Gang of Four

Cinque Terre Breakwater (Photo by Brian Beam)

These days, I’m gaining a lot of respect for travel agents. Matt and I have spent the past month working on lodging for our trip to Italy. We will be in many different locations and while our original plan was to wing it after the first week when our mother has gone back home, I’m glad we have rethought that idea. Our second week will begin in Cinque Terre. I hadn’t realized how touristy the five villages really are. Two months before our trip and almost every place I contacted did not have available rooms. We finally found a beautiful bed and breakfast in Monterosso al Mare. It’s somewhat far from town proper, but I think we’re OK with that considering the alternative (no housing at all!). After our four nights in Cinque Terre, we have no idea what we’re doing yet. A day in Venice? Lake Como? We just don’t know yet.

I must tell you the meaning of this blog post’s title. My cousin Michael has decided to make the first week of the trip with us. He is my mother’s older sister’s son, so we are first cousins. Due to this development, we’ve decided on a big change to my mother’s flight plan so she can leave from Philly with Michael. It will cost us a lot in fees, but we will break even if the new flight is cheaper. Adding him to the trip will be great. The more people who bear witness to this experience, the more perspectives can be brought into the experience, and come out of it.

A few weeks ago, I had a lively phone conversation with Sandro, Angelo mio. We talked about the Italian way of life (Work to live, don’t live to work). We discussed Sandro’s mission of helping Italian Americans connect with their homeland roots. Sandro also offered to help us book our stay in Goriano. Because of a language barrier, that made the most sense. A few days after our call, Sandro phoned up Mayor Marganelli of Goriano Sicoli, who personally booked our rooms in the one and only bed & breakfast there. Not only am I honored that the mayor has had a hand in our trip, I’m also thrilled that he told Sandro to call him upon our arrival in Goriano so he can greet us. How lucky to have Sandro AND Mayor Marganelli as our gracious hosts.

Sandro told me that our plans in Goriano will be to visit the home where my great grandfather was born. We can bring a token of the Bucciarellis with us and leave it somewhere meaningful, so there is always a connection to the place where we came from. He will take video of the event so we can share the experience with the rest of our family.