«I have dedicated an entire life to my land and my people and I have the dream of seeing our island treated with the same commitment that has accompanied these ninety years of mine». You need an identity card to prove that it is precisely 90 years that Antonello Pilloni , president of the Santadi winery and former historic mayor of Nuxis for almost eight decades, is celebrating today. Because his determination, his desire to think about the future which he sees as extremely complicated for young people, would make even a boy envious.
President, can we take stock at 90?
«You can try, perhaps starting from when I was just a boy and I saw my parents working hard in the fields, day and night, to guarantee a future for their children. They have been my inspiration all my life. I myself worked the land in the Narcao countryside until my father decided to move the family to Carbonia and open a grocery store in via Curiel, and then in via Oristano, to give me and my sister a less harsh tomorrow. I was 17 years old, a new life began."
In via Oristano there is now the historic wine shop closely linked to the Santadi cellar.
«Before reaching that chapter of my life I also worked for Ferrero and Simmenthal. But since 1969 the love for the land brought me back to the vineyards, a passion that culminated with the birth of the Santadi cooperative winery which I have led, as president, since 1976".
These were years in which the life of the cellar ran in parallel with politics.
«I had the great honor, as a Sardinian, of leading the Municipality of Nuxis: I didn't want to do it, Giovanni Battista Melis convinced me, when in the Municipality of Santadi of which Nuxis was previously a fraction, there was no longer an agreement between the DC and Psd'Az. We discussed for a whole night, in the end I accepted."
And he was one of the longest-serving mayors.
«I was in the Town Hall for 37 years, they voted for me 7 times».
What is his secret?
«Working every day for others: for those who voted for you and for those who didn't vote for you. Putting yourself on par with the citizen, with his needs, trying to solve even the smallest problems which, for those who experience them, are never trivial."
Has everything changed today?
«The human dimension has been lost. For me, the relationship with others, helping the weak is the priority. Today our Sardinia, mistreated by the choices of the Italian State, has lost this dimension because there are too many difficulties."
Which choices do you not agree with?
«Too many, one for all those of giving the green light to the wind and photovoltaic invasion without considering the risk for our sea, for our lands. Even here, where there are vineyards, we risk being invaded by wind turbines against the will of those who work the land. We need a battle to stop all this and lay the foundations for rebirth."
Can we be reborn?
«Our cellar is an example of rebirth. At the beginning we recovered from a failing situation and then when the great Italian winemaker, Giacomo Tachis, more than a brother to me, joined the team in 1980, we managed to reach heights that many believed unthinkable. We sell wine in 49 countries and are constantly expanding. I hope it continues even when I leave the presidency in July."
Are you retiring?
«There's always time for that. I will certainly continue to work my vineyards and give advice so that Santadi wine continues to write a story that excites so many people."