Licodia Eubea, Sicily
Getting to Licodia Eubea is a story in itself and we will save that tale for a future post about our trip to Sicily. The purpose of going to this small town was all about our finalizing our dual citizenship journey.
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When we aka Our Italian Journey arrived in Licodia Eubea, we met our B&B owner and host, Carmelo from Il Paesino. If you plan to visit the Catania region, we recommend this wonderful place to stay. It is centrally located and easy to get to nearby towns. We can’t begin to say enough good things about Carmelo. He took time out of his day and showed us around “our” town. He has a great sense of humor and drives like a typical Italian. When we return to Licodia Eubea – we will return to stay at Il Paesino.
View of the town from Castello Santapau
Let’s Back Up Just a Bit
On September 11, 2018, I was notified by the LA Consulate I was an Italian Citizen. No fanfare – just a one-sentence email. While I felt elated and relieved, it still didn’t feel real. In October 2018, we went to the Consulate for our passport processing and three days later we had our Italian passports in our hands. While it felt great to hold that wine-colored book, something was still missing.
Benvenuti Our Italian Journey to Licodia Eubea!
On February 20, 2019 (my birthday) we arrived in Licodia Eubea; my grandfather’s hometown. Driving up the main street there is a ceramic tile sign saying “Welcome to Licodia Eubea”. It finally started to feel real for me. I realized that I’m where I wanted to be and it just felt right.
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Our Visit to the Comune
Angelina in the Records Department, whom I’ve corresponded by email with previously regarding copies for our official papers greeted us with a big hug and an Italian two-cheek kiss. At that moment, I really felt special and I’m sure Ilene did too.
We were shown our “official files” and were given copies of our birth and marriage certificates.
We watched as Angelina stamped our papers making them official. When she handed us our documents and said “Welcome”, I knew I was home.
Our official papers will now be added to the Comune’s files as shown below. Needless to say, we are already in the computer system.
Street Photos
You know Ilene can be obsessed with street photos of these little towns; especially the wooden doors. We just wanted to share a few with you so you can feel the charm of this town that has won our hearts.
During Our Stay
We met some very special people during our brief stay in Licodia Eubea. We ate both nights at A. Carrittaria and met Vincenzo and Salvatore. The food was good and both were so friendly. Salvatore even offered to show us around not knowing that Carmelo already had done that earlier in the day. Then there was Rosario, who we met while walking and the only person who understood and spoke English. He lived 11 years in Australia. We met Massimo at his bar every morning for our cappuccino and coronet.
As we strolled through the streets, we were greeted with “Buongiorno or Buona Sera” by everyone we passed. Talk about a friendly town! It’s like Licodia Eubea rolled out the red carpet for us and welcomed us with open arms. Our Italian Journey seems to have found its home
Packing to Leave
As we were packing the car to head to Palermo airport, we were once again greeted by Angelina and Salvatore. They stopped by to wish us a safe trip. We said “arrivederci” and reluctantly left Licodia Eubea.
Final Thought
I wanted to accomplish three tasks on this trip:
- One was to get our official paperwork
- The second was to see the town my grandfather (Pop) came from and lastly
- To bring our family name back home to Licodia Eubea
We did it Pop – thank you for making all this possible.
Ti amo Pop. Ti amo.
Are you ready to settle, guys?
We are not sure yet! We have reached the 90-day mark, once again, and know we can be away from family for that long. We have 9-months to go with our one-year journey to find out for sure. We have made one assumption though. Living 30+ years in Arizona has thinned out our blood that we really feel the cold and dampness during the winter here. We may become Italian snowbirds and live 3-4 months in Arizona and the rest in Italy. We have not yet decided on where. Stay tuned. Good to hear from you!!