A man who was born in Bermuda has returned to his birthplace for the first time in nearly half a century.

Ronald Rocky D'Angelo and his wife Michelle of Connecticut are visiting this week for his 50th birthday celebrations.

An Emergency Room doctor, Mr. D'Angelo's parents were stationed in Somerset, but returned to the US when their son was just two years old.

When Dr. D'Angelo's parents were stationed in Bermuda they lived in a pink house next to Somerset Bridge. The couple have not been to visit the house where his family lived, but look forward to going there later this week.

Dr. D'Angelo said: "I remember nothing at all from the time, as I was only two years old when my family left on a boat for America."

"The first thing that struck me was the beauty of the Island. I didn't expect for it to be so pretty."

Mrs. D'Angelo who secretly arranged the entire trip for her husband's birthday, said: "I thought it would be nice, we usually go to Nantucket and I told him that was where we were going.

"He e-mailed the lady in the Grey Lady Bed and Breakfast there and set the dates for this weekend.

"I had to call her to say that we were not coming there, but to please call him and confirm. There were so many people involved in the secret."

Mrs. D'Angelo had arranged for her husband to have the weekend off and the following week she looked up places to stay on the web and sorted the entire trip out.

He said: "Everyday is a surprise with Michelle."

On the eve of Dr. D'Angelo's birthday she gave him a gift box, which contained a Bermuda travel book, a passport holder, tickets and a few other bits and pieces.

She said: "He was so shocked, for about 15 minutes he kept saying 'we are going to Bermuda - when are we going to Bermuda?'"

The couple have rented a pair of mopeds and are enjoying their stay.

Dr. D'Angelo said: "Michelle is a daredevil, she gets on and screams 'born to be wild'."

The couple have three teenage girls who were also in on the secret. The girls were asking him to take them to school for this coming week to make him think that he was returning.

The couple spoke about how friendly the Bermudian people were and said: "We were driving around after dinner one night when we came to a round about. A lady in her car drove up wound down her window to ask if we needed help.

"Things like this would never happen where we came from, especially not a woman alone in a car."

The couple have travelled extensively throughout Europe and South America but said: "We have never seen anything like Bermuda, there are times when you travel that when you are lost you pretend to know where you are going, but here when we are not even lost people offer assistance."

Dr. D'Angelo added: "I waited 50 years to come here, but I won't wait 50 more to come back."