Anam's Story of What Really Happened to Iva Zanicchi

I've met Anam at the check-out counter of my supermarket. In her basket were two stakes, a large bag of raisins and a small bottle of Gin. We went for coffee and she told me she is the grand-daughter of Iva Zanicchi and was very surprised when I said I knew who that is: she won the San Remo three times.

But do I know the real true story of Iva she asked. Here it goes: Iva's husband, Antonio, was abusive and when she couldn't take it anymore, on a Sunday when he and the entire male population of the country  were at the soccer stadium, she packed a suitcase, took her jewellery, all the money in the house and her daughter Rita (3) and went to the buss terminal. They boarded the bus to Cortina d'Ampezzo. Upon arrival, a kind young man whom they asked for directions to the church San Nicolò ad Ospitale, offered to take them there and even carried their suitcase. He said his name was Pietro. Three days later Pietro came to see how they were and took them for Gelato. Three weeks later they moved in with him into a big house that he shared with his old aunt Ilse, the local witch who did spells, curses and love potions for a fee and his uncle Hansi who belonged to the South Tyrolean Liberation Committee who wanted the area to belong to Austria. (Hansi was in jail for blowing up a carabinieri post, killing three). A week later, when Ilse heard Iva's story, she offered to put a death curse on Antonio for the minimal fee of 20,000 Lire (about twenty bucks). Five days later the newspapers wrote that the husband of Iva Zanicchi died in a car crash. Ilse said "Già fatto, e fatto". Four days later Pietro and Iva got married at San Nicolò, Iva became signora Ivona Ganser. Four days later an official letter told them that Hansi was shot and killed trying to escape. Four days later Ilse died peacefully in her sleep. Three weeks later they sold the house and four weeks later Ivona, Rita and Pietro landed in Toronto. Ivona taught canto and flute and Pietro was a successful mastication consultant who trained people how to chew food to lose weight. Rita studied the science of imaginary solutions and is a professor of Pataphysics. She married the local barber, a Hungarian by the name of István Szilágyi. He is Anam's father. Anam runs a Pilates studio and is the lead singer of the all-female band "Le Vampe". They play hip-hop versions of sixties and seventies Italian hits and always start with "Ciao cara, come stai?".

Anam set down her coffee cup and looked at me. I said "That's cool and all, but according to the internet Iva Zanicchi is 84 and lives in Brianza, northwest Lombardy". Anam said "Yes, there is that".

Gentle reader, please read the paraquel published as the next post