The Back Story:
Cuore Felice
Cuore Felice means "Happy Heart" in Italian. It is pronounced phonetically: Kwor-ay Fuh-lee-chay.
While the expression translated is nothing more than an adjective plus a noun, there is, as with all things, a back story which forged lifelong friendships. With those lifelong friendships came a state of mind, then a state of survival, and now, it's become a state of being. A state of being poured into a life shared with you now in the wares it shares.
It All Began with a Chicken
As the story goes, an American family was staying at a villa in Southern Italy. Upon their return after a day of ventures, their host was crying and screaming hysterically. The only words the Americans with their Rosetta-Stone Italian could make out were "CUORE FELICE! CUORE FELICE!!" But, why was this man crying and screaming while yelling, "HAPPY HEART!" The paradox confounded the guests until a relative shared in broken English that the host's favorite pet chicken had died; the chicken's name was Cuore Felice because it gave the host so much joy — a happy heart.
The Kindness of Strangers
The guests of the villa were so moved, so grateful for all the host had done for them, that off they went to the village to find, of course, a chicken. The villagers couldn't understand the Americans. Surely they wanted a chicken to eat: "Mangiare (to eat)?"
"No, no! Amare (to love)!"
And finally, they cast the right poultry and headed back to their host. The host only cried harder — both at his loss and the gesture of these strangers.
