by Michela Proietti
The artist: «My Milan recognizes nothing of me. Marracash talked to me a lot about Elodie ». Friends and loved ones: «Only three of them came to see me in the hospital. My biggest sorrow for Gino Paoli»
Ornella Vanoni, do you feel like a “captain”?
«Not at all, but I have intuitions that lead me to choose one direction rather than another. There is no strategy: it is instinct».
Identity card: She was born on September 22, 1934 in Milan, the only daughter of Nino and Mariuccia Vanoni.
«I was born rich and bored: I was often in my room. I thought of those brothers and sisters who grow up throwing pillows together: maybe that’s when my melancholy was born».
His favorite game?
‘Campana, on the sidewalk under the house. But my parents didn’t want me to play with the caretaker’s kids.”
His parents.
“Two middle-class entrepreneurs, with a father who I loved very much because he made me tender: something was wrong with him, then I realized that he was depressed.”
She also admitted to suffering from depression.
“Strehler told me my nerves were fragile. But I never considered suicide: I was like those disheveled women in old paintings, always one step away from madness.
How was he saved?
“I recovered myself. I know myself well because I have suffered so much: you understand it in pain, not in happiness”.
What did her destiny as a middle-class girl entail?
“I wasn’t looking for a husband, but I didn’t quite know what to do. I had acne and tuberculosis. Then came Giorgio».
The First meeting.
«At 15, in Santa Margherita Ligure. He sat at the bar, he was beautiful: he was the lover of a friend of my mother’.
what did he tell her
“My mother didn’t want to buy me yellow pants. Giorgio was next to her: “But give this gift to the little girl”…».
You met again in Piccolo.
‘Yes, for the entrance exams. I was the last in line. A woman’s voice said, “Here’s something interesting.” It was Sarah Ferrati, she saw me first. I challenged myself to death to overcome fear».
what calmed her down
“I was hoping for a plague in Egypt that could make a decision of ‘no’ tonight. The truth is that Giorgio changed me: he fell in love with me, he gave me books and talked about life».
Married and worked in the theater.
«One thing that made my parents despair: the bourgeoisie always saw the theater as something sinful. The hairdresser told me: “Don’t do this to your parents”».
Gino Paoli didn’t like his mother either. He said to her, “This is a toilet.”
“They also told me he was gay. And for him that I was a lesbian.”
Have you ever had an attraction to women?
‘Of course. You don’t like the woman, you like the person. There are women who have an attraction.’
Perfect attraction?
«Half-completed: more and more women are among them. We are free, but we pay a high price.
Which is the highest?
«Loneliness: I am a single woman, but by choice».
Friends?
“The years go by and you realize that they are acquaintances. I broke my femur and only Mario Lavezzi and Piero Salvatori came to me. And Stella Pende, my best friend. I have reservations about the sorority.”
What are we missing?
“Sport, just look at the players when they hug, share joy or failure. We didn’t have time to collect, we’ve spent the last 1,000 years giving birth.”
Maternity.
«I was 26 when Cristiano was born: we rebuilt a critical relationship. Today I am happy when my son is happy».
What did he accuse her of?
“How do you explain to a child that their mother is going to work and not having fun? He thought I preferred a bright world to him.’
Did she regret not starting a family?
“I haven’t found the right man. When I come back I would look for him with kids so we can make a good mess together.”
A pebble to remove…
“I don’t think it’s right that Milan doesn’t recognize me at all. During the carnival, three masks parade around the city: Berlusconi’s, Cardinal Martini’s and mine. Do I have to represent something for the city or not?”
What would you like?
“When I’m dead, they’ll put my name on a street: I don’t care. I would like to take care of a living theater like Renato Pozzetto involved in the lirico. Or take care of the prisons: in Bollate there is a group of prisoners who would like to sing».
Do you still like Milan?
“No, she’s hysterical. To live there you have to be nabobs».
What is Milaneseness?
«In Milan, a seat at the table will not be added if it is not foreseen. In Rome they are more relaxed, if cynical. And there’s a difference between irony and sarcasm.”
The animals.
“Now I have Ondina, a poodle who swims for hours and pulls herself out of the water exhausted.”
The new Vanoni.
«There are some good ones: Elisa, Giorgia, Emma. But they have to bring out the emotion.”
A colleague?
“Marrakech. He spoke to me about Elodie, but he needed a caring wife. All men have it: they are washed, ironed and spoiled by their wives».
The talents?
“I would like to be on the jury. They don’t call me and they’re wrong.”
The saddest time?
‘When I left Gino. And the last story.’
The gender.
“It’s very important, but it has to be done well or it will be sad.”
Did the weirdest thing?
“In Monte Carlo I slept with a sheik and sent him flowers the next day.”
And he a diamond?
“Nothing, that’s why I find the anecdote funny.”
Is a woman financially secure today?
“No. I’ve helped a lot and I don’t regret it.”
A part of his body.
“I had a nice butt and a nice back. Then the feet.”
sanremo
“A terrible thing, the race. Nice to go there as a guest.”
play burraco?
“For heaven’s sake, if I hold the cards in my hand, they fall on the other side. I can not”.
Do you visit the salons?
“I’ve always worked hard.”
Her “Women and Music” theater tour ends tomorrow in Lugano. “A great success. I am on stage with 5 musicians and an armchair that welcomes me and shines together with my hair».
She is still on stage, Mina left him at 40.
“She’s a friend, but I don’t understand how an artist like her doesn’t need an audience.”
February 2, 2023 (change February 2, 2023 | 07:32)
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