I live in the centre of Italy in a village called Casette d'Ete in the Marches region. The farmhouse and former monastery where I live are about 1,000 years old, and are surrounded by cultivated land. I was born nearby in Sant'Elpidio a Mare, where all my family were born; my mother, brothers and most of my family live close by. I live with my wife and six-year-old son - I call him my baby. He goes to my old village school and I like to think he sits close to the window in the same classroom I used to sit in. I also have a 28-year-old son, Emanuele, who lives in New York City and in Milan, where he works for the Tod's brand Hogan. I believe that family is one of the most important things in life, so I think I'm lucky to work with my brother Andrea, who is vice-president of our group, and my son.
I usually wake up at about 6am. One, two or three days a week I go out for 45 minutes' exercise: I either walk our dog or cycle. When I come back I read the newspapers: Italy's three national newspapers and two financial papers. It is impossible to get newspapers delivered early in the countryside, so my driver brings them to me every morning.
I eat my first breakfast alone, when my wife and baby are still asleep. I don't like to cook so my meals are prepared by people who work for me and are served by my butler. My house is very old and big and complicated to maintain, so I need a lot of people to help. I don't want to do anything around the house. All my employees know that, so they talk to my wife who runs the house. I have a second breakfast with my wife and baby at 7am: they have something to eat, but I just have a coffee. I like to take my son to school, then the driver takes me to the office.
I like to take my son to school because it gives me a chance to see old schoolfriends, whom I don't normally see because I spend a large part of my life out of the village. I find it interesting and a good way to keep my feet on the ground. Although I'm 49, in my mind I'm no older than 23 or 24 and my friends feel the same - we think we are still young men.
I can break down my schedule by the days of the week. I travel a lot in Europe and every two months I take a long trip to Asia or America. On Mondays and Tuesdays I try to work at Tod's headquarters in Casette d'Ete. As soon as I get to the office I spend half an hour with my secretary organising my schedule. I have meetings with people from different parts of the business every 30 to 45 minutes throughout the day. I meet the financial people, the design team to talk about new products and ideas, my managers and the PR and marketing teams - promotion is an important part of our business. There are also meetings with the retail division because we're always looking at locations around the world where we could open stores. As well as business meetings I often have appointments with journalists and visitors.
Making a good pair of shoes isn't just about excellent-quality materials and good handcraftsmen; it also needs a good idea. In the late 1970s I had the idea of making a signature shoe that was beautiful, well-made and could be worn in a professional or elegant environment. This led to the luxury moccasin, with the trademark 133 rubber pebbles on the sole. We have the highest standards - every pair of shoes is carefully inspected and those that have the slightest defect are cut in two and thrown away. I think Tod's continues to be so attractive because the philosophy of our group has always been and will always be refined, understated luxury, impeccable taste and enviable quality. This is what's created the loyalty among our fans, including celebrities such as Gwyneth Paltrow, Hillary Clinton, Monica Bellucci, Catherine Zeta Jones, Michael Douglas and Jack Nicholson.
My baby leaves school for lunch at 12.30pm, so if it's early in the week I try to spend 15 minutes with him. He is still at that age when he likes it if I wait for him in front of the school. I try to be there several times a week. Sometimes I eat in the office restaurant or at home because it's only a four-minute drive from the office. I am back at my desk at 2.30pm to 3pm.