Here's Why Two Italian Police Officers Cooked Dinner For An Elderly Couple

Police in Rome were called to an apartment after neighbors heard screaming and crying coming from inside.Two officers arrived on the scene expecting an incident of domestic violence, but instead they found an elderly couple crying in despair over their loneliness and all the tragedies that have been happening in the world lately.

After the officers called an ambulance to check on the couple — 89-year-old Jole and 94-year-old Michele — they noticed that the apartment was disheveled and absent of food, except for a few shriveled grapes. The couple doesn't get visitors and uses their TV as entertainment, according to a Facebook post by Rome's police force.

When the officers spoke with the elderly couple about their isolation and extreme loneliness — especially in the summer when neighbors are traveling — they decided to cook a dinner of spaghetti with butter and parmesan for Jole and Michele. That heartwarming but simple act resulted in a Facebook post that has since been shared more than 25,000 times.

"Life is not always easy, especially when the city empties and the neighbors are away on holiday," the police wrote in a statement. "Sometimes loneliness dissolves into tears. Sometimes it's like a summer storm, it suddenly overwhelms you."