Christmas: in Rebibbia prison and 20 others in Italy, inmates served by chefs and personalities from the world of entertainment | AgentSIR

The ninth edition of the Christmas lunch “The other kitchen… for a love lunch”, promoted by Prison Fellowship Italia, Rinnovamento in the Holy Spirit and the RnS Alliance Foundation. Before the start of lunch, the press conference moderated by Gabriele Corsi, attended by Salvatore Martinez, president of RnS, Alessia Rampazzi, director of the Rebibbia women’s prison, Lorella Cuccarini, chef Filippo La Mantia and, via video link , Marcella Reni, president of Prison Fellowship Italy. “A great effort with many volunteers who make the realization of this event possible”, the words of Martinez who recalled the words of Pope Francis in favor of the detainees and, starting from the experience of Covid, underlined how “it is now more it is easy to understand how much the person is in need of instruments of love, precisely when one is deprived of freedom”.

“Today we become family members of these prisoners who will not be able to celebrate with their families. This gesture we make, this special visit that we offer freely, generously for another Christmas, teaches us that, if another cuisine is possible, another way of being in fraternity is also possible. It is proof of civil responsibility, a gesture of clear spiritual and social relevance”. The president of Rns concluded by highlighting how this initiative looks at two important needs of this time, communicating to the country that there is a need for social and generational discontinuity.
There were 230 inmates in Rome who participated in the lunch, enjoying the courses prepared by chef Filippo La Mantia and, while the comedian Antonio Giuliani proposed some sketches together with Massimo Mattia, they took turns in the role of waitresses and waiters serving the tables Lorella Cuccarini, Gabriele Corsi and Laura Pertici, Stefano Jurgens, Ottavia Pojaghi Bettoni, Valeria Fabrizi, Maria Grazia Schiavo, Giulia Fiume, Kim Rossi Stuart, Ilaria Spada and Beatrice Fazi. “Today you have given us the most beautiful gift for our 20 years of marriage which we are celebrating here in your company”, were the words of Gabriele Corsi addressed to the prisoners in the prison. The Roman holiday was held with a total of about 700 volunteers employed to serve about 6,000 meals also in 20 other prisons: Opera in Milan, Lorusso and Cutugno in Turin, Florence, Massa, Bologna, Modena, Castelfranco Emilia, Pesaro, Secondigliano of Naples, Salerno, Avellino, Aversa, Bari, Palmi, Vibo Valentia, Pagliarelli of Palermo, Syracuse, Cagliari, Nuoro and Lanusei.