Pope Francis still resisted Dulce de Leche’s ice cream, but not the Argentine breaded: and made a “nephew” (who has not yet been to see him)

Report || Sebastián Padrón’s gelatoria is not a meal wall, but it is a few feet on foot of the house where Francis lived as Pope, the house of Santa Marta. One day Sebastián’s wife wanted to bring a large amount of ice cream to the “neighbor”. Will have received. One day Sebastián’s wife wanted – who is Silvia – to take a breaded to the neighbor – even without quotes. Received and called them. “There was no formalisms, no hurry or formalisms”

A empanada is more than a snack, a golden semicircle of mass, tender in the middle and crackling on the outside. It can even be a memory envelope – and inside goes some in Latin America, goes to Argentina, goes Buenos Aires Bairrista. The stuffing, this hot, preferably hot, can vary depending on the province – and the humor of the cooking. This was of flesh, beef, but when cutting the Argentines they call “duckling”, well pulled in the braised, creamy, sweet vegetables, salty meat. And for those who are emigrant, like the man of gelator, like the Vatican man, a bread is not just food, the act of eating. It is a moment of return. House wrapped in oven paper.

But let’s not talk about empanadas.

Let’s talk about who received them: Francis. When he was elected Pope, Francisco refused to dwell on the floor three of the Apostolic Palace, habitual papal housing, opting to live in the Vatican to live in the fourth 201 of Santa Marta, a palace built during the Papacy of John Paul II, in 1996, and located just next to the St. Peter Basilica where Francis still rests, in the sight of the faithful.

In the house of Santa Marta Francisco would live for 12 years. There are numerous stories, some reais, others of fiction, of Francis already Papa visiting neighboring places of that palace.

Today, in the nearest vicinity-and we sought her door, in search of memories of Francisco-there is well at the end of the street the Mercedes Workshop, where no one saw him there, there is, descent of the staircase of Aurelia rampone endless restaurants, a Vietnamese, one of Chinese food, and pizzerias, pizzerias door yes, no door, where Francisco never seems to have dinner, there is a pharmacy, there is a florist, where he has not seen, until we are already two streets below, on Via Gregorio VII.

It is not even five minutes to reach the number 38, an Argentine gelatoria, specifically Master artisan ice cream shop. “Padrón” by Sebastián Padrón.

It is in a huffer, it has already opened the door, but there are still ice cream to finish. And there are ice cream of everything. There is chocolate, just chocolate. And chocolate with rum. And chocolate with almonds. And chocolate with mint. There is pistachio, there is Stracciatella, fruits – banana, lemon, coconut, mango, pineapple, orange. Until eggnog There is: which is a typical Italian dessert, well sugar and cut to marsala, a wine from Sicily.

But we came here to bother you with the caramel sauce. It is that it seems, Sebastián, Lord Padron, will have offered a truck of ice cream to the Pope, and from there a relationship and familiarity was born.

But who is this man? – Ask, ask well. Sebastián is Argentine-as Francis was, the “Pope of the End of the World”-denounces him a flag just behind, proudly hung on the wall that gives for the entrance. “Yes, yes, I was born in Argentina. I’m from a city called La Plata, which is near Buenos Aires.” Patrón’s neighborhood is Los Hornos. “It’s one of those places where everyone knows everyone, where football is played on the street until sunset comes and where you learn early on, very early to value what you have-even if it’s little.”

– That fan of San Lorenzo as Francisco?
— [Risos] No! No, God forbid!

Sebastián is from Gimnasia. “Gimnasia y Ferna La Plata,” he adds. And provokes: “The ‘true’ club of the city.” Football is not just soccer, “it’s a philosophy of life.” There is religiosity in the description. “We are known as Triperos. This comes from the time when our fans all worked in the meat factories. And, look, being of gymnasia is almost a philosophy of life: it is suffering, is waiting, is loving even without winning. ”

Therefore, this Argentine from La Planta came to Italy. Came in 2002. Came because it had to be. “Argentina was in one of those black periods, there was crisis, and uncertainty, and many people leaving the country looking for some opportunity. I thought, ‘If not now, my mother was born here, in Italy, in a tiny village called the crooked, in the region of the abruzzos. It was taken as a child to the parents. It came because it had to be and almost nothing. “I didn’t know anyone here, but I felt Rome was a good place to start over. I arrived with little, a pair of bags and desire to work. And I let myself go.”

It was around the clergy house, in Via della sorfawhere Cardinal Jorge Bergoglio stayed in Rome. I knew who Jorge was. And that the Argentine cardinal lived. “Already, it was already known this. Father Jorge, as we knew him then, would live five minutes from where we were. It was a discreet presence, but we all knew who it was, that it was someone special.” Still, Sebastián says that “I didn’t even imagine it became the Pope.”

And now with this apart, the story that brought us here begins: “let alone one day I would take you a ice cream.”

In 2018, Silvia, the woman,-a new apart: “which is much bolder than me”-he remembered to offer ice cream, very cold, to the then already Papa. “One day, at home, I simply said to me, ‘And if we took a ice cream box? caramel sauce? I laughed. I thought it was an idea of ​​those funny ones that soon stay there. ” But there was no one, “she took it seriously,” and they started to inform themselves about even offering.

“With some effort, we got it. For me it was something from another world. But sometimes life surprises us when we go after the ideas that would be most unlikely.” And there was the husband to the Pope’s house. We delivered the ice cream, four pounds of caramel sauce “Being typically Argentine,” there in Santa Marta. Not to the Pope, of course; went to a Swiss guard. And I came to me. There was no great exchange of words, but we knew that he will have received him with love. ”

And not just affection. Affection and appreciation. “And we kept receiving orders from there” – whether to the Pope or not, Sebastián had no way of knowing. For two years nothing patron knew of Francis. Until in the year 2020, “after the pandemic, of confinement,” Silvia has a new idea. “He decided to send him our homemade empanada, typical Argentina, and wrote in the delivery:” It will be time to meet. ” [Risos] And isn’t they called?, From the Vatican, telling us that the Pope wanted to receive us, to know us, there, in Santa Marta. ”

The family, husband, wife, son and daughter, children, accepted the invitation ready. “And received us with time, it was not only five minutes; we were five together about an hour.”

– An hour?
– One hour.
“What about a pope for so long?”
– Everything, everything. Of everything.

Let’s not talk about themes. Let’s talk about sensations first. “It was a difficult emotion to describe now, a nervousness that crosses us the whole body. We were sitting there face to face with the Pope. But without feeling a weight or distance. The room where he received us was stripped, without luxuries, without ‘power’. It looked like a single house, normal.”

Francisco, says Sebastián, “has already smiled, as if known us for years.” And he spoke, of course, empanadas. Not only, but also. “He said the empanadas reminded him of the times in Buenos Aires. He squeezed us and then asked our two children, our land, the store. There were no formalisms, no hurry or formalisms. And heard us. With attention. With genuine curiosity.”

They spoke to Francisco a lot from home, which is an ordinary house. The Argentina. “Yes, we talked about the Argentina we left, from those difficult days we lived when we arrived in Italy. And of course we talked to football-like good Argentines. And we talked about the recipes we bring from childhood. He remembered expressions in Lunfardo, corners of Buenos Aires that only those who grew up know.” Sebastián is characterized: “Disarmed, I felt unarmed.”

“It didn’t even seem like we were with the Pope. It was perhaps how to be with an old uncle, you know?, That we hadn’t seen a long time,” he describes that it was best impossible to realize.

The gelatoria is already in a corrupium. Not only does not only the huffer of the Patron Patron, clients as well. “They are increasingly. From various countries. People want to see this place, taste the ice cream, hear our story. And we count on taste. Because, deep down, that’s what we got in us: a simple, beautiful, true story. As he was.”

– Have you done?
– Not yet.
– Are you going to St. Peter’s Basilica?
– Yes of course. I just need to organize here with work.
– that seems to be very…
– Yeah. But I really want to pay him this tribute.