How it all got started

Ever since I was old enough to realize that my grandfather, Mario, came from Italy, I wanted to visit the country of his birth. I had been thinking about it a lot lately so one day I sent an email to "friends and family" and said I wanted to go on a trip to Italy and asked if anyone else was interested. No one responded.

About 6 months later, in the Summer of 2006, Gary invited Aunt Evelyn and Uncle Eugene out to his cottage on the lake. It was a beautiful day, and we all went out for a ride on his boat. When we got back we had a cookout, and when we sat down to eat dinner, Aunt Evelyn said, "Guess what! I want to take you up on your offer." I just looked at her because I had no idea what she was talking about. So I asked her what she meant, and she said - "I'll go to Italy with you!" Then she said, "I have the money, and I have the time - I just don't have the know-how." Well, from that moment on we began planning. Both Jamie and Debbie said they were interested in going too, so we started planning a trip for four. We decided to all get together to plan our trip, and Debbie flew in to meet with us. We met at Aunt Evelyn's and she took us all for a ride in her new convertible! Earlier that day Debbie and A.E. had gone shopping and bought us all some very "fashionable" hats for the occasion. When we got back from our ride, we sat outside and had lunch. We took our pictures with our hats and laughed as we planned out trip.

At that meeting we decided we would fly into Rome, then rent a car and drive through the town where Grandpa was born, then continue on to Florence for a few days and end our trip in the "Italian Riviera" area of Cinque Terre. Aunt Evelyn had a name and address of someone named Blandina De Federicis that Annette had written to years before. We were unsure how she was related, but Aunt Evelyn decided to write a letter to her in Italy to tell her we were coming. We didn't know what to expect since we didn't even know if we still had the right address. We never met any of our Italian relatives, and did not even know if they knew we existed. After just a short while, A.E. received a letter in the mail with this response:

Dear Evelyn,

I am very glad to know that you and your family want to come in Italy to visit the area where Mario grew up.

My Grandson Francesco is writing this letter because I'm unable about English language, and is sorry for his not good English too. I am very glad to know that you are well. Unfortunately, I have had a road accident four years ago, and now I can hardly walk by myself and I am on oxygen almost all time. I cannot give hospitality in my house. Anyway I can provide to find a comfortable place in Hotel near my house, if you want. However, we (me and my family) like to help you to visit the area where Mario grew up. You can reach Rome airport (or Pescara airport in Abruzzo, 60 KM from Teramo) and then one of us can take you in Teramo far as possible. I still live in Teramo, but my address is not the same. Now I live with my daughter Franca and her family.

Love, Blandina

We were all very excited and Aunt Evelyn asked if anyone else wanted to respond to her letter, so I decided to write back. I wrote one copy in English and another copy in Italian as best as I could, and I mailed them both to Blandina. Just before I mailed them Gary said - "Why don't you put your email address on the letter?" I didn't think I needed to because I thought she must be in her 80's and wouldn't have email, but Gary talked me into it and I'm so glad that I always listen to my older brother (well, almost always!). I was so excited when less than a week after I mailed the letter to Italy I received an email with the subject message: "Da Blandina, Italia" (From Blandina in Italy). It was very exciting, especially when I found out that the email was actually from her son, Luigi, who spoke very good English. He explained the family relationships and we found out that Blandina was a first cousin to Theodore, Eugene, and Gloria. That started an ongoing exchange of emails, information and photos and it was all very exciting. They seemed happy that we were coming for a visit, and what started out as just driving through Teramo for a few hours to see where Grandpa lived was quickly turning into a 3-day visit with the family.

In the end, it wasn't the original 4 that went on the trip. Jamie had decided to back out, but the more we planned, the more interested everyone else got in our trip. Gary and Danny were expressing an interest in going. Originally they were just going to go on their own and meet us in Teramo - they didn't want to be involved in our plans and wanted to make their own arrangements for their trip... but we all know how that ended up!!! Poor Megan (our tour consultant) - she had to keep changing all our arrangements when Gary kept asking why he and Danny weren't included in anything!!! Around that same time Bob had his annual corn roast, we all went and we were talking about the upcoming trip. I remember asking Joyce why she wasn't interested in going, and before she had a chance to say anything her husband Dan said - "She didn't know about it but I told her she should go". I reminded everyone that I sent out the original email to everyone a long time ago but no one responded so I didn't think anyone else wanted to go. That night I emailed all the information that I had to Joyce, and that was the start of a great "working relationship" between the two of us as we continued to make all the arrangements. Annette also was interested in going, especially when she found out we were going to be meeting the family. It was a good chance for her to get more information for her family research.

A few months later we all decided to take Italian lessons in a little Italian dessert shop on Hertel Avenue called "Caramici's" Dessert & Pastry Bar", owned by Diane, a friend of my daughter Michelle. (See the link to this site to the right under "My Favorite Links to All Things Italian"). We went once a week and learned some conversational Italian from Pietro, our teacher. We had fun and enjoyed Diane's homemade desserts and tea as much as we enjoyed the lessons! Pietro really liked Aunt Evelyn and liked her enthusiasm. He called her "Zia" and from that moment on she became "Zia Evalina".

So that's how our trip got started - we owe it all to Zia for saying she wanted to go, and for writing that first letter that after all those years finally got us together with our Italian family!

SEE NEXT POST: Friday: Driving to Teramo

Friday - Driving to Teramo

Friday, September 21, 2007:
Today I had one of the most amazing days of my life! To quote Marco when he came to America, "I have no words" to be able to describe today.

The day started out fantastic and only got better. It was our last morning in Rome and we had to be at the Hertz Rental Car Agency by 10:00 a.m. Gary and I decided to make the most of our last few hours in Rome, so we went to the hotel's breakfast at 7:30 a.m., then we walked the streets of Rome. I have to first say, Megan told us that she loved Rome because there are two different Romes - daytime Rome when it is busy with tourists, shoppers and street vendors, and nighttime Rome, when the city becomes even more alive, and even more beautiful, if that is possible! But now I have to add that there is a third Rome - the third is the morning Rome, and that Rome belongs to the Romans, and this morning we are one of them! We first walked into a supermarket - the first one we have seen since we've been here. It was tucked away into a little side street. It was small, but it had everything you would need and was filled with people picking out their daily needs. Gary and I commented how shocked they'd be if they saw one of our Wegmans in comparison! We then walked a little further and found a small shop filled with homemade pastas of every size, shape and color along with a variety of olive oils. We each bought a bottle of olive oil in a decorative glass jug. After this, we walked a little more then turned a corner and found the street where we had lunch with Megan our first day in Rome, in the outdoor cafe. All the little cafe tables that lined the street where we ate were gone and in their places were rows and rows of stalls of fresh fruit, flowers, vegetables and more varieties of fresh fish than I ever saw in my life! We watched as the typical old Italian women picked out and bargained for their fresh foods. It was fascinating! A little further ahead we found a Patasseria where Romans - men and women, young and old, were lined up at the bar drinking their morning caffe. I talked Gary into going in and getting a cup of coffee even though neither of us drink coffee. We walked up to the bar and trying not to be too conspicuous I said: "due cappuccino, per favore" and we were served! I loved it, Gary didn't, but he drank it anyway. Then we had no idea how we were supposed to pay as everyone at the bar, except us, had a little receipt in front of them. We were the only ones in there not speaking Italian, but somehow we managed to figure it all out without being too embarrassed. We then walked past the Spanish Steps one more time. For once, it was not loaded with people and other than a few pedestrians we were the only ones there except for the street cleaners and a policeman. We walked on the steps one last time and it was a great way to say good-bye to la bella Roma!

It's hard to believe that was only several hours ago instead of several days. I feel as though the day lasted forever, but not the kind of day that goes on and on, but the kind that couldn't possibly get better, but does. Like I said, "I have no words" because I can't possibly describe it all because it's not only what we saw and did, but what we felt.

After we left Rome we drove the Autostrada 24 with two rental cars and this too was amazing. Not only because we didn't get lost, but because we drove into Abruzzo, the region where Teramo is, and some of the most beautiful and scenic sights were right before us as we drove through the Appennine mountains. Gary had a great idea before we left home, and that was to bring two sets of walkie-talkies with us. Even though they were extra weight in our luggage since there were four of them along with their chargers, it was worth it! It was an easy way for our two cars to stay in touch and to make sure we didn't lose each other. We used those walkie-talkies throughout our entire trip. As we drove along the Autostrade we decided to stop at an Autogrill. It was a convenience store with restrooms and a restaurant - the food looked great, but then we noticed something you'd never find in a thruway rest area in America - a wine bar! Yes, we were definitely in Italy!!! We left the Autogrill and continued along our way. We knew somewhere up ahead there was a 10 km tunnel that we had to drive through at the foot of the Gran Sasso mountain, but what we didn't know was that we would be driving through several other tunnels as well. Each time we went through one, you knew you were driving through a mountain and it would be very dark, and the road twisted and turned as you drove through the mountains at top speed, then suddenly instead of darkness you would see "the light at the end of the tunnel" and an amazingly beautiful sight would appear before your eyes. The two hour drive went so quickly that we could hardly believe we were already turning off the highway to get to Teramo, the home of our grandfather's family.

We found the hotel very easily - the Abruzzi Hotel on Viale Mazzini, and had to park our cars in the garage under the hotel. The narrow twisting road to get down into the garage with its low roof was actually comical and I screamed, laughed and ducked at the same time because I thought Gary was going to kill us driving down into the parking lot. But I have to say that Gary and Danny did a GREAT job getting us safely out of Rome and into Teramo.

We somehow managed to get to our rooms even though the hotel staff seemed to consist of only one old man who carried our mountains of luggage for us and only spoke Italian. Then we had no idea what to do next. Our communication with Luigi had been very vague as far as how we would meet once we got to Teramo - we knew a little about what we would be doing once we were there, but there were no real details. So as we got to our rooms we unpacked and checked it all out while we waited. Zia and Debora had a double room, Gary and Danny each had their own single room, and Joyce, Annette and I shared a triple. Our hotel looked like something left over from the 70's, but that didn't matter since our room was more of a suite than our small 3-person room in Rome. I had my own room, and Joyce and Annette had another room and our rooms were connected with a hallway and bathroom with two doorways leading into each of our rooms. Both bedrooms had a sliding glass door that led onto the wrap-around balcony. It was a corner room, and so the views were different in each direction. The first thing I saw out my part of the balcony were buildings going up the side of the hill, and the houses had lines of laundry hanging from their balconies It was a typical Italian scene and I took a picture. In the corner of the balcony you could see a beautiful view of the side of the mountains that looked so close and looked within walking distance. Behind that, the Gran Sasso (Great Stone) mountain rose majestically and was beautiful! Out the front of the balcony, where Joyce and Annette's room was, there was a view of the streets of Teramo which were busy with all kinds of people - young and old - walking around. Our hotel room was a great set-up, and almost before we had a chance to unpack and check out our whole suite, the phone rang and we knew that news travels fast in Teramo! It was cousin Luigi, and he knew we had arrived!

SEE NEXT POST: Friday - Meeting our Italian family

Friday - Meeting Our Italian Family

Continuation of Friday, September 21st:
We walked into the lobby and I recognized Luigi and Carla immediately! Carla was much prettier and younger looking than in the pictures they sent, and we soon found out that she was the only one in our welcoming group that didn't speak a drop of English. Waiting with Luigi and Carla were Piero and Francesco, who is 19 years old, and we found out he was our interpretor. He spoke very good English that he learned in school. We all introduced ourselves, and then we realized that Gary and Danny weren't there yet. We laughed and explained that in America it is usually the men who are waiting for the women, not the women waiting for the men. Francesco did a good job at translating what we meant because they all laughed and said it was the same in Italy. Shortly after, Gary and Danny arrived and all the introductions were made again. They all seemed very pleased to meet us, and it was very exciting.

They told us we were going to Blandina's to have lunch, so we left the hotel and walked the short distance to her house. As we walked down the streets I knew that I was going to love Teramo and thought it was very beautiful and looked so clean, then I realized that it was partly because the sidewalks and even the curbs were made of solid marble! We arrived at Blandina's - she lived in a "flat" and we walked up to her floor and I realized that, just like outside, everything in the inside was made of marble. It was all very old and very beautiful. We went into Blandina's flat and they led us into her sitting room where she was waiting for us in her chair. One by one we introduced ourselves to her and she was very pleased to meet all of us. We all kissed her and talked to her for a few minutes, and we all were taking pictures. Then Blandina said something to Luigi, and he gave a little speech and thanked us all for coming and told us how happy Blandina was to meet us and she wanted us to know that she was afraid she was going to die before she was able to meet us so she has been holding out for us. Luigi thanked us all for doing that for her. There was a table in Blandina's sitting room filled with appetizers and wine, and we ate baked olives, a cheese puff and fresh pecorino cheese, a specialty in Teramo. It was delicious and Danny loved it! Danny kept mixing in his Spanish with his attempts at Italian and they all got a good laugh out of it and said things like - "Adios Danny" or "Buenas Dias Danny!" We found out very quickly that they all had a great sense of humor! We met Franca and her husband PierLuigi, and Luigi's twin sister, Rossella. We also met their live-in helper, Santa, who did all the cooking. We all had some wine and with the help of the dictionaries that both Rossella and I had and with Francesco translating, we managed to understand each other very well.

Then they told us it was time for lunch and wanted us to go into the Dining Room. They started to help Blandina to get up and I asked if I could help her, so hand-in-hand Blandina and I walked into the dining room and I helped her into her chair. The room was large with a big table and chairs. There was a sofa and a few other chairs, and there were several china cabinets with family pictures everywhere. We found out later that this was Franca's mother-in-law's house and most of the pictures were of her family. There was also a door leading out onto a balcony. Lunch started out with another Teramo specialty - Scrippelle, a rolled egg crepe in a chicken broth and it was delicious! Gary said he wanted to get the recipe and serve it at the Seminary. There was a platter of cold sliced turkey and eggplant parmesan. There were two different kinds of wine on the table along with "water with gas". They brought out a large bowl of grapes and a platter of desserts and of course, more wine! It was all very delicious and all throughout the meal we talked and laughed as though we have been having family meals like this for ages. Immediately after dinner they brought out presents for all of us and we were a little embarrassed because even though we had brought them all gifts, they were still back in the hotel rooms. Gary and Danny got leather wallets, and we (the girls) each got a scarf - which was funny because they didn't know it yet, but Zia had decided to bring the same thing for them! As soon as I opened my scarf I was touched - I realized that it was the same one that I had admired in a picture that Luigi had sent me of him and Carla going to a wedding and she had the scarf on. (See Photo to the right.) I had written to him that Carla was very pretty and that I liked her scarf. As soon as I opened my gift and recognized it I looked up at Carla, and the smile on her face was priceless! She was so happy that I remembered it and even though she didn't speak English, she knew exactly what I was saying when I thanked her.

We spent some time looking at old photos and they showed us photos of Valle Vaccaro. Annette took some pictures of the photos so that we could all have a copy of them. It was all very exciting to know that we were going to see the real thing in a few days, and we were all very excited about it.

We then left for Castille, a small village about 40 km from Teramo that is famous for its age-old technique of making ceramics that was first done by the monks hundreds of years earlier. They drove us in their cars and we went up winding, twisting roads up into the mountains with beautiful panoramic views. The village was very charming and picturesque, and there were ancient ceramic shops in the village. Joyce made friends with a few of the local cats and took their pictures. A few other "cousins" were there by the time we arrived, and we were very touched that they had all gotten together to arrange for our visit to Teramo to be special. I had read about Castelli on the internet and was very interested in it, but I never thought they'd be taking us there. It was a nice surprise. What we didn't realize is not only were they taking us there to see the village, but they had arranged for us to meet some of the local artisans. First we met Antonio, a ceramic maker, and he showed us around his workshop and demonstrated some of the ancient tools and molds that were hundreds of years old. He showed us his homemade kiln that was a pit in the ground where he used wood and bricks to fire the ceramic pieces just as they have been doing for hundreds of years. He also showed us his collection of clay figurines. It was all very interesting. We then walked to another shop where we met Johnny, a painter, and watched as he painted some beautiful ceramic vases.

Then we got back into our cars to drive a short distance to the local church, the Chiesa de San Donato. We went inside to look at the ceiling that was lined with hundreds of beautifully painted majolica ceramic tiles that families had donated to the church throughout the years. It was all very old and very beautiful. When we went outside we could see a great view of the Gran Sasso in the distance and we got our first view of "the Sleeping Giant" - it really did look like a great big giant laying on his back with his big belly sticking up in the air. We all took pictures but knew they couldn't possibly turn out as beautiful as seeing all that scenery in person.

We drove back to Teramo and to our hotel, then they informed us that they were taking us to a restaurant for dinner. Since we were all still so full from our lunch at Blandina's, they decided instead that we would go to a little restaurant a few doors down from our hotel for a light meal. We walked down and we all laughed when we saw the name of the restaurant where we would be having our first Italian dinner in Teramo: Shannon's Irish Pub! The name must have just referred to the Irish beer they served, because we all had very good Italian food - I had Pizza Margerita and it was delicious! We all sat at a long table and more "cousins" showed up. We ate, laughed and talked for hours and Annette showed them all her family tree that she has been working on. They were very interested in it, and were able to add some information to it. We finished eating and it was time to leave, but we never even saw a bill and we realized that our Teramo relatives had a very well planned visit for us!

We left the restaurant and did the typical Italian thing - we went for a Passiagata, an after-dinner walk. We walked into town and I immediately fell in love with Teramo! There were people everywhere and we walked through arched sidewalks towards the bell tower and ancient church. I loved the inside of the church - the altar and stained glass windows were ancient and beautiful! Parts of the church were medieval and I saw a huge wrought iron door that led into a little chaplet - the door was almost exactly like the door leading into my office at ECC City Campus and I love that door every time I walk into my office. I couldn't believe that it was an almost exact replica of the one from the medieval church in Teramo! After we left the church we walked to see some Roman Ruins, and then we walked back to an outdoor cafe area where there was a gelateria. They bought us each a gelato and we took pictures of the beautiful pastry displayed in the showcases. We took a leisurely walk back to our hotel and they told us they would be back to pick us up first thing in the morning.

It was a great day and it didn't take long before I realized that our Italian cousins are the most charming, funny, warm-hearted and lovable people! They welcomed us with open arms and open hearts and I hope they were as happy and excited to meet us as we were to meet them!

Well... that's the end of my notes for Friday. Like I said in my first post, it was hard to believe that earlier this day we were still in Rome. A lot has happened since we woke up that morning! I hope everyone is enjoying remembering some of our adventures, and hopefully looking forward to remembering what happened the next day when we spent the day visiting the sites of Teramo.

SEE NEXT POST: Saturday in Teramo

Saturday in Teramo - To the market, the cemetary, the sea and the fortress!

TERAMO, Saturday, July 22nd
Yesterday was such a busy and exciting day, first leaving Rome and driving to Teramo, then meeting the family and doing so many things. But today I still woke up early because I don't want to waste any time during our stay in Teramo. I left the hotel and went for a walk. I thought I'd be able to find the places we walked to last night, but I must have made a wrong turn because I ended up in a completely different part of town. I found a school, another church, and some public buildings that had a large parking lot filled with vespas. Then I walked past a small park where people were walking their dogs. I was heading towards the mountains for a little while, but then I started to think I might be lost and wasn't sure if I'd be able to find my way back into town. But then I saw the bell tower in the distance and knew that the church and the square that we were in last night was in that direction. I eventually found the hotel and went to get everyone because the plans were that "the girls" were going to meet us at the hotel to take us shopping at the local market.

When I got there everyone was ready for breakfast so we all went downstairs for breakfast. Our breakfasts in Italy were all included in the hotels, and they were all pretty much the same. They consisted of prosciutto and cheese, rolls, croissants, fresh fruit, coffee, and assorted pastries. The Abruzzo Hotel also served this type of breakfast, and as soon as we finished eating they arrived. Rossella was there and with her was Angela. She is married to Marco's brother, Gigi. Everyone seems to be named Luigi, but they all have nicknames. Angela, we found out, lived in Canada for many years. Her parents were originally from Teramo, but moved there for work, then eventually came back. Because of this, Angela spoke English very well. We all loved her instantly (she reminded me of Marissa Tomei in the movie Only You), and even though she was an "in-law" she knew a lot about the family history, and with Rossella's help, they told us this story: In the 13th Century members of our family, known then as the "Federicis" fought for the Doge (High Duke) of Venice. They won a great battle for him, and he was so grateful so he gave them large amounts of money and also bestowed them with a family crest, which they still have today. It is also when they received the distinction of being able to put the "De" in front of their names and that is when the name became "De Federicis" or "of the Federicis". There was a family castle, and they were barons (land owners) and were very wealthy. The girls all went to private schools and the family had their own priest. They lived in Puglia until many years later in the early 1600's when a Revolution broke out in Naples. The "De Federicis' of Puglia" sided with the church and the Pope and fought against the King. They lost the battle, and fled to Valle Vaccaro where they built a large stone home. They were the only persons in the area with a home and property. Angela told the story very well, and she assured us that even though at one time they were very wealthy, she laughingly said - "But now it is all gone!" They then told us they would tell us more later when we get to Blandina's and they would show us the crest. It is blue and has 7 stars.

We walked to the market which was not very far, and the streets that we walked in last night were now filled from one end to the other with stalls of clothes, leather items and household items. This was not a tourist market like they have in Rome and Florence, but was a local market where the locals shop for their goods. We all walked around and shopped, and we each bought a few things. I bought a new pair of sunglasses because mine broke in Rome, and Gary bought Mom a beautiful tablecloth and matching chair pads. Danny bought a leather belt. Annette bought a few new skirts, and Joyce bought a beautiful piece of lace for Jeannine which we all agreed she would love. Since the market was along the streets of Teramo, there were also shops along the way that were open. I went into one of the boutiques and bought Michelle, Jamie and Kari some beautiful items. We met up with Carla and a few more cousins and then we were once again near the Medieval church and bell tower that I love so much. We went in again and took some pictures. When we came out Annette found a yarn shop and bought some wool yarn that she loved. We spent a few hours in the market then went back to the hotel, but only for a few minutes because they were going to pick us up to go to the cemetery. Everyone went, including Blandina's sister Irma who is 76 years old. When I first wrote to Luigi, Zia Evalina told me that Grandpa wanted to visit his mother before she died, but he never did. I always felt bad about that and I told Luigi in my emails that when I come there I would like to buy some flowers to put on Grandpa's mother's grave (Grandma Rita) for him. They remembered that and stopped at a little flower shop just outside the cemetery so I could buy some. Carla helped me pick out the flowers, and we went into the cemetery. I don't think any of us "Americans" who were there could even begin to describe the cemetery, but all I can say is it was unbelievable! We took pictures, but I don't even know if that would do it justice. All I can say is that Italians mourn their loved ones! There were rows and rows and building after building filled with tombs - and it didn't matter if they died a week ago or 50 years ago because they were all filled with flowers and mementos. There were even separate buildings with glass walls that looked like you were looking into someone's living room with furniture, lamps, pictures and electricity! We found out that they actually pay an electric bill. We walked around for a little bit and then they took us to the family tombs. They were on the wall and we saw the stones for Rita, Cesare, Zia Sophia, Zio Rocco, and many other family members. All of their pictures were in oval frames on their individual stone and it was actually very beautiful. We put the flowers that I bought into the vases that were attached to the stone. Carla and Luigi had even thought to bring scissors for me to cut the stems so they'd fit. Then as we were all looking at their photos, Gary turned to me and said - what day is it? I thought for a minute then said - It's September 22nd. And he said - it's Cesare's birthday! And sure enough, we all were amazed when we saw etched on his stone 22-9-1856 - he was 151 years old today! It all seemed special to all of us that we were there on Great Grandpa Cesare's birthday! He was Grandpa's father, and the patriarch of the family and the reason all of us - Italian and American - were here today!

After we left the cemetery we went back to the hotel to meet up with Marco's family. We found out that they had everything very well orchestrated for our entire visit and we were never idle for even a minute. As soon as we arrived back at the hotel, our rides were ready to take us to Angela and Gigi's house for lunch. Marco had not arrived from Rome yet, but we were told that we would see him that night for dinner. We drove to their house which was on the outskirts of Teramo, but was on the side of a hill and overlooked Teramo. The view of Teramo from their yard was beautiful and we took some pictures. They had fruit trees in their yard, and out the back there was a garden and grapevines. Their house was large, but they lived on the first floor. Angela's sisters lived on the other floors. We met Gigi, and he spoke some English but had a GREAT sense of humor! He kept us laughing and they were excellent hosts. I asked to use the bathroom, but only because I was nosey! Their houses are so different from ours - stone, marble and tile everywhere. No carpeting or rugs. Besides Gigi and Angela, who was our interpreter, there was Gigi's mother (Diane)and grandmother who was 92 years old and was so cute! Gigi's father, Cesare, and mother are divorced. They had lunch ready for us and we had stuffed peppers, olives and hot peppers, insalata, prosciutto, cappacola, veal with cream tuna sauce and capers, risotto, mushrooms, green tomatoes in olive oil, and lots of wine. It was all very delicious!Gigi's mother made una torta (a cake) for dessert and not only was it delicious, it looked like it was purchased at an expensive bakery! We also had fresh fruit, more wine and coffee. We had a great time laughing and talking during lunch, and almost as soon as we were done we were being picked up by Luigi and everyone else to go see the sights. We were in three different cars and Zia and I ended up in the car with Luigi, Carla and Francesco. We drove higher and higher into the mountains and we were on our way to see Civitella del Tronto - a fortress in the mountains. The road kept getting higher and more twisting and we saw the fortress in the distance and it was huge and beautiful! We eventually got there and waited for everyone else. After a while, Luigi's phone rang and I'm not sure what happened but somehow everyone got mixed up and even though we were all supposed to meet at the fortress then go to the Adriatic Sea, the rest of the group ended up at the sea while we were in the mountains. There was nothing to do except for us to see the fortress and them to see the sea and we all agreed we'd just share stories and pictures later. So even though we were so high in the mountains, we climbed even higher to get to the top of the fortress. We walked quite a bit, and there were a lot of interesting things to see and the views were fantastic! From the top we could see into the region of Le Marche, which is the region North of Abruzzo. Carla told us she was originally from Le Marche and pointed out the direction where her family was from. We visited the museum and then walked back down, but not before Carla decided she was going to climb up onto the stone wall where the huge bell was and even though Luigi called for her to get down because she'd get hurt, she kept climbing until she reached the rope so she could swing it back and forth until the bell chimed for us! It was funny because Luigi was so worried about her but she was determined to ring the bell for us. I, of course, took pictures!

We headed back to the hotel to meet everyone and we found out that they were thoughtful enough to put some water from the Adriatic Sea into a bottle for us since we weren't able to go. We had just enough time to get ready to go to dinner - Marco's family was treating us at an agritourism restaurant called Le Macine and it is an old mill that made wine and olive oil and served typical Teramo products from their farm. (I added a link to their website under "My Favorite Links for all Things Italian" on the right side of this page - check it out, it will all look familiar. ) Cesare, Gigi, Angela, Marco and his girlfriend Nicoletta were all there. Nicoletta is adorable and speaks very good English. We had cheese, prosciutto, eggplant, tomatoes with pesto, bread with spreadable sausage, bread with hot spicy cheese, fried bread dough, pasta with duck, gnocchi, pork and lamb. We also had plenty of wine and pizza dolci for dessert - a typical Teramo dessert made with vino cota (cooked wine) that was delicious, and coffee and tea. It was a great meal! We gave them presents and Gary made an excellent speech as he gave out the gifts. He talked about Marco's visit with the family in New York and said we brought some products from home with us. He gave Marco and Gigi Weber's Mustard (which Marco told us he loved when he was here) and some Frank's hot sauce. He also gave Marco a "wooden car" - when he was in NYC he told Gary he kept seeing wooden cars and Gary had no idea what he was talking about and then one drove by them and it was actually a station wagon with wood panels, and Marco took pictures because he wanted to show everybody in Italy. Gary had found a small model one for him and brought it to him and they thought that was really funny. He gave Buffalo Bills shirts to Cesare, Gigi and Marco and we had honey soaps for Nicoletta and Angela. It was a great time and we really enjoyed the food and family! But now I am looking forward to tomorrow - we are going to visit Grandpa's house in Valle Vaccaro!

SEE: Sunday Morning: A Visit to Fratolli

Sunday Morning - A Visit to Frattoli

Today we are leaving to spend the day in Valle Vaccaro, so we all got up early and met in the hotel restaurant for breakfast. Gary was talking to one of the hotel workers, and up until then they were always polite and helpful, but not overly friendly. Gary mentioned to him that we were going to Valle Vaccaro to see the home where our Grandfather grew up. As soon as they found out that we were "of the De Federicis family" and that our Grandfather was from Abruzzo, they couldn't do enough for us and they were suddenly much more friendly! It was funny! The family arrived with several cars to take us all up into the mountains, and that's when we found out that Zia Evalina was not feeling well. It was a very sad situation because we all wanted to see Valle Vaccaro, and we were so disappointed that Zia Evalina was thinking of not going. Both Joyce and Annette immediately said they would stay behind with her, but Joyce and Zia Evalina insisted that Annette should go since this is what she had been waiting for and the main reason she wanted to come to Italy. So Joyce said she would stay with her, but Debbie insisted that she be the one to stay behind since it was important to all of us, and she was the only one not related to the De Federicis family. We all felt bad and we all knew it was very thoughtful of Debbie to volunteer. So we left them behind and got in the cars and left for Valle Vaccaro.

We rode for a long time up twisting and turning roads higher and higher into the Appennine Mountains and through the Gran Sasso National Park until we arrived in a little town called Frattoli, which is close to Valle Vaccaro. We all got out of the cars in Frattoli and walked through the streets and along the stone walkways to an ancient 14th Century church called Chiesa di San Giovanni Battista. The houses along the way were all very pretty, and everyone seemed to be watching us out their shuttered windows and knew we were "the Americans". We saw some cats and a white Abruzzo Shepherd, which Francesco told us was one of his favorite breeds of dogs. We arrived at the church, and went inside. It was very small, and very rustic with many homemade statues and icons that were all very old. We spent a long time inside looking at everything, and what was especially interesting was the small room off of the main room that had a skeleton with a scapel over a doorway. It seemed very strange to see something so gothic inside of a church, but Rossella and Angela explained to us that it symbolizes the entry into the other world after death and that you leave all your material things behind. We went outside and walked behind the church. The outside of the church was beautiful, and the scenery of the mountains and valleys all around us was even more beautiful! It was a beautiful day, and Luigi and Carla decided to make a picnic out of it and laid down a blanket and enjoyed the sun. We all stood looking at the view, and Angela showed us the walnuts that could be found on the ground. She found two rocks and used them to crack open the walnuts. They were so fresh and delicious and we ate all the ones we could find. When we couldn't find any more, they decided to try to pick some from the tree. The branches were too high, so someone tried tossing the end of their backpack up onto the tree branches to pull them down so we could reach the walnuts. Instead, the backpack got stuck up in the tree where no one could reach it. Since Rossella was so tiny, all the guys boosted her up to get the backpack. It was funny - but also scary since all this was taking place on the edge of a mountain!


We had been at the church for a long time, but then we were told it was time to leave since a service was going to start. As we were leaving, the bell ringer came out and pulled the long ropes to ring the three large beautiful bells at the top of the church. It sounded so beautiful and it was a great way to end our time at this ancient church in the mountains.

We were now on our way to see Grandpa's family home that he left when he was only 15 years old, never to return and never knowing that his grandchildren would be arriving in 2007!!!

SEE: A Visit to Grandpa's 17th Century Home