The Sicilian Inheritance

Sara’s dream of owning her restaurant, La Macellaia, came true, but she declared bankruptcy and closed her doors. Sara’s estranged husband arrives with their daughter, Sophie, so Sara can take her to her Aunt Rosie’s memorial. Jack doesn’t think it’s appropriate for a young child. Jack gives Sara a letter that Aunt Rosie sent her just before she died. Sara feels guilty because she didn’t visit Rosie before her death.

The party-like memorial is held at the bar Rosie frequented. Everyone from Sara’s large Sicilian family attends. The guests’ stories remind Sara how important Rosie is to their family. Sara is named after her relative, Serafina, who stayed in Sicily while her husband, Giovanni, emigrated to the US. Rosie became a high school principal, and though she never married or had children of her own, she was a mother figure to the children in the family. Sara and her sister Carla lived with Rosie during the summers. Rosie and Sara had planned a trip to Sicily, but Rosie’s health declined.

At Rosie’s house, Sara reads the letter from Rosie. Before her death, Rosie planned and paid for Sara’s trip to Sicily to investigate a piece of land Rosie owns. Rosie laments that they can’t take the trip together, writing: “Life got in the way […] but we’re not gonna let death hold us back” (13). The letter instructs Sara to take Rosie’s ashes to her hometown of Caltabellessa and investigate the history of the land and its relation to their family. Rosie states that Sara should use any money she makes from the endeavor to rebuild her life.

In 1908, 15-year-old Serafina lives on a mountain in Sicily with her family. Since most girls in her village quit school after four years to get married and start families, Serafina is the only girl left in her class. Serafina excels in academics and hopes to one day move to Sciacca for higher education. Serafina travels to the coast at Eraclea Minoa with her father and brothers. At the Feast of Saint Antonio, Serafina dances with her friend Cettina and two boys, Liuni and Gio. Usually, Serafina’s parents are strict with her, but her mother is home caring for the babies, and “[f]east nights were the only times when fathers lost track of their daughters” (24). Swept up in the festivities, Serafina and Gio slip away from the crowd. She kisses him, and they have sex.

Soon after returning home, Serafina realizes that she is pregnant. Serafina’s mother thinks she is cursed, and Serafina knows she must do something to fix her predicament. Cettina goes with her to the village la strega, or witch, for help. The witch lives near the cave called “the dragon’s ear” by the villagers. The witch is one of the few literate women in the village, and only other women come to see her. She invites the girls into her cottage and listens to Serafina’s story, but when she examines her, she declares she is too far along in the pregnancy to help. Cettina plans to marry Liuni and tells Serafina that she can marry Gio, and they can raise their families together. Serafina doesn’t want to marry Gio and ruin her plans to attend school.

Sara recalls her past and declining relationship with her husband. She became interested in butchery after she lived with Rosie during high school and worked on a farm. After graduation, she attended culinary school and butchered and sold meat from a food truck. Jack’s mom bought meat, and when Sara’s food truck was closing due to a lack of permits, Jack’s mom gave her his number, as he was a lawyer. Sara invited him over for dinner, and they became inseparable. Sara experienced brief fame as a chef but struggled to balance her career and motherhood once she and Jack had a daughter. Jack wanted more children and for Sara to work less, and then Sara betrayed him, permanently damaging their relationship. Despite being a famous butcher, winning “Best New Steakhouse,” and appearing on the cover of Philadelphia magazine, Sara felt like a failure. Sara tried her best while building her business, sourcing food from local farmers and introducing her community to new flavors. However, she cut corners in her haste to open the restaurant, and her competition reported her. Deep in debt and without support from her investors, Sara admitted defeat. She eventually moved out of her house, and Jack filed for divorce and full custody of their daughter.

Sara wonders if the trip to Sicily is foolish and wishes Carla could go with her. When she arrives in Palermo, Pippo, a driver hired by Rosie, is waiting for her. He takes her to a café and orders an espresso and a ciambella pastry. Sara enjoys food for the first time in months. Pippo tells Sara that Rosie is very proud of her and produces a copy of the Philadelphia magazine with her cover. Pippo offers Sara a tour of Palermo, but she is anxious to get to Caltabellessa to deliver Rosie’s ashes and investigate the land. Sara calls Carla, a successful lawyer, who encourages Sara to put aside her worries and stay in Sicily for the entire week. Pippo gives Sara a brief history of Caltabellessa. Before they part ways, Pippo gives Sara an envelope from Rosie containing a photo of Serafina and a letter. In the letter, Rosie asks Sara to investigate why Serafina didn’t come to the US with Gio.

Serafina and Gio marry in a small ceremony when she is 16. Gio takes a job in the mines, which keeps him away for weeks or months. Though Gio’s family didn’t ask for a dowry that would bankrupt Serafina’s family, her father objects to her marriage. He wants her to stay with family. Her mother sets them up in a small cottage near their home. Serafina gives birth to a baby boy named Cossi. During the birth, Cossi was breech, and Serafina nearly died, but the witch saved her life by turning the baby. Gio is away when Cossi is born, and Serafina notifies him by letter.

Working in the mines changes Gio as he grows older. The work hardens his muscles and makes him withdrawn. He returns home for Cossi’s first birthday celebration. The mine had a fire, and they laid Gio off. He secures a job on the mainland working on the docks. Serafina doesn’t mind: She is used to raising Cossi alone and enjoys her independence. Cettina is engaged to Liuni, who is now a student in Palermo and involved in politics. Since 1861, when Sicily became a part of Italy, the rural farmers have suffered at the hands of the wealthy landowners. Liuni hopes to become a politician and lobby for people experiencing poverty. Serafina develops a secret crush on Liuni’s brother Marco. After the party, Gio sobs over the loss of his miner friends. Serafina comforts him, and that night, they conceive their second child.

While driving through the village, Sara reminisces about spending six summers with Carla and Rosie. Her Aunt Rosie was the only person in the family who made her feel beautiful. Pippo takes Sara to the local church so she can search for Serafina’s gravestone, but she doesn’t find it. The priest says Serafina isn’t there because “the church doesn’t bury women like her” (66). Sara is confused and hurt, but Pippo hurries her out the door, sensing the priest doesn’t want them there. Pippo must leave to be with his family but tells Sara he will pick her up at the end of the week.

Sara is staying at a small hotel; she appears to be their only guest. The hotel manager, Giusy, lets her in and gives her a key to her room. Sara snaps photos of her room and sends them to Carla and Rosie. After a shower and a nap, Sara goes downstairs for food, but the hotel doesn’t serve meals on Tuesdays. Giusy takes Sara to a local place, telling her not to eat anywhere with a menu but instead to stick to areas that change daily based on fresh food. A man named Nicolo sketches her, and she swears he is calling her Serafina. Giusy gives Sara many tips for sightseeing and shares a bit about herself. Sara doesn’t share much about why she is in town, except that she is there to scatter her aunt’s ashes.

Sara wonders about the Mafia, and Giusy points to an unassuming man in the corner who is her cousin and says he is “the biggest mafiosi in town” (78). Giusy explains that the Mafia burned down all the forests in the village so the government would pay them to replant them. The Cosa Nostra—the local mafia gang—doused cats with kerosene, lit them on fire, and sent them into the woods. After a delicious meal chosen by their waiter, Giusy motions to a man at another table and tells Sara she must speak to him. He is in local law enforcement and can help her learn about Serafina’s murder.

Serafina names her second son Santo and soon becomes pregnant with a third child. After one year of marriage, Cettina hasn’t become pregnant despite the witch’s help. She worries that Liuni will leave her for not providing him with a son, but he remains a patient, kind husband. Serafina encourages Cettina to move to Palermo to be with Liuni, but she stays in the village, calling the city “poison.” However, despite promises from the Mafia to help, the town remains destitute, without running water or hope of reprieve.

Serafina jokes that Serafina will give her third child to Cettina: She actually means it, as she longs to return to school and be free of expectations for women. Melina, Marco’s wife, is pregnant with her fifth child. She goes into early labor and, despite the witch’s aid, doesn’t survive the birth. The baby lives, but the villagers view it as cursed. Cettina cares for the baby like her own, though Serafina worries it isn’t healthy. The Mafia kills Liuni because of his work trying to break apart the local organized crime. Per tradition, Marco marries Cettina and promises to care for her, though Serafina knows he doesn’t love her. Serafina gives birth to her third son, Vincenzo, just before learning that Gio is moving to the US to find work. She is fearful, knowing that women left behind aren’t safe.