vendesi. affittasi.
these two (very sad-in-this-case) italian words greeted us when we tried to eat dinner at our favorite pizzeria last saturday.
the parking lot was roped off. the interior was dark.
vendesi. affittasi.
for sale. for rent.
we were, quite literally, stunned. it didn’t make sense to us. it was a very popular place, always busy. why? what had happened?
and then my tears began.
because you see, this wasn’t just our favorite pizzeria for the pizza (although i thought it was the best i’d ever eaten). it was our favorite pizzeria because of the way the trio of brothers who owned it made us feel, each and every time we stepped through the door.
many many times throughout this italian journey of ours, eric and i have felt lost. alone. overwhelmed. and so many many of those times we would go to il golfo di napoli and feel better.
because they embraced us, right from the start, and every single time. (we even discussed this, the night before we found out it was for sale.)
nello, the brother who acted as host/waiter, knew our orders by heart (and mine wasn’t even on the menu). he would pour me a small glass of cheer (teaching me the difference between limoncino and limoncello) while eric paid the bill.
we met nello’s two sons, who treated us as kindly as their father and uncles. we brought our own two sons to eat there. in fact, i think we brought almost every visitor we’ve ever had there. we ate there with our local friends as well.
we felt welcomed and loved there, happy and safe.
i didn’t always get pictures. and i won’t get pictures ever again.
because now our favorite pizzeria is closed. and i can only cry.
i wish nello and his brothers well in their new ventures, whatever those may be. despite the language barrier, i think they knew how much we enjoyed their establishment.
what they may never realize, however, is how deeply they touched our lives and how thankful we are for their kindness.
there is a very loud message shining through all of this . . . be good to people.
that’s it. simple really.
just be GOOD to people.
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