12.1 A memory above all else

“There is one thing that has always fascinated me and that was his very soft hands, despite the fact that his work was essentially manual. But he took great care of himself, he cared about all the components of his person. He was not a maniac about physical prowess, but he knew how to dedicate the right attention to his appearance. Furthermore, I clearly remember his constant presence in my life and that of my brother. He often took us to the mountains or the sea, especially in Val Varaita or the Cinque Terre, where he loved walking and going fishing with my brother or eating a good plate of trofie with pesto at his friend Andrea Poggi's in Monterosso”.
“Another great passion that my grandfather passed on to me – Alessia continues – is that for opera. As children it was a bit of a bore for us to have to say yes to the usual annual tribute of some opera singer in the Verona Arena. Once, thank goodness, the rain saved us and they cancelled the event and so as an alternative we went to eat at his favorite restaurant in Verona: I Tre Marchetti. Now instead in that music I see so much of my grandfather's character, power and elegance are exactly the representation of who Luciano was".

In your transition from adolescence to youth did you notice any change in his way of being?

“Undoubtedly. In his relationship with me he changed profoundly. As I grew up he began to take me to restaurants with pleasure. I remember well how he behaved: he almost did not introduce himself. He did not try to convince the restaurateur by telling or explaining his wines. He let everyone take note of their quality and each of his interlocutors perceived his personality and authority. More than as a salesman or promoter he always remained a winegrower and a cellarman, but when he opened his mouth everyone listened to him with attention.”