Time for the Americano to leave Italy

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Time for the Americano to Leave the country

Brief outline

Monday - fairly quiet day went to Angela’s farm and another ride to get some pictures of the roto and marsha
Tuesday - Visitied Pop’s friend Frank Gazzana in Terranova
Wednesday - La Carforky definetly not spelt like that but thats the phonetic spelling. Where pop used to work with the Oxes
Thursday - Had lunch at Angela’s in Melicucca, played soccer with the Gagliotti work team, spoke to an older gentleman who lived in Brooklyn (I’m sure he was in the Sopranos)
Friday - Final day in Paparone. Standard fish for lunch, tarantella in the street at night
Saturday - Flew to Milan and stayed in Gorgonzola with Pina (Angela’s daughter) and Vittorio, Lunch with all the relatives
Sunday - Trip to the Doumo (Cathedral) and tourist centre of Milan. Amazing architecture!
 
The realisation that Paparone is good for a visit but not to live happened on Monday. Although i thoroughly enjoyed my time there, things just move too slowly for me. Monday morning consisted of going down and picking beans and eating them straight off the plant. When i first arrived i hadn’t acquired the taste for the beans but now as a snack i walk down to the farm and pick myself a few pods (even though i rarely needed to snack as meals sizes were so large). That afternoon i returned to the roto and marsha but on bike this time. The ride there was very enjoyable coming back not so great (on the way home i sacrificed a pair of jeans to the biking gods)
 
Visiting Frank was a welcomed change as i could have an English conversation finally. It was interesting to walk around Terranova and get all the history in English. Spent the afternoon talking to Frank and Jose amongst his grapevines about his history and other random things. Waking through his olive grove and his massive house you notice how easy it would be to live very comfortably here without much money.
 
Wednesday morning Nino took me to LaCaforky then onto another massive meal prepared by Nancy (Nino’s Wife).
 
As my time in Paparone was coming to an end i was invited to visit Angela and Antonio (Tuto) for lunch. As each serving came out i began to wonder when it was going to end especially as i had mistakenly said ‘Si’ to a question that i didn’t understand and inevitably ment “Would you like round 2 of that course?” After lunch finally finished Antonio took me for a tour of Melicuuca. Where i meet a friend of Tuto’s who could speak English. He explained some of his life history about living in Brooklyn and issues about returning to Italy in 1939 and not being able to get back into America until after the War. Like i ask all people who have returned to Italy from Western countries. “What was the reason you came back here?” His response was I had my reasons! I was very suspicious especially after first meeting him thinking that he seemed awful like one of the characters out of “The Sopranos”.
Friday - The last day down South 
As a farewell presentation the local kids got the piano accordion and tambourine out and played some traditional Italian songs for me, which included dancing in the street on dusk. It was surreal! Video will be attached of my horrific dancing ability.

Saturday - flew from Reggio to Milan. It was another very big day with another mammoth meal (6 courses to be correct). I meet with all the other cousins that had migrated north to greener pastures. A photo of dinner with everyone will be attached ata later date.

Sunday - visited Milan's tourist capital the Duomo and Piazza. Supremely impressive! I even rubbed my foot in a bull's balls. It's supposedly good luck to do so. I will just mention that the bull is a symbol of Turin inside the piazza and not a real one. It was only a quick visit to Milan as piña and vittorio didn't like the touristy atmosphere and it was time for them to siesta. Definitely one place on my have to return to list.

I apologise for the lateness of this blog. Germany and Switzerland with mark was just too much fun to get round to writing this. Photos will also be attached at a later date.

Next blog Germany. Prob my favourite place so far!

Until next time

Nick

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