More Famiglia.

If it wasn't for Anthony La Barbera (in Canada) to Facebook message me about our family in Montecatini, I would have never known they existed.

After being in contact for a few days with Valentine Labate(cousin) and Michele La Barbera(cousin) vis Facebook, we set a date for me to come to their house for dinner on sunday, march 10.

Extremely nervous prior to departure. I barely speak Italian. I have never once met any of these people. I'm going there alone.
It's not like these people were total strangers. I knew if I didn't take this opportunity, I would regret it, so I sucked it up and prepped myself to visit my family.

I got on the train from Florence and arrived at the Montecatini Terme station around 11am, greeted by the three kids; Michela, 21, Silvia, 20 and Samuele, 12. Speaking very broken Italian and having Michela translate with her very minimal English, these were some of my cousins!

We stopped to get colazione; capuccino, biscotti, etc... then continued to drive to their house in Monsummano, a town in Montecatini.
I was welcomed in by a ton of other family (I lost track of names and who people were), and more people kept arriving.

Inside their Nonna's house (wife of Michele, Pa's brother), who lives next door to Michela, Silvia and Samuele, there was a long dining room table set for a a little more than 20 people. The food being prepared smelled unreal.
I was bombarded with hugs, kisses, and phrases being said to me in Italian that took me minutes to comprehend.

All the sons, daughters, their kids and their boyfriends/girlfriends, the kids around my age and younger, and more cousins came. Everyone was curious to know everything about me.
Thank God Michela spoke very minimal English, because if it wasn't for her, I would have barely been able to communicate with them.

The dinner was absolutely delicious; lasagna, chicken, pork, this bacon type meat, salad, a bunch of little pastries and cake, coffee, champagne. So much food. It was awesome sitting there eating with everyone and it's been the best meal I've eaten since I got to Italy.
I usually hate lasagna.. When Mom was sick, people would bring over dinners every night. Such a nice gesture, but since everyone knew we were Italian, we probably had lasagna brought to the house 3 nights a week. Being extremely sick of it, I haven't had it since. It's been like 10 years, and this lasagna I had at the house was heavenly. It was amazing...
Every Sunday they go to their Nonna's house where we were and have a family dinner, so it was comforting being and made me feel like I was home.

The kids took me and showed me around the center of Montecatini after we ate and we walked around a little. I met Silvia's boyfriend and then they all walked me to the train.

I am so happy I decided to take time and go there for dinner. When we get back from spring break, the two girls are going to come stay at my apartment for the night so we can go out in Florence together. I could not be happier I got the chance to do this and hopefully can go back once more before I leave.

Not only am I traveling Europe and living right in the center of a major city in Italy, but I'm meeting more family and making relationships that I never thought would be created.