My last name is not Lavezzaro. That is my mother's maiden surname. I always liked it, and adopted it since I was around 16 (just like my paternal grandfather did for signing his art projects - I didn't knew that until years later, but that's another story).

I had an awesome year, much work, growing, discovering, traveling, settling things up, and - excuse my cheesiness - making dreams come true. But something so sad happened, that everything else got obscured: After years of struggling against a complicated cancer, my mother passed away. There is not one day that I don't think about her, I miss her so much, there will never be words to describe the feeling.

Her father, my Nono, a real Lavezzaro, was born on village in North Italy, San Rocco, in 1900. 

He migrated to Argentina during the WWI. Years later he got in contact with his brothers (they were five boys, that, except by another one which didn't lived long, never left North Italy) and he was always returning there, sometimes with my aunties and my mother. She used to tell me about the time she visited there with a big smile on her face, and specially about her cousin, Nuccia, as she had great memories with her. That is Nuccia nowadays. 

Few weeks ago, my cousin from California (ok, by this point you got it that my family is spread all over) told me he was going there in the next week, and ended up that I could join him. Thanks to him, I met a bunch of relatives I didn't knew so far, and I was able to check where my family and I would be living if my grandfather would have never left -

Perhaps I would be picking grapes too like my Italian family still does, or most likely I would not even exist at all! (some would appreciate that, uh? bad news - it is done now).  Portraits of my Nono's parents

And where everyone goes in the end.

 

We were also visiting some other cities near by.

I have to thank my cousin for being so awesome, and letting me come along. He is some sort of Lavezzaro history keeper, plus he's the link between our Italian relatives and the rest. It was the second time we travel together. I would like to post some of the pictures I made of him, but I got the coolest picture ever of him... somewhere I can't find it! So I asked him for a similar one and will update here when I get it. I know my mother would be extremely happy to know I was there, and I like to believe, wherever she is now, she is happy, if she can feel what I felt over there.