Family reunion plans moving forward smoothly! See you soon

It is update time on the family reunion plans. I’ve been visiting sites on the list, confirming with restaurants and other locations, finding places to park, and checking with celebrity guests such as Sauro Spadoni, Leonello Spadoni, Carlo Spadoni, Italo and Franceso Cortesi, Francesca Seghieri, Ivo Seghieri and more. Though I still have much more to do, I thought I should whet your appetite by sharing the latest version of the program. I’ve made a few changes. Improvements, in most cases.

Note that the first three days we begin at 8 a.m. for informal gatherings. On Monday, it will be at the Casolare dei Fiori, via Mattonaia 20, which has a big parking lot and a great meeting room. They will serve coffee and I will bring some croissants. Please try to arrive by 8 a.m., as this will be our first meeting and I need to explain some things and give people a few minutes to become acquainted. On Tuesday and Wednesday, the Bar Grazia is open for coffee and croissants. It will not be vital to arrive at 8 a.m. as long as you in the parking lot and ready to leave by 8:30.

I’ve obtained permission to go inside the pieve at San Gennaro, where Torello Seghieri was once director of the philharmonic. You may wonder what a philharmonic is and how it differs from a symphony (as I did), so I looked it up. They are basically the same thing, and you can find out more by clicking here. Unfortunately, the angel statue that experts attribute to a young Leonardo da Vinci is not on display at this time, as it is undergoing more restoration in Lucca and will not be returned to the church until summertime.

Made by Leonardo?

We have 35 people attending from the United States, the majority from Gig Harbor but also six from Seattle, and some Spadoni relatives from California who have never met a Gig Harbor or Seattle Spadoni. Besides those of us from Gig Harbor descended from Anita Seghieri, we also have a third cousin from Minnesota who is descended from Anita’s first cousin Dante Seghieri. Joining us for the Seghieri activities will be 18 lively cousins from France. Regarding the cugini francesi, I recommend you listen to the Italian national anthem a few times, as you will be required to sing it before participating in any of the Seghieri events (ma sto scherzando!).

Regarding costs, I have worked out a super deal with your tour guide for the first two days and a half. For a mere 100 euro per person, you will receive a tour of more than a dozen sites, along with two lunches and three dinners. I told you I’ve been working hard! I will collect money in euros on the first day, or you can send me $110 now by Venmo, PayPal or Zelle. Just use my email address of pspadoni@gmail.com. If you send via PayPal, send it to a friend, not a business, so the transaction will be free.

The amazing marble of Carrara.

For the Seghieri activities from the Wednesday dinner onward, plan on paying as you go. The sumptuous dinner at Fattoria Il Poggio on Wednesday has a cost of 27 euro. Plan to spend around 40 euro for a day at the Villa Reale on Thursday for entrance, lunch and dinner. Friday’s program is still under discussion, but if it includes Pietrasanta and Carrara as originally planned, you may spend 60 euro-plus. I will say that if you have not been to those places, they are fantastic! The marble quarries at Carrara have been one of my all-time favorite day trips from Montecarlo.

OK, that’s all for now. Below is the current schedule, subject to some minor changes:

Monday, 2 May, Spadoni focus with dinner for ALL

8:00            Meet at Casolare dei Fiori, via Mattonaia 20

8:40            Depart for Padule di Fucecchio

9:10             Arrive Casin del Lillo

10:00           Leave Casin del Lillo

10:05           Arrive Ponte alla Guardia

10:15           Leave Ponte alla Guardia

10:30          Arrive Buggiano Castello

11:00           Leave Buggiano Castello

11:15            Arrive Pescia, Piazza Mazzini, gelato at Bar Pulter

12:05           Leave Piazza, visit church of Marchi family at Castellare

12:25           Arrive I 3 Angeli ristorante for lunch

14:00           Leave restaurant

14:40           Arrive Torre degli Spadoni/San Donini in Parezzana

15:30           Tour ends, break in schedule

19:00           Picnic dinner at Azienda Agricola Stefannini, Montecarlo, organized by French Seghieri families. Via S. Piero, 7

Tuesday, 3 May, focus on Spadoni

8:00           Informal gathering at Bar Grazia in San Salvatore

8:30           Leave S. Salvatore

8:50           Arrive cemetery Ponte Buggianese

9:30           Leave cemetery

9:45           Arrive Chiesina Uzzanese, E-Form Demonstration
by Sauro Spadoni of Magic Hair***

10:30         Leave Chiesina Uzzanese

10:45         Arrive Stignano

11:15           Leave Stignano

11:30          Arrive Borgo a Buggiano, see inside church, coffe break

12:30          Leave Borgo a Buggiano

12:50          Lunch at La Favola Mia of Leonello Spadoni, Chiesina U.

14:10          Leave La Favola Mia

14:20          Arrive Ponte Buggianese centro

14:50          Leave Ponte Buggianese centro

15:00          Farm of Italo Cortesi. Tour farm, see site where Italo Spadoni was killed by Fascists. Meet Italo and Francesco Cortesi. The story of Italo Spadoni recounted.

16:00          Tour ends, break in schedule

19:00          Dinner at Casolare dei Fiori, San Salvatore, via Mattonaia, 20

Wednesday, 4 May, focus on Seghieri

8:00            Informal gathering at Bar Grazia in San Salvatore

8:30            See inside of church in San Salvatore

8:45            Leave S. Salvatore

8:55            Arrive Quercione

9:15            Leave Quercione

9:30           Arrive San Gennaro, see inside of church

10:20          Leave San Gennaro

10:35          Arrive Esselunga parking lot, gelato break at Igloo

11:05          Leave Esselunga

11:15           Park near Fior di Latte, an outlet store for Parmigiano Reggiano cheese and other artisan food

11:30          Pass on foot bike shop of Francesca Seghieri

11:45           Continue to mercato usato, an excellent source of low-cost souvenirs

12:15           Return to cars, leave for Montecarlo

12:30          Lunch in Montecarlo on own. Free time

14:00          Possibility to see cemeteries of Montecarlo and  Marginone, where some members of the Seghieri family are buried.

15:00-16:20  Open house with Paul & Lucy Spadoni, via Roma 49, Montecarlo. Continuous tour, snacks.

16:25          Tour of Montecarlo with professional guides, directed by Elena Benvenuti, given in French and English. Includes entrance to Fortezza di Montecarlo, Palazzo Carmignani, Teatro dei Rassicurati (if not under construction).

19:00          Group dinner at Fattoria Il Poggio, Via S. Piero, 39

Thursday, 5 May, Social & tourist event in day. Formal presentations in the evening.

TBD           Meet at Villa Reale for tour, picnic lunch, arranged by Elena Benvenuti and French Seghieri families.

17:00           Presentation on Spadoni family history & genealogy

19:00           Pizza dinner at La Terrazza, Montecarlo

21:00          Presentation on Seghieri family history & genealogy

 

Friday, 6 May, social and touristic activities

TBD            Meet at Pietrasanta for tour of Pietrasanta and quarries of Carrara, arranged by Elena Benvenuti and French Seghieri families.

 

Saturday, 7 May, Farewell aperitivo in evening.

TBD            Tour of Lucca in morning, possibility to rent bikes in afternoon in Lucca.

18:00           Aperitivo at Casone di Marcucci, via Mattonia. Tour farm of Ivo Seghieri.