He was the Turin correspondent for the cult RAI program. Carlo Nesti: “A consummate professional”

Cesare Castellotti, a beloved RAI personality, has passed away. He died today in Turin. He was 86 years old. He was one of Paolo Valenti’s “guys,” the captain of the 90° minuto team. The TV show, a “sister” program to Tutto il calcio minuto per minuto, debuted in 1970. Castellotti from Turin, Marcello Giannini from Florence, Giorgio Bubba from Genoa, Luigi Necco from Naples, Tonino Carino from Ascoli, Gianni Vasino from Milan, and Ferruccio Gard from Verona. Even today, many young people from that era mention them as if they were the starting lineup of a soccer team.

“Novantesimo” was the most popular sports program. At 6:15 p.m. every Sunday, it drew a crowd of 10 million viewers. As critic Aldo Grasso pointed out, the reason it had such a large audience was precisely because it followed a strict script. Cesare Castellotti from Turin was always stone-faced, playing the part of the unflappable commentator. One year with a mustache, one year without. Tall, stocky, with a baritone voice, he never lost his composure. He wore flashy checkered jackets, fully buttoned, paired with ties that didn’t always match. He would say: “But I don’t think I was ever over the top. Apart from a few jackets—one in particular, a velvet one with brown and yellowish checks—which had been a gift from the great tailor Litrico. He told me I was a man of the stage. He explained that I needed something that would get noticed.”

heart of a bull—  Castellotti was very much liked by his boss Valenti, who said: “Cesare is perfect for live broadcasts.” Director Villy De Luca seemed perplexed: “He strikes me as cold.” But Valenti had no doubts: “Trust me, Castellotti is aloof, and that’s his greatest strength. Plus, he’ll never let on which team he roots for. He’s not just the voice of Turin, but also a true cultural icon.” But which team did Castellotti root for? A few years ago, he let slip: “I’m from Pinerolo; I’ve never been a true fan, but in my family, our hearts were granata.”

Teocoli’s impersonation—  Carlo Nesti, another legendary Turin-based RAI journalist, remembers him this way: “Cesare was my boss for almost twenty years. A great and noble professional. At RAI in Turin, he served first as editorial secretary and then as head of the sports unit, which consisted of Beppe Barletti, Franco Costa, Federico Calcagno, and me. He became Gianduia Vettorello in his hilarious Teo Teocoli impression on *Mai dire gol*. He loved golf—his true passion—more than soccer. And he adored Brazil, his promised land.”