Food as an act of intergenerational justice

Carlo Cracco

Chef Carlo Cracco also spoke about this in his speech, where he expressed the very meaning of cooking, which 'is not just a set of techniques or the expression of individual creativity: it is above all a cultural heritage that develops and is enriched thanks to the transmission of knowledge, experience and values between masters and students'. As the most significant figure for the alliance of generations, the chef recalled that of Gualtiero Marchesi, who 'represents not only a great cook, but also a master capable of training and inspiring entire generations of professionals'.

In the evolutions that the kitchen has undergone over time, Carlo Cracco has placed great value 'on the idea of a brigade working as a team. Each person contributes his or her own talent, sensitivity and energy. My task, as chef, is to create the conditions for these qualities to be expressed in the best way'.

According to the chef, the history of cuisine is the result of an alliance between generations, based on a very clear principle: 'Innovation is never born in isolation, but from the encounter between experience and the future. Each generation builds its own path from the foundations left by those who came before it. It is precisely in this continuous dialogue between masters and students, between organisation and creativity, between memory and change, that I recognise the true strength of gastronomic culture: an authentic alliance between generations'.

Carlo Cracco e Elena Beccalli

In his speech, Rector Beccalli did not fail to mention the innovations at the Piacenza-Cremona campus. In Piacenza, "innovations will affect the three-year degree course in 'Economics and Management for Sustainability', the three-year degree course in 'International Business Management' and the master's degree course in 'Management'.

In Cremona, on the other hand, the master's degree in 'Management and Digital Innovation' will change its appearance'. Also in Cremona, 'the master's degree in "Artificial Intelligence and Data Science for Enterprises", born from the collaboration with the Milan Polytechnic, according to an authentic logic of co-opetition, has started'. And in the Lombard city from next academic year, thanks to the support of the Fondazione Arvedi Bruschini, a new residence will be opened to host 70 students and visiting professors. On the research front, 2025 was an exceptional year, 'the best ever in terms of attracting resources and projects.

A total of 177 new research projects, worth almost EUR 11 million, have been registered,' said the rector, not forgetting the site's ongoing commitment to the Africa Plan with ten projects. Finally, in Cremona, to return to the theme of dies, a research centre of excellence on longevity will be set up with Bocconi University, through the support of the Invernizzi Foundation.

Also speaking at the dies academicus were the mayor of Piacenza Katia Tarasconi, Epis's CEO Monica Patelli and former student and PhD student Rebecca Mariani.

The mayor reaffirmed that for a city like Piacenza, being able to count on a dynamic and qualified university is therefore a great opportunity. It means attracting young people from many parts of Italia and also from abroad. It means generating cultural exchanges, relationships and new ideas'. The Epis representative and President of the Province invited 'us to work together, pooling the skills of everyone, especially our young people, who are both present and future, to offer our communities and the citizens who live in them a star-studded menu in which the territory and its people are the protagonists'.

Rebecca Mariani closed the ceremony, describing the university as 'a place where generations can dialogue, meet and sometimes clash, but always in a constructive way'.