The reason that Ricciardi exists at all is because Francesco Pinto wanted him to, so the first thank-you goes to him, as always; and Ricciardi walks down the streets conceived by Antonio Formicola and Michele Antonielli, as always. The atmosphere around him, the people he meets, and the air that he breathes were built with the fundamental, loving assistance of Dr. Annamaria Torroncelli and Dr. Stefania Negro.
For information about the magical world of the Neapolitan manger scene, Ricciardi owes a debt of gratitude to the extraordinary expertise of Michele Nevola, who spoke to him through Don Pierino. For Rosa’s Cilento cooking, gratitude is owed to the clear and rigorous information provided by the magnificent Sabrina Prisco, of the Osteria Canali in Salerno.
A heartfelt thanks to the magnificent De Filippo siblings, and I hope they’ll forgive me for moving the premiere of their play Natale in casa Cupiello by a few days for considerations of plot.
The author must also express his thanks, once again, to the wonderful group of the Corpi Freddi, who turn solitary activities like writing and reading into a fantastic collective experience. Ricciardi’s heart beats for these young people and, through them, echoes back, amplified and more profound.
My last thank-you goes to a little girl who, at the end of the 1930s, told her stories to a little rag doll, imagining that it was her child.
And those are the stories, Mamma, that I tell here.