“I was lucky enough to go on Dorina’s trip to Roseto. The time there was beyond what I could ever imagine. The town itself is perched on a mountain top. People are kind and welcoming.  From day one I took a step back in time. Days were spent hiking about the town or traveling to nearby towns, evening sitting in the Piazza socializing like days of old when people had time for one another.

My family ancestors happened to be from a nearby town which Dorina and I visited. A dream come true for me since grandma often spoke about it. The taste of the food is indescribable…the fruity tomatoes, the fresh baked bread daily, the homemade cheese, the gelato and oh my, the olive oil, beyond amazing. I even found a plum tree on a hike that tasted just like the plums I loved so much and picked with my grandmother on our trees in PA. Those trees haven’t existed for years but one taste of that plum brought back so many memories it was incredible. I can only imagine those trees were grown from seeds brought over and planted by the people who settled in the small Pennsylvania town I’m from. Having the opportunity to live the daily life of a true Italian is irreplaceable. I wasn’t a tourist in the town. The people welcomed me and I became part of the town. An inner peace surfaces within you and it’s a feeling you want to hold on to forever.”