We traveled to Italy on our first trip to Europe. Both sets of Marilyn’s grandparents are from northern Italy. We met both families for the first time during this trip.
March 30, 1998
Denver – St. Louis – New York
My mother, brother, sister and I depart Denver at 9:00 AM.
Arrive in St. Louis for a short layover.
Arrive in New York City’s Kennedy airport at 4:50 PM.
Depart New York at 6:40 PM for Italy.
March 31, 1998
Milan
Arrive at Milan’s Malpensa airport at 9:40 AM. We ride a bus to Milan’s Stazione Centrale train station.
Attempt to take the subway to our hotel but the subway drivers are on strike until 1:00 PM.
We catch a cab ride to the Hotel Adriatico. The cab ride was the scariest ride I have ever experienced. The taxi driver drove fast and whizzed past pedestrians and bicyclists with only inches to spare.
We take a three hour nap at our hotel.
Dinner at Bar Trattoria. We are the only customers in the restaurant. The owner treats us to a multi course dinner for a low price. We hear her singing in the kitchen while she prepares our meal.
April 1, 1998
Milan – Venice
Plugging in my hair dryer with my electrical converter blows the electricity in the entire hotel. I do this twice. The hotel management loans me a European hair dryer.
We ride the subway from our hotel to Duomo Cathedral. Walking around the Piazza Duomo, we take pictures and my brother poses with the pigeons.
We head to the Stazione Centrale train station and catch a train to Venice.
The train ride to Venice is 3 hours. We have not reserved a hotel. My brother and I leave my mother and sister at the train station with the luggage and head out in search of a hotel with vacancies. We finally find lodging at Hotel Rossi.
That evening we sit by the Grand Canal eating gelato.
April 2, 1998
Venice
We catch the #82 boat on the Grand Canal to the San Marco stop. We tour St. Mark’s Basilica. We climb up the staircases to the upper balcony and view the golden horses up close.
Wandering around St. Mark’s square we try to avoid more pigeons. We pass by Doge’s Palace. Walking back to our hotel, we crossover the Grand Canal on the Rialto bridge.
At the hotel, we take a two hour nap. Back out on the town that evening includes window shopping followed by dinner.
April 3, 1998
Venice – Mezzano
Awaken at 7:00 AM by chiming church bells. Check out of hotel.
Depart Venice at 1:40 PM on a train to Feltre.
Arrive in Feltre at 4:40 PM. Catch a (school) bus to Mezzano at 5:50 PM.
The bus takes us around many hairpin curves and up and down over mountainous roads. We arrive in Mezzano at 7:00 PM with a slight case of motion sickness.
We settle into our hotel room at Hotel La Lontra (the only hotel in Mezzano) and wash clothes in the bathroom and hang them out to dry on a clothes line. Dinner at the hotel at 8:00 PM.
April 4, 1998
Mezzano
Awaken at 7:00 AM by chiming church bells.
Our first meeting with our Italian cousin Francesco. We walk to his parent’s house and meet his mother, Teresa.
We tour the town on foot with Francesco and his brother Lino. Back at Teresa’s home, we eat a gigantic lunch of palenta and fresh cow’s milk.
Visit to Lino’s home. His home is one of four sections of a 3 story building. Francesco’s home (section) is still being built. The other 2 sections belong to brothers Giorgio and Pietro. Very modern homes with wood floors.
Walk over to the woodcarving shop of Francesco’s uncle – Giovani. He makes incredible carvings of crucifixes and nativity scenes. We all buy something. I buy a carving of an angel playing guitar. Marilyn buys a very large crucifix.
Two cars are needed to drive the four of us around the hills of Mezzano because the cars are so small. We visit several family summer homes.
Back in town, we visit with Giovanni, his wife, Francesca and his brother, Germano. Giovanni and Germano are Teresa’s brothers. They are my grandfather’s cousins. Giovanni originally initiated contact with family in the United States many years ago. They are upset that we are staying at the hotel. They want us to stay with them tomorrow night.
Walk to Marino and his wife, Tullia’s house for dinner. I excuse myself from dinner and walk back to the hotel. I have a touch of motion sickness from driving around the hills all afternoon.
April 5, 1998
Mezzano
Marilyn accidentally sleeps in and misses Palm Sunday mass at 7:00 AM with Teresa.
We check out of Hotel La Lontra.
Walk to Teresa’s house and eat breakfast with Teresa and Francesco at 9:00 AM.
In 3 cars, we drive to more summer homes.
Back at Hotel La Lontra for lunch. A special lunch has been organized for our benefit. We meet around 20 more relatives.
Afterwards, we walk around town with Maria (Francesco’s sister), Francesco and Alberto.
At 5:00 PM, we arrive at Teresa’s barn to watch her milk her cow. Marilyn attempts to milk the cow and falls off the cow stool (a one legged stool) and steps into wet manure. Finally, after much laughing, she milks the cow. My brother and Maria scrub Mom’s manure stained tennis shoe at the town stone trough.
Return to the woodcarver shop to pick up our purchases. We pay US cash to Francesco who will convert it to Lire. Nothing is open on Sundays.
We walk over to the house of Marguerite, Francesco’s sister, for a visit.
Eat pizza for dinner at Teresa and Vittorio’s (her husband) house. Lots of relatives are present. Vittorio Orler gives us wooden gifts made by him.
We carry our luggage to Giovanni’s house where we spend the night.
April 6, 1998
Mezzano – Turin – Coassolo
Awake at 4:00 AM. Giovanni knocks on our door as we dress. He presents us with a pitcher of fresh cow’s milk.
Francesco and Augustino drive us in their cars to Feltre and we arrive at 5:40 AM. Board the train at 6:05 AM.
We eat a breakfast (packed by Teresa) of fresh cow’s milk and crackers and yogurt on the train.
Arrive in Turin at 12:45 PM. Raffaella (her father is the nephew of Ferdinando, my great grandfather) meets us at the train station. She treats us to lunch in downtown Turin with her husband Danilo. Then we all pack into her Ford Fiesta and drive 30 minutes to Coassolo.
We arrive at the home of Luigi and his wife, Maria (Raffaella & Danilo also live here) which is a large home in the hills above the town of Coassolo. My mother is the second cousin of Luigi and third cousin of Raffaella. I am fourth cousin to Raffaella.
We drive down to Coassolo with Raffaella and Danilo for beer and pizza.
April 7, 1998
Coassolo
We wake up late – 9:00 AM. It rains lightly most of the day.
We walk to the former home of Ferdinando (my great grandfather). The couple that now owns it allows us to walk inside. Some of it has been preserved.
We drive to the Coassolo cemetery and find the grave of Ferdinando. We drive to City Hall and gather copies of birth, death and marriage certificates of Ferdinando and Margherita (my great grandmother).
After arriving back at the house, we eat lunch and take naps. Dinner at 8:00 PM. Afterwards we sit around talking at the table until 11:00 PM.
April 8, 1998
Coassolo
We visit the Coassolo church and take pictures. We drive to the original family settlement. Back to the cemetery, we take pictures that we couldn’t get because of yesterday’s rain.
We drive to Turin and Raffaella gives us a walking tour of the city. We eat gelato and buy souvenirs. Danilo joins us for dinner.
They drive us back to their house and we pack for our trip home. In bed by 11:30 PM.
April 9, 1998
Coassolo – Milan
We awake at 5:00 AM. Raffaella and Danilo drive us in two cars to the bus station in Turin.
We ride the bus for 2 hours to the Malpensa airport. Arrive at 9:05 AM. Our plane departs Italy at 11:30AM.
Back to Denver.