“Never, ever marry an American woman. That’s the advice I give my friends.” It may seem an odd way to start an interview, especially one with a female American reporter who is married, but Davide Serra, an Italian hedge fund manager based here in London, is not one to opine gently, or particularly carefully...Not everyone is taken by him. “He’s a big character,” said one senior hedge fund consultant who spoke on the condition of anonymity because of work he does with Mr. Serra. He recalled Mr. Serra telling a joke about prostitutes that did not go over well with a crowd of Americans...How does he have time to work on policy issues, manage the fund, ski in the backcountry, spearfish, climb peaks and spend four weeks each year boating around with his wife, Anna, and four children (also prominently displayed in many photos). “My wife is the real asset on my balance sheet,” he said. She is Italian — a former Gucci model and an interior decorator — and is apparently not nearly as demanding as he believes American wives to be. [Dealbook]