Destination Spotlight: Santa Croce del Sanno, Italy

Ah, bella Italia.....the delectable cuisine, stunning scenery, and historical monuments are some of the reasons why people visit Italy; add gelato and shopping to that list, and you've got my top 5!  My mother and I have seen most of the cities/towns and regions of Italy during our trips there; however, back in 2008, we embarked on a special tour of Italy with other family members to discover what is quintessentially Italian: la famiglia!  Thanks to the research and hard work of one of my aunts, we were on a mission to meet our relatives that hadn't immigrated to the United States years ago with the rest of our ancestors.  While on our journey, we discovered what my mother calls the "real Italy," and what I invite you to share in with this month's Destination Spotlight of Santa Croce del Sanno, Italy!  Note: Making Italian hand gestures while reading this blog post is optional but encouraged. 

Santa Croce del Sanno, where my ancestors are from, is located about two hours outside of Florence in Italy's Tuscany region; it is a small town with a population of approximately 13,000 people.  If you're looking for tourist attractions and souvenirs, you won't find them there; what you will see while walking on the original cobblestone streets are centuries old houses with wooden shuttered windows, wrought iron balconies with clean laundry drying in the crisp Italian air, and numerous colorful flower displays on porches and in alleyways.  The incredible panoramic views of Tuscany are the icing on la torta!

Upon our arrival in Santa Croce, our family was greeted by our relatives; they own a small bed and breakfast, which is where we stayed during our visit.  The bed and breakfast was full of rustic, old world charm that is typical of traditional Italian accommodations in the Tuscany region, such as tile floors, kitchens with stone walls, and simple decor.  I enjoyed the fresh Italian pastries that were on the kitchen table in the morning!







And now, andiamo!  After settling in, we toured Santa Croce with our Italian relatives and found the house where my great grandfather was born; it looked the same as it did when it was built over 150 years ago, which is a testament to the hard work and skill of Italian craftsmen.  Seeing the house was also a reminder of just how primitively my great grandfather and his family lived; for example, there was no running water in their house, so every day they had to walk down a long hill to get water from a well, and then carry the heavy load back up the hill.  If you don't have an Italian nonna to tell you so multiple times a day, this can be a lesson to not take anything for granted!

We then continued our trek up the winding and narrow streets to the well-preserved church where my great grandfather was baptized; upon entering the church, we saw the original baptismal font

with its intricate marble carvings and gold details.  Other highlights of the church included the frescoed walls and ceilings and the original wooden pulpit that one of my aunts climbed up!  When Italians preach, we do it with style!

What else do Italians do best?  Eat!  After working up an appetite touring Santa Croce, our relatives took us to a local restaurant for a delicious Italian feast complete with regional wines; we laughed, we talked, and we ate antipasti featuring lard (yes, lard; it wasn't a soft Italian cheese like I originally thought).  After toasts thanking us for making the trip to Italy, our Italian relatives presented each of our American families with drawings of Santa Croce as a heartfelt souvenir and memento of our journey.  The evening was more than a meal (and an introduction to eating fresh lard); it was a gift from our Italian relatives that was meant to be enjoyed and remembered, just as my family journey to Santa Croce del Sanno was!