Saint Charles Borromeo remains an example that spans the centuries, not only for his great piety and capacity for sacrifice, but also for his courage, a characteristic of chosen souls. The Council of Trent, the plague in Milan, synods, and his relationship with power. He was a reformer of orders and promoter of new spiritualities. And miracles flourished through his intercession.

- THE RECIPE: SBRISOLONA

Coming from a large family, humble and rich in faith, the very young Dominic Savio once asked Don Bosco what the secret of saintliness was. To pray and do good, with joy, was the reply. And Dominic did just that, proving to be a "a small, or rather great, giant of the spirit", as Pius XI called him.

- THE RECIPE: ASTI-STYLE PORK CHOPS

Born Clarice, the daughter of a count, she entered the convent after suffering a disappointment in love. For years she lived a self-centred life, in spite of her consecrated status. In her illness she discovered God: she asked for her sisters' forgiveness, and began a life of prayer and privation, dedicating herself to the poor and the sick. And with her example she attracted to the faith many who were far from it.

- THE RECIPE: PANZANELLA VITERBESE

A great goldsmithing artist as early as the 7th century and a precursor of the Renaissance, Saint Eligius of Noyon, who was also appreciated for his care for the needy and for building churches and monasteries, served in the court of Chlothar II and his son Dagobert I.
- THE RECIPE: NOYONNETTE

He was impetuous and often argumentative, but he gave so much to Christianity through his life and writings. He was responsible for the first official Latin translation of the Bible, the so-called Vulgate. And his greatest teaching, as Benedict XVI has said, is "to love the Word of God in Sacred Scripture".

- THE RECIPE: ISTRIAN FUŽI

Obviously we won't use Amanita phalloides, like poor Pope Clement VII, but some tasty porcini mushrooms: they are in season and you can find them almost everywhere in supermarkets and greengrocers.

Descendant of the Medici family of Florence, he died after two days of excruciating suffering after eating a poisonous mushroom, Amanita phalloides. He was a political strategist and diplomat. Under his pontificate, several noteworthy historical events took place, from the Sack of Rome in 1527 to the Anglican Schism. As a great patron of the arts, it was he who commissioned Michelangelo to fresco the Sistine Chapel with the Last Judgement.

- THE RECIPE: SAUTÉED PORCINI MUSHROOMS

As a prisoner of war he discovered the power of prayer. Freed after he made a vow to Our Lady, he changed his life, helping the outcasts of society. He created numerous communities, inventing a pedagogical method based on education in work, charity and devotion. Pius XI proclaimed him patron saint of orphans and abandoned youth.

- THE RECIPE: CASONCELLI