Margherita Asplanato

Margherita Asplanato

It would take pages to truly tell Margherita’s story. I know she wouldn’t have liked it – she was never one for flattery or compliments – but it’s impossible not to recognise, at least in part, the value of her tireless efforts. Her old-fashioned reserve should not be mistaken for shyness; for many decades, Nonna Marghe was the Santo Spirito.

You could have visited us unannounced, at any time, and she would have been there. Twenty-four hours a day, 365 days a year, for more than sixty years! She was like a highly decorated general, one who would have made any army proud – always on the front line. Nothing was ever done without first passing the careful scrutiny of her exceptional critical judgment.

A woman of intelligence and intuition, she could understand and piece together an entire conversation from just a few words. Even in her eighties, she was always thinking about the future, as if she were still a young girl building her dreams.

Though she was the soul of the establishment, and always busy with countless responsibilities, she still found the time to raise two children, Mariachiara and Andrea, who eventually joined her in managing the hotel.

An avid fan of crossword puzzles, devouring the most renowned magazines in record time, her greatest passion was crocheting. An indefatigable crocheteuse, she ensured that the altar cloths adorning all the churches in our valley were crafted by her skilled hands. Her final creation was even gifted to the Pope himself, after which she maintained a brief correspondence with him, proudly framed and displayed in the restaurant’s dining room.

Margherita passed away peacefully in the late summer of 2020. Pragmatic until the end, she ensured that Santo Spirito’s management would continue smoothly, delivering her "orders" in what felt like a symbolic “Ceremony of the Keys,” easing the transition to the next generation.

Her memory lives on in the hearts of her family, who often think of her and feel the absence of her tenacity and strength of spirit.

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