I would have liked to, but then in the name of discretion I didn't do it, but believe me if I tell you that I would gladly give a peek into Giorgio Rocca's diary, not to pry into his affairs, but to understand how many things a man is capable of. to do in a single day. To give you a taste, I'll tell you that our interview was done between one call and another and I immediately understood that, on a typical day, 30 minutes in a row are not easy to find if your name is Giorgio and surname Rocca. But, as they say, we brought her home and Giorgio once again proved to be a helpful person, no frills and perfectly frank.

Where do we start from? From the fact that his life is a continuous evolution, rather than hanging up his skis and resting on his laurels. Giorgio Rocca always gives the impression of being a man who thinks once and does a hundred, then thinks another ten and does a thousand more.

Started in St. Moritz with his first Ski Academy, he expanded to Crans Montana, followed by Livigno, and then the need to stop obviously wasn't part of his plans. So now there are also the Ski Academies of Madonna di Campiglio, Cervinia-Zermatt and Courchevel. Six peaks where ski enthusiasts can practice this wonderful sport followed by professional instructors selected directly by the former world-class skier. Omnipresence is obviously not feasible, but thanks to his highly organized agenda (which must be in the shape of a tetris), Giorgio manages to be present everywhere on a rotating basis.

A former World Champion in his category, in addition to his Ski Academies he has also created other parallel careers as a television commentator, Brand Ambassador and Testimonial (among the various brands that collaborate with him include Falconeri, Svizzera Turismo and Giorgio Armani).

And it is precisely with the "king of fashion" that Rocca actively collaborates by testing sportswear...

«Exactly, I'm testing the new clothing lines that Giorgio Armani has created for skiing. In addition to being highly technical garments, Armani obviously also cares a lot about style, a combination that is not obvious to achieve."

And it will in fact be Giorgio Armani himself who will dress all the athletes of the Italian national team who will participate in the Milan Cortina 2026 Winter Olympics, the most geographically extensive edition ever which for the first time will involve two cities from two different regions. Olympics that Giorgio knows very well and which like many other competitions gave him indescribable moments of adrenaline, thrills, concentration, endorphins and pure joy.

They can be found again certain emotions in post-competition life?

"Sincerely? No. The emotions I felt at the starting blocks, in the turns, in the slides, at the finish line and on the podiums are incomparable. I have certainly had many other immense joys in my life, but if we talk about those emotions, well, they never come back."

Like every professional athlete, at a certain point he too had to deal with the registry and withdraw from competitions but, even now that he is 48 years old, looking at him you can say that the registry is really just a number.

How do you always stay so fit?

«I pay a lot of attention to my diet, I pay attention to the quality of the products, I eat lots of vegetables and I try not to overdo it with simple carbohydrates, red meat and alcohol. Of course, I enjoy a good glass of red wine, but it ends there, I don't overdo it because I know it's not good for me."

Let's go into a little more detail: what do you eat for breakfast?

«I'll start by telling you that breakfast is essential for me, I could never skip it. There are friends who practice intermittent fasting and eat their first meal at 14pm. It's not for me, I get up in the morning and I really need to nourish my body; so I eat oat flakes with almond milk, add some fruit and also some Greek yogurt. This is my typical breakfast and it makes me feel good. And then I try to eat at home and cook fresh food whenever I can, so I know exactly where it comes from and how to season it."

And if you have to treat yourself, what is it?

«Don't take away my pizza on Sunday evening, or even a nice plate of pasta or a nice piece of meat. They are pleasures which, in moderation, I will not give up. And then I always practice a lot of sport."

Always on the move between skiing, mountain biking, motorbike and climbing slopes, it's really hard to imagine yourself standing still on a deckchair by the sea enjoying a bit of relaxation in the summer months...

«You're absolutely right, I can never sit still, it's just not part of my character. In the summer I am often in the mountains with my children and we practice many different sports together, and when we are at the seaside we try our hand at water sports. That's how I am, always on the move." Always living to the fullest is certainly thrilling, but demanding, both physically and mentally. 

How do you manage your inner part, that of awareness?

«I could do more, I realize that. I should meditate, practice yoga, I know it would be good for me. But in my own way I still manage to empty my mind in the moments when I ski alone. It's a wonderful feeling."

Now professional athletes are followed by nutritionists, mental coaches, psychologists: what was the situation like when you played in the national team?

«None of this. Everyone made do as they could, both for nutrition and for mental health. I can proudly say that I paid a psychologist out of my own pocket to follow me, to help me manage stress, to better understand my mind. At the time they called me crazy, but now they have understood that this type of path does a lot of good for dispelling doubts and carrying out internal work."

You are a person who always aims very high, demanding of himself, because you certainly always knew where you could get...

«It's true, I demand a lot from myself. It has always been like this, in fact I would never have been able to practice a team sport: if one of my teammates hadn't given 100% I would hardly have been able to keep quiet."

Authentic without limits, and deeply convinced that honesty towards oneself and others is an essential factor both in life and in sport. «I always say this to my children too, if you aren't fair you can never be truly satisfied with yourself."

And if this is said by a person who has achieved everything on his own, without shortcuts and with great respect, I would say that we can subscribe with our eyes closed.