1 00:00:13,600 --> 00:00:16,600 Speaker 1: If you're gonna solve a century old murder in Sicily, 2 00:00:17,600 --> 00:00:20,400 Speaker 1: you might as well take advantage of it. I booked 3 00:00:20,400 --> 00:00:22,520 Speaker 1: a flight and told all of my people that I 4 00:00:22,600 --> 00:00:25,479 Speaker 1: was going. Then I got a text message from my 5 00:00:25,760 --> 00:00:29,760 Speaker 1: very best girlfriend in the entire world, who said, you 6 00:00:29,840 --> 00:00:32,800 Speaker 1: know what, I need an adventure. I need a break, 7 00:00:33,200 --> 00:00:36,000 Speaker 1: and I'm coming with you. I do want to say, 8 00:00:36,120 --> 00:00:43,080 Speaker 1: I traveling without my kids is so amazing. It's so easy. 9 00:00:43,479 --> 00:00:45,479 Speaker 1: I was saying yesterday, how nimble I feel like, I 10 00:00:45,479 --> 00:00:48,280 Speaker 1: feel so light. I'm so nimble. I'm so I mean 11 00:00:48,600 --> 00:00:51,920 Speaker 1: you just I woke up this morning, I washed my face, 12 00:00:52,280 --> 00:00:55,279 Speaker 1: I got in the car and I went somewhere and 13 00:00:56,320 --> 00:00:58,600 Speaker 1: no one touched me, no one asked me for anything. 14 00:00:58,880 --> 00:01:05,120 Speaker 1: I feel so free. So I'm back in Sicily, but 15 00:01:05,240 --> 00:01:09,039 Speaker 1: this time without my husband and kids, and along for 16 00:01:09,080 --> 00:01:12,319 Speaker 1: the ride is my best friend Jackie. Oh look at 17 00:01:12,319 --> 00:01:13,480 Speaker 1: those ruins up on top of that. 18 00:01:13,760 --> 00:01:14,479 Speaker 2: It's beautiful. 19 00:01:15,880 --> 00:01:17,840 Speaker 1: I think the best part is actually just us being 20 00:01:17,840 --> 00:01:21,000 Speaker 1: in the car together. For sure, this is my favorite part. 21 00:01:21,280 --> 00:01:23,520 Speaker 3: I think we were imagining like a recreation of our 22 00:01:23,560 --> 00:01:25,039 Speaker 3: epic Qy West spring break. 23 00:01:25,440 --> 00:01:27,800 Speaker 1: We were Yeah, but alas, this is much better. This 24 00:01:27,920 --> 00:01:32,280 Speaker 1: is better this is better lust debauchery. So far, so far, 25 00:01:32,440 --> 00:01:39,480 Speaker 1: so far. We've got to solve this murder. Guys. We 26 00:01:39,600 --> 00:01:42,039 Speaker 1: mentioned in the last episode that I needed to get 27 00:01:42,080 --> 00:01:46,640 Speaker 1: access to the homicide and mafia trial records from nineteen sixteen. 28 00:01:47,200 --> 00:01:50,320 Speaker 1: This was no easy feat. To do it. We had 29 00:01:50,360 --> 00:01:53,640 Speaker 1: to petition the president of the Tribune Nale in Shaka, 30 00:01:53,840 --> 00:01:56,960 Speaker 1: which is the nearest city to Caltabolota. I had to 31 00:01:56,960 --> 00:01:59,600 Speaker 1: write a letter, I had to have the letter translated. 32 00:02:00,040 --> 00:02:03,080 Speaker 1: We had to get the letter to the president, and 33 00:02:03,120 --> 00:02:06,680 Speaker 1: we had to prove that this reporting was important, that 34 00:02:06,800 --> 00:02:10,840 Speaker 1: learning about how one woman died might just matter to 35 00:02:10,880 --> 00:02:14,359 Speaker 1: the legions of Italian Americans who have questions about their 36 00:02:14,440 --> 00:02:19,560 Speaker 1: own family histories and mysteries. And eventually, months and months later, 37 00:02:19,840 --> 00:02:24,000 Speaker 1: we finally heard back. I could come. I could get 38 00:02:24,040 --> 00:02:27,360 Speaker 1: into these homicide and mafia records, but it had to 39 00:02:27,400 --> 00:02:31,440 Speaker 1: be soon, very soon. And it's a good thing that 40 00:02:31,440 --> 00:02:34,520 Speaker 1: we got here when we did, because right after we landed, 41 00:02:34,720 --> 00:02:39,040 Speaker 1: I found out why time was up. The essence these records, 42 00:02:39,440 --> 00:02:42,880 Speaker 1: the murder triald transcripts and documents that might just tell 43 00:02:42,960 --> 00:02:46,680 Speaker 1: us what happened to Lorenza. They're scheduled to be destroyed 44 00:02:47,160 --> 00:02:50,680 Speaker 1: any day. So if we're ever going to get to 45 00:02:50,680 --> 00:02:53,480 Speaker 1: the bottom of this mystery, it has to be Now. 46 00:02:54,760 --> 00:03:00,880 Speaker 1: I'm Joe Piazza, and this is the Sicilian inheritance in 47 00:03:00,960 --> 00:03:14,200 Speaker 1: the mouth of the Wolf. All right, here we go. 48 00:03:14,200 --> 00:03:19,040 Speaker 1: We're walking to the Tribune alley. This is where I'm 49 00:03:19,040 --> 00:03:26,240 Speaker 1: meeting Laura, our translator. Oh well, I'm at the wrong building. Aha, 50 00:03:27,440 --> 00:03:31,960 Speaker 1: she's at the Tanaki across the street. Jackie and I 51 00:03:32,080 --> 00:03:36,400 Speaker 1: arrived yesterday. We checked into a lovely hotel overlooking the 52 00:03:36,440 --> 00:03:41,480 Speaker 1: ancient temple of Athena in Agrigento. Right around sunset, we 53 00:03:41,560 --> 00:03:43,640 Speaker 1: strolled up to the temple and said a prayer to 54 00:03:43,680 --> 00:03:46,600 Speaker 1: the Goddess of Wisdom that I would actually gain some 55 00:03:46,840 --> 00:03:51,120 Speaker 1: insight and wisdom on this trip. Then I had a 56 00:03:51,160 --> 00:03:57,160 Speaker 1: negroni and fell asleep for twelve hours. Twelve hours. It's 57 00:03:57,280 --> 00:03:59,880 Speaker 1: just another blessing of this adult spring break that I'm on. 58 00:04:00,920 --> 00:04:03,840 Speaker 1: Then this morning, I left Jackie at the hotel and 59 00:04:03,880 --> 00:04:10,560 Speaker 1: now I'm scurrying around trying to find our researcher, Laura. Hi. 60 00:04:12,000 --> 00:04:15,480 Speaker 1: Laura Lee is pretty much my savior here. She's an 61 00:04:15,560 --> 00:04:19,359 Speaker 1: archivist and a translator, but more than that, she's my 62 00:04:19,520 --> 00:04:24,440 Speaker 1: Sicilian fixer. She's basically done a ton of legwork before 63 00:04:24,480 --> 00:04:28,880 Speaker 1: I even got here, or what she calls pre connaissance. 64 00:04:29,600 --> 00:04:32,240 Speaker 1: She's been getting us all of these appointments because if 65 00:04:32,240 --> 00:04:37,279 Speaker 1: there's one thing that I've learned, Italian bureaucrats love its appointments. 66 00:04:38,160 --> 00:04:40,240 Speaker 1: So now we've got meetings set up for us at 67 00:04:40,320 --> 00:04:45,000 Speaker 1: all of the offices for land archives, notary archives, criminal 68 00:04:45,160 --> 00:04:49,839 Speaker 1: murder records. But we're starting at this brutalist building overlooking 69 00:04:49,880 --> 00:04:53,800 Speaker 1: the sea, the Tribunale in Shaka. Everyone here is very 70 00:04:53,800 --> 00:04:54,279 Speaker 1: good looking. 71 00:04:55,880 --> 00:04:57,480 Speaker 4: Do you like yourself an Italian man? 72 00:04:58,560 --> 00:04:59,680 Speaker 5: Well, I think it's now. 73 00:05:00,000 --> 00:05:02,080 Speaker 1: No. Actually, they're not my type. They're not my type. 74 00:05:02,520 --> 00:05:06,120 Speaker 1: Everyone outside really does look great. They're in tailored clothes, 75 00:05:06,360 --> 00:05:11,520 Speaker 1: well fitting suits, all smoking cigarettes. They are very Sicilian, 76 00:05:12,200 --> 00:05:14,680 Speaker 1: and when they've stamped out their sigbats, they line up 77 00:05:14,720 --> 00:05:17,680 Speaker 1: to go through the metal detectors. We joined them in 78 00:05:17,680 --> 00:05:22,839 Speaker 1: the queue. That's say, we're here to look for court 79 00:05:22,920 --> 00:05:26,240 Speaker 1: documents about my great great grandmother Lorenza. 80 00:05:26,520 --> 00:05:27,760 Speaker 3: The idea i'd printed off. 81 00:05:27,640 --> 00:05:32,599 Speaker 1: Okay, any record at all relating to that fateful day 82 00:05:32,720 --> 00:05:36,719 Speaker 1: in February nineteen sixteen, when Lorenzo's body was found with 83 00:05:36,839 --> 00:05:43,080 Speaker 1: Niccolo Martino five kilometers outside of Caltabolota. We especially want 84 00:05:43,080 --> 00:05:45,640 Speaker 1: to know if there was a trial for those responsible 85 00:05:45,680 --> 00:05:49,120 Speaker 1: for their deaths. If you recall, many of my family 86 00:05:49,120 --> 00:05:54,279 Speaker 1: members insist that the perpetrators were arrested and tried, but 87 00:05:54,400 --> 00:06:01,760 Speaker 1: then they got off Pasport. At the metal detectors, we 88 00:06:01,800 --> 00:06:05,440 Speaker 1: get stopped. All of my recording equipment is taken away. 89 00:06:06,440 --> 00:06:09,120 Speaker 1: I got some of it back, but I start hiding 90 00:06:09,160 --> 00:06:12,279 Speaker 1: it in my purse because I'm that kind of reporter. 91 00:06:13,080 --> 00:06:15,919 Speaker 1: I'm not gonna lie. My excitement at this point is 92 00:06:16,000 --> 00:06:19,560 Speaker 1: at a fever pitch, and I haven't smoked a cigarette 93 00:06:19,640 --> 00:06:22,159 Speaker 1: in five years, but I feel like I just need 94 00:06:22,160 --> 00:06:26,040 Speaker 1: to run outside and bum one just to calm myself down. 95 00:06:27,680 --> 00:06:32,320 Speaker 1: Because inside this building, inside these concrete walls, there might 96 00:06:32,440 --> 00:06:36,039 Speaker 1: just be one piece of paper that describes exactly what 97 00:06:36,160 --> 00:06:42,240 Speaker 1: happened to Lorenza. But more than anything, I need some closure, 98 00:06:43,440 --> 00:06:48,680 Speaker 1: or even just one more clue. We finally make it 99 00:06:48,720 --> 00:06:52,640 Speaker 1: through security. We're worn to wear both masks and gloves 100 00:06:52,960 --> 00:06:55,240 Speaker 1: to protect us from the dust and dirt in the 101 00:06:55,279 --> 00:06:57,200 Speaker 1: sub basement where the archives are kept. 102 00:06:58,560 --> 00:07:01,359 Speaker 4: So he was saying, a dealer little digging in advance. 103 00:07:02,040 --> 00:07:06,040 Speaker 1: Oh good. We go downstairs and then down some more 104 00:07:06,279 --> 00:07:09,680 Speaker 1: and the archives the BA. It's pitch black down here. 105 00:07:10,080 --> 00:07:14,080 Speaker 1: The lights only flicker on when we enter the room. 106 00:07:14,120 --> 00:07:17,680 Speaker 1: There's a procession of hallways and heavy doors. Oh, it 107 00:07:17,760 --> 00:07:23,040 Speaker 1: smells like archives in here, smells old paper. It's beautiful. 108 00:07:23,360 --> 00:07:27,160 Speaker 1: Tables are lined against the walls, heaped with old files 109 00:07:27,240 --> 00:07:35,080 Speaker 1: thrown around halphazardly, covering pretty much every available surface. Dusty. 110 00:07:35,720 --> 00:07:39,560 Speaker 1: It's a Jenga tower of brittle papers spilling out of 111 00:07:39,680 --> 00:07:44,080 Speaker 1: torn file folders, occasionally held in place by a wisp 112 00:07:44,120 --> 00:07:48,760 Speaker 1: of string. And it's just rows and rows of books. 113 00:07:49,320 --> 00:07:54,920 Speaker 3: See this is this is. 114 00:07:54,320 --> 00:07:55,679 Speaker 1: So. They're organized by. 115 00:07:55,840 --> 00:08:03,600 Speaker 6: Town everything by towns, and they're like cloth starts up 116 00:08:03,640 --> 00:08:07,480 Speaker 6: here and it goes down cloth bound books. 117 00:08:08,200 --> 00:08:10,640 Speaker 1: Yes, and they're about two feet tall. 118 00:08:12,800 --> 00:08:13,560 Speaker 2: Isn't that amazing? 119 00:08:13,840 --> 00:08:20,720 Speaker 1: It is? Yeah. Oh someone At each appointment you're given 120 00:08:20,800 --> 00:08:26,040 Speaker 1: a guide. And our guide today is Giovanni Vacanti. And 121 00:08:26,120 --> 00:08:29,080 Speaker 1: I can't say enough good things about Giovanni. I love 122 00:08:29,120 --> 00:08:31,240 Speaker 1: this man. But he is not at all what I 123 00:08:31,280 --> 00:08:34,679 Speaker 1: was expecting. I think it's because all of the bureaucracy 124 00:08:35,080 --> 00:08:37,120 Speaker 1: that I had to go through, I was expecting my 125 00:08:37,200 --> 00:08:40,320 Speaker 1: guide to be some stodgy old official determined to say 126 00:08:40,360 --> 00:08:44,599 Speaker 1: no to me at every turn. But no, that's not Giovanni. 127 00:08:45,320 --> 00:08:48,960 Speaker 1: Giovanni's own excitement about solving this mystery is palpable. 128 00:08:50,080 --> 00:08:54,800 Speaker 2: I feel less of emotion when I'm neared a very 129 00:08:54,840 --> 00:09:01,000 Speaker 2: important do documents. I have to to take a brief silence. 130 00:09:01,760 --> 00:09:04,679 Speaker 1: What is your official job here? Like? 131 00:09:04,760 --> 00:09:10,000 Speaker 2: What about this kind of instances? The quest case, the 132 00:09:11,640 --> 00:09:14,560 Speaker 2: strange things, the strange things. 133 00:09:13,960 --> 00:09:17,000 Speaker 1: You deal with, the strange requests from people like me. 134 00:09:17,920 --> 00:09:21,240 Speaker 1: Have you ever had anyone come asking to find the 135 00:09:21,640 --> 00:09:23,240 Speaker 1: murder of their great great grandmother? 136 00:09:23,480 --> 00:09:25,080 Speaker 2: No? No, no no. 137 00:09:25,360 --> 00:09:28,520 Speaker 1: I was sort of honored to be Giovanni's first murder case. 138 00:09:29,320 --> 00:09:32,120 Speaker 1: And I am really glad that we got here when 139 00:09:32,240 --> 00:09:36,840 Speaker 1: we did, because inside this room, on the exact aisle 140 00:09:36,920 --> 00:09:40,400 Speaker 1: of shelves where the documents that we need are located, 141 00:09:41,240 --> 00:09:43,680 Speaker 1: there's a sticky note right on the side of the 142 00:09:43,679 --> 00:09:48,600 Speaker 1: shelves saying that these files are to be eliminated. 143 00:09:49,960 --> 00:09:56,480 Speaker 2: Unfortunately, there is you can see someone in the past 144 00:09:56,520 --> 00:10:01,680 Speaker 2: the idea to destroy this side of what archived. But 145 00:10:01,920 --> 00:10:05,760 Speaker 2: now we are young, we are new workers, and that 146 00:10:05,880 --> 00:10:06,720 Speaker 2: we will maintain. 147 00:10:07,080 --> 00:10:09,840 Speaker 1: You want to you want to save that. Giovanni explains 148 00:10:09,880 --> 00:10:13,640 Speaker 1: to me that over the last few years, different administrators 149 00:10:13,679 --> 00:10:17,719 Speaker 1: have had different priorities about these hundred year old archives. 150 00:10:18,160 --> 00:10:20,200 Speaker 1: A lot of them just don't see the point and 151 00:10:20,280 --> 00:10:26,160 Speaker 1: digitizing them would be insanely expensive, so why not destroy 152 00:10:26,240 --> 00:10:29,400 Speaker 1: them to make room for something new. But there's a 153 00:10:29,440 --> 00:10:34,040 Speaker 1: whole generation of young archivists like Giovanni who have a 154 00:10:34,040 --> 00:10:36,840 Speaker 1: different view. What does that say that. 155 00:10:39,320 --> 00:10:44,160 Speaker 2: Because it's difficult to understand the importance of who didn't 156 00:10:44,240 --> 00:10:47,600 Speaker 2: know exactly the history of CCD. 157 00:10:49,880 --> 00:10:53,760 Speaker 1: Seeing all of these folders misfiled or just thrown on 158 00:10:53,800 --> 00:10:58,120 Speaker 1: the floor or laying out on our random table, it's 159 00:10:58,160 --> 00:11:02,480 Speaker 1: giving me intense and anxiety. The piece of paper that 160 00:11:02,520 --> 00:11:09,520 Speaker 1: we need could be anywhere. What if that one record, 161 00:11:09,800 --> 00:11:13,160 Speaker 1: that one document that could tell us about Lorenzo's death 162 00:11:13,640 --> 00:11:17,520 Speaker 1: is sitting right there or over there, or over there, 163 00:11:17,840 --> 00:11:21,640 Speaker 1: or in that nook of stacked high documents that could 164 00:11:21,679 --> 00:11:24,840 Speaker 1: topple over at any second and maybe just be thrown 165 00:11:25,120 --> 00:11:30,000 Speaker 1: in the trash. It is not unthinkable that maybe someone 166 00:11:30,480 --> 00:11:32,880 Speaker 1: pulled a piece of paper out and then just put 167 00:11:32,880 --> 00:11:36,960 Speaker 1: it back in the wrong pile or left it on 168 00:11:37,040 --> 00:11:40,560 Speaker 1: a table somewhere, and then it floated onto the floor 169 00:11:41,320 --> 00:11:47,000 Speaker 1: and there's no way to ever find it. Again, all 170 00:11:47,080 --> 00:11:50,800 Speaker 1: of that is definitely possible here in the chaos of 171 00:11:50,840 --> 00:11:51,520 Speaker 1: the records. 172 00:11:53,080 --> 00:11:55,160 Speaker 4: What are you gonna do if we don't find what 173 00:11:55,200 --> 00:11:55,839 Speaker 4: you're looking for? 174 00:11:57,040 --> 00:12:02,680 Speaker 1: I mean, it's the journey, it's the jury, it's the journey. Yaya, Yeah, 175 00:12:02,720 --> 00:12:13,040 Speaker 1: of course, So we dive in. We start by paging 176 00:12:13,120 --> 00:12:17,680 Speaker 1: through murder trials from the year nineteen sixteen, but we 177 00:12:17,760 --> 00:12:21,920 Speaker 1: expand our search by five years because sometimes that's how 178 00:12:21,960 --> 00:12:25,000 Speaker 1: long it took for things to go to trial. If 179 00:12:25,040 --> 00:12:28,360 Speaker 1: the case went to trial, that would tell us who 180 00:12:28,520 --> 00:12:33,680 Speaker 1: was charged with Lorenza and Nicolo's murder. One problem here, 181 00:12:34,800 --> 00:12:39,679 Speaker 1: these cases aren't organized by victim. They're organized by defendant, 182 00:12:40,559 --> 00:12:43,560 Speaker 1: and we have no idea who that is. So what 183 00:12:43,600 --> 00:12:46,280 Speaker 1: we have to do is go through the entire book 184 00:12:46,800 --> 00:12:51,120 Speaker 1: and search the victim column on every single page, looking 185 00:12:51,160 --> 00:13:01,960 Speaker 1: for the names Lorenza Marsala or Nicolo Martino. I'm here 186 00:13:02,000 --> 00:13:05,160 Speaker 1: because I want to be I'm here because I want 187 00:13:05,200 --> 00:13:08,840 Speaker 1: to know what happened to Lorenzo Marsala so bad that 188 00:13:08,920 --> 00:13:12,400 Speaker 1: it hurts in my bones. But I am choking on 189 00:13:12,480 --> 00:13:16,800 Speaker 1: the dust and practically cross eyed. After pouring over five 190 00:13:17,160 --> 00:13:21,880 Speaker 1: different ledgers through nearly a decade trying to read this 191 00:13:22,080 --> 00:13:30,040 Speaker 1: teeny tiny handwriting, and I'm coming up blank. Luckily, Giovanni 192 00:13:30,160 --> 00:13:33,559 Speaker 1: thinks he might have a lead. Okay, so these are 193 00:13:33,600 --> 00:13:39,560 Speaker 1: the folders of bloody crimes, of bad crimes. Yes, but 194 00:13:39,600 --> 00:13:43,360 Speaker 1: there's no there's no folio for nineteen six Also mafia. 195 00:13:43,400 --> 00:13:52,360 Speaker 2: When you means association about mafia, and. 196 00:13:53,120 --> 00:13:56,559 Speaker 1: There's a lot of it. There's a lot of mafia 197 00:13:56,600 --> 00:14:03,199 Speaker 1: RECORDSA well, there was a bit mafia case. They got 198 00:14:03,200 --> 00:14:05,560 Speaker 1: a lot of people in Caltablota in nineteen sixteen. 199 00:14:06,920 --> 00:14:10,319 Speaker 2: Caselota is one. 200 00:14:10,520 --> 00:14:13,360 Speaker 1: Yeah, there's two. There's two books here for calt Blota. 201 00:14:13,960 --> 00:14:19,520 Speaker 1: Four books. Giovanni keeps bringing books. My white gloves are 202 00:14:19,680 --> 00:14:23,640 Speaker 1: black with grime and dirt, and with every turn of 203 00:14:23,680 --> 00:14:28,280 Speaker 1: the page, I just keep hoping and hoping and hoping 204 00:14:30,480 --> 00:14:34,680 Speaker 1: and nothing. I keep looking for Lorenza's name in all 205 00:14:34,720 --> 00:14:38,280 Speaker 1: of the mafia records, but there's no trial that involves 206 00:14:38,520 --> 00:14:45,280 Speaker 1: anyone named Lorenza Marsala. Hours went by. Giovanni encouraged me 207 00:14:45,360 --> 00:14:48,240 Speaker 1: to take a break and brought me upstairs for an espresso. 208 00:14:49,200 --> 00:14:52,520 Speaker 1: Everyone here seemed to know who I was and why 209 00:14:52,600 --> 00:14:57,840 Speaker 1: I was there, because gossip travels fast in Sicily. Giovanni 210 00:14:57,920 --> 00:15:01,080 Speaker 1: walked me around like a proud father, and he introduced 211 00:15:01,120 --> 00:15:04,200 Speaker 1: me to all of the judges and the lawyers. Everyone 212 00:15:04,240 --> 00:15:08,360 Speaker 1: shook my hand. They were so kind, and they murmured 213 00:15:09,000 --> 00:15:13,040 Speaker 1: in Bocca al lupo. It's how Sicilians wish you good luck. 214 00:15:14,080 --> 00:15:18,240 Speaker 1: May you be in the mouth of the wolf. I 215 00:15:18,320 --> 00:15:23,400 Speaker 1: sipped my espresso and then another one. I'm not gonna lie. 216 00:15:24,000 --> 00:15:26,640 Speaker 1: I bummed a cigarette off Giovanni and I went back down. 217 00:15:27,280 --> 00:15:31,239 Speaker 1: But after hours and hours of feverishly looking through the archives, 218 00:15:32,200 --> 00:15:39,080 Speaker 1: those blessings felt empty. There's no paper trill. It'll be 219 00:15:39,120 --> 00:15:40,880 Speaker 1: interesting because if I go back to my family and 220 00:15:40,920 --> 00:15:43,160 Speaker 1: I'm like, there's no records, they'll be like, well, you know, 221 00:15:44,040 --> 00:15:45,520 Speaker 1: maybe it was like all hidden. I'm like, no, there's 222 00:15:45,520 --> 00:15:49,400 Speaker 1: records for everything. It looks like most crimes were recorded. Yes, 223 00:15:49,560 --> 00:15:52,840 Speaker 1: So it's strange that there's no mention of Nicolo Martino, 224 00:15:53,000 --> 00:15:56,880 Speaker 1: Lorenzo Marsala, or de Seppi Piazza coming back and killing anyone. 225 00:15:57,040 --> 00:16:01,400 Speaker 1: There's enough homicides that you're like picking up people for homicide. 226 00:16:01,440 --> 00:16:09,800 Speaker 1: It's not going unnoticed exactly, and that that was important. 227 00:16:10,880 --> 00:16:14,480 Speaker 1: If we didn't find any other homicide records for the 228 00:16:14,480 --> 00:16:20,160 Speaker 1: time period around nineteen sixteen. We could say, Okay, well 229 00:16:20,200 --> 00:16:23,880 Speaker 1: they just don't keep good records. But the records are 230 00:16:24,000 --> 00:16:27,840 Speaker 1: good from Calta Bolota and they're so precise. 231 00:16:29,240 --> 00:16:31,080 Speaker 4: So how do you feel about that job? 232 00:16:31,200 --> 00:16:35,720 Speaker 1: I'm disappointed. I came all this way wanting to find 233 00:16:35,760 --> 00:16:42,000 Speaker 1: like a court document, right, but there's nothing nothing about 234 00:16:42,080 --> 00:16:45,520 Speaker 1: him or her in these court documents, which had so 235 00:16:45,600 --> 00:16:47,240 Speaker 1: much other stuff. Right. 236 00:16:47,760 --> 00:16:54,400 Speaker 2: The story is low versus we have Ponzo lastorian An. 237 00:16:57,320 --> 00:17:01,560 Speaker 2: That translation is the history is not written with maybe 238 00:17:01,760 --> 00:17:06,199 Speaker 2: or with but. But I believe the opposite it. In 239 00:17:06,200 --> 00:17:09,160 Speaker 2: my opinion, the history is written with maybe. 240 00:17:09,400 --> 00:17:14,440 Speaker 1: The history is written with maybe. I love that so much. 241 00:17:14,800 --> 00:17:17,040 Speaker 1: I mean, I also hate it because it means we 242 00:17:17,080 --> 00:17:22,600 Speaker 1: don't have answers. But it is beautiful because this story 243 00:17:22,760 --> 00:17:28,200 Speaker 1: is filled with maybe's. Maybe she wasn't murdered at all. 244 00:17:29,119 --> 00:17:32,160 Speaker 1: We still don't have a cause of death. Or maybe 245 00:17:32,200 --> 00:17:36,399 Speaker 1: what happened to her wasn't seen as murder. Maybe it 246 00:17:36,440 --> 00:17:40,200 Speaker 1: was an honor killing or a crime of passion, something 247 00:17:40,200 --> 00:17:44,760 Speaker 1: that wouldn't be prosecuted. But something still doesn't add up. 248 00:17:45,480 --> 00:17:49,119 Speaker 1: According to that Book of Death, two bodies were found 249 00:17:49,400 --> 00:17:55,439 Speaker 1: dead outside of town, killed by unnatural causes. We know 250 00:17:55,960 --> 00:18:00,720 Speaker 1: that is true, we just still don't know why, and 251 00:18:00,760 --> 00:18:17,040 Speaker 1: that is killing me. Ayall, Joe here, you may have 252 00:18:17,160 --> 00:18:21,680 Speaker 1: noticed that this show is a sort of travelog Throughout 253 00:18:21,680 --> 00:18:24,760 Speaker 1: this series, I am truly hoping that you feel like 254 00:18:24,800 --> 00:18:29,879 Speaker 1: you've gone on an expedition, adventure journey with me to 255 00:18:29,920 --> 00:18:34,320 Speaker 1: solve my great great grandmother's century old murder. Our true 256 00:18:34,359 --> 00:18:37,960 Speaker 1: intention is that by the end you actually feel like 257 00:18:38,080 --> 00:18:42,159 Speaker 1: you've gone on both vacation and a fact finding mission 258 00:18:42,200 --> 00:18:46,520 Speaker 1: with me, traveling across the Atlantic to the gorgeous Mediterranean 259 00:18:46,560 --> 00:18:50,960 Speaker 1: island of Sicily, all through the magic of podcasting. For me, 260 00:18:51,200 --> 00:18:54,760 Speaker 1: Cicily has some real main character energy, and I hope 261 00:18:54,760 --> 00:18:57,359 Speaker 1: you feel it too. So to help drop you even 262 00:18:57,440 --> 00:19:00,359 Speaker 1: more into that experience, we want to offer a warning 263 00:19:00,920 --> 00:19:04,320 Speaker 1: with this podcast. I do not want you listening to 264 00:19:04,359 --> 00:19:09,120 Speaker 1: this without some delicious food. And so what better way 265 00:19:09,359 --> 00:19:12,920 Speaker 1: for me to continue to follow in my father's sometimes 266 00:19:13,000 --> 00:19:16,919 Speaker 1: haphazard footsteps and also be a champion of one of 267 00:19:16,960 --> 00:19:22,119 Speaker 1: Sicily's best exports then by bringing you some actual Sicilian 268 00:19:22,240 --> 00:19:26,520 Speaker 1: olive oil. I have actually partnered with Philadelphia's own Cardinis 269 00:19:26,520 --> 00:19:30,160 Speaker 1: Gourmet Foods. It is a woman owned and operated shop 270 00:19:30,400 --> 00:19:34,399 Speaker 1: to bring you the Sicilian inheritance olive oil. I like 271 00:19:34,440 --> 00:19:37,240 Speaker 1: to call it a flavor journey from the volcanic soil 272 00:19:37,280 --> 00:19:41,200 Speaker 1: of ancient groves through the special terhraar that family secrets 273 00:19:41,240 --> 00:19:45,359 Speaker 1: and inherited stories provide. Yeah with a taste of fresh 274 00:19:45,400 --> 00:19:47,959 Speaker 1: off the vine tomatoes and a hint of almonds. It 275 00:19:48,040 --> 00:19:51,320 Speaker 1: is not only an incredible olive oil, but we know 276 00:19:51,560 --> 00:19:54,119 Speaker 1: that it is going to transport you to the beautiful 277 00:19:54,480 --> 00:19:59,320 Speaker 1: and sometimes dangerous island of Sicily. So join us get 278 00:19:59,400 --> 00:20:02,840 Speaker 1: even more into this journey by getting your very own 279 00:20:03,040 --> 00:20:06,800 Speaker 1: bottle today at Cardinis tap room. You can check the 280 00:20:06,800 --> 00:20:09,800 Speaker 1: show notes for the link and the details, and of course, 281 00:20:10,640 --> 00:20:13,399 Speaker 1: thank you, thank you, and remember to enjoy this podcast 282 00:20:13,720 --> 00:20:24,960 Speaker 1: with something delicious. 283 00:20:28,040 --> 00:20:28,359 Speaker 7: For me. 284 00:20:28,920 --> 00:20:32,439 Speaker 1: Today is another day in the archives, another chance to 285 00:20:32,480 --> 00:20:34,960 Speaker 1: find a clue. Jackie is going to take off for 286 00:20:35,040 --> 00:20:39,080 Speaker 1: some shopping and some more day drinking because somebody needs to. 287 00:20:40,040 --> 00:20:42,919 Speaker 1: But while we're driving, while we're off to our next destination, 288 00:20:43,560 --> 00:20:47,280 Speaker 1: Jackie lands a gut punch of a question, the kind 289 00:20:47,320 --> 00:20:51,040 Speaker 1: that only someone who knows you so goddamn well can 290 00:20:51,080 --> 00:20:56,159 Speaker 1: actually do. So, how does it feel to be in 291 00:20:56,280 --> 00:20:57,920 Speaker 1: your ancestral homeland? 292 00:20:58,000 --> 00:20:58,960 Speaker 4: You feel connected to your. 293 00:20:58,920 --> 00:21:02,040 Speaker 1: Dad, I do. I do. I mean, I feel more 294 00:21:02,040 --> 00:21:05,160 Speaker 1: connected to my dad than I have since he died, 295 00:21:06,280 --> 00:21:08,560 Speaker 1: which is kind of crazy to me. In a lot 296 00:21:08,600 --> 00:21:10,199 Speaker 1: of ways. It feels like this is the story. He 297 00:21:10,240 --> 00:21:14,040 Speaker 1: wanted me to both write as a novel and report 298 00:21:14,200 --> 00:21:16,960 Speaker 1: as a journalist, and those were both those were both 299 00:21:17,000 --> 00:21:19,600 Speaker 1: his dreams, Like that's what he wanted to be, that's 300 00:21:19,640 --> 00:21:21,280 Speaker 1: what he wanted to do. He wanted to be the 301 00:21:21,280 --> 00:21:24,399 Speaker 1: great American novelist and he wanted to be a journalist. 302 00:21:25,720 --> 00:21:27,480 Speaker 1: But yeah, I mean, I get to live his dream 303 00:21:27,480 --> 00:21:28,439 Speaker 1: and that's pretty cool. 304 00:21:28,760 --> 00:21:30,960 Speaker 4: He was so smart, and he loved you so much. 305 00:21:31,840 --> 00:21:35,880 Speaker 1: I know, Jackie and I both lost our dads too soon, 306 00:21:36,720 --> 00:21:39,240 Speaker 1: and so we've talked a lot over the years about 307 00:21:39,320 --> 00:21:45,600 Speaker 1: families and legacies and fathers and this this question, It's 308 00:21:45,720 --> 00:21:49,160 Speaker 1: exactly what I needed at this point in the investigation. 309 00:21:50,240 --> 00:21:53,560 Speaker 1: I needed this reminder that I wasn't just doing all 310 00:21:53,640 --> 00:21:57,280 Speaker 1: of this to get an answer to a mystery. I'm 311 00:21:57,320 --> 00:22:00,560 Speaker 1: also doing it because of my dad. I hadn't grieved, 312 00:22:01,480 --> 00:22:03,479 Speaker 1: and I'm doing a lot of this to feel his 313 00:22:03,600 --> 00:22:07,320 Speaker 1: presence again, to see this place the way he did, 314 00:22:07,880 --> 00:22:10,720 Speaker 1: to let my fingers work through the archives in a 315 00:22:10,760 --> 00:22:14,840 Speaker 1: way that he never got to. I've gotten to make 316 00:22:15,000 --> 00:22:21,280 Speaker 1: his investigation this Sicilian inheritance that he bequeathed me my own. 317 00:22:22,280 --> 00:22:24,960 Speaker 1: I think he always wanted a bigger life. Yeah, he 318 00:22:25,040 --> 00:22:28,280 Speaker 1: wanted this bigger life than you know, being a small 319 00:22:28,400 --> 00:22:32,800 Speaker 1: time claims attorney in Yardley, Pennsylvania. So yeah, I mean 320 00:22:32,840 --> 00:22:35,119 Speaker 1: I get to do all these things that he wanted 321 00:22:35,119 --> 00:22:46,520 Speaker 1: to do, traveled around the world solving this fucking mystery. 322 00:23:03,520 --> 00:23:07,760 Speaker 1: Another day, a new set of archives. Now, I'm gonna 323 00:23:07,760 --> 00:23:11,600 Speaker 1: tell you, archival research can be boring, or at least 324 00:23:11,640 --> 00:23:18,119 Speaker 1: the looking can be boring, but the finding that's electric. 325 00:23:19,840 --> 00:23:25,639 Speaker 1: That is a high my friends. Today we're at the 326 00:23:25,760 --> 00:23:30,439 Speaker 1: land records office in Agrigento. The hope here is that 327 00:23:30,600 --> 00:23:35,240 Speaker 1: maybe maybe we can find something about land ownership or 328 00:23:35,400 --> 00:23:39,280 Speaker 1: land transfer that will put more of these pieces together 329 00:23:39,440 --> 00:23:43,040 Speaker 1: about what Lorenzo was doing in the time before her death. 330 00:23:43,840 --> 00:23:45,680 Speaker 1: Was the land that they died on? 331 00:23:45,920 --> 00:23:46,520 Speaker 4: Her land? 332 00:23:46,920 --> 00:23:50,760 Speaker 1: Did it belong to Niccolo Martino? So what is this? 333 00:23:50,760 --> 00:23:55,200 Speaker 4: This is the land record. This shows that there's land 334 00:23:55,240 --> 00:23:56,800 Speaker 4: in this place right here. 335 00:23:57,520 --> 00:24:00,879 Speaker 1: The record we're looking at is one of succession. It 336 00:24:01,000 --> 00:24:04,520 Speaker 1: shows how a parcel of land was passed down who 337 00:24:04,600 --> 00:24:07,320 Speaker 1: inherited it or purchased it over the years. 338 00:24:07,520 --> 00:24:09,520 Speaker 4: Okay, So let me try to explain this as best 339 00:24:09,600 --> 00:24:11,120 Speaker 4: you can from the beginning here. 340 00:24:11,400 --> 00:24:15,360 Speaker 7: So there were these three different pieces of land, three 341 00:24:15,359 --> 00:24:18,639 Speaker 7: pieces of land, three pieces of life years. This was 342 00:24:18,680 --> 00:24:22,560 Speaker 7: starting in eighteen thirty to eighteen forty. It started with 343 00:24:22,640 --> 00:24:28,760 Speaker 7: colo Jero, okay, who's Francesco's father, and then Colojuro passed 344 00:24:28,760 --> 00:24:32,400 Speaker 7: it down to Francesco, and then Francesco passed it down 345 00:24:32,480 --> 00:24:36,040 Speaker 7: to all of his children. This piece right here was 346 00:24:36,080 --> 00:24:38,000 Speaker 7: passed off to Lorenza Marsala. 347 00:24:38,960 --> 00:24:44,280 Speaker 1: Now this feels insanely confusing. Even though these are property records, 348 00:24:44,920 --> 00:24:51,360 Speaker 1: there are absolutely no clear locations for the land. Much 349 00:24:51,440 --> 00:24:53,720 Speaker 1: like a death record that doesn't include a cause of death, 350 00:24:54,240 --> 00:24:58,280 Speaker 1: these are land records that don't include an address. This 351 00:24:58,359 --> 00:25:00,240 Speaker 1: piece was passed off to Lorenzo Marsa. 352 00:25:00,359 --> 00:25:02,600 Speaker 4: Okay, so she bought the lad She bought it from 353 00:25:02,640 --> 00:25:03,640 Speaker 4: one of the peasants. 354 00:25:03,960 --> 00:25:07,960 Speaker 1: Now it turns out this piece of land, it wasn't inherited. 355 00:25:08,960 --> 00:25:12,639 Speaker 1: Lorenza bought it. She bought it with her own money, 356 00:25:13,280 --> 00:25:17,800 Speaker 1: under her own name. Why would she buy land if. 357 00:25:17,680 --> 00:25:21,280 Speaker 4: She was leaving, well, did she know she was leaving it? 358 00:25:21,280 --> 00:25:23,880 Speaker 1: Feels kind of crazy to me that this land wasn't 359 00:25:23,960 --> 00:25:27,960 Speaker 1: jointly owned with her husband, and it doesn't seem to 360 00:25:27,960 --> 00:25:30,880 Speaker 1: be connected to any other land that they owned together. 361 00:25:31,960 --> 00:25:35,320 Speaker 1: This was hers, So why was she buying her own 362 00:25:35,400 --> 00:25:39,080 Speaker 1: land when she was supposed to be leaving for America. 363 00:25:42,400 --> 00:25:43,679 Speaker 1: I don't think she was ever going to go. 364 00:25:44,840 --> 00:25:50,479 Speaker 4: She might not have had plans to go. Okay, in 365 00:25:50,640 --> 00:25:51,960 Speaker 4: nineteen thirteen, she. 366 00:25:52,000 --> 00:25:52,680 Speaker 7: Bought the land. 367 00:25:52,760 --> 00:25:54,879 Speaker 1: She buys the land in nine certain to see the number. 368 00:25:55,119 --> 00:25:59,159 Speaker 5: Okay, So then here it says that she died just so, 369 00:25:59,240 --> 00:26:08,600 Speaker 5: she died got in nineteen sixteen, and it was transferred 370 00:26:08,640 --> 00:26:11,280 Speaker 5: to Vito Piazza, her son. 371 00:26:11,119 --> 00:26:11,800 Speaker 3: Which is her son. 372 00:26:11,920 --> 00:26:16,120 Speaker 1: I think it turns out that our hunch was true. Vito, 373 00:26:16,520 --> 00:26:18,840 Speaker 1: the son that we learned about in the last episode, 374 00:26:18,960 --> 00:26:23,000 Speaker 1: he was here in Sicily, either right before or right 375 00:26:23,359 --> 00:26:26,840 Speaker 1: after she died, because for the land to officially be 376 00:26:26,920 --> 00:26:31,760 Speaker 1: transferred to him, as we are seeing documented in this book, 377 00:26:32,480 --> 00:26:35,320 Speaker 1: he had to be physically present in Sicily. 378 00:26:39,320 --> 00:26:44,320 Speaker 7: Okay, Okay, So he said basically, they were also married here, 379 00:26:45,080 --> 00:26:47,880 Speaker 7: so it was showing that he was married with Vincenza 380 00:26:48,000 --> 00:26:53,880 Speaker 7: Leo and they had two children, Lorenza and Anton Antonino 381 00:26:54,520 --> 00:26:55,920 Speaker 7: so named after his parents. 382 00:27:00,240 --> 00:27:03,520 Speaker 1: To these records, Veto didn't just inherit this land from 383 00:27:03,520 --> 00:27:06,800 Speaker 1: his mother, he also passed it down to his children. 384 00:27:07,359 --> 00:27:12,640 Speaker 1: See Veto moved back to Celtabalota, he got married in Sicily, 385 00:27:13,200 --> 00:27:18,080 Speaker 1: he had two children in Sicily. And this is problematic 386 00:27:18,440 --> 00:27:22,680 Speaker 1: for my family's story. This blows a hole through everything 387 00:27:22,920 --> 00:27:26,360 Speaker 1: that my family has been talking about. See they love 388 00:27:26,440 --> 00:27:30,040 Speaker 1: that story about the uncle Joe who drew the short straw, 389 00:27:30,640 --> 00:27:34,639 Speaker 1: the son who went back to Sicily, avenged his mother's murder, 390 00:27:34,880 --> 00:27:39,080 Speaker 1: launched a vendetta and disappeared for decades before resurfacing in 391 00:27:39,119 --> 00:27:43,439 Speaker 1: a mental hospital. But no one ever talked about Veto. 392 00:27:44,280 --> 00:27:49,320 Speaker 1: What about Veto. He's there either when or right after 393 00:27:49,720 --> 00:27:53,440 Speaker 1: Lorenza dies, and he's the one taking care of her property. 394 00:27:54,040 --> 00:27:56,600 Speaker 1: Why would anyone need to go back to get revenge 395 00:27:57,280 --> 00:28:00,359 Speaker 1: if someone was going to go murder some people to 396 00:28:00,400 --> 00:28:02,240 Speaker 1: avenge your mother's staff. You're not gonna live here with 397 00:28:02,280 --> 00:28:07,600 Speaker 1: two children. No, no, like this is a wrinkle in 398 00:28:07,640 --> 00:28:13,480 Speaker 1: the story. This is a big wrinkle in the story. 399 00:28:15,320 --> 00:28:18,800 Speaker 1: Some people in my family do believe that Lorenza's story 400 00:28:18,880 --> 00:28:21,800 Speaker 1: has been buried in the sand. Or see I told 401 00:28:21,800 --> 00:28:28,679 Speaker 1: you they're all hiding something, and sure that's possible, but 402 00:28:28,800 --> 00:28:30,119 Speaker 1: is it actually likely. 403 00:28:30,960 --> 00:28:34,119 Speaker 4: People don't want skeletons in their closet, but they like 404 00:28:34,200 --> 00:28:37,720 Speaker 4: to talk about having skeletons in their closet. Everybody wants 405 00:28:37,720 --> 00:28:39,640 Speaker 4: a good story about their history. 406 00:28:40,120 --> 00:28:43,880 Speaker 1: Many of my relatives have been here before, including my dad, 407 00:28:44,680 --> 00:28:47,760 Speaker 1: and they love to talk about how the town shut 408 00:28:47,840 --> 00:28:51,840 Speaker 1: them down, how the book was closed on them, how 409 00:28:51,840 --> 00:28:55,320 Speaker 1: they were told to leave, how lightning struck the church. 410 00:28:55,400 --> 00:28:59,760 Speaker 1: When they mentioned Lorenza's name. They all assumed that it 411 00:28:59,800 --> 00:29:03,880 Speaker 1: was because the family story was so juicy, a conspiracy 412 00:29:04,000 --> 00:29:08,800 Speaker 1: or a vendetta just waiting to be unlocked. But maybe 413 00:29:08,840 --> 00:29:11,160 Speaker 1: it was something much less exciting. 414 00:29:11,720 --> 00:29:14,960 Speaker 4: Well, I think they're What happens is is communication barrier, 415 00:29:15,440 --> 00:29:18,320 Speaker 4: because if your relatives came here not speaking Italian, well, 416 00:29:18,720 --> 00:29:23,240 Speaker 4: they may have misunderstood the miscommunication for being shut down. 417 00:29:24,040 --> 00:29:27,400 Speaker 1: I agree. I agree. They may just not understand the 418 00:29:27,440 --> 00:29:30,160 Speaker 1: fact that no one wants to open the town hall. 419 00:29:31,760 --> 00:29:38,800 Speaker 1: After lunchtime, Laura and I left the archives and we 420 00:29:38,840 --> 00:29:43,040 Speaker 1: went to go have another long lunch with Jackie Cornett 421 00:29:44,360 --> 00:29:46,640 Speaker 1: delicious pasture I've ever had in my life. We told 422 00:29:46,640 --> 00:29:50,080 Speaker 1: her everything that we learned one of the sons freaking 423 00:29:50,160 --> 00:29:52,440 Speaker 1: did come back here in nineteen sixteen. If you don't 424 00:29:52,440 --> 00:29:54,120 Speaker 1: come back and murder someone and then move back to 425 00:29:54,160 --> 00:29:54,720 Speaker 1: the town, and. 426 00:29:54,680 --> 00:29:56,760 Speaker 2: You also don't settle back in the town where your 427 00:29:56,800 --> 00:29:57,760 Speaker 2: mother was murdered. 428 00:29:57,520 --> 00:30:00,000 Speaker 1: You don't go back to me. If everyone in the town, 429 00:30:00,160 --> 00:30:02,120 Speaker 1: in the town is in on it and covering it up. 430 00:30:02,320 --> 00:30:03,800 Speaker 2: You don't come and spend ten years of your life 431 00:30:03,840 --> 00:30:04,120 Speaker 2: with them. 432 00:30:04,160 --> 00:30:05,520 Speaker 1: But like if you came back and really then to 433 00:30:05,640 --> 00:30:08,560 Speaker 1: avenge the death and there was like a vendetta, that's 434 00:30:08,600 --> 00:30:10,400 Speaker 1: a story this town I wouldn't want to talk about 435 00:30:10,600 --> 00:30:14,520 Speaker 1: if there was an actual vendetta, right, Yes, there's no vendetta. No. 436 00:30:24,480 --> 00:30:27,640 Speaker 1: The three of us spent the night in Caltlota. We 437 00:30:27,680 --> 00:30:32,120 Speaker 1: asked everyone we could find about the piazzas and the marsalas. 438 00:30:32,760 --> 00:30:38,000 Speaker 1: The whole town became very invested in this story. Everyone 439 00:30:38,320 --> 00:30:42,120 Speaker 1: from waiters to bartenders to the host of our Airbnb 440 00:30:43,000 --> 00:30:48,560 Speaker 1: wanted to help us figure out what happened to Lorenza. 441 00:30:48,680 --> 00:30:51,600 Speaker 1: They all called up their oldest relatives on the spot 442 00:30:51,720 --> 00:30:53,920 Speaker 1: and asked them to meet us in the town square 443 00:30:53,960 --> 00:30:58,200 Speaker 1: in the morning the next day. We asked everyone if 444 00:30:58,200 --> 00:31:02,280 Speaker 1: they knew any stories about Lorenza Marsala or any double 445 00:31:02,320 --> 00:31:07,120 Speaker 1: homicide on the land right outside of town Marsala, Marcella 446 00:31:07,320 --> 00:31:11,640 Speaker 1: Marsala and Martina. Right before we left, we decided to 447 00:31:11,720 --> 00:31:15,720 Speaker 1: walk into the Democratic Society. It's like a little gathering 448 00:31:15,760 --> 00:31:18,520 Speaker 1: hall in the center of town, and it's a place 449 00:31:18,560 --> 00:31:21,440 Speaker 1: where the old men go to have their coffee, to 450 00:31:21,480 --> 00:31:25,800 Speaker 1: play their cards and to gossip. One of the guys 451 00:31:25,840 --> 00:31:30,120 Speaker 1: we ran into was a former carabinieri. For years, he 452 00:31:30,240 --> 00:31:33,960 Speaker 1: worked to take down the mafia, and he knows something 453 00:31:33,960 --> 00:31:37,840 Speaker 1: about crime. These guys told us plenty of stories, but 454 00:31:37,880 --> 00:31:40,800 Speaker 1: not a single one had ever heard of the murder 455 00:31:40,840 --> 00:31:46,760 Speaker 1: of Lorenza Marsilla. What is. 456 00:31:48,520 --> 00:31:51,360 Speaker 3: He said, If the way this town is the way 457 00:31:51,360 --> 00:31:55,240 Speaker 3: that people talk of something that scandalous happened, be's speaking 458 00:31:55,280 --> 00:31:59,600 Speaker 3: about it? 459 00:32:00,080 --> 00:32:03,600 Speaker 1: What we needed to know? Yeah, we talked for hours. 460 00:32:04,800 --> 00:32:06,960 Speaker 1: The old men told me they thought it had to 461 00:32:07,000 --> 00:32:10,880 Speaker 1: be an accident. I asked, how how do two people 462 00:32:10,960 --> 00:32:14,280 Speaker 1: die at the same time, especially in a time before cars, 463 00:32:15,000 --> 00:32:20,120 Speaker 1: horses fall over? They said, rock slides, fires, plenty of 464 00:32:20,160 --> 00:32:24,320 Speaker 1: things can kill two people. They also told me one 465 00:32:24,400 --> 00:32:28,240 Speaker 1: thing that really stuck with me. They said, the piazzas 466 00:32:28,280 --> 00:32:33,719 Speaker 1: and the Marsalas have good names in the town, meaning 467 00:32:33,920 --> 00:32:36,560 Speaker 1: that when people do bad things or bad things happen 468 00:32:36,640 --> 00:32:47,600 Speaker 1: to them, this is a place that doesn't forget. I 469 00:32:47,680 --> 00:32:52,000 Speaker 1: had an incredible week in Sicily. I felt closer to 470 00:32:52,040 --> 00:32:55,880 Speaker 1: my dad than ever before, but I still didn't get 471 00:32:55,880 --> 00:33:00,240 Speaker 1: the answers spelled out for me. I think I'm getting 472 00:33:00,360 --> 00:33:05,120 Speaker 1: more comfortable with the Maybes. There was one last thing 473 00:33:05,160 --> 00:33:07,760 Speaker 1: we had to do in call Tabelota. We had to 474 00:33:07,840 --> 00:33:11,960 Speaker 1: find Lorenza. I wanted to see her grave. I don't 475 00:33:12,040 --> 00:33:15,360 Speaker 1: know what I thought that would do. It's not like 476 00:33:15,400 --> 00:33:19,760 Speaker 1: the answer to this mystery would be written on her headstone, 477 00:33:20,000 --> 00:33:22,640 Speaker 1: but I just had to see it. I had to 478 00:33:22,760 --> 00:33:26,760 Speaker 1: be where she was, so we made our way to 479 00:33:26,840 --> 00:33:30,840 Speaker 1: the beautiful cemetery on the edge of the village. We're 480 00:33:30,840 --> 00:33:32,960 Speaker 1: in the cemetery in Calpebelota, and we're trying to find 481 00:33:33,680 --> 00:33:35,920 Speaker 1: Lorenzo's grave. But we don't have a map of the cemetery, 482 00:33:36,040 --> 00:33:42,440 Speaker 1: so we're just going We're just remember last name first, guys, 483 00:33:42,520 --> 00:33:47,320 Speaker 1: last name first. We split up and searched for We 484 00:33:47,400 --> 00:33:50,440 Speaker 1: had no map, no guide. The three of us ran 485 00:33:50,560 --> 00:33:53,480 Speaker 1: up and down the rows of raised graves and monuments, 486 00:33:53,680 --> 00:33:58,520 Speaker 1: searching for Marsala's and piazzas and even Martino's. This is 487 00:33:58,520 --> 00:34:01,200 Speaker 1: a scavenger hunt in the cemetery. I mean, these graves 488 00:34:01,200 --> 00:34:05,960 Speaker 1: are beautiful, They're massive, they're above ground, and there's photographs 489 00:34:06,000 --> 00:34:10,080 Speaker 1: on them. Finally, Laura found a groundskeeper who gave her 490 00:34:10,120 --> 00:34:13,279 Speaker 1: a little bit of intel on the cemetery. He said 491 00:34:13,280 --> 00:34:15,840 Speaker 1: that the graves we could see above ground are mostly 492 00:34:15,880 --> 00:34:19,960 Speaker 1: from the nineteen sixties. Before then, people got buried in 493 00:34:20,000 --> 00:34:24,200 Speaker 1: the church, and as the church got full, older burials 494 00:34:24,239 --> 00:34:28,600 Speaker 1: got moved to the crypt, an underground collection of bones. 495 00:34:29,880 --> 00:34:34,480 Speaker 1: That's where Lorenza must be. So she's right under us, 496 00:34:34,520 --> 00:34:37,279 Speaker 1: right now, Yes, right under here. He gave us this 497 00:34:37,400 --> 00:34:38,040 Speaker 1: key to walk in. 498 00:34:38,280 --> 00:34:38,480 Speaker 2: Yes. 499 00:34:39,040 --> 00:34:47,360 Speaker 1: Oh wow, all right, Lorenza. We are trying our best. 500 00:34:48,040 --> 00:34:52,600 Speaker 1: We are trying our best to tell your story. Can 501 00:34:52,600 --> 00:34:54,319 Speaker 1: you give us a suck? Can you give us a sign? 502 00:34:56,920 --> 00:35:02,640 Speaker 1: Are we on the right track? I stood on top 503 00:35:02,719 --> 00:35:05,480 Speaker 1: of my great great grandmother's bones and I asked her 504 00:35:05,520 --> 00:35:09,279 Speaker 1: for a sign. And maybe that's what we need to do. 505 00:35:10,560 --> 00:35:12,240 Speaker 1: Maybe we need to talk to her directly. 506 00:35:12,840 --> 00:35:18,359 Speaker 8: I'm definitely feeling like there's a confrontation here. There are 507 00:35:18,600 --> 00:35:23,760 Speaker 8: men involved. She finds herself in a very dangerous situation. 508 00:35:24,880 --> 00:35:37,680 Speaker 1: That's next week on The Sicilian Inheritance. The Sicilian Inheritance 509 00:35:37,760 --> 00:35:41,840 Speaker 1: is a Kaleidoscope production in partnership with iHeart Podcasts. The 510 00:35:41,880 --> 00:35:45,880 Speaker 1: series is produced by Jen Kinney, Kate Osborne, Dara Potts 511 00:35:46,120 --> 00:35:49,319 Speaker 1: and me Joe Piazza, with key help from Laura Lee 512 00:35:49,360 --> 00:35:51,759 Speaker 1: Watson of Digging Up Your Roots in the Boot and 513 00:35:51,840 --> 00:35:56,560 Speaker 1: Chiro Grillow of Sicily Roots. Many thanks to Julia Parravuccini 514 00:35:56,920 --> 00:36:00,640 Speaker 1: and the ancestry dot com research department. Get your copy 515 00:36:00,680 --> 00:36:04,480 Speaker 1: of The Sicilian Inheritance the novel right now at Truly 516 00:36:04,640 --> 00:36:07,960 Speaker 1: anywhere that you get your books. Anywhere you get your books. 517 00:36:08,239 --> 00:36:10,719 Speaker 1: It's got the same name as the podcast, but with 518 00:36:10,800 --> 00:36:14,520 Speaker 1: more food, wine and sets. Also, do not forget to 519 00:36:14,520 --> 00:36:17,359 Speaker 1: get a taste of Sicily in the form of delicious 520 00:36:17,400 --> 00:36:21,319 Speaker 1: Sicilian olive oil at Cardena's tap room. Make sure to 521 00:36:21,400 --> 00:36:23,239 Speaker 1: check out our show notes for a link to buy it, 522 00:36:23,880 --> 00:36:26,920 Speaker 1: or if you find yourself in Philly just stop by. 523 00:36:27,400 --> 00:36:32,680 Speaker 1: Our executive producers are Kate Osborne, Mangash Heitikador Costas Linos, 524 00:36:33,000 --> 00:36:38,480 Speaker 1: and Oz Wolloshan. From iHeart executive producers are Katrina Norvelle 525 00:36:38,920 --> 00:36:42,240 Speaker 1: and Nikki Etour. We also want to thank will Pearson, 526 00:36:42,520 --> 00:36:56,720 Speaker 1: Connell Burn, Bob Pittman, and John Mary Napolis