When family calls you do not hesitate. When Neapolitan family requires your presence you do not have a choice! Therefore, the four of us travelled back to the roots over half-term... to bella Napoli... despite Covid.
In order to enter the region of Campania we need to get tested, so 72 hours beforehand we diligently stood in line at a Parisian lab and the held up our heads to have a cotton swab poked up our nostrils. Ahhh, cosa non si fa per la famiglia?!?
All this to participate at my little niece’s first communion which in Southern Italy is nearly as important as a girl’s wedding. All the preparation had been made for a full blown bridal celebration but then had to be reduced to a handful of family members a few days before due to tightening of Covid regulations. Nevertheless, the main character of the day was happy because her cousins had defeated the odds and travelled from Paris just for her.
A short church service will lots of social distancing reminders and a scrumptious home-cooked feast at my sister-in-law's flat rather than the planned catered event in a smart castle (?!?) overlooking the Bay of Naples was marked by loud discussions about the pros and cons of the current political situation and the Covid-related suffering of the local economy. "La familia" was not completely reunited due to number restrictions but those of us who had managed to attend the gathering thoroughly enjoyed our short time together.
Bella guagliòna mia, tanti auguri per la tua Prima Comunione. Ti aspettiamo a Parigi...
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