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Toto

November 23, 2007 By Leave a Comment

I ran out of DVD space before I could get to Toto, the man who talks to God.

Toto was in a truck accident years back and is missing many of his teeth. The accident also left him missing a couple screws.

On sunny days, Toto can be found staring straight into the sun, praying to God for teeth to grow back. Toto says he gets messages from the Good Lord, but he can’t say what he’s heard — it’s a secret.

Toto stops Daniela virtually every day on her way home for lunch. Toto points to his gummy mouth to show that God is listening — that one tooth is growing back. Unfortunately, he’s been saying the same thing for three years now.

But Daniela gives Toto a beaming smile. Says she wishes she had the same connection with the Heavens. If she did, she says, she wouldn’t have to make future dentist appointments.

Filed Under: Sant'Andrea Trip Tagged With: ,

She makes it look easy

November 21, 2007 By Leave a Comment

Like in most towns in the area, Sant’Andrea’s cobblestone streets are tight, to say the least. The vast majority aren’t wide enough to fit two Matchbox-sized cars at a time, making driving for newbies a heart-pumping challenge.

Even hairier, there is a one-way path — a six-foot-wide alley, really — that’s used as a shortcut to avoid the long road that wraps around Sant’Andrea. Most drivers avoid it. Daniela doesn’t.

In fact, she zips her tiny Daewoo through it as if she’s Mario Andretti on the big oval. Uncle Bruno nearly spit up lunch the first time we took the trip with her.

Notice the scrapes on the walls — reminders of the many times drivers who took the turns a little too loose.

the-road.jpg

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We made it to Rome!

November 20, 2007 By 1 Comment

We’re in a hotel about 2 blocks away from Rome — we got in at around 11 last night after about 10 hours on the road [again]. Sant’Andrea was simply amazing. I put virtually all of the pictures from the town on the lap top I borrowed from Jackie, so here are a few I took yesterday.

MIA CUGINA: Daniela, Zia Nuzza and Zio Al were phemonenally gracious hosts for 5 days in Sant’Andrea. Daniela essentially runs the town using her quick wit and infectious sense of humor.

PECORINO DEGLI PECORARI: This guy, it turns out, was the most important person we met in Calabria. He’s Mimo Pirritano, the goat herder, whose family has been making cheese for more than 200 years. Everything we did this week revolved around when we could get the cheese for my grandfather. MUCH more on this later.

Nino Lijoi, a cousin of my grandfather, took us on a couple of, um, interesting adventures. He took us just about everywhere in the Sant’Andrea area, whether we wanted him to or not.
Nino, who built a huge house in Isca, a neighboring town, all by himself, has a thick Andreolesi accent. Thank God Uncle Bruno knew what he was saying. All I understood was “Frine, veini qua!” That’s when he called for his dog.

FUNNY TO MEET YOU HERE: Uncle Bruno with cousin Bruno Frustaci and his wife. We met them at the Soverato market, where we got the Godsent cheese.

Uncle Bruno and I spent about 10 hours on the road, much of it overlooking the Amalfi Coast. Videos to come.

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