The work of art by the Renaissance painter Botticelli was considered lost for decades. Now it has reappeared in the village of Gragnano near Naples. In the living room of a farming family.
The master pastry chef Michele Somma had chosen a special moment to announce his decision. He struggled with himself for a long time and then made the decision that would ease his conscience: but should also deprive him of his treasure.
The farmer’s son from Gragnano, south of Naples, grew up with the picture of the Madonna; his grandfather had once passed it on to his father. The Sommas had lived with the painting for three generations; the picture hung in the living room of the deeply religious family and belonged to them like their farm furniture.