Abruzzo. A family gathering.

A looong drive into the Abruzzi mountains to visit extended, inlaw relations and visit to the Roman ruins and amphitheater, which was fascinating and still in use. There was complete silence, except for the beep of a little bird, and total silence is so very rare these days. 
Lunch was a sad experience. I ordered a light lunch, but being left handed and stuck right at the end of a long table, by the time the platter reached me, there was almost nothing on it. While waiting, I had already watched my sister in law eagerly eat a dish of offal with onions followed by a dish of fettuccini, which didn't improve my mood. The conversation down my end of the table was unappreciated politics. 
It was my own fault. In such a situation, I usually seat myself half way down  a long table so that the others can choose to sit next to me or not and there is always a choice of people to converse with.
I listened, as usual to the telling of their childhood anecdotes,  tales of people I have never met. These events make me sad as I miss my own family and origins even more.