Once upon a time (1946) in a land far, far away (Caraffa Di Catanzaro, Italy), a little boy was born. His parents, delighted with his arrival, called him Giovanni and dreamed of only good things for his life ahead. Unfortunately, times were tough and with thirteen children to feed, hard work and long hours were a given. When little Giovanni was old enough he was sent off to school – but it was soon discovered that homework and studying were not his favourite things to do. Much to his mother’s dismay he would much rather be found playing a game of soccer with his friends and coming home late. In spite of this, he learned at an early age that one had to work hard to make a living – during the three month school holiday, Giovanni was sent to help his father harvest fruit on the farms on the outskirts of town, and when he was older he was sent to help his uncle out in his barber and shoe repair shop after school. Giovanni’s grades got so bad at one point that his mother decided to intervene. She started picking him up from school herself to make sure that he came straight home. Once home, she tied him to a kitchen chair with his book in front of him so that he could learn – but she would soon find him sleeping on the book
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