Vico Canale {Tuesdays with Tina, part 4}

This entry is part 4 of 22 in the series Tuesdays With Tina

Tuesdays with Tina

If you are new to this series, catch up first and then come back and read.

Part 1

Part 2

Part 3

Tina: I found out from Uncle Tonino that the single aunts favored the two nieces by letting my father think that the Maestro didn’t want him…and they made him believe that he had to eat hidden away…they didn’t want the Maestro to get close to my father so that later, the two nieces would have more inheritance. Even if he was the son of the brother… When the Maestro found out about all this he asked, “What’s going on here? Why is he eating alone?” So then he invited my father to eat with the family. He cared for him and took care of him.”

My parents got to know each other because they lived in the same neighborhood. My mother was 16 years old and my father 17. He used the excuse of needing a handkerchief so he asked my mother, who was a seamstress and could embroider, to do it. She said yes, so that’s how they started speaking. They were engaged for 5 years.

Me: Do you know anything about the wedding? Was her father still alive at this point?

Tina: My mother’s father, yes. He was still alive.

Me: So tell me about them after they got married. Did they go live in Vico Canale?

vico canale sign
Street sign where my mother was born and grew up.

Tina: No, no. They went to live in another road and that is where they got know this other family who became godparents to us children. They were good friends, very tight. Rosalba and Gianni grew up with these people, like aunts and uncles. Then after 10 years they went to live in Fuorigrotta and our family went to live in Vico Canale where I, Anna and Tonino were born. I was born during the war and Rosalba used to tell me that the family would meet up with the godparents in the underground where everyone took shelter to get away from the bombing. Rosalba was 10 years old when I was born. She would grab her little seat and run. They had an agreed on place where they would meet underground. 

Vico Canale
The street my mother grew up on. Notice how narrow! They were built before cars…see why the cinquecento is so small?
Vico Canale Casa
The first row of balconies was my mom’s house. Notice the tufa (a type of limestone) that the house is made of.
Vico Canale doorway
The doorway to the apartments where my mother lived.

Our family traveled to Italy last year (2014) and we got to visit several places that were significant to my mom, including the underground where she was born!

To be continued…next week you’ll get to hear the exciting story of Tina’s birth!

Series Navigation<< {Tuesdays with Tina, part 3}It’s a girl! {Tuesdays with Tina, part 5} >>

About Sheila @ Making the Most of Every Day

I'm a wife, mom, and a homeschool teacher. I'm always behind on housework and paper pile sorting. I'm fond of this crazy life but not of melted cheese. I want to follow hard after God, making each day really count. I like to run, read, cook (and eat!). Thanks for joining along on my journey!

3 thoughts on “Vico Canale {Tuesdays with Tina, part 4}

  1. Engaged for 5 years! Wow! And I love that he “needed” her to make a handkerchief for him.

    Those narrow streets are mind-blowing. Even “before cars” they seem awfully narrow. I’m surprised they even allow cars on them now.

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