11.1 Some of his affectionate gestures...

“In his own way he knew how to make up for things and give us moments of warmth and humanity. I have many memories in this regard. In particular, I gladly return to 1978: I had had a bad accident. I had been hit by a car on the side of the road and had been hospitalized for months at the Regina Margherita hospital in Turin. Upon my return home I found a nice surprise. He knew that I liked Barbie dolls and he had found a brunette one for me, just as I would have liked. I also remember 1982: I had just had an appendectomy. At that time the Smurfs were in vogue. In particular, it was impossible to find the cat Azrael and he, with a stroke of luck and a lot of perseverance, gave it to me on the day I was discharged from the hospital. From these things one can understand his character: tough and severe on the outside, tender and sweet in his heart.”

As the years went by, how did your relationship change?

“Time passed. I grew up and so did Luca, his brother, but who was like a son to him. After primary and middle school, I attended the course for company secretary with a focus on accounting. Luca, instead, chose a school that would prepare him for the world of wine and so he went to the Enological School in Alba. Then I decided that I had to perfect my English and so I spent a long time in Oxford, England: I went to school and worked as a waitress to pay for my stay. Our company was not structured and my father still worked at Marchesi di Barolo, but I felt that my future was there, alongside my family.”

But in between there was something else...

“In fact, other things happened. It was the beginning of the nineties and I had just returned from England. I discovered thanks to a friend that an airline was looking for seasonal staff. I took part in the selection and was hired. So I worked for more than three years as a flight attendant. As for my father, I had the impression that he tolerated that job of mine very little. And there were concrete reasons: his company was growing and day after day the work increased. There was a need for collaboration and he was restless. I tried to collaborate in my free time, but I realized it wasn't enough.”