Visiting my Dad's Homeland by Maria-Paz
- mpstavros
- Feb 12
- 4 min read
I’ve heard it said, that by the time you’re 20, you’ve already spent 90% of your time with your parents. That’s one of the many reasons that motivated Alex and I to take this gap year to travel with our own kids. Another reason we wanted to take this year off, was to spend more intentional time with our extended families as well. As my dad celebrates another birthday this week, I wanted to share about two amazing trips we did with him this year – a northern Italy road trip and a Patagonia, Chile houseboat trip.
My dad, Dagoberto Italo Rodriguez Barbieri, was born in Valparaiso, Chile in 1953. His grandfather, Francesco Barbieri, came from a long line of hardworking Italian farmers. Once WWI broke out, he left Italy on a boat for a better life in Chile where he met his wife, Carmen Chamorro. They setup a small quaint Italian restaurant in the northern part of Chile and had my dad’s mother, Nehemi Barbieri. Nehemi, married my grandfather, Dago Rodriguez, a Chilean Navy captain, and they had five children (Claudia, Ivan, Bachy, Pato, & my dad).


I cannot even begin to describe the joy in my dad’s voice when my brother and I shared we would be joining him for a trip to Italy to see the town where his grandfather was born and raised, Cremona, Italy. Alex spent months researching and organizing details of our trip which would include stops in Milan, Lake Como, Lugano, Cremona, Parma, Porto Venere, and Genoa. I will spare you all the details of this trip but imagine nine people packed in an undersized Euro-style minivan, playing Tetris with our luggage just to get them to fit back into the van every three days while bouncing from city to city, and one Airbnb to another. It was a little chaotic and a lot adventurous!
And it was all worth it to see my dad’s excitement when we arrived in Cremona, a small mercantile town where his Italian grandfather once lived. Seeing his grandfather’s hometown was truly special but what I didn’t expect was to see how emotional it would make my father. We drove straight up to my great grandfather’s old address and knocked on the door. It was a barn looking structure turned into a multifamily home. A Ukrainian lady came to the door looking confused and asked us how she could help us. We asked if she knew any of the members of the Barbieri family who had once lived there. Unfortunately for us, she had moved into the home recently and did not know the name “Barbieri”. However, that did not change my dad’s experience. Driving away, my dad shared how “emocionado” he was being able to see the town and farm where his grandfather had once lived. It was beautiful to see the emotion it brought my dad to see where our family came from. I could tell he left a part of his heart in Cremona, that day.
We also got to take a second unexpected trip in December with my brother’s family and my dad and Mercedes to Patagonia, Chile. It was a trip to remember! We rented a houseboat for 4 nights as we traveled the fjords of northern Patagonia. We visited waterfalls, stopping at remote islands full of sea lions and penguins, and eating the best Chilean food. Four days on a houseboat together meant there wasn’t much more to do than hang out together. We navigated the same seas that my dad used to travel with his own dad and my dad would sit at the hull of the boat recalling memories he had with his own dad, as they traversed the raging Patagonia waters. My grandfather, Dago, was a Harbor Pilot (Practico de Puerto) who was responsible for safely guiding large vessels like cargo ships and naval vessels into and out of ports; he would board the ship near the entrance of a harbor and take command of navigation. We had many special conversations like these learning about my dad’s past and his own memories. Over dinner one night, my dad (with tears in his eyes) expressed his gratitude as he shared how special it is for him to make new memories with us, even as adults. He said when you get to be his age, there isn’t much more that you want other than TIME with the people you love. Retelling stories of his past now, with his grandchildren, filled his heart with pride.
It seems to me that returning to our roots is healing. It fills in parts of our past, it gives color to our memories, and it helps tell our story. I encourage you to take the trip, ask your parent about his/her past, sit and listen to them retell their memories, and take interest in their life story. If there’s anything I’ve learned in the last decade, as I’ve seen close friends lose their parents far too soon, it's that our time with them is finite and precious. Be intentional with the
ten percent!
Te quiero, Papi! #whataaaaalife!

Amazing story Maria. Your reflection on returning home nailed it and the description of your dads experience thinking back to his childhood along with building memories with you now is so powerful.
Sin dudas, el mejor regalo del mundo…. al alma y a la paternidad!
🩵 💙