Vanchella Vagabonds

  John, on the occasion of his baptism, with grandmothers Maria Milano Impellizzeri and Benedetta Adamo Ciacchella Isn't this a beautiful photo? It was one of several of John's christening given to us at our wedding shower by his godparents. These two women, both born in Alcamo, and living just ten minutes apart , never knew each other until their children, Virginia Impellizzeri and Peter Ciacchella, married.  Photos from wedding activities.  As time went on, Maria and Benedetta became friends. But they probably did not know that they were distant cousins! Yes, that's my latest genealogy discovery. Maria Milano and Benedetta Adamo share the same set of 3rd great-grandparents, Damiano Tartamella and Caterina Varvera. This makes them 4th cousins. It's a distant relationship, but interesting nevertheless. Maria Milano descends from Damiano and Caterina via her maternal grandmother. Benedetta Adamo descends from Damiano and Caterina via her paternal grandmother. Since John...

  Merry Christmas! Emily is here in Capo D'Orlando for the holiday season! She flew into Florence, and we met her there to spend a few days together on a mini-vacation. Other than that, we have not had any specific plans because she requested to "just exist here."  We enjoyed our trip to Florence, but there were two problems. First, we all had a stomach virus during the trip at different points in time. Therefore, we all didn't get to do all of the things we had hoped to do. However, we managed to squeeze in quite a bit during the times of feeling well. Second, we were disappointed by the number of times we heard negative comments about Sicily, Sicilians, or the South of Italy. I thought this attitudinal problem was a thing of the past, and it was sad to see it still in existence. Some people are just going to be ignorant.  Maybe? And, if so, then in a positive way. (Photo taken in Palermo.) Those things aside, Florence was a beautiful city full of stunning art and a...