Very proud parents!

 A few months ago, I went to a talk by Mary Robinson. The night before, I decided to bring her memoir which I had read the year before just in case I got the chance to ask her to sign it after the event.

The talk was incredible. At the end, when she was free, I approached her and asked if she would sign my copy of the book. She leaned in close to ask my name and mentioned that she had written the book together with her daughter. While she was signing it, my friend snapped a really nice photo of the two of us.

I was so happy I got to meet her and have the book signed. That evening, I sent the photo to my parents, because in our family, we like to share the little (or big) moments of our day.

Then, in July, I went back to Italy to visit my parents. As soon as I walked into the house, I froze, staring at the mantelpiece in disbelief. I looked at the photo in front of me, then at my parents, then back at the photo, then back at them, unsure if I was really seeing what I thought I was seeing or if the 10-hour train ride had caused some sort of sleep-deprived hallucination.

There it was: the photo of me and Mary Robinson, printed, framed, and proudly displayed. Underneath it, a caption: "With the President of the Republic of Ireland."

I was torn between thinking “This is so sweet” and “Wait, seriously?”

So yes, there is now one family in Italy, out of approximately 60 million Italians, with a framed photo of Mary Robinson on their mantelpiece. And I’m pretty sure it’s the only one.

Honestly? I still find it incredibly cute.

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