Steve Lopez’s grandmother Josephine Costanza, lower left, left Sicily in the early 1900s for California. San Vito Lo Capo is an unpretentious village with a stunning beach of white sand and turquoise water. At the time my grandmother left with her family, the Mafia was increasingly exerting control, having filled a leadership vacuum. Paul is going to be in San Vito for a few months, and he plans to search records at City Hall to trace our roots. “There’s so much opportunity,” he said, telling me San Vito shuts down between October and May.

Source: Los Angeles Times July 17, 2019 10:07 UTC