From Iran to Catania: Dastan has chosen love and the heart beats in two countries

by Yvonne Malfa

A people in an eternal dilemma between past and present: between monarchy and the Islamic Republic. A country that, beyond the war, is as great as it is beautiful. To be discovered, to be known - but today unreachable. Just like communications from Italy. The phone of Parisa and Masud remains silent for ten long, endless days. In the meantime, Dastan watches from his home television in Catania the images of the bombings in Iran. He waits for good news, beyond the rubble, despair, blood, the injured, and the civilian dead that have always marked every conflict. It is March 10 when finally the cell phone rings. "We are fine, how are you?"

Few words, but reassuring. It is the voice of his mother, Parisa. Dastan is 60 years old: Iranian by birth, Italian by adoption, having lived there for about thirty years. He has two brothers, Masud and Amir, who lives in Florence.

"My brother Amir and I came to Italy after the fall of the Shah," he recounts. "At that time, universities in Iran were closed due to the revolution." The choice of Italy was not planned; it came almost by chance.

His family is in Behshar, a city in the northeast of Iran, overlooking the Caspian Sea. An area far from the capital, Tehran, which is about a six-hour drive away.

"I was pretty sure there were no strategic points in my city," he says. "But 50 kilometers away, two cities on the Caspian coast were bombed."

He then adds: "Before the war, I always called my mother on the landline. Or we would talk on WhatsApp, with video calls. However, in the last few days, nothing works: neither the internet nor the international line."

His mother managed to call the two sons living in Italy at two different times: first the one living in Florence on Sunday; then, the next day, the one living in Catania. "I believe the calls are monitored," she says. "Perhaps they allow mothers to call their children abroad only to say that they are fine."

Has your brother Masud reached your mother?

"No, he preferred to stay in Rasht. It is a larger city and closer to the coast and, consequently, more exposed and risky."

Where does Masud live?

"My brother lives in the northwestern area of the Caspian Sea, very close to Azerbaijan, about a hundred kilometers from the border, in a city called Astara. It was from there, nine months ago, that I managed to leave the country: I entered Azerbaijan, took a flight, and came to Italy."

Are you referring to the Iran-Israel conflict, the twelve-day war that broke out on June 13, 2025?

"Yes. I had gone to visit my relatives, and the war started two or three days before my departure. I was supposed to leave on Sunday, but the conflict broke out on Friday morning. Flights were suspended, and the airspace remained closed for days and days. At that point, I could do nothing but leave the country by land. The Italian consulate also contacted me. At first, they advised me to stay where I was because they could not guarantee the safety of the journey. Then they told me that the only option was to leave by land, crossing the border with Turkey or Azerbaijan. They advised against Turkey: there was too much confusion, too many people trying to pass through there. So, with the support of my brother who lives near the border, I chose to head towards Azerbaijan. I was more worried about my wife Sara, who was anxiously waiting for my return home than about myself."

His Sara is Sicilian and stole his heart for her strong independence and the sporting spirit they both share. In love for twenty years, they met during a vacation in Tuscany, at the Saturnia hot springs. At the time, Dastan lived there, but a few years later, for love, he decided to move to Catania, where they later got married.

Will Parisa ever come to Italy?

"No, she couldn't live even a week here: too attached to her habits and the places where she lives."

And your father?

"He passed away when I was just a kid. He was an anesthetist and dedicated to work and us."

War permitting, will you go back to visit your loved ones in Iran?

"I can't wait to hug them again, as long as my wife gives me permission. At home, she is in charge" - he concludes with a smile.