Sicily has been on my mind. Both my maternal grandparents came from Sicily, but I never met that grandfather, Antonio, who died before I was born. My maternal grandmother, Francesco, died when I was nine years old. Interestingly, it is because of my grandfather’s early death that Michele and I were able to obtain our Italian citizenship: he never became an American citizen, which qualified us to become citizens of his country. Sicily, the place one set of my grandparents left, was my key to becoming officially Italian!
We know my dad’s Italian family well: we have spent lots of time with our wonderful cousins in the town of Senigallia, on the Adriatic coast in Le Marche, where my paternal grandfather left in 1911 to seek his fortune in America. But my mother’s family in Italy has always been a bit of an unknown.
That’s all about to change this September: We have been invited to the wedding of a lovely cousin on our mother’s side of the family: an authentic Italian–no, Sicilian–wedding! Lots of our family will be there too, of course, including many we have never met, so we are beyond excited for this reunion and celebration of a new couple, which will take place on Sicily’s north coast not far from the town where my maternal grandparents met, were wed, and left to come to America.
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We have the same portrait! - such a beautiful couple and fond memories of Nana! Enjoy Sicily, and looking forward to pictures when you get back!