continued.   Our property

Exactly - you are American .  italian law applies in ITaly and Sicly.  Even on Salina.  Without knowing what is at the bottom of your ravings, it is impossible to say who is in the wrong - but if you were in America and someone else was working your land for years, then you lose all rights to it.  Its not difficult. 

 In any case, in Italy, for over 15 years, there is a law, called adverse possession(Usucapione ) ,https://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Usucaptionby which to become officially a property owner, which is used for over 20 years, and for which him are able to show that the fees have been paid regularly, is need to open a public hearing, the duration 18-month legal.During which the court, by a notice posted in public places  (municipal registers, court registers, wall posters, books of Italian embassies worldwide) research the legal owner of  the property, that is, one who is holder in the records of real estate, previously on an applicant to be recognized as the owner without valid titles, that is without having entered into a deed of sale.After 18 months, with no one to appear in court to oppose, against the request of adverse possession( usucapione ) , with valid licenses, the ownership of the property (house or land) is transferred to the applicant .In Sicily, Calabria, Abruzzo, Pedemont , and Veneto, it often happens to be in these situations, because in the years of the great emigration to America or Australia , many people have entrusted their property, - in custody - to friends or family, and then do not return more in Italy, perhaps because of deathIt occurred precisely in the country in which they are immigrants and maybe forgetting to draw up a regular testamentIn these cases, when embassies are aware of the death, in the country of immigration, they issue a death certificate.If these embassies are aware of  this immigration, but they can not find evidence that these persons are still alive, issue a certificate of presumed death.And with this certificate, the Italian court declared closed  the procedure of adverse possession, in favor of proceeding Ugo , by www.lifeinitaly.it