Class of 1981 Travels Through Italy
2024 was the year of “Roots Tourism,” as declared by the State Department of Italy. Several events were conducted throughout Italy, commemorating the special attention paid to descendants of Italian emigrants coming to the “old” country to explore their heritage. Phil~italy, owned and operated by Class of 1981 entrepreneur Philip Micali, conducted two special Phil~italy trips. The first was in April of 2024, in which 12 Italian-Americans searched for their roots in Sicily. Cleveland native, Don (Domenico) Sabatino '81, his brother, Paul '74, and their respective spouses were part of a group of 12 American travelers to Sicily who covered a large part of the island, including Palermo, Cefalù, Agrigento, Taormina, and Villa Romani in Piazza Armerina.
The Sabatinos wanted to meet their cousins in Alimana, their ancestral town, and witness the glory of this small village of approximately 2,000, in the province of Palermo, nestled in the awe-inspiring Madonie mountains. The travelers were greeted with a warm embrace by the local Sabatino family, cousins of Don and Paul, which was followed by a stroll around the village of Alimena. One of the few local restaurants provided a delicious meal and unforgettable customary Italian affection.
Typically, Phil~italy organizes these roots tourism visits with the Mother Church pastor, mayor, and pro loco (town historian). However, in this case, the local family, with whom the American Sabatinos had contact with over the years but not yet met in person, were able to provide the group with the opportunity to locate birth certificates, baptism records and other anagraphic information of those Sabatinos who emigrated to America in the very early 1900s.
The second trip was organized for Donna Prigosin Musilli '81 and her husband Andy's family, focusing on a heritage tour in San Pietro Avellana, a small village in Molise with a population of fewer than 1,000 residents. Many American descendants from this town reside in Cleveland, Youngstown, and Pittsburgh.
