Terra Madre Salone del Gusto 2026: Mattarella's appeal for peace and biodiversity

A long memory of Carlin Petrini and the quote from Pope Francis and the encyclical Laudato Si', with food as a vehicle of peace and not a cause of war. Thus the President of the Republic Sergio Mattarella inaugurates the 2026 edition of Terra Madre Salone del Gusto at the Teatro Regio in Turin. “We are called to a great alliance, towards a food community that sees us committed to world peace,” he says in his speech, recalling that “the future cannot and must not be erased by an omnivorous present” and that “we must never stop sowing in difficult times”.

Mattarella: “Biodiversity is the key to our survival”

"Agriculture is a key sector and must be developed and defended. It is even obvious in its simplicity that it affects the future of the human race", says Mattarella, also recalling article 9 of the Constitution, which protects the environment, biodiversity and ecosystems "also in the interests of future generations".

Biodiversity, underlines the head of state, is "a gigantic heritage" that protects human health and characterizes the environment and our lives. "Genetic multiplicity has allowed the human race to develop over the millennia. Without responsibility, without care for this wealth, man can compress it to the point of destroying it, and destroying himself." This is why we need "national and supranational policies" capable of attributing "the right value" to it.

Standardization of crops and cultures, desertification of territories, climate change and accelerated disappearance of animal and plant species are phenomena that Mattarella indicates as already before his eyes. “It is the great theme of sustainability, an essential front for those who care about the future of their children and grandchildren”. And he adds: "Even if today many of those who, until yesterday, mocked the alarm over the changes taking place are silent, the decline appears equally unstoppable in the absence of urgent initiatives".

Mattarella then recalls Carlo Petrini and the link between biodiversity, cultures and peace. “As Petrini repeated, it is research, encounter; culture of solidarity and peace”. But today, he observes, food and the production of food resources "seem to have once again become a strategic weapon". They are, together with energy, "targets of the wicked wars underway, increasingly directed against civilian populations". And in the theaters of war "hunger and malnutrition reappear".

Hence the call for the "great alliance" between farmers, breeders, fishermen, chefs, gastronomes and consumers: a "food community" called to commit to peace between peoples.

Cirio: “Carlin Petrini is no longer here, but he is still here”

On stage the president of the Piedmont Region Alberto Cirio remembers Petrini and underlines how much his ideas have entered the contemporary debate. "A person who certainly isn't there, but is there. Because Carlin Petrini is here," he says. "Today, just turn on any TV channel, we talk about food, we talk about sustainability. Carlin talked about it 40 years ago."

For Cirio, the founder of Slow Food anticipates a vision of food that combines "good", not only in terms of taste, with "clean", i.e. respect for the environment, and "right", respect for people. Even the term "slow food", he explains, does not simply indicate slowness, but means "resuming our times or the times of nature", following the rhythm of the seasons.

The Piedmontese president then extends his thanks to Mattarella, recalling his presence in Piedmont "both in moments of joy and in those of pain", from the Brandizzo railway tragedy to the visits to Sermig and, today, to the Candiolo research center. “Piedmont loves her, really loves her,” says Cirio.

At the end of the ceremony Mattarella reaches the Slow Food stand in Piazza Castello, where he meets the producers of the various Presidia present at Terra Madre, amidst the applause of those present. The Turin visit to the Candiolo Institute concludes in the afternoon.

Lo Russo: “From Turin we recognize a richness in differences”

"From Turin, today, we choose to look reality in the face. To recognize the richness in differences. To take care of the earth and each other". Mayor Stefano Lo Russo links Terra Madre to Petrini's lesson and the value of the meeting between different cultures. "We know that differences can generate mistrust and tension. And we know that we live in a time in which there are those who fan those tensions, present diversity as a threat and fuel fear to gather consensus."

For Lo Russo, Terra Madre is the "living proof" of Petrini's vision: people come to Turin from different countries, with different cultures, traditions and histories. “When these stories meet, no one loses theirs: everyone emerges richer.” A message that the mayor defines as "strongly political", especially at a time marked by climate change and "a wind that stimulates the fear of people different from us".

Lo Russo also underlines the value of Mattarella's presence, which "obviously fills us with pride but makes us responsible". Addressing the head of state, he finally recalls his recent words on school: "It is open to everyone and its task is to unite, not to raise barriers". Words which, he says, bring us back to the Constitution, to "respect for differences, equal dignity, trust in a common future".