Free lectures held in a cosy bars around Melbourne's inner north. This wonderful organisation runs weekly courses on a range of topics, purely for the pursuit of knowledge. The perfect antidote for a post-grad like myself who often misses lectures and class discussions. Uni with a glass of red wine - yes please.

It’s only about ten meters above sea level, but for some reason it feels like you can see everything from the top of this hill. The 360 degree view spans from the city all the way across the bay and over the tree tops of the streets behind. I come up here to clear my mind and just to relax. Sunsets from here are amazing.

Fresh is best. The best place in Melbourne for fresh cheese. The Buffalo Mozzarella and the creamy Ricotta are to die for. I used to have to wait years and fly half way across the globe to my home in Italy just to bite into one of these creamy morsels of goodness. Now my life can be defined by the ‘pre La Latteria period’ and the ‘post La Latteria period’.

La Paloma is my local, my regular stop for coffee and tortilla. The atmosphere is unpretentious and the handwritten menu is simple, fresh and delicious, featuring Argentinian empanadas, shakshuka, beans and churros.

Mr Kitly is a shop and gallery specialising in ceramics, books, plants and textiles. Much of the stock is from Japan, and everything makes you want to weep because it's so charming and pretty. The hanging plants are amazingly affordable too.