Marco and Ankica

After living in Milan, Cesena, Paris and Dubai, globetrotters Marco and Ankica have found what may just be their forever home in Adelaide.

The couple’s first encounter with the city came as Marco was shortlisted for the role of Chief Executive for Health Industries South Australia. With a potential move from Milan in the works, the couple organised a week-long visit to Adelaide – a stay that left them wanting more.

“We will forever remember the great first impression we had of Adelaide: its city centre, restaurants and wineries, the Adelaide Hills and pristine beaches,” said Marco.

After accepting the role, the husband and wife team established a home in the city’s East End and quickly discovered that world-class cultural experiences were right at their doorstep. Adelaide has an internationally acclaimed year-long festival program and the couple delight in the city-wide transformation brought on by premium arts, music and food-related events like the Adelaide Fringe, WOMADelaide, Tasting Australia and Ferment the Festival.

For the rare moments between shows, concerts and curated dining experiences, Marco and Ankica embrace spontaneity by simply stepping out the front door to explore their city surrounds.

“It’s very common for us to make a last-minute decision to go out in the evening, without any plans or reservations,” said Ankica. “We know that we will always find something interesting on!”

Marco and Ankica were immediately charmed by the friendly, welcoming Adelaide community. The duo envision a long-term future in Adelaide, with the city ticking off all the key elements they consider fundamental to their happiness and quality of life. They are also continually discovering different ways the city’s people and planet-first culture comes to life.

“In comparison to capital cities across the world, Adelaide is incredibly clean,” Marco said. “The well-preserved parks, absence of pollution and the respect the community has for the environment is reflective of a collective green society”.

While the couple has a car, it’s exclusively reserved for out-of-city exploits. Daily life is happily manoeuvred on foot or by bike, allowing Marco and Ankica to combine their loves of the city’s beautiful backdrop of expansive green parks and keeping active. Work and play, including an abundance of shopping destinations, world-class restaurants and events, is all within walking distance – although Marco is quite the fan of navigating his way to meetings and after-hour business functions on two wheels!

The past five years has seen Marco leverage his strong international experience in prior roles as chief executive of science parks and innovation agencies, to assist Adelaide’s growth as one of the world’s burgeoning innovation eco-systems. He believes the completion of infrastructure investments such as Adelaide’s BioMedical Precinct and Lot Fourteen, Australia’s first innovation neighbourhood, will play a propelling factor in the city’s future success.