Er felt alone and wanted to toast with someone for Christmas: A 94-year-old dialed the emergency number in Alto Reno Terme, not far from the Italian city of Bologna, because he was lonely. “I am not missing anything, I am just missing a person with whom I can toast for Christmas,” said the pensioner when he called the Carabinieri police on Thursday.
“If you had an officer who could come over to see me for ten minutes,” he asked. His children are far away and he feels depressed. In fact, the Carabinieri came to see him a little later.
The three of them clinked glasses with the man at Christmas, as a photo shows. According to the Carabinieri, he shared anecdotes about his experiences in World War II and made a video call with the officers to his relatives.
Because of the corona pandemic, strict travel and exit restrictions apply in Italy over Christmas and New Year until the beginning of January. Before the holidays, Pope Francis had reminded everyone to think of the sick and lonely at Christmas. One phone call is enough.