Nanna Francesca and ‘posse’ outside the Fossa house in 1975 (including Pierina, far left, Nonno Anni’s cousin, born the same year he was, who lived in his family’s house after they’d migrated to Australia).
As I got older, I learnt how it felt to be the younger woman, standing amid the older women but just that little bit behind, waiting for your turn to step forward. The same way, as you sat together in conversation, the older women’s talk would dominate – topics hurtling from food to people to unfamiliar happenings and I’d be grasping to hold on as we were whisked away into another story.
There were times I’d get restless and think I’d much rather be off somewhere else, or seeing what Nonno Anni and ‘the men’ were up to, but Nanna Francesca would weld me with her eyes to stay put and for that I’m grateful now. It was then that I learnt to listen, sitting quietly, and now I realise the value of basking in the company of older women who’ve seen much, dealt with much and have so much precious experience to impart – as well as perhaps that ciambella cake recipe. 😘✨💛
Zoë Boccabella 
Hi Zoe, I’ve been listening to your audiobook and have been following the places you mention on Google Maps when I suddenly realised the earthquake changed so much for Fossa. Most of Google Maps street views are from 2008 and then, when I found a photo of 2019 and then other street views from 2024, it sunk in. Love your story so far. Still a few hours of listening to go.
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Hello, thank you for your kind words and interest in my books, especially for taking the time to look for the places I’ve written about. Yes, sadly, the earthquake in Abruzzo in 2009 changed so much in the area and seventeen years on we still haven’t been able to return to stay in the family house in Fossa that remains unsafe and damaged as it was the day of the earthquake. I keep hope that Fossa will return as more building and repairs goes on but it is a painstaking process and I really feel for the residents for whom Fossa was home.
A little while back, I did a post about Fossa after the earthquake and there is a link you can click on at the end, ‘To watch footage..’ that takes you inside the village. The footage has been shot sensitively while also showing just how a place can be after a devastating earthquake, long after the media has stopped reporting on it. I’ll put the link below. Again, thanks for you kind words. Zoe x
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