Corry received a phone call back in the spring asking if he would be willing to come and tour some pool manufacture's plants… in Italy! He said he would be willing, of course and knew he couldn't go without me! But, the trip was for the exact same week we had been invited to Lake Powell. So we chose our kids over Italy. Crazy, I know, but it was the right decision. Meanwhile he asked if there was another time he could go, since he was not available. Thankfully there was, in the fall! Perfect! Grammy and Grandpa came to spend two weeks with the kiddos, and off we went. I was beyond excited!!!
Our first stop was to the LDS Mission office in Milan. We were unable to get permission to see an Elder from our old ward, but we did have permission to drop off a very large bag for him. After that, we went on our way to my favorite part of the trip… Canelli. This is where my great grandma Celeste was born and raised. She came to America when she was 16, and her family followed shortly after. I knew her. She cooked us Italian food (which I hated at the time). She pinch my cheeks and said what a cute little cutie pattuti I was. She gave me pennys, and mostly I was a little scared of her! Thankfully I have gotten older and I LOVE Italian food! I love learning about her and I was so touched to walk where she walked, see what she would have seen, and just be in that beautiful little small town.
The view from my hotel window...
It was a very humbling experience. We explored that little town and walked everywhere. I loved it. I love the square where the old men met and visited on the corners. I loved that so many people rode their bikes with baskets on the front and left them unattended or locked up in front of stores. I loved the food, and the cannoli, and the little shops. I loved the views.
Watching the artist working
and searching for my heritage. The story goes that Celeste's father was a builder and build a local church. We looked and looked. DOn't know if we found it, but we found all the churches.
The we visited the cemetery, looking for graves of my ancestors. We took hundreds of pictures of mausoleums with family names buried in them. The cemetery was unreal and seemingly never ending.
We spent an evening, a day and the next morning in this beautiful place. I loved it all. I am not a big city girl. I loved the peacefulness of the small town. The feeling of family I got there was incredible. It felt like I had come home.
