Wednesday

Well, this is our last day in Spadola/Simbario.  Yesterday we went to Simbario's cemetary. Francesco insisted on driving us because it was raining and a very thick fog. He couldn't believe we were actually going to wander around in the cemetary in that weather.  Barbara and I spent hours searching each and every tombstone there and taking pictures of family named tombstones. After we walked back to town, we were sitting on a bench deciding where to go next when our friend from the first day arrived. Bruno Bertucci is his name; shortly, his nephew Nicola Ciconte came up. Seems he works in the cemetary and they drug us BACK to the cemetery and pointed out each and every relative. Nicola is like a walking history professor and knows how every person is related and what Valente is a Simbarini and which is not!. It is important to note, that he told us several times that I, Sharon, look like a Simbarini but Barbara does not, she looks like an American! :-)
After the second visit to the cemetary, they drug us from house to house to meet cousins (and Bruno is sure we are cousins).  We met my grandfather's sister's daughters, Nicolina & Lisa Betta Carello,  who are 77 and 80 years old; Elisa Donato who is 92, & another lady whose last name is Valente but insisted no she is a Bertucci! We also met the Tassones he is a magistrate here and  I am not quite sure from which direction but they are cousins. We also went to meet the Giusseppe, son of my grandfather's brother, Salvatore. Turns out while we were going to meet him, he had come to the hotel to meet us! Understand all these visits and conversations were in a mix of my pidgen Italian and Nick's pidgen English and Bruno simply speaking  Italian SLOWLY. However, we managed to communicate pretty well anyway.
It seems I am also in "trouble" 1) because we did not stay in a hotel in Simbario, 2) my name is Sharon and not Francesca, Nicolina or Mary and 3) I spell my name with a "ti" instead of a "te".
We ended our day in beautiful sunshine in the cemetary in Spadola, which is actually where my great grandfather was born looking for gravesites there.
Today we walked back to Simbario in the fog and rain and went back to the Commune with Father Stephen and were able to access records of births, deaths and family regsitery, similar to a census: At first Sgn. Roti did not want us to have copies because we would "not understand" them. We, with Father Stephen's help, were finally able to take pictures of the documents for our records.  I hope we can load more pictures this evening
The woman at the coffee shop attached to the grocery store knows us on sight and what we drink now, too bad we have to leave.  So tomorrow we leave for Sorrento. Not sure what computer access I will have so for now Ciao!