Tag: italy

Guiseppe’s Village Pt~III

“Girls, this was a great day.” My sister’s pronouncement as we sat around the kitchen table in our VRBO in Messina, Sicily was met with smiles of agreement. It had been a long day. We rose early in the morning. This was the day – the day we would actually visit the little village of San Stefano di Camastra, the home of our grandfather. We did not know exactly what we would find. It could be something great – or it could be nothing at all.

Our week has been full of wonderful experiences. Yesterday, our new friends, Debra and John, the very best of people, took us to downtown Messina. Arriving at the Duomo di Messina, the beautiful music of Ave Maria burst forth as the world’s largest astronomical clock shared its display of figurines. What a beautiful way to start the day! From there we traveled on to the street food celebration in the center of the city. Oh, how we have come to enjoy these two in the short time we have known them. John, though Canadian by birth, spent his summers running freely through the streets of Messina as a boy, spending summers with his grandparents. He is the essence of all things Sicilian. Debra stepped in to document our day. These two together have enriched our journey. They are gifts from God.

The two hour drive along the coast of the Mediterranean today was filled with talk and laughter. We continue to be surprised that we were all able to leave our busy lives and join this adventure. Marjorie navigates as I drive. Dosh tries not to look at the edge of the mountain we’re driving across. Vivian and Karen chat along. All together in one place, that is us.

And now it is time. Signs for San Stefano di Camastra direct us off the coastal road and into the village. It is a beautiful village with crowded cobblestone streets ~ just as it should be. Parking our car, we ask a passerby if he knows where Via Armao is. We have been told this is an actual street. And it is! We have found our street! We are overwhelmed. It is true! But wait. There is the sign for the Armao Palazzo.

Up the street we go to find Palazzo Armao built in the architectural style of the late 19th century. It is here that we see a sign for the library and step inside. A young man working inside greets us. Using Google translate, we explain our mission. We are five sisters looking for our grandfather’s people, the Armao family. His eyes grow wide.

“Armao! Yes, the Armaos are a great family. They were a very important family. They were very wealthy and gave much to the poor. They were very intelligent and leaders. Come, let me show you your library.” He speaks with great respect.

Our eyes are full and our hearts overflowing. Yes, Davide tell us, there are still Armaos here and some in Palermo. We chat with Davide a bit longer before heading out the door, thanking him profusely and smiling to each other. We are amazed. It is all so very good. Tears well up as we think of our father and our grandfather. It is wonderful.

We must visit the ceramic shop. Our great grandfather was a potter making beautiful ceramics which San Stefano di Camastra is known for. We visit various people around the village. Yes, the Armao family was the backbone of this community and is still held in high regard. It is a beautiful village, full of potters and lovely ceramics. These are our people. And though it is siesta time, we find an open shop to buy some ceramics. Sebastian welcomes us to his shop. He shows us his kiln. We buy San Stefano ceramics and he tells us about the Armaos. Everyone knows us!

Oh, how we wish there was more time. But we will have to leave to travel the two hours back to Messina. If only we could have met our famiglia in person! But that is for next time. They will be here. As we journey home we talk of our parents and how happy they would be to know we have done this thing.

Now we know Messina; this evening we walk the streets of our area to the cafe to enjoy pizza together and then we call our siblings in America. We have found them! We have found our people! Our hearts are overflowing with gratitude for all of the good of this week. God has been kind to us as He opened each door to make our journey successful. It is more than we would have imagined. It is all so good!

Tomorrow we will walk to breakfast with John and Debra at our lovely outdoor cafe, swim in the Mediterranean, and attend mass at the little church here on the outskirts of the city. Then, it’s off to Catania in preparation for our flight home, far away from Guiseppe’s village.

We will be back. We will drink espresso at the little cafes, walk the streets of our village and meet the remaining Armaos. We are so happy we found our famiglia. Arrividerchi for now, but we will be back, dear Guiseppe!

Part II ~ Guiseppe’s Island

“There are only two types of people in the world, those who are Sicilian and those who wish to be.” So says John, the marvelous Sicilian Canadian whom we met as we meandered through the streets of Messina this morning.

We gathered in Philly, we five, we band of sisters. It began with one sister and as the day progressed she was joined by another and another and another and another until we were all together in one place. Then, it was on to the plane – 8 hours to Frankfurt then on to Catania. Five sisters in a row.

An overcast sky met us in Catania and as we landed, Marjorie looked at me, “Here we are in the land of our grandfather.” Gulp.

Yes, here we are. Driving the two hours from Catania to Messina over winding roads on a dark night in a heavy rain, was an experience. Thank God for GPS! We arrived in the dark at our VRBO on a crowded street not far from the Mediterranean. As we piled out of the car looking for our casa, a lovely Signora stepped out of a door and called to us. Guiseppe’s granddaughters had arrived.

Our first foray was to find some food late this morning. We found a small bakery where we purchased a few rolls and explained to the older Italian woman that we were looking for our grandfather’s birthplace. Walking from the shop we heard a voice calling us. It was a young man sent from the shop to bring us more rolls — after all, we are daughters of Sicily and we must be cared for.

At the mercato we ran into John and Debra, oft visitors to Sicily. John speaks Italian, even Sicilian Italian (!) and has family on the island. And before we knew it we were sitting outside at a lovely cafe eating lunch with our new friends, the Mediterranean shining under the sun and mainland Italy (the tip of the toe) across the water. Archini, foccacia, insalata with prosciutto and mozzarella decorated our table and laughter and conversation flowed freely. Can we really be here for one day and feel so comfortable?

Tonight we will sit around our table in the mountains of Sicily, drinking strong coffee, eating our fresh rolls and sharing our lives. Guiseppe didn’t know over 100 years ago as he boarded the ship for America, just a small boy of 10, that his granddaughters would talk of him and remember him and travel to find his village. We are here, grandfather! We are here!