The Perth lads describe themselves as more like ‘siblings or cousins’ than friends, due to a string of heartbreaking tragedies that have brought their two families closer together.
Twenty years ago, Davide’s family was left devastated when his sister died after an asthma attack.
Then, in 2004, Marco’s mother lost her battle against lung cancer, just three years before Davide’s father passed away from pancreatic cancer in 2007.
‘It was really difficult,’ Marco tells New Idea.
‘Davide and the whole family were really supportive. And then a few years later his dad died. They were so young.’
With their parents being best friends, it created a tight bond between the families, which still exists today.
‘We’re there for each other,’ Marco explains.
‘We laugh about the good memories and I think that’s the best way to remember the people that pass in your life.’
Davide adds: ‘I’ve had a bit of loss in my life. We’ve kind of gone through the good and the bad, and I think that’s what makes us close.’
And it’s their parents who are the reason the duo applied to compete on MKR.
‘My mum begged us to apply,’ Davide says, laughing.
Marco says, in a way, he owes his late mum thanks for landing them in the competition.
‘She was a great cook herself,’ he remembers. ‘My family get upset with me because I won’t visit her at the cemetery, but I could just as easily show mum I love her by cooking one of her dishes.'
Read more on MKR in this week's issue of New Idea, on sale now.