tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-25308563779531539242024-03-21T14:28:50.197-07:001800 Kilometers in a FIAT 500 - The Blognonobarhttp://www.blogger.com/profile/16579439122872114533noreply@blogger.comBlogger16125tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-2530856377953153924.post-83767718341759586562015-02-28T19:46:00.000-08:002015-02-28T19:46:28.061-08:00<div style="text-align: center;">
<span style="font-size: x-large;">Atti di Notaio</span></div>
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<span style="font-size: x-large;">Records from Notaries</span></div>
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<span style="font-size: large;">I have four very interesting records from the period after 1755. My friend, Michele Cartusciello, from the Museo di Cognome, in Padula, uncovered these records for me at the Archivio di Stato in Salerno. I need to interpret and understand these documents, and it is not going to be an easy task, but it will be worth doing if I can get some genealogical data from the effort. I will need your help. And by the way, if these records indicate that I am the sole survivor of a large estate in Italy, I will share it with you:-)</span><br />
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<span style="font-size: large;">Take a look at a portion of one of the documents.</span><br />
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<span style="font-size: large;"></span><a href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEivXXoXzAa49gDbx-KxUTByQYUBE4JJPcfdq5KjxKIRVmp6wJ2FxIUGGwJmzcNhB5SieRK3TTdb_VZAepfWRWnl5yQcfHs5yg4x-qP-QHL0rTwB2tw_g0bvhd5gAbEFRcYoWBDdLC01lm4/s1600/t1.jpg" imageanchor="1" style="margin-left: 1em; margin-right: 1em;"><img border="0" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEivXXoXzAa49gDbx-KxUTByQYUBE4JJPcfdq5KjxKIRVmp6wJ2FxIUGGwJmzcNhB5SieRK3TTdb_VZAepfWRWnl5yQcfHs5yg4x-qP-QHL0rTwB2tw_g0bvhd5gAbEFRcYoWBDdLC01lm4/s1600/t1.jpg" height="131" width="400" /></a></div>
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<span style="font-size: large;">Look carefully and you will see the name Martino Barbella. Martino is not on my family tree yet. I hope he will be in place on the tree once I've figured out exactly what this document says. </span><br />
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<span style="font-size: large;">I've been told this record is written in "church Latin". The Wikepedia article about church Latin doesn't seem to add much to my ability to interpret what the document is saying. </span><br />
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<span style="font-size: large;">It is clear that the Notary who wrote this document, Gerardo Arenare, used several shorthand notations. For example, here is the first line of the first document.</span><br />
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<a href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEhM5ekbi5fmYeSQy-k6Jfm6RzgpeTS5buqby_q_HjlsKS3Acz4qLrkauPpYgkFKZOICI3r1BY4uQfaaHmaHkDviy8sZBmoYEZrTDBQHlaVYJRCCXW0Ggz55TUW7j-qKhwXBByTcRWGLdDA/s1600/t2.jpg" imageanchor="1" style="margin-left: 1em; margin-right: 1em;"><img border="0" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEhM5ekbi5fmYeSQy-k6Jfm6RzgpeTS5buqby_q_HjlsKS3Acz4qLrkauPpYgkFKZOICI3r1BY4uQfaaHmaHkDviy8sZBmoYEZrTDBQHlaVYJRCCXW0Ggz55TUW7j-qKhwXBByTcRWGLdDA/s1600/t2.jpg" height="67" width="400" /></a></div>
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<span style="font-size: large;">It is, of course, recognizable as an opening invocation to God.</span><br />
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<span style="font-size: large;">Look closer at that third word.</span><br />
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<a href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEi_UVrnfUaqyiyEKm0gQjBbIWRkvxLFtu43rS9KsPZA64I_BS6JHwM9Km4zgCEsBZuVXfgq3pNjScDg5qJTMaloNSN-73h6esM2Orw5edgfuYGy3RRlA0V3vRi7uY3BpPkWnToxALGhUuc/s1600/t3.jpg" imageanchor="1" style="margin-left: 1em; margin-right: 1em;"><img border="0" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEi_UVrnfUaqyiyEKm0gQjBbIWRkvxLFtu43rS9KsPZA64I_BS6JHwM9Km4zgCEsBZuVXfgq3pNjScDg5qJTMaloNSN-73h6esM2Orw5edgfuYGy3RRlA0V3vRi7uY3BpPkWnToxALGhUuc/s1600/t3.jpg" height="200" width="177" /> </a></div>
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<span style="font-size: large;">This, I'm told, is the word Domini. Apparently, that apostrophe "thing" is shorthand for the missing letters "omi. </span></div>
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<span style="font-size: large;">But then, what is this word, following "Domini"?</span></div>
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<span style="font-size: large;"><a href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEjXgEEW0_g4k3bvQla9KyaWPNBHFD3ZSC4JB3xmbJPwzw-FdrAjL_t0_KUGL39tPhXB2y6zo-RxLeZzBdBCkb3SPVotDX9WPhCNsnRtHML44_34QTLcuNGq_15IaHzYUrEr7xGk-ssl7EI/s1600/t4.jpg" imageanchor="1" style="margin-left: 1em; margin-right: 1em;"><img border="0" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEjXgEEW0_g4k3bvQla9KyaWPNBHFD3ZSC4JB3xmbJPwzw-FdrAjL_t0_KUGL39tPhXB2y6zo-RxLeZzBdBCkb3SPVotDX9WPhCNsnRtHML44_34QTLcuNGq_15IaHzYUrEr7xGk-ssl7EI/s1600/t4.jpg" height="200" width="171" /></a></span></div>
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<span style="font-size: large;">Is that an H or an St? What missing letters are connoted by this "apostrophe"?</span></div>
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<span style="font-size: large;">In his book, "Italian Genealogical Records", Trafford Cole states, "Until around 1865, the official language used by notaries was Latin, and they used abbreviations and codes to make documents as obscure as possible so that only notaries could read them". As far as I'm concerned, they did a pretty good job. We're going to have some fun trying to break these "codes" in this blog.</span></div>
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<span style="font-size: large;">Here are the first few lines put together:</span></div>
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<a href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEjVLMcWUAucKssUiIJ8l5n6LvMS8pThnXuln7b9ApKgDKplRsvp7y6yzQ5pyhAjQNhdf2c9GAnnoKhcL4Z1aPw3oNyk2v_wrH6N3CcJFLQU4Dm-aSFf8lSezYLF2GEfbpRuPrj8DEXC-6Q/s1600/t5.jpg" imageanchor="1" style="margin-left: 1em; margin-right: 1em;"><img border="0" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEjVLMcWUAucKssUiIJ8l5n6LvMS8pThnXuln7b9ApKgDKplRsvp7y6yzQ5pyhAjQNhdf2c9GAnnoKhcL4Z1aPw3oNyk2v_wrH6N3CcJFLQU4Dm-aSFf8lSezYLF2GEfbpRuPrj8DEXC-6Q/s1600/t5.jpg" height="121" width="400" /></a></div>
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<span style="font-size: large;">What I see here is:</span><br />
<span style="font-size: large;">Today (oggi) the 19th (diecinove) of the month of March (mese di Marzo) in the year 1755 in the village of Sassano............?????</span><br />
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<span style="font-size: large;">Does anyone know what this is (third word in the bottom line)?</span><br />
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<a href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEiC9VQ3Pszz7iOu04vEFPFF-bxMfASDJLcAe2Th56YesAp15ZKt7FdXpbdfJVrBuDeZE3zCap4o_mpAiB9YZbbKDUsFMX_bjwBX09PQ91Qps8Q0AqH56qxtGGT3eY_iUsdQp55pZEMtZks/s1600/t6.jpg" imageanchor="1" style="margin-left: 1em; margin-right: 1em;"><img border="0" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEiC9VQ3Pszz7iOu04vEFPFF-bxMfASDJLcAe2Th56YesAp15ZKt7FdXpbdfJVrBuDeZE3zCap4o_mpAiB9YZbbKDUsFMX_bjwBX09PQ91Qps8Q0AqH56qxtGGT3eY_iUsdQp55pZEMtZks/s1600/t6.jpg" /></a></div>
<span style="font-size: large;">It appears in the main document several times. I believe that first letter is an F and I'm wondering if, in 1755, Sassano was a <b><u>F</u></b>razione of some larger area, perhaps Sala Consolina. Then "nella F'ra di Sassano" would translate to "in the village of Sassano", or something like that.</span><br />
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<span style="font-size: large;">In any event, there is much more to come in future posts. This document will reveal some type of transaction between two couples. They are Arcangelo Caputo and his wife Isabella Fruglio and Martino Barbella and his wife Arcangela Borgia. We will have fun breaking this document apart, and who knows what we will find?</span><br />
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<span style="font-size: large;">So this is the start. There is much more to come. Stay tuned, and if you can help, please post comments below or email me directly at nonobar@gmail.com.</span><br />
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<span style="font-size: large;">Thanks for reading and see you soon!</span><br />
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<span style="font-size: large;">. </span>nonobarhttp://www.blogger.com/profile/16579439122872114533noreply@blogger.com0tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-2530856377953153924.post-63755232390316966312015-02-21T11:00:00.002-08:002015-02-21T11:00:17.711-08:00<div style="text-align: center;">
<span style="font-size: x-large;">The Sassano Project</span></div>
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<span style="font-size: large;">Do you have ancestors from Sassano? Then I have a website for you.</span><br />
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<span style="font-size: large;">Sassano is a small hillside village in the middle of Italy's Mezzogiorno. It is in the province of Salerno, in the Campagna region.</span><br />
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<table cellpadding="0" cellspacing="0" class="tr-caption-container" style="margin-left: auto; margin-right: auto; text-align: center;"><tbody>
<tr><td style="text-align: center;"><a href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEjlYxHkff-VdkBsgHipIB0GbNusVNHai1M2_GFj7YdKM2TG62hjRCHkHNdj_m9G6LK1oNnN7bL_Oc_fbewQwVgk7nhfAYaQOl42Oeowev_77e97nUEUPNHZ7D2OQ-JehOmfRG9uVY_QhiE/s1600/t1.jpg" imageanchor="1" style="clear: left; margin-bottom: 1em; margin-left: auto; margin-right: auto;"><img border="0" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEjlYxHkff-VdkBsgHipIB0GbNusVNHai1M2_GFj7YdKM2TG62hjRCHkHNdj_m9G6LK1oNnN7bL_Oc_fbewQwVgk7nhfAYaQOl42Oeowev_77e97nUEUPNHZ7D2OQ-JehOmfRG9uVY_QhiE/s1600/t1.jpg" height="266" width="400" /></a></td></tr>
<tr><td class="tr-caption" style="text-align: center;"><span style="font-size: large;">Sassano, Salerno, Campagna, Italy</span></td></tr>
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<span style="font-size: large;">My great grandfather was born in Sassano and he was my immigrant ancestor. He is the reason that I obtained the birth, death, and marriage records for the commune of Sassano from the Latter Day Saints Library. I have them in microfilm form and I have been through most of them searching for the Barbella cognome.</span><br />
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<span style="font-size: large;">As I was searching, a funny thing happened. I began to feel a connection to the names I was looking at. I began to feel as though I was a part of this community. First you might find the record of a person's birth. Then you discover their marriage record. Finally you see their children being born. It made me feel like I was a part of the community. That is why I am now indexing these records and making them available on-line in <a href="https://docs.google.com/document/d/1u8rh2ejfQDn2dftkrzV0LFZ62S_rPjlcJRBOO-DVHj8/edit#heading=h.yry3r7x34kf6" target="_blank">The Sassano Project</a>.</span><br />
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<span style="font-size: large;">This is, at least, a small part of the reason that I made the voyage to Sassano in the spring of 2014. I can't begin to tell you how much I felt like I was "coming home". </span><br />
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<a href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEgFO672NbmQk3VPOePo6M_LhkC1WhT5TyiohxJpD7xbPMFw_aPpupTjxiR-aKJEqJjxjX5KlRgwc3dJKY1YB1PrNmHIc5C7QB12Q-v4wSAk4PpPPVevxErMnzGb7zlPd_Q50cqxqvpP12w/s1600/t2.jpg" imageanchor="1" style="margin-left: 1em; margin-right: 1em;"><br /></a></div>
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<a href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEifdXIjF1QKmLKixLBcK6LBQDHJPdgVNPW3izvNeEjsLtFEuMYAQFZwG6GvtJ8vVHaqZLnid_84PndvvKxw14ua74IMCPKzTwabXm_g_B4aWi0S2tO4RGWDvDyifFwm8nwfJwh9TN7VVK8/s1600/t3.jpg" imageanchor="1" style="margin-left: 1em; margin-right: 1em;"><img border="0" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEifdXIjF1QKmLKixLBcK6LBQDHJPdgVNPW3izvNeEjsLtFEuMYAQFZwG6GvtJ8vVHaqZLnid_84PndvvKxw14ua74IMCPKzTwabXm_g_B4aWi0S2tO4RGWDvDyifFwm8nwfJwh9TN7VVK8/s1600/t3.jpg" height="640" width="425" /></a></div>
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<span style="font-size: large;">I met in the village's mother church with the local priest. I had the privilege to observe some of the vast holdings of church records on the shelves there.</span><br />
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<tr><td style="text-align: center;"><a href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEjRqI0kEZ3WNLtNUKcpoxVy4acetiCyjPWd9qbDkHoovDANvkQUmJ2x8GYTb1158Acl3ZxtOI0u2EL11mPBsiEa2FUhHjpfF05xvV4DLzDjlaLRs0NV60HfXt0J3HlrDCPmFX2dHIWbpRQ/s1600/t4.jpg" imageanchor="1" style="clear: left; margin-bottom: 1em; margin-left: auto; margin-right: auto;"><img border="0" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEjRqI0kEZ3WNLtNUKcpoxVy4acetiCyjPWd9qbDkHoovDANvkQUmJ2x8GYTb1158Acl3ZxtOI0u2EL11mPBsiEa2FUhHjpfF05xvV4DLzDjlaLRs0NV60HfXt0J3HlrDCPmFX2dHIWbpRQ/s1600/t4.jpg" height="265" width="400" /></a></td></tr>
<tr><td class="tr-caption" style="text-align: center;"><span style="font-size: large;">Don Otello Russo in the office at San Giovanni Evangelista</span></td></tr>
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<span style="font-size: large;">I went to the town office and found the originals of the civil records I have on microfilm.</span><br />
<table cellpadding="0" cellspacing="0" class="tr-caption-container" style="margin-left: auto; margin-right: auto; text-align: center;"><tbody>
<tr><td style="text-align: center;"><a href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEi-2PhxZj3Z0H50ufLpQjsOTEmGzAa2N7ISuZ_sGG6O45zY-Omv5jObPYIDPWVyJleE-krSKHWdC0wG2fWPbOhZPyasFgFlgRh-zGdZmxdxQNyBweyG9PwwAwQzwA0k_k-EwzBWx9O9pGM/s1600/t5.jpg" imageanchor="1" style="clear: left; margin-bottom: 1em; margin-left: auto; margin-right: auto;"><img border="0" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEi-2PhxZj3Z0H50ufLpQjsOTEmGzAa2N7ISuZ_sGG6O45zY-Omv5jObPYIDPWVyJleE-krSKHWdC0wG2fWPbOhZPyasFgFlgRh-zGdZmxdxQNyBweyG9PwwAwQzwA0k_k-EwzBWx9O9pGM/s1600/t5.jpg" height="266" width="400" /></a></td></tr>
<tr><td class="tr-caption" style="text-align: center;"><span style="font-size: large;">Officials at the Ufficio Di Anagrafe - Sassano, Italy</span></td></tr>
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<span style="font-size: large;">My father and my grandfather were both born in Brooklyn. Yet, somehow, inexplicably, I have been drawn into a relationship with Sassano that I simply cannot describe.</span><br />
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<table align="center" cellpadding="0" cellspacing="0" class="tr-caption-container" style="margin-left: auto; margin-right: auto; text-align: center;"><tbody>
<tr><td style="text-align: center;"><a href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEhs_Rti0j8oyVaKZbuD9fYdXZHzdbQK8qv3wx8zC1EJNH7BJpbzmitrcwdCiKseZsyac_BZl5frPsMngifAGHucweselkH857BwnxKcs1FeAeRGLWBlj-FagkTuvH8bC-i5Dd-7tGbhjb4/s1600/t7.jpg" imageanchor="1" style="margin-left: auto; margin-right: auto;"><img border="0" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEhs_Rti0j8oyVaKZbuD9fYdXZHzdbQK8qv3wx8zC1EJNH7BJpbzmitrcwdCiKseZsyac_BZl5frPsMngifAGHucweselkH857BwnxKcs1FeAeRGLWBlj-FagkTuvH8bC-i5Dd-7tGbhjb4/s1600/t7.jpg" height="640" width="426" /></a></td></tr>
<tr><td class="tr-caption" style="text-align: center;"><span style="font-size: large;">Original Stato Civile</span></td></tr>
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<span style="font-size: large;">My project to index the records of Sassano can be <a href="https://docs.google.com/document/d/1u8rh2ejfQDn2dftkrzV0LFZ62S_rPjlcJRBOO-DVHj8/edit#heading=h.yry3r7x34kf6" target="_blank">seen at this link</a>. It is, by no means, complete. The project includes birth records from 1866 to 1873. I have been working primarily with the birth records but there are also a few years of death records available.</span><br />
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<span style="font-size: large;">My work has been simplified with the addition of a computer controlled microfilm reader. I can easily scroll through the microfilm tapes and magnify sections. I can even obtain digital images of individual records without the need of a camera. Please let me know if you would like me to find a particular record for you. Just leave a comment below and when I next find myself at the library I will try to help you.</span><br />
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<table align="center" cellpadding="0" cellspacing="0" class="tr-caption-container" style="margin-left: auto; margin-right: auto; text-align: center;"><tbody>
<tr><td style="text-align: center;"><a href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEiYOZqX0w2lMU-2Gy7jFKi97yjEiTtV8S0J-6Sknf8dwnJ4lXccn6TxNnQcEpcKKXZ4_MvBfraHUuMGZiYPnPnLzw9_1KPhDXbDegHvHxoBiUIgPA8i2HxRfviqbFCPircVQb8qFG8xS7w/s1600/t9.jpg" imageanchor="1" style="margin-left: auto; margin-right: auto;"><img border="0" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEiYOZqX0w2lMU-2Gy7jFKi97yjEiTtV8S0J-6Sknf8dwnJ4lXccn6TxNnQcEpcKKXZ4_MvBfraHUuMGZiYPnPnLzw9_1KPhDXbDegHvHxoBiUIgPA8i2HxRfviqbFCPircVQb8qFG8xS7w/s1600/t9.jpg" height="266" width="400" /></a></td></tr>
<tr><td class="tr-caption" style="text-align: center;"><span style="font-size: large;">Cimetero di Sassano</span></td></tr>
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<br />nonobarhttp://www.blogger.com/profile/16579439122872114533noreply@blogger.com4tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-2530856377953153924.post-38641252011659467912015-01-30T12:59:00.002-08:002015-01-30T12:59:53.188-08:00<div style="margin-bottom: 0in; text-align: center;">
<span style="font-size: medium;"><span style="font-size: x-large;"> Murder - Passion</span></span><br />
<span style="font-size: medium;"><span style="font-size: x-large;">Book Report - "The Trials of Maria Barbella"</span></span></div>
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<span style="font-size: large;"><span style="color: blue;"><span style="background-color: white;">Here is a report on a fascinating book written by Idanna Pucci. This true story is about the infamous Maria Barbella, who in 1895 slit her lover's throat and was sentenced to be the first woman to be executed in the newly invented electric chair. She is rescued by a wealthy Italian countess, however, and the story delivers a healthy dose of Italian culture and immigrant history. </span></span></span></div>
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<span style="font-size: large;"><span style="color: blue;"><span style="background-color: white;">Those of you who have read my book, "1800 Kilometers in a Fiat 500", know the importance I place on history and culture in the practice of Italian genealogy. Idanna's book is loaded with both. I highly recommend reading her masterful story. It should be available at your local library.</span></span></span></div>
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<span style="font-size: medium;"><span style="background-color: blue;"><span style="background-color: white;"><span style="font-size: large;"><span style="color: blue;">Here is my review of this book. </span></span></span></span></span></div>
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<span style="font-size: large;"><u><b>The
Trials of Maria Barbella</b></u> by Idanna Pucci</span></div>
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<span style="font-size: large;">I first discovered Maria
Barbella several years ago. I had just googled my name, in search of
potential family members, and to my surprise, several of the top
search engine hits had to do with this woman, Maria Barbella (see;
<a href="http://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Maria_Barbella">http://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Maria_Barbella</a>).
I quickly learned that she was the first woman to be sentenced to
die in the recently invented electric chair at Sing Sing Prison in
Ossining, NY. </span>
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<span style="font-size: large;">All of a sudden, I thought
I had discovered just why it was that my own Mom and Dad never talked about the
Barbella family to their children.</span></div>
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<span style="font-size: large;">Some months later I
learned about Idanna Pucci's book, The Trials of Maria Barbella. I
couldn't wait to get a copy from the local library. When the book
finally came, I was treated to much more than a story about the
Barbella family. Indeed, Idanna captured not only the story, but a
vivid picture of the conditions in which our immigrant relatives
lived at the turn of the 20<sup>th</sup> century.</span></div>
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<span style="font-size: large;">In telling this story,
Idanna Pucci bridges the rich and the poor; she takes us from 1890s
New York to Italy; she details how Italians clung to their beliefs
here in the USA. She tells the story, not only of Maria Barbella,
but of her own great grandmother, the American born Countess Cora
Slocomb di Brazza.</span></div>
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<span style="font-size: large;">Maria Barbella had
immigrated to America with her parents in the late 1800s. Like most
immigrant families, the Barbellas were poor, and all had to work to
eke out their meager existence. Maria was a seamstress, and
unfortunately got herself mixed up with the local shoe shine man,
Domenico Cataldo.</span></div>
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<span style="font-size: large;">Domenico seduced Maria,
but promised to marry her shortly. Little did Maria know that
Domenico's wife and children were still living in Italy. When it
became evident that Domenico had no intention of marrying her, a wall
of shame surrounded and stiffled her. She took a razor from
Domenico's apartment and went to the bar where he was playing cards.
She slit his throat and rather than watch him slowly die, she calmly
returned to the apartment.</span></div>
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<span style="font-size: large;">Maria was arrested tried and convicted. </span>
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<table align="center" cellpadding="0" cellspacing="0" class="tr-caption-container" style="margin-left: auto; margin-right: auto; text-align: center;"><tbody>
<tr><td style="text-align: center;"><a href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEh67pXi4PT6hki154Ab4MDATdUeQqKako24JJi8502rUKYmFbCrwuRr5_W2H8L0toqXAycKJ1OAi_lqZmHp_n3p0zOt1EouPez3RApVhdWtyVM87kiWlvZ9qStS24v6LTgLKi3tO7TcTvY/s1600/MB.jpg" imageanchor="1" style="margin-left: auto; margin-right: auto;"><img border="0" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEh67pXi4PT6hki154Ab4MDATdUeQqKako24JJi8502rUKYmFbCrwuRr5_W2H8L0toqXAycKJ1OAi_lqZmHp_n3p0zOt1EouPez3RApVhdWtyVM87kiWlvZ9qStS24v6LTgLKi3tO7TcTvY/s1600/MB.jpg" height="320" width="245" /></a></td></tr>
<tr><td class="tr-caption" style="text-align: center;">Artist rendition of Maria Barbella</td></tr>
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<span style="font-size: large;">Meanwhile in Italy, the
Countess di Brazza read newspaper accounts of the trial with uncommon
interest. When Maria was found guilty and sentenced to die in the
electric chair, the Countess took action. She sympathized with
Maria. She intuitively realized that Maria's inability to speak
English was working against her. Cora Slocomb sailed to New York,
and she used her money and considerable influence to force a retrial.</span></div>
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<span style="font-size: large;">I will let you read the
book to determine the outcome of that second trial.</span></div>
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<span style="font-size: large;">I learned many things from
reading this book. I learned about the conditions our ancestors
lived in. I learned about the enormous obstacle illiteracy posed
these pioneers of our heritage. I gained insight into the “Italian
mindset”, and Italian customs and traditions. I found this book so
satisfying that I purchased several copies, and handed them out to my
cousins.</span></div>
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<span style="font-size: large;">I highly recommend this
book. I believe you will enjoy the story.</span></div>
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<span style="font-size: large;">Peter Barbella (@figliodiSassano) </span>
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<span style="font-size: large;">Postnote: The book explains that Maria and her family came from the small town of Ferandino, in Southern Italy. It is some 50 kilometers east of Sassano, where my great grandfather was born. One of my goals, for a future date, will be tracing our families to see if there is a connection. It will be a difficult task, but the Barbella name is fairly uncommon, and you never know. Thanks for reading.</span></div>
nonobarhttp://www.blogger.com/profile/16579439122872114533noreply@blogger.com1tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-2530856377953153924.post-63484199080315662312015-01-22T11:18:00.001-08:002015-01-25T14:25:39.691-08:00<div style="text-align: center;">
<span style="font-size: x-large;">Off The AutoStrada</span><br />
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<span style="font-size: x-large;"><span style="color: blue;"><span style="font-size: large;">Now that we have completed the excerpts from my book, "1800 Kilometers in a Fiat 500", this blog will concentrate more on things Italian; the country, the people, the history, the culture and Italian genealogy. Enjoy this episode, a ride through the countryside in the mezzogiorno.</span></span></span></div>
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<span style="font-size: large;">Many of Italy's roads are similar to American roads. The AutoStradas are wonderful and the highways are quite acceptable. The country roads are something else.</span><br />
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<span style="font-size: large;">We present, here, a video of the back road from the commune of Padula to the commune of Sassano. Here's how we came to this road.</span><br />
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<span style="font-size: large;">We had spent a few hours at the <a href="http://www.museodelcognome.it/index.php/en/" target="_blank">Museum of Surnames</a> in Padula, Salerno, Campania, Italy. This surprising find was tucked away in a most implausible location in the old part of Padula, another hillside commune. There we found one of Italy's most enthusiastic genealogists, Michele Cartusciello.</span><br />
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<span style="font-size: large;">We left the museum and made a very short visit to a monastery, San Lorenzo. Because we were short on time, we did not do the monastery justice. So we got in the Fiat and drove back to Sassano.</span><br />
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<table align="center" cellpadding="0" cellspacing="0" class="tr-caption-container" style="margin-left: auto; margin-right: auto; text-align: center;"><tbody>
<tr><td style="text-align: center;"><a href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEhkmv-eyIbJe39nUH_upSRlswAt-rSPYOloFa00UNOWMX3KEdSO26aRnKkrTzmrREK-D3LzEZ-ZnSOQxN996guKwVlfM94YJxhCPLlCedmDpS97fjoGxobcPZ2xjs33X9C0lCzPxjgLahI/s1600/t2.jpg" imageanchor="1" style="margin-left: auto; margin-right: auto;"><img border="0" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEhkmv-eyIbJe39nUH_upSRlswAt-rSPYOloFa00UNOWMX3KEdSO26aRnKkrTzmrREK-D3LzEZ-ZnSOQxN996guKwVlfM94YJxhCPLlCedmDpS97fjoGxobcPZ2xjs33X9C0lCzPxjgLahI/s1600/t2.jpg" height="213" width="320" /></a></td></tr>
<tr><td class="tr-caption" style="text-align: center;">Monastery of San Lorenzo - Padula, Salerno, Campania</td></tr>
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<span style="font-size: large;">Driving through the countryside is not like anything I have experienced in good old "Stati Uniti". First off, the dirt road was barely wide enough for one car. You felt as though you could reach out your window and knock on the doors of the farmhouses we passed. There were loose animals everywhere. It was quite an experience. Press the play button and see for yourself.</span><br />
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<iframe allowfullscreen="" frameborder="0" height="315" src="//www.youtube.com/embed/PtPOYx0Vozw" width="560"></iframe><br />
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<span style="font-size: large;">Listen to the soothing hum of the Fiat's diesel engine and watch all those farmhouses go by.</span><br />
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<span style="font-size: large;">Buona Salute a tutti</span><br />
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<span style="font-size: large;">#genealogy #Italy #Mezzogiorno </span></div>
<br />nonobarhttp://www.blogger.com/profile/16579439122872114533noreply@blogger.com0tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-2530856377953153924.post-42160975854646197142015-01-19T07:30:00.000-08:002015-01-19T07:30:44.056-08:00<div style="margin-bottom: 0in; text-align: center;">
<span style="font-size: x-large;"><b>Finite!</b></span></div>
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<span style="font-size: x-large;"><b>Back to Rome,</b></span></div>
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<span style="font-size: x-large;"><b>One night in a "No Tell" hotel,</b></span></div>
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<span style="font-size: x-large;"><b>and Home Sweet Home</b></span></div>
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<span style="color: blue; font-size: large;"><i>In this post we visit an old friend in
Sulmona, and drive to the outskirts of Rome for our last evening in
Italy. We get our Fiat safely back to the airport, fly home, and
reflect on our wonderful adventure and great genealogical finds, summarized below.</i></span></div>
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<span style="font-size: large;">Today we woke up with mixed feelings of
nostalgia and anticipation. We have been away for a while and it
will be good to return home, yet we have been on an incredible
adventure and it will be sad to see it end. Brunetta and Bepe
prepared another wonderful breakfast for us, and we sat for a while
enjoying the beautiful view of the Adriatic. We bid farewell to our
hosts and set off towards Rome, to visit with old friends.</span></div>
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<table align="center" cellpadding="0" cellspacing="0" class="tr-caption-container" style="margin-left: auto; margin-right: auto; text-align: center;"><tbody>
<tr><td style="text-align: center;"><a href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEhq6mUCKIHDFQFxZkZ48kzzof-u_XwuRKYuj8y2d8-Q1SxKIULJcFLBmzM1KG6Ps-sJ3DKjjlQD2BWH68q-Wq-RK5mzZN51n8NRdAH6wzam4ffXBRcjsCpDlWRccwqH4Wc0MhJsbhg_mBQ/s1600/a1.jpg" style="margin-left: auto; margin-right: auto;"><img border="0" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEhq6mUCKIHDFQFxZkZ48kzzof-u_XwuRKYuj8y2d8-Q1SxKIULJcFLBmzM1KG6Ps-sJ3DKjjlQD2BWH68q-Wq-RK5mzZN51n8NRdAH6wzam4ffXBRcjsCpDlWRccwqH4Wc0MhJsbhg_mBQ/s1600/a1.jpg" height="213" width="320" /></a></td></tr>
<tr><td class="tr-caption" style="text-align: center;"><span style="font-size: small;">Our Hosts at Rifugiomare, Brunetta and Bepe</span></td></tr>
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<span style="font-size: large;">We first met our old friends, Italian natives, Peter and Anna Ventresca
in our small hometown of Littleton, Massachusetts, many years ago. Peter and I were co-workers
in the same company. Peter retired to Italy, and settled into his home town. We were delighted
to have the opportunity to see him and Anna again. We made
arrangements, by email, to visit them in their newly constructed home close to the
village of Sulmona. Sulmona is about half way between Chieti and
Rome so this was a convenient stop for us.</span></div>
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<table align="center" cellpadding="0" cellspacing="0" class="tr-caption-container" style="margin-left: auto; margin-right: auto; text-align: center;"><tbody>
<tr><td style="text-align: center;"><a href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEi5Rtqw8DmgLtRfOC448IjbHu3TY7K7LeOFkprOLvI802-sZyVUNhLtq9_tMbAq_uORpkUA7bzKThLFYoqxYqP7N5u7JUHOZ-v9VoUbI-tEE-IR7coZy-hIzhhh-_IYTZA3Q7MAoiA4yjk/s1600/a2.jpg" style="margin-left: auto; margin-right: auto;"><img border="0" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEi5Rtqw8DmgLtRfOC448IjbHu3TY7K7LeOFkprOLvI802-sZyVUNhLtq9_tMbAq_uORpkUA7bzKThLFYoqxYqP7N5u7JUHOZ-v9VoUbI-tEE-IR7coZy-hIzhhh-_IYTZA3Q7MAoiA4yjk/s1600/a2.jpg" height="213" width="320" /></a></td></tr>
<tr><td class="tr-caption" style="text-align: center;"><span style="font-size: small;">Castello di Ventresca</span></td></tr>
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<span style="font-size: large;">Peter
had told us to set our GPS to
Vallelarga, another small village. So we did. The ride across Italy
was wonderful. There were many snow capped mountains in view and
once we left the autostrada, the road seemed to blend into the
countryside. We were approaching the village and I began to wonder
how I would actually find Peter's home from wherever the GPS landed us. I
didn't need to worry. When the GPS said, “arriving at destination”, I
stopped the car.
I looked around at all the old homes searching for someone to ask for
help, and then, on a corner not 100 yards away, there was Peter,
standing in the sunshine waiting for us to arrive.</span></div>
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<span style="font-size: large;">Peter led us to his home which is, to
say the least, quite a magnificent palace. Peter showed us the
grounds, including his handmade rock garden maps of Italy and Massachusetts.
He showed us all the rooms inside. He showed us the outdoor kitchen
that was being finished by several workers.</span></div>
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<table align="center" cellpadding="0" cellspacing="0" class="tr-caption-container" style="margin-left: auto; margin-right: auto; text-align: center;"><tbody>
<tr><td style="text-align: center;"><a href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEiXFyv_HIm4VzYX_MBsea9WjVvxUoUutYxP-2dhTkV3Gv9GmvpemK_3NA-TuHFmlLYieANZUKXyfFQ8etW25xnOz0XSIeuZ1471_wf0x9zgkYQA9gOqtHpeKu9b_qs7hInBpLyoyyl9efw/s1600/a3.jpg" style="margin-left: auto; margin-right: auto;"><img border="0" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEiXFyv_HIm4VzYX_MBsea9WjVvxUoUutYxP-2dhTkV3Gv9GmvpemK_3NA-TuHFmlLYieANZUKXyfFQ8etW25xnOz0XSIeuZ1471_wf0x9zgkYQA9gOqtHpeKu9b_qs7hInBpLyoyyl9efw/s1600/a3.jpg" height="213" width="320" /></a></td></tr>
<tr><td class="tr-caption" style="text-align: center;"><span style="font-size: small;">the outdoor kitchen</span></td></tr>
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<span style="font-size: large;"><br />Then, Peter and Anna took us on a
tour of the village of Sulmona. There we came to a very extensive
open market. We saw an example of an original Roman aqueduct, and many other
very old structures. Then we were treated to lunch at a very nice
restaurant.
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<table align="center" cellpadding="0" cellspacing="0" class="tr-caption-container" style="margin-left: auto; margin-right: auto; text-align: center;"><tbody>
<tr><td style="text-align: center;"><a href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEhOKw46f8B6XcTNf7sYAvJ70IeV8-5tl3DWRH3uNBhHgIWeo_O8yA4DzJ0i13UMgGVnWNW_WLasXiXYxxiI216jXSuj6yzkq8XYkUF-dh9a-ZWRqbi1WlCod_BV8yy7R2nV3LobiNh4qd4/s1600/a4.jpg" style="margin-left: auto; margin-right: auto;"><img border="0" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEhOKw46f8B6XcTNf7sYAvJ70IeV8-5tl3DWRH3uNBhHgIWeo_O8yA4DzJ0i13UMgGVnWNW_WLasXiXYxxiI216jXSuj6yzkq8XYkUF-dh9a-ZWRqbi1WlCod_BV8yy7R2nV3LobiNh4qd4/s1600/a4.jpg" height="213" width="320" /></a></td></tr>
<tr><td class="tr-caption" style="text-align: center;"><span style="font-size: small;">Open Market in Sulmona - aqueduct in background</span></td></tr>
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<span style="font-size: large;">We
returned to their home and had a
wonderful time catching up on news. Finally, we bid farewell to our
friends who got in their car to lead us in a convoy to the highway to Rome.</span></div>
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<table align="center" cellpadding="0" cellspacing="0" class="tr-caption-container" style="margin-left: auto; margin-right: auto; text-align: center;"><tbody>
<tr><td style="text-align: center;"><a href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEg2_3FrwTQppSWmxpYA9NYwXvfx_v5oIfKzLex13IpjtphsO0T6UtbyiZNjPBn-uTzLX69eplwqOGMVIgoReBkWz6yxvdMbWp_FTVpXukPle3tCzjlJC8RIl4Zxz_FcqSnva8w1zWUh6fw/s1600/a5.jpg" style="margin-left: auto; margin-right: auto;"><img border="0" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEg2_3FrwTQppSWmxpYA9NYwXvfx_v5oIfKzLex13IpjtphsO0T6UtbyiZNjPBn-uTzLX69eplwqOGMVIgoReBkWz6yxvdMbWp_FTVpXukPle3tCzjlJC8RIl4Zxz_FcqSnva8w1zWUh6fw/s1600/a5.jpg" height="213" width="320" /></a></td></tr>
<tr><td class="tr-caption" style="text-align: center;"><span style="font-size: small;">friends reunited in Sulmona</span></td></tr>
</tbody></table>
<div style="margin-bottom: 0in;">
<br /></div>
<div style="margin-bottom: 0in;">
<span style="font-size: large;">The ride to Rome became more and more
hectic as we got nearer and nearer. Sophia (our GPS) let us down a few times,
but we recovered and eventually found our way to the village of
Frascati, to find our final B&B(?). This turned out to not be
the best choice for our last evening. We picked Il Paradiso from a
google map because it was outside the madhouse of Rome yet an easy
shot to the airport in the morning.</span></div>
<div style="margin-bottom: 0in;">
<span style="font-size: large;"><br />
</span></div>
<table align="center" cellpadding="0" cellspacing="0" class="tr-caption-container" style="margin-left: auto; margin-right: auto; text-align: center;"><tbody>
<tr><td style="text-align: center;"><a href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEg4WTKVhuX37VzlJqQW-L_NbMWdnSied1ySg3EAM_HTAP4YLXUKj1tHOohG1iunUcTFX-VUezQOa7tgKc-vzzJJ4Ny4pEpN_GUh-hNYwtlCZZxHp84gN5fFLkr3pzH5qNx8tk6Uv7tgz7Y/s1600/a6.jpg" style="margin-left: auto; margin-right: auto;"><img border="0" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEg4WTKVhuX37VzlJqQW-L_NbMWdnSied1ySg3EAM_HTAP4YLXUKj1tHOohG1iunUcTFX-VUezQOa7tgKc-vzzJJ4Ny4pEpN_GUh-hNYwtlCZZxHp84gN5fFLkr3pzH5qNx8tk6Uv7tgz7Y/s1600/a6.jpg" height="213" width="320" /></a></td></tr>
<tr><td class="tr-caption" style="text-align: center;">Il Paradiso, Frascati Italy</td></tr>
</tbody></table>
<div style="margin-bottom: 0in;">
<br /></div>
<div style="margin-bottom: 0in;">
<span style="font-size: large;">What we didn't know was that at Il
Paradiso the rooms were located directly over a pizzeria and pool hall. To put
it nicely, this wasn't the best room we had on our trip, but the
shower was spacious, and we managed to get a little sleep.</span></div>
<div style="margin-bottom: 0in;">
<span style="font-size: large;"><br />
</span></div>
<div style="margin-bottom: 0in;">
<span style="font-size: large;">In the morning, we had our free
continental breakfast and then completed the most harrowing drive of
our trip; the ride to the airport. We successfully delivered the car
to the Hertz lot, and then had about a three hour wait for our
Alitalia jet back to Boston.
</span></div>
<div style="margin-bottom: 0in;">
<span style="font-size: large;"><br />
</span></div>
<div style="margin-bottom: 0in;">
<span style="font-size: large;">We collapsed into the chairs at the
gate and nearly fell asleep as we reflected on where we had been and
what we had accomplished.</span></div>
<div style="margin-bottom: 0in;">
<span style="font-size: large;"><br /></span></div>
<table align="center" cellpadding="0" cellspacing="0" class="tr-caption-container" style="margin-left: auto; margin-right: auto; text-align: center;"><tbody>
<tr><td style="text-align: center;"><a href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEjqTW-tIpH0tZjI_fq_6FmSu6He9tRX78SFGJKsUC_GY59vbAGxHCq1VlCnfqJiLWsLPVnx_FlVyPEte5LWDOa1f3H4diUyd3mW86Cy6aY1muStKe7CylG-EWxh0-zk-OpLfTbRNWXsAp0/s1600/a7.jpg" style="margin-left: auto; margin-right: auto;"><img border="0" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEjqTW-tIpH0tZjI_fq_6FmSu6He9tRX78SFGJKsUC_GY59vbAGxHCq1VlCnfqJiLWsLPVnx_FlVyPEte5LWDOa1f3H4diUyd3mW86Cy6aY1muStKe7CylG-EWxh0-zk-OpLfTbRNWXsAp0/s1600/a7.jpg" height="213" width="320" /></a></td></tr>
<tr><td class="tr-caption" style="text-align: center;"><span style="font-size: small;">I love it when a plan comes together</span></td></tr>
</tbody></table>
<div style="margin-bottom: 0in;">
<span style="font-size: large;"><br /></span></div>
<div style="margin-bottom: 0in;">
<span style="font-size: large;"><br />
</span></div>
<div style="margin-bottom: 0in; text-align: center;">
<span style="font-size: large;"><b>Avellino</b></span></div>
<ul>
<li><span style="font-size: large;">We met and received great help from an
accomplished genealogist, Joe DeSimone.</span></li>
<li><span style="font-size: large;">We met our facebook cousin Pelligrino
Mascolo and had a wonderful dinner with his parents</span></li>
<li><span style="font-size: large;">We saw two old family churches</span></li>
<li><span style="font-size: large;">We collected several family records at
the Avellino Archivio di Stato.</span></li>
</ul>
<br />
<div style="margin-bottom: 0in;">
<span style="font-size: large;"><br /></span></div>
<table align="center" cellpadding="0" cellspacing="0" class="tr-caption-container" style="margin-left: auto; margin-right: auto; text-align: center;"><tbody>
<tr><td style="text-align: center;"><a href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEiY_W8fzwiAL7ON6Vckm5s2SmxmuOQocx9LjBRZzSgW_rXk_h8zK1hgk29Zh2GUy0js360RDA4vNyHTyM6cHE_8u8ljYwtKjWOiCyRia1m8iscY8tcl3xGs0ygntMLjsO4hJo94bPqjtkA/s1600/a8.jpg" style="margin-left: auto; margin-right: auto;"><img border="0" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEiY_W8fzwiAL7ON6Vckm5s2SmxmuOQocx9LjBRZzSgW_rXk_h8zK1hgk29Zh2GUy0js360RDA4vNyHTyM6cHE_8u8ljYwtKjWOiCyRia1m8iscY8tcl3xGs0ygntMLjsO4hJo94bPqjtkA/s1600/a8.jpg" height="320" width="213" /></a></td></tr>
<tr><td class="tr-caption" style="text-align: center;"><span style="font-size: small;">Morte in Avella</span></td></tr>
</tbody></table>
<div style="margin-bottom: 0in;">
<span style="font-size: large;"><br /></span></div>
<div style="margin-bottom: 0in;">
<span style="font-size: large;"><br />
</span></div>
<div style="margin-bottom: 0in; text-align: center;">
<span style="font-size: large;"><b>Sassano</b></span></div>
<ul>
<li><span style="font-size: large;">We found the Sassano cemetery</span></li>
<li><span style="font-size: large;">We made friends while touring the old
town built on a mountain</span></li>
<li><span style="font-size: large;">We met with Don Otello and found a
remarkable marriage certificate, in Latin</span></li>
<li><span style="font-size: large;">We visited the Museum Del Cognome in
Padula and met with Mormon genealogist Michele Carasciello</span></li>
<li><span style="font-size: large;">We retrieved several records from the
Ufficio di Anagrafe</span></li>
<li><span style="font-size: large;">We met with Facebook cousin Oreste
Barbella and his family</span></li>
</ul>
<br />
<div style="margin-bottom: 0in;">
<span style="font-size: large;"><br />
</span></div>
<table align="center" cellpadding="0" cellspacing="0" class="tr-caption-container" style="margin-left: auto; margin-right: auto; text-align: center;"><tbody>
<tr><td style="text-align: center;"><a href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEiQS4cbGyk7fqh16Pl-VJXD9fQTed2ciehsTBE1FqXOaYjbBhU_3pvjt0xlvRyblPwHp0hJAf6EopJ54rZs7Bu3c-m7PD5h8h7imXICG1Qj4dfPf9q8TLz8IYNb7O57VQFZ6S1BiiEWUFs/s1600/a9.jpg" style="margin-left: auto; margin-right: auto;"><img border="0" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEiQS4cbGyk7fqh16Pl-VJXD9fQTed2ciehsTBE1FqXOaYjbBhU_3pvjt0xlvRyblPwHp0hJAf6EopJ54rZs7Bu3c-m7PD5h8h7imXICG1Qj4dfPf9q8TLz8IYNb7O57VQFZ6S1BiiEWUFs/s1600/a9.jpg" height="135" width="320" /></a></td></tr>
<tr><td class="tr-caption" style="text-align: center;"><span style="font-size: small;">1734 Matrimony</span></td></tr>
</tbody></table>
<div style="margin-bottom: 0in;">
<span style="font-size: large;"><br /></span></div>
<div style="margin-bottom: 0in; text-align: center;">
<span style="font-size: large;"><b>Palo Del Colle
</b></span></div>
<ul>
<li><span style="font-size: large;">We attended a festival and toured the
city with, now lifelong friend, facebook cousin Vito Tricarico</span></li>
<li><span style="font-size: large;">We saw the Palo del Colle cemetery</span></li>
<li><span style="font-size: large;">We got a personal tour of Bitonto and
Bari with Domenico Tricarico</span></li>
<li><span style="font-size: large;">We met a real cousin, Angela Lattanzio</span></li>
<li><span style="font-size: large;">We retrieved some useful records from
the Trani Archivio di Stato</span></li>
</ul>
<br />
<div style="margin-bottom: 0in;">
<span style="font-size: large;"><br /></span></div>
<table align="center" cellpadding="0" cellspacing="0" class="tr-caption-container" style="margin-left: auto; margin-right: auto; text-align: center;"><tbody>
<tr><td style="text-align: center;"><a href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEhViaL74uWqNkewGVxPs__mGQtNJ544ho_sHf051iKRo-h_NGsan2rO7f3X-SWwsF2h5ldQxYSErhvRzf8gGGU6LG8ImqKOnctmb60Gx26g_W6YcX-pX6YCYtV77R1iutmaMN3ySR9JBo0/s1600/a10.jpg" style="margin-left: auto; margin-right: auto;"><img border="0" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEhViaL74uWqNkewGVxPs__mGQtNJ544ho_sHf051iKRo-h_NGsan2rO7f3X-SWwsF2h5ldQxYSErhvRzf8gGGU6LG8ImqKOnctmb60Gx26g_W6YcX-pX6YCYtV77R1iutmaMN3ySR9JBo0/s1600/a10.jpg" height="213" width="320" /></a></td></tr>
<tr><td class="tr-caption" style="text-align: center;"><span style="font-size: small;">Meeting cousin Angela</span></td></tr>
</tbody></table>
<div style="margin-bottom: 0in;">
<span style="font-size: large;"><br /></span></div>
<div style="margin-bottom: 0in; text-align: center;">
<span style="font-size: large;"><b>Vasto</b></span></div>
<ul>
<li><span style="font-size: large;">We saw ancestral churches</span></li>
<li><span style="font-size: large;">We saw ancestral streets</span></li>
<li><span style="font-size: large;">We were shown Foglios di Famiglia by a
wonderful clerk in the Vasto Ufficio di Anagrafe</span></li>
<li><span style="font-size: large;">We found more records in the Chieti
Archivio di Stato</span></li>
<li><span style="font-size: large;">We learned how to make “Wine
Cookies”</span></li>
</ul>
<br />
<div style="margin-bottom: 0in;">
<span style="font-size: large;"><br />
</span></div>
<table align="center" cellpadding="0" cellspacing="0" class="tr-caption-container" style="margin-left: auto; margin-right: auto; text-align: center;"><tbody>
<tr><td style="text-align: center;"><a href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEgAUeeKuf1ynQd-x_nvC8v82zJ4in5PUtLO_JB4CnMSfX__80eI-3M7u4gU_bemRaxq1VOtahW9KhFr_4iH9QWYMqza4Otw_iB4DgC41zCE5OMEx7dTMzEdXvYYuhYkWQwSbSl1jY25rKA/s1600/a11.jpg" style="margin-left: auto; margin-right: auto;"><img border="0" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEgAUeeKuf1ynQd-x_nvC8v82zJ4in5PUtLO_JB4CnMSfX__80eI-3M7u4gU_bemRaxq1VOtahW9KhFr_4iH9QWYMqza4Otw_iB4DgC41zCE5OMEx7dTMzEdXvYYuhYkWQwSbSl1jY25rKA/s1600/a11.jpg" height="320" width="213" /></a></td></tr>
<tr><td class="tr-caption" style="text-align: center;"><span style="font-size: small;">Foglio di Famiglia</span></td></tr>
</tbody></table>
<div style="margin-bottom: 0in;">
<span style="font-size: large;"><br /></span></div>
<div style="margin-bottom: 0in;">
<span style="font-size: large;"><br /></span></div>
<div style="margin-bottom: 0in;">
<span style="font-size: large;"><br /></span></div>
<div style="margin-bottom: 0in;">
<span style="font-size: large;">Put all this together with making
dozens of new friends, visiting old friends, and seeing so many
wonderful sights and you might gain a sense of how satisfied we are.</span></div>
<div style="margin-bottom: 0in;">
<br /></div>
<div style="margin-bottom: 0in;">
<span style="font-size: large;">We landed in Boston and went quickly
through customs. There at the luggage carousel was our daughter,
waiting to bring us “Home Sweet Home”. We were certainly glad to
get home, however, I must admit that now, as I write these final
words some two months after our trip, a piece of my heart is still in Italy and
I'm not at all certain that it will ever return.</span></div>
<div style="margin-bottom: 0in;">
<br /></div>
<div style="margin-bottom: 0in; text-align: center;">
<span style="font-size: large;"><b>Footnote</b></span></div>
<div style="margin-bottom: 0in;">
<span style="font-size: large;"><span style="color: blue;">We
hope that this blog has inspired some of you. We also want to make
ourselves freely available to offer advice and encouragement to any of
you that may have questions. Our email is nonobar@gmail.com. Thank you
for reading.</span></span></div>
<br />nonobarhttp://www.blogger.com/profile/16579439122872114533noreply@blogger.com2tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-2530856377953153924.post-11415121404875279392015-01-16T10:48:00.001-08:002015-01-16T10:48:42.265-08:00<div style="text-align: center;">
<span style="font-size: x-large;">Merry Christmas from the Salerno Police</span><br />
</div>
<br />
<span style="font-size: large;">In this blog, we are going to digress just a little from the main story of our genealogy trip. We are going to talk about our disastrous visit to the city of Salerno. </span><br />
<span style="font-size: large;"><br /></span>
<span style="font-size: large;">In our book, we have a chapter about this calamity. It is described there in some detail. We did not include it in the blog because, I believe, we were trying to wipe the memory from our minds. It was an extremely trying day. This is, indeed, one of the failures of our trip (and cause for a return visit to make corrections).</span><br />
<span style="font-size: large;"><br /></span>
<span style="font-size: large;">Recent developments, over the Christmas holiday, have caused me to include this incident here and now. Read on! </span><br />
<span style="font-size: large;"><br /></span>
<span style="font-size: large;">Part of our trip plan was to visit the <a href="http://www.archiviodistatosalerno.beniculturali.it/" target="_blank">Archivio di Stato in Salerno</a>. This archive holds notary records, military records and civil records above and beyond the microfilm records that we have already seen. We wanted to explore some of their resources. Perhaps more important, we wanted to personally thank Doctor Fernanda Maria Volpe. This archivist went out of her way to uncover a marriage allegati for us, and the information in this document was priceless. It put us back another generation. We were even carrying a gift for her to show our appreciation. The meeting never occurred. </span><br />
<span style="font-size: large;"><br /></span>
<br />
<div class="separator" style="clear: both; text-align: center;">
<a href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEiirGK7MV6lCzvuHEWjBkHxQyPBn6ZrcRUDz6U69O-W4Nf16tFgcNkuzk3ewu2GOPeBdh9eOAOY4L_i4OgO67plqjb3WEdx6kcWYX8ba92rBJ_FZz9F9u136-2I_RzRj4v6tX4sujKu5SQ/s1600/ht.jpg" imageanchor="1" style="margin-left: 1em; margin-right: 1em;"><img border="0" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEiirGK7MV6lCzvuHEWjBkHxQyPBn6ZrcRUDz6U69O-W4Nf16tFgcNkuzk3ewu2GOPeBdh9eOAOY4L_i4OgO67plqjb3WEdx6kcWYX8ba92rBJ_FZz9F9u136-2I_RzRj4v6tX4sujKu5SQ/s1600/ht.jpg" height="212" width="320" /></a></div>
<br />
<br />
<span style="font-size: large;">In Salerno, we wound up driving our FIAT into a restricted zone . It was a zone in which automobiles were not allowed. With great difficulty, we managed to extract ourselves from this zone without being arrested. When I got out of the "no car" section without sirens blaring behind me, I thought I was home free.</span><br />
<br />
<div style="text-align: center;">
<span style="font-size: x-large;">NOT!</span></div>
<br />
<span style="font-size: large;">The book describes our failure to locate the Archivio di Stato or even find a place to park the FIAT. It does not mention the traffic violation that resulted from our transgression into the restricted zone. It seems that the police have cameras everywhere.</span><br />
<span style="font-size: large;"><br /></span>
<span style="font-size: large;">About three months after we returned from Italy, I noticed an unexpected charge on my American Express Bill. It came from the Hertz rental company and had something to do with a charge in Europe.</span><br />
<span style="font-size: large;"><br /></span>
<span style="font-size: large;">I was indignant at the 40 something euro charge. I had already payed my rental bill, in full. So I asked Hertz what right they had to tag extra charges on my bill after the fact. They claimed that the charge was there because the car was caught on camera by the Salerno poliziotto in a restricted zone. </span><br />
<span style="font-size: large;"><br /></span>
<span style="font-size: large;">Well, I thought, 40 euros is about $60. I know that I was indeed guilty. I was in a restricted zone, and if I ever want to go back to Italy, I should should accept the charge. I would just let Hertz pay the fine. </span><br />
<span style="font-size: large;"><br /></span>
<span style="font-size: large;">Wait a minute! Hertz told me that the 40 euros doesn't cover the fine. That was simply the administrative charge for them to complete the paperwork with the Salerno Police. I would receive another notice, at a later date, directly from the Police.</span><br />
<span style="font-size: large;"><br /></span>
<span style="font-size: large;">What? Sixty dollars just to tell the police my name and address? I didn't like it, but I paid up, and then waited for the other shoe to drop. I waited and I waited and I waited. I had visions of the Salerno poliziotto watching me, on camera, trying extricate myself from the alley I got stuck in and laughing uncontrollably at my plight.</span><br />
<span style="font-size: large;"><br /></span>
<span style="font-size: large;">Sometime around the beginning of December, I had convinced myself that I would never get a letter from Salerno. After all, it was 8 months now. But on December 23 I had a dream that the letter would arrive in the mail the next day with a few Christmas Cards. You can guess what we received in the Christmas Eve mail. It didn't even say buon Natale.</span><br />
<br />
<table align="center" cellpadding="0" cellspacing="0" class="tr-caption-container" style="margin-left: auto; margin-right: auto; text-align: center;"><tbody>
<tr><td style="text-align: center;"><a href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEhwUmfD7d-Oc2_XavULg1PsDzuEiJK4c9ccXF__dRRn8wxHzpTEoj2LXzY_QbFlExAt6eG5CPpObd-HQ_zMQPMGsHDLGMWRuUhgly52Y-wBlS_U6E0hc5ZZZyKzfoR3wPk4BAFH9cMXbkM/s1600/t1.jpg" imageanchor="1" style="margin-left: auto; margin-right: auto;"><img border="0" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEhwUmfD7d-Oc2_XavULg1PsDzuEiJK4c9ccXF__dRRn8wxHzpTEoj2LXzY_QbFlExAt6eG5CPpObd-HQ_zMQPMGsHDLGMWRuUhgly52Y-wBlS_U6E0hc5ZZZyKzfoR3wPk4BAFH9cMXbkM/s1600/t1.jpg" height="320" width="297" /></a></td></tr>
<tr><td class="tr-caption" style="text-align: center;">Merry Christmas</td></tr>
</tbody></table>
<br />
<span style="font-size: large;"><br /></span>
<span style="font-size: large;">To their credit, everything was computerized. I was able to pay the 100 euro fine on the web. I'm guessing that the police send out a lot of these fines.</span><br />
<span style="font-size: large;"><br /></span>
<span style="font-size: large;">What I'm wondering is, "Do they have a sick enough sense of humor to make the fines appear on Christmas Eve?"</span><br />
<span style="font-size: large;"><br /></span>
<span style="font-size: large;">Next time, we will find a train station and take a train into Salerno Centro. </span><span style="font-size: large;"><span class="" id="result_box" lang="it"><span class="hps">(Otteniamo</span> <span class="hps">troppo presto</span> <span class="hps">vecchio</span><span>,</span> <span class="hps">e</span> <span class="hps">troppo tardi</span> <span class="hps">intelligente</span><span>.)</span></span></span><br />
<span style="font-size: large;"><br /></span>
<b style="background-color: white; color: #444444; font-family: Arial, Tahoma, Helvetica, FreeSans, sans-serif; font-size: large; line-height: 25.2000007629395px; text-align: center;"><i><span style="color: blue;">Next, and final, post. A visit with old friends in Sulmona, and a hectic ride to Frascati, for our last B&B (???), Il Paradiso, on the outskirts of Rome. We reflect on our trip and summarize some of our findings.</span></i></b><br />
<span style="font-size: large;"><br /></span>
<span style="font-size: large;"><br /></span>nonobarhttp://www.blogger.com/profile/16579439122872114533noreply@blogger.com2tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-2530856377953153924.post-78165525954390438682015-01-07T09:11:00.002-08:002015-01-07T09:11:20.407-08:00<div style="text-align: center;">
<span style="font-size: x-large;">Research in Vasto and Chieti</span></div>
<br />
<div style="text-align: center;">
<span style="font-size: large;"><b><span style="color: blue;"><i><span style="color: blue;"><i>This is a
continuing saga of our research trip to Southern Italy in search of
ancestral data. In this post, w</i></span>e get outstanding assistance
from a town official in Vasto, and once again are received as "royalty"
in an Archivio di Stato; this time in Chieti.</i></span></b></span><br />
<span style="font-size: large;"><b><span style="color: blue;"><i>This is our 10th post. </i></span></b> </span></div>
<br />
<span style="font-size: large;">This
morning we woke up to face a day with a very ambitious schedule. We
had plans to drive 20 miles south to the village of Vasto and look for
records in the Ufficio di Anagrafe. Then we were going to drive 40
miles north to the Archivio di Stato in the city of Chieti. We would
return to our B&B that evening. We finalized our plans over a very
good breakfast.</span><br />
<br />
<table align="center" cellpadding="0" cellspacing="0" class="tr-caption-container" style="float: left; margin-right: 1em; text-align: left;"><tbody>
<tr><td style="text-align: center;"><a href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEhOI0xKp7h5asapASBrBvjTgPxiYBYBVgV4e6a7dkuwSFOnq2B_G9m-6ZgP1qrnXOUTb9aibeQRUsNx6a_oJjc_7iaCm_tV8WBRKESaITXSp2gWPZqHbd_99S33x5dO4MrIUyCOl_r7tik/s1600/aa1.jpg" style="margin-left: auto; margin-right: auto;"><img border="0" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEhOI0xKp7h5asapASBrBvjTgPxiYBYBVgV4e6a7dkuwSFOnq2B_G9m-6ZgP1qrnXOUTb9aibeQRUsNx6a_oJjc_7iaCm_tV8WBRKESaITXSp2gWPZqHbd_99S33x5dO4MrIUyCOl_r7tik/s1600/aa1.jpg" height="213" width="320" /></a></td></tr>
<tr><td class="tr-caption" style="text-align: center;"><span style="font-size: small;">Ummm! Italian Blood Orange Juice</span></td></tr>
</tbody></table>
<br />
<br />
<span style="font-size: large;">The drive south
was scenic and uneventful. The village, on the Adriatic, was very busy with traffic but we found our
way to the city hall and we found a parking garage to rest the car. We
entered the Anagrafe office and found a very long line. We waited for
about forty minutes and eventually we got to speak with the official.
We told him we would like to see records of the Decristofaro family. We
showed him our family tree. </span><br />
<br />
<span style="font-size: large;">With one eye on the long line behind us, the clerk asked if we would mind coming back at noon. He said he could help us then. </span><br />
<br />
<table cellpadding="0" cellspacing="0" class="tr-caption-container" style="float: right; margin-left: 1em; text-align: right;"><tbody>
<tr><td style="text-align: center;"><a href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEi8vO2lVQuj1xCy2DQ6OwR-LGdBkYydp8Bp4I38jmlbt-aMjWfsl_emKFSB1fKD5zNhFtB6aDQQ4NyzqX1amKV6NUJuZXXLjSv9sm52eIMiwt5T2SX5EEiCRoA3EdQnvaEkeQlwQ1-hLlI/s1600/aa9.jpg" style="clear: right; margin-bottom: 1em; margin-left: auto; margin-right: auto;"><img border="0" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEi8vO2lVQuj1xCy2DQ6OwR-LGdBkYydp8Bp4I38jmlbt-aMjWfsl_emKFSB1fKD5zNhFtB6aDQQ4NyzqX1amKV6NUJuZXXLjSv9sm52eIMiwt5T2SX5EEiCRoA3EdQnvaEkeQlwQ1-hLlI/s1600/aa9.jpg" height="213" width="320" /></a></td></tr>
<tr><td class="tr-caption" style="text-align: center;"><span style="font-size: small;">Old Vasto</span></td></tr>
</tbody></table>
<br />
<span style="font-size: large;">Somewhat skeptical about
the clerk, we said we would be back. Then we set out for our next goal,
locating our ancestral church, San Giuseppe. With the help of a
passerby, we discovered that the church was within a few yards. We were
in the old part of town, and all the old buildings around us made a
stark contrast with the modern city hall and the busy city street just behind us.</span><br />
<br />
<span style="font-size: large;">We approached the church and found the door open. There was a cleaning crew there, and they allowed us in to look around.</span><br />
<br />
<table cellpadding="0" cellspacing="0" class="tr-caption-container" style="float: left; margin-right: 1em; text-align: left;"><tbody>
<tr><td style="text-align: center;"><a href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEghtgYfMdfLQW4M2dW0-ePVpGoDru3mCGeZRPzvFEYT-ncBI3NiaQmryVF1bV0DCcTXCom143aKJBwxUwB13aQKCCZ52k1unwcrEHvZvV4IFzf7cwtcJ7RG3lJJvgtueZ1V1hstT_Z8VTg/s1600/aa2.jpg" style="clear: left; margin-bottom: 1em; margin-left: auto; margin-right: auto;"><img border="0" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEghtgYfMdfLQW4M2dW0-ePVpGoDru3mCGeZRPzvFEYT-ncBI3NiaQmryVF1bV0DCcTXCom143aKJBwxUwB13aQKCCZ52k1unwcrEHvZvV4IFzf7cwtcJ7RG3lJJvgtueZ1V1hstT_Z8VTg/s1600/aa2.jpg" height="213" width="320" /></a></td></tr>
<tr><td class="tr-caption" style="text-align: center;"><span style="font-size: small;">Chiesa di San Giuseppe</span></td></tr>
</tbody></table>
<span style="font-size: large;">After viewing the church, we decided
to try to find strada San Francesco Di Assisi. This was an address on
some of the documents I had previously found. I took a seat on a bench
with some fine young gentlemen and managed to get directions to the
street.</span><br />
<br />
<table cellpadding="0" cellspacing="0" class="tr-caption-container" style="float: right; margin-left: 1em; text-align: right;"><tbody>
<tr><td style="text-align: center;"><a href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEiUZTWDWPnH7N9S0ASvnDCvYoSMkF7Cg7LoaFKZZaT42ie_eCSFW3t2oft_6xSA-Xv4K_NH22qjxuRFOc7-KIlTsFD2fr0LlfhQmuKjW-rqgqc7rzlnfG5pBhdnezPzfpCEf4T2FdTkrFQ/s1600/aa3.jpg" style="clear: right; margin-bottom: 1em; margin-left: auto; margin-right: auto;"><img border="0" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEiUZTWDWPnH7N9S0ASvnDCvYoSMkF7Cg7LoaFKZZaT42ie_eCSFW3t2oft_6xSA-Xv4K_NH22qjxuRFOc7-KIlTsFD2fr0LlfhQmuKjW-rqgqc7rzlnfG5pBhdnezPzfpCEf4T2FdTkrFQ/s1600/aa3.jpg" height="213" width="320" /></a></td></tr>
<tr><td class="tr-caption" style="text-align: center;"><span style="font-size: small;">Can you pick out the "Americani"?</span></td></tr>
</tbody></table>
<span style="font-size: large;">We took in the sights, visited the
street, and found another church, the chiesa di San Francesco Di
Assisi. This church was also open and quite a sight to behold. While I
was there I found a family name, Trivelli, imprinted on one of the
pews. Oh how I wished I had time to look this particular family up.
Perhaps this will give me a reason to come back.</span><br />
<br />
<br />
<table cellpadding="0" cellspacing="0" class="tr-caption-container" style="float: left; margin-right: 1em; text-align: left;"><tbody>
<tr><td style="text-align: center;"><a href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEgEZO1oqJI1XGGBXHfD9SXmGkZoFkxlNHvsqCeg58S45a_eW1v__77BW122lSKd0BA8znoXZYL6qJQQ9StcwzrRJe12uiZfObDK0KEI8Je5R1J3O-xoSQZJ5zd7JpXRtjHWaLWb7HvwFU0/s1600/aa4.jpg" style="clear: left; margin-bottom: 1em; margin-left: auto; margin-right: auto;"><img border="0" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEgEZO1oqJI1XGGBXHfD9SXmGkZoFkxlNHvsqCeg58S45a_eW1v__77BW122lSKd0BA8znoXZYL6qJQQ9StcwzrRJe12uiZfObDK0KEI8Je5R1J3O-xoSQZJ5zd7JpXRtjHWaLWb7HvwFU0/s1600/aa4.jpg" height="213" width="320" /></a></td></tr>
<tr><td class="tr-caption" style="text-align: center;"><span style="font-size: small;">Chiesa di San Francesco Di Assisi</span></td></tr>
</tbody></table>
<span style="font-size: large;">After this, it was time to return to
the Anagrafe Office. I must admit, I was not expecting to find any
useful information from the clerk there. Although we had shown him a
picture of our family tree, we thought his mind was more on the long
line of people waiting for service. To make matters worse, my grandmother's name,
Decristofaro, was akin to the name Smith in the US. </span><br />
<br />
<span style="font-size: large;">Well, were we in for a big surprise!</span><br />
<br />
<table cellpadding="0" cellspacing="0" class="tr-caption-container" style="float: right; margin-left: 1em; text-align: right;"><tbody>
<tr><td style="text-align: center;"><a href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEjoQd4S4Ql3tHeHNi_f29WkImX6W0ouo7vMabRFImvWUMn4DlnM7vfYg-v71hoPPBmsS7-thZ33TryS0U96-TVxvkKvy7HVhX3ElPtmHn9xTgx7K2OnNlKn8uXcVcRkA8mfbo2Sq4IEby8/s1600/aa5.jpg" style="clear: right; margin-bottom: 1em; margin-left: auto; margin-right: auto;"><img border="0" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEjoQd4S4Ql3tHeHNi_f29WkImX6W0ouo7vMabRFImvWUMn4DlnM7vfYg-v71hoPPBmsS7-thZ33TryS0U96-TVxvkKvy7HVhX3ElPtmHn9xTgx7K2OnNlKn8uXcVcRkA8mfbo2Sq4IEby8/s1600/aa5.jpg" height="320" width="304" /></a></td></tr>
<tr><td class="tr-caption" style="text-align: center;"><span style="font-size: small;">A segment of the Foglio di Famiglia</span></td></tr>
</tbody></table>
<span style="font-size: large;">When we went back to the office, the
clerk took us into a back room and he produced two "family foglios" of
the Decristofaro family. Somehow, out of all the Decristofaros in
Vasto, he had managed to find the exact families of my direct
descendants.</span><br />
<br />
<span style="font-size: large;">The family foglio is
like a census with names of the parents, the children, their birth
dates, their death dates, their occupations, and more. It simply reeks
of valuable data. I couldn't have misjudged this clerk more. He had
the family foglio for my grandfather and my great grandfather. </span><br />
<br />
<span style="font-size: large;">What
a find. I couldn't believe my luck. We took photos of all the
information and thanked the clerk, but he was not interested in
remuneration. Sitting here now, I'm wondering if this clerk knew a lot
more about this particular family. I regret not quizzing him more
thoroughly, but he was, indeed, a very busy clerk, yet, somehow, I
believe he knows a lot more about "my" Decristofaros than I had thought. Even more, I regret not getting his name and email.</span><br />
<br />
<span style="font-size: large;">On
our way out of town, a miracle occurred. All of this time in Italy, we
have been pleased with every aspect of our trip, except the awful
coffee they drink. That problem was alleviated in a small way when Gay
spotted a McDonald's on the road. We each enjoyed a cup of real coffee,
and then it was on to Chieti.</span><br />
<br />
<table cellpadding="0" cellspacing="0" class="tr-caption-container" style="float: left; margin-right: 1em; text-align: left;"><tbody>
<tr><td style="text-align: center;"><a href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEgkCXL-TGeD3uz_HE5a7fQH-WCAEmz48yE2kRysB6SZNT_L0cCyqiEFpLHqPwDR1ODw0NCMfnKbvrvrpjv31uTB8XCSMEPzN4mfPLHAJtqLq6TV8WZ-xA5mvEVPEF6Sr_oGjQ_bawCYx78/s1600/aa6.jpg" style="clear: left; margin-bottom: 1em; margin-left: auto; margin-right: auto;"><img border="0" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEgkCXL-TGeD3uz_HE5a7fQH-WCAEmz48yE2kRysB6SZNT_L0cCyqiEFpLHqPwDR1ODw0NCMfnKbvrvrpjv31uTB8XCSMEPzN4mfPLHAJtqLq6TV8WZ-xA5mvEVPEF6Sr_oGjQ_bawCYx78/s1600/aa6.jpg" height="213" width="320" /></a></td></tr>
<tr><td class="tr-caption" style="text-align: center;"><span style="font-size: small;">Real Coffee</span></td></tr>
</tbody></table>
<span style="font-size: large;"> In Chieti, we made our way through
the busy streets to the Archivio di Stato. There, once again we were
treated as royalty. Here we found several new records and we got a tour
of their impressive facility. They have over 16 kilometers of
bookshelves stored in a temperature controlled environment. </span><br />
<br />
<table cellpadding="0" cellspacing="0" class="tr-caption-container" style="float: right; margin-left: 1em; text-align: right;"><tbody>
<tr><td style="text-align: center;"><a href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEgAcIUU1HrDFY2Uoutv9HENoAbb0VrXLIKCID7Tsi4TfcZFMeXX5b6HdwXdX53YLqesGAOnATlxCdE91sL3d9Ys3X7slCZuf8RCQ2WfaCOyiwBtdXBmJkIs86krP1C1EzcrOTgIiTPOnGY/s1600/aa7.jpg" style="clear: right; margin-bottom: 1em; margin-left: auto; margin-right: auto;"><img border="0" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEgAcIUU1HrDFY2Uoutv9HENoAbb0VrXLIKCID7Tsi4TfcZFMeXX5b6HdwXdX53YLqesGAOnATlxCdE91sL3d9Ys3X7slCZuf8RCQ2WfaCOyiwBtdXBmJkIs86krP1C1EzcrOTgIiTPOnGY/s1600/aa7.jpg" height="213" width="320" /></a></td></tr>
<tr><td class="tr-caption" style="text-align: center;"><span style="font-size: small;">Research at the Chieti Archivio Di Stato</span></td></tr>
</tbody></table>
<span style="font-size: large;"> When we had concluded our business, the staff encouraged us to visit the <u><b>Constantine Barbella Museum of Art</b></u>
in the center of the town, but once again, we were stymied by busy
narrow streets and no available parking. (Mental note to self: we must
learn more about public transportation in Italian cities.)</span><br />
<br />
<table cellpadding="0" cellspacing="0" class="tr-caption-container" style="float: left; margin-right: 1em; text-align: left;"><tbody>
<tr><td style="text-align: center;"><a href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEgt537vBbAumHAJwNprtPSVhg5JbEh9e3cDwnJiayA9LtotGgCpwteojvuax9wjaHp4bVdQldfsheENYpVRK-wpOoknyZI1c5YmmRa-t0_63PU-B3aY5FEuSfDTs9Cf7S1Kyek3tyiepgM/s1600/aa8.jpg" style="clear: left; margin-bottom: 1em; margin-left: auto; margin-right: auto;"><img border="0" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEgt537vBbAumHAJwNprtPSVhg5JbEh9e3cDwnJiayA9LtotGgCpwteojvuax9wjaHp4bVdQldfsheENYpVRK-wpOoknyZI1c5YmmRa-t0_63PU-B3aY5FEuSfDTs9Cf7S1Kyek3tyiepgM/s1600/aa8.jpg" height="213" width="320" /></a></td></tr>
<tr><td class="tr-caption" style="text-align: center;"><span style="font-size: small;">This book will be on my Christmas wish list</span></td></tr>
</tbody></table>
<span style="font-size: large;"> We drove back to our B&B and
enjoyed a wonderful dinner there. Later we relaxed with our hosts and
got to know each other a little better. Bepe took us to the back yard
to show us a spectacular night time show being put on by an army of
Italian fireflies. There were thousands of the creatures and the light
show was marvelous.</span><br />
<span style="font-size: large;"><br /></span>
<span style="font-size: large;">With that, we retired for the evening. Night time
thoughts focused on our final adventure; getting back to Rome for the
flight home.</span><br />
<br />
<span style="font-size: large;"><span>There are many more stories and bits of
information about our trip in our book, "1800 Kilometers in a Fiat 500" available by
clicking the link below. </span></span><br />
<span style="font-size: large;"><br /></span>
<br />
<div style="text-align: center;">
<span style="font-size: large;"><b><i><span style="color: blue;">Next,
and final, post. A visit with old friends in Sulmona, and a hectic
ride to Frascati, for our last B&B (???), Il Paradiso, on the
outskirts of Rome. We reflect on our trip and summarize some of our
findings.</span></i></b></span></div>
<br />nonobarhttp://www.blogger.com/profile/16579439122872114533noreply@blogger.com0tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-2530856377953153924.post-85542757601227755862015-01-02T09:03:00.001-08:002015-01-02T09:03:34.609-08:00<div style="text-align: center;">
<b><span style="font-size: x-large;">More Research in Trani, and off to Chieti</span></b></div>
<br />
<div style="text-align: center;">
<span style="color: blue; font-size: large;"><i><span style="color: blue;"><i>This is a
continuing saga of our research trip to Southern Italy in search of
ancestral data. In this post, w</i></span>e get one more surprise
visitor, say good by to the farm in Palo del Colle, and begin our
journey north to Chieti. First, we stop in the village of Trani for a
little research at their Archivio di Stato</i></span><br />
<span style="color: blue; font-size: large;"><i>This is the 9th installment </i></span></div>
<br />
<br />
<div class="separator" style="clear: both; text-align: center;">
<a href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEj-rlHh3_onl1Ei0yD51EyE0iz6233IFXVMNe296FbPM_63rElRJkSGTV_71yD_orCCWf6HMW18Vptq0sKRnRfzsF0OlCQJ3SVDKuTv0M7tyWv2A0DbOpd0F-wJyTtCqrJ0QkRPdsLzB64/s1600/a0.jpg" style="margin-left: 1em; margin-right: 1em;"><img border="0" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEj-rlHh3_onl1Ei0yD51EyE0iz6233IFXVMNe296FbPM_63rElRJkSGTV_71yD_orCCWf6HMW18Vptq0sKRnRfzsF0OlCQJ3SVDKuTv0M7tyWv2A0DbOpd0F-wJyTtCqrJ0QkRPdsLzB64/s1600/a0.jpg" height="213" width="320" /></a></div>
<br />
<br />
<span style="font-size: large;">Oh
no! Not again! Yesterday we walked at least 1000 miles through the
streets of Bitonto and Bari. We're dead tired and there goes that
blasted donkey again, at 5:00 AM. Couldn't he let us sleep in just one
day? But just look at him. How could you possibly be angry at a face
like that? </span><br />
<span style="font-size: large;"><br /></span>
<span style="font-size: large;">We got up and washed and immediately began fretting about
how we were going to get back to civilization from the farm. There
were not enough uneaten breadcrumbs to mark the path to the town. The
GPS had not a clue as to where we were. Oh bother!</span><br />
<a href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEiNO011xcoRx3q9yC-n57oNLl91jeDPop0QKI5VLHH9OYKrG9lci3C2fo_gFE11fzmiBAPhLTomY19rg9vOjBhOf4zgD0vyPRgk64wh1N96j9iY-5MXaZn7o5aUPP-9WpE8zKQ6NS24Kcs/s1600/a1.jpg" style="clear: right; float: right; margin-bottom: 1em; margin-left: 1em;"><img border="0" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEiNO011xcoRx3q9yC-n57oNLl91jeDPop0QKI5VLHH9OYKrG9lci3C2fo_gFE11fzmiBAPhLTomY19rg9vOjBhOf4zgD0vyPRgk64wh1N96j9iY-5MXaZn7o5aUPP-9WpE8zKQ6NS24Kcs/s1600/a1.jpg" height="213" width="320" /></a><span style="font-size: large;"><br /></span>
<span style="font-size: large;">Down to breakfast for one last time and again we feasted on the fresh eggs from the farm.</span><br />
<br />
<span style="font-size: large;">We
were mentally plotting our departure in the lobby when unannounced, in walks
Domenico Tricarico, our guide from yesterday. Domenico must have seen the glazed look in my eyes as he was
drawing his "exit" map and trying to explain to us how to get on the road to Trani, the night before. He decided to come and
personally lead us out to a main road and show us the highway to Trani.
And so, we bid farewell to Marie and her husband, got in the car, and
began to follow Domenico through the back country roads, to a fairly
major highway. There, we said farewell and we were off to Trani.</span><br />
<br />
<table align="center" cellpadding="0" cellspacing="0" class="tr-caption-container" style="float: left; margin-right: 1em; text-align: left;"><tbody>
<tr><td style="text-align: center;"><a href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEj3bkkfvDL_pc0XDGtArL7tt3I0Nzes2YH_QqYcwe4yf5oT69ns3OlMDKCVfa1o2_OovTj5mLSNXwmWTrsSJzC0NMYu_09RGDXYY7rlSIOWjLjG5MKPGxLtqzJcq7sVCxYmxrB5ajkPTWc/s1600/a7.jpg" style="margin-left: auto; margin-right: auto;"><img border="0" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEj3bkkfvDL_pc0XDGtArL7tt3I0Nzes2YH_QqYcwe4yf5oT69ns3OlMDKCVfa1o2_OovTj5mLSNXwmWTrsSJzC0NMYu_09RGDXYY7rlSIOWjLjG5MKPGxLtqzJcq7sVCxYmxrB5ajkPTWc/s1600/a7.jpg" height="213" width="320" /></a></td></tr>
<tr><td class="tr-caption" style="text-align: center;"><span style="font-size: small;">An angel shows us the way to our next stop</span></td></tr>
</tbody></table>
<span style="font-size: large;"> You should understand that the
Archivio di Stato for the province of Bari is in the city of Bari.
However, they have a branch archive in the small commune of Trani, some
20 miles north of Bari. The records for Palo del Colle are kept in
Trani. Since we missed our opportunity to go to the Ufficio Di Anagrafe
in Palo del Colle, we wanted to spend some time in Trani before we made
our way to our next destination near the commune of Vasto.</span><br />
<span style="font-size: large;"><br /></span>
<span style="font-size: large;">Trani is an amazingly clean looking commune right on the
coast of the Adriatic. The incredibly blue sky made the whiteness of
the buildings seem even whiter.</span><br />
<br />
<table align="center" cellpadding="0" cellspacing="0" class="tr-caption-container" style="float: right; margin-left: 1em; text-align: right;"><tbody>
<tr><td style="text-align: center;"><a href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEgdBhB7FWUMfR0YPkfmD4iw-4ZAuePa6X9n9nmGlUBPK6CSP3yGmELA6gEDa2Ny7YrJ5d-6fs7XwgY-lJKB1P3ili2JjRDIV0DDIP2vTBUs_isDptVqoN12OHuAh3VfqeV2fw-hF3Z7wog/s1600/a12.jpg" style="margin-left: auto; margin-right: auto;"><img border="0" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEgdBhB7FWUMfR0YPkfmD4iw-4ZAuePa6X9n9nmGlUBPK6CSP3yGmELA6gEDa2Ny7YrJ5d-6fs7XwgY-lJKB1P3ili2JjRDIV0DDIP2vTBUs_isDptVqoN12OHuAh3VfqeV2fw-hF3Z7wog/s1600/a12.jpg" height="213" width="320" /></a></td></tr>
<tr><td class="tr-caption" style="text-align: center;"><span style="font-size: small;">A church in Trani with a bright blue sky background</span></td></tr>
</tbody></table>
<span style="font-size: large;"> We parked in a small piazza and
walked a short distance to the Archivio. There we were greeted, almost
like royalty. You develop a distinct impression that the clerks here
don't see too many "Americani" searching for "dead people".</span><br />
<br />
<br />
<table cellpadding="0" cellspacing="0" class="tr-caption-container" style="float: left; text-align: left;"><tbody>
<tr><td style="text-align: center;"><a href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEj-0i4X3_ogbKf7g6f15Rp4JD6h4pfgZsKLj6IyKYXo8VlRF_0A9aUI0TszH9CFCsZw-l1yy435c1_XIKQL4THvtX3fW3XiKEI6tlWCj4clEraXI8Y43AE1HssQgoLH9BqvfYo6NLwoxus/s1600/a14.jpg" style="clear: left; margin-bottom: 1em; margin-left: auto; margin-right: auto;"><img border="0" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEj-0i4X3_ogbKf7g6f15Rp4JD6h4pfgZsKLj6IyKYXo8VlRF_0A9aUI0TszH9CFCsZw-l1yy435c1_XIKQL4THvtX3fW3XiKEI6tlWCj4clEraXI8Y43AE1HssQgoLH9BqvfYo6NLwoxus/s1600/a14.jpg" height="213" width="320" /></a></td></tr>
<tr><td class="tr-caption" style="text-align: center;"><span style="font-size: small;">Lots of help at the Archivio di Stato</span></td></tr>
</tbody></table>
<span style="font-size: large;">We spent several hours in Trani, and
photographed a few more interesting documents. If it weren't for the
fact that most of the Palo records are available on line, we might have
stayed longer. </span><br />
<br />
<br />
<br />
<table cellpadding="0" cellspacing="0" class="tr-caption-container" style="float: right; text-align: right;"><tbody>
<tr><td style="text-align: center;"><a href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEiFFZ9FfRG4v52voS67SwQKMVQ0tQYyst74cMX_bt7gXoCp1MVKeHbb-XWlmAbxN4S8oVTog10qNoaZAh8hi4fOZLPlx03_XxRIy9jRHjIJ72frIPyNb7MbA3-HkPpxbtGef7Wi24l3BEc/s1600/a13.jpg" style="margin-left: auto; margin-right: auto;"><img border="0" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEiFFZ9FfRG4v52voS67SwQKMVQ0tQYyst74cMX_bt7gXoCp1MVKeHbb-XWlmAbxN4S8oVTog10qNoaZAh8hi4fOZLPlx03_XxRIy9jRHjIJ72frIPyNb7MbA3-HkPpxbtGef7Wi24l3BEc/s1600/a13.jpg" height="213" width="320" /></a></td></tr>
<tr><td class="tr-caption" style="text-align: center;"><span style="font-size: small;">Archivio di Stato, Bari - Sessione Trani</span></td></tr>
</tbody></table>
<br />
<span style="font-size: large;">We said arivederci and
began our trip north to the commune of Rocco San Giovanni. This is a
village on the Adriatic coast which lies almost halfway between Vasto
and Chieti, two important destinations for our research activities. Vasto is the home of my paternal grandmother. </span><br />
<br />
<br />
<span style="font-size: large;">The
ride was scenic, but otherwise uneventful. We stopped at an Auto Grill
for some lunch. When we got to our destination (close to the village
of Lanciano) our GPS ordered us to ascend a very steep and very narrow
road. We were having apoplexy as it seemed we were driving straight up,
at a 90 degree angle. Eventually, we stumbled upon our hidden B&B,
and what a magnificent surprise. </span><br />
<br />
<a href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEgpyWgYrAK4Cv2y7nYH-fW8Vlhbpryil_uFg8yj58A6W1J1EatGITI7pE_iNE8FuW1yOPhu8qI3hDcoXhjoq1X6AAaQPg7YmNywa8SEMW6JBVCCHg8BF310E7W6ssg-L0NFCkUYrV6eig8/s1600/a10.jpg" style="clear: left; float: left; margin-bottom: 1em; margin-right: 1em;"><img border="0" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEgpyWgYrAK4Cv2y7nYH-fW8Vlhbpryil_uFg8yj58A6W1J1EatGITI7pE_iNE8FuW1yOPhu8qI3hDcoXhjoq1X6AAaQPg7YmNywa8SEMW6JBVCCHg8BF310E7W6ssg-L0NFCkUYrV6eig8/s1600/a10.jpg" height="213" width="320" /></a><span style="font-size: large;">Rifugiomare
is a B&B high up on a mountainside, overlooking the Adriatic Sea.
The view was simply amazing. The building was constructed on two
levels. The main house and the lounging area were on the upper level.
The rooms were on the lower level, underneath a grassy patio area. From
both levels there was a breathtaking view of the sea, and it seemed so
close that it felt like you could touch the water.</span><br />
<br />
<br />
<table cellpadding="0" cellspacing="0" class="tr-caption-container" style="float: right; margin-left: 1em; text-align: right;"><tbody>
<tr><td style="text-align: center;"><a href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEhH4p3TVAnbl0CPPqSU1PKCf4rFKaeAhSqO7dn30LssJySbRo8rhUHe6ylhCqxylnV8k2WduXHeqefnfK_rfokw_8NY-ycBCcZqvFK-ZqI7kE_in3afcblELqgf4Rds9_mJbh9TWHE8ohM/s1600/a11.jpg" style="clear: right; margin-bottom: 1em; margin-left: auto; margin-right: auto;"><img border="0" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEhH4p3TVAnbl0CPPqSU1PKCf4rFKaeAhSqO7dn30LssJySbRo8rhUHe6ylhCqxylnV8k2WduXHeqefnfK_rfokw_8NY-ycBCcZqvFK-ZqI7kE_in3afcblELqgf4Rds9_mJbh9TWHE8ohM/s1600/a11.jpg" height="213" width="320" /></a></td></tr>
<tr><td class="tr-caption" style="text-align: center;"><span style="font-size: small;">The Rifugiomare Lounge</span></td></tr>
</tbody></table>
<span style="font-size: large;">
</span><span style="font-size: large;">We settled into our very spacious and very
comfortable room (with a walk in shower). We climbed to the upper level
and sat down in the lounge to catch up on our emails and other internet
activities. Our hostess, Brunetta, brought us some (American coffee)
and introduced us to Wine Cookies. </span><br />
<br />
<table cellpadding="0" cellspacing="0" class="tr-caption-container" style="float: left; text-align: left;"><tbody>
<tr><td style="text-align: center;"><a href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEij_0tiYnc8qDCVe4QYcSs_BIZFxTqTkClfXlV3htrNECn7ZYtRfbdQ1MyIkI3X2CRSqOLGZ60DUxQTwINGDfZuZqj10-kTPsQOx2z6ZdViadvNiRHfwZEv9II2uXQ2XQO1IwpVAbKh85g/s1600/a8.jpg" style="margin-left: auto; margin-right: auto;"><img border="0" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEij_0tiYnc8qDCVe4QYcSs_BIZFxTqTkClfXlV3htrNECn7ZYtRfbdQ1MyIkI3X2CRSqOLGZ60DUxQTwINGDfZuZqj10-kTPsQOx2z6ZdViadvNiRHfwZEv9II2uXQ2XQO1IwpVAbKh85g/s1600/a8.jpg" height="213" width="320" /></a></td></tr>
<tr><td class="tr-caption" style="text-align: center;"><span style="font-size: small;">Fish - Adriatic Style</span></td></tr>
</tbody></table>
<span style="font-size: large;">We did some planning for our next day
and then went down the mountain to a seaside restaurant. We had pasta
and fish. Eating fish from the Adriatic, Italian style was a new
experience for us. It was hard work breaking all those shells, but the
food was delicious.</span><br />
<br />
<br />
<br />
<table cellpadding="0" cellspacing="0" class="tr-caption-container" style="float: right; text-align: right;"><tbody>
<tr><td style="text-align: center;"><a href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEiE9-pyLaBCsPuqNGaiJP4Qu4mbIpls1f05G-UQzxXPf1ZikLHhP0TxYwgx0u4ch1kGGWMPlXRBKPseFxCplHeSs92zAOyZ4gYMe7joIxI_rCXdxdD9OV4wqq6bZmQt7EUxI8UmqxyzNpw/s1600/a9.jpg" style="margin-left: auto; margin-right: auto;"><img border="0" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEiE9-pyLaBCsPuqNGaiJP4Qu4mbIpls1f05G-UQzxXPf1ZikLHhP0TxYwgx0u4ch1kGGWMPlXRBKPseFxCplHeSs92zAOyZ4gYMe7joIxI_rCXdxdD9OV4wqq6bZmQt7EUxI8UmqxyzNpw/s1600/a9.jpg" height="213" width="320" /></a></td></tr>
<tr><td class="tr-caption" style="text-align: center;"><span style="font-size: small;">Beach in front of the Restaurant</span></td></tr>
</tbody></table>
<span style="font-size: large;">We took a little walk on the beach
after dinner, and then we went back to the B&B. We met Brunetta's
husband, Bepe, and had some coffee and more wine cookies. We capped the
evening with a little limoncello and slept soundly.</span><br />
<br />
<span style="font-size: large;">There are many more stories and bits of information in the book, "1800 Kilometers in a Fiat 500" available by clicking the link below. </span><br />
<br />
<br />
<br />
<br />
<br />
<div style="text-align: center;">
<span style="font-size: large;"><span style="color: blue;"><i>Next Post: More fabulous genealogical finds - A trip to the Vasto Ufficio di Anagrafe and to the Archivio di Stato in Chieti.</i></span></span></div>
<div style="text-align: center;">
<br /></div>
<div style="text-align: center;">
<br /></div>
<div style="text-align: center;">
<span style="font-size: x-large;"><u><b><span style="color: red;">Wine Cookies:</span></b></u></span></div>
<div style="text-align: center;">
<b><span style="color: red;"><span style="font-size: large;">3 Cups of flour</span></span></b></div>
<div style="text-align: center;">
<b><span style="color: red;"><span style="font-size: large;">1 Cup of Sugar</span></span></b></div>
<div style="text-align: center;">
<b><span style="color: red;"><span style="font-size: large;">1 Cup of wine (red or white)</span></span></b></div>
<div style="text-align: center;">
<b><span style="color: red;"><span style="font-size: large;">1 cup of olive oil (maybe a little less)</span></span></b></div>
<div style="text-align: center;">
<b><span style="color: red;"><span style="font-size: large;">1 teaspoon of baking powder</span></span></b></div>
<div style="text-align: center;">
<b><span style="color: red;"><span style="font-size: large;">Mix the ingredients into a pasty dough</span></span></b></div>
<div style="text-align: center;">
<b><span style="color: red;"><span style="font-size: large;">shape into small meatball size balls</span></span></b></div>
<div style="text-align: center;">
<b><span style="color: red;"><span style="font-size: large;">Roll in sugar </span></span></b></div>
<div style="text-align: center;">
<span style="font-size: large;"><span style="color: blue;"><b><span style="color: red;">bake at 375 for 20 minutes</span></b><i> </i></span> </span></div>
nonobarhttp://www.blogger.com/profile/16579439122872114533noreply@blogger.com0tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-2530856377953153924.post-71327307753246271072014-12-27T06:07:00.000-08:002014-12-27T06:07:17.597-08:00<div style="text-align: center;">
<b><span style="font-size: x-large;">Sunday, a tour of Bitonto and Bari</span></b></div>
<br />
<span style="color: blue; font-size: large;"><i>This
is a
continuing saga of our research trip to Southern Italy in search of
ancestral data. This post covers our day in Bitonto and Bari and
describes our first glimpse of the Adriatic Sea. We also get a surprise
visitor. This is the 8th installment.</i></span><br />
<span style="font-size: medium;"><span style="color: blue;"><i><br /></i></span></span>
<span style="font-size: medium;"><span style="color: blue;"><span style="font-size: large;"><span style="color: black;">Despite
a despirate longing to "sleep in", our Donkey alarm clock had us opening
our eyes at 5:00 AM once again. We lay there, listening to the animal
symphony that was "kicked off" by the donkey. Sleeping in? Not today! Perhaps, tomorrow!</span></span></span></span><br />
<br />
<div class="separator" style="clear: both; text-align: center;">
<a href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEgsiGlsOexM5kLyFOX7YFxC3FardBpvHF7R0lydCqf5PVGfiDoVVe75mpOeS0YwLn_DfYJunVBwif8v1yfKrpY6ah7qbdK6LZyyoY_Z_8AbqX5bNDswYY6yON_tu03bj_QcnI6eMFauf0o/s1600/t1.jpg" style="margin-left: 1em; margin-right: 1em;"><img border="0" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEgsiGlsOexM5kLyFOX7YFxC3FardBpvHF7R0lydCqf5PVGfiDoVVe75mpOeS0YwLn_DfYJunVBwif8v1yfKrpY6ah7qbdK6LZyyoY_Z_8AbqX5bNDswYY6yON_tu03bj_QcnI6eMFauf0o/s1600/t1.jpg" height="302" width="320" /></a></div>
<br />
<span style="font-size: medium;"><span style="color: blue;"><span style="font-size: large;"><span style="color: black;">We
got ourselves up and ready for the day. We went for another wonderful
breakfast and decided to take a walk about the property. The farm, Masseria Vero, is
very large and there were a large variety of animals and crops.
Strangely, we had the sense of being in total isolation in the country
while still knowing that just a mile away, there was a small but densely
packed and very busy village.</span></span></span></span><br />
<br />
<div class="separator" style="clear: both; text-align: center;">
<span style="font-size: medium;"><span style="color: blue;"><span style="font-size: large;"><span style="color: black;"><a href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEhka2fclohJ3Avcvj2Gl-HPaSfnWI89bmsMLIM8gTDK8kPVv8N53rK8Cvq8XJhn9rPjYBZea71IQ_vPB2Dm3I-3BXkOkSCngTiAcBahWiKsHOi8jqnaL0IGMvGncmTbrhVlcoLt61Tj5Q8/s1600/t2.jpg" style="margin-left: 1em; margin-right: 1em;"><img border="0" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEhka2fclohJ3Avcvj2Gl-HPaSfnWI89bmsMLIM8gTDK8kPVv8N53rK8Cvq8XJhn9rPjYBZea71IQ_vPB2Dm3I-3BXkOkSCngTiAcBahWiKsHOi8jqnaL0IGMvGncmTbrhVlcoLt61Tj5Q8/s1600/t2.jpg" height="213" width="320" /></a></span></span></span></span></div>
<br />
<span style="font-size: medium;"><span style="color: blue;"><span style="font-size: large;"><span style="color: black;">We
toured this village yesterday and, in stark contrast to the open spaces
about the farm, we noticed that there did not seem to be any yards
attached to any of the homes. A satelite image of the village confirms
this observation. It shows "sardine packed" homes along all the narrow
streets.</span></span></span></span><br />
<br />
<div class="separator" style="clear: both; text-align: center;">
<a href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEg1GS7-Emh3RZJNI8_I9DDNB_lRm151q7MDkdrdltvvko0FYEMpw-v8wvKk75G-8N5sgqWfoNIGKjywu81-UbEkkguKZcyCfgyoS1ai9FwtROCkqBJmGnurhbcfj-2tFI_4MV9PHx4fNU0/s1600/t3.jpg" style="margin-left: 1em; margin-right: 1em;"><img border="0" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEg1GS7-Emh3RZJNI8_I9DDNB_lRm151q7MDkdrdltvvko0FYEMpw-v8wvKk75G-8N5sgqWfoNIGKjywu81-UbEkkguKZcyCfgyoS1ai9FwtROCkqBJmGnurhbcfj-2tFI_4MV9PHx4fNU0/s1600/t3.jpg" height="213" width="320" /></a></div>
<br />
<span style="font-size: medium;"><span style="color: blue;"><span style="font-size: large;"><span style="color: black;"> Here, on the farm, there are palm trees and fig trees and rows and rows of olive trees.</span></span></span></span><br />
<br />
<span style="font-size: medium;"><span style="color: blue;"><span style="font-size: large;"><span style="color: black;">When
we returned to the farm house, we found visitors. Cousin Angela
Lattanzio and her husband had come out to the farm to meet us. What a
pleasant surprise. Vito said he was going to call them, and he did.</span></span></span></span><br />
<br />
<table align="center" cellpadding="0" cellspacing="0" class="tr-caption-container" style="margin-left: auto; margin-right: auto; text-align: center;"><tbody>
<tr><td style="text-align: center;"><a href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEinJuxmbCnMC3hcwmJwJZXdDmf1dGG-7QEF-NdvU8fLdtmnhKrNPCaMFbiodEyZ_BvI7WCattmgxQqCjzIvNLv5ssCmesK6C9ieyKtrLKmhgtPUKmaHV_hAE1g3XRKl_0VkUP5DcjqYcPI/s1600/t4.jpg" style="margin-left: auto; margin-right: auto;"><img border="0" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEinJuxmbCnMC3hcwmJwJZXdDmf1dGG-7QEF-NdvU8fLdtmnhKrNPCaMFbiodEyZ_BvI7WCattmgxQqCjzIvNLv5ssCmesK6C9ieyKtrLKmhgtPUKmaHV_hAE1g3XRKl_0VkUP5DcjqYcPI/s1600/t4.jpg" height="213" width="320" /></a></td></tr>
<tr><td class="tr-caption" style="text-align: center;"><span style="font-size: small;">Two ladies with the DNA of Michele Lattanzi and Sabina Mastrandrea</span></td></tr>
</tbody></table>
<span style="font-size: medium;"><span style="color: blue;"><span style="font-size: large;"><span style="color: black;"> Cousin
Angela was excited to meet us and she brought family pictures with
her. We sat and talked for some time, sharing stories as best we could,
and often, with the help of English speaking Marie. Gay and Angela
have a common bisnonno, Michele Lattanzi.</span></span></span></span><br />
<br />
<span style="font-size: medium;"><span style="color: blue;"><span style="font-size: large;"><span style="color: black;">While
this was going on, in walks Domenico Tricarico, ready to take us to
Bitonto and Bari. This certainly answered the question, "what were we
going to do today?". </span></span></span></span><br />
<span style="font-size: medium;"><span style="color: blue;"><span style="font-size: large;"><span style="color: black;">We
got into Domenico's car and we drove, first to Bitonto, and then to
Bari. Like his father, Domenico is well versed in the history of these
cities, and, as a bonus, speaks a little English.</span></span></span></span><br />
<br />
<span style="font-size: medium;"><span style="color: blue;"><span style="font-size: large;"><span style="color: black;">We
walked through the streets, saw amazing antiquities, and walked some
more, and saw some more, etc. Look at a few of the pictures.</span></span></span></span><br />
<br />
<table align="center" cellpadding="0" cellspacing="0" class="tr-caption-container" style="margin-left: auto; margin-right: auto; text-align: center;"><tbody>
<tr><td style="text-align: center;"><a href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEiYPheiE_N6LusgpWb-kfnwQhS0Rk6WmKpsdk0XWbW15ttRel7NsFhsxz2fx1azUdrgMhGR58lPQq5SytVRkh3AScMAwxxAvW_EAhOirhhyC0LNeas9kKcRom_I0RVGSXr0pQvIgtpLfgo/s1600/t10.jpg" style="margin-left: auto; margin-right: auto;"><img border="0" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEiYPheiE_N6LusgpWb-kfnwQhS0Rk6WmKpsdk0XWbW15ttRel7NsFhsxz2fx1azUdrgMhGR58lPQq5SytVRkh3AScMAwxxAvW_EAhOirhhyC0LNeas9kKcRom_I0RVGSXr0pQvIgtpLfgo/s1600/t10.jpg" height="213" width="320" /></a></td></tr>
<tr><td class="tr-caption" style="text-align: center;"><span style="font-size: small;">This church was built around 1180</span></td><td class="tr-caption" style="text-align: center;"><br /></td><td class="tr-caption" style="text-align: center;"><br /></td></tr>
</tbody></table>
<br />
<table align="center" cellpadding="0" cellspacing="0" class="tr-caption-container" style="margin-left: auto; margin-right: auto; text-align: center;"><tbody>
<tr><td style="text-align: center;"><a href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEh8Mrtbdk8XcZwsFW_FO9OpYW8a0Del2Tbj58De-SBfosOtKBuW4F6-WsFvIPcRmzJDfgS_NBOhHYePeKpScdlOp9pNDAHoFiHorldMWD0uiefuWd76LzXMiGHGNQKFTSVTPmv0grsbNBI/s1600/a1.jpg" style="margin-left: auto; margin-right: auto;"><img border="0" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEh8Mrtbdk8XcZwsFW_FO9OpYW8a0Del2Tbj58De-SBfosOtKBuW4F6-WsFvIPcRmzJDfgS_NBOhHYePeKpScdlOp9pNDAHoFiHorldMWD0uiefuWd76LzXMiGHGNQKFTSVTPmv0grsbNBI/s1600/a1.jpg" height="213" width="320" /></a></td></tr>
<tr><td class="tr-caption" style="text-align: center;"><span style="font-size: small;">This 14th Century Palatial Piazza was <br />designed to collect rain water at this fountain</span></td></tr>
</tbody></table>
<span style="font-size: medium;"><span style="color: blue;"><span style="font-size: large;"><span style="color: black;"> We had a very nice lunch in Bitonto and then we drove on to Bari. Here are more pictures.</span></span></span></span><br />
<table align="center" cellpadding="0" cellspacing="0" class="tr-caption-container" style="margin-left: auto; margin-right: auto; text-align: left;"><tbody>
<tr><td style="text-align: center;"><a href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEj7WZheEL10YBnrt2XMIt-8LoN8KCnl-Fius-GLP8WiocdEiLonE_PXtoY5BEZ-1a8VlbZCui1F5o_qJReXBgzEpklZHWF2HknsZMAjy5COq_ZJkPaZnL3F06fPGKepkTXaY4VBw3HS7fI/s1600/a3.jpg" style="clear: left; margin-bottom: 1em; margin-left: auto; margin-right: auto;"><img border="0" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEj7WZheEL10YBnrt2XMIt-8LoN8KCnl-Fius-GLP8WiocdEiLonE_PXtoY5BEZ-1a8VlbZCui1F5o_qJReXBgzEpklZHWF2HknsZMAjy5COq_ZJkPaZnL3F06fPGKepkTXaY4VBw3HS7fI/s1600/a3.jpg" height="213" width="320" /></a></td></tr>
<tr><td class="tr-caption" style="text-align: center;"><span style="font-size: small;">Gay's great Grandfather, Michele Lattanzi, <br />was a Bari Goldsmith, and lived in this castle.</span></td></tr>
</tbody></table>
<br />
<br />
<table align="center" cellpadding="0" cellspacing="0" class="tr-caption-container" style="margin-left: auto; margin-right: auto; text-align: center;"><tbody>
<tr><td style="text-align: center;"><a href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEgKvHYuAFHnfPprpVx43bmo7vnvPPR8KBSZwJLhe8x-LsGvSyXFIURZetD1bypFfbVU74PQ2EwZgn27bLgGqXsaBam7b0cjxh5SWOkWAerp2c38JjQ2Hj4Ie6o-V8xbztg-siJ9ctBH64Q/s1600/a4.jpg" style="margin-left: auto; margin-right: auto;"><img border="0" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEgKvHYuAFHnfPprpVx43bmo7vnvPPR8KBSZwJLhe8x-LsGvSyXFIURZetD1bypFfbVU74PQ2EwZgn27bLgGqXsaBam7b0cjxh5SWOkWAerp2c38JjQ2Hj4Ie6o-V8xbztg-siJ9ctBH64Q/s1600/a4.jpg" height="213" width="320" /></a></td></tr>
<tr><td class="tr-caption" style="text-align: center;"><span style="font-size: small;">An Ancient Roman road, uncovered during a construction project</span></td></tr>
</tbody></table>
<table align="center" cellpadding="0" cellspacing="0" class="tr-caption-container" style="margin-left: auto; margin-right: auto; text-align: center;"><tbody>
<tr><td style="text-align: center;"><a href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEhcqhy2GC_tk7ck25vfT_7WamtgRO8nhyphenhyphen9ULi2R4XI5VQERf3QJh_HKhkjQDuDPrP11D5-jvo6s6cT2rJzqdCyCV0aPRQTyTxdlIePgDtMkKIJ7J4YCP74zMKPzAddQKLFXAneOQS1aHkQ/s1600/a5.jpg" style="margin-left: auto; margin-right: auto;"><img border="0" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEhcqhy2GC_tk7ck25vfT_7WamtgRO8nhyphenhyphen9ULi2R4XI5VQERf3QJh_HKhkjQDuDPrP11D5-jvo6s6cT2rJzqdCyCV0aPRQTyTxdlIePgDtMkKIJ7J4YCP74zMKPzAddQKLFXAneOQS1aHkQ/s1600/a5.jpg" height="213" width="320" /></a></td></tr>
<tr><td class="tr-caption" style="text-align: center;"><span style="font-size: small;">Our first glimpse of the Adriatic Sea</span></td></tr>
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<span style="font-size: large;">We walked and walked and walked some
more. My feet have still not recovered. This was indeed a full day and
I have posted other pictures on the <a href="https://plus.google.com/photos/104924164039515858249/albums/6024867777795502289?banner=pwa" target="_blank">Web "HERE"</a>.</span><br />
<span style="font-size: large;"><br /></span>
<span style="font-size: large;">We returned to the farm and Domenico stayed for dinner with us.</span><br />
<br />
<br />
<table align="center" cellpadding="0" cellspacing="0" class="tr-caption-container" style="margin-left: auto; margin-right: auto; text-align: center;"><tbody>
<tr><td style="text-align: center;"><a href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEgPc4PCFOiticFVKNntzolydt7eVFEXXDB17ftOqlCejk2KkDP0e1HqNI9o102lR3W5ETDJv99j2MnLimno9fA7-LZfaogNZvsNDOYjSERQUcFiqjIi5yZ-0607Y1MezqkLxXZYL95VuBc/s1600/a6.jpg" style="margin-left: auto; margin-right: auto;"><img border="0" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEgPc4PCFOiticFVKNntzolydt7eVFEXXDB17ftOqlCejk2KkDP0e1HqNI9o102lR3W5ETDJv99j2MnLimno9fA7-LZfaogNZvsNDOYjSERQUcFiqjIi5yZ-0607Y1MezqkLxXZYL95VuBc/s1600/a6.jpg" height="213" width="320" /></a></td></tr>
<tr><td class="tr-caption" style="text-align: center;"><span style="font-size: small;">Another "Masseria Vero" feast</span></td></tr>
</tbody></table>
<span style="font-size: large;">We talked into the late hours and
discussed our plans for the next day. We were going to stop at the
Trani "division" of the Bari Archivio di Stato. If you recall, we had
not driven our FIAT for the last three days. We have been taken
everywhere by the kindness of the people about us; a kindness that we
deeply appreciated and which made this journey more than special to us. </span><br />
<span style="font-size: large;"><br /></span>
<span style="font-size: large;">Tomorrow was going to be a challenge. First, we would
need to find our way off the farm; no easy task in itself. Second, we
would need to find a road north to the village of Trani. I was going to
rely on our Italian GPS, but Domenico drew us a map and explained what
route we should take. </span><br />
<br />
<span style="font-size: large;">We were more than ready for a good night's sleep. Buonnonotte!</span><br />
<br />
<i><span style="color: blue;"><span style="font-size: large;">Next
Post - One more angel, a trip to the Archivio di Stato in Trani for
more research, and the ride to Rocco San Giovanni, near our final stop,
Vasto, Chieti, Abruzzo. There is more information in the book available from Amazon by clicking the link below.</span></span></i><br />
<br />
<br />nonobarhttp://www.blogger.com/profile/16579439122872114533noreply@blogger.com0tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-2530856377953153924.post-19893096433104704352014-12-19T18:59:00.000-08:002014-12-19T18:59:31.839-08:00<div style="text-align: center;">
<b><span style="font-size: x-large;">Saturday</span></b></div>
<div style="text-align: center;">
<b><span style="font-size: x-large;">Time for some tourism</span></b></div>
<br />
<span style="font-size: large;"><span style="color: blue;"><i>This is a continuing saga of our research trip to Southern Italy in search of ancestral data. The next two posts will cover our weekend in Palo Del Colle, a small commune in the Puglia region, near the city of Bari on the Adriatic side of Italy. This is the 7th post.</i></span> </span><span style="font-size: large;"><br /></span><br />
<br />
<table cellpadding="0" cellspacing="0" class="tr-caption-container" style="float: right; margin-left: 1em; text-align: right;"><tbody>
<tr><td style="text-align: center;"><a href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEh1k6hgQANMWpija3zli5k7oFOPx9A2TIkSansbKfaudHleJz2cJ-mgztzClgAh9HuJtLWlcB03PQiXaEsabhbkI7HG8hkRLRNvQo-FTMnLR6JNovpAqvY3qBfL7baHPmv6Afk7RZp_k1w/s1600/t1.jpg" imageanchor="1" style="clear: right; margin-bottom: 1em; margin-left: auto; margin-right: auto;"><img border="0" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEh1k6hgQANMWpija3zli5k7oFOPx9A2TIkSansbKfaudHleJz2cJ-mgztzClgAh9HuJtLWlcB03PQiXaEsabhbkI7HG8hkRLRNvQo-FTMnLR6JNovpAqvY3qBfL7baHPmv6Afk7RZp_k1w/s1600/t1.jpg" height="213" width="320" /></a></td></tr>
<tr><td class="tr-caption" style="font-size: 13px; text-align: center;"><span style="font-size: small;">Our Alarm Clock (Doesn't every farm have one of these?)</span></td><td class="tr-caption" style="font-size: 13px; text-align: center;"><br /></td></tr>
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<span style="font-size: large;">After travelling across Italy, we were exhausted and we collapsed in our farm room and settled into a deep sleep; that is, until about 5:00 AM the next morning. That's the time when the donkey began braying. It was so loud, we thought the donkey was in our room. The donkey actually woke up the rooster and got him going. Soon, the geese joined in on the cacophony. I'm afraid there will be no sleeping in today.</span><br />
<br />
<span style="font-size: large;">Well, we decided that sleep was overrated anyway. This was our day to do some sightseeing, so, after listening to the animal symphony for a few minutes, we dragged ourselves out of bed to begin the day.</span><br />
<br />
<span style="font-size: large;">We found a message on our computer from one of our Palo del Colle Facebook friends, Vito Tricarico. He told us that today, there was a festa in the town. He wanted to know if we would like to attend. Other than Facebook, we don't really know Vito, but we said yes anyway. However, we weren't at all sure how this was going to happen.</span><br />
<br />
<span style="font-size: large;">We decided to freshen up with a shower and then go to breakfast and decide where we were going to go and what we were going to do. Ladies before gentlemen, and, after showering, Gay was about to blow dry her hair when I went to get into the shower. This didn't go so well.</span><br />
<span style="font-size: large;"><br /></span>
<table cellpadding="0" cellspacing="0" class="tr-caption-container" style="float: left; margin-right: 1em;"><tbody>
<tr><td style="text-align: center;"><a href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEh4b_RSgIQ8EDnzaXRkhCgIPfJlRFocoYk87ndKTZJCX6A5JwITOMlyiBBQ1UWrjn0Zqmr8dscvH6SuBZ7OfRPhTByfThQ67RBvgWMQwzqb6izf8NIfJexif8YMagpe012mB_qTG9P0Dbo/s1600/t2.jpg" imageanchor="1" style="clear: left; margin-bottom: 1em; margin-left: auto; margin-right: auto;"><img border="0" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEh4b_RSgIQ8EDnzaXRkhCgIPfJlRFocoYk87ndKTZJCX6A5JwITOMlyiBBQ1UWrjn0Zqmr8dscvH6SuBZ7OfRPhTByfThQ67RBvgWMQwzqb6izf8NIfJexif8YMagpe012mB_qTG9P0Dbo/s1600/t2.jpg" height="320" width="213" /></a></td></tr>
<tr><td class="tr-caption" style="font-size: 13px; text-align: center;"><span style="font-size: small;">And not a drop of water on the floor</span></td></tr>
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<span style="font-size: large;">You see, Italian showers are notoriously small. This was not news to me, and I have adapted to the limited arm room, but this shower posed a special problem. It seems the door did not open all the way, and the width of the shower entrance was unusually tiny. On my first attempt, I simply got stuck in the doorway. I was not getting in this shower without destroying the door.</span><br />
<span style="font-size: large;"><br /></span><span style="font-size: large;">Where there's a will, there's a way. I'm an ex engineer and I put my skills to use. First, I soaped up the edges of the door. Next I enlisted Gay to push. Together, pushing and squeezing, we managed to get my substantial frame into the shower. Getting out was also a challenge, but I was ready for breakfast, and nothing stops me when I'm hungry.</span><br />
<br />
<span style="font-size: large;">Off to breakfast. There was Marie Vero, our hostess, waiting for us. She asked what we would like. After nearly a week of continental breakfasts, we decided that scrambled eggs would be really nice for a change. Marie went out to the chicken coop and brought back some eggs. She served them with croissants and some specially made coffee (Italian coffee with copious hot water added). The breakfast was wonderful.</span><br />
<br />
<span style="font-size: large;">We sat there and started to prepare an agenda for the day. The next thing we know we have a visitor. There, in the dining room, stood Vito Tricarico.</span><br />
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<tr><td><a href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEhSUp5VIPZHXv6kwK9Ia58VFo-CkXq4RlM8SOFBGVrtRqabP7Rhyphenhyphen6qhDrzHdfSDKm21pO3WLGsQULnA2QK2o3GsMmMJHTPoSIV8hHYb7V0pkW-h6_v_DdAqeMeZp4JZ4fSyyiLxNmuyyxI/s1600/t3.jpg" imageanchor="1" style="margin-left: auto; margin-right: auto;"><img border="0" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEhSUp5VIPZHXv6kwK9Ia58VFo-CkXq4RlM8SOFBGVrtRqabP7Rhyphenhyphen6qhDrzHdfSDKm21pO3WLGsQULnA2QK2o3GsMmMJHTPoSIV8hHYb7V0pkW-h6_v_DdAqeMeZp4JZ4fSyyiLxNmuyyxI/s1600/t3.jpg" height="320" width="130" /></a></td></tr>
<tr><td class="tr-caption" style="font-size: 13px;"><span style="font-size: small;">Signor Vito Tricarico - Author, Poet, and amazing human being</span></td></tr>
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<span style="font-size: large;"><br />Vito saw our computer message and had come all the way to the farm to take us to the local festa. Little did we know that we had just put ourselves into the hands of a very fine person. Vito speaks no English, but we managed to introduce each other. He seemed excited to meet us and had a full day planned for our pleasure. The first item of business was to get into his car as he whisked us out of the country and into the central part of the town. </span><br />
<table cellpadding="0" cellspacing="0" class="tr-caption-container" style="float: right; margin-left: 1em; text-align: right;"><tbody>
<tr><td style="text-align: center;"><a href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEgoGRl5qpBxAlKwlkKZXen8pB2XDFMaM-tj00lilL6ZBhgJtjMmNSoL7ExFyQ6shAC8vSn3r5qhPWTdfP4AF_yD0uGXucmmNcMWIVdWUReLjJgJsTKHf6cqsCE5y35Tcck4OVqtUHlYYd0/s1600/t12.jpg" imageanchor="1" style="clear: right; margin-bottom: 1em; margin-left: auto; margin-right: auto;"><img border="0" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEgoGRl5qpBxAlKwlkKZXen8pB2XDFMaM-tj00lilL6ZBhgJtjMmNSoL7ExFyQ6shAC8vSn3r5qhPWTdfP4AF_yD0uGXucmmNcMWIVdWUReLjJgJsTKHf6cqsCE5y35Tcck4OVqtUHlYYd0/s1600/t12.jpg" height="213" width="320" /></a></td></tr>
<tr><td class="tr-caption" style="font-size: 13px; text-align: center;"><span style="font-size: small;">Piazza in Palo Del Colle</span></td></tr>
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<span style="font-size: large;"><br /></span><span style="font-size: large;">Vito drove through some very narrow and crowded streets. I could sense Gay, in the back seat, holding her breath as we drove "Italian Style". We were so happy that he was driving. Eventually, he parked the car in what seemed like the only open parking space in town. It happened to be in front of his house. We went inside and there, we met his lovely wife, Maria and daughter, Anna.</span><br />
<br />
<a href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEjgORT8EwGsGG8QNce7OHkYm8Ti2MNVO3hzccc1BQnAmKxLHrM-0N3CjtXWmzg-GDYioJVd4QA3ISauUXxEhYZDlVaLoW0OrNwfeVjbkeBovHfZx62O9pSEb97ibXdihVWF74jpA6X7qgI/s1600/t14.jpg" imageanchor="1" style="clear: left; float: left; margin-bottom: 1em; margin-right: 1em;"><img border="0" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEjgORT8EwGsGG8QNce7OHkYm8Ti2MNVO3hzccc1BQnAmKxLHrM-0N3CjtXWmzg-GDYioJVd4QA3ISauUXxEhYZDlVaLoW0OrNwfeVjbkeBovHfZx62O9pSEb97ibXdihVWF74jpA6X7qgI/s1600/t14.jpg" height="320" width="213" /></a><span style="font-size: large;">We only stayed long enough to use the bagno, and then Vito whisked us, on foot, up the street to a large Piazza. There was a religious festa today, and it included a parade out to the country. The featured float in this parade was a large cross. The parade was forming in the Piazza and we got to see some of the action. </span><br />
<span style="font-size: large;"><br /></span><span style="font-size: large;">While we were there in the old part of the town, Vito took the trouble to provide some of the history of Palo Del Colle. It seems Vito has done a lot research and has even written <a href="http://www.ibs.it/code/9788890680113/tricarico-vito/erculea-proles.html" target="_blank">a book</a> about the history of the area. He took us through several narrow streets and we visited several churches. Before long, we met up with Vito's son, Domenico. Domenico also is very knowledgeable about the history of Palo Del Colle and he could also speak a little English. Vito went back to his house and left us in the hands of Domenico.</span><br />
<span style="font-size: large;"><br /></span><span style="font-size: large;">After seeing a little more of the town, we returned to the house for a moment before we got into Vito's car with Maria and Anna and drove to the festa. There, we attended the religious service which took place in the middle of a carnival complete with booths for games and food. We sampled a little of the food and mixed with all the people.</span><br />
<br />
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<tr><td><a href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEhvFo5xmOXnSLMPu0XXUfFap6I6QywVzWGTp-uVQC2ngUKG8Vzamq78Pq4oivJAU3oz2DkSi4Oad3tPNryVrI9WDYjLR2j3FsC3Cyhl4Z9kqlS8CW9cECK7id3jJwiUqG0f1Rqj5Bz3344/s1600/t21.jpg" imageanchor="1" style="margin-left: auto; margin-right: auto;"><img border="0" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEhvFo5xmOXnSLMPu0XXUfFap6I6QywVzWGTp-uVQC2ngUKG8Vzamq78Pq4oivJAU3oz2DkSi4Oad3tPNryVrI9WDYjLR2j3FsC3Cyhl4Z9kqlS8CW9cECK7id3jJwiUqG0f1Rqj5Bz3344/s1600/t21.jpg" height="213" width="320" /></a></td></tr>
<tr><td class="tr-caption" style="font-size: 13px;"><span style="font-size: small;">At the "Festa Della Croce"</span></td></tr>
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<div class="separator" style="clear: both; text-align: center;">
<span style="font-size: large;"></span></div>
<br />
<span style="font-size: large;"><br /></span><span style="font-size: large;">We then went back to Vito's house for an afternoon meal. Maria and her daughters served cheeses and salami, pasta, salad, sausages and fruit. There was also that omni present grape juice and we even had a little lemoncello. We concocted a plan to drive to Bari. Vito wanted us to see the city. We would do some sightseeing and visit a church for our weekend mass obligation. </span><br />
<div class="separator" style="clear: both; text-align: center;">
<a href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEhgYcC_bzHA3FwjI9-iaK4G2EJBd8xvbEGWdKDVOREIRtdrDSQ55oAZewa9UlUuS8QnnO07IXMlpVsYwFUT2-nagkNPbbHxuamb8ityUH1d1I9F_Q4kruxWRiaSQe92uRjDIGbO9ISVA60/s1600/t20.jpg" imageanchor="1" style="margin-left: 1em; margin-right: 1em;"><img border="0" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEhgYcC_bzHA3FwjI9-iaK4G2EJBd8xvbEGWdKDVOREIRtdrDSQ55oAZewa9UlUuS8QnnO07IXMlpVsYwFUT2-nagkNPbbHxuamb8ityUH1d1I9F_Q4kruxWRiaSQe92uRjDIGbO9ISVA60/s1600/t20.jpg" height="213" width="320" /></a></div>
<span style="font-size: large;"><br /></span><span style="font-size: large;">Before we were to leave for Bari, Vito took us to the Palo Del Colle cemetery and then took us to some of Gay's ancestral streets, and then, to a number of other sights. We walked and walked and got history lessons galore. It was very clear that we were immersed in history. There is nothing in our own country that is as old as the things Vito was showing us.</span><br />
<br />
<span style="font-size: large;">We came to an ancestral church and noticed that people were arriving for the Saturday evening mass. We decided to attend. Vito went home to get his wife and the four of us celebrated the mass together.</span><br />
<br />
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<tr><td><a href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEhwTRBNZi44qO9lf_qilTbuUBSMDkpUQqHFTzVurkisGGxTvYEKk0pbf2GPBhhnA9GpODH8SQTqttMrjTS2dXL2cd9Jy3j14HIzvXBFg-nWFyM3xCwzvXWT-KnFMF0KJAI1RcSVj5r4ZmM/s1600/t30.jpg" imageanchor="1" style="margin-left: auto; margin-right: auto;"><img border="0" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEhwTRBNZi44qO9lf_qilTbuUBSMDkpUQqHFTzVurkisGGxTvYEKk0pbf2GPBhhnA9GpODH8SQTqttMrjTS2dXL2cd9Jy3j14HIzvXBFg-nWFyM3xCwzvXWT-KnFMF0KJAI1RcSVj5r4ZmM/s1600/t30.jpg" height="213" width="320" /></a></td></tr>
<tr><td class="tr-caption" style="font-size: 13px;"><span style="font-size: small;">Another Magnificent Italian Church</span></td></tr>
</tbody></table>
<br />
<br />
<span style="font-size: large;">We walked back to the house and prepared to return to the farm, but we managed to convince Vito and Maria to come there with us for dinner. With a little arm twisting, they accepted. A little later, Domenico showed up. We sat and chatted for a long time. Vito told us that he was going to contact a friend who was a real cousin to Gay. Domenico asked if, tomorrow, we would like him to show us the commune of Bitonto and the city of Bari. We talked late into the night with the help of the translation efforts of Domenico and Marie Vero.</span><br />
<br />
<table align="center" cellpadding="0" cellspacing="0" class="tr-caption-container" style="margin-left: auto; margin-right: auto; text-align: center;"><tbody>
<tr><td><a href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEi20PPZmbum5Kkp5z7cbsIxpvNZpnL3vfDuHjS3kanJbM4TeorFShaPKoH2Biesswy-VDJF7QxE9ZB5k3zV5UECZTr24SH29uY7tkbRkPZO-HtgEJ9Xz1UW-Fk5p1vVA13q5gzigu-9xGs/s1600/t35.jpg" imageanchor="1" style="margin-left: auto; margin-right: auto;"><img border="0" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEi20PPZmbum5Kkp5z7cbsIxpvNZpnL3vfDuHjS3kanJbM4TeorFShaPKoH2Biesswy-VDJF7QxE9ZB5k3zV5UECZTr24SH29uY7tkbRkPZO-HtgEJ9Xz1UW-Fk5p1vVA13q5gzigu-9xGs/s1600/t35.jpg" height="213" width="320" /></a></td></tr>
<tr><td class="tr-caption" style="font-size: 13px;"><span style="font-size: small;">Ceniamo a Masseria Vero</span></td></tr>
</tbody></table>
<br />
<span style="font-size: large;">This was a very busy day for us. We had seen <a href="https://plus.google.com/photos/104924164039515858249/albums/6022619334994365953" target="_blank">many things in Palo del Colle</a>. We had encountered enormous hospitality. We have made life long friends and we are very tired. Buonanotte.</span><br />
<span style="font-size: large;"><br /></span>
<br />
<div style="text-align: center;">
<span style="font-size: large;"><span style="color: blue;"><span style="background-color: white;"><i>Next Post</i></span></span></span></div>
<div style="text-align: center;">
<span style="font-size: large;"><span style="color: blue;"><span style="background-color: white;"><i>Bitonto, Bari, our first</i></span></span></span></div>
<div style="text-align: center;">
<span style="font-size: large;"><span style="color: blue;"><span style="background-color: white;"><i> look at the Adriatic Sea, and</i></span></span></span></div>
<div style="text-align: center;">
<span style="font-size: large;"><span style="color: blue;"><span style="background-color: white;"><i>a surprise visit from a relative</i></span></span></span></div>
<div style="text-align: center;">
</div>
<table align="center" cellpadding="0" cellspacing="0" class="tr-caption-container" style="margin-left: auto; margin-right: auto; text-align: center;"><tbody>
<tr><td><a href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEgRudRPAS7qfEfZuEFhrL64xVJAN9JGMXddEWaZjzsdwT-o153vuFtvBZoYw2pB-r9LKm7kzEcLnVtZWlDzzdkPUQ38YyL2TQ-eriztty4qlhgfre3kl_zJ5zp8ebbR-S8DggyQS5t-7LA/s1600/t40.jpg" imageanchor="1" style="margin-left: auto; margin-right: auto;"><img border="0" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEgRudRPAS7qfEfZuEFhrL64xVJAN9JGMXddEWaZjzsdwT-o153vuFtvBZoYw2pB-r9LKm7kzEcLnVtZWlDzzdkPUQ38YyL2TQ-eriztty4qlhgfre3kl_zJ5zp8ebbR-S8DggyQS5t-7LA/s1600/t40.jpg" height="213" width="320" /></a></td></tr>
<tr><td class="tr-caption" style="font-size: 13px;">Five Tricaricos and one Barbella</td></tr>
</tbody></table>
<div style="text-align: center;">
</div>
nonobarhttp://www.blogger.com/profile/16579439122872114533noreply@blogger.com0tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-2530856377953153924.post-82144730253474867812014-12-13T07:09:00.000-08:002014-12-13T07:09:02.190-08:00<div class="separator" style="clear: both; text-align: center;">
<a href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEgbWygKK9ZURg_VQyGT7kK28d0nSp4i4IQIQkqCv6H2PQixqcawrK4O2Z4RW6ffYP6naQkGv3eJYTPYQG7eklQkv-BCtf0N7CZZbTQ9mpqM9q9x9sm1rAAVh0ZpCS1pIqFDqx9vRahIas0/s1600/t2.jpg" style="margin-left: 1em; margin-right: 1em;"><br /></a></div>
<div style="text-align: center;">
<b><span style="font-size: large;">On to Palo Del Colle</span></b></div>
<div style="text-align: center;">
<b><span style="font-size: large;">But First, A Few Last Minute Things in Sassano</span></b></div>
<br />
<span style="font-size: medium;"><span style="color: blue;"><i>This
is a
continuing saga of our research trip to Southern Italy in search of
ancestral data. This post covers our journey to Palo Del Colle, a small
commune in the Puglia region, near the city of Bari on the Adriatic
side of Italy. This is the 6th post.</i></span></span> <br />
<br />
<span style="font-size: large;">Today,
our plan includes a long drive across the country to the Adriatic
Side. There lies the small commune of Palo Del Colle, home of the
Tricaricos. It is near the larger city of Bari. It's a Friday, and our
hope is to get there in time to visit the Anagrafe office. Our next two
days, Saturday and Sunday, are going to be sightseeing days.</span><br />
<span style="font-size: large;"><br /></span>
<span style="font-size: large;">Before we go, however, we wanted to clean up a few
details here in Sassano. Today is May 2nd and the government offices
are once again open after Italy's Labor Day holiday. Yesterday we could not visit the Sassano Anagrafe office so
we decided to go back to the town hall and inquire about civil records.
We also wanted to re-visit the town cemetery one more time to look
around and make an inquiry to the caretaker.</span><br />
<br />
<span style="font-size: large;">We had our breakfast and checked out of our hotel. Check out is unusually easy when you are the only hotel patrons. </span><br />
<span style="font-size: large;"><br /></span>
<span style="font-size: large;">We drove to the cemetery and found the caretaker at the
far end. He did not know anything about the name Barbella. Sadly, the
last Barbella was likely removed from this cemetery over 100 years ago.
The caretaker suggested a visit to the town hall to see if a map of
families existed. </span><br />
<span style="font-size: large;"><br /></span>
<br />
<table cellpadding="0" cellspacing="0" class="tr-caption-container" style="float: left; margin-right: 1em; text-align: left;"><tbody>
<tr><td style="text-align: center;"><a href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEh34Gqcg4XFrb4_aeCBBIdt9kWgzbuRplncWEXo4QsAesEGmouPu7BhDnlYfC9tht7Ik1bDI6k25UIKOgZvQlQGiLK6_Ege7h-o7vDn-88KruPDa-t_6d25O3V91egUChipY5dN9JdaYRU/s1600/t1.jpg" style="clear: left; margin-bottom: 1em; margin-left: auto; margin-right: auto;"><img border="0" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEh34Gqcg4XFrb4_aeCBBIdt9kWgzbuRplncWEXo4QsAesEGmouPu7BhDnlYfC9tht7Ik1bDI6k25UIKOgZvQlQGiLK6_Ege7h-o7vDn-88KruPDa-t_6d25O3V91egUChipY5dN9JdaYRU/s1600/t1.jpg" height="213" width="320" /></a></td></tr>
<tr><td class="tr-caption" style="text-align: center;"><span style="font-size: small;">Clerks at the Ufficio di Anagrafe in Sassano</span></td></tr>
</tbody></table>
<span style="font-size: large;">So, off to the town hall we drove.
There in the Anagrafe Office, we did not find a cemetery map, but we
persuaded the very busy clerk to look for some old records for us. He
brought out some books and allowed us to look through them. This was
exciting, and we found some old Barbella records and snapped photos. We
thanked the men and they gave us an email address in case we had future
inquiries. I believe it was their first encounter with anyone
interested in these old records.</span><br />
<table cellpadding="0" cellspacing="0" class="tr-caption-container" style="float: right; margin-left: 1em; text-align: right;"><tbody>
<tr><td style="text-align: center;"><a href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEi2ROuaq4f7xJGVk3Aefsdxs-mgRZc_oqJnupvNsL9XSWN8n3GK2R-Jo29kWyTShVSSNoJ5GJkxS0s40V4jqNyyafnv5g4yv5_8d25h1mCpUDEVOc23_OcCAdPrlMzwLrC_8yZClIbVg84/s1600/t10.jpg" style="clear: right; margin-bottom: 1em; margin-left: auto; margin-right: auto;"><img border="0" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEi2ROuaq4f7xJGVk3Aefsdxs-mgRZc_oqJnupvNsL9XSWN8n3GK2R-Jo29kWyTShVSSNoJ5GJkxS0s40V4jqNyyafnv5g4yv5_8d25h1mCpUDEVOc23_OcCAdPrlMzwLrC_8yZClIbVg84/s1600/t10.jpg" height="213" width="320" /></a></td></tr>
<tr><td class="tr-caption" style="text-align: center;"><span style="font-size: small;">Sassano</span></td></tr>
</tbody></table>
<span style="font-size: large;"><br /></span>
<span style="font-size: large;">It was now almost noon, so we stopped at our favorite
lunch spot and had some wonderful pasta with clams. Then it was off to
Palo del Colle. Farewell Sassano!</span><br />
<span style="font-size: large;"><br /></span>
<span style="font-size: large;"><br /></span>
<span style="font-size: large;">This turned out to be a very long auto ride. Somehow,
our Italian GPS got stuck in a mode to avoid toll roads, and the result
was a ride through some small towns, with some very narrow streets. We
fixed the GPS problem, but that put us on a long detour to a toll road.
Finally, we were on our way to the Adriatic Sea.</span><br />
<br />
<span style="font-size: large;"><br /></span>
<span style="font-size: large;">We drove through some spectacular countryside. The many hills were continually dotted with wind turbines along the way.</span><br />
<br />
<table align="center" cellpadding="0" cellspacing="0" class="tr-caption-container" style="margin-left: auto; margin-right: auto; text-align: center;"><tbody>
<tr><td style="text-align: center;"><a href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEgbWygKK9ZURg_VQyGT7kK28d0nSp4i4IQIQkqCv6H2PQixqcawrK4O2Z4RW6ffYP6naQkGv3eJYTPYQG7eklQkv-BCtf0N7CZZbTQ9mpqM9q9x9sm1rAAVh0ZpCS1pIqFDqx9vRahIas0/s1600/t2.jpg" style="margin-left: auto; margin-right: auto;"><img border="0" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEgbWygKK9ZURg_VQyGT7kK28d0nSp4i4IQIQkqCv6H2PQixqcawrK4O2Z4RW6ffYP6naQkGv3eJYTPYQG7eklQkv-BCtf0N7CZZbTQ9mpqM9q9x9sm1rAAVh0ZpCS1pIqFDqx9vRahIas0/s1600/t2.jpg" height="213" width="320" /></a></td></tr>
<tr><td class="tr-caption" style="text-align: center;"><span style="font-size: small;">Rows and Rows of wind turbines dotted the hillsides</span></td></tr>
</tbody></table>
<table align="center" cellpadding="0" cellspacing="0" class="tr-caption-container" style="margin-left: auto; margin-right: auto; text-align: center;"><tbody>
<tr><td style="text-align: center;"><br /></td></tr>
<tr><td class="tr-caption" style="text-align: center;"><br /></td><td class="tr-caption" style="text-align: center;"><br /></td><td class="tr-caption" style="text-align: center;"><br /></td><td class="tr-caption" style="text-align: center;"><br /></td><td class="tr-caption" style="text-align: center;"><br /></td><td class="tr-caption" style="text-align: center;"><br /></td><td class="tr-caption" style="text-align: center;"><br /></td><td class="tr-caption" style="text-align: center;"><br /></td><td class="tr-caption" style="text-align: center;"><br /></td><td class="tr-caption" style="text-align: center;"><br /></td><td class="tr-caption" style="text-align: center;"><br /></td><td class="tr-caption" style="text-align: center;"><br /></td><td class="tr-caption" style="text-align: center;"><br /></td><td class="tr-caption" style="text-align: center;"><br /></td><td class="tr-caption" style="text-align: center;"><br /></td><td class="tr-caption" style="text-align: center;"><br /></td><td class="tr-caption" style="text-align: center;"><br /></td><td class="tr-caption" style="text-align: center;"><br /></td><td class="tr-caption" style="text-align: center;"><br /></td><td class="tr-caption" style="text-align: center;"><br /></td><td class="tr-caption" style="text-align: center;"><br /></td><td class="tr-caption" style="text-align: center;"><br /></td><td class="tr-caption" style="text-align: center;"><br /></td><td class="tr-caption" style="text-align: center;"><br /></td><td class="tr-caption" style="text-align: center;"><br /></td><td class="tr-caption" style="text-align: center;"><br /></td><td class="tr-caption" style="text-align: center;"><br /></td><td class="tr-caption" style="text-align: center;"><br /></td><td class="tr-caption" style="text-align: center;"><br /></td><td class="tr-caption" style="text-align: center;"><br /></td><td class="tr-caption" style="text-align: center;"><br /></td><td class="tr-caption" style="text-align: center;"><br /></td><td class="tr-caption" style="text-align: center;"><br /></td><td class="tr-caption" style="text-align: center;"><br /></td><td class="tr-caption" style="text-align: center;"><br /></td><td class="tr-caption" style="text-align: center;"><br /></td><td class="tr-caption" style="text-align: center;"><br /></td><td class="tr-caption" style="text-align: center;"><br /></td><td class="tr-caption" style="text-align: center;"><br /></td><td class="tr-caption" style="text-align: center;"><br /></td><td class="tr-caption" style="text-align: center;"><br /></td><td class="tr-caption" style="text-align: center;"><br /></td><td class="tr-caption" style="text-align: center;"><br /></td><td class="tr-caption" style="text-align: center;"><br /></td><td class="tr-caption" style="text-align: center;"><br /></td><td class="tr-caption" style="text-align: center;"><br /></td><td class="tr-caption" style="text-align: center;"><br /></td><td class="tr-caption" style="text-align: center;"><br /></td><td class="tr-caption" style="text-align: center;"><br /></td><td class="tr-caption" style="text-align: center;"><br /></td><td class="tr-caption" style="text-align: center;"><br /></td><td class="tr-caption" style="text-align: center;"><br /></td><td class="tr-caption" style="text-align: center;"><br /></td><td class="tr-caption" style="text-align: center;"><br /></td><td class="tr-caption" style="text-align: center;"><br /></td><td class="tr-caption" style="text-align: center;"><br /></td><td class="tr-caption" style="text-align: center;"><br /></td><td class="tr-caption" style="text-align: center;"><br /></td><td class="tr-caption" style="text-align: center;"><br /></td><td class="tr-caption" style="text-align: center;"><br /></td><td class="tr-caption" style="text-align: center;"><br /></td><td class="tr-caption" style="text-align: center;"><br /></td><td class="tr-caption" style="text-align: center;"><br /></td><td class="tr-caption" style="text-align: center;"><br /></td><td class="tr-caption" style="text-align: center;"><br /></td><td class="tr-caption" style="text-align: center;"><br /></td><td class="tr-caption" style="text-align: center;"><br /></td><td class="tr-caption" style="text-align: center;"><br /></td><td class="tr-caption" style="text-align: center;"><br /></td><td class="tr-caption" style="text-align: center;"><br /></td><td class="tr-caption" style="text-align: center;"><br /></td><td class="tr-caption" style="text-align: center;"><br /></td><td class="tr-caption" style="text-align: center;"><br /></td><td class="tr-caption" style="text-align: center;"><br /></td><td class="tr-caption" style="text-align: center;"><br /></td><td class="tr-caption" style="text-align: center;"><br /></td><td class="tr-caption" style="text-align: center;"><br /></td><td class="tr-caption" style="text-align: center;"><br /></td><td class="tr-caption" style="text-align: center;"><br /></td><td class="tr-caption" style="text-align: center;"><br /></td><td class="tr-caption" style="text-align: center;"><br /></td><td class="tr-caption" style="text-align: center;"><br /></td><td class="tr-caption" style="text-align: center;"><br /></td><td class="tr-caption" style="text-align: center;"><br /></td><td class="tr-caption" style="text-align: center;"><br /></td><td class="tr-caption" style="text-align: center;"><br /></td><td class="tr-caption" style="text-align: center;"><br /></td><td class="tr-caption" style="text-align: center;"><br /></td><td class="tr-caption" style="text-align: center;"><br /></td><td class="tr-caption" style="text-align: center;"><br /></td><td class="tr-caption" style="text-align: center;"><br /></td><td class="tr-caption" style="text-align: center;"><br /></td><td class="tr-caption" style="text-align: center;"><br /></td><td class="tr-caption" style="text-align: center;"><br /></td><td class="tr-caption" style="text-align: center;"><br /></td><td class="tr-caption" style="text-align: center;"><br /></td><td class="tr-caption" style="text-align: center;"><br /></td><td class="tr-caption" style="text-align: center;"><br /></td><td class="tr-caption" style="text-align: center;"><br /></td><td class="tr-caption" style="text-align: center;"><br /></td><td class="tr-caption" style="text-align: center;"><br /></td><td class="tr-caption" style="text-align: center;"><br /></td><td class="tr-caption" style="text-align: center;"><br /></td><td class="tr-caption" style="text-align: center;"><br /></td><td class="tr-caption" style="text-align: center;"><br /></td><td class="tr-caption" style="text-align: center;"><br /></td><td class="tr-caption" style="text-align: center;"><br /></td><td class="tr-caption" style="text-align: center;"><br /></td><td class="tr-caption" style="text-align: center;"><br /></td><td class="tr-caption" style="text-align: center;"><br /></td><td class="tr-caption" style="text-align: center;"><br /></td></tr>
</tbody></table>
<span style="font-size: large;">After what seemed like a whole day of
driving, we approached the village of Palo Del Colle. Now I was
confronted with the day's second GPS challenge. It seems our GPS did
not recognize the address of the farm (agriturismo) we were staying at.
OK, I thought; no problem. I'll just stop in the village and asked for
directions.</span><br />
<table cellpadding="0" cellspacing="0" class="tr-caption-container" style="float: left; margin-right: 1em; text-align: left;"><tbody>
<tr><td style="text-align: center;"><a href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEik9dpfUQiEA5pH9dO6C7mgmrUcOkoF95z2IgyzBlNi-F_-pW5vawK2RmsNeXdR6CIdBcUuuw9fEyu_OJ55-0CfG7XMrZR4awKkugQGk-lEhnm0kg2FXzcAMyhc5HjaUzgK4EzcxlLH2dM/s1600/t11.jpg" style="clear: left; margin-bottom: 1em; margin-left: auto; margin-right: auto;"><img border="0" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEik9dpfUQiEA5pH9dO6C7mgmrUcOkoF95z2IgyzBlNi-F_-pW5vawK2RmsNeXdR6CIdBcUuuw9fEyu_OJ55-0CfG7XMrZR4awKkugQGk-lEhnm0kg2FXzcAMyhc5HjaUzgK4EzcxlLH2dM/s1600/t11.jpg" height="213" width="320" /></a></td></tr>
<tr><td class="tr-caption" style="text-align: center;"><span style="font-size: small;">Beautiful towns along the way</span></td></tr>
</tbody></table>
<span style="font-size: large;"><br /></span>
<span style="font-size: large;">So that is what I did. At the first gas station I was
at, I stepped out of the FIAT and asked a man if he knew where "Masseria
Vero" was. He told me that he did, but that it would be very difficult
to explain. After some discussion, I succeeded in getting him to point
me in the right direction. I went down the road and made the left turn
that he had advised, and I was confronted with another intersection.</span><br />
<span style="font-size: large;"><br /></span>
<span style="font-size: large;">Here, I spotted a woman walking her small dog. I asked
the same question, and to my surprise, I got the same answer. The woman
began giving me one direction after another. I think she sensed I was
having some difficulty understanding her. As she rattled off more
directions in Italian, my eyes grew larger, dimmer, and emptier.
Finally, she realized the futility of the task and simply said,
"aspetti". She picked up her dog, got into a car and motioned me to
follow her.</span><br />
<span style="font-size: large;"><br /></span>
<span style="font-size: large;">After a number of turns, she pointed down a long dirt
road and indicated I would find it there. We began to drive down the
road but soon came to another intersection; this time, three way. I
asked a man if he knew the way to Masseria Vero, and this time, he said
no. I was contemplating which of the three directions I should try
when, all of a sudden, the woman with the dog drove past and motioned us
to follow her. She, somehow, had sensed that we needed more help. She
proceeded to drive us to the gate of our stop. I don't think that in a
thousand years I would have been able to find this place without her help. There must
be a law against putting up directional signs. But, as you shall see,
Masseria Vero was a very good find.</span><br />
<br />
<table cellpadding="0" cellspacing="0" class="tr-caption-container" style="float: right; margin-left: 1em; text-align: right;"><tbody>
<tr><td style="text-align: center;"><a href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEjacw4ELEItjRbi71sODjYC9UirV0X1wJhDvByzzIXN5CGiBUWfoRQsDPAQbgXzpwGQ1_MjJiElP_Bu_4dexWkz6AH2uDe5iBne3f99sv_RQ7_awGedpi0kecM6sb5_7f-sLU8cpb3YH64/s1600/t8.jpg" style="clear: right; margin-bottom: 1em; margin-left: auto; margin-right: auto;"><img border="0" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEjacw4ELEItjRbi71sODjYC9UirV0X1wJhDvByzzIXN5CGiBUWfoRQsDPAQbgXzpwGQ1_MjJiElP_Bu_4dexWkz6AH2uDe5iBne3f99sv_RQ7_awGedpi0kecM6sb5_7f-sLU8cpb3YH64/s1600/t8.jpg" height="213" width="320" /></a></td></tr>
<tr><td class="tr-caption" style="text-align: center;"><span style="font-size: small;">A very comfortable room</span></td></tr>
</tbody></table>
<span style="font-size: large;">It was evening by the time we got to
the farm so there was no chance of getting to the Anagrafe office. This
was not a major setback because many of the Palo records are available on line at
<a href="http://www.antenati.san.beniculturali.it/en/home" target="_blank">Home:Antenati</a>. So we unpacked the Fiat and moved into our clean and comfortable room.</span><br />
<span style="font-size: large;"><br /></span>
<span style="font-size: large;">After settling in, we went down to the dining room for
some dinner. Our host, Maria Vero, brought out course after course of
very nice food.</span><br />
<table align="center" cellpadding="0" cellspacing="0" class="tr-caption-container" style="margin-left: auto; margin-right: auto; text-align: center;"><tbody>
<tr><td style="text-align: center;"><a href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEjQbcjxNvx7XOccQyqZln44poyHBHtmMdSDxWP0rNBJOreCCCEUUKvA86reQ6RxhcL3l7bD0LX7VVyd-KH1r4KXWx5W-qqCSurjjZMwK5Y-60L7HlaWNt3GwyzAClk1iwzNTrtIvpTx7jw/s1600/t7.jpg" style="margin-left: auto; margin-right: auto;"><img border="0" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEjQbcjxNvx7XOccQyqZln44poyHBHtmMdSDxWP0rNBJOreCCCEUUKvA86reQ6RxhcL3l7bD0LX7VVyd-KH1r4KXWx5W-qqCSurjjZMwK5Y-60L7HlaWNt3GwyzAClk1iwzNTrtIvpTx7jw/s1600/t7.jpg" height="213" width="320" /></a></td></tr>
<tr><td class="tr-caption" style="text-align: center;"><span style="font-size: small;">I'm a little confused about what I'm holding</span></td></tr>
</tbody></table>
<span style="font-size: large;">There was antipasto, insalata, nice
olives, bread, cheeses, and, of course, some very nice grape juice. Our
biggest problem was figuring out what to try next. Then Maria brought
out some pasta and meat. We spent a good long time at the table and had
some wonderful conversation. Maria speaks very good English.</span><br />
<br />
<span style="font-size: large;">We
were quite full by the time we retired. We sat there going over
options for the next two days, Saturday and Sunday. This is sightseeing
time and we were considering Altamuro and Matera as prime
possibilities. We went to bed not realizing that some very nice people
were going to come and provide us with good company, good history, and
private guided tours of many local sites.</span><br />
<br />
<div style="text-align: center;">
<span style="color: blue;"><span style="background-color: white;"><i><span style="font-size: large;">Next Post</span></i></span></span></div>
<div style="text-align: center;">
<span style="color: blue;"><span style="background-color: white;"><i><span style="font-size: large;">Our Italian Alarm Clock, </span></i></span></span></div>
<div style="text-align: center;">
<span style="color: blue;"><span style="background-color: white;"><i><span style="font-size: large;">The shower dilemna, and</span></i></span></span></div>
<div style="text-align: center;">
<span style="color: blue;"><span style="background-color: white;"><i><span style="font-size: large;">The Festa Della Croce</span></i></span></span></div>
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<table align="center" cellpadding="0" cellspacing="0" class="tr-caption-container" style="margin-left: auto; margin-right: auto; text-align: center;"><tbody>
<tr><td style="text-align: center;"><a href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEiKwiqiu2Y5YdrrO4UWpuX65yDhxB38xyt1mU_xo8iXwt4i0INwfX5D72ppb0-rT6u4N4WyHO1J67RRXXujnaK8BBlCViowarr6RzDLk-eNCORVPXl21RMZ96URWb1LZMR7QhpFnroNH9c/s1600/t9.jpg" style="margin-left: auto; margin-right: auto;"><img border="0" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEiKwiqiu2Y5YdrrO4UWpuX65yDhxB38xyt1mU_xo8iXwt4i0INwfX5D72ppb0-rT6u4N4WyHO1J67RRXXujnaK8BBlCViowarr6RzDLk-eNCORVPXl21RMZ96URWb1LZMR7QhpFnroNH9c/s1600/t9.jpg" height="213" width="320" /></a></td></tr>
<tr><td class="tr-caption" style="text-align: center;"><span style="font-size: small;">Next time I come when there's water in the pool</span></td></tr>
</tbody></table>
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nonobarhttp://www.blogger.com/profile/16579439122872114533noreply@blogger.com0tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-2530856377953153924.post-52213779747994150552014-12-06T14:32:00.000-08:002014-12-06T14:32:13.507-08:00<div style="text-align: center;">
<b><span style="font-size: x-large;">Last Day in Sassano</span></b></div>
<div style="text-align: center;">
<b><span style="font-size: x-large;">Last Chance to Dance with Don Otello Russo</span></b></div>
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<span style="font-size: large;"><span style="color: blue;"><i>This is a continuing saga of our research trip to Southern Italy in search of ancestral data. This post covers our final full day in the small village of Sassano, south of Salerno. This is the 5th post.</i></span></span><br />
<br />
<span style="font-size: large;">This morning we woke up early and excited. We made an appointment, last night, to meet with the local priest and view old records from his parish archives. This had the potential to be a very fruitful day.</span><br />
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<table cellpadding="0" cellspacing="0" class="tr-caption-container" style="float: right; margin-left: 1em; text-align: right;"><tbody>
<tr><td style="text-align: center;"><a href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEi3E1IceJ1neRqrZ2G4uufKeKTNyaCT86SUjaOdUnljPtOfi_9O26UC00wg0VXsO1lPM6_VssfWhFlPu3YqxJyLy4-_I6KJjNMP1CAalNEzBzR0D-IfRbyUiDMfrkehfRRaI7hN0ArFsMw/s1600/t5.jpg" imageanchor="1" style="clear: right; margin-bottom: 1em; margin-left: auto; margin-right: auto;"><img border="0" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEi3E1IceJ1neRqrZ2G4uufKeKTNyaCT86SUjaOdUnljPtOfi_9O26UC00wg0VXsO1lPM6_VssfWhFlPu3YqxJyLy4-_I6KJjNMP1CAalNEzBzR0D-IfRbyUiDMfrkehfRRaI7hN0ArFsMw/s1600/t5.jpg" height="213" width="320" /></a></td></tr>
<tr><td class="tr-caption" style="font-size: 13px; text-align: center;"><span style="font-size: small;">Anna in the Mother Church of Sassano</span></td></tr>
</tbody></table>
<span style="font-size: large;">We had our free hotel breakfast and then drove, one more time, to the base of the town to begin our climb, on foot, to the upper church. Huffing and puffing, we rounded the last of the labyrinthine streets and found, to our delight, that for the first time in three tries, the church door was open. (They say the third time is the charm, no?) What a relief. Our friend Anna was there and we entered the church together. </span><br />
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<tr><td style="text-align: center;"><a href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEjRSOEfL6NgYiS1yuuu88Too7nyRxLNI2qppWmorrZpHnsM2TakZGe7X8xAbUDfCDpZ7fIh26NYVGJlb8j1TyNz_-_z-_YyMe7GvcOI9lHoS0E7DEECni7_14fjGK5CHg1_0zCSm1JgAUs/s1600/t6.jpg" imageanchor="1" style="clear: left; margin-bottom: 1em; margin-left: auto; margin-right: auto;"><img border="0" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEjRSOEfL6NgYiS1yuuu88Too7nyRxLNI2qppWmorrZpHnsM2TakZGe7X8xAbUDfCDpZ7fIh26NYVGJlb8j1TyNz_-_z-_YyMe7GvcOI9lHoS0E7DEECni7_14fjGK5CHg1_0zCSm1JgAUs/s1600/t6.jpg" height="213" width="320" /></a></td></tr>
<tr><td class="tr-caption" style="font-size: 13px; text-align: center;"><span style="font-size: small;">Gay's new Sassani friends</span></td></tr>
</tbody></table>
<span style="font-size: large;">There were a number of people already there and they were curious about the two "Americani" in their midst. We engaged them in polite conversation. They recognized many of the family female names that we were researching and seemed pleased that we were interested in their town.</span><br />
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<tr><td style="text-align: center;"><a href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEgGeEBKgtncVmUmm1h-g_BeZvjQNQ8O8Uu4ZVK7ZW0uEis05jfjjDcO33Rrw1E0Gff_3INkHut339X-0jpE3ox5KJ0cyaVjaN1NhUhyphenhyphenktAQ_0yrCxX1-3adlir4a-2OphOopiqaZoiOmtc/s1600/t4.jpg" imageanchor="1" style="clear: right; margin-bottom: 1em; margin-left: auto; margin-right: auto;"><img border="0" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEgGeEBKgtncVmUmm1h-g_BeZvjQNQ8O8Uu4ZVK7ZW0uEis05jfjjDcO33Rrw1E0Gff_3INkHut339X-0jpE3ox5KJ0cyaVjaN1NhUhyphenhyphenktAQ_0yrCxX1-3adlir4a-2OphOopiqaZoiOmtc/s1600/t4.jpg" height="213" width="320" /></a></td></tr>
<tr><td class="tr-caption" style="font-size: 13px; text-align: center;"><span style="font-size: small;">Can you see me drooling at the sight of </span><br />
<span style="font-size: small;">those registers up on the bookshelves?</span></td></tr>
</tbody></table>
<span style="font-size: large;">After the mass, we met with pastor, Don Otello, and he took us to his office in the back of the church. His office was a small room with a desk and a floor to ceiling bookshelf. The bookshelf was full of church registers. Most of these books appeared to be very old and very unused.</span><br />
<br />
<span style="font-size: large;">I was excited and I was hoping that Don Otello would simply leave me there with the books, but that was not to be. One of my goals was to catalog exactly what records he has, but that was not to be. I was not going to get too close to that bookshelf this day. Don Otello simply asked me what I would like him to search for.</span><br />
<br />
<span style="font-size: large;">Although I was still reeling with the disappointment that I was not going to get my hands on those books, I was ready for the question. I had an old death record alluding to the birth of my ancestor, Michele Barbella, in the early 1700s. I suggested that perhaps we might find Michele's birth record.</span><br />
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<table cellpadding="0" cellspacing="0" class="tr-caption-container" style="float: left; margin-right: 1em;"><tbody>
<tr><td style="text-align: center;"><a href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEgYe7HPKXB022XxuZwKZ8I6BLhj0Z_4d9ndo5EXZOWbxqM78PUBBPpLut3KKx9jNgpsv1Za6PTlEcbdVorCS3LUV5twfqH5xvW8h22c7eLAeQOMYcIj9UcOIhIO8b-caJKtQse0rrn7q2w/s1600/t7.jpg" imageanchor="1" style="clear: left; margin-bottom: 1em; margin-left: auto; margin-right: auto;"><img border="0" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEgYe7HPKXB022XxuZwKZ8I6BLhj0Z_4d9ndo5EXZOWbxqM78PUBBPpLut3KKx9jNgpsv1Za6PTlEcbdVorCS3LUV5twfqH5xvW8h22c7eLAeQOMYcIj9UcOIhIO8b-caJKtQse0rrn7q2w/s1600/t7.jpg" height="213" width="320" /></a></td></tr>
<tr><td class="tr-caption" style="font-size: 13px; text-align: center;"><span style="font-size: small;">After some time, the Don found the correct books</span></td></tr>
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<span style="font-size: large;">Don Otello got up on a stool and rummaged through the books. Finally he came down with a birth index. He flipped through the pages looking for a "Barbella". He did not find one. I could tell he was not surprised. Don Otello was just a little skeptical because around the early 1900s, the last Barbella had left Sassano and immigrated to America. Today, there is not a single Barbella in town. Don Otello, knowing that, was not expecting to find the name, Barbella, in his registers.</span><br />
<br />
<span style="font-size: large;">I was disappointed, but I switched gears. I asked Don Otello if he could look through the marriage records around 1730. He got back on his stool and rummaged about the books. Finally he came down with another index, and after some time, sure enough, he found the marriage I was looking for. This register recorded the name of the father and mother of the bride which put me back another generation in my research. Eureka! We broke the 17th century barrier.</span><br />
<br />
<span style="font-size: large;">All of this took some time and I could tell that the Don had other duties to perform, so I took ample photos of the record, thanked him profusely (and monetarily) and we left the church, elated. We had new friends, a new awe for the church of my ancestors, a wonderful record (in Latin, no less) and, by this time, we were achieving a certain level of "fame" in this small village.</span><br />
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<tr><td style="text-align: center;"><a href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEjbs7btLITDqX0cSzdrSy4SMxmkgplUvSqgO2mP9poUHO7MCBNm2MiOFjDN21u5fwF9jTvB3PzExarG_GxOVq978w2dtf5wkfc1IYXLntB60eMnE7hu2DcJGyLWh78Ez5FddC_A6zRvV_4/s1600/t3.jpg" imageanchor="1" style="clear: right; margin-bottom: 1em; margin-left: auto; margin-right: auto;"><img border="0" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEjbs7btLITDqX0cSzdrSy4SMxmkgplUvSqgO2mP9poUHO7MCBNm2MiOFjDN21u5fwF9jTvB3PzExarG_GxOVq978w2dtf5wkfc1IYXLntB60eMnE7hu2DcJGyLWh78Ez5FddC_A6zRvV_4/s1600/t3.jpg" height="213" width="320" /></a></td></tr>
<tr><td class="tr-caption" style="font-size: 13px; text-align: center;"><span style="font-size: small;">A wet and slippery descent</span></td></tr>
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<span style="font-size: large;">We inched our way down the slippery cobblestones in a steady rain. Back at the hotel we regrouped and dried out. By now, it was near noon so we went to our favorite lunch spot for some fantastic lasagna.</span><br />
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<table cellpadding="0" cellspacing="0" class="tr-caption-container" style="float: left;"><tbody>
<tr><td style="text-align: center;"><a href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEi1srb6zxHSXhP01CKdHpdruIDVqG-MLMzoNWk7-dWpbiElQpxapah1RYS83cElkCOJ6fhgdKV2wodCyj-U24flbFsquSyy3z4Sa2nGI2D1twDiM-PzX-jLRq0XLM5vPEWRwSVKrQ1TTig/s1600/t9.jpg" imageanchor="1" style="clear: left; margin-bottom: 1em; margin-left: auto; margin-right: auto;"><img border="0" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEi1srb6zxHSXhP01CKdHpdruIDVqG-MLMzoNWk7-dWpbiElQpxapah1RYS83cElkCOJ6fhgdKV2wodCyj-U24flbFsquSyy3z4Sa2nGI2D1twDiM-PzX-jLRq0XLM5vPEWRwSVKrQ1TTig/s1600/t9.jpg" height="213" width="320" /></a></td></tr>
<tr><td class="tr-caption" style="font-size: 13px; text-align: center;"><span style="font-size: small;">Another new friend</span></td></tr>
</tbody></table>
<span style="font-size: large;">After lunch we explored the town and came upon the "Town Hall". It was May 1st, Italian Labor Day, so I was pretty sure that the offices would be closed, but, just to see, I decided to go in and see if there was someone at the Ufficio di Anagrafe. There was not. However I ran into a friendly poliziatto and we had a nice conversation. He made sure I went away with some Sassano maps and literature. When I insisted we take a picture together, he first ran back into the station to get his hat.</span><br />
<span style="font-size: large;"><br /></span>
<span style="font-size: large;">Later that day, we made contact with one of my facebook friends, Oreste Barbella, from the neighboring town of Montesano. We found a coffee shop (bar in Italy) between the two towns and we arranged to meet there. We had a good time and got to know each other a little better.</span><br />
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<tr><td><a href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEhvjPRbDqE_YnfWedJxcsSbsm1Xz_H62sVN3f1cAH2eB4FpLAOVqnGv62jfgSC8dfT0qbD3aaT8lsrAinzJLLVOBJ3y-fplexXOnM3jTGQISFAluOI6G_eKWFyIJLM3kRkIMixX1VxxY04/s1600/t1.jpg" imageanchor="1" style="margin-left: auto; margin-right: auto;"><img border="0" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEhvjPRbDqE_YnfWedJxcsSbsm1Xz_H62sVN3f1cAH2eB4FpLAOVqnGv62jfgSC8dfT0qbD3aaT8lsrAinzJLLVOBJ3y-fplexXOnM3jTGQISFAluOI6G_eKWFyIJLM3kRkIMixX1VxxY04/s1600/t1.jpg" height="213" width="320" /></a></td></tr>
<tr><td class="tr-caption" style="font-size: 13px;"><span style="font-size: small;">Oreste Barbella and (most of) his family</span></td></tr>
</tbody></table>
<span style="font-size: large;">This was our last full day in Sassano, and it was a fruitful one. Tomorrow we will drive across the country to Bari on the Adriatic Sea, but not before we clean up a few Sassano details.</span><br />
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<div style="text-align: center;">
<span style="color: blue;"><i><u><b><span style="font-size: large;">Next post</span></b></u></i></span></div>
<div style="text-align: center;">
<span style="color: blue;"><i><span style="font-size: large;"><u><b>The Ufficio di Anagrafe in Sassano and </b></u></span></i></span></div>
<div style="text-align: center;">
<span style="font-size: large;"><span style="color: blue;"><i><u><b>a long ride across the country to Palo del Colle</b></u></i></span></span></div>
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<a href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEhdsbrK8CLsjgH6T6kALFK_f3zmj1pDEb36oOHLwStNyGmpb96RgmnfpzzLfs6WM_BSVq9-hbFMye7f8GkkWj4cKfENenayKNqj9IK0l9YWlV1nyp5lGs7U084qv_Id98jC2TEUE0bYezs/s1600/t8.jpg" imageanchor="1" style="margin-left: 1em; margin-right: 1em;"><img border="0" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEhdsbrK8CLsjgH6T6kALFK_f3zmj1pDEb36oOHLwStNyGmpb96RgmnfpzzLfs6WM_BSVq9-hbFMye7f8GkkWj4cKfENenayKNqj9IK0l9YWlV1nyp5lGs7U084qv_Id98jC2TEUE0bYezs/s1600/t8.jpg" height="213" width="320" /></a></div>
nonobarhttp://www.blogger.com/profile/16579439122872114533noreply@blogger.com0tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-2530856377953153924.post-31005704360382940802014-11-30T03:55:00.002-08:002014-11-30T03:55:21.991-08:00<div style="text-align: center;">
<span style="color: blue; font-family: Times, 'Times New Roman', serif; font-size: large;">This is a continuing blog about our genealogical journey through southern Italy. It is supplementary stories from our book, "</span><b style="color: blue; font-family: Times, 'Times New Roman', serif; font-size: x-large;">1800 Kilometers in a FIAT 500</b><span style="color: blue; font-family: Times, 'Times New Roman', serif; font-size: large;">", available at Amazon. This is the fourth episode.</span><br />
<b><span style="font-size: x-large;"><br /></span></b>
<b><span style="font-size: x-large;">The hillside commune of Padula, The Museum of Surnames, and another visit to The Church of San Giovanni Evangelista in Sassano</span></b></div>
<span style="font-size: large;"><br /></span><span style="font-size: large;">#ItalianGenealogy</span><br />
<span style="font-size: large;"><br /></span>We<span style="font-size: large;"> continue our quest to discover information of our Italian ancestors in Italy. The game plan for our second day in Sassano was to visit genealogist Michele Cartusciello in the nearby community of Padula, and return to Sassano for the 5:00 PM mass to meet Don Otello Russo and ask him if we could look at his archive of old records.</span><br />
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<table cellpadding="0" cellspacing="0" class="tr-caption-container" style="float: right; margin-left: 1em; text-align: right;"><tbody>
<tr><td style="text-align: center;"><a href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEgpqCiP04fGi0_QDPPj3vfbjg2jPE-JAs-gKhyphenhyphen6akk_dYUhA4GfKjoSvioKo8Nh-0RzkD9XJvKXFCqMbIt5h2N-LrJ6lCp8686wtcAyU30S9Kj7qUAWE_A1W8v6jfL0enjHnoE-P1O1YP8/s1600/t1.jpg" imageanchor="1" style="clear: right; margin-bottom: 1em; margin-left: auto; margin-right: auto;"><img border="0" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEgpqCiP04fGi0_QDPPj3vfbjg2jPE-JAs-gKhyphenhyphen6akk_dYUhA4GfKjoSvioKo8Nh-0RzkD9XJvKXFCqMbIt5h2N-LrJ6lCp8686wtcAyU30S9Kj7qUAWE_A1W8v6jfL0enjHnoE-P1O1YP8/s1600/t1.jpg" height="213" width="320" /></a></td></tr>
<tr><td class="tr-caption" style="font-size: 13px; text-align: center;"><span style="font-size: small;">The Road to the Museo Del Cognome</span></td></tr>
</tbody></table>
<span style="font-size: large;">After breakfast, we got into our Fiat and started the short trip to Padula. Our GPS led us down a very narrow country road which was bad enough, but then it told us to go up the street you see in the illustration.</span> <span style="font-size: large;">We did not like the looks of this narrow thoroughfare, so we drove a little further on the main road. Before long, we came to a breathtaking overlook. We still had about half the mountain to get to the town, but we stopped here to take a look around. We could see for miles. On the left of this picture you can see the Monastery of Saint Lorenzo. Padula is behind us, but in the distance you can see one of the many hill towns that dot this area.</span><br />
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<tr><td style="text-align: center;"><span style="font-size: large;"><a href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEjEAfJtODJJ21TCli5ztdP61GbUZ9bMmgmMvhJa0D2uOdsM2mJsp-cX6BM7PoD9W_4O6m3qSDkK5vpj90n0VBgB-jrvGkxr5ckvQM7iDZw-OQefgE7Op4KewOb_-un9ysQn8084UGJaHTU/s1600/t2.jpg" imageanchor="1" style="clear: left; margin-bottom: 1em; margin-left: auto; margin-right: auto;"><img border="0" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEjEAfJtODJJ21TCli5ztdP61GbUZ9bMmgmMvhJa0D2uOdsM2mJsp-cX6BM7PoD9W_4O6m3qSDkK5vpj90n0VBgB-jrvGkxr5ckvQM7iDZw-OQefgE7Op4KewOb_-un9ysQn8084UGJaHTU/s1600/t2.jpg" height="213" width="320" /></a></span></td></tr>
<tr><td class="tr-caption" style="font-size: 13px; text-align: center;"><span style="font-size: small;">Looking down the mountain from Padula</span></td></tr>
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<span style="font-size: large;">We got back into the Fiat and found our way to a piazza in Padula where parking was available. We stopped to ask some locals if they knew where the Museum was, and we found out it was within walking distance. We were about to undertake the hike when we were approached by a gentleman who was a friend of Michele and he offered to drive us there. So, we got in his car and away we went, </span><br />
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<tr><td style="text-align: center;"><a href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEhoxBKEOuu2sSKn6CbBUFknx9zDJ0kmPZLN7qx8WoiCDMWRQhhI5VnSSm_tQ5eVykxUzw_8cRy3eXOa925HxzZ4NoSV40ciyORLPL2z6f8JAy4-nw6rGgoMZeU7eAW75EzNmbOEAR-CNl0/s1600/t3.jpg" imageanchor="1" style="clear: right; margin-bottom: 1em; margin-left: auto; margin-right: auto;"><img border="0" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEhoxBKEOuu2sSKn6CbBUFknx9zDJ0kmPZLN7qx8WoiCDMWRQhhI5VnSSm_tQ5eVykxUzw_8cRy3eXOa925HxzZ4NoSV40ciyORLPL2z6f8JAy4-nw6rGgoMZeU7eAW75EzNmbOEAR-CNl0/s1600/t3.jpg" height="213" width="320" /></a></td></tr>
<tr><td class="tr-caption" style="font-size: 13px; text-align: center;"><span style="font-size: small;">Hard to believe, but it's not the three musketeers</span></td></tr>
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<span style="font-size: large;">When we arrived, he introduced us to Michele and we exchanged some pleasantries. Then we got down to the business of genealogy. Michele proved himself to be a competent genealogist and he displayed much of the work he had done. His walls are covered with interesting pictures and documents. He also runs a school for youngsters to teach them genealogy; what a unique calling. He had some interesting data on Frank Sinatra, Sylvester Stallone and many other celebrities. We discussed our own search at some length and Michele seemed to believe that we could find genealogical gold in available Notary Records and Catasti (a sort of Italian Census). When we finished, Michele drove us back to the piazza. We wanted to be sure to return to Sassano for that 5:00 pm mass. </span><br />
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<tr><td style="text-align: center;"><a href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEjDMDvEcn5DeZLYwn1n8zdm2-2hPUMM2xghAQDh2GXBfqjp7V9sLtg4Y68cuJ9cla7fFrefVfI08fq7z9rbWzNrPhO-uq3ET6FrKL7ipi12S58c75LvYtUNP9HPCm0pgSY8VcwClwHo8RM/s1600/t4.jpg" imageanchor="1" style="clear: left; margin-bottom: 1em; margin-left: auto; margin-right: auto;"><img border="0" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEjDMDvEcn5DeZLYwn1n8zdm2-2hPUMM2xghAQDh2GXBfqjp7V9sLtg4Y68cuJ9cla7fFrefVfI08fq7z9rbWzNrPhO-uq3ET6FrKL7ipi12S58c75LvYtUNP9HPCm0pgSY8VcwClwHo8RM/s1600/t4.jpg" height="213" width="320" /></a></td></tr>
<tr><td class="tr-caption" style="font-size: 13px; text-align: center;"><span style="font-size: small;">Cimetero di Sassano</span></td></tr>
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<span style="font-size: large;">On the way back, we stumbled upon the Sassano cemetery; what an incredible feeling. You have to understand that, for years now, we have been privately indexing the <a href="https://docs.google.com/document/d/1u8rh2ejfQDn2dftkrzV0LFZ62S_rPjlcJRBOO-DVHj8/edit?pli=1#heading=h.nkyj8q9bsspe" target="_blank">births and deaths in Sassano</a>. Now, suddenly, in front of us, were all the names that we have been indexing, written in marble. This left us with a feeling of "oneness" that we cannot describe. We spent some time walking through the crypts, but then it was time to return to the mother church. </span><br />
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<span style="font-size: large;">We drove to our favorite open space at the bottom Sassano, and once again began the trek up the mountain to the church. We had plenty of time, so we took in some of the sights and met some more people on the way. </span><br />
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<tr><td style="text-align: center;"><a href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEgfE4hECGUxUM4vvCkwtmlhoVHFY36Ebsh38pzj4A44KPFZHmqMeG-rzHEeJZRw4ZKDmVXo7qW1h7PntYIDv6oYtg-xAIzUz4LOE9I2G8jAMOjEXw3VKE34omM6U_3Kav57IyYtwEx4aXQ/s1600/t5.jpg" imageanchor="1" style="margin-left: auto; margin-right: auto;"><img border="0" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEgfE4hECGUxUM4vvCkwtmlhoVHFY36Ebsh38pzj4A44KPFZHmqMeG-rzHEeJZRw4ZKDmVXo7qW1h7PntYIDv6oYtg-xAIzUz4LOE9I2G8jAMOjEXw3VKE34omM6U_3Kav57IyYtwEx4aXQ/s1600/t5.jpg" height="213" width="320" /></a></td></tr>
<tr><td class="tr-caption" style="font-size: 13px; text-align: center;"><span style="font-size: small;">Anna and her father</span></td></tr>
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<span style="font-size: large;">When we reached the top of the mountain, the church was still closed. We were almost forty minutes early. It was raining, and our new friend Anna was there. She invited us to come to her home just a few blocks down. We accepted. She wanted us to get out of the rain and meet her father who was able to speak a little English. We had a nice visit and Anna served some homemade cake. The cake was good, but the companionship was better.</span><br />
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<span style="font-size: large;">We made our way back up the mountain near 5:00 pm and to our dismay, <b>DISASTER</b>, the church was still locked. Oh no! How are we going to see the old records if the church is locked up? Anna made a quick call and found out that the mass this day was in the morning. No mass tonight. Now what?</span><br />
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<tr><td style="text-align: center;"><a href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEjn6dYGXTajBowY9undPR6tQvOtsUNFC2e8DTxKvNoaEkCJbO-q4NWvXl9IIQPid9DzZm6_7MreQTJOgIpK4gbvrhAsj3mMope2GDsJwhzk1Ygp3ocw62FzIJlI55_8SisPfjR47tXcwHU/s1600/t7.jpg" imageanchor="1" style="clear: left; margin-bottom: 1em; margin-left: auto; margin-right: auto;"><img border="0" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEjn6dYGXTajBowY9undPR6tQvOtsUNFC2e8DTxKvNoaEkCJbO-q4NWvXl9IIQPid9DzZm6_7MreQTJOgIpK4gbvrhAsj3mMope2GDsJwhzk1Ygp3ocw62FzIJlI55_8SisPfjR47tXcwHU/s1600/t7.jpg" height="213" width="320" /></a></td></tr>
<tr><td class="tr-caption" style="font-size: 13px; text-align: center;"><span style="font-size: small;">The local gelateria</span></td></tr>
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<span style="font-size: large;">Dejected, we slowly crept down the wet cobblestones of the mountain village, meeting more people on the way. Eventually we made our way back to the hotel and dined on some left over pizza and a bottle of wine. We desperately needed to pick up our sagging spirits so we went out for a little gelato. At the gelateria illustrated, we found a chocolate flavor that tasted like cold creamy fudge.</span><br />
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<span style="font-size: large;">Driving back, we stopped by the rectory once again. I walked towards the door. I could see the local youth playing soccer and I could also see that the priest's garage was empty, but then, a stroke of luck. Don Otello Russo drove into the driveway and I finally got to talk with him. I had already talked with Don Otello on the phone a few weeks ago, so he knew who I was and what I wanted to do. We made a date to meet after the 8:30 AM mass at the church. I ran back to the car, excited, and we slept well that night. </span><br />
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<b><span style="font-size: large;">Next Post</span></b></div>
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<span style="font-size: large;"><b>The most important find of the trip</b></span></div>
<span style="font-size: large;"><br /></span>nonobarhttp://www.blogger.com/profile/16579439122872114533noreply@blogger.com0tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-2530856377953153924.post-63585685417622525262014-11-23T06:55:00.000-08:002014-11-23T06:55:02.860-08:00<div style="text-align: center;">
<span style="color: blue; font-family: Times, 'Times New Roman', serif; font-size: large;">This is a continuing blog about our genealogical journey through southern Italy. It is supplementary stories from our book, "</span><b style="color: blue; font-family: Times, 'Times New Roman', serif; font-size: x-large;">1800 Kilometers in a FIAT 500</b><span style="color: blue; font-family: Times, 'Times New Roman', serif; font-size: large;">", available at Amazon. This is the third episode covering our stay in Sassano.</span><br />
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<b><span style="font-size: x-large;">Driving to Sassano</span></b></div>
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<span style="font-size: large;">It is about a 2 hour drive from Avellino to Sassano, our next stop. The drive is mostly on one of Italy's fine autostradas and even though it is raining, we are enjoying the ride. When I'm not getting beeped at for driving too slow, I'm even able to enjoy some of the spectacular views.</span><br />
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<tr><td style="text-align: center;"><a href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEi9tIo8yBpnWUzkt7ZrmC6UaL0y5T5i1lxlevWOZAknwPqeMgdXQqkX-Caqf65ka70ua35AH4mj8pt2Ljg_Cza_4eM2MKZNnNOawKlEQrZcXV9By5vruNVzitUAEB9LQyRd4qSnrh_b3Qc/s1600/DSCF4196.JPG" imageanchor="1" style="margin-left: auto; margin-right: auto;"><img border="0" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEi9tIo8yBpnWUzkt7ZrmC6UaL0y5T5i1lxlevWOZAknwPqeMgdXQqkX-Caqf65ka70ua35AH4mj8pt2Ljg_Cza_4eM2MKZNnNOawKlEQrZcXV9By5vruNVzitUAEB9LQyRd4qSnrh_b3Qc/s1600/DSCF4196.JPG" height="213" width="320" /></a></td></tr>
<tr><td class="tr-caption" style="font-size: 13px; text-align: center;">Io sono confuso</td></tr>
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<span style="font-size: large;"> The roads become a little narrower when we leave the autostrada, but our GPS is barking Italian commands and we seem to be getting there. This intersection only slowed us down for a second or two.</span><br />
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<span style="font-size: large;">We are headed to Sassano to search for records of the surname, Barbella. My great grandfather was born and married here. We are hoping to meet up with the local priest who has access to the church archives. </span><br />
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<span style="font-size: large;">Eventually, we roll into the small town. We have a reservation, and sure enough, there is our hotel, the Park Hotel Montpellier. It is a little strange to drive into the parking lot and notice that there are no other cars parked here. It is a little stranger to knock on the door and not get a response. This hotel is locked up tight. </span><br />
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<tr><td style="text-align: center;"><a href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEhVtpxLmZbKOKIKhHfhhuTteA_YecDLJIRkhR3ipEZGzmmT51P-WMmMML5PrQanHyhKHtEBOhrjjWxUAKv1ANYvTRd7DRMu6al4TqpKU3lbHvchvm413SHuYl4EijK0iiWZxLYmxSamRiA/s1600/DSCF4254.JPG" imageanchor="1" style="margin-left: auto; margin-right: auto;"><img border="0" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEhVtpxLmZbKOKIKhHfhhuTteA_YecDLJIRkhR3ipEZGzmmT51P-WMmMML5PrQanHyhKHtEBOhrjjWxUAKv1ANYvTRd7DRMu6al4TqpKU3lbHvchvm413SHuYl4EijK0iiWZxLYmxSamRiA/s1600/DSCF4254.JPG" height="213" width="320" /></a></td></tr>
<tr><td class="tr-caption" style="font-size: 13px; text-align: center;">The Park Hotel Montpellier in Sassano</td></tr>
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<span style="font-size: large;">OK! Our next move is to drive around to see if anyone knows why the hotel is closed. So we entered the driveway of a nearby home and a young man came out to greet us. We told him our predicament, and he pulled out his cell phone to make a call. Apparently he knew the hotel owner. By the time we exited his driveway, the hotel was open.</span><br />
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<span style="font-size: large;"></span><span style="font-size: large;">OK! Still, it is a little strange to be in such a nice and modern hotel, and be the only clients. I guess for 50 Euros a night (breakfast included), I shouldn't have expected a doorman, eh?</span><br />
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<span style="font-size: large;">We settled into our room and ventured out to find some lunch. The hotelier recommended La Campagnola, a place down the road. We drove there, and found the food to be excellent. The company was good, as well. The head waiter had been in the states and new some English. We had their special, pasta fagioli, and it was very good.</span><br />
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<span style="font-size: large;"> With some food for energy, it is now time for a little exploration. We go on a mission to find the church of Saint Giovanni Evangelista. This is the church where my great grandfather's parents were married. </span><br />
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<span style="font-size: large;">Thanks to google, we already knew that Sassano was built on a hill. But we were not prepared for what we saw. This "hill" rose sharply up the mountain. It seemed like a 45 degree angle. Although we saw some cars entering the incredibly narrow streets, we decided to park our car in an open area near the bottom of the town. </span><br />
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<a href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEjzI7VeFUFRipntp4iEbT4aa8HFTWxrz4NHVwnHvrcU2R6ty_hL2LGT_nKm8DhZuN_V82c8gCMMlInEJzK4sNPamFgdPjqCZkaI-spXXzgQqzkmICJzb0cTpvhsXOrERyci2OKLYdI3Wvg/s1600/DSCF4231.JPG" imageanchor="1" style="margin-left: 1em; margin-right: 1em;"><img border="0" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEjzI7VeFUFRipntp4iEbT4aa8HFTWxrz4NHVwnHvrcU2R6ty_hL2LGT_nKm8DhZuN_V82c8gCMMlInEJzK4sNPamFgdPjqCZkaI-spXXzgQqzkmICJzb0cTpvhsXOrERyci2OKLYdI3Wvg/s1600/DSCF4231.JPG" height="213" width="320" /></a></div>
<span style="font-size: large;"><br /></span><span style="font-size: large;"><br /></span><span style="font-size: large;">We met some workmen who gave us the bad news that, although the church was not far away, it was at the top of the town. They directed us up the narrow streets to the church. So, in the constant drizzle, we set out up the mountain. Somehow, the labyrinthine streets all seem to converge at the piazza where the church sits.</span><br />
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<tr><td><a href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEhHjJ0Fjhddtb9gnDNyPY5ltctOUw1PkN1jBlaCR7V919OhNfaTDvRIZZFiKHi9Fnf8f-f1Yeb8-dw_wjocTQa0PL6WkLhsNPV8ukMwL4NNA_3CJPmkhlA9uHtwjzHjgZmY0jbujeIF_u4/s1600/DSCF4224.JPG" imageanchor="1" style="margin-left: auto; margin-right: auto;"><img border="0" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEhHjJ0Fjhddtb9gnDNyPY5ltctOUw1PkN1jBlaCR7V919OhNfaTDvRIZZFiKHi9Fnf8f-f1Yeb8-dw_wjocTQa0PL6WkLhsNPV8ukMwL4NNA_3CJPmkhlA9uHtwjzHjgZmY0jbujeIF_u4/s1600/DSCF4224.JPG" height="320" width="213" /></a></td></tr>
<tr><td class="tr-caption" style="font-size: 13px;">Mother Church of Sassano, San Giovanni Evangelista</td></tr>
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<span style="font-size: large;">To our disappointment, we found the church locked. There is no one inside. We will not be searching records on this day. We took some pictures and began the descent back to the car when we came upon two women sitting near the church. We exchanged greetings and began to converse. They told us that the church will be open in the evening for a mass at 5:30. </span><br />
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<a href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEji4iwZWASFxxN5CZNCa6Z9fXY3iPAQYbl0GhLsBFap5SUUWQ4LGGQ64A61ekHuTusY8kpqFamexiGCG9oqzlE_ZNwHX0UPyPkJ1v8US4eygjuCJk9XqV4KNnNpUPMby-78cTkF1XmdWFQ/s1600/DSCF4226.JPG" imageanchor="1" style="clear: right; float: right; margin-bottom: 1em; margin-left: 1em;"><img border="0" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEji4iwZWASFxxN5CZNCa6Z9fXY3iPAQYbl0GhLsBFap5SUUWQ4LGGQ64A61ekHuTusY8kpqFamexiGCG9oqzlE_ZNwHX0UPyPkJ1v8US4eygjuCJk9XqV4KNnNpUPMby-78cTkF1XmdWFQ/s1600/DSCF4226.JPG" height="213" width="320" /></a></div>
<span style="font-size: large;"><br /></span><span style="font-size: large;">These women are simply hanging out at the church. This is a very poor town, and these women are unemployed. However, they were friendly and seemed genuinely interested in our quest to find family members.</span><br />
<span style="font-size: large;"><br /></span><span style="font-size: large;">Word must have quickly spread that "two Americani" were roaming around town looking for family. Everywhere we went, eyes seemed to follow us, and more often than not, someone would come out to greet us.</span><br />
<span style="font-size: large;"><br /></span><span style="font-size: large;">We next went to the home of Don Otello Russo. There we encountered a group of young people playing soccer, but no priest. He was out.</span><br />
<span style="font-size: large;"><br /></span><a href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEhF7KHIDJdlOhbRv5wdybIbKfw_heZUEh7IAndRozDZYWaGwYxgtuQyNzRfJw8st7TRmn0dXD7_GJIaOPB5atoLmRElEm4gP_pjt8hXJuK6a7hO03LLcDh3RTC8WtNuOItQSzRpPd5uvrM/s1600/DSCF4227.JPG" imageanchor="1" style="clear: left; float: left; margin-bottom: 1em; margin-right: 1em;"><img border="0" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEhF7KHIDJdlOhbRv5wdybIbKfw_heZUEh7IAndRozDZYWaGwYxgtuQyNzRfJw8st7TRmn0dXD7_GJIaOPB5atoLmRElEm4gP_pjt8hXJuK6a7hO03LLcDh3RTC8WtNuOItQSzRpPd5uvrM/s1600/DSCF4227.JPG" height="213" width="320" /></a><span style="font-size: large;">We went back to our hotel room and began pondering on how we were going to connect with the priest and look for records. Our plan for the next day included a trip to Padula, and a return to the church for the daily 5:30 PM mass.</span><br />
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<span style="font-size: large;">Next Post</span></div>
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<span style="font-size: large;">Padula and another climb up the mountain</span></div>
nonobarhttp://www.blogger.com/profile/16579439122872114533noreply@blogger.com0tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-2530856377953153924.post-73853632636545723422014-11-16T08:35:00.000-08:002014-11-20T12:24:24.987-08:00<div style="text-align: center;">
<span style="color: blue; font-family: Times, Times New Roman, serif; font-size: large;">This is a continuing blog about our genealogical journey through southern Italy. It is supplementary stories from our book, "<b>1800 Kilometers in a FIAT 500</b>", available at Amazon. This is the second episode covering our stay in Quadrelle, near the commune of Sperone.</span><br />
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<span style="font-size: x-large;"><b>Genealogy Research in Italy</b></span></div>
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<span style="font-size: large;">There comes a time in your genealogy research when the computer cannot help you reach further back in time, or, when the records you want are simply not yet available on line. When that happens, it is time to travel. So it is that we found ourselves on an Alitalia jet, headed for two whirlwind weeks in southern Italy. We're talking about places that Rick Steeves has not seen, folks.</span><br />
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<a href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEh6_zTNEs2r5ySiTU_HSBC9khbDTbNM4Fqz4mvSY5vNfzp3ggLXFJDxYFHblfGaIZtNb8BRk9pwuACnVZOb8b9Z3zXPxhApH5oRdvPbXDJ-OUuXv-2kmQJP8YUColq0TMa7DU8YkcvBucQ/s1600/a00.jpg" imageanchor="1" style="margin-left: 1em; margin-right: 1em;"><img border="0" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEh6_zTNEs2r5ySiTU_HSBC9khbDTbNM4Fqz4mvSY5vNfzp3ggLXFJDxYFHblfGaIZtNb8BRk9pwuACnVZOb8b9Z3zXPxhApH5oRdvPbXDJ-OUuXv-2kmQJP8YUColq0TMa7DU8YkcvBucQ/s1600/a00.jpg" height="213" width="320" /></a></div>
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<span style="font-size: large;">We're on a mission to find the surnames <b>Mascolo</b> and <b>Sorice</b> in Sperone, Avellino. Our plan is to search for <b>Barbella</b> in Sassano, Salerno. We will search for <b>Tricarico</b> and <b>Lattanzio</b> in Palo del Colle, Bari. Finally we will search for <b>DeCristofaro</b> in Vasto, Chieti.</span><br />
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<span style="font-size: large;">We have done our homework. </span><br />
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<li><span style="font-size: large;">We will go to State Archives (Archivio di Stato) </span></li>
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<li><span style="font-size: large;">We have checked, on line, the hours of operation</span></li>
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<li><span style="font-size: large;">We will go to town halls (Ufficio di Anagrafe)</span></li>
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<li><span style="font-size: large;">We have scheduled our visits on days when the offices are open</span></li>
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<li><span style="font-size: large;">We will visit cemeteries</span></li>
<li><span style="font-size: large;">We will try to find records in at least one church</span></li>
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<li><span style="font-size: large;">We have talked to Don Otello Russo on the telephone. He is the parish priest in Sassano. (Google phone is pretty good at 2 cents/minute for calls to Italy)</span></li>
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<span style="font-size: large;">Now, we are on our way. </span><br />
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<span style="font-size: large;">We arrived at Rome's Fiumicino airport, also known as the Leonardo DaVinci Airport. It was crowded due to the big festivities tomorrow. Two Popes were to be canonized, and I think half the catholic world was coming to Rome today. It took about two hours to get our rental car, but we finally got out of Rome and made our way towards Napoli. Our first stop was at the home of Joe DeSimone, an internationally known genealogist who had graciously rented us his apartment for a few days. On our way there we saw our first Italian Rainbow.</span><br />
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<span style="font-size: large;">We had left Boston late Friday night (25 April) and arrived in Rome on Saturday at noon. By the time we reached Joe's place, we were pretty beat. We spent some time chatting and then retired.</span><br />
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<tr><td class="tr-caption" style="font-size: 13px; text-align: center;">15th Century Altar at Saint Elia's Church</td></tr>
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<span style="font-size: large;">Our first full day was a Sunday. Joe took me on a tour of Avella and Sperone. These are two small adjoining towns from which my ancestors came. We came to the main church in Sperone, and luckily, the caretaker was there. He lets us in to see this 15th century altar. This is the church of Saint Elia. Little did I know that one of my relatives was baptized here.</span><br />
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<tr><td class="tr-caption" style="font-size: 13px; text-align: center;">With Pellegrino Mascolo and Diego Sorice</td></tr>
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<span style="font-size: large;">On Sunday evening, our Facebook friend, Pellegrino <b>Mascolo</b> came to visit us with his friend, Diego <b>Sorice. </b>Pellegrino invited us back to his house for dinner. There we had a four course meal and met his parents. </span><br />
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<span style="font-size: large;">With the help of a smart phone for translating a few words, we had a wonderful evening. We got home about midnight. "Buono Notte"</span><br />
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<tr><td class="tr-caption" style="font-size: 13px; text-align: center;">Archivio Di Stato in Avellino</td></tr>
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<span style="font-size: large;">On Monday we drove to the Archivio di Stato in Avellino. There was a little confusion with our Italian speaking GPS, but we arrived safely.</span><br />
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<span style="font-size: large;"> There we were allowed to look at records from several different years. We specified the years, and the librarian simply retrieved the books and let us peruse them. The charge was three Euros for 20 digital photos, no matter how many books you requested. We stayed there most of the morning and went back to our research after lunch.</span><br />
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<tr><td class="tr-caption" style="font-size: 13px;">1844 Birth Record</td></tr>
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<span style="font-size: large;">Here, among others, I found this record of birth showing that my great grandfather, Francesco <b>Mascolo</b> was baptized at the church of Saint Elia. What a good feeling to know that I was standing in that church.</span></div>
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<span style="font-size: large;">With Avellino under our belts, we are ready to continue on our journey.</span></div>
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<span style="font-size: large;">Next Stop - Sassano, in the Campania region of the Salerno province</span></div>
nonobarhttp://www.blogger.com/profile/16579439122872114533noreply@blogger.com0tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-2530856377953153924.post-3141832922292266912014-11-10T12:32:00.001-08:002014-11-10T12:32:39.472-08:00<h2>
<span style="color: #76a5af; font-size: large; font-weight: normal;"><i>This blog will focus on genealogy in Italy. It is based on our last trip through southern Italy in search of our roots. we traveled from the Mediterranean to the Adriatic. We planned our trip carefully and accomplished many things. We met wonderful people, saw marvelous sights, and retrieved nuggets of data from local offices, State Archives, and parish archives. Here, in several installments is our story. We hope you enjoy it and learn.</i></span></h2>
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<u><span style="font-size: x-large; font-weight: normal;">Andiamo A Italy</span></u></h2>
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<span style="font-size: large;">Most of our ancestors were Italians. Most of these descended from families in Southern Italy. After careful consideration, we've decided to make that our next adventure.</span><br />
<span style="font-size: large;"><br /></span><span style="font-size: large;">Andiamo a Italy; to visit ancestral homelands and discover some of our genealogy; a thirteen day journey. So what is the genealogical plan?</span><br />
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<a href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEhFpfrphCrSK-FMu9q78aLEaFubOyrcleTPq8bLDGOgX7EIssyrVM8iHa7HnbckyjiTByfcjhYYxKfEi9hGlt9gLjpuTMyyfdVL83eQ6sCIUVYLBMwrg3A4cs6InShiMF5DOPyYfYmWu-k/s1600/ITALYMap.jpg" imageanchor="1" style="clear: right; float: right; margin-bottom: 1em; margin-left: 1em;"><img border="0" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEhFpfrphCrSK-FMu9q78aLEaFubOyrcleTPq8bLDGOgX7EIssyrVM8iHa7HnbckyjiTByfcjhYYxKfEi9hGlt9gLjpuTMyyfdVL83eQ6sCIUVYLBMwrg3A4cs6InShiMF5DOPyYfYmWu-k/s1600/ITALYMap.jpg" height="205" width="320" /></a></div>
<span style="font-size: large;"><b><u>Deep or Wide</u></b></span><br />
<span style="font-size: large;"><br /></span><span style="font-size: large;">Go deep or go wide? That is the choice I must make. I must choose quickly because we are leaving in just a few short days. This is going to take us a long way from home.</span><br />
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<span style="font-size: large;">We will fly directly into Rome, and then encounter our first major challenge; driving a rental car in Italy. I plan to close my eyes and step on the gas until I get out of Rome (not). Then we will head south towards Naples. We will stop in the small towns of Avella and Sperone. This is the home land of my mother's parents. </span><br />
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<span style="font-size: large;">Do we go deep and look to extend our knowledge backwards in time? Or do we go wide and search for cousins who may still be in the area? Let me give an example.</span><br />
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<span style="font-size: large;">Here is a copy of my Great Great Grandfather's marriage record. It is one of the oldest records I have for the Mascolo family.</span><br />
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<a href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEjg5lQrK96qKLhGPGx2Tv3I69BP2qm7Brro2tES8FlqKnnP0A2B1pYJ4domeS64G1aGXdkicidyFeodvvPzFyMm2kgsAtU5A3PjHuxsFJvjqpBIxWbz7PdMd8iEFQfiGUw5V5-hOhEhuR8/s1600/temp.jpg" imageanchor="1" style="clear: left; float: left; margin-bottom: 1em; margin-right: 1em;"><img border="0" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEjg5lQrK96qKLhGPGx2Tv3I69BP2qm7Brro2tES8FlqKnnP0A2B1pYJ4domeS64G1aGXdkicidyFeodvvPzFyMm2kgsAtU5A3PjHuxsFJvjqpBIxWbz7PdMd8iEFQfiGUw5V5-hOhEhuR8/s1600/temp.jpg" height="320" width="279" /></a><span style="font-size: large;"> </span><br />
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<span style="font-size: large;">This is an 1831 record which announces the marriage of Domenic Mascolo to Paola Del Latte. Look closely and you will see that Domenic's father is Giuseppe. I do not have Giuseppe's birth certificate. I could "go deep" and search for this, circa 1788. For such a record, I would need to scour church archives.</span><br />
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<span style="font-size: large;">Or I could "go deep" and look for cousins. </span><br />
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<a href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEgxLnQcvlngnGZFZMzzEapaa1YNOpciHlTKXxrkMVKGGoBmhgYfkuyckiHT-WZH8ET5PSW6BrtTgaNPdZnVxLM-PlK-P-zbLqZTxjNf4G92UewuBVIUved33C-MioakJT3Ibuv3fJjReaA/s1600/temp1.jpg" imageanchor="1" style="clear: right; float: right; margin-bottom: 1em; margin-left: 1em;"><img border="0" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEgxLnQcvlngnGZFZMzzEapaa1YNOpciHlTKXxrkMVKGGoBmhgYfkuyckiHT-WZH8ET5PSW6BrtTgaNPdZnVxLM-PlK-P-zbLqZTxjNf4G92UewuBVIUved33C-MioakJT3Ibuv3fJjReaA/s1600/temp1.jpg" height="116" width="320" /></a></div>
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<span style="font-size: large;">I would do this by searching for more of the children resulting from the marriage of Domenic and Paola, and their respective children who might still be living in the area. This I would accomplish in State Archives and local community offices.</span><br />
<span style="font-size: large;"><br /></span><span style="font-size: large;">What should I do? I've already convinced myself that I will be flexible and go where I find the best opportunities. I will be limited by time, and we will have to face the same dilemma at each of the four stops on our journey.</span><br />
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<span style="font-size: large;">We will spend three days in Avella, and then head even further south to the small village of Sassano. This is the homeland of my father's grandfather. From here we will head across the country to the Adriatic in the province of Bari. Here in the small village of Palo del Colle, we will search for Tricarico's, the family of cara mia. Finally, a drive to Vasto in the province of Chieti will put us in the home town of the DeCristofaros, my paternal grandmother.</span><br />
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<span style="font-size: large;">Then it's back to Rome, hopefully with a rental car that is still in one piece. On the way we'll make a quick stop at the home of a friend.</span><br />
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<span style="font-size: large;">I suppose that in each place we will do a little of both; going long and going deep. But lest you think this is all business, a few days have been reserved for seeing the sights. We hope to have plenty of internet. so look for pictures.</span><br />
<span style="font-size: large;"><br /></span><span style="font-size: large;">Ariverderci a tutti</span>nonobarhttp://www.blogger.com/profile/16579439122872114533noreply@blogger.com0