightly. Our ITI World Leadership Meeting — a time for connection, alignment, and yes… a huge party on the Champs-Élysées.

Looking back, 2025 wasn’t about ticking destinations off a list.

It was about movement with intention.

Each place reflected something back at me — ambition, doubt, calm, urgency, patience. I didn’t return with souvenirs. I returned with better questions.

And maybe that’s the point.

We travel in a constant balance between personal and professional life.

But above all… we travel to have fun.