My Story
Mandy Longo
"My journey began with a deep passion for family history. Tracing my Longo family tree brought me to Termini Imerese, and now to La Casa Longo. This is more than a story—it's a dream come to life, and I’m so excited to share it with you." – Mandy Longo
Italian Roots
For as long as I can remember, I’ve proudly identified as “Italian.” My dad came from a strong Italian family, and from the time I was little, it was ingrained in me: We’re an Italian family.
When I was younger, I didn’t think much about what that really meant. But as I grew older, I became more curious about our family tree and the story behind how we came to be “Italian.”
Sadly, I didn’t start exploring my family history until after both of my Italian grandparents had passed. I wish I could have sat down with them, asked them questions, and listened to their stories. But through interviews with other family members, digging into old records, and my own research, I’ve been able to piece together quite a bit about where we come from.
On my dad’s side, my grandmother’s parents, Antonio and Carmella Abruzzese, were born in Scala Coeli, a charming town in the Calabria region of southern Italy. My grandfather’s grandparents, Giuseppe and Salvadora Longo, hailed from Termini Imerese, Sicily—a place that would later steal my heart.
Both the Abruzzese and Longo families immigrated to America in the early 1900s, eventually settling in Des Moines, Iowa. And as fate would have it, my grandparents, Philip Longo and Mary Abruzzese, met at a dentist’s office of all places. They married in 1947, and the rest, as they say, is history!
The Abruzzese Family
The Longo Family
Growing Up in Sicily
When I was five years old, my parents divorced. I lived with my mom, but I spent lots of time with my dad and spent weekends at his house. Then, my mom remarried, and her new husband was in the Navy. I can still vividly remember the day I came home from school and she told me we had to move to Italy because his new assignment was at a Navy base there. To say I was devastated would be an understatement. I didn’t want to leave my home. I didn’t want to leave my friends. It felt like my world was being turned upside down.
We ended up moving to Naval Air Station Sigonella, which is located in Sicily, near the beautiful city of Catania. I went to school on the base, and we lived in a small house off-base nearby. At the time, I didn’t think much about my Italian roots or heritage—I didn’t even know that the Longo family was from Sicily. But what I did know, even then, was that I had fallen head over heels for Sicily and the sense of community at the base. It was the most welcoming, warm, and close-knit group of people I had ever encountered—both the Americans on base and the local Sicilians who embraced us with open arms.
After we left, I spent the next 30 years longing to return. Little did I know, this wasn’t just a chapter in my childhood—it was the beginning of a journey I’d someday take full circle.
Sigonella Yearbook Photo
(I bet you can guess the year based on how high my bangs are, lol)
30 Year Stretch
After we left Sigonella in 1991 and returned to the States, the next 30 years of my life can be summed up in a few simple milestones:
High School (1994) – College (1998) – Grad School (2000) –
Marriage (2002) – Baby (2003) – Divorce (2004) – Single Mom (2004–2021)
Yep, that’s the short and sweet of it. I went straight from school to marriage, then jumped into motherhood, and before I knew it, I was navigating single motherhood with a one-year-old. So, if you’re keeping track, I went from being a broke student to a broke single mom. Haha, fun times, right? 😅
In the grand scheme of things, this meant travel—especially overseas travel—was just out of reach. I was focused on surviving day-to-day, and the idea of jetting off to explore new places was more of a distant dream than a reality.
This period was tough. It’s hard to describe just how challenging it was for both me and my daughter. We faced a lot of trauma, but the one thing that made it bearable was knowing we had each other. My daughter and I have an incredibly close bond, and we’ve been through it all together.
In 2017 and 2018, both of my grandmothers passed away, and with that, I inherited some precious family history documents. That’s when I started seriously digging into my family tree. It was during this time that I made the decision to trace my family’s roots back to Europe, to discover the places where my ancestors had come from. At that point, traveling to those locations felt like a far-off dream, but I held on to the hope that someday, I’d have the chance to make it a reality.
And then… COVID hit.
Ready to pop (2003)
And then there was COVID
When COVID first hit, I didn’t mind the extra time at home. It gave me the chance to dive deep into my family history, and I even decided to start working on obtaining Italian citizenship. But, as time passed, my already fragile world came crashing down when I lost all my income. It was a major blow that turned everything upside down, and I knew I had to make some big changes.
At the same time, my daughter was graduating high school and preparing to head off to college. Being an “empty nester” was a huge transition. After 18 years of being a single mom, it felt like my entire identity was tied up in the role of “mom.” I kept asking myself, Who am I now? What do I want for myself? Those were difficult questions, and I felt guilty even thinking about them. My life had been about caring for my child, and in doing so, I’d lost sight of my own identity.
I knew I needed to think about my next chapter. In addition to needing a new source of income to support myself and my soon-to-be college student, I realized that I was desperate to travel, to explore, and to live life. I hadn’t been out of the country in over 20 years, and it was time to discover the world—and myself.
Sicily kept calling to me. I stayed in touch with friends I made during my time at Sigonella, and I found myself dreaming about going back. Was it even possible?
I applied for a position with the US Department of Defense and was offered a role at an Army Base in Germany. I had hoped to return to Sigonella, but positions there are rare, so I accepted the offer in Germany. Not only would it provide the income I desperately needed, but it would also allow me to live in Europe and travel to the places I’d dreamed of seeing.
In 2021, I packed up my daughter, moved her into her college dorm, and then made my way to Germany! I arrived in September, and by October, I had already booked my flight to Termini for Thanksgiving week. Getting to Termini was at the top of my agenda, and I couldn’t wait to make it happen!
My house in Florida, packed and ready to move to Germany in September 2021.
Termini Imerese Longo’s
While in quarantine during COVID, I stumbled upon an obituary for Salvatora Chiramonte Longo. This was the moment I discovered that the Longo family hailed from Termini Imerese! If I hadn’t found this article, I wouldn’t have made my way to Termini, and there would be no La Casa Longo today. Since finding that obituary, my journey has unraveled so much more...
I learned that my great-great-grandfather, Giuseppe Longo, was born in Termini Imerese in 1867. He was part of a long line of Longos who had spent their entire lives in this town.
At the age of 19, Giuseppe and his love, Salvatora Chiramonte (yes, the very same woman whose obituary started it all!), decided to leave Termini behind and start a new life in America. They boarded a boat and never looked back.
Now, 135 years after they left, I became the first Longo descendant to return to Termini Imerese.
In November 2021, I arrived in Termini Imerese for the very first time…
I Bought a House!
After my first trip to Termini I fell in love with this place. It felt like home and I knew I wanted to be here as much as I could. I made the decision to start looking for a house so that I could make my dream turn into a reality.
My friend, Stefania, who helped me with my family history research, also helped me with finding and buying a home. She guided me through the entire process, and after one year of searching —- I finally found the perfect house (or so I thought!)
The Missing Piece
Soon after purchasing my house in Termini Imerese, I finally had the opportunity to spend time exploring it room by room.
There was just one problem.
The more I explored, the less the house seemed to make sense.
I had purchased the property sight unseen, relying on photographs, floor plans, and a healthy dose of faith. But standing inside it for the first time was a completely different experience. The layout felt strange. I would walk up a staircase, turn a corner, and suddenly find myself somewhere completely unexpected.
At one point, I stepped out onto a balcony overlooking a narrow street and realized there was an entire building sitting between me and what I thought was the front of my house.
The house seemed disconnected from itself.
Some rooms felt incomplete. Certain walls appeared to be in odd places. The flow of the home didn't feel natural, almost as if I was only seeing part of a much larger picture. I couldn't shake the feeling that something was missing.
When I mentioned it to my friend Stefania, she began digging into local records and researching the property's history.
What she discovered explained everything.
The house I had purchased was once part of a much larger family home. At some point in the past, the original structure had been divided into two separate houses and sold as independent properties.
Suddenly, everything made sense.
The unusual layout.
The disconnected rooms.
The walls that seemed out of place.
The feeling that I was only seeing part of the picture.
I hadn't purchased an entire house.
I had purchased half of one.
The missing half was still there, separated by walls that hadn't originally existed and now owned by someone else.
Naturally, I asked Stefania the obvious question:
"What happened to the other half?"
A few days later she came back with an answer.
It was for sale.
And just like that, the story of La Casa Longo took an unexpected turn.
February 2023
The second floor layout of the house I purchased in February 2023.
The second floor layout of the adjoining house.
Reunited
March 2023
When Stefania told me that the other half of the house was for sale, I didn't hesitate.
Just a few weeks earlier, I had been standing inside a house that didn't seem to make sense. The rooms felt disconnected. The layout felt incomplete. Now I knew why.
The house had once been a single family home that had been divided into two separate properties many years ago. I had purchased one half. The other half was sitting right next door.
So I bought it.
For the first time in decades, both halves of the original house belonged to the same owner again.
As soon as the sale was finalized, there was one thing I couldn't stop thinking about. For decades, this house had been divided into two separate homes. What had once been a single family residence had been split apart, sold separately, and altered over the years. Now, for the first time in decades, both halves belonged to the same owner again. Me.
I knew renovations in Sicily could move slowly. There would be architects, plans, permits, budgets, contractors, and endless decisions waiting ahead. But I wasn't interested in waiting. I wanted these two homes reunited. And I wanted to be the one to do it.
The good news was that I knew exactly where to start. The wall that separated the two properties wasn't an original stone wall. It was a thin partition that had been added years earlier to close off what had once been a doorway connecting the homes.
The moment I saw it, I knew. This was the spot.
This was where the house had been divided. And this was where it would be reunited.
So I grabbed a hammer.
There was nothing careful or professional about what happened next. I pounded. I yanked. I ripped. I pulled away old wallpaper, broken wood, and decades of dust. With every swing, the opening grew larger.
And then suddenly, there it was. The doorway was open. Well, open enough that I could climb through! How many decades have passed since someone last walked through this doorway?
After decades of separation, the two halves were finally reunited. Standing there, covered in dust and grinning from ear to ear, I felt something that is difficult to put into words. It wasn't about construction. It wasn't about renovation. It wasn't even about real estate. It felt like I had restored something that had been waiting a very long time to be put back together.
La Casa Longo was whole again.
The First Glimpse
March 29, 2023
The moment I peeled back the first layer and discovered the original doorway.
The Reunion Begins
March 30, 2023
Twenty-four hours later, I came back to finish the job.
Finally, after decades of separation, two homes are reunited!
The First Step
June 2023
Reuniting the two halves of the house felt incredible.
For a brief moment, I allowed myself to imagine what La Casa Longo might someday become.
Then reality set in.
The house was nearly 275 years old. While parts of it were charming and full of character, other parts were in serious need of repair. Water had been finding its way inside for years. Ceilings were damaged. Roofs were failing. The terrace needed major work.
I quickly realized that restoring La Casa Longo would be far more complicated—and far more expensive—than simply knocking down a wall.
The project was enormous.
I couldn't do everything at once, so I began working with an architect to determine the most important first step.
The answer was clear.
Before we could dream about kitchens, bedrooms, finishes, or furniture, we had to save the structure itself.
The roofs had to be replaced.
The ceilings had to be rebuilt.
The terrace had to be reconstructed.
Before La Casa Longo could become beautiful again, it first had to become watertight.
Behind the charm of a 275-year-old Sicilian home were failing roofs, damaged ceilings, and a terrace in desperate need of repair.
Architect's rendering of the new roof and terrace
