My early morning exercise walk takes me along the lungomare (promenade) here in CDP at a time when many fellow Castiglionese are also about, walking their dogs or, like me, just walking. Over the years several of these gentle folk and I have become friendly acquaintances, and we hail one another as we pass; sometimes we stop to exchange a word or two. Everyone knows me as “Mike”, and the usual greeting is “Buon giorno, Mike!” Some, however, inverse the words and say “Mike, buon giorno!” usually with a glint of merriment in their eyes as if there is a secret joke. And indeed there is-but you see I get it! I have been coming to Italy now on a fairly regular basis for about four decades and somewhere in that time I became familiar with the fact that there was a very popular TV host, often of quiz games, named Mike Buongiorno (he died a couple of years back). So all these “Mike, Buon giorno” greeters are having a bit of nostalgic fun in a kind of vicarious way.
In another world, the one called the USA, there was yet another TV personality called Fred Rogers, universally known as Mr. Rogers and one of the shows that he hosted was “Mr. Rogers’ Neighborhood”; a show for children. Fred was a calm and composed avuncular gentleman who usually dressed in a cardigan and told stories to the kids in a laid-back way without any of the computer-generated stuff that we see everywhere these days. Mothers would plunk their kids down on the floor, turn on the TV and run off to their chores, or whatever, secure in the knowledge that their kids were safe in Mr. Rogers’ oasis of tranquility. It must have been heaven for the kids to be free of their parents’ continuous screaming injunctions such as “Don’t pick your nose!” or “Eat your broccoli!” and so forth. Mr. Rogers died a few years back but there are a couple of generations of American adults who knew him and loved him.
So now, when I make a purchase at a store in the US and present my credit card for the payment, the cashier will often hand me back my card and the receipt with the words “Thank you, Mr. Rodgers.” with the same kind of merry twinkle in their eyes as my Italian friends have who hail me with “Mike Buongiorno”. I quietly respond “Welcome to my neighborhood.” Indicating that we are in harmony and that all is right in this little corner of the world.
La vita e bella!