Farewell to Carlo Petrini: the founder of Slow Food and father of sustainable food has died.

He died late on the evening of Thursday 21 May 2026, in his home in Bra, in the province of Cuneo, Carlo Petrini founder of Slow Food and Terra MadreThe news was announced by the very movement he founded, which in a statement recalled the strength of his vision, his love for the common good, for human relationships, for nature, and for biodiversity. With Petrini, one of the most influential figures in contemporary gastronomic culture has passed away, one capable of transforming food from a simple consumer product into a political, social, environmental, and cultural issue.

The father of Slow Food and Terra Madre

Born in Bra in 1949, Carlo Petrini, known to all as Carlin, was a gastronome, journalist, writer and tireless promoter of a more sustainable and fairer food system. In 1986 he founded Slow Food, a movement born to defend the right to pleasure and to a healthy food. good, clean and fair for everyoneFrom that intuition, an international network was born, uniting producers, chefs, scholars, farmers, fishermen, and consumers in over 160 countries, with the aim of defending biodiversity, local cultures, and food sovereignty.

A vision come true

"He who sows utopia, reaps reality" was one of Petrini's favorite phrases, and one that Slow Food chose to encapsulate his life. His was not just a gastronomic battle, but a true vision of the world: food as relationship, responsibility, memory, identity, and future. Petrini brought to the center of public debate issues that today seem fundamental, from environmental sustainability to the protection of local traditions, from respect for the land to the dignity of rural communities.

Pollenzo, the university that changed the study of food

Among his most important legacies is theUniversity of Gastronomic Sciences of Pollenzo, founded in 2004. Petrini wanted to build an academic institution capable of studying food in an interdisciplinary manner, intertwining agriculture, environment, economics, history, anthropology, and culture. The university has trained thousands of gastronomes from dozens of countries, helping to legitimize a new professional and cultural figure: that of those who study food not just as a food, but as a complex system that spans societies, regions, and production models.

Terra Madre and the globalization of communities

Also in 2004 Petrini created Terra Madre, an international network of food communities. A project born to give a voice to small-scale farmers, herders, fishermen, artisans, young people, chefs, and academics, often excluded from the mainstream global economy. Terra Madre represented a different form of globalization: not one of standardization, but of relationships, cooperation, and the defense of diversity. For Petrini, the future of food lay in respect for local areas and the centrality of people.

The connection with the environment and the Laudato si' Communities

In 2017 Petrini was also co-founder of the Laudato si' Community, inspired by Pope Francis's encyclical and dedicated to caring for our common home. A network of local organizations committed to the bottom-up ecological transition, open to people of all faiths and sensibilities. Dialogue with the Catholic world, although he did not define himself as a believer, was one of the most original features of his public experience: Petrini knew how to build bridges between different cultures, uniting spirituality, ecology, social justice, and civil responsibility.

Mattarella's condolences

The president of the Republic Sergio Mattarella He remembered Petrini as a figure capable of leaving "a great void not only in the world of food and wine science, but also in society as a whole, and not just in Italy." The Head of State emphasized how his insights into sustainability, the need to preserve traditions, the valorization of local cultures, and respect for the environment have generated a new awareness of food culture and its production, founded on quality, authenticity, and ethics.

The memory of Crosetto and Piedmont

Among the messages of condolence there is also that of the Minister of Defense Guido Crosetto, who recalled his personal relationship with Petrini, born in Bra, amid restaurants, wineries, discussions, and shared dreams "in rigorous Piedmontese dialect." "The world has lost a true dreamer," wrote Crosetto. The President of the Piedmont Region also Alberto Cirio He paid tribute to Petrini, recalling how Slow Food, Terra Madre, and Pollenzo have contributed to building an important part of the agricultural and food and wine identity of contemporary Piedmont.

Slow Food: "We are the guardians of a great treasure."

In its greeting, Slow Food called Petrini "one of the most lively and visionary intellectuals of our time," capable of engaging in dialogue with a king, a pope, a farmer, a shepherdess, a fisherman, or a student without ever losing his authenticity. The association urged the community to remain united and "keep the course," recalling that the future of the movement is the most concrete way to honor the memory of its founder. "We are the custodians of a great treasure," Slow Food wrote, bidding him farewell with simple, affectionate words: "Goodbye Carlin, we love you."

A legacy beyond gastronomy

Carlo Petrini leaves a legacy that extends far beyond the world of food. His work has helped change the way consumers, institutions, and producers view food, agriculture, and sustainability. He demonstrated that food can be pleasure, but also justice; tradition, but also innovation; local identity, but also global dialogue. His life was concrete proof that ideas, when cultivated with passion and vision, can become enduring realities.