When white smoke appeared over the Sistine Chapel on Tuesday evening, 19 April 2005, Antonio Arellano could not believe his eyes when he saw that Cardinal Joseph Ratzinger was the one elected to succeed Pope John Paul II. The cardinal who would now be known as Pope Benedict XVI had visited Arellano's little shoe shop near the Vatican’s St. Anne entrance many times to have his shoes polished and repaired. He came personally to the shop before he was elected Pope. After that, a member of the papal household would come to have his black or cherry-red moccasins polished and brought back to life. Arellano explains, “They were often worn around the toe, probably from spending a lot of time kneeling in prayer.” During the time of Benedict’s papacy, Arellano was called upon to create five pairs of his completely ‘Made in Italy’ shoes for the pontiff. He says, “It was one thing repairing his shoes, but another making them!”

Arellano is still surprised, like everyone else who knows Pope Benedict XVI, when he reads that the Holy Father’s shoes were Prada. “It’s a fairytale,” he says. Red shoes - which symbolize the blood of the martyrs - have been worn by the popes for centuries. The fake news that Pope Benedict XVI was so obsessed with luxury and fashion and that his shoes were made by Prada, was first propagated by the Italian newspaper La Repubblica and spread quickly around the globe. Arellano knows better. This is a pope who prefers to have his shoes repaired than throw them away.

Arellano was born and raised in Peru, and began learning the trade as a child. He arrived in Italy as a young man with high hopes to make his way in a new country. Arellano is overwhelmingly grateful and proud to take care of such an illustrious client. Many people come to his store now seeking their own pair of red papal shoes. Just don’t ask for a discount. Even Pope Benedict XVI pays full price!

Calzolaio Arellano. Via del Falco, 30. Tel: +39 338-5212571