Pam Hawley Marlin July 2022

 

A seaside town located on Sicily's northeastern coast, Falcone is the ancestral home of my husband's Barone ancestors. Established in the mid 19th century, Falcone is located between Capo Tindari and the Milazzo mountains in the Province of Messina. A new town by Sicilian standards, its beginnings were derived from the ancient feudal town of Oliveri, which dates back to the 3rd millennium B.C.

The Barone family, along with the extended families of the Milone's, D'Amico's, Fama's and Palora's, lived in this area for generations. Research has revealed little about the lives of my husband's family in Falcone, however, a visit to Falcone's Cimitero (cemetery), provided a glimpse into the people of this community as portrayed in the life photos displayed on each headstone. The winding road up to the cemetery provided stunning vistas of the vibrant blue Tyrrhenian Sea and the hazy outline of the distant Aeolian Islands. It was then that I realized, the dead often have the best views.

The view from the top. P Marlin 2022

 

Cemetery entrance

Caterina Barone died under "mysterious circumstances" when her young son, Rosario, was only 7. The photo below Caterina's on the gravesite is that of her son, Rosario, who settled in Australia.

Caterina and her son, Rosario.

A larger photo of Caterina's gravesite.

The gravesite of Caterina's father, Salvatore Barone.

The gravesite of Caterina's father, Salvatore Barone.