Lorne Abugov
The Gavillucci’s of Old Ottawa East – Giovanni (79) and Celestina (76) – are a matched pair of lovebirds with deep Italian roots and hardy local spirits. Photo by Lorne Abugov
A one-man market garden – and his endearing spouse!
Celestina Gavillucci wants everyone in Old Ottawa East to know – in case they haven’t already heard – that her husband of 55 years, Giovanni-Battista Gavillucci, is a warm and wonderful human being.
“Some people who don’t know him think that he is an angry guy, because he comes close to people and he talks in a very loud voice,” she explains to me, concern in her voice. “But he can’t help it. He has two hearing aids. And once they understand that they see that he is a really wonderful guy!”
In short order, I learn that Celestina, who is known to neighbours as “Tina”, is exactly right about Giovanni, who is known to neighbours as “Gio”. Spend 15 minutes with Gio, as I did recently at the family home on the corner of Elliot Avenue and Main Street, and you have made a friend for life.
Clumps of ripe pears hang down from several fruit trees on the Gavillucci’s front lawn. Photo by Lorne Abugov
You can also easily lump Tina into that same “salt-of-the-earth” category. In an age when honest, solid, nature-loving people with simple, decent values seem to be in short supply, the Gavillucci’s are an exception, a balm to the soul.
For his part, Giovanni is a throwback to earlier times, both in Italy and in Canada. His gardening prowess derives from the hillside gardener in a small Italian town, but also aligns well with the early history of adept market gardeners tilling the soil in Old Ottawa East (OOE).
If there is a produce gardener in OOE more proficient than this gentleman, please raise your hand now. Gio is the black belt and the gold standard of the green-thumbed set. In his backyard oasis, he grows an array of fruits, vegetables and fresh flowers too numerous to name – imagine your basic Farm Boy, without the kiwi fruit. On the front lawn, his beloved pear and plum trees fairly groan each summer under the weight of the plump low-hanging fruit they produce.
Giant trumpet zucchinis more than a metre in length are one of Giovanni’s many specialties. Photo by Lorne Abugov
For her part, Celestina, keeps steady pace with Gio, though her best work is done in the kitchen. “He grows it all, I cook it all,” she tells me with a smile. “Every year, I do the minestrone. Every year I say to Gio: ‘Don’t plant so much this year! I don’t want to spend the whole summer in the kitchen.’ But he can’t help it. It’s what he does.”
Before I know it, Tina invites me into her kitchen, where all the magic happens. She tells me that much of what Gio grows finds its way to family, friends and neighbours, who appreciate and benefit from all the fresh produce. “The neighbour’s kids love Gio, and they love all the food he grows, and so do their parents,” Tina says proudly. “He is very respected.”
On almost any summer’s day, you’re sure to see Giovanni in his natural setting doing the one thing he likes best – growing things. Photo by Lorne Abugov
Love and respect – they lie at the heart of the couple’s long and happy marriage. Gio was born and raised in the tiny mountain town of Carpinado, Italy, and he came to Canada as a 19-year-old in October 1963. Sixteen-year-old Tina left her town of Ceccano, Italy, outside of Rome, a year earlier in November 1962. The pair met each other at a baby christening in Ottawa and fell in love on the spot.
“But you know, back then,” Tina remembers, “the two families had to agree, so he had to court me for more than a year. But we made it!”
If you take an interest in Giovanni’s pepper plants, he’ll surely take an interest in you. If you happen to meet him, take the time to say hello and ask him how his garden’s growing. You’ll be glad you did! Photo by Lorne Abugov
The couple moved into their home in Old Ottawa East half a century ago, and for the most part they have enjoyed every moment of their long life in this community. “Well,” says Gio, “I did tell Tina once that maybe we should move to a different place. But she said ‘no, this is my home, why would I leave here?’ So, we stayed. What are you going to do? She’s the boss.”
And with that, Gio shrugs his broad shoulders and shuffles off with a smile on his face to show me the pepper plants.
