52 Ancestors Week 30: The Old Country

From Amy Johnson Crow: Week 30's theme is "The Old Country." There are lots of ways you could approach this prompt. An immigrant ancestor. A trip back to the old country. A family tale or an heirloom that they brought with them... maybe a favorite recipe that made its way across the border?

Forza Italia!

You knew this was coming. Every other week I alternate between talking about my mother's side of the family tree and my father's side. This week happened to fall on the Italian side of things. So, we're going to talk about Italy! It's the one "old country" I've never been to as I went to Canada with my parents years and years ago for a dental convention. Canada was nice. Montreal is a very nice and very clean city. Sadly, my stay there wasn't very long. I'd have liked to have seen the place the Legaults called home because they were from the area. Still, going to Montreal felt like I was going home. I bet if I were to go to Italy, I'd feel the same way. In fact, it's probably a sure thing!

Giuseppe Carrabs and Clementina Forgione.

Where would I go exactly? I'm not about to go to the cities of Rome, Venice or even Naples. No, I'd really rather go some place more meaningful to me. Yes, those places are cool. Don't get me wrong! Naples is the pizza capital of the world. Florence was the birthplace of the Renaissance. The canals of Venice are so cool. The list goes on. Italy, like all of Europe, has centuries and centuries of history behind it. The country itself was even the center of the Roman Empire!

I just want to go somewhere else. It's that simple.

 Looking at the header, I have two options starred on Google Maps. I could go to the Gesualdo area where my great-grandparents, Giuseppe Carrabs and Clementina Forgione were born. A few cousins of mine on that side have been to to that town and have told me how nice the people were. It's a mountainous town just outside of Naples and taking a walk around there on Google Maps Street view proved to be pretty fascinating. Seriously, they have a castle right in the middle of town. How could you not want to check that out?!

That isn't to say San Pietro a Maida doesn't have its charms. Located near the toe of the boot, it's where my other Italian great-grandparents, Vincenzo Ferraiolo and Maria Tedesco were born.

Vincenzo Ferraiolo and Maria Tedesco

My grandfather was also born there and like Gesualdo it is a typical Italian town with houses close to each other. Just outside of San Pietro there are olive trees as far as the eye can see. When I was looking up information on my ancestors in the town, my contact there told me all about how everyone harvested the olives and made olive oil.

He also shared pictures of carnival and various other events happening around town. He really helped make the town come alive for me and I thank him for that.

Eventually, I found out that I have several second cousins still living in the town. I talk to them on Facebook every once in a while. I mentioned how I met them before in this blog. To recap: I went to the town's Facebook group, asked around and a cousin came out of the woodwork and asked me if I was related to my great-aunt Nicolina. I said I was and the rest, as they say, was history.

That's probably two points in San Pietro's favor. My great-aunt visited the town many times in the '60s and '70s. Along for the ride were my grandpa Marco, my grandmother and Vincenzo. My great-aunt has told me all about San Pietro and showed me pictures as well.  It's honestly hard for me to decide between the two towns! San Pietro also has family I know is living there.

As of this blog, I have no clue if I have any relatives living in Gesualdo, Frigento or Grottaminarda. I might. It's hard to say. Having done research on the towns, it's a distinct possibility. Giuseppe and Clementina's parents had tons of brothers and sisters and while some of their descendants went to America, some may have elected to stay in town. After all, if I were to use Cognomix and look up Carrabs, Capobianco, Forgione and Penta, I would find families with those names still living in those towns.

Since I have family I know in San Pietro, the best and safest bet would be to go to San Pietro a Maida because of la famigilia. It's a town I know the least about and everyone, including my cousins, are so nice and welcoming. It's hard to not want to go there. Perhaps some day I will. Perhaps I'll even go to both towns if I stay there for a few weeks. For now at least San Pietro wins the coin toss of Italian towns I'd go to because I know family is there. It's honestly the wisest choice for me. Of course, I have other reasons to go....

Grandpa Marco.

I really want to see where my grandfather was born, you know? He died when I was four and though his sister filled me in on everything there's just part of me that wants more questions answered. Questions she can't answer. He wasn't around. So, the next logical step would be to go there and talk to cousins and the like.

And here comes the elephant in the room....

With current events being what they are, it's hard to even think about traveling at this point. But, I should try to remain positive. Some day I'll get the chance to go. My cousin's wife, Rosa, put it best when she talked to me for the first time:

"A piece of us is there , in America.. and a piece of you is here in Italy"


IF that isn't incentive to go, I don't know what is!

Images of Google Earth are property of Google Earth.