Bella Roma

A few weeks ago, B and I had the wonderful chance to travel to Rome together for a week. It was the first time the two of us had traveled together in quite awhile, and in many ways, it felt like a second honeymoon! B ran the Rome Marathon, I did the 4k fun run that same day, and the rest of the time was spent bouncing around between morning cappuccinos and pastries, 2,000-year-old ruins and Roman history, Italian cooking lessons with a chef named Fabio, and 3-hour-long dinners where we stuffed ourselves full of pasta and red wine. 


In many ways for me, it felt like a homecoming of sorts, a chance to understand more about my roots and where my family came from three generations ago.  Both of my great-grandparents emigrated to the United States from small towns in Sicily, the island off the southern tip of Italy.  I've always felt a closeness toward this part of my heritage and have dreamed about the day that I could finally make the journey to Italy to learn more about my family tree.  Every day, there were moments that reminded me of the Cusumano in me; I would see someone who looked like my grandpa, taste pasta sauce that reminded me of my grandma's recipe, or hear something that one of them used to say.  Que bella Italia!

Rome, Italy, March 2011, Brian and Laura Blank