I'm certain that it's only human to want to be noticed and acknowledged. I greet people in the street that I know, and people often greet me when they see me. Sometimes I stop off in shops where I know people and we either chat in their shop or we grab a coffee together so we can chat. One other way that people greet me, which I greatly appreciate, is through Alessandro.
Today, for example, Alessandro bumped into a friend of his in centro (downtown). When he got home, he said, "Ho visto Filippo e ti saluta. (I saw Filippo and he says hello.)" I don't know all of Alessandro's friends that well, but those who have met me at least once will always pass on a hello to me through him.
I find it so sweet of his friends to do so. Even the friends that he talks to often say, "Salutami Melinda!" before hanging up the phone. Almost every single day someone is greeting me through my marito (husband).
I too have embraced this custom whenever I talk to someone whose partner I know. "Salutami..." and then add in the name of the partner. As a response, the person generally says, "Senz'altro. Of course."
It's a custom that even my non-Italian friends have adopted. Almost every time I talk to my girlfriends, they say, "Salutami Alessandro." It makes me happy that people acknowledge my marito and want to say hello to him even if they don't know him that well. For me, it solidifies our relationship in their eyes because when they see me, they also think of him.
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