What students love most about our Turin school is the desire to popularise a city that, despite boasting a glorious past, is often a little neglected. But then Turin surprises everyone, even the Turinese themselves, who are not always aware of the potential of their city.
Having said that, people cannot help liking the Sabaudo Torinese (aka Lorenzo Valle) as soon as they meet him. A gentleman from another era, who with his white beard looks a bit like Giuseppe Verdi, is now a real celebrity on social media. To his almost 100 thousand followers, the Sabaudo Torinese tells stories and secrets about Turin and its food and wine traditions, all seasoned with a little Piedmontese dialect. With his calm and modest manners, he is very popular on the web and he does it to entice both the tourists and the inhabitants of Turin, to fall in love with the city, because when he doesn’t see it counted among the art cities, he just gets angry.
We were so impressed by his vitality that we are thinking about working with him to introduce the Piedmontese dialect to our students as well. Would you like to meet this extraordinary gentleman, who spends his free time volunteering at the Basilica of Superga and participating in the Historia Subalpina group, which organises historical re-enactments in period costumes? Read on!
How does one become an influencer on social media at the age of 75? A bit by chance, but by meeting the right people to set up a project that fits your knowledge and love for your city.
How was the Sabaudo Torinese born? By answering an ad on Facebook looking for a “somewhat seasoned” extra who could speak the Turinese dialect and knew the Piedmontese cuisine and history. Many ideas, which contributed to making the character interesting, came from my Historia Subalpina friends Beppe, Raffaella and Giorgio.
How has your life changed after this experience? Up until then, my life was normal, a bit flat. The life of a typical Turinese of my age: I worked for 12 years on the shop floor of Alenia and then, to improve myself, I went to night school at the Jesuit Social Institute. So, after working and studying, sacrificing evenings and Sundays for 5 years, I was promoted to the rank of clerk. There were many of us in this situation and I have always had a bit of an inferiority complex. So now that I am at the centre of something perhaps a bit too big for me, I am enthusiastic about it.
What are your next projects? To continue to instil in people the love for Turin. Stealing a phrase from the singer-songwriter Gipo Farassino, I would like tourists, after they stayed in Turin, to stop people on the street, say “But do you know that I have been to TURIN?” and talk about its elegance and history.
Do you have a secret dream? When the media talk about art cities, I would like them to mention Turin as well.
Why don’t you check out the Sabaudo Torinese’s posts on Instagram and Tiktok? You won’t be disappointed. On our part, we can’t wait to organise some nice initiative with him at our school in Turin!
Scuola Leonardo da Vinci Turin
The welcoming friendly atmosphere of our school will make you feel at home and you can relax with your classmates in the small gardens of the adjacent pedestrian area.
