"Do you guys like pizza?"
Nico Locco tosses it out mid-shoot, casual and offhand.
I laugh and shoot back, "That is very Italian of you."
He lights up at that—a quick grin and a small nod—then says, "Very Italian, di ba?"
For the whole of the interview, that line keeps surfacing.
After an anecdote, a preference, a passing remark, an outlook in life, he punctuates it with “very Italian, di ba.”
The boxes of pizza arrive a few minutes later, still warm, the smell hitting before the lids even come off.
Nico shares a quick factoid, showing us how it’s eaten.
He reaches for a slice buried under six kinds of meat and strips of green bell pepper, folds it clean down the middle, and takes a bite.
He would know. He was born in Pescopagano, a commune near Naples, the undisputed birthplace of pizza.
Calgary comes up, of course, given that he spent his teenage years in the Canadian city, but never to the point where it overrides the main thing—that he is, first and foremost, Italian.
But a visit to his home reveals who Nico is today.
A NOT-SO CRAZY HOME FOR NICO'S CRAZY LIFESTYLE
A miniature Italian flag anchors the living room table, easy to miss if you’re not looking for it.
The rest of the area goes a different direction entirely—not at all congruent with the general descriptors of Italian homes: rustic and romantic.
Nico Locco’s abode is teeming with neutral hues that bounce off one another.
“I didn’t have an interior designer,” Nico admits.
“But I got advice on what colors I should use. Mahilig ako sa dark—black, gray, brown. That was my original plan. Tapos sinabi nila, ‘What if you try light colors? It helps with your mood. Mas relaxing pag-uwi mo.’ So sabi ko, ‘Sige, I’ll try lighter colors.’ That’s why I landed on beige, lighter gray, lighter wood.”
He pauses, shakes his head slightly as if double-checking himself.
“No real particular theme. Colors lang. I wanted it bright. And siyempre, the browns have to fit with the grays para cohesive naman. Pero no… no particular theme.”
The 33-year-old pageant host’s pad is rather cozy and liminal.
Remove the shelves lined with awards, trophies, certificates—markers of his nine years in the Philippines—along with the travel pieces and the paintings he has made himself, and the place sheds off the lived-in feel.
That part tracks, considering he has resided in the place for only a year.
“I got this unit six years ago,” he says.
“Pina-rent ko siya before. I never actually lived in it, and iba yung itsura niya before. And then when I decided to stay here instead of renting it out, that’s when it became something close to me. But before, it was just for rent.”
Truth to it is, Nico is one to put his nose in the grindstone. Even when at home, he can’t really stay put for long.
“Honestly, I’m not here that often. Yeah. Minsan, I’m here, but, I’m working a lot of the time. Workaholic kasi ako.”
Whenever he is home, though, he indulges in everything his condo offers.
“I would say rarely but definitely, I sleep here naman. And pag may off days ako, I enjoy staying at home and relaxing, and watching Netflix, playing music, going down to the pool on the seventh floor.
“So, yung mga things like that, I definitely enjoy the unit when I'm here. Very homey siya and I wanted it to be like that. Outside of that, I’m working. I can’t sit for too long.”
He expounds: “Parang I’m one of those types that I get antsy pag nagsi-sit ako for too long, so, I need to be doing something. If I’m sitting for too long, I’ll usually go outside if it’s an off day, pupunta ako sa labas.
“I’ll go jogging or, or walking or I’ll go to the golf simulator kasi there’s lots of things to do here in BGC. It’s a walking city, e. Or, magba-basketball ako. I like to always be doing something.”
MAKING SPACE FOR FAMILY
Why BGC? He could have picked a property in Pasig City, where the headquarters of his talent management, Vivamax—now rebranded as VMX—is situated. He could have also chosen to occupy a space in Pasay City, where most of the pageant events he hosts take place.
Not to mention, he himself thinks “investing in a condominium in BGC is probably the worst investment you could make. It’s a very oversaturated market. Tapos, there’s actually a lot of vacant units now in BGC.
“So, I definitely don’t think, for me, real estate is something I would want to invest in. The returns are very slow. I mean, may ROI naman, pero after 20 years or 25 years, you’ll start seeing ROI.”
For all the reasons he could cite for disliking BGC, his sentimentality gets the better of him. Apparently, his choice to stay in the master-planned lifestyle district in Taguig City is rooted in nostalgia.
“I’ve always wanted to live in BGC kasi it makes me feel like I’m at home. Kasi, for a lot of my life, I grew up sa Calgary, Canada, and BGC kind of reminds me of that.”
He adds, “Tapos, I really wanted to be in a city where I could just go walking pagbaba ng building. So, I could just go out and walk and do jogging. Lahat ng parang, if I wanna get groceries or anything, I could just walk. Ayaw ko mag-drive sa traffic. So that’s why, I like BGC.
“Tapos yung unit na ito, maganda yung location because it’s near High Street. Ah, so it’s near a busy walking area and masigla yung area.
"Gusto ko siya—bright and peaceful and relaxing.
"Those were my my key pegs. I just wanted to be a place where, kasi I live a busy lifestyle outside. So, when I come back, gusto ko ng place where I can relax.”
Whatever he does, home is always at the back of his mind. In choosing this particular condo unit, he sets a space for his loved ones.
“It’s two bedrooms, and I’m just one person. The one bedroom there is for my parents when they come kasi nagvi-visit sila for two months every year.
“That room is special kasi every time they come, they’re able to stay with me, as opposed to staying sa Airbnb or sa hotel. So, that’s why I have two bedrooms instead of one.”
Like most sons, Nico has a very soft spot for his mom, citing his most expensive home purchase as one requested by her.
“Siguro the granite that you see in the kitchens and in the CRs. Kasi, my mom loves granite. Like, every house she’s lived in, meron siyang granite. She has this thing with granite. Ayaw ko ng granite, pero I don’t know why. It’s just not my thing.
“Pero, over years and years of her saying that, ‘Dapat ano, dapat granite yung mga countertops niyo,’ I decided to get granite installed for her. Every time she visits here, the first thing she says is, ‘I love the granite.’ So, that made her happy.”
NICO’S FAVORITE SPOTS
It’s not hard to guess.
Scroll through Nico’s Instagram and the answer presents itself before the question is even asked.
Frame after frame, the same vantage point emerges—the balcony, always the balcony. It’s where the city stretches out to feel breathable, where the light hits clean.
When the question of his favorite spot gets brought up, there’s barely any suspense left: “I love the balcony kasi I do all of my prep for my movies and characters.
“I usually pace back and forth on that balcony reciting my lines, internalizing the character. So, I really love it out there kasi mahangin siya. I think just being outside relaxes me also. I'm able to get some fresh air, especially in a busy city like BGC.”
He adores his balcony so much, he considers it the most underrated component of his home: “Sa mga units in BGC, most condominium buildings here don’t have balconies. I don’t know why.
“Pero when the Chinese or whoever started to invest in BGC, when they put up the condominium buildings, they didn’t put a lot of balconies sa mga condos.
“So, like how big this balcony is, is quite unique for condos of BGC. I think that's one of the best-selling features for me when I purchased the unit.”
In a corner lies another spot that is dear to him, where he can release his stress and just unwind from life.
“This corner over here where the DJ set-up is, kasi I love music. I go there when gusto ko ng stress relief. I just wanna play music, have a little bit of a party by myself or with a few friends. I find that place very relaxing.”
Going in for a third favorite spot, he names his bed—the same bed that has been in the unit for six years now: “Siyempre the bed, kasi I can sleep.”
On the topic of favorites, he points to a sleek woodwork just behind the sofa he was sitting on.
“This piece right here behind me, is a hand-carved boat that was given to me from somebody in Masbate.”
"Masbate has a very special place in my heart kasi, six years ago, I got into pageant hosting. It’s been a blessing kasi I’ve been able to travel all over the Philippines, halos lahat na I’ve been able to see.”
“This boat was given to me from [someone who] hand-carves items. He gave me this boat as a sort of a gift of appreciation for coming to Masbate City. I just remembered kasi at that time, it felt like such a nice gesture.
"And it’s really a beautiful carving for me so, I’ve always had it with me. It reminds me of my roots, of where I started.”
Attachment is exclusive to the items alone, not with his routine. He neither cooks nor lingers in the kitchen. Most days, he is out.
“Meron akong kasama dito, so nagluluto siya para sa akin,” he says, referring to his current stay-out help, Rosa.
Before her, he relied on delivery every day. That arrangement worked for a time, until it no longer did.
The unit serves him in bursts. He comes in to rest, clean up, and reset before heading out again.
There was a time when he had to pay closer attention to what happens when he is away.
A former kasambahay managed to take things from his home little by little. Nothing was obvious at first; it only became clear when he checked the CCTV and saw how it was being done.
The footage also showed other incidents. A tricycle driver entered the unit while he was away and stayed inside the living room. The time spent there had nothing to do with cleaning or upkeep.
When asked if he plans to install cameras again, he pauses and looks around the unit.
“Wala si Rosa?” he pries, jokingly, making sure his current help is not nearby. “Maybe,” he supposes. “Maybe not.”
Hidden recording placed him in headlines after all, and that could have been an easy explanation for avoiding cameras. But he never points to that. He had rather grown accustomed to livin’ la vida loca—living the crazy life.
Life around this Philippine-based Italian stays unpredictable—receiving a pajama set from a stalker one day, hosting an entire production crew the next.
Crazy is part of the pace. Crazy keeps Nico going, whether he asks for it or not.
PRODUCTION CREDITS:
SHOOT PRODUCERS: Karen Pagsolingan, Nikko Tuazon
PHOTOGRAPHY: Stephen Capuchino
CREATIVE DIRECTION: Nikko Tuazon
TEXT/INTERVIEW: FK Bravo
PHOTOGRAPHER’S ASSISTANT: Jobo Nacpil
VIDEO: Greeko Joy F. Junio, Rommel Llanes
SHOOT ASSISTANT: Gerry Oribeda Jr.
BILLBOARD PRODUCERS: Rommel Llanes, Kat Gangcuangco
OOH EDITOR: Rommel Llanes
SOCIAL MEDIA: Nikko Angelo Tuazon
Special thanks to Jojo Gabinete
