Project Description
September 2019
Our trip to Italy in the Summer of 2019 was the trip of a lifetime. While we spent many days in Italy seeing the sights, eating the amazing food, and relaxing and enjoying our entire family, our fondest memories are from the day that Stefano planned for our family in the town of Conflenti in Southern Italy. This small town, where my husband’s grandparents grew up before immigrating to the United States, welcomed us with open arms because of the amazing efforts of Stefano.
Stefano not only did the research necessary to learn about our family’s heritage, but he found our extended family – who invited us to their home to visit, share photographs, and family stories. It was so wonderful to connect, to learn about their life and traditions, and to find the traits and histories we share.
We visited the property where our grandparents were born and lived, viewed the record books with their birth certificates, visited with the mayor (who bought us all an espresso), enjoyed a traditional meal that Stefano arranged, and met local musicians who played traditional instruments and danced for us.
We wish we had scheduled two days or more in Conflenti, but we know we will return there someday.
Stefano carefully and thoughtfully planned the day and served as an amazing ambassador and translator. He learned so much about our family in advance – including some family secrets that we were able to share with our extended family back home.
Stefano also put together an amazing family tree, family history, and obtain official copies of the records we needed to obtain citizenship in Italy.
An amazing experience and worth every penny and then some for the lasting memories we all have. We recommend Stefano and Southern Italy Travel to all.
Anne Villella
