How did it all begin?
A question I am constantly asked by guests staying at Chez Nous, to which usually I respond with a smile.
For me, answering this question means “giving back,” “communicating,” “sharing,” giving our guests the opportunity to hear a family story that goes back a long way.
That’s why, relying on my strength, passions, and creativity, I left a stable and secure job and decided to follow my heart, to give a new future to a story that would not be forgotten.
This is the story of my father, Egidio Gelsi, and of when he left home as a teenager, alone and with empty pockets, heading for the United States of America and his very special coin.
He had found it on the street, on the day of his departure, and stopped his mule to pick it up.
A sign of destiny that gave him hope.
He carried that coin with him his whole life.
He still had it in 1954 when, returning from the United States after a successful life, he fell in love with this house and decided to make it not only our family’s residence but also a hospitable place to welcome friends who regularly came to visit.
He loved the land where he was born, the kindness of its people, the old-time ways, and he loved sharing what he had with his fellow-villagers.
Our family has always loved this unique land, its simple nature, its silences overlooking the sea, the slow and sweet life of the island during the off-season.
That’s why the story of Chez Nous is first and foremost a family story.
This is Chez Nous for us.
Emotions from real-life stories and yet to be lived experiences.
