Can we take a photo or record a video during the signing?

This is a question I hear more and more often.

Interestingly, it is rarely asked by Italian clients.

More often, it comes from people who have travelled to Italy from abroad.

Over the years I have heard it from Americans, Australians, Canadians, Brazilians and clients from many other parts of the world.

The scene is almost always the same.

We have just finished reading the deed.

Everyone is ready to sign.

Then someone smiles and asks:

"Notary, would it be all right if we took a photograph?"

Or perhaps:

"Would you mind if we recorded a short video?"

The first time it happened, I must admit I was rather surprised.

For many Italians, signing a notarial deed is certainly an important event, but it is generally experienced as a formal and private occasion.

For many international clients, however, it represents something much more personal.

It is the day they finally purchase the Italian home they have dreamed about for years.

It is the moment they establish a new business.

It is the conclusion of a project that may have required months—or even years—of planning.

It is only natural that they wish to preserve the memory of that moment.

Over time, I have come to see these requests from a different perspective.

There is something genuinely moving about seeing so much happiness behind the signing of a legal document.

Of course, the answer cannot depend solely on the wishes of the client.

The privacy of everyone present must always be respected.

No one should appear in a photograph or video without their consent.

The normal work of the office should not be interrupted.

When these conditions are met, and there are no particular reasons to do otherwise, I am generally pleased to allow clients to take a photograph or record a short video to remember an important day in their lives.

Even after many years as a Notary, I still find this cultural difference fascinating.

Many Italian clients simply put down the pen, shake my hand and quietly leave the office.

Many international clients reach for their phone and ask:

"Notary, may we capture this moment?"

Every time they do, they remind me that behind every notarial deed there is far more than legislation, legal formalities and official documents.

There are people.

There are families.

There are dreams that have finally become reality.

And there are moments that deserve to be remembered long after the signatures have dried.

Perhaps that is why, whenever circumstances allow, I am happy to become part of that memory as well.