The Caprotti family female: my grandmother Marianne Maire, 1920s

Marianne Maire, a Frenchwoman from Épinal, was Grandpa Peppino's wife, whom he met while studying in France. She was not an easy character, but I remember most of all the sweetness with which she treated us grandchildren. When, in the 1960s, her three sons decided to take over their share of Supermarket (the future Esselunga) from the Americans of IBEC, she came to their rescue with 300 million lire at the time and the relinquishment of most of her rights over Manifattura Caprotti and the family assets she had inherited from her late husband, helping them in no small measure to achieve their goal.

The Caprotti family: Benedetta and Giuseppe Caprotti’s First Communion, May 1970

As happens with every event of this kind, the family photo at the end of the ceremony was a must, and the lens included two 'extended' family groups (Bernardo Caprotti, Venosta, Austoni, Rivolta), with many of the protagonists of my life, from my grandmother Marianne to my aunt Lu with her sisters, from my mother on the far left of the photo to Uncle Guido on the far right, all realised by my father Bernardo's lens.

Caprotti family Easter egg hunt, 1964

For us, children with transalpine blood and habits, hunting for Easter eggs among the meadows and trees has always been a habit. With our mothers and cousins we would scatter around the countryside, well dressed and the girls in their hats; the customary photo would follow, like this one, full of the tenderness of memories, perfect for wishing everyone a peaceful Easter.

Giorgina Venosta catwalks for Emilio Pucci

"Giorgina has no money, and must live. Beautiful and with an elegant figure, she could not fail to be noticed: and an old, faded newspaper page still from 1964 shows her, full page spread, as a mannequin (this was how catwalk models were defined at the time, with an eloquent Frenchness). She is wearing a rich and resplendent dress, and the person who finishes 'adorning' her is Marquis Emilio Pucci, one of the founders of 'made in Italy' fashion and an absolute genius of creativity, who certainly did not choose his models at random'.

The Caprotti family: Bernardo Caprotti and Giorgina’s wedding, November 1958, Uncle Claudio and Grandmother Marianne

"Grandma has a weakness: she is madly in love with her third son, my uncle Claudio. Some friends told me that Claudio was allowed to have breakfast and lunch in bed when he was in Albiate. Bernardo suffered from this unique relationship and I am convinced that jealousy between the two brothers was one of the causes of the quarrels that shook our family.

The Caprotti family and their bones: ‘Family Tomb, Act II: High and straightforward’, 2009

In 2009, Manifattura Caprotti in Albiate closed. Although the factory has not belonged to The Caprotti family for a few years now, it is only natural that the mayor Filippo Viganò should turn to Bernardo to try to limit the heavy social impact that this closure will have on the town. Bernardo replied with a long letter, in which he briefly (but not unkindly) dismissed the Manifattura issue, to dwell on the much more serious problem of the cypress trees in Albiate's cemetery, which thoughtless gardeners are badly pruning, preventing them from growing 'tall and straight' as they should.

Le Ossa dei Caprotti: the family tomb, act 1, 1997

In 1997, Dad and the brothers had not spoken for who knows how many years. A few days before Christmas, Bernardo kicks off what in time will turn into a veritable torment. In the Albiate cemetery, the family chapel is in need of urgent restoration because major water infiltrations are compromising both the structure and the coffins stored there. What is striking in the way Bernardo relates the events to Guido and Claudio is the meticulousness of the descriptions. He relates every detail with precision, not sparing them photographs of the battered and possibly open coffins, including that of their father Peppino.

The Caprotti family and the supermarkets: Guido Caprotti with Marco Brunelli and two friends, 1950s

Marco Brunelli, a close friend of Guido Caprotti's since high school, and a member of one of Milan's most prominent families, was the first to come into contact with the American IBEC and its plan to open a series of supermarkets in Italy, and he also brought Guido and Bernardo into the negotiations. This dispels, at least in part, the story always told in the family that, thanks to a fortunate conversation overheard at the Grand Hotel in St. Moritz, the Caprotti family had entered as protagonists in the negotiations together with Brunelli. The latter later became the first president of Supermarkets Italiani, later Esselunga.