Television Presenters

"Lucio Dalla's funeral is one of the most striking examples of what it means to be homosexual in Italy: you go to church, they let you have a funeral, and they bury you with a Catholic service, as long as you don't say you're gay. It's a symbol of who we are: there's permissiveness, as long as you look the other way."

"Waking up to our kids’ hugs, morning sun and cardio, good coffee, time with my husband, eating Japanese food, productive meetings, chikahan with friends, driving alone listening to podcasts, and ending the day taping for our show. The simplest joys mean the most. Could not have asked for a better day. So grateful!”"

"He was talented. He was likeable. He was a great actor. I have so many excellent performances of his etched in my mind. But one memory is indelible for me: when, some thirty years ago, I accompanied a friend (he was Gianni Boncompagni) to look at a car at a dealership. A salesman came towards us, smiling very kindly. We were surprised to see that it was Riccardo Garrone. I hadn’t seen him for a few years; we hugged and I asked him what he was doing there. ‘My dear,’ he replied, ‘the cinema doesn’t call me anymore, nor does the theatre. I have to make a living, so I sell cars. What can I do for you?’ A few years later, the cinema, the theatre, TV dramas and advertising called him back, and success and fame returned, just as before—and even better than before. You see, Riccardo has always represented this to me: the comeback! The good times that can return after the bad ones, the fact that if you have real talent, the world may ignore it for a while but not forever, and that tenacity and professionalism, when they go hand in hand, are an invincible weapon. I’m happy, Riccardo, that your long life didn’t end selling cars but by savouring success and the love of your audience once more. You’ve earned every bit of it, right down to the very last round of applause."

"(About Donald Trump) We laugh at his hair, but we don’t listen closely enough to what he says. Is it possible that none of us are concerned that this rather unbalanced gentleman might become president of the most powerful nation in the world? That he might have the codes to launch nuclear missiles wherever he pleases and that he might influence the global economy?"

"The only thing that eludes me is why a radio station [Subasio] that has excellent presenters and speakers would have Enrico Papi host the concert [to celebrate 40 years on air], given that his musical expertise is one of his many talents that aren’t exactly on record..."

"Great thoughts often cross our lives like cats darting in front of our cars: they’re quick, they frighten us, and we do everything we can to avoid them."

"Happiness is never perfect because it is always undermined by the fear of losing it. For the same reason, unhappiness can be made perfect by the fear that it will never leave us."

"True freedom is not being forced to post something on Facebook every day just to prove you’re still alive."

"You realise you’ve got old when your friends ring you and, if you don’t answer, they don’t think you’re having sex, but that you’ve died."

"Old people shouldn’t watch television. TV is a window onto a world that is slipping away, and they know it. They see places they can no longer go, women they can no longer love, and adventures they will no longer have time to experience. Give an old person a book and switch off their TV. But not a book that makes them dream too much. Fantasy is a painful flight for those who no longer have wings."

"Could you say that water is part of the sea? Certainly not: water IS the sea. And so one could not say that Albertazzi was part of the theatre. He WAS the theatre, in every form, in every sense and meaning. Anyone lucky enough to hear him recite realised that Dante’s most obscure verses or Shakespeare’s most veiled concepts became comprehensible without him having to explain them; it was enough for him simply to utter them. Thus he turned certain great texts, such as Calvino’s American Lessons, into true sensory experiences, where everything was satisfied: eye, ear, heart and mind. These are the legacies that great actors leave behind. Immense actors leave immense legacies, and there is no thank you sufficiently immense to say to them."

"There is nothing more ordinary than trying to appear extraordinary."

"Interviwer: As a doubtful believer, what do you think of the Catholic Church and the pontificate of Pope Francis? Magalli: Personally, I like this Pope; I find him open to the world, willing to understand that the Church’s language must evolve, as must certain overly rigid positions. He is also trying to carry out a process of cleansing and reform within the Church’s own walls, and I think all this is wonderful, even if he faces resistance – and quite strong resistance at that."

"Salvini is a protectionist rather than a racist [because] rather than hating foreigners, he would prefer them not to come [...] because they are people who often bring crime and disorder."

"Today, Italian cinema claims to mourn the passing of Ettore Scola, a director of extraordinary greatness. In reality, it is the public who mourn him. That public who adored his films, who cried, laughed, dreamed and reflected thanks to him. That public who would gladly have seen more of his films. I met Scola a few years ago at a ceremony at the Campidoglio. He was courteous to me and I plucked up the courage to say to him: "Scola, how I’d love to make a film with you!". He smiled and replied: ‘Magalli, how I’d love to make a film!’. There you have it: behind his usual irony lay the pain of a film industry that had cast him aside, instead of queuing up at his door to beg him to work again. So it is right and proper that the public should mourn him, and he would appreciate it, but the film industry—that film industry—should not mourn Scola. It should mourn itself and its own indolence. Farewell, Maestro."

"Life is a book we are lent. And they usually want it back just when we’re about to figure out the plot."

"A bad temper and bad breath are two things you can’t hide. Unless you never open your mouth."

"Interviewer: Why are you so popular on the internet? Magalli: There are two ways of looking at my work. Some people just see me as the likeable presenter who says things that are sometimes interesting, and that’s it. But there’s another way of looking at it: I also make jokes that not everyone gets, and that’s what the kids like – they have fun with me and always manage to find something hidden in what I say. Obviously, a young person doesn’t spend all day at home watching I fatti vostri. But if they happen to be watching it, perhaps on a day when they’ve got the flu and aren’t at school, they manage to pick up on things that housewives—the show’s main audience—might not notice. Interviewer: It’s a very different audience from the one you entertain on television? Magalli: Young people have never watched much television — and if, when they do watch it, they find things they don’t like, they’re right not to watch it. But, precisely, perhaps they have a laugh with me when they happen to see me, and then they’re grateful to me. Like anyone else, for that matter: these days, if you give someone a laugh, you make a friend."

"Being mad is no easy feat. Have you noticed that almost everyone who says of themselves, ‘I’m a bit mad’ manages, at best, to be a bit daft?"

"(About sovranism) They’ve given it that ugly suffix; anything ending in -ism – from Nazism to Marxism, Leninism, socialism and racism – always seems like a bad thing. [...] in reality, it is based on love and respect for one’s own national identity, on the fact that nowhere is it written that the sovereignty of one people must be exercised by another people, or indeed by a group of peoples, who have nothing to do with us and do not know us."

"Here is Cirilli. Laughter is guaranteed. His own."

"(About the transition from writer to TV presenter) Presenting is more rewarding, both financially and in terms of popularity. I always thought that the role of writer would still be there; I could have gone back to my roots. Unfortunately, that’s no longer the case today. Interviewer: In what sense? Magalli: In the sense that writers like I was back then no longer exist; they’re no longer in demand. Programmes are bought; formats are purchased and then adapted. That’s not my job. Imagine having a sheet of paper with an idea written on it and taking it to the executive on duty – that process no longer exists. That’s how it worked in the 1970s. Better then to focus on the role of presenter."

"(About Alighiero Noschese) In his home in Eur, he had top-of-the-range professional equipment that even Rai didn’t possess. He used it to perfect his impressions. He would record the voice of the person he was imitating on one tape recorder, record his own voice on another, and compare them in real time. Added to this was a VCR with a black-and-white monitor, on which he would record various programmes to capture the characters’ mannerisms and tics. He was an absolute perfectionist."

"Faith is a gift. I was brought up by the Jesuits and the Piarists, who bombarded me with compulsory Masses, instilling in me a forced religion that later compelled me to start all over again. I left those schools with a sort of ‘ready-to-wear’ faith, packaged like a little coat. I began to seek it out and rebuild it by integrating it into life."

"(About body shaming) I was targeted not only for my height, but also for my weight. The truth is, I never gave a damn. I often talk on the show about children who are bullied. These aren’t stories of young people being beaten up, but of people being told ‘ugly fatso’ by their classmates. I should have killed myself at the age of eight. I was fat and they told me so. In those situations, I’d either laugh it off or tell them to get lost, and life went on. I don’t recall anyone from my generation going to a psychologist for that reason. Either kids these days are more sensitive, or those who insult others have become more of a scoundrel. Interviewer: Is anything allowed when it comes to men? Magalli: It’s clear that calling a woman a fatso is rude, but we’ve reached the point where people get angry even if you tell a woman she’d look good a few sizes smaller or a few kilos heavier. They’ll sue you."

"In the film Mia madre (My Mother), Nanni Moretti tells (well) the story of the depression that marked his mother’s life. What isn’t entirely clear is whether he is depressed because he is her son, or whether she was depressed because she is his mother. In any case, it’s a fine film."

"Rai is Rai. I’ve been working there for over 50 years. I know it well. I know full well what Rai’s limitations are. When, some time ago, I said that gratitude wasn’t exactly Rai’s strong point, I was a bit angry. But it’s also quite true. The fact is that Rai isn’t a person; it isn’t a boss with whom you have a good or bad relationship. It changes constantly. You find yourself talking to different people. There are those who respect you, those who don’t, those who can’t wait to put you to work and those who can’t wait to put someone else to work. You have to bear this in mind, just as you must bear in mind, however, that it is the company where I have spent my whole life."

"Interviewer: What is the person who has influenced your life the most? Magalli: First and foremost, my grandfather: he was a fine example, a positive person from whom I learnt so much. Then my father: he taught me how to distance myself from things I didn’t agree with. He would fly into a rage easily, and thanks to him I realised how unpleasant it was to lose one’s temper. That’s why I never get angry and always try to be kind. My mother was a witty woman: from her I learnt the mechanics of humour. Alongside my family, I’d add professional role models such as Mario Riva and Corrado."

"Interviwer: What do you really hate? Magalli: Arrogance – and not just from some of my colleagues. I remember heated arguments with officials or representatives of institutions who would tell people: “You speak only when I tell you to.”"

"I have tried to explain to everyone that this is, above all, a message we want to send out, with passion and commitment, to make it clear to those in charge that it really is time for something to change. I have been chosen by many friends on the web as the face of this ‘smiling uprising’, as I have chosen to call it, but they could have chosen many other faces instead of mine and the protest would have been just as effective, because the face to put forward is, yes, important, but what matters are the faces to be removed."

"I’m very straight, but anything can happen—who knows? I get hit on by men but also by lots of women. Today I received a letter from a lesbian girl who wrote that I’m her ideal woman. And I also have lots of foot fetishists who’d do anything for me, even though I’m a size 10—not exactly Cinderella’s shoe size."

"[Three adjectives to describe yourself?] Moody. Determined. Sensitive."

"(About Francesco Boccia) At the beginning of our relationship, he was a free spirit, very much aligned with the libertine ideal embodied by Franco Califano, his idol and dearest friend. I was insecure and saw danger everywhere; today, I don’t. Family comes first for both of us. However, at the start of our relationship, he was easily distracted—that’s for sure."

"In 1978, she and her husband Neil (who sounds completely splendid) settled in and bought Glebe Cottage, which came with an acre of rough grass, weeds and brambles. Creating a garden there, the first proper one she’d ever had, transformed her life. ‘As much as I made this garden, this garden made me,’ she writes. She discovered she had a knack for propagating plants and started selling them at country markets before creating her own nursery, while also raising her two daughters. Soon she began exhibiting at shows and then was asked to design a garden at the . Before long, a TV producer spotted her potential and she got a job presenting the show Real Gardens. Klein first appeared on in 1989 when the late, great did a feature on Glebe Cottage."

"We moved to Perch Hill in 1994 from London and found a rather ramshackle ex- with a lot of concrete, corrugated iron and a small garden with a on the south side of the house. Since then, we converted the farm into an organic 90 acres, putting in new hedges on old lines, trying to encourage wildflowers into the meadows and introducing our own herd of and a flock or Romney-cross sheep."

"Let’s start in the garden. This year cookery writers are as happy digging and planting as slicing and braising. Sarah Raven is a great gardener and, on the evidence of her latest book, Sarah Raven’s Garden Cookbook (, £35), she’s a good cook too. This is a book for a lifetime of cooking: there are more than 400 recipes based on fruit and vegetables. It is not vegetarian — she uses fish and meat too — but vegetables and fruit are to the fore. Raven’s recipes are simple, practical and enticing, and there isn’t one I don’t want to cook. The book is divided into two-month chunks and full of suggestions (snip off pea tendrils for salads, or leave a few beetroot in the ground to produce an early spring salad leaf) and tips on the most tasty varieties to grow. Her ten recipes will sort out an impending green avalanche, and she has five good marrow recipes for when the wretched plants have triumphed."

"It’s easier to be on TV. Politics is much harsher than the small screen."

"I remember more the atmosphere than specific memories — being in the garden and hanging out with both my parents while they were doing things, walking through, smelling the flowers. I was very keen on s from a young age – that very much formed the basis of my love of gardening. Wild collecting dictated what we had in the gardens. On holidays in the Mediterranean, my parents collected plants such as and s – we had them long before they were fashionable. s, too."

"A garden is a place to enjoy and indulge in, something you can love, somewhere you can nurture. It stimulates all the senses, and its very unpredictability gives it a vitality not often encountered in our contrived and controlled world. My plot is on a south-west-facing slope about 150m above sea level in north , in a lull between and . The soil is heavy , ochre and grey at its worst, with random streaks of , known locally as shillet. There are trees wrapped around one side of it and a seriously overgrown hedge, up to 18m tall and counting, whose fallen leaves have gradually changed the soil beneath to acid . All the garden lies in front of the house and is bisected by a track that joins the cottage to the outside world - or is it the other way around? For such a small plot, less than an acre, there is a huge diversity of conditions, from sunny and Mediterranean to murky shade, enabling us to grow a wide range of plants. We cultivate vegetables and some fruit, too."

"The garden at Ashwood Nurseries is wonderful and John Massey is a brilliant bloke. , naturally, but also Marchants Hardy Plants. I’ve known [founder] Graham Gough ever since he was working with Elizabeth Strangman, who is one of my all-time heroines. I love the – I love everything about it, but particularly its overall attitude. It’s incredibly welcoming and it involves not just visitors from elsewhere but everybody in the city. It has real energy."

"I'm on a mission to get more of us to grow British wild flowers in our gardens. As ever-increasing numbers of these plants vanish from the countryside, our own private spaces become more important – and genuinely useful. Between us, our gardens cover more than a million acres, which far exceeds the total area of all our nature reserves. We need to think of our gardens as little reservoirs in which British biodiversity can survive. In time, it will spread out from there, but if we make our gardens wild flower hot spots, then at least we know things aren't disappearing at quite such a rate. There's plenty of evidence from the work of etymologists such as Dr (see her brilliant book Wildlife Of A Garden: A Thirty-Year Study) that gardens can provide rich s, with flowers the key part of that ."

"'Madame Alfred Carrière' This was the first rose planted by Vita at in 1930, before the deeds were even signed, and it quickly covered most of the south face of the South Cottage and in Vita and Harold's day was left to 'render invisible' most of the front of the house and trained around her bedroom window to pour scent into the house for months at a stretch. It is still there, and now has a huge trunk wider than my husband's thigh."

"Interviewer: What is your erotic fantasy? De Girolamo: Doing it in public, on a beach or in the street, without worrying about prying eyes."

"I hope to live in a country where no one has to declare anything anymore. Love exists, period. I would like to get to that point, where no one has to say what their sexual orientation is anymore. We all love, that's it."

"I would like to know why I, raised by a single mother, couldn't have a child as a single woman! I even thought about becoming Spanish."

"There are many [gay] young people who write to me, who have great difficulties because sometimes their parents do not accept this. I think this can help some parents understand that a child should always be loved and respected."

"Raffaella Carrà was one of the symbols of Italian television, perhaps its most beloved personality. She will be missed by millions of viewers who loved her for her style and by all those who, like me, had the opportunity to know her and work with her. I loved her very much. With her programmes, she was able to speak to very different generations, having the ability to always keep up with the times and never resorting to vulgarity."

"(About Mina) When I was asked to celebrate her birthday, I thought about the value of the present and the past, and I realised that the imperfect or recent past tenses are not suitable for her. The right tense is the present indicative."

"I will die without knowing. On my tombstone, I will write: ‘Why did gay people like me so much?’[3]"

"Mina was not, but she is. Mina did not “leave a mark”, but she leaves one every day. [4]"