My inspiration to visit Goriano Sicoli, as I’ve mentioned before, came from letters that were written during World War II. I’d like to start sharing with you a few excerpts from the letters.
Here is an excerpt from a letter from my great grandmother to her son, Johnny, sent on October 15, 1944. I am leaving in spelling errors as they were originally transcribed. A note here: my great uncles’ names were Ralph, Johnny, and Willie.
Well, I guess by this time you already heard from Willie about him been in Goriano, boy! That really was something to surprise those people like he did. It’s a funny world that after 30 years that your Pop hasn’t seen his relatives, and the youngest of you boys had to go over and meet them. That was really something. He really looks good, happy with a big smile in the picture that he took with your Uncle Domenick and family. Poor kid. I guess he makes himself at home wherever he goes. He says he has seen [unreadable] but he doesn’t have the beer belly he use to have.I can imagine poor people how they have to suffer….
…Well, Pop wants to know if it’s possible that sometime if you have a pretty long leave if you ain’t so far away from Italy if you could go over sometimes and see the relatives and maybe you can also see Willie there. Too bad, I guess. It’s impossible. Did Willie send you those pictures that they took together there? If he din’t send it, soon as Ralph sense the one he sent us back, we will send it to you. We send Ralph the pictures so he could (get) a big kick out of it the way we did, although we had to cry. But it was worth it; he also wrote us 8 page letter telling us adventures there. We certainly made everyone read that letter. it was really good. I guess he told you that he also met Mike Pronio’s mother. They in another town near Goriano. Willie was looking for a hotel and asked a boy and happened to Pronio’s nephew so therefore than he took to his mother. We can be proud. Such popular member of our family.
Boy, I would give anything if I could take a trip to see you boys. here we go again talking out of my head. it’s impossible. Well, now I have to be satisfied with a piece paper. Maybe I din’t appreciate you kids when you was here. Well, what can we do about it? I am not the only one. Pop said how about you writing to Uncle Domenick and Aunt Marinecia a few lines. if you can’t get anyone to write in Italian, write it to him in American. They can always find someone that knows how to read.
