“When someone says, 'Shut up, farmer,' it hurts. It's difficult to explain, but it hurts.”
“Yes, I was a hippy - absolutely a hippy.”
“I don't want to buy something that has harmed anyone. This is my absolutely strongest belief, and I believe other people think this, too. Or if they don't now, they will.”
“I had a very simple life growing up in the farm country outside of Perugia, and biscotti and warm milk with a tiny bit of coffee were a big part of my morning ritual before walking to school.”
“I like the idea of an enlightened principality. In the early eighteen-hundreds, in Germany, there were princes who built schools, streets, homes. I like that.”
“I love a modern suit paired with a polo or cotton T-shirt... and then paired with leather sneakers, or cashmere joggers with a tailored blazer and a sleeveless puffer vest to get the ultimate informal and formal combination.”
“I say to my industrialist friends, when you have guests from out of town, I don't care how important they are, you should feed them the essence of Italian culture: spaghetti, bread and olive oil.”
“I tell my staff, 'Give me your best, and then go home and live your life.' I've never asked anyone to work harder, but I've told plenty that they needed rest.”
“I want to safeguard the value of lunch. For me, it is sacred. My family and I always have lunch and dinner together. And we always sit down. Food does not taste the same if you are standing up!”
“I've spent a lot of years living with normal people. If I take a private jet to go to a meeting in Milan, well, that's my business; I can do it. But I don't live for it.”