Digging Into My Roots...

Wow.

Today we finally made the trip north to visit the village where my maternal Grandmother was born. It's been a long time coming, and I wish we'd done this years ago.

My parents have been here before, and they always encouraged us to make the trip. It was a 9 hour drive, totally out of our comfort zone, and completely worth it!

The little mountain village in the Piedmonte region is so charming, I was instantly in love....So different from our Umbrian surroundings! We are almost in Switzerland. I didn't know what to expect, so every moment has been a gift.

Entering the village, way up the mountain!

I wasn't sure if I would find my distant cousin still alive and well, but we did! Walter is now 85, living alone but seemingly happy. We spent about 2 hours with him. We walked all over town, and I was so tickled to meet him and be able to talk about our lives.

He was an avid mountain climber in his day, loves to garden and worked for 30 years in the Olivetti typewriter factory in nearby Ivrea...

Walter has my Grandma's blue eyes...
My niece Anna also sports the blue eyes!

The town sits on the edge of a mountain with views that go across the valley to Torino. This little gem is spotlessly clean and tidy. I was taken in by it's beauty...

My Grandmother's maiden name was Allamanno, and we got a kick out of seeing the name everywhere, including in the main piazza...

Yeah, that's it.

Many of the streets are still cobbled stone...The fountain is a favorite attraction here.

I felt like I was walking back in time...

This interesting stairway was on the backside of the church.

Walter pointed out the house where my Great Grandparents once lived...wow!

We planned on just coming up here to collect some documents, but we've decided to stay an extra night. This area is gorgeous, and we want to explore.

Thanks, Grandma Dottie. I never would have discovered this place if not for you!

I've never felt so in touch with my roots in Italy as I did today.

What a gift to be here.