10 November 2024: Prossedi and Anagni—First and foremost, today we wish my father, Angelo Carzoli, a very happy Heavenly birthday! He would have turned 104 years old today, and there isn’t a day when I do not think about him! It was a beautiful mild and sunny day in Frosinone today, and we decided to take a ride to nearby Prossedi. Prossedi is where my Aunt Luciana Palombi (my Uncle Dorino Carzoli’s spouse) and my cousins, Alfredo and Colomba, live. I am not sure exactly about where my cousin Loredana and Mario live, but I figure they are not far from Prossedi, and I wasn’t sure about where my cousin Gino and Carla lived until my Aunt told me today that they live right next to Alfredo and Colomba. My Uncle Dorino Carzoli is also “buried” in the cemetery in Prossedi. Alfredo, Colomba, my Aunt, and Loredana were planning to meet us for dinner this coming Tuesday. However, unfortunately, Alfredo and Colomba fell ill, and the meeting was cancelled. This made all of us very sad, but we accepted it and believed that at least we would be able to continue to stay in touch/see each other via What’sApp, or Facebook, for example. I felt especially sad about not seeing my Aunt because she does not typically maintain an active presence on social media/electronically. Nevertheless, we sadly accepted the situation. This morning, however, I thought it would be a terrific idea to at least drive to Prossedi (it is very close to our B&B in Frosinone) and be as close to my family, not knowing where exactly they lived in Prossedi, as we possibly could. We came upon a piazza in center of town with two small bars and benches all around, and we figured that perhaps my family would come here to sit, have a coffee, and socialize. Therefore, we walked into the local Corso Rosso Bar to order a coffee and a cornetto. While there, I asked the lady behind the counter if she could tell me how to get to the local cemetery. Meanwhile, another lady was having coffee at the counter in this bar. She smiled, looked, and asked me, who was it that I was trying to see at the cemetery. When I told her, she immediately exclaimed that she knew exactly who that was, in fact, she knew the entire family, including, of course, Dorino’s wife, Luciana. I told her that Luciana is my Aunt and the others were my cousins. She suggested that I walk down to see my aunt because she lived just down the street from this piazza. I asked if my aunt would be up to a visit, if she was well enough, and so on, to which she exclaimed without hesitation that she was. She walked with me to see which house I should visit, and she walked on to attend Mass nearby. Her name, ironically enough, was Daniela! (This entire trip, I have often said, has formed itself into a sort of mosaic, with each tiny little piece being identified and put in place through the intervention of total strangers). John and I decided to have coffee at that Bar in honor of all of my family members in and from Prossedi. I purchased a pastry for my Aunt, and we walked to her house. She did not know immediately who we were, but the minute I told her I was Daniela, she immediately greeted me with the warmest smile and hug. We were so thrilled to see each other, as if we had never been apart! We shared coffee, conversation, stories, updates, photos, laughter, and we even sang a song to which I knew no words nor did I know the tune. Dad took photos, sensing the importance of capturing this reunion, and he patiently sat by us even though he knew no Italian and noone else knew English. This was a MAGICAL experience for me! She insisted on walking us out and watching us disappear along the walking path to our car. But before we said good-bye, she dialed Alfredo, who lives right behind and above her house, and asked him to step out to say hello from a distance! Thus, if even for a brief moment, we were able to see/greet my cousin Alfredo Carzoli and Colomba, his spouse! We could not have been more thrilled! So, in the end, here’s who I did not see: We did not see Loredana and Mario (I do not know exactly where they live), nor did we see Gino and Carla. But, given that we had accepted in our hearts that we would not be able to meet anyone at all from Prossedi (Paola [and Damiano] is from Prossedi, but we had arranged to meet in Puglia) this time around, we counted our blessings, and with grateful hearts moved on…. From there, we drove to the cemetery in Prossedi. There, thanks to “directions” given by my Aunt and Daniela, we were able to find my Uncle’s burial site! Add THAT to the perfection of today! We knew that although we could not meet Loredana, Gino, and Families in person, we would continue to “see” each other through Facebook or What’sApp. All in all, this was another of those phenomenal days of this trip that just unfolded, with one segment leading to the next, and to the next…. From Prossedi, we tried to see Anagni. There is a particularly beautiful old cathedral there with artwork of historical note. We did drive to Anagni, and decided that we would forego touring the Cathedral (only because we have seen so many other Churches and Cathedrals thus far, all beautiful and all historically important). We came back “home” for a little while before heading out for dinner. The cuisine here is called Cucina Ciociara, noted for its simplicity, wholeness, and use of locally sourced ingredients. We found that Da Daniele, in Frosinone, was open tonight for dinner (not all restaurants are open on Sundays). Dad had a chicken with peppers dish, I had…Gnocchi Sorrentina (but made Ciociara style), we shared oven roasted potatoes, and we shared a homemade frosted chocolate cake for dessert. We end this day with grateful hearts for a beautiful and most memorable day in the Lazio/Latina region of Italy!
Our Travels 