The founder of Slow Food and Terra Madre, Carlo Petrini, died on Thursday evening aged 76 at his home in Bra, in the province of Cuneo.
“From his great vision and his love for the common good, for relationships between human beings, for nature and biodiversity were born Slow Food (1986), the international Terra Madre network and the University of Gastronomic Sciences in Pollenzo (2004). He was also co‑founder of the Laudato si’ Communities (2017), inspired by Pope Francis’s encyclical,” Slow Food recalled in a statement.
Founded in 1986, Slow Food is Italy’s leading association promoting an environmentally sustainable food culture. It aims to uphold the right to pleasure and to food that is “good, clean and fair for everyone”, bringing together gastronomic culture and ethics while respecting biodiversity and consumers’ health.
Terra Madre, by contrast, is an international network that brings together farmers, shepherds, fishers, cooks, academics and consumers to promote food sovereignty, biodiversity and a sustainable model of agriculture.
Who was Carlo Petrini: from international recognition to friendships with Pope Francis and King Charles
Petrini, a gastronome, journalist and writer, was named a “European Hero” by Time magazine in 2004 and, in 2008, British daily The Guardian included him in its list of the 50 people who could save the world.
His commitment to sustainability and the environment was recognised by the UN, with the United Nations Environment Programme naming him co‑winner of the “Champion of the Earth 2013” award in the “Inspiration and Action” category. In 2016 he was appointed special ambassador by the FAO for the Zero Hunger programme in Europe.
Throughout his life he was friends with various public figures, from Pope Francis to King Charles III. In April, Petrini accompanied the British monarch during his visit to Ravenna to the Slow Food presidium, in the presence of President Sergio Mattarella.
“‘Those who sow utopia reap reality’, Carlo Petrini liked to say, summing up his life. He was convinced that dreams and visions, when they are beautiful, just, able to involve people and lived with conviction and passion, can be made real. He knew how to dream and enjoy himself, to build and to inspire, working with people – young people in particular – towards tangible social redemption, and advocating fraternity, emotional intelligence and austere anarchism. His energy, his extraordinary empathy, his drive to act and the example of his life will be the force that guides us all,” the Slow Food statement concluded.
Messages of condolence on Petrini’s death
Many public figures have sent messages of condolence in memory of Petrini.
“With deep emotion I have learnt of the death of Carlo Petrini, a man of vision who was able to turn food into culture, identity, respect for the land and solidarity between peoples. Through Slow Food and Terra Madre he gave a voice to local communities, defended biodiversity and promoted around the world a model of development that is more human, sustainable and fair. Italy is losing a great ambassador for its traditions, for dialogue between cultures and for that deep bond between people, place and quality of life that makes our country unique. To his family, his loved ones and the whole Slow Food community I extend my sincerest condolences,” wrote Foreign Minister Antonio Tajani in a post on X.
Defence Minister Guido Crosetto recalled the friendship that bound him to Petrini, whom he met before his international success at the Boccon Divino osteria in Bra: “As time went by we became friends and I gave him a hand in building the University of Taste, the Wine Bank and everything that revolves around Pollenzo. We ‘visited’ dozens of restaurants and wineries together and, over a plate of food or a glass of wine, let our minds roam through every thought that came to us. In recent years I had lost sight of him, but we would still speak occasionally for a quick hello and to complain about the passing of time and how we had become prisoners of life paths that no longer left us room for the carefree spirit of the past. Tonight the memories of laughter, discussions and dreams came back to me in sharp focus. All strictly in Piedmontese dialect. Because that was always the ‘official language’ of our conversations. The world has lost a true dreamer. Bon voyage, Carlin.”
“Goodbye Carlo, gentle visionary who showed the world how wrong it was to live only to consume life and the planet. Thank you for standing alongside the most marginalised people on Earth with passion. With your concrete ideas you indicated a better path than the one taken by development: the common good, respect and love for the land are revolutionary and change things for the better. Carlo, thank you for those wonderful conversations, for the passion that swept everything along. You were right about everything; the others came along later,” wrote Nicola Zingaretti, head of the Democratic Party (PD) delegation in the European Parliament, on social media.
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