Il Padrino

"Who was Il Padrino? Since young adulthood when he first became interested in his family's history, Jack had wondered why not one of his maternal relatives had ever returned to their ancestral Italian homeland. He was now embarking on a long anticipated trip to Italy in search of answers to that plaguing question. Little could he foresee the consequences of his visit to the small village of Campagna, his grandfather's ancestral home, where the chance meeting of Maria Rosato, who bears a striking resemblance to Sophia Loren, ultimately leads to romance and intrigue. Guided by a letter from a great-uncle dated in nineteen twenty-five, he accepts Maria's offer to escort him on his quest for answers to his family's secrets, beginning with the family progenitor, Don Gaetano Catalano. Progressive clues lead them on a circuitous route from their starting point of Campagna, to Naples, Florence and several small cities in the southern Italian region of Calabria. Their quest eventually returns them to the estate of the late Antonio Gibboni, his great grand-father, in the hills above Campagna. It is there that they discover portraits of fifteenth and sixteenth century men that bear a striking resemblance to Jack, men referred to as Il Padrino. The story takes an unexpected turn when they are confronted by a Mafia don...a distant relative from New York...who has been trailing the couple on their journey. Their meeting leads to the ultimate dramatic conclusion, when the true identities of the major characters and the long hidden secrets of the Catalano and Gibboni families are revealed. A letter found among the treasures long hidden by his ancestors chronicles the often turbulent history and criminal element of the family. In an effort to protect the family name, it is deemed too sensitive for immediate publication and is ultimately placed in a safe at the new genealogical museum constructed in Campagna at the bequest of the Antonio Gibboni estate where it is destined to be revealed at a ceremony marking the one hundreth anniversary of the facility. Be present as the only remaining relative of the Catalano family is there on June 5, 2115 to discover the family secrets and what impact they will have on the citizenry of Campagna. -Jack Langley"