Frayed teddy bears and broken toy cars resurrect under the magic touch of Guido Pacelli, a modern-day Geppetto who works overtime so that Rome's poor and sick children wake up to a gift on Christmas morning.
Armed with a screwdriver, a microscope and a small welder, "Guido Aggiustagiocattoli", a.k.a Guido the Toy Fixer, has mended between 50 and 70 toys a day these past two months, in preparation for the festive season.

"The best present for me is when these children who have been through so much smile at me," said Pacelli, a 68-year-old retired aviation technician from Italy's flagship airline Alitalia. Once up and running, the repaired toys are meticulously disinfected, carefully wrapped and labelled for the families. Salvamamme (Save Mothers), which hosts Pacelli's workshop in premises lent by the Italian Red Cross, then distribute the gifts to poor, migrant or sick children.