For three years his life was just home-work-school. Ida Palmieri he is 44 years old, he lives in Peveragno (province of Cuneo) and has just graduated from high school. “When I left the oral exam I breathed a sigh of relief: I had made it.” She graduated with top marks, 100/100all’Dronero Hotel Institute after attending night school.
“It was a big sacrifice, but it was worth it,” she says. “I stopped studying early, stopping at middle school. When I was a girl, there was no obligation to continue my studies, so I decided to go and work.”
Ida worked as a barmaid, then as a worker. In 2012 she started working in the kitchen of‘Cottolengo Institute of Cuneo. “But I always had the desire to go back to school: I spent the evenings online to understand which course I could attend. Then in 2021 I read an announcement of the Dronero school and I said to myself: this is the right opportunity”. So she rolled up her sleeves.
For three years his days were marked by method and willpower. In the morning she took her children to school, then went to work, left at 6pm and immediately afterwards headed to evening school. Five hours of lessons, from Monday to Friday. «I came home at midnight and dedicated my free time only to studying».
Weekends spent studying books or repeating lessons to his dog Luna, who patiently listened to concepts, dates, formulas. «My children also helped me a lot. My daughter with languages, my (younger) son encouraging me with great moral support.”
Then came the day of the first test. After so much work, there was no lack of fear. «I was afraid of not being enough, of not being ready. I have always suffered from anxiety and there was no shortage of panic before the exam. But, in the end, I took courage. The two written papers went well, then there was the moment of the oral exam: at that point my anxiety turned into enthusiasm.”
Ida Palmieri dedicates this diploma to her family, her friends, her professors, and the people who supported her. But she dedicates it also to his psychologistwho encouraged her to throw herself into this challenge. “She played a fundamental role – says Ida Palmieri -. She pushed me to get out of my comfort zone. Together we did a great job of growth. I say it with pride: you should never be afraid of being helped, on the contrary. And you should never think it’s too late to achieve their goals. I discovered a lot about myself during this journey, which was a revenge in many ways.”
On one hand, there is studying and getting a diploma. On the other hand, however, there is also the human enrichment with the knowledge of different people, of all ages. “Not a trivial thing for me – she says – I have always been very suspicious”. And, after the celebrations, Ida Palmieri received many messages from those who, like her, want to go back to studying. “There are those who have not had the opportunity, those who have simply made different life choices. But if there is one thing that this diploma teaches me it is this: if you have a goal, you can achieve it. Regardless of age. I always tell my children: where there’s a will, there’s a way; therefore, you have to get involved and consider that there will be some sacrifice to take into account”.
Her passion has always been cooking, which is why she chose to study hotel management. Ida Palmieri cooks for work and as a hobby, and she especially devotes herself to dishes that recall her origins. She was born in Santa Maria Capua Vetere, she moved to Piedmont when she was still a child. «Neapolitan cuisine allows me to have a connection with my land. It makes me feel at home. The workhorse? Parmesan or pizza. I love everything that rises, grows and transforms. I would like to create strange combinations between the cuisine of my origins and the Piedmontese one, which represents my second home.”
For now, she will continue to work in the kitchen of the Cottolengo Institute in Cuneo, but for the future, no one knows yet. “Everything is possible. I got my diploma, for me it’s a great achievement. Who knows, for now I won’t change anything in my life. But I don’t rule out some other challenge to take on in the future.”
