We’re not Italian

Every now and again (well quite often actually) someone walks over to us shouting ‘Hey Carvetii!’ in a very dodgy Italian accent. They have a huge grin on their face, their arms are spread wide, they think they are the first to use this greeting.  Alas we’ve heard it many times before!

We never tire of it though (although we’ve come close a few times!).  We just cast a knowing glance at each other and then smile as if we’re full of admiration.  Inside we know the truth – Carvetii isn’t Italian!  The Carvetii were a tribe of Celts who inhabited parts of Cumbria around the time of the Romans.  They were a nomadic tribe and are often referred to as the ‘deer people’.  Their territory included the Solway Plain and the Eden Valley.

As we are both originally from Wales, we liked the thought of having a Celtic connection in our name.  So if you spot us out and about one day, and are thinking of an appropriate greeting, we prefer ‘Bore da’ or ‘Prynhawn da’ – but please, no dodgy Welsh accents!