To visit and witness the heart of my ancestors, the home of my family … eight days non abbastanza troppo. There is so much to see and do, meals to enjoy, vistas to climb, sunlight to bask in… Sicily moves at a much slower pace, and ammollo tutto in richiede tempo. There is a tranquility of life that cannot be described, only sentito con il tuo cuore. The people are the breath of the island, their stories as complex as the minerals of lava rock on Mt. Etna. And to study them individually, you need time. Senza limiti precisi.

‘Sogno di vivere in Sicilia per un mese, un anno.’

I know this desire to have limitless time in another place other than your home is a dream. Un sogno. The young adventurous students without any obligations can do so easily. As for the rest of us, it requires deep thought and planning, carving out space to lead a different version of the one you are living. It is not something one engages in lightly, the rearranging of the present life to live a richer, fuller one. Ma può essere fatte.

Today is our last day in Siracusa. We have strolled streets of stone, trekked Etna’s mountain. Abbiamo assaggiato il cibo e il vino degli dei. We have dipped our toes in the Mediterranean and Ionian seas. And immersed ourselves in a different way of living, one where we are far better off for knowing, respirandola.

For me personally, this trip was an opportunity to reconnect with my family, my blood family. I have my friends, la Mia tribù … ma la Mia famiglia a Sicilia è una linea di salvezza to my past. Con ogni abbraccio e ogni memoria my heart expands, come l’Etna esplode con amore.

In many ways since the death of my parents, I had forgotten what it feels like to be loved openly without pretense, to be welcomed freely into the every day of a person’s life, to be missed before leaving — da perdere da una persona cara prima di partire. When you live alone there is a great desire to be part of something bigger than life itself. To be loved unconditionally.

Da amare incondizionatamente.

I have found this love here in Sicilia, and after seeing multigenerational members of my family at last night’s reunion, my heart once again is full.

Grazie mille.