My Big Italian Famiglia

One of the highlights of our recent trip to Italy was meeting up with the Ridolfi family in Corchiano, a small village in the Lazio region about 40 miles north of Rome.  The Ridolfis trace their ancestral roots back to Florence during the Renaissance, when they were allied with the Medici family in politics, business and marriage.  In 1532, Cardinal Niccolo Ridolfi (a grandson of Lorenzo “the Magnificent” de’ Medici) was appointed administrator of Viterbo, a larger town not far from Corchiano.  He spent about a year in the post at that time, but returned in 1538 to the same job, which he held for about ten years.  This may be how our branch of the family ended up in Corchiano.

Fast forward to the early 20^th century, when my grandfather, Zerbino Ridolfi, along with his brother Lodovico, moved from Corchiano to West Virginia (and later to Cleveland) and New York City (and later to Boston), respectively.  That is how our line of the Ridolfi family came to America, but we’ve always stayed in touch with our Italian relatives.  Now it was time to meet them.

Taking a break from our luncheon feast.  From left, Luana Todini, son Eugenio and husband Rodolfo Ridolfi, Vincenzo Ridolfi and his girlfriend Oriella Todini.

Mrs. E and I took the train from Rome to Orte, about a 45-minute ride, where cousin Vincenzo, insistent on being our taxi driver, picked us up and drove us to nearby Corchiano.  We had met Vincenzo and his girlfriend Oriella six years ago when they drove down to the Rome Fiumicino airport for dinner with us.  Vincenzo orchestrated our visit to Corchiano.  Along with his brother, Rodolfo, and his father, Eugenio, he works and manages their hazelnut (supplier to Nutella!) and olive farm.  Our visit fell right at the beginning of harvest time for the hazelnuts, a very busy time for the family.  No problem, said Vincenzo, “I have declared today a holiday!”

Mio cugini Italiani: from left, Franco Bellizzi, me, Giovanna Nardi and Eugenio Ridolfi.

And what a holiday it was!  When we pulled into cousin Giovanna and her husband Fausto Nardi’s Agriturismo La Cantina, we were happily greeted by about twenty relatives.  After more hugging, kissing and shaking of hands than I’ve had for a couple of years (thankfully, Corchiano has been largely spared the scourge of Covid, and everyone in the family has been vaccinated) we moved to their open-air building, where they host dinners and events.  A beautiful table had been set for all of us, and as we sat down, the wine began to flow.  So did the conversation, as we all had a lifetime of questions.  Vincenzo and his cousin Gabriele (Franco Bellizzi’s son) served as interpreters, along with Signor Google Translate.  We communicated pretty well, but I promised to work on my Italian so I can speak and understand better the next time we visit.  Capisce?

Now it was time for lunch, and the food, cooked by Fausto’s onsite chef, was delizioso!  We each had our own antipasto plate, with fruits, salamis, cheeses, olives and much more.  Next, a wonderful pasta dish was served.  Then, a bowl of mussels and cannellini beans that was very tasty.  I think a delicious salad of fresh lettuces, tomatoes and other vegetables showed up around this time.  Later on, a fabulous meat dish. . . dusted with hazelnuts, of course.  At this point, we took a break from the action for a tour of the winery and wine cellars.

Fausto Nardi and the bottling machine for his winery.

Most of the wine we drank came from their winery, which was right behind us.  The grapes were grown in the vineyard right next to us.  There was red, there was white. . .I had never heard of any of the grape varietals, but it was all molto bene.  Cugino Gianni took us on a tour, showing us the fermentation tanks, the bottling machine, and the wine cellar, which is over a thousand years old.  It was spettacolare!

We returned to the table and were greeted by a delicious lemon torte, which we devoured, since we hadn’t eaten for about twenty minutes.  Mrs. E mentioned how much she liked Prosecco, and two bottles appeared, like magic.  It was truly a magical feast!  We’ve never had so much food for lunch (or any meal), and it was all excellent.  Grazie mille per tutti!

A piazzetta in Corchiano, Italy.

After saying our goodbyes (arrivedercis), of course including another course of hugging, kissing and shaking of hands, Vincenzo and Oriella took us on a quick tour of the town of Corchiano.  It’s a very small medieval village with ancient structures and some impressive geological features.  We saw where the Ridolfis had lived. . .on Via Ridolfi, of course.  Vincenzo is very involved with the Fondazione Corchiano, which is working to better the community, just like our Cleveland Foundation.  It’s just a little smaller.

Finally, we returned to the small train station to catch our train back to Rome.  We felt like we had just been welcomed into a new family, and made to feel very much a part of it.  Many thanks to the Ridolfis, Nardis and Bellizzis and all of their spouses, girlfriends, children and grandchildren.  The day we spent with our big Italian Famiglia will never be forgotten!

A family portrait, in front of the vineyard of Agriturismo La Cantina.  That’s Mrs. E and me in the middle of the back row.  Thanks to Vincenzo for adding everyone’s name!