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Street in Chieti View from Maiella's National Park Leonia and Carlo in front of the door to the house where Frank was born Leonia and Me on her balcony in Chieti (Larger images coming soon) Trip to Italy I am very blessed to have had the opportunity to travel to Italy. And very blessed to have an understanding husband who was left to care for our 20 month old son by himself - with help from our cousin. Thanks Lori. None-the-less, he knew how very important this trip was for me. I do not know if can explain to you with typed words, this importance. But I can share a story or two... Starting in Venice, my mother, sister and I, experienced Northern Italy; Padua, Pisa, Florence and then onto Assisi. From there we traveled into Abruzzo; San Gabriele, The Grand Sasso Tunnel and then into Vasto. When we reached Vasto, we left the tour and met with cugini who took us to see Chieti and Sant'Eufemia. After those three wonderful days we visited Padre Pio, drove through Umbria and onto the Mediteranean shore to Naples where we hopped on a ferry to Capri. After Capri, we ended the trip in Rome. That was the tour in a very small nutshell. But now I will tell you about those three wonderful days I mentioned above in Abruzzo. Clearly the best part of the trip - but maybe I am biased. The evening we arrived in Vasto, they were there, waiting for us at the hotel. I was very anxious and nervous about this moment because it was the moment I had thought about many times in my mind. My Italian was just okay. I took a class that summer but needed much more practice. However, the language proved not to be a barrier. When I got off the bus I saw her, Leonia, the daughter of Frank Pantalone. We embraced immediately. With her were her son, Carlo, his wife Eleanora, and their daughter Martina. They wanted to take me home with them that evening, so I went. I listened intently in the car ride north to Chieti, trying my hardest to interpret and holding my Italian-English dictionary like the bible.... It did not go to waste and my Italian was improving. The next day was a visit in Chieti followed by an evening to meet more cugini. Leonia shared many photos of her father, which I am happy to say I have copies and will put them on the site very soon. On the third day we went to Sant'Eufemia. There we had lunch at the Hotel DiNardo Vitale. Ada DiNardo, Leonia's good friend, and her husband Nevio Vitale, served us the best meal of the trip. Giant ravioli - just like grandma's recipe, spaghetti al dente, pork, and a tiramisu out of this world. I am happy just to think about it. After lunch, Ada and a few other ladies in the town, walked us around Sant' Eufemia. We saw were grandma's and grandpa's family lived, were they used to wash their clothes, and the Church they were baptised. We ended the day at Carlo's home and from there he took us back to Vasto. (too soon) Those past three days we really experienced the Italian culture. We had wonderful hospitality from beautiful people. Meeting Leonia was like meeting the grandmother I never had, a void was filled, and I truly feel honored to have met her. It was a pleasure and I can't wait to return the kindness to them.