Our first stop was to the town hall to find records of Jo Ann's grandfather who had left Caccamo to go to America almost 100 years ago! Silia took us to the archives office where there were huge volumes of ancient books on the shelves and 2 men waiting to assist us. I was surpised to see one of my original letters that I had written to Sicily months before sitting on the clerk's desk. I wasn't to find out until a few days later that this wasn't the first time I would run across one of my letters (see upcoming post)! The town clerk had some of the record books open on his desk with all the original documents and ledgers ready for us to review. It was all so fascinating and soon Jo Ann and I were looking at her grandfather's original birth certificate and his original signature on his marriage certificate. It was so emotional for both of us and we hugged each other and laughed and cried, and even the 2 men were moved by our emotions! Silia translated for us and told us they said that the fact that it was his own signature meant that he was well educated. They showed us more records, then they gave us certified copies of the documents. We tried to pay them but they refused. We couldn't thank Silia and the men enough for such a rewarding experience!
We left the clerk's office and headed to the nearby town of Termini Imerese to visit their local street market. It was a beautiful morning and the vendors with all their colorful wares lined the streets. There was so much to look at including housewares, clothing, jewelry, shoes, fish, olives, fruit, nuts - this is where the locals shopped and we all agreed it was the best shopping we had done in all of Italy! We all found things to buy, and I bought beautiful lace window valances for 1 Euro each. Then we all had to buy Italian duffle bags since we now needed more room to bring back everything we just bought! There were food vendors in the streets and Silia bought us some Pane Panelle, a typical Sicilian street food made from chickpea flour, fried in olive oil, and covered with sea salt and lemon juice. They were delicious and addicting!!! We could have stayed shopping there for hours, but it was time to leave as we were now headed to the beautiful seaside resort town of Cefalu. 
We arrived in Cefalu and immediately kicked off our shoes and headed for the beach with its golden sand and sparkling sea. It was such a beautiful day as we walked around this picturesque historic town enjoying the scenery and history all around us. We walked along the beach then toured the old town center, stopping in shops and boutiques along the way and visiting "the washing place", an ancient laundry site that was being toured at the same time by a group of Sicilian school children on a field trip. We headed for the Duomo (Cefalu's Cathedral) and came across a group of women in their colorful period clothing playing instruments and singing folk songs and it just added to the ambience of the day in this beautiful little fishing village. Silia knew all the best places to go and took us to the piazza near the Duomo for gelato. She had been telling us about places that serve gelato on a brioche (sweet roll) and so we tried it and she was right - it was delicious!
It was getting late when we returned to Caccamo and Silia realized we hadn't visited the Castle yet and it would be closing soon. She found a man who was able to let us in, and he told her he noticed me walking around earlier that morning (Darn! I was hoping everyone would think I was a local!). He first took us to a one-room home that was set up like a museum and was exactly as it was a hundred years earlier when an entire family lived in that single room. There were some cooking utensils just like the ones my grandmother had, and I still have the teapot that she used on the wood burning stove exactly like the one shown in this picture. There was a little gift shop and we were able to buy some souvenirs and handiwork made in Caccamo. Then he took us into the castle and the views from inside were amazing! I couldn't resist taking a foot photo on the castle floor! It was fascinating to see how solid and fortified the castle still was after all these years, and it was easy to imagine what life must have been like during those times and how important the castle was to the townspeople. 
After we toured the Castle, Silia took us for a ride to her family's country home, just outside of Caccamo. We drove through the beautiful countryside and in a short while we came to her family's ancient home with its beautiful grounds filled with all kinds of fruit trees and vegetation. It was so peaceful and Silia sat in her father's favorite spot underneath the trees.
From there we drove the short distance to Pino's family's country home where we found Pino and Sergio working in their garage. Silia showed us the new renovations that were being done including her beautiful new kitchen. We walked around the grounds filled with lemon trees, roses and other flowers and vegetation, and sampled a variety of fruits from their trees - some of which we had never heard of but they were all delicious! It was so beautiful and peaceful, and the views were amazing. I saw a small town in the distance nestled in a little valley, and when I asked Pino what town it was, I was surprised to find out it was Montemaggiore - the ancestral hometown of my son-in-law, "Baby Joe" Mesi! I marveled at the fact that at least a hundred years after both their ancestors came from Sicily to America, that my daughter and son-in-law would find out that both their family ancestral homes were within sight of each other!
On our way back, we passed many people walking barefoot along the country streets. Silia explained that it was part of the celebrations that were taking place for this weekend's festa for the patron saint of Caccamo. There were young people, older people and entire families making the pilgramage to the church in the center of the town - a distance of several miles along country pebbled roads! And some of them were carrying babies and small children, which added to the weight of their bare feet against the stones and pebbles. It was very humbling to see the faith and dedication these townspeople had as they carried out a centuries-old tradition.
We got back to our apartment towards evening, and Silia told us she and Pino would pick us up around 9:00 for dinner. Jessie and JoMarie decided they wanted to stay in the apartment as we were leaving early the next morning to go to visit their relatives in Montedoro. So Jo Ann and I went with Silia and Pino to a very charming restaurant called A Castellana, built into the side of the castle and owned by Silia's godfather. Sergio met us there, and we all ordered our own individual pizzas baked in their wood-burning oven. Sergio ordered an "Americano" pizza with french fries on it! I went up to the ovens to watch them bake the pizzas, and as soon as the pizzaiolo (pizza baker) saw me with my camera, he posed with the pizza he had just taken out of the oven.
We had a great time, and I even bought a beautiful book about Caccamo that was displayed in the restaurant with a lot of information about the castle and the history of the town. We returned late to our apartment and Jo Ann and I were trying to keep quiet so we didn't wake anyone up, but we were giggling like school girls as we unlocked the door and then laid in bed talking and laughing until late at night. Tomorrow I would be leaving with Jessie and JoMarie to go 2 hours away from Caccamo, and Jo Ann would be staying behind with Silia - we were a little nervous about separating in a strange country but we knew we both had some great adventures ahead of us!
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