Dear Folks:

Hi there, hope alls well with you both. Here now the weather is just fine, and we are enjoying it. Well our European trip was really something to remember for the rest of our lives, just the idea of seeing some of our relatives was worth the prices of the trip.

On arriving in Italy, (that was Rome we made inquiries how to get to the town where you were born, which is Reggio Calabria Villa St. John. From Rome we started out a 8-o’clock in the morning and got to Sicily first and then went to Messina and there took a ferry boat across to Calabria. On the ferry boat all the Italian people look at us as though we were freaks. Of course we were dressed nice and they figured we were foreigners. However after I spoke with one Calabrese old timer, it became obvious that we were Italians and were here for visitors pleasure.

Arriving in Calabria after seven hours on the boat, we quickly made contact with a cab driver, and her drove us to the house of my daughter-in-law cousin (a Gonnelli). There we had some demitasse coffee and of course left them some coffee we brought from America. There in Italy the black coffee is very expensive and is really a luxury, by the way there in Italy the serve black coffee in a small cup, the amount of coffee in the demitasse cup is very little. Well after coffee we went to visit the Punturieri’s. The first house we went to was Venerando, who is 74 years old and is a first cousin to us. He is the son of dads brother Peter, we got a nice welcome there and then we went o anothers cousin house. This was to dads other brothers son, the other brothers name was Marino. By this time Pete you must be confused. In other words Pete we visited Pops brothers sons. The names of Pops brothers were Marino and Peter.

We met Venerando who is the son of Dads brother Peter, and of course our cousin. Then we met Franco who is the son of Dads brother Marino, and also our cousin.

It was really a treat and worth the trip upon seeing our relatives. They were all very friendly and enjoyed our company. At one of the houses we saw a picture of you an Aune sent to Italy many, many years ago. We only stayed one day at the relatives house.

Well we saw the town where you were born and thank god that we are in America to enjoy ourselves the way we do. There brother they wat meat just once a week, and are happy to get it. Employment there is poor and most young men have to leave town in order to make a living.