It was eleven years ago when we took our last family holiday.
It was not even full family as Caitriona, the eldest, had already given up on family holidays a few years before so it was just Síle and I with Eileen 18 and D, 15 who headed off to a villa in Tuscany.

It was a good holiday, (if rather too hot ) Tuscany was magnificent and we drove our hired car back to the airport in Bologna in plenty of time for our Ryanair flight back to Dublin.
Bologna was a typical minimal Ryanair airport with very few seats and a basic snack bar in one corner.

As soon as we got there we were informed that the flight was delayed and we were faced with a wait of about four hours with two over heated teenagers in a hot box of an unconditioned airport with no real food or seats.
When one of the children sat on a baggage trolley she was instantly hissed off it by a surly airport official, we had nothing to do except sit on the floor and gasp.

Then into the terminal building came a little thin Italian lady wearing one of those old fashioned (even then) blue flowered wrap around overalls.
She came up to us, pressed her finger on her lips to indicate discretion, and beckoned for us to follow her.
Gathering up our bags we, sheeplike , obeyed.
The door she used led us out of the terminal and into another building nearby.
There she led us through another door and into a large bright cool canteen, a staff canteen obviously but empty of customers or staff.
Signora the fairy-godmother then told us to help our selves at the hot and cold food counters, You eat ! she said, You Pay ! Indicating a till.

Then she went behind the counter and proceeded to help us to liberal quantities of food. I have a distinct memory of her deep frying chips for the daughters and of me eating a very good lasagne.
The money we had to pay for this luxury was peanuts.
After we had finished she led us back to the terminal and went in search of some more unofficial customers.

To this day I really have no idea where she came from or what she was doing- was she lining her own pocket with the money we paid ?- Who cares- she will always remain in my memory as a wonderful Italian Fairy Godmother who saved our bacon in Bologna.