Magical moments!

Italians are so full of love and hospitality! We were blessed to enjoy a spectacular evening and the most delicious food at the home of the amazing Mele family from Pozzuoli. If you follow our blog, you've met darling Rosa (on our GANS leadership committee) and her very handsome boyfriend Salvatore. We had been wanting to meet her brother Kenso, and it was so fun to finally get to know him; he is just as cute as they come! Rosa's lovely mom Maria is one of those faithful, incredible members with multiple callings; we just love her and have enjoyed crossing paths at the temple several times, with her stalwart mother and Rosa. It's amazing to see a three generation family of Church members here in Southern Italy. We truly loved getting to know Rosa's father better. We had chatted once briefly in Church. You can tell by the picture how kind he is. He works so hard and is truly a family man, born and raised on this land. He has designed and built the outside into a beautiful oasis, full of Italian character and charm. They raise, harvest and eat from their substantial garden. He even cooks!

They spend summers in this incredible outdoor gathering area. He has put a projector up, so Kenso and his friends can gather here.

Beautiful flowers, olive trees, and boxes of spices decorate this stunning area. They treated us like kings, with so much generosity and love; the evening was a magical moment and highlight. The Smiths, an American couple stationed at the US Naval Base, who had lived in the area for 5 years, also joined us. It was their last night before flying back to the States.

For months Rosa and I had tried to coordinate getting together at her home. The timing was so good, because Lucia and family had just left, and this lovely experience filled a hole in my mother's heart. Rosa feels (and looks) like she could fit right in with our family!

Thanks to Sorella Castellano, last year we learned that Andrea Bocelli would be performing at the ancient amphitheater in Pompei. And yes, we all bought tickets!

We joined the "Family History Missionary Club" - dining and attending the concert with the Castellanos (who live by us) and the Youngs and Lillywhites (who live in Rome and serve at the Family History center on temple square).

The food was delicious and the company so enjoyable!

We walked into the ruins area with great anticipation!

No words are adequate to describe the exhilaration of sitting in this ancient outdoor theatre, imagining its purpose over 2000 years ago, while listening to one of the most remarkable vocal performers of all time!

The concert exceeded all expectations!

It was an unforgettable evening we will forever cherish! Bucket list; check!

The setting was magical, and it was a moment we won't soon forget!

This week was a true blessing of so many magical moments! We were able to go to dinner with the former "Sorella Youngs" and meet her parents. Sorella Youngs is so sweet and was a fantastic missionary; we served with her at the beginning of our mission and loved our season together! She added us on Facebook when she heard we were assigned to live in the Castellamare area. Before we even arrived in Italy, we felt her love and excitement for missionary work. It's always so fun to let parents know they raised a mighty fine missionary! And, to put a cherry on top of the cake, this restaurant had gluten free yummy pizza, so Sorella Youngs didn't go hungry (which did happen often on her mission).

Then we were able to meet Sorella Austin's family! Her sisters were so darling and her parents just lovely. We had so much fun visiting on lungomare in Castellamare, with the sister missionaries and dear Angelo, an amazing convert taught by Sorella Austin.

We could have talked all night! It felt like we had all known each other forever, and we loved that, and we loved them! We also enjoyed letting Sorella Austin's family know just how incredible she was as a missionary! Sorella Austin is also best friends with Alyssa, President and Sorella Walker's daughter.

Before she left, Sorella Austin told us about her friendship with the Walkers. One thing she said totally struck my heart, and I knew it was true... "The Walkers are exactly what the Rome Mission needs at this time." And so it is! The transition from the Morris's to the Walkers has been so smooth. The Lord calls and assigns people to specific places for a reason, and we have loved watching the Walkers bless our mission.

One super funny thing was to find out their whole family family loved the South Korean series, "Crash landing on you," which I absolutely love! One of the best scenes in the series is when the main characters meet up in a village on the southern shore of Lake Brienz near Interlaken, Switzerland - known as a fairy tale village surrounded by the Swiss Alps. After her family picked up Sorella Austin in Rome, they all went up to Lake Brienz! I loved that! We often go on vacations to sites of movies or series we love. One all time favorite was our Anne of Green Gables trip to Prince Edward Island in Novas Scotia.

Our GANS (YSA) program in Napoli/Campania is really growing! We feel like Heavenly Father is really touching the hearts of the young adults in this area - planting a desire to increase their faith and spirituality. We love it when new friends (like Justin above in the ACDC shirt) join with us! Justin has a baptism date on August 20th, and we are so excited for her to be part of our GANS group! Pictured with Justin are Peter (our INCREDIBLE ward mission leader), Kekko (our amazing stake GANS leader), Angy (our vivacious Napoli GANS leader), and Anna (our lovely and talented publicist)!

We typically teach Institute on Saturday at 5, followed by a meal together and an activity. We love and cherish this time with our GANS! Our time together each week is always a highlight - truly special moments with people we love. Institute isn't typically taught in the summer, and we were so thrilled they wanted to have it all summer! They are the reason we are serving a mission - our "Why?"

Ping pong is always a favorite! We were so happy to see Joel (in the hat) and are thrilled when Denis comes from Caserta. He's top notch all the way!

We have grown to love these beautiful GANS with all our hearts! Angy (pictured above) is another who comes from a 3 generation member family of faithful members!

We see these wonderful GANS through heaven's eyes and feel of the great things in store for them! We hope they know and feel the love our Heavenly Father and Savior have for each one of them. They have great purpose and are blessed with important spiritual gifts. They truly are the "Rising Generation" and will do extraordinary things in their lives! So many are converts and the only members in their family - like Oscar, Isamar and Anna (pictured above). They are true pioneers, and we have so much respect for them! We love the missionaries for bringing their GANS friends to Institute, and we hope all who attend see Institute as a safe space, where they can find friendship - and are loved and accepted, without judgement. The Church of Jesus Christ of Latter Day Saints is a worldwide Church with millions of members who desire to live the Gospel of Jesus Christ. We absolutely love the fact that you can go anywhere in the world and immediately find "family" at Church.

We had a really unique week, where people we know and love were on vacation in this area and we met up to enjoy some magical moments together. Gabby (pictured next to me) and her darling friend walked over to our apartment one night for dinner, then the next day we met up in touristy Pompei for gelato. We LOVE Gabby! Cliff was her BYU Bishop her freshman year, and we have loved her ever since! She became fast friends with our daughter Lucia at BYU and has felt like part of our family. She is not married yet, so if anyone reading this blog has someone in mind for her, let us know!

Next came Frances and Jack Holmes. Cliff has been best friends with their son Steve for the last 41 years. Frances and Jack played a key role in championing Cliff as a young adult.

Our time together was fantastic! They stayed in a hotel in touristy Pompei, and our dearest friend Emanuele Guidara was their personal driver and tour guide. We came along for a couple of day outings!

We have been looking out at the image of the island of Capri - in the distance, for almost a year, and we have never been over to see it. Finally, we took a ferry over with the Holmes and Emmanuele and were absolutely smitten with the beauty of the island!

We decided we waited unto the absolutely perfect time to visit, as the flowers were in full bloom and were BREATHTAKING!

It was toasty hot, and we all loved the refreshing granitas - with fresh lemons and oranges.

We saw SO MANY gargantuan yachts! It was kind of incomprehensible. Cliff looked it up. You can rent a yacht like this for a week for 3 million dollars, max 12 people. What!? Who does that? Or, you can buy one for only about 300-500 million.

Our next little adventure with the Holmes was on the stunning Amalfi Coast.

We had passed the signs to go into this grotta (cave) dozens of times and had always wanted to stop, but we don't, because we are always busy and in a hurry. We were so glad the Holmes came, so we could stop and see the roses, so to speak.

The Grotta dello Smeraldo is AMAZING! It wasn't crowded either, like the Blue Grotto on Capri, which we didn't bother to go see; the line was forever long.

HISTORY: Amalfi rose from a Roman trading post to become a powerful Maritime Republic in the 9th century, its wealth built on trade and seafaring, producing the famous Amalfi Maritime Code. It dominated the Mediterranean until its decline in the 12th century, suffering from natural disasters and conquests. Later, its economy shifted to paper manufacturing and other crafts, eventually becoming the popular tourist destination and UNESCO World Heritage Site.

We typically drop missionaries off (on a p-day, if they ask us, and we make a deal they clean their apartments so well during the transfer and send us video proof) to run into the town of Amalfi and look around. This time we got dropped off! How fun to see this red Ferrari in front of the amazing Amalfi Church!

We also have passed the signs to Ravello so many times, but have never had time to stop. We finally did, and WOW! Ravello is a treasure!

Again, the flowers were magnificent!

HISTORY: Ravello was likely founded in the 6th century by Roman colonists seeking refuge from invasions and became a center of prosperity within the Maritime Republic of Amalfi, known for its textile trade and patrician villas. After rebelling against Amalfi in the 11th century, Ravello grew in importance, even becoming a bishopric, but its decline began with the Norman conquest in the 12th century. The town later experienced a resurgence in the 19th century as a favored destination for artists and writers like Richard Wagner and Virginia Woolf. The Ravello Music Festival (which began in 1930) is one of the oldest and most renowned festivals in Italy. Also affectionately known as the “Wagner Festival,” it was established in honor of the famous composer Richard Wagner. Wagner’s visit to Ravello in 1880 inspired some of his most beautiful work, and the festival continues to celebrate his legacy with a diverse lineup of classical music, opera, jazz, and contemporary performances. The festival takes place at the historic Villa Rufolo, whose terrace was transformed into a stage overlooking the sea, creating a spectacular and iconic venue. 

We feel so blessed to live in this beautiful area of the world. As we strolled through Villa Rufolo, gazing at the magnificent views of the Amalfi Coast below, our hearts were singing inside, "Oh God, how great Thou Art!"

Hymn Lyrics:

O Lord my God, when I in awesome wonder

Consider all the works Thy hands have made,

I see the stars, I hear the rolling thunder,

They power throughout the universe displayed!

Then sings my soul, my Savior God, to Thee;

How great Thou art, how great Thou art!

We are so grateful for a loving Father in Heaven and Savior, who created this beautiful world to give us joy. We love the scripture in the Book of Mormon, 2 Nephi 2:25, "Adam fell that men might be; and men are that they might have joy." https://www.churchofjesuschrist.org/study/scriptures/bofm/2-ne/2?lang=eng

We hope you all find joy in God's creations!

We love Him, and we love you, forever!

La Coppia Montagnoli

Martha and Cliff