The most unusual gift I have ever received
If someone asked me what the most unexpected gift of my forty-year career has been, I would not hesitate for a second.
A chicken.
A live one.
It was at the very beginning of my career. I had left Rome to start my professional life in Biella and was still discovering the local traditions and, above all, the people who lived there.
One day I assisted a client who was a mountain farmer, one of those men whose lives revolve around livestock, alpine pastures and the changing seasons.
The transaction went smoothly and, as always, I did everything I could to help.
A few days later he came back to my office.
He was smiling from ear to ear and carrying a cardboard box with a few small holes in it.
He placed it on my desk and proudly said,
"Notary, I've brought you a little present."
I imagined a bottle of wine, a local cheese or perhaps some other speciality from the mountains.
Then I noticed that the box was moving.
I looked at it in surprise.
With complete naturalness he said,
"It's a chicken. That way you'll know exactly what you're eating."
For a few seconds I was genuinely speechless.
Not because I didn't appreciate the gift.
Quite the opposite.
I immediately understood that it came from the heart. For that gentleman, giving me one of his own chickens was probably one of the sincerest ways he could express his gratitude.
The problem was something else entirely.
I have always loved animals, and I had absolutely no intention of turning that poor creature into Sunday lunch.
So instead of solving a problem, the gift created a completely unexpected one.
What was I supposed to do?
I certainly didn't want to offend my client by refusing such a heartfelt gesture, but at the same time I wanted to find a good home for my rather unusual visitor.
Eventually I thought of the perfect person.
One of my clients happened to breed ornamental and pedigree chickens with extraordinary passion. He looked after them with almost unbelievable care.
I called him, explained the situation and asked whether he would be willing to take one more.
He agreed immediately.
When I handed the chicken over, however, I made him promise me one thing.
"Please give me your word that this chicken will live a happy life and die only of old age."
He laughed, assured me that it would be so, and kept his promise.
And so that simple mountain chicken, with no pedigree and no idea that it had become part of a story I would still be telling decades later, ended up living among elegant prize birds, cared for with remarkable dedication.
Every now and then I still think about that day and smile.
Because it reminds me that being a Notary is not only about drafting legal documents or solving legal problems.
Above all, it is about meeting people.
And every so often, somewhere between a property purchase and an inheritance matter, receiving a gift so unexpected that it becomes one of the fondest and most unforgettable memories of an entire professional lifetime.
