Ciao

Our time in Italy was wonderful. Verona is a beautiful city, and we were both amused that the tourism industry is based around fictional characters. I'm sure rubbing Juliet's right breasts will bring singletons luck in finding a partner, however we decided against adding a padlock to the gate of Juliet's house. It seems to me pining after a relationship which ends with both partners killing themselves is rather odd. From Verona we made our way to Cinque Terra, a stunning part of the Italian coast with charming villages cascading into the sea. All the while we enjoyed the food, from fancy meals with my parents to local produce in the Cinque Terra, and our waistlines have expanded to prove it!

The highlight of Italy, however, was the people. I don't mean the strangers who lift your day, but I do mean the strangers who become your family. This story is vastly simplified, as those who are part of it will know, and of course this only represents my understanding of what occurred.

Many years ago, when my mother was still learning how to talk, her parents got divorced. For reasons that remain mostly unknown her father did not retain contact with her, and although she knew he remarried and had three more children, she never met her half-siblings. Fast forward 50 years...

In 2007 I had a fleeting, yet passionate, interest in my family tree and during this time I found a forum for people interested in genealogy. In my one and only post I gave the details I had of my grandfather, asking how I should go about finding more information. Being rather skeptical of unknown websites I gave a dodgy email address that I never check and just use as a depository for junk mail. My interest waned and I quickly forgot about that post. Fast forward 5 years...

It's now 2012 and in Italy Nicci decides to google her father's name, to see if there is anything about his accomplishments. She comes across a post about 'Walter Henry Nightingale' and the details make it clear this is her father. She calls her sister, Sue, who lives in London and Sue replies to the post. "Walter Henry Nightingale was my father." The reply goes to an email address that is never checked. Fast forward 4 months...

My mother puts her father's name into google, an activity she does every 6-12 months hoping for something, but not sure what. This time, something was found. Within days the sisters Olivia, Nicci and Sue had made contact and all our families made larger and no doubt more interesting! I have four aunts, not two and twelve cousins, not four. The final coincidence was that a trip to Europe had already been booked, not just for us, but for my parents too.

We joined my parents in Rome, where I met "Auntie Nicci", Enrico, Giulia and Ellen. So the highlight of Italy was meeting new family and seeing my mother delight in being a big sister.