MANUELA
ANNA: The first thing I’d like you to tell me is your name, how old you are, where you were born, and where you live.
MANU: And where I live when? Now or in my whole life?
A: No, just where you live now.
M: That’s already a complicated question.
A: It’s not a complicated question… so, first, say your name.
M: Manuela.
A: And how old are you?
M: I say, “I was born in 1946,” and that’s it.
A: Where were you born?
M: I was born in Rome, at home, because that’s how it was back then…
A: Where do you live now?
M: Oh, that’s a good question because there isn’t just one place, I live a little here, a little there, a little everywhere. I spend some time in the countryside, some time in Rome, and then I move around quite a bit. Depending on the seasons, I like to be wherever feels most pleasant. Right now, for instance, it’s the season for olives and mushrooms, so, if possible, I stay in the countryside, where I oversee the olive harvest, milling, and bottling…
A: So being in the countryside, living in the countryside, is a big part of who you are.
M: Absolutely, I think I know much more about nature than anyone born in the city, I know about nature, animals, and everything outdoors. I’m not very "city-oriented" I don’t try things on in stores, ever. I just eyeball it, and I’m rarely wrong, I know exactly what I like and what I don’t. When I was younger, they used to force me to wear certain clothes, it was such a struggle for me.
A: And when did you finally get to express yourself in the way you dressed?
M: Ah, well, Anna, it happened when I had your mom. You know, I was 19 actually, I had just turned 20 a few days before she was born. After that, I became free, I did everything on my own because when she was born, I was by myself.
A: That freedom sounds beautiful.
M: I faced incredible opposition when I decided to carry on with that pregnancy, it caused a huge family tragedy you can’t even imagine. But I won. They kicked me out, they sent me away from Rome, that’s why your mom was born in Zurich.
A: So, what was it like being such a young mother?
M: Well, it turned out that my daughter became the center of my entire youth. I figured things out by myself, reading.Things changed, I once thought I’d wanted to attend the Central Institute for Restoration, but I ended up making other choices.
A: What’s the greatest value you’ve passed on to your family?
M: To everyone? My passion for nature. I think I’ve taught so many things to everyone, I think I inherited this knowledge from my grandmother, with whom I spent a lot of time. My mother was never present—very rarely present. If you asked me to recall a memory with my mother from when I was little, I can’t think of any. We became closer when Muni (my mom) was born because she was her first grandchild, and she welcomed us back… I spent my time with my grandmother and Giando (her older brother), who was always there for me. His loss was terrible because of that closeness.
A: It’s nice to have those memories of time spent together. I’d also like to ask if you’ve ever worked in your life.
M: No.
A: Why not?
M: It was just the way things were back then, women were pushed to the side. So, I never had the chance, let’s put it that way.
A: But would you have wanted to? If you’d had the opportunity?
M: I’ve always had plenty to do, I’ve never been bored in my life if that’s what you want to know, I can tell you that, I’ve learned so much on my own—reading, doing, observing.
A: Alright, thank you. We’ve had some beautiful…
Nonna: Ideas.