Travel north from Sicily was full of new sights. For the first time since the start of our travel, the land flattened, a bit, and towns took on a more traditional (for us) look. The short distance jammed-packed ferry ride from Messina to Reggio Calabria marked the start of our remaining days in Italy. After scouring the port area for way too long, we finally located our language-deficient driver and his vehicle, We then drove north on an adventure that would eventually result in meeting many cousins that I had never seen before.

Much like Sicily, mainland Italy is green and loaded with history. Roman and Greek ruins are everywhere, but the impact of the Spanish, Normans, and Arabs are found in many places, especially south and along the seacoast. All cities and towns seem to spring to life in the evening, providing the sense of party time even when it is not.

We were most excited to return to San Cipriano Picentino, the hometown of my grandmother’s (mother’s mother) family. San Cip is just east of Sorrento, the starting point of the Amalfi Coast. It was our third trip to San Cip and this time we planned to stay a bit longer than before. My intention was to host a few of my cousins at the Rizzo Resort, a nice place at the edge of town. They replied yes to the invitation, but they also wanted Janet and me to visit their home. We had been there before. Much to our surprise, there were more than 20 of my cousins gathered to celebrate our visit. What a great surprise. One of my cousins is a very talented soon-to-be graduate of a baking school and of course, he baked for our party. We had the best of times, laughing, joking, and posing for pictures.

The last part of our travel to Italy involved two walkabouts in Rome. While we viewed the usual suspects, such as the Colosseo, we also sought out less popular sites we had not visited before. Success? Yes. There are Roman ruins everywhere, but not all are tourist magnets. So, there we were, just us finding our own way with an interest in the different and Google maps as guides. Both days we walked at least five miles, stopping now and then to eat and hang out. We saw a lot. It was our best trip to Rome so far. We capped the stay in Italy by having dinner with another cousin and his fiancé at a neighborhood restaurant near the Borghese Gardens—the best.