Dante and Margherita tell a story of suffering, fortunately with a happy ending. But above all they tell a love story.

Dante and Margherita arrived at the Rifugio in 2013. Their health conditions were very poor. Unfortunately, the world has not been kind to them, their bodies and souls were ailing. They arrived from the big seizure of Colleferro, a town between Rome and Frosinone. A place of horror where, in that year, hundreds of abandoned equidae had been left to die. We, at the Rifugio, recued and welcomed 52 of them. Their lives have now changed.

One of the moments of greatest contact between those who work at the Refuge and donkeys is during grooming, which is where many anecdotes about the Magnificent Eight come from.

With our deep sadness, Chicca (aged 31) who was the oldest donkey of the Refuge, has passed away following a severe case of colic that she was not able to recover from.

Born in 1988, Chicca was welcomed to the Refuge after having lived her first few years with two other donkeys on Lake Orta. Her owner was no longer able to care for them and for Chicca she thought of us, certain that she would find love, care and protection for life.