11 October 2024–Today is Chloe’s 13th birthday, so HAPPY SPECIAL BIRTHDAY to our darling, Chloe! Today is also Patty’s birthday, so HAPPY BIRTHDAY to our daughter-in-law, Patty! Besides these two seminal occasions, today we are meeting Augusto Rinaldi and Mirella Marchi, two new friends we’ve met in Coreglia, for coffee, after which Augusto arranged to obtain the keys to the Forte—you’ve read it correctly, THE Forte in Coreglia, where my father, Angelo Carzoli, my mother, Olga Bernardini (Carzoli), and I lived from 1950 – 1958 when we emigrated to the U.S.! Following the Forte tour, Dad and I traveled down our mountain to Piano di Coreglia to meet with one of the few remaining Gesso Figurine manufactures. Again, after I expressed a desire to do this, our amazing Augusto arranged for this visit to happen with the shop owners, the Carlo and Orlando Pellegrini brothers and us. Just like that! Finally, we drove to Altopascio (outside of Lucca, Italy, Tuscany) to visit with Carla Marchetti. Her nonno was my nonna Settima’s (nonna Olga/my mother’s) brother! This was yet another one of those days that was deeply emotional and magical and that gave testimony to the WONDERFUL, friendly, generous, kind, helpful people we’ve met during this brief stay in Coreglia! We met in front of the Church in Coreglia where I was baptized, San Michele. It is higher up on the mountain than where our B&B is located, but not really visually that far. Nevertheless, the steep, twirly drive and ultimately walk make it feel as if it’s farther than it is. When we lived here, there were no cars nor roads like this. There were perhaps trails and some stone paths that allowed us to cut through instead of wind around much of this distance. Mirella Marchi joined us at Augusto’s invitation because she, too, wanted to meet me. She had been one of my mother’s sewing protégées, and because nonna sometimes had so much work that had to be completed for community festivals, and so on, Mirella and other trainees would work ‘til about midnight in the Forte with nonna and sleep there for as long as two weeks straight. She knew me as a small child, my father (Angelo Carzoli), and my mother, of course, Olga Carzoli. (And, by the way, nonna had quite the reputation of being small, elegant, pretty, and nice, but also being a top-notch/sought-after/very busy seamstress). Mirella also knew the Forte. Augusto gave her the keys to the Forte that he received from the Comune (like a city hall), and Mirella, Dad, and I walked to the Forte to tour as much of it as the set of keys allowed. I saw our kitchen where I spent most of my time, our bedroom that I evidently shared with my parents, the walkway that used to lead to a toilet and to the front yard where nonna had a garden with beautiful peonies/roses, and so on, thee chicken coup, the small church beneath the Forte, the outside concrete “tubs” that served as coolers for pork or meats whenever the family had some, my persimmon tree (that is now loaded with fruit that is just beginning to turn orange), the magnolia trees (that have huge shoots that will soon bloom), the grounds beneath the concrete walls of the Forte, the location of the huge, dark cella, the room that Mirella slept in when she stayed to learn to sew and help nonna with her projects,…. This opportunity, facilitated by Augusto’s kindness and connections over time, and guided by Mirella was mind-blowing for me! And, then, of course, Mirella knew about which houses near the Forte/in Coreglia housed whom, I.e.., nonno and nonna’s friends, family members, and so on! WOW! Just WOW!!!! This Forte excursion and coffee with these new friends took the entire morning, so we drove immediately down the mountain to meet with the Gesso Figurine manufacturers before they left for lunch. We caught Orlando just in time, and he graciously showed us around the facility so that we could view the process involved in this characteristically Coreglia industry in which most people worked at some point in their lives and that led to many emigrations as Coreglians hauled the figurines they had made and/or painted to sell them as they traveled along. Gesso is like a hard chalk/plaster of Paris-type of sculpting material. It was used to mold or sculpt figurines and statues, such as those large statues one sees in Churches around the world. At one time, there were three gesso manufacturing sites in Coreglia at the same time, but now there is only this one down the mountain in Piano di Coreglia. In fact, there is a small shack that remains from one of those facilities in Coreglia right next door to the B&B where we are staying! (Oh, and on a related but different note, online conversations between myself and Elisa Guidotti, the town historian, remember? She asked if I knew anyone named Zita in our family lines. Yes, I did! I had a Zita in our family tree who married one of nonno Gianni’s brothers, a Bernardini, nonna’s uncle and aunt. Well, Elisa used to come to this B&B house with her nonna as her nonna visited with Zita. While her nonna visited, Elisa played with Zita and nonno’s uncle’s son, Foscolo Bernardini! Foscolo would be nonna’s cousin! Out of all possible B&B’s in Italy, even among those in or near Coreglia, that Dad could have selected, he chose this one. Who would have thought that this was one of our ancestor’s houses?!?!?!? Stars have lined up incredibly well in Coreglia thus far)! The sun came out this afternoon, and it was a welcome sight, indeed! We traveled to Altopascio to visit with Carla Marchetti. Carla had also invited her sister-in-law Ivana, and Ivana’s teen-aged daughter, Lavinia to help her if she needed. We had never met Carla nor her in-laws. These people welcomed us and pampered us with coffee and delicious pastries as if we had known each other forever! We ARE family, after all, and our visit could not have gone more pleasantly than it did! This was a FABULOUS visit, and we WILL stay in touch as we continue our Italian journey and return to the United States! There is a certain feeling that palpably warms our conversations and our parting hugs, one that communicates unequivocally that we.are.FAMILY! Carla even tried to give Dad a bottle of wine as a gift, but Dad could not accept it because he is the driver and would not be able too consume it/store it as we moved about. But Carla gave me a beautifully wrapped scarf that can go with just about anything I wear! Again, generous, hospitable, kind, friendly, loving, and just plain PHENOMENAL people who have entered our lives in this one week alone! Of note, Ivana’s husband, Marco, managed to come for a brief but appreciated visit to Carla’s house just to greet Dad and me! He could not stay because he had to return to work. But…how kind and considerate is THAT?!?! We did not know him, either, before today, and yet, he made time in his work day to come and greet us! Whew!! This day can easily be entitled, “Be still, my heart.”
Our Travels 