Rosalia Vacca and the Dream of… Marco Rossano
Guardian of the Water: Marco Rossano's story at the Farini Canal
Marco Rossano has been working for Est Sesia for ten years, managing the entrance to the Farini Canal on the Dora Baltea. His role involves drawing water from the river and pumping it into the Farini Canal, a tributary of the Cavour Canal, especially during periods when the Po River's water level is too low. His job is to ensure that the Cavour Canal always receives the right amount of water, even in critical conditions.
Rossano describes his work as demanding and continuous: during the irrigation season, which runs from April to October, there are no fixed hours, as constant monitoring of the water level is required, as it is subject to variations caused by the weather, upstream power plants, and melting glaciers.
Monitoring is also carried out using sensors positioned in the canals and hydroelectric power plants, but much of the work is based on direct experience and visual observation: Marco can distinguish the origin of the water (glaciers, rain, Valchiusella) at a glance, based on its color and turbidity.
Rossano emphasizes the historical value of the hydraulic works he manages, admiring their construction precision, which remains unsurpassed today. His work is not merely technical: it is an immersion in nature, made up of observation, responsibility, and dedication. For him, water is "life" and represents a precious resource to be used with precision, without waste, following the meticulous calculations of the hydrometric offices.
Video table of contents
- For ten years on the Farini Canal
- When there is too much water or too little
- The waters of the Dora Baltea: Ivrea Canal, Depretis Canal, and Farini Canal. Minimum vital flow.
- My working year
- My life here at Farini
- Every day you see something that wasn't there the day before
- Knowing water, understanding where it comes from, the colors of the water
- Water is life
- Maintain infrastructure that has a history
- Measuring water: nothing is wasted
Interview information
Country: IT
Region: Piemonte
City: Saluggia
Marco Rossano
Date of birth: 09-08-1967
City: Winthertur
School: High school or Secondary
Profession: Other
Languages: italiano
Document by: Luca Ghiardo
Video by: Luca Ghiardo, Davide Porporato
Created: 02-04-2025
Questo video fa parte del seguente archivio
Rice stories
Rice stories
Food is a fundamental resource for man and his health, both through the supply of nutrients and the ability to embody traits of human culture that play a leading role in our well-being.
Over time, each territory has built original ways in which to relate to the fruits of its land, enriching them with rituals, symbolic meanings and culinary customs. Much of these relationships have been lost following the years of the economic boom, with the exodus from the countryside to urban centers, with the advent of agriculture for mass production and ultimately with the globalization of markets and the consequent impoverishment of the heritage of biodiversity and ethnodiversity.
The purpose of this archive is to collect evidence relating to the main rice production area in Europe, that is the Po Valley, and to investigate, through the analysis of textual sources and testimonies collected in the field, both what survives of this heritage, and the ways in which which has evolved and reached us, paying particular attention to the explicit and implicit links that bind food and health.
