- December 29 will mark ten years since Michael Schumacher’s skiing accident
- Schumacher built a special connection with a chef near Ferrari’s factory
- She remembers the date they first met ahead of his first year driving at Ferrari
Michael Schumacher’s ‘Italian mum’ has spoken about the bond that she had with the Formula One superstar that started ahead of his first season with Ferrari.
The Montana restaurant in Fiorano Modense, is located just a two-minute’s drive away from Ferrari’s factory. Schumacher perfected his craft at the Fiorano circuit, with the machinery that delivered him five of his seven championships, built at the factory in the Italian town.
Needing a break once his F1 duties for the day were completed, the German superstar would most days venture to the restaurant owned by chef Rossella Giannini.
They built up a special relationship, with Giannini to this day still remembering the date that they met for the first time – February 14, 1996.
However, December 29, marks ten years to the day that Schumacher’s life changed in a horror skiing accident. Giannini hopes to this day that he will one day walk through the front doors of her restaurant.
Michael Schumacher’s (pictured) ‘Italian mum’ has revealed that he doesn’t speak to his family but hopes he will ‘walk through the front door’ of her restaurant he regularly visited
Rossella Giannini first met Schumacher in February 1996 (ten days after this photo was taken) ahead of his first season with Ferrari after winning two championships with Benneton
Schumacher won five of his seven titles with Ferrari between 2000 and 2004
As per German publication BILD, she said: ‘I miss him very much. Every day I look at the front door and hope that he will walk through again and that I will make him tagliatelle al ragu (Schumacher’s favourite dish at the restaurant).
‘I can hardly believe that the accident happened ten years ago. In the meantime, I was able to make peace with the situation. I no longer suffer, but remember the beautiful moments.’
Michael’s son Mick would also visit the restaurant, though since leaving the Ferrari young driver programme, those visits have become less frequent and at this moment in time she has no contact with the family.
She said: ‘I don’t want to be a bother. The situation is difficult enough for the relatives. Every now and then I talk to people from Ferrari and ask, but I don’t want to impose myself.’
Giannini, was on holiday at the time that she heard about Schumacher’s accident on the French Alps.
While crossing an unsecured off-piste area, he fell and hit his head on a rock and sustaining a serious head injury despite wearing a helmet.
She said that her ‘world collapsed’ upon hearing of the severity of the accident.
Giannini revealed that she doesn’t speak to Schumacher’s family to ‘not be a bother’ (Schumacher pictured with wife Corinna on a winter skiing trip back in January 2005)
December 29 will mark ten years since Schumacher’s horror skiing accident (pictured in 2012)
Schumacher was later withdrawn from a medically-induced coma and left hospital in June 2014, but has not been seen in the public eye ever since, with his family and medical staff looking after him.
His family have maintained a strict privacy about his condition.
However, in the Netflix documentary Schumacher, which was screened in 2021, Corinna provided a rare update.
She revealed he continued to undergo rehabilitation for the life-changing injuries he suffered and claimed he is now ‘different, but here’.
Fans are set to be offered a rare glimpse into the F1 legend’s life this month with a new five-part documentary by German broadcaster ARD, which will air on December 28, marking ten years since the horrific skiing accident.
