Rionero Sanittico: A Dream Of Connecting

I have never had such a strong desire (obsession) to visit a little piece of this earth as I do this place, the birthplace of my great-grandfather Pa Tadone (Giovanni Andreano).  Although he passed away when I was a small child, I still have recollections of him, and combined with my nana's memory and stories, he lives in my heart.  You now know my reason to visit this little village.

To hear my nana tell, Pa Tadone's childhood was complicated with a selfish, cruel step-mother and a poor existence which was combined with earthquakes and lots of snakes.  Now these things I am sure are true but I know how my grandmother has a tendency (like myself) to embellish a story.  Where do you think I get that ability????  Anyway, she always described this beautiful little mountain town in Italy and I would daydream these wonderful fantasies about the village.  As I got older, the daydreaming didn't occur nearly as often but one day I was at my computer and I realized I could pull up an image of this little village, I grew very excited and typed in the name and then...........I cried.  This was the picture I saw and it felt like I was actually there.  I sat and blinked through the tears and decided one day I will travel there to make the connection to my family's past, and to my heart.  It has been a long time since that day and I have even traveled to Italy once, but now is the time to take the next step and realize my many childhood fantasies.

This is the only picture I have of Pa Tadone.  It is a little
blurry but it is a picture of a kind, and simple man.  When I look at it, I am mesmerized and try to think of what kind of life the young Giovanni had back in Italy.

I have recently done a little research and found that there are still a few families with the name Andreano living in Rionero Sanittico.  I would like to contact them so I guess it is time to really immerse myself in the Italian language.  I understand and know some of the language but I feel the need to become at least semi-fluent.
One last note, although I have more of a German background and I look mostly German, I have the heart, mind, and soul of my Italian heritage.  It is the force that drives me through my life and keeps me surrounded by beauty!

HH~

ANGELO