Diego Ferrari

Choosing to visit a country in the middle of a war is certainly not for everyone, but after years without seeing this wonderful nation and the infectious smiles of its people, I accepted without hesitation.

Lviv, or Leopoli, is a city located about an hour from Ukraine’s western border, towards Poland. I embarked on this adventure at the invitation of the MAD Group, one of the most interesting companies I’ve ever encountered, and my colleague Artem, to talk about low-alcohol beverages to many professionals and share a few drinks at their DIDUH cocktail bar.

The journey was long, about 20 hours, traveling through Poland with a succession of flights, trains, cars, and many military checkpoints. Finally, I arrived at a monumental station where some of the MAD team members welcomed me joyfully. The late hour, almost midnight, necessitated a quick transfer to the hotel due to the national curfew. I barely had time to put down my bags when the anti-aircraft alarm sounded. The team explained that they monitor the situation minute by minute using various apps, reassuring me that the city was not in danger. It wasn’t my first time in a country at war; I had experienced it in Egypt during various uprisings or in Kenya during a small revolution. However, hearing an alarm for the first time, warning the population of the risk of drone or missile attacks, was a strange sensation. Surprise, indecision, instinct, and a rush of thoughts pass through you, and you realize how fortunate you are not to have to hear it every night, not to have to run for cover in the basements where you live or in the subways.

The following day, after a restful sleep, it was time to visit the city. Accompanied by a colleague I’ll call Chester, due to his striking resemblance to Chester Bennington from Linkin Park, I explored some of Lviv’s highlights.

Lviv boasts a mixed architecture that combines Central European and Eastern styles, with clear Polish and Austro-Hungarian influences. Once surrounded by ancient city walls, still visible in the historic center, and adorned with a castle on the hill and several Christian and Orthodox churches, this city shines with its own light and remains a tourist destination easily explored on foot even today.