Yuko meets Luca

When I was in Portovenere in summer 2009, I found an adorable half-Japanese looking boy.

"Ciao, are you Japanese? Can you speak Japanese? Where is your mom?"

He blushed and ran away to find his mom.

His mom appeared and I started talking to her in Japanese and I found out she is the one who married in the Saint Pietro Church. She was the first and last Japanese to get married in the church (So far). She married to an Italian doctor and she has been living in Italy for 13 years. The family lives in Milan but they were on vacation in Portovenere for a month.

Portovenere is like a village; after the first encounter, I happened to see her a lot. Finally she said,

"Do you want to come to my house for dinner?"

Luca and his mom warmly welcomed me and my friend, Theresa. The husband steamed fresh mussels with garlic, salt and wine (Yumm) and cooked spaghetti for us. Actually they invited me to their house not only once but twice and I really appreciated their hospitality.

 This is Luca with his cousin. Aren't they so cute??

I seirously wanted to kidnap him. I wanted to put him in my suitcase and bring him back to Japan and adopt him! Maybe he is about 11 years now? He should be bigger than these pictures.

The left is Luca's dad

Portovenere's mussles. I want to taste the soup again!!!!

 Unfortunately, I dont remember the lady's name nor dad's name but I only remember the name of this boy, Luca. And I remember singing "Yellow Submaline" in English with Luca on the way to their house, holding his hand.

Luca spoke Italian for most of the time but sometimes he spoke Japanese and some English. What a lucky boy, born to be a trilingual.

His mom wanted to be an opera singer and that was the primary reason why she came to Italy. Her opera teacher had a son. She did not become an opera singer but she became a bride of the son. And she became the first Japanese to have a wedding in the S. Pietro church.

People say women that get married in this church are destined to become happy brides.
Luca's dad said, "There was a lady who got married in the church, but shortly after she passed away due to an accident. Her ghost protects women who get married in the church because she does not want them to repeat the history."

and he kissed Luca's mom saying,

"You are a lucky bride."