A Connection to Place

I was invited this week to post a short essay, "The Possibility of Community" about my connection to Santo Stefano di Sessanio on Helen Free's blog, Hang on to the Vine.  An Italian-American living in Washington D. C., Helen writes about her ancestral home in the Abruzzo region of Italy.We have visited the region many times--Helen more than I, yet every time we approach the hill town of Santo Stefano di Sessanio, I feel somehow stealth-like, amazed at my opportunity to enter its still-ancient world. 

Field below Santo Stefano di Sessanio               photo: Dayle Fergusson

People of the Abruzzo are proud of the region's motto, "forte e gentile," and that strength and gentility shows everywhere. 
It's in the massive, steep slopes of the Gran Sasso mountains, rising abruptly from a road where horses graze freely,where the land looks newly created.
It shows in its people's kindness and rugged know-how, their sure competence for making flavorful mozzarella, for example, from the milk of smelly sheep, its twisted shapes displayed dramatically, yet without flourish. 
Far from the tourist spots of Rome and Florence, the Abruzzo is very close to the Italian heart, and can provide a restorative and, sometimes, life changing sojourn. And now especially--three years since the devastating earthquake--a visit is a gift of support to these gentle and strong people. 


Consider joining me in Italy this May 27--June 2, as a gift to yourself. It just could change your writing life and maybe more. I have room for another writer. Go to Italy, In Other Words for photos, endorsements and enrollment information.