La Casa Longo

01/01/2025

Happy New Year!! I have some exciting updates on the way and I am looking forward to a big year for La Casa Longo. I wish all of you health and happiness for the new year!

11/08/2024

As you are making your bucket list of all the places you want to visit when you come to Sicily and stay at La Casa Longo, be sure to include the Island of Favignana (Isola di Favignana) on your list! Take a quick ferry ride to the island, rent a bike or a scooter (I highly recommend a scooter!!) and spend the day exploring all of the incredible beaches across the island. Each beach is different from the next, but all of them are worth a visit.

15/07/2024

If you are staying in Termini Imerese, you don’t have to go far to see a gorgeous beach. This seaside town has its very own beach, tucked away from the hustle and bustle of tourist crowds. Many people who travel to Sicily for vacation head to a famous beach like Cefalù or Taormina - which are gorgeous, but also packed with people. Why not stay right in town and head to the beach in Termini! It is a small, beautiful, rocky beach that is divided into two sections. One section is free and open to anyone, whereas the other section has chairs and umbrellas for a fee. There is also a food and drink counter, a full restaurant, and club! Follow their page to hear about all they have going on. Isn’t Termini amazing 🤩

10/07/2024

La Casa Longo is located in the town of Termini Imerese on the beautiful island of Sicily. Termini is the perfect location to stay and set up your home base while you explore the island. Just 30 minutes to the east of Termini is the beach town of Cefalù, and makes for the perfect day trip. Cefalù is perfect to visit in summer or winter, with is gorgeous views, delicious food, and quaint streets lined with shops. Be sure to add Cefalù to your bucket list when you come stay at La Casa Longo.

05/07/2024

It’s been awhile since I gave you all an update, so I wanted to take a minute to fill you in. Since my last update, I the roof and ceilings have been finished, as well as the terrace. As it often goes with home renovations I have encountered a couple of issues that I need to work through before a move forward with the next part of the project. In the meantime, I have been traveling and have had some incredible adventures in Spain, Iceland, England, and Scotland. As you may know, the reason I came to Sicily in the first place was to visit the ancestral home of my Longo family. That’s how this whole project started. I am a family historian and have been tracing each line of my family tree back to discover who immigrated to America and from where. That’s how I came to Sicily…and it’s also why I went to Scotland. My Laurie family came from Scotland and I spent a week there exploring and doing research. It was amazing!! I know this page is about La Casa Longo, which is why I haven’t posted anything here in awhile. If you are interested in following along on my other adventures, you can find me at Mandy's Roots. In the meantime, I will be sure and post another update here as soon as I figure out my next steps for La Casa Longo. I hope everyone is having a fantastic summer!

07/03/2024

Thank you for the incredible post, Termini Imerese Tourism!!!!

🥰 Rediscovering Italo-American roots: an emotion-stirring journey into the !

🇮🇹 For many , exploring their origins in Termini Imerese is an exhilarating dive into the past. Among the their walked and the traditions they carried with them, they rediscover deep connections and a sense of gratitude for their predecessors' courage.

😍This journey of discovery not only brings them closer to their roots but also strengthens their with the Italo-American community. By sharing stories and traditions, they keep alive the memory of their ancestors and celebrate the legacy they left behind.

🏡It's an adventure that enriches their lives and inspires them to honor the past while looking to the future with hope and gratitude, like Mandy from La Casa Longo.

✏️🌟 "A century ago today, , my great grandfather, married Alice Shepard. He was the first Longo in my family line to be born in America. His parents immigrated from Termini Imerese, , in 1898.

Phil was known as " " in family stories, which became significant when I recently discovered long-lost relatives in Termini. They spoke of their grandfather's cousin, "the boxer," who lived in America.

If he was never a boxer, I probably would have never found this long lost family. If he didn’t get married to Alice on this day 100 years ago - I wouldn’t be alive. It’s amazing how seemingly simple actions have profound impacts on future generations.
I am sure when he was getting married 100 years ago he could never have imagined that his great granddaughter would be so impacted by his life. So happy 100th anniversary great grandpa.
Thank you for helping to guide me " ♥️

🌿 🌿

26/02/2024

If you don’t follow them already, I highly recommend following Termini Imerese Tourism!!! I am obsessed with learning Termini Imerese history - and this page is FULL of interesting facts and stories I never would have discovered on my own. I especially love them because they have learned about La Casa Longo and are super interested in my story and the story of the house. They made their first post about La Casa Longo recently, and there are more on the way! Check them out!!

A view of our city from the Annunziata neighborhood 💙☁️

Photo by Mandy Longo, owner of La Casa Longo 🏠

Mandy is a descendant of Phil Longo, nicknamed "The Boxer", and the son of Termini emigrants to the USA in 1898 🇮🇹🇺🇸

In search of her Sicilian roots, Mandy came to , met some relatives, also thanks to her great-grandfather's nickname, and fell in love with the city, she decided to spend as much time as possible here 🤗♥️

🌞So she decided to buy a house in Termini and found " ".

🤝🏻If you want to know more about her story, inspiring for all those traveling in search of their roots (in Termini Imerese and in Sicily in general), follow us and stay updated on all new developments: we will publish various posts about Mandy's project and its realization!

🥰 A story that brings back to life stories, places, and bonds that date back more than a century ago!

25/02/2024

La Casa Longo is on YouTube! Yes! I just created a YouTube Channel and the first video is posted!! It is a February 2024 Home Renovation Update. Please take a moment to hop over to the channel, watch the video, and subscribe. Your simple click of a button helps me spread the word. I appreciate all of your help and support! Thanks everyone!!

https://youtu.be/ggyfpulEJjE?si=09P-1JqfXg3awutL

My name is Mandy Longo. My Longo family ancestors immigrated to America from Termini Imerese, Sicily. I traveled to this gorgeous town for the first time in ...

23/02/2024

I can’t believe it has been one year since I purchased the first house in Termini Imerese!! What a year! What an adventure! I traveled here while following my family tree to my Longo family home and I had no idea it would lead to this! I am so thankful to be on this adventure and I know this is just the beginning!

11/02/2024

See you in 15 minutes for a LIVE TOUR of La Casa Longo!! Watch on Instagram at 😄.

09/02/2024

For the first time ever, I’m going to give you a live look inside La Casa Longo!! Join me THIS SUNDAY! If you are in America, I’ll be going live at 9AM Eastern Standard Time. For those of you in Central Europe, it will start at 3:00 (1500). You’ll get an insiders look at the entire house, see the progress of all the renovations, and hear about what’s on the horizon. The live feed will only be on Instagram. Unfortunately it doesn’t allow me to be live on Facebook and Instagram at the same time. So those of you on Facebook, be sure to hop over to Instagram and join me . See you all on Sunday!

07/02/2024

What started as two small rooms with low plaster ceilings, has now become one large room with gorgeous wood beam ceilings — PLUS a huge window skylight to let in natural light. It isn’t even close to being finished, but it has come such a long way and I can really start to picture this beautiful room! Do you want to see it yourself? I am going LIVE for the first time inside La Casa Longo!!! See the entire house, the latest renovations, and see what’s to come. Join me this Sunday, February 11th, at 9 am EST / 3 PM CET.

29/01/2024

100 years ago today, my great grandfather, Phil Longo, married Alice Shepard. Phil Longo was the first Longo in my line to be born in America. His parents were born in Termini Imerese, Sicily, and immigrated to America in 1898. Although I never met my great grandfather, I always heard stories of “the boxer.” Those stories were never more important to me than they were a few months ago, when I met some “Longo’s” here in Termini. We were trying to figure out if we were related or not, and they told me that their grandfather always spoke about his cousin “the boxer” who lives in America. I couldn’t believe it!! If he was never a boxer, I probably would have never found this long lost family. If he didn’t get married to Alice on this day 100 years ago - I wouldn’t be alive. It’s amazing how seemingly simple actions have profound impacts on future generations. I am sure when he was getting married 100 years ago he could never have imagined that his great granddaughter would be so impacted by his life. So happy 100th anniversary great grandpa. Thank you for helping to guide me home❤️

17/01/2024

The new ceilings are going up and they are GORGEOUS!!!

31/12/2023

As 2023 comes to a close and I look back over the last year, I am so very thankful. I traveled to Termini Imerese a few years ago after following my family tree back to this town where my Longo family came from. The moment I arrived in Termini I knew I was home. At the time, I wasn’t sure how, but I knew I wanted a big part of my life to be in this place. And this year, after a lot of research and planning - I bought two houses here in Termini! They used to be one home, but the owner divided them up a long time ago. I bought both of them and I am doing a complete renovation and bringing them back together. If you are following along with the stories I’m posting, you will have already seen the progress that has been made. Renovations started in November and they are working on the roofs and ceilings as the first project. I am so thankful to the incredible crew (pictured) that’s working on the house! I know this is just the beginning of an awesome adventure. Thanks to all of you for following along! Happy New Year!

27/11/2023

Sometimes, when it rains it pours. And sometimes when it rains, you can see a beautiful rainbow. Today was a little bit of both. As you know, part of the house has no roof…and there was a heavy downpour that leaked through the tarp and into the house…and then through to the neighbors house causing a lot of damage. I was so worried about the neighbor who I had never met, the damage to his house, how much it will cost to repair it, but more importantly I worried about damaging a relationship that hadn’t even started. After rushing to the house to inspect the damage and securing the tarp, I spoke to the neighbor to apologise and hoped to repair any damage this situation has caused. To my surprise, he was so kind and understanding. He was happy to see that someone was finally taking care of the house, and was so nice to me. The extra-special surprise was that he knows a lot of history of the houses! He told me the original house was built in 1751. The owner had three daughters and divided the house into 3 houses. I own 2 of them, and he owns the third. It’s no wonder the water leaked into his house, knowing that his house and my houses are actually part of the same original structure. Anyway, instead of feeling discouraged by the water leak, I feel so lucky to have had the opportunity to meet my new neighbor. This is a perfect example of why I love this place so much ❤️