Let’s break the ice: your relationship with Turin?
«That of Culicchia, who in one of his books (Turin is my homeed.) he said he had a room in every area of Turin… Except that I have almost every room in Porta Palazzo».
During the interview
All of them?
«No, the “bedroom” is in the Quadrilatero, while the wallet is in the Aurora area, I bought a house there… It is a habit of the Turin people to “compete” to identify the neighborhoods “under launch”».
Has your relationship with Turin always been easy?
«Not exactly. As a girl I experienced “complicated” school events, I studied in Chieri, then I spent eight years abroad… Let’s say that I had to conquer Turin».
Is there an episode emblematic of the “return”?
«I returned to Turin at the end of Covid and before returning I had a meeting with a sort of fortune teller. I had been in France for a long time and I didn’t feel right about myself. This lady told me that my pelvic balance was completely off and that I needed to get back to my roots».
You may have seen her on Masterchef Italia, or in a nice format on social media in which she asks “what is your favorite dish?”, and then cooks it for you live
Coincidence or destiny?
«A halfway thing. Then I think that for many of us the pandemic was an opportunity for inner exploration that was not to be taken for granted».
One thing you like about Turin?
«Turin is a tiramisu in a pan: it changes a lot from neighborhood to neighborhood, and yet it allows you to always be yourself, even in very different places».
Dalia Rivolta at Masterchef Italia 11
What do not you like?
«Which is underestimated, and we do little to change this situation. Those seeking fortune often go to Milan. They offered it to me, but I want to stay here».
How do you describe “our” Turin?
«It’s like learning a new language: you have to find yourself in it. Even if Turin is changing a lot, and therefore its story must also change; that omnipresent shadow of France is much smaller today. I only perceive positive things in reality».
A Turin habit to break?
«We have an unshakable sense of discretion. Which can be beautiful and also exasperated. We must learn to tell ourselves a little more, to advertise ourselves, to delve deeper. There is so much unexplored richness».
In fact, in a video you say that the people of Turin are not as “bashful” as people think. Do you really believe that?
«I think for real. Of course we have a tendency to be cold in a somewhat superficial way… but when you break the first layer there is a lot of heat».
Is that what you tried to do in your famous street cooking format?
«The study of that content, which later went viral, took a long time. I didn’t want to make recipes on social media like everyone else, but I didn’t know what else to do. It was friends and colleagues who suggested I “go among the people”, and thus a fortunately successful format was born».
Dalia Rivolta in the street cooking format
How much fun did you have and how much did you learn?
«I had a lot of fun, but above all I learned. Food there is almost an excuse, a little door that opens to a world of incredible stories; some were very challenging to deal with».
How did the people of Turin behave?
«I’d say good. Let’s not forget that we are territhorium “border”, and therefore made up of many different people, often also “tough” and on the defensive. Behind these “protections” there are truly touching stories».
Local energies, global horizons: how do we face the world starting from our roots?
«In reality it is even an involuntary motion. The heritage of local energies from which we come will always accompany us, even unconsciously, and sometimes manifests itself clearly. The real problem is that, locally or globally, we struggle to accept changes».
So what?
«And therefore “the next generation will always be worse”, to give an example. But only because it is different, because maybe we struggle to understand it, because it passes in front of us and we can’t stand it. If the energies decrease, made up of roots and conquests, they will help us make peace with ourselves and with each other, even better».
A look into the future?
«It’s an optimistic look. The next generations will be the first truly free from useless prejudices, from social limits, from the architectures of thought that become cages. I believe that it will finally be possible to achieve self-awareness in a more natural way».
And for Turin?
«The wish is the same: to find balance, self-esteem, awareness. Having achieved these small, large goals, a city like a person can be semplegitimately herself. And it can be anywhere».
Let’s close: what if Turin was a recipe?
«It would be a crusted fillet: with a “defensive” layer, a tender heart (if cooked well) and with a mushroom sauce, excellent, but not everyone likes it».
(photo FRANCO BORRELLI and DALIA RIVOLTA ARCHIVE)
