During the bloody Battle of Monte Cassino in Italy, one of the crucial battles of War World II, Domenico Antonio Persechini harboured two British soldiers saving them from inevitable capture by the Nazis. For this bravery he later received a letter from Field Marshal Sir Harold Alexander, Supreme Allied Commander of the Mediterranean Forces, expressing his gratitude and appreciation.
Maria Zoccola, granddaughter of the courageous Persechini, is the co- owner of A Mano Coffee Bar & Kitchen of Orpington town of the Greater London and part of the borough of Bromley where in commemoration of that shared moment in British and Italian history it was introduced the definitive Anglo Italian creation: ‘The Full English Pizza’.
As with every A Mano pizza, the dough base is made fresh, using British Shipton Mill flour with an artisanal Italian recipe and topped with mozzarella, back bacon, Cumberland sausage, mushrooms, tomato, free-range egg and baked beans. A Mano Coffee Bar & Kitchen is donating £1 to The Royal British Legion of Orpington for every ‘Full English Pizza’ sold.
Owner, Bruno Zoccola, said, “Here at A Mano, we want to remember all of those who selflessly gave their lives at home and abroad. Their sacrifice ena- bled us to enjoy the peace and free- dom we have today, and this our way of paying tribute to them”.
Before the lockdown, at a special event on Thursday 13th February 2020, the A Mano team and members of the extended Zoccola family were joined by members of Orpington’s Royal British Legion where they were presented with a framed copy of the letter from Field Marshal Sir Harold Al- exander to to Mr Persechini.“The Full English Pizza” has been concocted also in celebration for the 75th anniversary of VE Day, the Victory in Europe Day which marked the end of the World War II following the formal acceptance by the Allies of Nazi Germany’s unconditional surrender of its armed forces.
