Growing up in Connecticut, Deborah always felt something was missing, a sensation that stayed with her even when, as an adult, she moved to New York with her husband. One day at work, following a playful exchange with a colleague, she googled the name of her great-grandfather’s hometown, Fumone, and, upon seeing photos of it, was immediately won over.

Thus, she decided to travel to Fumone that summer to search for her Italian relatives. Meeting her Italian family filled the hole she felt in her life, that missing part. Here’s Deborah’s story of reconnecting to her Italian roots.