A Hat from Australia
Over my many years in the profession, I have received a few unusual gifts. Some have made me smile, others have moved me. But there is one I remember with particular pleasure.
An Australian hat.
It all began with an Australian couple, husband and wife, who had decided to move to Italy, to the hills of Monferrato, near Casale.
They had bought a house and, some time later, decided to sell it and buy another one, still in our area.
I therefore had the opportunity to assist them with more than one property transaction and, as often happens when working with clients from abroad, our professional relationship gradually developed into one of familiarity and mutual warmth.
They were very friendly people, enthusiastic about Italy and particularly fond of our region.
A few months passed after the second transaction was completed.
One day they returned to my office.
They had no documents to sign and no matters to discuss. Instead, they were carrying a large box.
They told me they had wanted to give me a present, something to remind me of their country.
I opened the box and found myself looking at a magnificent Australian hat: a genuine one, with that unmistakable shape we are used to seeing in films set against the vast Australian outback.
It was an impressive hat, beautifully made, certainly not just an ordinary tourist souvenir.
I remember looking at it in amazement, and with a certain embarrassment. It was clearly a valuable gift, carefully chosen and, quite possibly, specially brought over from Australia.
Naturally, I tried it on straight away.
An Italian notary, in his office in Casale Monferrato, wearing an authentic Australian hat: there was something unusual and amusing about the sight.
But what struck me most was not the hat itself.
It was the thought behind it.
Those two people, who had come from the other side of the world, had found a new home in Italy and, evidently, a professional they remembered fondly as well.
They had wanted to show me this through an object that represented something of their homeland, their roots and their identity.
Ultimately, this is one of the most rewarding aspects of my profession.
People come into my office to buy a house, sell a property, settle an inheritance or resolve a legal issue.
And then, sometimes, something more remains beyond the documents: a human connection, a mutual fondness, a memory.
And so, after more than forty years spent welcoming clients and executing deeds, I find that among my treasured memories there is also an authentic Australian hat.
When I think back on it, I cannot help smiling.
This time, fortunately, there was no chicken inside.
There was a little piece of Australia.
