Posted by chantzis on June 19, 2010
Today has been one of the best days of our trip. I managed to get Gemmola out of bed early this morning for a quick breakfast before beginning an expedition to the Lipari cemetary. We were going to find as many Gemmolas as we could!
Luckily we hit a major jackpot early on. Otherwise we may have tired quickly and decided to give up the search of what turned out to be a very large cemetery to find some shade. Finding Martina’s great-great-grandfather Vincenzo Gemmola (d. Lipari 1927) within 15 minutes of starting this daunting task (!!) gave us the inspiration to keep going. In addition to Fenechs, Trimbolis and many Bivianos, there were numerous finds that pointed to my Gemmola.
The second major find was Nunziata Strangio (died 27/8/1934 aged 81), Martina’s great-great-grandmother – Vincenzo’s wife!
And also: Angela Gemmola, daughter of Vincenzo – Peter’s grandfather’s sister (married a Bargellini, 1/3/1881 – 3/12/1968); a few Pinzones, and some Ravesis too. Then, on a final pass up the top end where the family tombs were, we found an unknown link. It was the tomb of the Gemmola and Hunziker families! They must have been cousins or siblings of Vincenzo. Inside were Marianna Assunta Gemmola (16/8/1898 – 17/7/1981), Clelia Gemmola (20/1/1905 – 10/7/1989), Giuseppe Gemmola (16/2/1882 – 1/2/1959), Nicola Gemmola (16/2/1853 – 24/1/1937), as well as Mariannina Costa (sposata Gemmola) (1862 – 1917), Anna Calabrese (1928 – 2004), Sandro Hunziker (11/11/1926 – 16/12/1985), and Edwin Hunziker (3/4/1901 – 13/3/1986). Pheww!
After coffee and a stroll we made some delicious sandwiches from local produce dipped in olive oil so good it could have come from Greece. Now we are lying on a small beach a stone’s-throw from our room, where we’ll until it’s time to head to the square to watch Australia try not to flounder again in the world cup. (And a belated congratulations to Greece on their last game – unfortunately we missed it and just picked up the scores today.)
We got some nice detail photos of this catacomb with Vincenzo’s medal-adorned portrait on it; 
Vincenzo Gemmola, probable war hero;
Some family tombs at the top of the cemetary; 
Among the family tombs, the surprise find of the ‘Famiglia Gemmola e Hunziker’, which was directly adjacent to the Fenech family tomb; 
The family tree – the Vincenzo we found today is at top left.
Posted by chantzis on June 19, 2010
I had the pleasure of removing Gemmola’s stitches this afternoon. I’ll try to upload the video of the event for those who are interested. It closed up quite well.
We’re in the seaside square of Lipari. The local youths were so bored by the Australia vs Ghana match (the cafe next to us didn’t bother turning their TV on and instead spent the game adjusting and readjusting a shiny new Italian flag, for tomorrow’s Italy game) that they started up their own, very serious game, in the square. Up the other side of the square a traditional wedding is going on and the newlyweds are leaving the church down a green carpet as rice is showered upon them.
The highlight of the Australia vs Ghana match was the Italian commentary. Listening to them pronounce ‘Chipperfield’ was nearly as priceless as one commentator likening the appearance of the Australian player Kennedy to Jesus.
Lipari – a beautiful place for a wedding;
A previously unreleased photo of the freshly-stitched toe; 
The same toe, eight days later, just before I had the pleasure of removing the stitches (video to be uploaded to the videos page soon!)
Posted by chantzis on June 18, 2010
Posted by chantzis on June 18, 2010
We had to pay a fee on top of our eurail pass to get a couchette on the overnight train to Messina, Sicily. After much frantic running around by the conductor to ensure eeryine had sheets, pillows and water, we crawled into bed. Soon the rhythmic clack of the tracks had us asleep. At some stage the gentle rattle of the train ceased and a gentle pitch and roll began, with the dull groan of large diesel engines in the background.
A knock on our door – a wakeup call and the return of our tickets, which were taken from us last night. Looking out the window, we could see that the train had been shunted into a ship and we were now pulling into port in Messina, Sicily. The train backed out of the hold as if were a perfectly normal thing to do. How many places in the world load trains full of sleeping passengers into ships for water crossings? (And when will Berlusconi build a bridge?)
I’m not quite sure what the emergency evacuation plan for this one involves…
Early morning arrival in Messina, we waited for our boat connection to Lipari. In the local coffee bar where we stationed ourselves we were joined by two dishevelled men who proceeded to spend what looked like their life savings on the poker machines right behind us. Fortunately my sinuses were still blocked but Martina suffered from the odor of them. (Somehow she often manages to attract the most gruesome, malodorous spectacles to her immediate vicinity – I suppose that includes me.) We didn’t last long here – the men were in it for the long run. They were dressed for a winter war in the Balkans, and their odour suggested they might have even survived one.
Waiting to board the night train to Sicily at Roma Termini station;
A beautiful sunset at Termini;
Marti tries to avoid the odor of the men playing the pokies in Messina.
Posted by chantzis on June 17, 2010
We were quite tired today. All this moving is wearing us down. We’re looking forward to spending more than one or two nights in the one place (Lipari). All we really saw today was the Colosseum, but still did much walking, getting a fresh book for the bookworm Gemmola, and familiarising ourselves with another place just as we are preparing to leave.
Posted by chantzis on June 16, 2010
Athena, or any statue, with painted eyes is scary.
My good friend Periklis.
A Papal procession in bronze.
How is the vine leaf kept in place?
Gemmola’s future bathtub.
Gemmola’s future career..?
The room of the Immaculate Conception.
“E.T. Phone Home”
What a life – a cherub on the ceiling in the Vatican.
Posted by chantzis on June 16, 2010
There are too many tourists in Rome. I could not live in a city with such constant, slow crowds on the street. It’s hard to move, to do anything.
Every time I turn my back, she’s gone. Always to be found at the coffee bar.
A successful train every minute…
It seems Greek soccer hooligans have been to Rome recently.
You can tell it’s Gemmola by the yellow shoe.
Where’s the Trevi Fountain?
Where are the Spanish steps?
Posted by chantzis on June 15, 2010
What an incredible meal we had around the corner from Florence’s central train station last night. Gemmola was as amazed by the pasta as I was. I have the feeling she will have to be dragged kicking and screaming from Italy to Greece.
A centuries-old painting of Christ on a Florence wall, next to a graffiti replica from 2010. Florence’s public walls are covered with ancient artworks.
Florence’s Duomo may be larger, but Milan’s is more spectacular. 
Marti lights a candle inside the Duomo.
The Duomo’s dome.
Two examples of a Uffizi exhibition of Caravaggio and others who utilised his style (unfortunately the single piece of Caravaggio’s in the exhibition was the same one used on the promotional posters) – beheadings were a very popular theme.
One hell of a Bella Italiana.
Posted by chantzis on June 14, 2010
A long day from Menton to Firenze. We took the slower train which was covered by our Eurail pass, and was very scenic.
Marti soaking up Tuscany.
Excuse me, are they… Fonzies?
A wonderful collection of seeds at a Florence nursery. I bought some Cypress tree seeds to plant in Militsa (second from left and three from the top).
As wonderful an innovation as the Ferrari – this pocket espresso is the dimensions of a single butter portion and is just a little deeper, with a mini drinking straw on the front. A bit like a caffeine addict’s hypodermic – or perhaps an epipen for the coffee crazed. I have a few stashed in the kit for emergencies with you-know-who.
Posted by chantzis on June 13, 2010
312 steps, plus a lot of uphill in between. Martina only climbed them twice without a stitched toe. What a true champ! I’m not sure we’ll miss them, but our campsite at the top is lovely.
