Sicily - the dream with our family!

For as long as I can remember, Cliff has wanted to take the kids/grandkids to Sicily. In June, the dream came true! We rented a beach house in Sicily. Yes, senior missionaries can have a little vacation with their family - as long as it's in the mission boundary.

Everything about this little trip was perfect and dreamy. The drive down to the tip of the boot was beautiful, then we drove up to the port and right onto the ferry, and they closed the door.

Luke thought driving the car onto a boat was pretty cool!

Molly was just happy; she is always happy!

We chose a place to stay that was near church, since we arrived after late on a Saturday evening.

Cliff really wanted to attend Church in Catania, where he had served as a young missionary. These 3 sisters thought they recognized him as the once younger Anziano Montagnoli.

Molly and Luke were adorable in Primary. I stayed with them and translated.

Of course we LOVE running into our missionaries! We do a cleaning segment monthly on the all mission call, so even though we don't personally know everyone in the Rome mission - they know who we are. We have so much love and respect for all them. It's no small thing to give up a year and a half (sisters) or two years (elders) to serve the Lord and share His Gospel. Missionaries are not paid for their service; it is truly a sacrifice.

Luke is the very most thoughtful child! I must have told him I was tired. He set me up on the couch, with pillows all around and over me, and gave me his favorite stuffed animal to snuggle. I love that little boy so much!

It was so nice to stay in one place. We loaded up with food. Cliff was a fantastic chef. And we relaxed with the most wonderful view of Taormina in the distance.

Can you just feel the joy and level of much needed relaxation, as you enjoy these cute photos?! Lucia and Pat really needed a vacation.

Molly and Luke were adorable and loved everything about the beach house and the beach/sea below.

The water was so clear. The only thing that would have made it better would have been more sand and less rocks, but how could anyone complain about paradise!

We had such great quality time together and loved every second of every minute!

Mount Etna was actually erupting when we were there, so the skies were hazy, but still so beautiful - especially at sunset.

Not a bad setting for reading the scriptures.

Our first outing was to Taormina. Luke is so thoughtful and always takes my hand to help me down steps. My very worn out knees are hanging on. They still have a little mileage left before they need replacing.

The views were STUNNING!

No words needed.

You can see the volcano Etna smoking in the distance.

I was smitten over the bougainvillea flowers everywhere.

Taormina's history spans from the Sicels in 396 BC to the present, with significant development by the Greeks, who founded the town, and later the Romans, who valued its strategic position. The city saw prosperity under Norman rule, cultural enrichment from the Arabs, and eventually became a popular tourist destination from the 18th century onwards, attracting artists and wealthy travelers due to its natural beauty. 

The ancient Greek theatre in Taormina is incredible.

Could Luke and Molly be cuter?!

We love this pic of our little angel Luke sitting on an angel statue.

Luke is very sweet to Molly; sometimes he loves her TOO much.

Lucia is both a daddy's and a mama's girl; she got some fabulous, quality time with both of us! We ate dinner at this incredible restaurant overlooking the sea, and it was one of those memories that made time stand still, so we could capture it - to recall forever.

Molly melted our hearts and filled our "nonni" souls every minute of every day!

Perhaps our favorite thing about this trip was seeing Lucia so happy - fulfilling something important on her bucket list.

It doesn't look like much, but this is the front entrance of the beach house.

This pic does it justice.

This was Luke and Molly's first time playing on the beach, and as you can see, they loved it!

They loved the water, and it was just perfect timing, because they had finished swimming lessons.

We went into the little town, Forza di Agro to eat and get gelato.

Everything about this trip was so relaxing. It was just what the doctor ordered!

We took a little day trip over to Cefalù. It's a beach town we had always wanted to visit. On the way, we saw this ceramic factory, so we stopped to check it out. Guess who their main buyer is? Yep, Home Goods!

We saw this ceramic pinecone everywhere, so we bought one for each of our homes (Francesca too). Here's the history.

The Sicilian ceramic pinecone is a deeply symbolic item rooted in ancient Mediterranean cultures, representing eternal life, fertility, and good fortune, with its origins tracing back to Babylonian, Egyptian, and Greek traditions before becoming a prominent feature of Sicilian artisanal ceramics, particularly from Caltagirone. This handcrafted charm serves as a traditional gift and decor, symbolizing wishes for prosperity, health, and a vibrant home, often placed at the entrance gates of villas. 

I drove with Lu and Molly together in the "girl car," which I loved. We listened to 3 of her favorite audio books on the drives.

Cefalù did not disappoint! It was Patrick's favorite place in Sicily.

We had great pasta, gelato, and granita.

Lu brought all kinds of activities for the kids. They even practiced manners going out to eat before they came.

Molly is a true Italian; she loves pasta!

We also loved seeing Pat and Lu so happy, away from the stresses of school and work. Patrick is finishing his PhD in Statistics at Montana State University and Lucia works from home in a corporate job with SAP doing marketing. They are such hard workers, and this little vacation was so good for them.

AI history summary: Cefalù's history begins with a Greek settlement in the 6th-5th century BC, later becoming a Roman, Byzantine, and Arab stronghold before its pivotal Norman conquest in the 11th century, which shaped its iconic Norman architecture, exemplified by the Cefalù Cathedral built by Roger II. The town preserves layers of its diverse cultural past, from Greek fortifications to Arab influences and finally the UNESCO World Heritage-listed Cathedral, making it a significant site for understanding medieval Sicilian history. 

We agree with Rick Steves; Cefalù is a 10 out of 10. The only stressful part was finding out my little brother Bobby had a heart attack that day. My heart was pretty tender, and I was very worried. Since I was on the other side of the world, being in this beautiful place was a nice distraction. My brother had surgery and is doing well recovering. We are so grateful for the tender mercies that led up to his heart attack. He was indeed blessed and is making a full recovery.

As the sun set on Cefalù and our magical day, we counted our many blessings.

And we shared the yummiest treat!

From our paradise home base, we headed up to the old town of Forza d'Agrò.

Forza d'Agrò, perched on a hilltop overlooking the Ionian Sea, exudes medieval charm and stunning vistas.

AI history summary: Forza d'Agrò's history began with Greek settlers, followed by Roman, Byzantine, and Norman rule, with the castle built by Count Roger I in the 11th century to protect against Arab raids. The town's historical center, featuring medieval architecture and a castle, was later featured in the film The Godfather. It has a long history of defending strategic positions and retaining its traditional character, even after a significant portion of its territory became autonomous in the 20th century.

Notice the acorns on the posts.

Either we forgot, or we never knew the depth of the beauty of the island of Sicily.

I particularly loved the flowers everywhere - even along the main roads!

The pace in Sicily is much more laid back, and we treasured that slow paced, quality time in paradise with our family.

And Molly - there are no words to describe her darling personality! Notice her shoes; she likes them being on the wrong feet.

We had so many snuggles and loves. This trip really filled our hearts! It actually has been much harder than we thought it would be to be away from our family.

Our next trip was to the town of Savoca.

We really loved visiting places we had never before seen. Lucia was very thoughtful in our trip planning. She wanted us to be able to see new sites.

AI history summary: Savoca's history spans from the Middle Ages to the 19th century, founded in 1134 by Ruggero II around the Pentefur Castle and later becoming a cultural center before experiencing a 19th-century decline and subsequent tourism boost. The name "Savoca" comes from the elder plant, or "savucu" in the local dialect. The town's medieval architecture, historic sites like the Pentefur Castle and City Gate, and its cinematic significance as a filming location for The Godfather are key to its present-day appeal. 

We didn't realize when we planned this trip to Sicily that the little towns closest to our beach house were filmed in The Godfather movie.

Savoca was my favorite little town. I bought a beautiful ceramic clock for our kitchen at home in the States and a table runner. I like having decor that reminds me of our favorite vacations.

Lucia loved it too and bought cute shirts for the kids. I also got my first ever modern muumuu. It was getting pretty roasty toasty, and the dress is cool and fun.

My happy new Godfather clock.

After eating so much, or should we say too much pizza in Napoli, no other pizza is as good. These days, you can order a metro pizza, which is cheeper for a group. This was pretty good, but definitely not what we get at home.

I'm sure just seeing this picture of the gorgeous bougainvillea along the roadside makes your hearts so happy! The kids were so cute. Every time we would pass it, they would say, "Look! Those are nonna's flowers!"

We were all sad for this dreamy little missionary vacation to come to an end.

Every moment was priceless!

The colors of the water are so stunning. Sicily is truly a beautiful place. I spent 15 months of my mission here (Reggio Calabria, Siracusa, Caltanisetta); Cliff spent 8 (Catania, Sciacca). Other than a short visit on our honeymoon, a quick Christmas trip when Francesca was a baby, and a couple of times for work (Cliff) it has been 32 years since we have vacationed in Sicily. The trip was so fulfilling on so many levels!

Just writing about this trip of a lifetime makes me feel blessed. We are so grateful for the opportunity to go back - this time with our posterity! D&C 58:54 says, "For after much tribulation come the blessings." I feel like this was my blessing after a long and difficult cancer journey. It felt good. God is good.

If we hadn't been serving a mission, and so close to Sicily, this trip would never have happened. As the hymn goes, "Count your blessings, name them one by one. Count your many blessings see what God has done." We love serving Him.

All our love forever,

La Coppia Montagnoli

Cliff and Martha