Ornella Vanoni

"I rule out Mina reappearing, because it would be a mistake and she doesn't make mistakes in this sense. Mina is a legend because we can only imagine her. We don't know what she is anymore. She is a memory, and that is her strength. If she did appear, it would be a huge success, people would kill to get a ticket. But she would lose her depth. In short, Mina must not be seen, otherwise she is not a legend. And she knows this very well. Legends either die young or disappear."

"All my life I have been a passer-by and have always sought out secondary paths. I am always fascinated by what I do not know, and those are the secondary paths. And that is my goal."

"I think the best of Renato. I think he's full of imagination. It's not true that he imitates ambiguous British singers, as they say. He's been like that for 10 years, he's always dressed in a certain crazy way, he doesn't imitate anyone. He's a hybrid, but his real strength lies in the fact that he was born in the suburbs of Rome, among real people. And he has remained a “suburbanite”, with the sincerity and humanity of those people. More than ambiguous, he is one of them. For kids, he is a fairy tale, he is Disneyland, with dreams and hopes. Even for kids, he is one of them. That's why he's successful."

"Mina is the greatest Italian singer, even though for some years now she has not cared about singing, and you can tell. I envied her greatly for her joyful success. Italy went crazy for her. Good humour exploded from this girl who moved against the whining of the time. And since she is gifted by God, she has this surprising ease: she sings with the same ease as someone doing anything else. She is still capable of evoking great emotions. It makes me angry because she makes records because it suits her, and I don't agree with that. You either do this job well or you don't do it at all. I say to myself: you have the money, so for goodness' sake make a record with Gil Evans, with a big orchestra. Enjoy yourself."

"Milan has some beautiful areas, it is beautiful in the fog, it is a bit like a woman wearing a veil."

"Interviewer: What was it like to duet with [[w:Eros Ramazzotti|Ramazzotti? Vanoni: Nothing. He doesn't give off anything. When I sang with Dalla, Gino, Jovanotti, Renato Zero, something happened to me, but with Ramazzotti I didn't feel any emotion."

"For a poet, everything becomes material."

"I am a courageous woman, not a strong one. I am very fragile and I pay for everything with tears and effort."

"Trieste is a beautiful, wonderful city; all seaside cities are beautiful, but Trieste is particularly so because it is right on the sea."

"[Before the general election on 4 March 2018] Who will I vote for? I'm voting for mma Bonino. The best foreign minister, a radical woman who has always fought for her beliefs. We owe abortion, divorce and living wills to the Radical Party. They fought for these three concrete things."

"(About Giorgio Strehler) The first year, he followed my tram in his car. Then he drove me home and it was love. Giorgio was such a genius and I was so overwhelmed by passion... My father lost his voice. I lived at the Piccolo, I slept with Giorgio. He was the man who loved me the most. [...] I left him, he made me suffer, he had vices I couldn't stand. But he introduced me to culture. He talked and I kept quiet: I just had to learn. He sensed that I could sing, he made me write songs about the underworld."

"I had become Roman at the time of Rugantino. Aldo Fabrizi taught me the slower, more indolent pace of life and acting. When we went to Milan, Garinei, Giovannini and Trovajoli would put on their fur hats and take their passports like Totò and Peppino in the film. They teased me."

"The Lirico theatre was dedicated to Gaber, the two Piccolo venues to Strehler and Grassi, the Liberty building to Fo and Rame, and the Studio to Melato; there was nothing left for me, which is why I am appealing to Mayor Beppe Sala: dedicate a flowerbed in the city centre to me."

"I am fond of very few things. I believe that every house has its own soul that must be respected. There is no point in dragging around baggage from other lives. You start over every time."

"Stendhal must have been high when he said that the landscape of Lombardy was the most beautiful in the world... This grey sky."

"Among those in the hip hop world, Marracash is the best, I think the Premio Tenco award is justified. But I listen to other things, I like Cosmo, I like Maneskin even if they need to write new songs, as I know they are doing... But I have to say one thing about Damiano. I'm not the type to be shocked, but even Mick Jagger, the most sinful of singers, didn't show his bare arse on stage. What's the point of showing your bum? It's not in good taste..."

"I don't get any satisfaction from being Ornella Vanoni, I've never been super egocentric. I have my own way of being, people thought I was unpleasant or snobbish, but the truth is that I was incredibly shy and insecure. I cured that with theatre and with Strehler, with the audience, with music."

"(About Gino Paoli) He's a cat. I don't know, I didn't see him for three days, then I went downstairs and he was sitting on the steps of the front door. His first child was mine, but then I lost him."

"While romantic love is complicated, the love you feel for your children and grandchildren is a love made of serenity."

"Was I sensual? Yes, I realised that quite early on. And yes, of course, I played on it."

"Inteviewer: You are always ironic... Vanoni: Humour alleviates fear. We need to play, because we are living in tragic times. I feel exhausted and saddened after reading the newspapers and listening to the news. It seems that human beings cannot help but wage war. This is the zeitgeist: the spirit of the times is war. Then we also have Donald Trump, so we're in a bad way..."

"Interviewer: Among the companions of her life, you mention loneliness... Vanoni: I have the letter S for Solitude tattooed on my chest. I have always felt alone. For as long as I can remember, since I was a child. A feeling of incompleteness, the certainty of having a vulnerable side and that no one can really protect you."

"Interviewer: You also joke a lot about death, calling it the Musona... Vanoni: I've already made arrangements: I've asked Paolo Fresu to play at my funeral, I'll wear a beautiful loose-fitting pleated dress, and I'll have my make-up artist do my make-up. I'll look great. I don't want to die late, I couldn't bear to stay at home doing nothing."