Time out with Matteo
Cebu’s Matteo Guidicelli ponders about home and being on the go
By Deneb Batucan
WHO doesn’t know Matteo Guidicelli? We’ve seen him on TV, heard his songs on the radio, read news about him and his love life — his name is everywhere.
His Cebuano roots alone make him a household name in Cebu. And being Cebuano has always been something Matteo is proud of. After all, Cebu is where he was born, and to him, it is where home is and always will be.
Matteo says it’s important to be proud to be Cebuano, and for everyone, of their roots. “I think you have to be proud of where you’re from and to never forget where you started and the people you started with,” he said.
Every month, Matteo sees to it that he gets to go home at least twice, during which he takes a two to three-day break from the hectic world of show business. “What’s important is that you have a life outside of showbiz,” he said. “Cebu is where I can just relax and not think about my schedule. Here, I’m just here and I do whatever I want to do.”
Guilty pleasure
Matteo doesn’t really spend his off days relaxing at his house as he takes a break from work. What he associates with the world home is Cebu and that’s where he literally spends his rest days — all over Cebu.
Coming from Manila, he takes the earliest flight and flies home to Cebu just as the night turns and the sun peeks out. He then takes out his baby for a ride — a Harley Davidson Fat Bob.
“It’s the only guilty pleasure I have,” he said. He got interested in motorcycles when he first got to ride his uncle’s Harley. “It’s a different feeling. It shakes your body. You just enjoy driving your bike and enjoy cruising the road with friends. Just enjoy the wind hitting your face and all that stuff.”
The pleasure he gets from riding his bike is almost poetic. He could go on and on about the technicalities of motorcycles, but the bottom line is, cruising with his Fat Bob along with a tight-knit group of friends is his go-to activity when his mind wants to relax and come home.
Matteo and his friends would go on a road trip with their motorbikes for at least four hours, touring either the south or north of Cebu or perhaps the mountainous roads of Busay.
Second nature
From the mountains, Matteo would also make time to go boating and be one with the waters. Growing up, he would spend his weekend at a beach house that they once had in Moalboal. It was where his love for the sea grew and where he honed his outgoing and outdoorsy personality.
Sports of all kinds has always been part of Matteo’s world, having started in motorsports as a karting sensation, burning tracks here and abroad. Until now, he keeps himself active. Even in the most chaotic of days, he takes time to run at least 20 to 30 minutes a day to keep himself energized.
“I think sports is very important for everybody. It shouldn’t be forced or anything, but should be a lifestyle. It should be second nature, something you regularly do in your life,” he said. “Once you get into that circle of exercise, it’s very easy to stay. Once you’re in it, just continue that and keep going at it.”
All over the place
Before he went on and won go kart races, he first got his adrenaline fix by riding horses. There used to be a horse arena in Mabolo where he got to learn horse racing when he was nine years old. Ever since, he’s always stayed active with any kind of sport: running, triathlons, going to the gym, doing water sports, etc. “I’m an adrenaline junkie,” he said.
Matteo admits that he’s the kind of person who can’t be contained in just one setting. That’s why when he’s home in Cebu, he’s all over the place, trying to do everything in such a short time. “I think doing nothing is a waste of time,” he said. “I always have to do something because I feel like we only live once and everything should be done before it’s over.”
Away from his showbiz persona, Matteo is the regular sporty guy who’s always on the go and always out for a challenge. And when he comes home to his beloved Cebu, he tours its beautiful and picturesque nooks and crannies and relishes the fact that he truly is made from this lovely island.
Photos: Alfred Gregory E. Bartolome
Locale: Trattoria de Gianni
