In un tempo solo nostro

In a Time That Belongs Only to Us

She is one of the most successful swimmers of all time; he is the coach who brought her back to the podium when everyone thought her time was over — and now he is her husband. Together, they shattered records and reached goals that once seemed impossible. Then, two years after retiring from competition and one year after their wedding, the moment comes to dive into a brand-new challenge.
When their little Matilde is born on January 3rd, 2024, Matteo and Federica immediately understand that they are facing a whole new level of difficulty. Because this time it’s not like the others — it’s a challenge that is both physical and mental, one for which no training exists. Matilde cries, sleeps little, and is active all day long. Federica is torn between the greatest love she has ever felt and the deepest exhaustion. Matteo is loving and present, but at the same time he feels he cannot fully slip into the delicate bond that has formed between Matilde and Federica.
And yet, they are both athletes, and for them challenges are never obstacles — they are motivation to keep improving. In this dual-voiced book, Matteo and Federica recount, each from their own perspective, their first year as parents: the waiting, the birth, the expectations and the reality, the small but significant milestones in Matilde’s growth, the constant search for a balance that seems to slip away just when you think you’ve found it.
They tell it with honesty, hiding nothing — not even the moments of discouragement, not even the couple’s arguments. Because being a parent is an experience that makes your heart race, but also breaks your bones. That’s why Federica and Matteo chose to write the story of this adventure exactly as they lived it: to remember it, but also so that other parents might recognize themselves in these pages and, perhaps, feel understood.