THE BRICIOLA SISTERS

Sometimes it happens that particular or strange Guests arrive and the warning signs tend to announce the originality of those who will stay overnight, very clear signals generally at the time of the phone booking and 90% of the time you already understand that there will be trouble.

On the other end of the line there is a female voice with a strong Apulian accent, she asks for a double room and announces that they will arrive the same day after midnight, first warning bell.

“Madam, send me a photo of your documents via WhatsApp and I will send you the code to open the room door…..” she doesn't have WhatsApp and yet the voice is young, second bell.

At 10:30 pm she calls again and tells me they missed the plane and to cancel the 3 nights booked, third bell.

The next morning she calls again and this time they will take a plane that will land at Malpensa at 11:30, they arrive at 1:00 pm and the sisters show up with their documents in hand but no suitcase, no trolley, each carrying one of those sturdy, branded bags you can buy at a supermarket checkout, from one of the bags sticks out the screw cap of a refill of shower gel of at least 2 liters, they speak to each other in a low voice in a tight dialect, incomprehensible.

The next morning they come down for breakfast early, each fills her plate with several slices of cake, cookies, yogurt and fruit as if once seated it will be impossible to get up again to refill the plate, fourth bell.

They drink two cappuccinos and ask if it's possible to have two bags to put the leftover breakfast from their plates and generally when Guests ask me this I like to keep the "load" standard by handing over bags that could hold groceries for 4/6 people.

Satisfied with so much available space, they wrap cakes and cookies in paper napkins and put everything in their own bag but not satisfied they take Nutella and jams from the next table, I smile and without being seen I hear the fifth bell ring.

But the best is yet to come, my mother calls me asking me to go up to their room, what was in the two canvas bags is scattered on the chair, on the coat rack, on the luggage rack, on the desk there are 2 empty pizza boxes, but the most incredible thing is that the room is covered with bread and pizza crumbs and tiny pieces of paper, the same ones you find in your pants pockets when they've been in the washing machine…..EVERYWHERE.

In the bathroom, in the shower, on the sink, on the bedside tables, on the chair, on the sheets down to the feet, on the pillows, on the wall lamps, under the bed as if the room hadn't been cleaned and tidied for weeks….we clean from scratch and change the sheets but the same scenario repeats for the next two mornings.

Damn bells!