Tonight is Epiphany Eve and in Italy many children will be waiting to see what they receive from La Befana, ‘the witch’ – sweets if they’ve been good, coal if they’ve been naughty. As I wrote in, Mezza Italiana, I was chosen as La Befana for my school play, being ‘an Italian kid’, and as you can see from the first photo, I wasn’t too thrilled about it! 😄 Although, I’d warmed up to the idea by the second photo when I got to climb through a window. (As you can also see, being summer, I’m already a bit burnt from swimming at the local pool!)
“In primary school, the class put on an end of year play. ‘This year we’re doing ‘Christmas Around the World’ to show how different countries celebrate Christmas,’ the teacher announced, eyes shining. As the teacher gave out the parts I chewed my nails praying that what I suspected was about to happen didn’t. ‘And in Italy…’ the teacher declared almost bursting with smiles, ‘…they don’t have Santa Claus, they have a woman.’ Comments and guffaws erupted from the class about it being strange. ‘She’s called Befana who is a bit like a witch bringing lumps of coal to the naughty children and sweets to the good. The part of Befana has been given to… Zoë.’ I didn’t know too many swearwords at that age but I remember the couple I did know popping into my mind, bloody shit.” …from Mezza Italiana.
The thing is, looking back, I’m thrilled that I got picked to play, La Befana and am so glad I did. I wish I could say to the little girl in the first photo, don’t worry, it’s all going to be okay, you don’t need to hide your migrant heritage, one day you’ll even write about it (though of course, I would’ve been horrified at the thought back then!) I guess epiphanies come in all shapes and forms and at different times. Buona Epifania! Auguri della Befana! 🖤 Zoë xx
Today’s the day! 
I have this one treasured photo with three generations of the Boccabella men in my life – Dad, Nonno Anni, Bisnonno Vitale (and my zio).
My Bisnonna, Granny Maddalena’s birthday was today and by complete coincidence, this morning I was talking to one of her relatives in Italy of her stories that I’m writing about. Like many of her era, Maddalena’s life was shaped by hard-earned experience as she lived through two wars, an earthquake, a pandemic, the depression and bringing up her sons single-handedly before she could join her husband in Australia.
I’m so thrilled that, 
Polpette and peas in gravy, such an ‘Australitaliano’ combination – meatballs and peas in tomato sauce. Comfort food at its best. Nanna Francesca cooked this a lot (and when I was a kid, I found it a bit confusing that, being southern Italian, she called the tomato passata or sugo – ‘gravy’ considering my Australian Mum called gravy a deep-brown liquid accompanying a roast). Nanna Francesca would’ve been 95 today so it seems fitting to cook her polpette e piselli in gravy. We always celebrated her birthday on the 12th, the day she was born though the official date on her birth certificate was the 19th (lodged late as her parents argued who to name her after). Tradition won, as did her father, and being the first-born, Francesca was named after her paternal grandmother.
Thinking of all those volunteering and working over this time when many get to take a break. It still amazes me how my grandparents opened their milk bar and fruit shop 7 days a week from early morning ‘til late at night with only two days a year off – for 20 years straight! And then ‘scaled back’ to 5 days a week for the following years.
Happy 80th Birthday to my great uncle, Vince. Lovely to celebrate this milestone with him on the weekend. To me, he’s always been a gentle soul and am so glad we’ve stayed close.
Zoë Boccabella 