Anna Staropoli — A Geographic Diary

From Sicily To Treviso By Train: Breaking Down My 3-Month Italian Odyssey

From October through December, 2021, I traveled from Palermo, Sicily — the city of my paternal grandfather — to Treviso, Veneto: the origin region of my maternal grandfather.

Roots, Palermo, Sicily, StaropoliAnna StaropoliFebruary 21, 2022Palermo, Treviso, Roots, Family Roots, Travel, ItalyComment

The Man Who Filled My Pockets With Oranges

Those first two months I thought you were homeless.

Palermo, Roots, SicilyAnna StaropoliNovember 30, 2020Sicily, Italy, Roots, Community, OrangesComment

How A Croissant Led Me To My Unknown Family: Part 4/4

It’s taken me a while to write Part 4, mostly because in telling this story in four parts, I’ve come to believe that Part 4 should signify something conclusive.

Staropoli, Sicily, Roots, PalermoAnna StaropoliJune 22, 2020Unknown Family, Sicily, Palermo, Marineo, RootsComment

A Letter To The Sufferer

Below is the story of Katarina: an elderly woman I encountered twice in Sicily. With no way to contact her, this letter is my way of making sense of what I cannot change, un-see, and un-learn.

Palermo, Roots, SicilyAnna StaropoliJune 17, 2020Sicily, Marineo, Roots, PeopleComment

How A Croissant Led Me To My Unknown Family: Part 3/4

The truth of the matter is this: if I never had to pee, I never would have returned to where I started.

Sicily, Roots, PalermoAnna StaropoliMay 26, 2020Family Roots, Unknown Family, sicily, palermo, marineoComment

How A Croissant Led Me To My Unknown Family: Part 2/4

You know that children’s book, Roses for Anna? Where all the girl (Anna) wants to do is get a flower for her mom?

Roots, Palermo, SicilyAnna StaropoliMay 12, 2020Marineo, Roots, Family Roots, Part 2, Unknown FamilyComment

How A Croissant Led Me To My Unknown Family: Part 1

Marineo is the kind of place the world forgets. Hidden in the mountains, the village sinks between granite while a dainty cross stretches from the town’s peak like an inverted charm on a necklace.

Roots, Staropoli, PalermoAnna StaropoliMay 4, 2020Roots, Unknown Family, MarineoComment