An Italian Discovery - The Tale of Gabby and Gio

Chapter 1

Gio never expected the feeling he was experiencing right now of having Gabby so close again. But fate had other plans.

Several hundred people were gathering to attend a family celebration at one of Gabby's favorite places in the world - the Grand Hotel Timeo in Taormina, Sicily.

The Grand Timeo sits at the top of the hill along the Via Teatro Greco, adjacent to the ancient outdoor theatre. The location offers a stunning panoramic view of the blue-water, Sicilian coastline from all sides and it’s as posh as one could imagine for a town that literally dates back to the 4th and 5th centuries, and maybe even earlier.

The location is grand and historical for sure. Old, but elegant, it reeks with permission to indulge in Sicilian glory if only for a few days.

It was late September on the East coast of Sicily and the best time to visit the island during any season of the year. Warm days brought out the blooming bougainvillea. The lush gardens surrounding the hotel were in full bloom, and the aroma of Sicilian flora hung in the air. Cool nights also triggered the ritual, evening passeggiata (stroll). The oppressive heat and touristas were long gone, too.

While Zucchero and Pavarotti were serenading in the background,

“Va' pensiero, sull'ali dorate…    

Cross the mountains and fly

Over the oceans.

Reach the land find the place

Where all children go

Every night after listening to this lullaby.”

and with the backdrop of The Idol – Mt. Etna – smoking in all ‘his’ glory in the distant vista, nothing in this moment was more beautiful to Gio except for the one other image in the room.

Gabriella Buca Rosetti, was a sight to behold. Long streaming auburn hair with Ionian Sea blue eyes that could laser fire to ice, Gabby as she was known to all, turned heads every which way for quite some time.

She was the kind of woman that made grown men gawk uncontrollably and sent young boys to the privacy of self-pleasure. Gabby was exceptional. A stunning beauty. Smart, talented, and vivacious with Mediterranean olive skin, long legs that traveled right up to her tight, athletic ass, thin ruby lips and the voice of an angel.

Gabby was a killer of hearts, not people. And she was always there melting Gio’s.

“Hey babe,” he heard a voice that could only be described as hauntingly siren like. What are you staring at Gio?”

“I am burning your beauty into my soul,” he said. “I want to remember it forever.”

So, finally, here he is, Giovanni Maranzzano III – Gio Marzo for short – a third generation of Italian immigrants from Naples, Italy, about to appear at a family gathering of people he hadn’t cared for or seen in many, many years with the most beautiful woman anyone could ask for, and he couldn’t help but feel how he totally fucked it all up.

...to be continued