Dear Alfonso: An Italian Feast of Love and Laughter

‘This is how I was born. At 7.30 a.m. at the Istituto Annunziata in Napoli on 1 May 1925…’

So begins a manuscript, handwritten by Carlo Contini, which lay forgotten and unread for years. The scrawling script unfolds an incredible tale of poverty, adventure and survival which Carlo had not shared with his family during his life time, but left as a moving and extraordinary legacy for them.

Inspired by this document, Carlo’s daughter—in—law, Mary Contini, relates in her inimitable style the stor...