My Bucket List #2 (Sant' Aresenio Italy)

#2
San Aresenio Italy.  Or Sant’ Aresenio if you are being correct. 

Of course I would like to see many different parts of Italy, but since that seems entirely unrealistic, I will settle for one place.  Where my great-grandmother, Rosa Amabile Mangieri came from.   The place she left before she got on the boat and headed to Ellis Island.

I remember when the movie The Jazz Singer came out and Neil Diamonds’ song “America” became so popular.  My mom used to cry when it played.  Always saying she couldn’t imagine what was going through Grandma’s head as she was traveling and when she first saw the Statue of Liberty.

I don’t know enough about my family tree back that far and I wish I did, because it fascinates me.  I mean don’t you want to know how and why you became the person you are today?  It goes way back trust me.  There are some things that you are born with.  So I guess this Bucket List is a two-parter.  Go and learn my heritage.

I remember going to Grams house when I was quite young.  She had a grape vine that we always ate grapes from.  I have no idea if she made wine with them or not, but it was cool.  I remember she had a very steep stairway to her bed and it scared me to walk up so I had no idea how she did it every single night.

She had parakeets, and they were noisy, I don’t quite remember why she had them, but she loved them.  I can vaguely remember a yellow and gray one.

I know she had a big long table that everyone sat at after Mass on Sundays and had toast and anisette I believe…I know there was a lot of laughter.  A lot of laughter, as they were probably drunk.

I don’t think she could correctly say my name so it came out more as Daphne…I didn’t care.  I loved going to her house.

I have been told a story about how she was upset with my mother for not naming us (my siblings) after Saints, to which my mother will staunchly deny by saying, no she wasn’t because all of your middle names were Saint names, so she was okay with it.  Ann, Danielle and James.  I will never know without asking her and I hope someday I get the chance to.

This picture is of all of us cousins (that were alive at the time, I believe she passed away in 82’) who attended her funeral.  I am wearing a green coat front and center, with long hair and apparently picking my nose.

I miss her.  A lot.