Re: San Donato

Posted by John Cardarelli on October 14, 2005 at 03:12:04:

In Reply to: San Donato posted by Joanna Leone on May 14, 2005 at 22:11:25:

Hi Joanna,
I just returned from 2 weeks vacationing in Italy.The highlite of the trip was my visit to San Donato. What a treasure. I did not know what to expect. I only had some basic information and fond memories of my Mother's recollections.
I arrived in San Donato driving through the mountains and the national park. As soon as I arrived, I stopped at the monument to look at some of the names, many of which I recognized. We went across the street to have a cup of coffee and try to decide what I was going to do now that I was here. It didn't take long. As I walked toward the piazza by a group of ladies, one called out to me and said "where are you from"? They were all from Newton and Brighton. When I told them my name and told them what I wanted to do, one woman said that she knew who I was related to and took me by the hand and we went for a short walk to the home of my 1st cousin. While there she called another person to come to the house who also turned out to be another 1st cousin. What a surprise. I was overwhelmed.
Not knowing what to expect, I did not plan for a long stay. Only the day, but what a day. The town was old, small, beautiful and full of outgoing, friendly people. We had a fantastic lunch at Villa Grancassa.
My advice to anyone thinking of going to San Donato is DON'T HESITATE, do it. Just allow more time than I did. I hope some day to return.

Regards,

John