Taking the Train to Mistretta

I have to preface this post by stating that I assumed that my grandfather was born in Mistretta, Sicily since his name was Alfonso Mistretta. Years later, I came to realize that this was not the case. I guess that happens whenever you are young and know everything that there is to know. However, our trip to Mistretta was quite an experience. Leaving Taormina by train, we continued by rail to Messina and proceeded along the Northern coast of Sicily to a small train station that was the closest to Mistretta.

On the train, we met a young Italian who was studying medicine in the United States and became involved in a lengthy discussion about our lives. During this conversation, I asked the young man if it were true that the Mafia was still active in Sicily. He immediately placed his hand over my mouth and warned me that I was to never utter that word publicly while visiting Sicily. Lesson learned. Other than this blunder, we had a delightful conversation until we arrived at our train station.