INSPIRATION
Poetry doesn’t belong to those who write it; it belongs to those who need it.
‘Il Postino’
When thinking of Italian houses I’d love to restore the number one for me is the childhood home of my husbands grandfather Guiseppe. He grew up in the village of Leni on the island of Salina with his parents Maria and Franceso and two sisters.
Now many years later we returned to the island of Salina, with the idea of finding his home just a dream as we had no address. We asked in every shop until we were lucky enough to find a lead. The girl in the tabacchi shop knew the family, it was her mother who had given Maria her insulin injections. They knew the house well in fact they still lived across the road.
So we not only found the house but also part of a living history, my mother in law (on the left) just beamed the entire day.
So four generations later our “mezza italiana” children stood in the home of their great great Grandparents on the island of Salina, a magical moment in time.
Sadly although we were able to find the house it had recently been sold, the new owners had plans to restore it.
One day we’ll return to see the transformation.
Have you traced your heritage? Anyone from Salina?
I’d especially love to hear if you traced it to Sicily or Calabria x
‘My favorite scent memory is the scent of the Sicilian sea’….domenico dolce
love to read
The Stone Boudoir: Travels Through the Hidden Villages of Sicily
Coming Home to Sicily: Seasonal Harvests and Cooking from Case Vecchie
and one on my reading wish list The Leopard: A Novel
and the gang x
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Absolutely love this and so glad I’ve come across this.
I hope to retrace my families history in Leni amd experience the same. My great-great grandfather Diego Lamaro lived in Leni before moving to Australia in the late 1800s.
Hi Lisa – I came across your blog during a genealogy search. My family was from Salina and moved to Boston and Perth around the early 1900s (I think). I think Salina only had a population of around 5k then so likely everyone knew each other in some aspect or another. Our family name is Re. My great grandfather’s brother opened a grocery story in Perth called “The Re Store” which appears to still be open today. My great grandfather settled in Boston, MA where my family still lives. I hope to one day visit Salina and locate some other Re’s but have been finding it tough online.
Hi, my name is Rosemarie, my maiden name is Lopes. My father’s parents moved to Perth Australia from Salina in the early 1920s. I would love to hear from anyone that knows or has heard of that family name. My grandparents were margarita and Giuseppe Lopes. My grandmother had a twin sister, her married name was locator. If anyone has any information, I would love to hear from them.
Kind regards, Rosemarie Mair
Hi I saw your post as I am researching my great great grandparents..caterina lopes ( née mazzitello) and guiseppe lopes, I believe lived in Rinella on island of Salina. Some of my great grandpa siblings also migrated to Australia during the same time as yours. Thank goodness for the internet..connect to so many people.
Hello Rosemarie,
My grandfather was also Giuseppe Lopes- named after his father of the same name. Drop me an email and we can try connect the dots.
Am currently in Salina and have been trying to find other Lopes here- it is such an unusual name. Ciao