The “Oddero method”: feet firmly planted on the ground and gaze turned into the future, listening and irony
On the centenary of his birth, Alba celebrated Giacomo Oddero with a concerted tribute that united the region in memory of the pharmacist, Barolo producer, and institutional figure who transformed his deep connection with the Langhe into works, development, and a future for the entire Granda province.
Over the past few days, the "Giorgio Busca" community theater has welcomed family members, institutional representatives, friends, and key figures in the area's economic and cultural life, who gathered to remember Giacomo Oddero. The event highlighted one of the "founding fathers" of the Granda area: a pharmacist, winemaker, administrator, and public figure, capable of combining practicality, commitment, poise, and vision. His daughters, Maria Cristina and Maria Vittoria Oddero, said: "This evening brought our father back to us through the eyes and memories of so many people. We were moved to see how his work lives on in the institutions, works, and relationships he built."
Among the insights recalled during the evening were the founding of ONAF, the National Organization of Cheese Tasters, in 1989, the Truffle Study Center, and the ability to unite representatives of great wines around shared projects. Mauro Gola, president of the CRC Foundation, emphasized Oddero's ability to interpret the role of institutions as an expression of humanity, placing culture, solidarity, and development at the center of his work.
From the roundtable discussion moderated by journalist and writer Nicolas Lozito, featuring former senator and university professor Sergio Soave, Antonio Degiacomi, president of the National Truffle Studies Center, the mayor of La Morra Marialuisa Ascheri, and former ATL president Claudio Alberto, what has been called the "Oddero method" emerged: feet firmly planted on the ground and a far-sighted gaze, constant study, listening, a sense of humor without narcissism, and the ability to engage even very diverse people around shared goals. This approach also translated into the ability to not give up in the face of difficulties, to meticulously prepare every intervention and action, to seek solutions where others saw only problems, and to sense unexplored areas of development. An "Oddero method" founded on the belief that a community must focus on what matters, preserving tradition, but also having the courage and foresight to look to a future yet to be written. A hundred years after his birth, the memory of Giacomo Oddero remains a call to responsibility, a call to care for the community and to face future challenges: making the area accessible to new generations, maintaining sustainable tourism, protecting agriculture, and continuing to build development without losing identity and social cohesion.