When a Prince learns the grocer’s trade

You go to a grocer’s and find a prince behind the counter. This is no fairy tale, it is what is happening, in these days, in a small shop, Superette, in Via Roma, in Gorla Minore. Emanuele Filiberto stands behind the counter, slicing the salami and cured meats, arranging the fruit and vegetables, ringing up the purchases and making home deliveries. Wearing a white coat and apron, he listens to the customers and gives them their change with a smile. You might think that the young heir of the House of Savoy has given up his title, but, in fact, he is dressed as a grocer to film some episodes of Il lavoro nobilita (Work ennobles), a program that is broadcast on the television channel Cielo, every Tuesday at 9 pm. The effect is quite remarkable. One ordinary Saturday morning, there is a steady stream of customers into the shop in Via Roma.

The shop is filled with customers buying bread and milk, who hope also to leave with an autograph. Queuing at the cash register is all the more pleasant, if the receipt is handed over by the tall blonde young man, who we are more used to seeing on television.

“He’s really nice and polite. I told him he should stay like that,” one lady told to me while she was waiting her turn.

“I am curious to have a look at him, and I’d like a picture with him,” explained one girl.

The owners of the small shop, which has served the town near Varese for 25 years, are also satisfied. Mauro Enzi told me, “He’s very good, he works hard and he never holds back. He’s done everything we’ve asked him, without complaining and he’s a really nice person.” Behind the counter, there is also Mauro’s father, Enzo. “It’s a wonderful experience; there are the usual customers, but a lot of people have come out of curiosity. Keeping up with the cameras isn’t easy, and it slows down the work a bit, but we’re happy.”

Meanwhile, there are about a dozen people waiting outside the door for Emanuele Filiberto to come back from his home deliveries.

“Nice and kind; I’ve brought my daughter to get his autograph,” one woman told me.

“But what does the prince look like? Is he a real Prince Charming?” one little girl asked her grandmother. When the young Prince entered the shop, the TV crew had to force its way through the crowd to continue filming.