Just a reminder that My Cousin the Saint — in hard cover, paperback or e-book — makes a great gift for Christmas. It’s a timeless story about faith, family, and miracles. And much of the story is set in Italy! The prices in any format are really inexpensive these days. So order early and often!
News reports out of Rome say: “Italy is bracing for a sizzling weekend and health alerts have been issued for 19 cities due to the unusually high heat and humidity. The country currently finds itself at the center of a high pressure system which is ushering hot and sand-filled air from the Sahara.”
Among the cities suffering the most: level 2 alerts for Catania, Messina, Reggio Calabria and Venice – while the highest ‘level 3’ alert has been issued for Florence, Latina, Perugia and Rome.
When I was in Reggio three summers ago during June, it didn’t rain once and the temperature routinely topped 100 degrees.
Another anniversary, and a terrible one — the 100th anniversary of the worst earthquake to strike Western Europe, before or since. It struck today, in 1908 in the Strait of Messina, virtually obliterating the city of Messina in Sicily and doing nearly the same amount of damage in Reggio di Calabria. Tens of thousands were killed. Padre Gaetano was a parish priest in Pentidattilo at the time and barely escaped injury. The devastation was widespread and longlasting. It was decades before the two main cities were rebuilt.
MORE on the American response to the devastating earthquake here and the role of President Teddy Roosevelt, thanks to Joe Guarino.
Tonight at The Monti in Chapel Hill, I will tell the story of my Uncle Tony and how he came to find and meet his long-lost aunt during World War II in Chorio, the Calabrian village where his father was born. There’s a side story that I won’t tell but is in my book, and it centers on Rina Catanoso, the lovely Italian woman on the left. She remembered the day in 1944 when Uncle Tony showed up in the piazza in Chorio and the commotion it caused. Two summers ago, she invited me to her home in Messina, Sicily, to share the story. Others pictured here include her husband, who was held as a POW by Americans during the war, as well as her three daughters and son-in-law. Next to me is Patrizia Catanoso, my cousin from Reggio.
The News & Observer wrote about the Monti on Sunday.
