Vanchella Vagabonds

  This post is a little window into the lives of the family of Giovanni Impellizzeri and Maria Antonina Trovato of Alcamo, Sicily, Italy. Giovanni is John's 2nd cousin, 3 x removed (there are also more distant cousin relationships, but this is the most direct). Pictured in the photo are Giovanni and Maria Antonina, center, surrounded by their 8 children: back - Mariano, Antonino, Giacomo; center - Sebastiana, Giovanni, Maria Antonina, Liboria; front - Andrea, Vittina, Rosalia. I discovered Giovanni and his descendants through researching the Alcamo Impellizzeri line and via DNA testing. Giovanni's granddaughters, Marie Impellizzeri and Mary Ann Impellizzeri are DNA matches with John, his 4th cousins, 1 x removed. I also came to know Mary Ann's daughters Kelly and Wendy, who are John's 5th cousins. We have developed friendships over the years as we shared information, chatted, and researched together. We also collectively made the effort to meet in person, and those were...

  I had the opportunity in June to visit four of the Aeolian Islands. I visited Panarea and Stromboli on my own, while John and Emily accompanied me on a tour to Lipari and Vulcano. You can often spot some of the Aeolian Island chain in photos of the sea we take from Capo d'Orlando. On a clear day we can see Alicudi, Filicudi, Salina, Lipari, and Vulcano. The Aeolian Islands are a UNESCO site .  Aeolian Islands in relation to Capo d'Orlando. Salina, Lipari, and Vulcano Alicudi, Filicudi, and Salina Visiting the islands has been high on our bucket list, but they are a little challenging for us to get to. Tours from Capo d'Orlando are only available in the high season, when it is too hot for us. Otherwise, we have to depart from Milazzo, which presents its own challenges: While accessible by train, the city (and port) is far from the station (I knew this not only from the map, but also from John's visit there to the emergency room in 2024).  We had planned to go last summ...