Two Important Dates with Sport and Love (Life)
14 August 2016 24 September 2016
Two dates have written important stories and tell us about a life devoted to sport and a feeling that blossomed in the waters of Elba Island. The protagonists are a woman and a man who have demonstrated the strength to go forward in a way of life that is, by no means, ordinary; synonymous with love, passion, determination, the ritual of sacrifice and abstention. Rio de Janeiro – 14 August 2016. It is Tania Cagnotto’s day, and it is the big day for Giorgio Cagnotto, her father and coach, and for her mother Carmen Casteiner, who have always loved and supported her. 22:10 pm Tania climbs the Olympic podium and, once again, with her unmistakable smile and innate simplicity, conquers her audience who, with great affection and esteem, has never ceased following her; tears of joy reveal her authenticity, moving all her fans. Tania leaves a profound mark in the history of the springboard diving. Her name goes down in history and she closes her Olympic career (29 European medals and 10 World Cups) winning the silver medal in the three-meter sync with teammate Francesca Dallapè, with whom she is linked by a sincere and close friendship, and a bronze medal in the individual springboard. The emotion is intense and I, too, feel “overwhelmed” by the events. For me, it is a new experience to follow an athlete so closely. I live it all with great pathos, I move, I look on incredulously at the images that Rai Sport airs that witness the years of sacrifice, hours and hours of training, the desire at all costs to make it and never stop. I believe I too must face an important trial here, the organization of Tania’s marriage to Stefano Parolin, a well-established, dynamic accountant and skipper who, after several years of living together, surprises his better half with a proposal of marriage during a romantic weekend in Venice.
Elba Island – 24 September 2016.
It is the dawn of a new day. The island of Elba “awakens”, welcoming a sunny day without a wisp of wind. It is a day of celebration. It is the crowning of a dream come true. Tania and Stefano chose Elba for their wedding, the matchmaker island that created the spark during a sailboat holiday with friends. They love the sea. They love the simplicity, the virtue that shines through their tender glances. When they first saw the Chiesina della Madonna dell’Uva of the Hotel Hermitage on the island of Elba, it struck like lightening. They had no doubts: it was here that they wanted to declare their eternal love. Our encounter was marked by spontaneity. I could not have wished for anything else, considering that their wedding would be my first VIP event. With them, a special, trusting and respectful relationship was born. From the very beginning, I knew I had to do something special for their wedding, in a setting that would “recount” their transparent sincerity, representing them. “Sailing across the sea” was the engine for choosing the theme. An elegant watercolor Rose of the Winds, painted by Barbara Blin Pastore, and a sailboat were the leitmotif of their wedding.
11:30 am The church is crowded, the wait is long. The paparazzi, despite an “army” of hotel security men to ensure safety and privacy, position themselves on the beach, hidden in the chaparral in the hope of stealing a shot. Tania, accompanied by the faithful friends who are her bridesmaids, arrives radiant to her Stefano. Don Leonardo Biancalani begins to celebrate Mass in the small chapel, set up with white lisianthus and blue delphinium that recall the sea, as well as two sinuous ropes of gypsophila draped along the pews to mark the aisle. The wedding ceremony begins… To the amazement and emotion of the guests, a little 9-month-old girl crawls down the aisle to bring the rings to the bride and groom. The moment is solemn and is even more so when, to everyone’s surprise, Don Leonardo reads a letter: it is a blessing from Pope Francis. Music fills the air and accentuates the emotions that will last long into the night.
After the ceremony, the celebrations begin. A toast!!! On the lawn adjacent to the little church, a rich aperitif is served by an impeccable staff. Romantic gazebos with “gossamer” white muslin curtains and welcoming armchairs invite for relaxation, a hammock tied between two olive trees sways, a corner at the foot of a tree recalls distant islands with carpets and trunks, creating an unusual tableau de mariage on which Elba and its sea were “painted”, where artisan sea crafts “sail”, each of which is named after an island… Everything has been studied up to the smallest detail, even the appetizers buffet with ropes, shells, a bowl with sand and ice plant, driftwood, dream catchers decorating the trees, sea lanterns…a wooden sailboat. Everything speaks of the sea, inebriating the emotions of all present with its perfumes. The party continues until late at night, at a pace that seems to make time fly. Lunch is held at the Ristorante Fuoco di Bosco, not far from the lawn. Here, too, the setup is studied down to the smallest detail, from the mise en place to the personalized napkin tied in a boating knot known as the Savoy knot or the Love knot, from the starfish decorating the environment to the tents that symbolize sails and the colors of the sea.
At the pool’s edge, a gazebo symbolizes a sailboat. Two rugged wooden boards indicate “Come aboard!” and “Please remove your shoes”. At the center of the “boat” is a work of art, a dream catcher that, with its crystals, oyster leaves and shells, invites dreaming. Animating the lunch is an enjoyable flash mob choral that involves everyone, as well as the cutting of the cake on the lawn and launching of balloons. A blazing sun is about to salute the day, but the party is not over yet. Lined up in the golden sand of Biodola beach is a double row of candles that accompanies guests to the Maitù Restaurant, from where they admire a marvelous sunset over the island of Capraia and where they carry on until dawn. Tania and Stefano and their splendid families entered my heart. Even today, nearly a year after their wedding, the people of Elba are grateful to them for having brought their Love and their naturalness and taking Elba Island to the forefront of the world. Our wish? To see them sailing in the waters of the island that made them fall so much in love.
You can find the original ceramic Rose of the Winds in the Segnavento Piazzetta in Procchio.
