In my early twenties I backpacked around Europe, and several of those months were spent in Italy. I wasn’t only travelling. I wanted to find my roots, connect with my origin, and experience life the Italian way.
Part of that journey was to visit a tiny village perched on top of a cliff — a medieval village dating back to the Etruscan era, called Caulonia Superiore. It is where my father was born, and where my grandparents and their families began.
I visited the family home. It had been abandoned since the end of the Second World War. Standing in front of those stone walls, I made a commitment to myself that day: one day I would return and bring life back to them.
One day I would return and bring life back to these stone walls.
Life, work and children all took precedence, as they do. But I never lost faith that I would do this.
There is a long story behind this, and many years of legalities to make it happen. But I am here now, and the journey has begun.
