ASTANA – Marco Alberti, Italy’s former ambassador to Kazakhstan, presented his new book “Kazakhstan in 10 Words” in Astana on July 1, offering a personal reflection on people, places and experiences that shaped his years in the country. Kazakhstan in 10 Words. Photo credit: Aida Temerkhan / The Astana Times Alberti served as Italy’s ambassador to Kazakhstan from 2021 to 2024, a role that took him across the country and inspired the personal stories that formed the basis of the book.
Speaking at the presentation, Alberti said the book was born from a desire to describe not Kazakhstan itself, but his life in Kazakhstan. “I did not want to write a book about Kazakhstan, but about how I lived in Kazakhstan,” he said. Alberti said one of the book’s central messages is the importance of experiencing places rather than simply visiting them.
He drew a distinction between being a tourist and being a traveler. “In life, you need to be not just a tourist, but a traveler,” he said. “A tourist forgets, while a traveler remembers.” Rather than organizing the book chronologically, Alberti built it around ten words that he believes best represent the country.
The words were suggested by Kazakh friends and colleagues, each becoming the starting point for a chapter based on his own experiences. “I asked my colleagues and friends to tell me one word about Kazakhstan that characterizes their country,” Alberti said. “Each of these words I wanted to live here in Kazakhstan.” Among the ten words are steppe, horse, yurt (a mobile nomadic home), sky, wind and hospitality.
Instead of describing them academically, Alberti wanted to experience each one firsthand. To do that, he visited yurts to better understand their cultural significance, explored the Kazakh steppe, spent time learning about Kazakhstan’s horse culture in Burabay and traveled extensively across the country.
Much of the manuscript, he noted, was written while flying between Kazakh cities. “I wrote it on planes between Aktobe and Astana, Astana and Atyrau, and many other cities,” he said.