Interview published in Ticino Welcome No. 085 – March / May 2025.
When I arrive for my interview with Marco Oliver Tepoorten, Chiasso is deserted — the opposite of the Chiasso remembered by the old freight forwarders, where trains arrived full of goods and the border town thrived on trade. The streets were never empty and every family contributed to the success of what was, at the time, an extremely vibrant community.
«Many people ask about that, actually. It's a surname of Dutch origin, even though my parents are German. My father, like many fathers, had come to Ticino for work together with my mother; he was a freight forwarder and he found me my first job».
«Yes, in Sorengo, on 28 September 1970. Initially I lived in Loreto, then we moved to Cassarate, Viganello and finally to Carabbia. I was a very dynamic child, I could never sit still and whenever I could I would go to Lugano. In those days we kids used to sell Mickey Mouse comics and mineral stones on the street, so one day, I was on Via Nassa, my father spotted me… I had no chance to argue and I found myself in boarding school, at Don Bosco in Maroggia. It was a very tough period, during which I unfortunately completely lost the desire to study».