La Casa Longo

22/07/2025

🎉 Phase One is DONE! 🎉

La Casa Longo—my 1753 stone beauty in Sicily—is officially solid as a rock. 💪✨

This first phase of the renovation was all about structure: rebuilding crumbling walls, redoing ceilings and roofs, and making the entire house water-tight and sound. We also reworked the interior footprint—opening and moving walls to bring a whole new layout to life. Now? Over 3,000 square feet of strong, clean, blank-slate potential. 🏛️💭

Swipe through to see the layout as it stands today:

📐 Image 1 – The Ground Floor:
The house opens onto Via Roma with three front doors—one for each unit!
• Door 122 leads to a one-bedroom, one-bathroom unit with a lofted living area.
• Door 126 is another one-bedroom, one-bathroom space with a cozy main living area.
• Door 124 takes you upstairs to the largest unit, which spans two more floors.

📐 Image 2 – The Second Floor:
At the top of Door 124’s staircase is a generous space with three living areas and a bathroom (or two?)—this will become the core of the main unit. Think bedroom, kitchen, and living room with room to breathe.

📐 Image 3 – The Rooftop Terrace:
The cherry on top: a gorgeous indoor/outdoor terrace with sweeping potential for slow mornings and magical evenings. 🌅☕🌿

Next up is Phase Two: Foundational Design Decisions.
This is where we figure out all the important behind-the-scenes stuff—like plumbing, electrical, selecting windows and doors, bathroom layouts, and how to assign each living space. I’ll be sharing ideas and running polls to help guide these decisions, and I’d love your input.

Stick around, cast your vote, and help shape La Casa Longo’s next chapter.
We’re just getting started. 🇮🇹❤️

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

In case you missed it - here is the first ever live tour of La Casa Longo. In this video you will see a tour of the whole home, see renovation progress as of 11 February 2024, and hear about what’s on the horizon.

11/02/2024

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