In Italy In 1960 I was in the army, stationed in Ansbach, Germany, and I decided to take some leave time and go to Molfetta, Italy, the birthplace of both my parents, and home to two uncles, one aunt, cousins by the dozens, and most importantly, my paternal grandmother! I traveled to Italy by train from Ansbach to Milano, where I boarded the Milano-Lecce Express. The express traveled the length of Italy along the coast of the Adriatic Sea, south to the tip of the peninsula. Molfetta was situated on a seaport just at the top of the heel of the boot, but the train did not stop there. Instead, I had to go on to the capital city of the province, Bari, and then take a bus back to Molfetta, about fifteen miles. As soon as I saw signs indicating the city limits of Molfetta, I decided to get off the bus and walk into town. I should say at this point that I told no one that I was coming, so I had to find my relatives on my own. The only thing I knew was that my father’s sister, Zia Teresa, owned an outdoor cafe called Cafe Zaza. I walked for about fifteen or twenty minutes, when I decided I would ask the next person I met for directions to the cafe. A portly gentleman, wearing a navy blue suit jacket and a gray fedora hat was approaching me, and as he drew nearer, I was amazed to feel that I recognized him. My mother always showed us pictures of our family in Italy, so it wasn’t so strange that I knew this man. I was a little nervous, but I decided to talk to him, and in my best Italian, I called out “Zio Antonio!” The man was startled and drew back, placing his hands on his hips, and responded “Chi se tu...” or who are you? “I’m Marco from America,” I responded. With that said, my Uncle Antonio embraced me in a huge bear hug, tears streaming down both our faces—mine because I had found my uncle, his for reasons that became clear a little later. He could not believe I recognized him, and kept saying over and over, “il figlio di Pasqualina” (“Pasqualina’s son”). He took me to his house, calling out to his wife, my Zia Rosina, “Look who I have
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