Dawn Matera Corsi talks about her family from Ischia and searching for the right San Michele to find more roots. Also, her books, food and much much more. A second-generation Italian American, Dawn is a best-selling author and speaker who helps people create a dolce vita by connecting to their purpose and continuing their legacy. She has spoken for numerous corporate and non-profit organizations, has been a regular guest on CBS and Fox News, and has been featured in international publications. Dawn and her husband, Bob, have taken gladiator lessons in Rome and driven vintage FIAT 500s in Tuscany. They are still conducting research for the best gelato! www.dawnmatera.com Podcast Click here to join our group on Facebook Click here for information on Real Estate, Travel and Italian Citizenship. Video

While not an Italian name, D’Avalos are connected with Aragona’s that ruled Spain and Naples in the mid 1500’s.  Francesca D’Avalos married into the Caracciolo family in the early 1600’s.  Maybe that’s where some of the Spanish DNA comes from.  D’ Avalos, originally from Spain, came to Italy with the retinue of Alfonso I d’ Aragona. They were distinguished for military value, diplomatic ability and fidelity to the Crown, qualities that always led them to cover a pre-eminent position in the Italian and European politics of the epoch. An example of the narrow connection that was uniting them to the Crown was the confidence of the office of Great Chamberlain or Camerlingo (President of the Chamber of the Summary one),  that was held continually for two centuries at the family in spite of aligning itself on the throne of several dynasties. In 1714, Caesar Michelangelo d’ Avalos, for the support given to the house of Austria in the war of succession to the throne of Naples against Filippo V of Spain, had conferred at Carlo’s of Austria, become a king’s with the name of Carlo III, the Prince’s headline of Sacred Romano Impero. Rodrigo I D’avalos’s relation to you: Direct ancestor (17 generations) Link to D’Avalos Here’s how: 1. Nicholas Victor Sorrentino is your father 2. Maria Luigia Piromallo is the mother of Nicholas Victor Sorrentino 3. Maria Emilia Caracciolo is the mother of Maria Luigia Piromallo 4. Filippo Caracciolo is the father of Maria Emilia Caracciolo 5. Prince Luigi Caracciolo is the father of Filippo Caracciolo 6. Prince Ambrogio II Caracciolo is the father of Prince Luigi Caracciolo 7. Prince Luigi Caracciolo is the father of Prince Ambrogio II Caracciolo 8. Ambrogio Caracciolo is the father of Prince Luigi Caracciolo 9. Prince Marino III Caracciolo is the father of Ambrogio Caracciolo 10. Prince Francesco Marino Caracciolo is the father of Prince Marino III Caracciolo 11. Francesca D’AVOLOS is the mother of Prince Francesco Marino Caracciolo 12. Innico III D’Avalos is the father of Francesca D’AVOLOS 13. Cesare D’Avalos is the father of Innico III D’Avalos 14. Marchese Alfonso D’avalos is the father of Cesare D’Avalos 15. Marchese Innico II D’avalos is the father of Marchese Alfonso D’avalos 16. Count Inigo I D’avalos is the father of Marchese Innico II D’avalos 17. Rodrigo I D’avalos is the father of Count Inigo I D’avalos Join Italian Genealogy on Facebook Alfonso 12th GG He was born in Ischia, the cousin of Francesco Ferdinando I d’Ávalos, inheriting his titles after 1525, fighting the French and the Venetians by his side. During the period 1526-1528 he fought under Hugo of Moncada, being captured on 28 April 1528 by the Genoese captain Filippino Doria at the Capo d’Orso. In July 1535 he was part of the naval troops reconquering the city of Tunis in North Africa. The failure on the third war against France trying to invade Provence, and the death of the first Governor of the Duchy of Milan, Antonio de Leyva, prompted him in 1538 to accept the nomination as governor, replacing Marino Caracciolo, the second governor, becoming some sort of protector of literary and musical people[clarification needed]. Wars with French and North Italians ended for a while with the Treaty of Crespy (1544). He also became a Knight in the Order of the Golden Fleece. Having fought at the Battle of Pavia, he later represented Spain as ambassador, in 1538, on the succession to the new Doge of the Republic of Venice, Pietro Lando. He commanded the Imperial army in Italy during the Italian War of 1542 and was defeated by the French at the Battle of Ceresole. However, in the Battle of Serravalle on 2 June 1544, an aftermath of the Italian War of 1542, he managed to defeat a force of freshly raised Italian mercenaries in French service, commanded by Pietro Strozzi and Giovanni Francesco Orsini, count of Pitigliano. He married in 1523 with Maria d’Aragona and had 5 children including Innico d’Avalos d’Aragona, (1536–1600), an Italian Cardinal. Francesco Ferdinando d’Ávalos (1537–1571), commander in chief of the Spanish army in Lombardy and Piedmont. Innico I 14th GG Iñigo I d’Avalos (Italian: Ignazio or Innico; died 1484) was an Aragonese general.[1] His grandfather, Ruy López d´Ávalos, had been constable of Castile. Iñigo came to Italy with Alfonso V of Aragon in 1442. He took part in the naval battle of Ponza in 1435. In 1452, after the Aragonese conquest of the Kingdom of Naples, he was made Count of Monteodorisio. In 1452 he married Antonella d’Aquino, heiress to the marquisate of Pescara, which was thenceforth part of the family’s fiefs. Iñigo died in Naples in 1480: his lands were inherited by his son Alphonso. His grandsons Alfonso and Fernando and his great grandson Francesco Ferdinando d’Avalos were generals for Spain in the Italian Wars.  

The Sforza family was one of the most powerful families in and around Milan for about 100 years from 1450 to 1535.  The line was founded by Muzio Attendolo around 1411.  This family was very much involved in Papal politics and are featured in several series about the Medici’s and Borgia’s.  I can trace directly back to Muzio, and also have several great aunts and uncles. Jacopo Muzio Sforza’s relation to you: Direct ancestor (19 generations) Here’s how: 1. Nicholas Victor Sorrentino is your father 2. Maria Luigia Piromallo is the mother of Nicholas Victor Sorrentino 3. Maria Emilia Caracciolo is the mother of Maria Luigia Piromallo 4. Filippo Caracciolo is the father of Maria Emilia Caracciolo 5. Prince Luigi Caracciolo is the father of Filippo Caracciolo 6. Prince Ambrogio II Caracciolo is the father of Prince Luigi Caracciolo 7. Prince Luigi Caracciolo is the father of Prince Ambrogio II Caracciolo 8. Ambrogio Caracciolo is the father of Prince Luigi Caracciolo 9. Prince Marino III Caracciolo is the father of Ambrogio Caracciolo 10. Prince Francesco Marino Caracciolo is the father of Prince Marino III Caracciolo 11. Francesca D’AVOLOS is the mother of Prince Francesco Marino Caracciolo 12. Isabela Aragon is the mother of Francesca D’AVOLOS 13. Lavinia Della Rovere is the mother of Isabela Aragon 14. Guidobaldo II Della Rovere is the father of Lavinia Della Rovere 15. Francesco Maria I Della Rovere is the father of Guidobaldo II Della Rovere 16. Giovanna Montefeltro is the mother of Francesco Maria I Della Rovere 17. Battista Sforza is the mother of Giovanna Montefeltro 18. Alessandro Sforza is the father of Battista Sforza 19. Muzio Sforza is the father of Alessandro Sforza Sforza Family, Italian family, first named Attendoli, that produced two famous soldiers of fortune and founded a dynasty that ruled Milan for almost a century. Galeazzo Maria Sforza, tempera on panel by Peiro Pollaiolo, c.1480; in the Uffizi Gallery, FlorenceArte Video Immagine Italia srl/Corbis The Attendoli were prosperous farmers of the Romagna (near Ravenna) who first assumed the name Sforza (“Force”) with the founder of the dynasty, the condottiere Muzio Attendolo (1369–1424). Muzio’s illegitimate son Francesco Sforza, also a condottiere, became duke of Milan in 1450 through his marriage to the daughter of Duke Filippo Maria Visconti. Document in which Francesco Sforza, duke of Milan, granted commercial rights to Giovanni Merlo and his descendants, September 7, 1452; it allowed them to buy and sell goods in Milan.The Newberry Library, Newberry Library Associates Fund, 1969 Francesco’s eldest son, Galeazzo Maria Sforza (1444–76), succeeded his father in 1466. Though traditionally characterized as despotic, extravagant, and dissolute, Galeazzo Maria was apparently a capable ruler who took an active interest in agriculture, constructed canals for irrigation and transportation, introduced the cultivation of rice, and encouraged commerce, particularly the manufacture of silk and wool. He was a patron of musicians, artists, poets, and scholars, and himself wrote treatises on hunting. In foreign policy, however, he followed an indecisive course that ended in Milan’s virtual isolation. Galeazzo Maria was assassinated during Christmas festivities by three conspirators who vainly hoped to set the stage for a popular insurrection. But the murder left Milan to the uncertainties of the regency of his widow, Bona of Savoy, who ruled with the aid of an unpopular chancellor, Cicco Simonetta, and to the brief, troubled reign of Galeazzo’s son Gian Galeazzo (1469–94), whose power was soon usurped by his uncle Ludovico the Moor. After Ludovico was driven from power by Louis XII of France in 1499, his sons Massimiliano (1493–1530) and Francesco Maria (1495–1535) took refuge in Germany. In 1513, backed by the Swiss, Massimiliano returned to Milan. Three years later Francis I of France attacked the city. The Milanese and their Swiss allies were defeated by French and Venetian troops at Marignano, southeast of Milan, and Massimiliano yielded the duchy to Francis, retiring to Paris to live on a pension. Francesco escaped north to Trento, returning to be set up as duke of Milan in 1522 by Emperor Charles V, after the defeat of the French at the Battle of Bicocca (north of Milan). Francesco’s death without heirs ended the ducal male line, and the duchy passed to Charles V and the Habsburgs. Several other branches of the Sforza family survived, the descendants of Sforza Secondo (an illegitimate son of Francesco Sforza) becoming the counts Sforza, one of whom was the anti-Fascist statesman and foreign minister of Italy, Carlo Sforza (1873–1952). This article was most recently revised and updated by Kathleen Sheetz.  Citation InformationArticle Title:Sforza FamilyWebsite Name:Encyclopaedia BritannicaPublisher:Encyclopaedia Britannica, Inc.Date Published:15 March 2017URL:https://www.britannica.com/topic/Sforza-family Join Italian Roots and Genealogy on Facebook Muzio Sforza 17th Great Grandfather  A miniature of Muzio Attendolo, fifteenth century Rising from the rural nobility of Lombardy, the Sforza family became condottieriand used this military position to become rulers in Milan. The family governed by force, ruse, and power politics, similar to the Mediciin Florence. Under their rule, the city-state flourished and expanded. Muzio Attendolo(1369–1424), called Sforza (from sforzare, to exert or force), founded the dynasty. A condottierofrom Romagna, he served the Angevinkings of Naplesand became the most successful dynast of the condottieri. His son Francesco I Sforzaruled Milan, having acquired the title of Duke of Milan(1450–1466) after marrying in 1441 the natural daughter and only heir of the last Duke of Milan, Filippo Maria Visconti, Bianca Maria(1425–1468), making the Sforzas the heirs of the house of Visconti. The family also held the seigniory of Pesaro, starting with Muzio Attendolo’s second son, Alessandro(1409–1473). The Sforza held Pesaro until 1512, after the death of Costanzo II Sforza. Muzio’s third son, Bosio (1411–1476), founded the branch of Santa Fiora, who held the title of count of Cotignola; the Sforza ruled the small county of Santa Fiorain southern Tuscanyuntil 1624. Members of this family also held important ecclesiastical and political positions in the Papal States, and moved to Rome in 1674, taking the name of Sforza Cesarini. The Sforza became allied with the Borgia familythrough the arranged marriage(1493–1497) between Lucrezia Borgiaand Giovanni(the illegitimate son of Costanzo I of Pesaro).[1]This alliance failed, as the Borgia family annulled the marriage once the Sforza family were no longer needed. In 1499, in the course of the Italian Wars, the army of Louis XII of Francetook Milan from Ludovico Sforza(known as Ludovico il Moro, famous for taking Leonardo da Vinciinto his service). After Imperial Germantroops drove out the French, Maximilian Sforza, son of Ludovico, became Duke of Milan (1512–1515) until the French returned under Francis I of Franceand imprisoned him. Alessandro Sforza 16th Great Grandfathe Alessandro Sforza(21 October 1409 – 3 April 1473) was an Italian condottieroand lord of Pesaro, the first of the Pesaro line of the Sforzafamily. He was born in Cotignolain 1409, an illegitimate son of the famous condottiero Muzio Attendolo Sforza.[1] Alessandro collaborated actively with his brother Francescoin his military campaign, and with him he conquered Milan, Alessandriaand Pesaro. In 1435, at Fiordimonte, he won the battle in which the riotous Niccolò Fortebracciowas killed. In 1445 at Assisihe commanded the troops besieged by Pope Eugene IV‘s condottiero Francesco Piccinino. He was forced to leave the city, abandoning the city to ravages and massacres. In 1444 he obtained the lordship of Pesaro by Galeazzo Malatesta. Here he enlarged the Ducal Palace to conform it to the Renaissance standards. During the Wars in Lombardyin support of Francesco he presided Parmaand, in February 1446, he proclaimed himself lord of the city. After Francesco’s conquest of the Duchy of Milan, the Peace of Lodi(1454) confirmed him in Parma. In 1464 he obtained by Pope Pius IIthe seigniory of Gradara, which he defended by the Malatesta attempts of reconquest. He died in 1473[1]from an attack of apoplexy[citation needed]. His son Costanzosucceeded him in Pesaro. Family He married Costanza Varano(1428–1447), the daughter of Pietro Gentile I da Varano, on 8 December 1444. She died while bearing Costanzo. The following year he married to Sveva da Montefeltro(1434–1478), daughter of Guidantonio da Montefeltro, count of Urbino. In 1457, fearing a possible conjure of the Malatestafamily to regain the seigniory of Pesaro, he obliged her to become a nun in a monastery in the city. By Costanza he had two children, Battista(1446–1472), who became the wife of Federico III of Urbino, and Costanzo. He also had an illegitimate daughter, Ginevra(c. 1440–1507), known as a patron of the visual and literary arts. She married Sante Bentivoglioin 1454 and, after his death, Giovanni II Bentivoglio, duke of Bologna.[2] Battista Sforza 15th Great Grandmother Battista was the first legitimate child born to Alessandro Sforza, lord of Pesaro, and Costanza da Varano (1428–1447), the eldest daughter of Piergentile Varano (d. 1433), Lord of Camerino, and Elisabetta Malatesta. In 1447, Costanza died after giving birth to her second child, a son called Costanzo (d. 1483), when Battista was 18 months old. After the death of their mother Battista and Costanzo, together with their illegitimate half-sisters Ginevra(1440–1507) and Antonia (1445–1500), moved to the court of their paternal uncle Francesco Sforzaand his wife Bianca Maria Viscontiwhere they were brought up alongside their cousins.[1] Battista and her cousin Ippolita Mariareceived a humanisteducation and the former was fluent in Greek and Latin, giving her first Latin public speech at the age of four.[2]She was said to be very skilled in Latin rhetoric and even gave an orationbefore Pope Pius II. The poet Giovanni Santidescribed Battista as “a maiden with every grace and virtue rare endowed”.[3] Her uncle Francesco Sforza arranged for her marriage to Federico da Montefeltro, Duke of Urbino, who was twenty-four years older than her. The wedding took place on 8 February 1460, when Battista was fourteen years old, and she acted as regent during her husband’s absences from Urbino.[4][5]Their marriage was a happy one and they were described by a contemporary, Baldi, as “two souls in one body”.[1]Federico called Battista “the delight of both my public and my private hours.”[6]Moreover, he spoke with her about political issues and she accompanied him to almost all official events outside of Urbino. Carrying on the Sforza family’s tradition of humanist education for women, she educated her daughters similarly to the education she had received from her aunt Bianca Maria. Similarly, Battista’s granddaughter Vittoria Colonna, daughter of Agnese, was a famous poet. After giving birth to six daughters, Battista gave birth to their first son and heir Guidobaldo da Montefeltroon 24 January 1472.[1]However, three months after the birth of their son, Battista, having never fully recovered from her last pregnancy and labour, fell ill and died in July 1472.

The beginning of the Colonna Family goes back to the late 800’s to the Counts of Toscolo.  This link will take you to that tree.  Toscolo. This link will take you to the beginning of the Colonna branch.  Colonna. This Link will bring you to all the Colonna branches.  Colonna Total. In total, there were five Colonna Popes. St. Pope Adrian I– Hadrianus Columna (ca. 700/712–795) Pope Stephen IV– Stefano Colonna (ca. 770–817) Pope Sergius II– Sergio Colonna (ca. 790–847) St. Nicholas I– Niccolò Colonna (ca. 800–867) Pope Martin V– Oddone Colonna (1359–1431) elected Popein 1417, his election signified the end of the Western Schism. And a large array of other famous people throughout Italian history. Blessed Margherita Colonna(c. 1255 – 1280). Stefano Colonna(1265 – c. 1348), an influential noble in Medieval Rome and Imperial vicar in the early 14th century. Giacomo Colonna(1270–1329), who took part in the Outrage of Anagni against Pope Boniface VIII. Giovanni Colonna(1295–1348), influential cardinalduring the Avignon papacy. Fabrizio Colonna(c. 1450 – 1520), who was the father of Vittoria Colonna, and a general in the Holy League. Prospero Colonna(1452–1523), who fought alongside his cousin Fabrizio Colonna. Francesco Colonna(1453? – 1517?) [La “Pugna d’amore in sogno” di Francesco Colonna Romano, 1996, Maurizio Calvesi], who was credited, along with the monk Francesco Colonna, with the authorship of the Hypnerotomachia Poliphiliby an acrostic in the text. Also believed to have written the story. Marcantonio I Colonna(1478–1522), condottieroof the 15th-16th century. Pompeo Colonna(1479–1532), cardinal. A nephew of Prospero Colonna, mentioned above. Viceroy of Naplesfrom 1530 to 1532. Vittoria Colonna(1490–1547), friend of Michelangelo. Married in 1507 the Spanish-Italian Fernando d’Avalos, marquis of Pescara, deceased 1525, adopting on becoming a widow, Alfonso d’Avalos, also marquis del Vasto, a nephew of her former husband. Pirro Colonna(1500–1552), 16th century captain under Charles V, Holy Roman Emperor Marcantonio II Colonnathe Younger (1535–1584), Duke of Tagliacozzo. Son of Ascanio Colonnaand Juana de Aragón. He participated in the naval Battle of Lepantoagainst the Turks, 7 October 1571 and was Viceroy of Sicilyin 1577-1584. Prince of Paliano. Ascanio Colonna(1560–1608) Cardinal Federico Colonna y Tomacelli, Prince of Butera(1601–1641), Viceroy of Valencia, in Spain, 1640–1641, Viceroy of Catalonia, 1641. He was Great Constable of the kingdom of Naples(1639-1641) as had been his father Filippo I Colonna, (1578 – 11 April 1639). Marcantonio V Colonna(1606/1610–1659), Prince of Paliano. Lorenzo Onofrio Colonna, Viceroy of Aragon, 1678–1681, in Spain. Carlo Colonna(1665–1739), created cardinal by Clement XIin 1706. Click here to join Italian Genealogy on Facebook Colonna Family, noble Roman family of great antiquity and importance, descended from the 10th-century counts of Tusculum. The first to take the name Colonna (“de Columna”) was Piero, the son of Gregorio, Count of Tusculum, who on Gregorio’s death (c.1064) received the castle of Colonna in the Alban Hills, together with Palestrina and other places, as his share of the inheritance. Like other Roman families, the Colonna gained power and wealth through papal favour and by the 13th century were already providing cardinals and senators of Rome. Thereafter, the Colonna were consistently prominent in the politics of the church and the city of Rome. Throughout the Middle Ages, they figured among the most unruly and potent of the Roman baronial dynasties; their feuds with the Caetani and Orsini dominated the local history of a region where feudal power long remained unsubdued. Of more than local importance, however, was their bitter quarrel with the Caetani pope, Boniface VIII, who tried to extirpate the family and drove them into alliance with his enemy, the French king Philip IV the Fair; Sciarra Colonna (d. 1329) led the armed attack on Boniface at Anagni on Sept. 7, 1303. On the pope’s death the Colonna recovered their lands and influence, and for many years subsequently Rome was harassed by their struggle for power with the Orsini, which divided the nobility into two contending factions. These conditions gave rise to Cola di Rienzo’s popular dictatorship, which was a check to all the Roman magnates and notably the Colonna, over whom the tribune won a bloody victory at Porta San Lorenzo in Rome on Nov. 20, 1347. The check, however, was temporary; Colonna power was undiminished and soon after was signally increased by the election at Constance of Cardinal Oddone Colonna as Pope Martin V. During his pontificate (1417–31), Martin obtained the grant of fiefs for his family in southern Italy and enriched them with vast estates in papal territory, including Frascati, Paliano, Genazzano, and many other places. Their power was challenged by Martin’s successor, Eugenius IV, and for well over a century the fortunes of the Colonna continued to be disturbed by conflict with the popes; but from the later years of the 16th century they lived in unbroken peace with the papacy, and many members of the family rose to eminence as prelates, soldiers, and statesmen in the service of the church as well as other powers, particularly Spain. The surviving branches of the family comprise the Colonna di Paliano, the Colonna di Stigliano, and the Barberini-Colonna di Palestrina.  Citation InformationArticle Title:Colonna FamilyWebsite Name:Encyclopaedia BritannicaPublisher:Encyclopaedia Britannica, Inc.Date Published:17 September 2007URL:https://www.britannica.com/topic/Colonna-familyAccess Date:February 06, 2019 Prominent Colonna Grandfathers Fabrizio 14th GG Fabrizio Colonna(c. 1450 – 18 March 1520) was an Italian condottiero, a member of the powerful Colonna family. He was the son of Edoardo Colonnaand Filippa Conti. Fabrizio was born sometime before 1452. He was married to Agnese da Montefeltrodaughter of Federico da Montefeltro, 1st Duke of Urbino, and Battista Sforza. Fabrizio was known as count of Tagliacozzoand grand constable of the kingdom of Naples. During the Italian War of 1499-1504, he played a notable part in the Battle of Cerignolain 1503. He was a general in the Holy Leaguethat fought against Louis XII of Francefrom 1509 to 1515, and at the Battle of Ravenna, he commanded the army of the Papal Statesagainst France. His daughter was Vittoria Colonna, who was an Italian poet, and a close friend of Michelangelo. His nephew Marcantoniowas also a successful general. Fabrizio is the main speaker in Machiavelli‘s The Art of Warand is referenced throughout the book as an authority on both Classical and current military structure, strategy, and tactics. Marcantonio II 12th GG Marcantonio Colonna, born in 1535 at Civita Lavinia, was a member of the noble Colonna familyof the Lazio, then one of the most powerful feudal dynasties of the Papal Statesand the Kingdom of Sicily, which was under Spanish rule. His parents were Ascanio Colonna, Duke of Tagliacozzo, and Giovanna d’Aragona. Due to acts of rebellion, he was disinherited by his father; but in 1562 Colonna was able to regain the family fiefs for himself, largely thanks to the support of Pope Pius IV. However, he had to forfeit several possessions, such as Nemi, Ardea, and Civita Lavinia, due his father, Ascanio, having left little money. In 1553–1554, during the war against Siena, Colonna was made commander of the Spanish cavalry. At the Battle of Lepanto(7 October 1571), he commanded the papal Capitana(flagship) as part of the Centre division, where he rescued the flagship of commander Don John of Austria, the Real. When the Realwas almost taken by the Ottoman janissaries, Colonna came alongside with the bow of his galley and mounted a counter-attack. With the help of Colonna, the Turks were pushed off the Realand the Ottoman flagship of Ali Pashawas boarded and swept. The entire crew of Ali Pasha’s flagship was killed, including the commander himself. The banner of the Holy League was hoisted on the captured ship, breaking the morale of the Turkish galleys nearby. In 1577 King Philip IInamed Colonna as Viceroy of Sicily. He was also Lord of Marino, then a village a few miles south of Rome, where the inhabitants honoured him with a great annual feast which still takes place today, under the name of “Sagra dell’uva”. Marcantonio V 9th GG Marcantonio V Colonna(1606/10 – 1659) was an Italian noblemanof the Colonna familyand Prince of Paliano. Colonna was the son of Don Filippo I Colonna, Prince of Paliano and his wife, Lucrezia Tomacelli. He was the brother of Anna Colonnawho married Taddeo Barberini(Prince of Palestrina) and Cardinal Girolamo Colonna.[1] Colonna married Isabella Gioeni Cardona, Princess of Castiglione and had issue including: Lorenzo Onofrio Colonnawho married Maria Mancini(a niece of Cardinal Mazarin) and inherited Colonna’s titles. Anna Colonna, who married Paolo Spinola, 3rd Marquis of the Balbasesand had issue including Carlo Antonio Spinola. When Colonna’s father died, it was revealed he had appointed his Cardinal son, Girolamo, as heir instead of his eldest son Frederico. The decision started a significant succession conflict upon his death. In the interim, while his older brothers fought over control of the duchy, Marcantonio Colonna served as Prince of Paliano. When Frederico died in 1641, (without issue) and Girolamo died (also without issue as was always likely considering he was a Cardinal), Marcantonio Colonna’s son succeeded him as Prince and assumed the title of Dukeas well.

For almost a decade I could not figure out my Great Great Grandmother’s Swiss connection to Naples.  From various records, I knew that she was from Lucerne.  Why was she in Naples in the 1850’s?  How did she come to meet my Great Great Grandfather, who was the son of Prince Luigi Caracciolo di Torchiarolo? As she was not of noble Italian blood, it was strange that they would marry in the first place.  Back then rank and status was very important.  I never thought that I would ever find her father, let alone trace her back to the 1400’s in Lucerne.  But I did!  Here’s the link to Lucerne Family Trees. One of the big problems in tracing her was that on the Antenati, many names are misspelled on the name search records.  Understandable, due to the age and penmanship of some of the original records.  I did eventually come across this record, stating that Louisa Mohr’s father was Martino Mohr, a Captain in the Swiss Guard, at her birth in 1830. Later he became a General.   Now, I only associated the Swiss Guard with the Vatican, so why were they in Naples.   Upon further research, I learned that many of the European armies would hire soldiers from the Swiss Cantons as mercenaries.  Remember, Italy was not yet united and Naples had its own army.  Naples, as it happened, got soldiers from Lucerne.  So, a Swiss connection to Naples.  So now we are getting somewhere. Bouncing around the internet one day, as most genealogy junkies do on a regular basis, I was searching for Filippo Caracciolo and I found him in this book, as a Lieutenant in the calvary.  Since it was indexed, I looked for Martino Mohr.  Low and behold a Colonel in the Swiss Guard in Naples. Note: He lated was promoted to General. You can find links to the Naples Army Records for 1846 and 1853 on our links page. So now what.  By chance ( again just bouncing around ) I found a Swiss group that advertised that if you have any genealogy questions send us an email in German, Italian or English.  I asked about the Mohr’s and they sent me a link that contained family tree charts for the most prominent families in Lucerne, dating back to the 1400’s.  Sure enough, Martino and his father, who was also assigned to Naples were there. Join Italian Roots and Genealogy on Facebook English Translation of My Great Grandmother. ( Antenati acting up so no photo) On June 22nd, 1860, before the civil status officer of Naples, Vicaria district, appeared lord knight Filippo Caracciolo of the princes of Torchiarolo, wealthy aged 40, residing in strada Carbonara number 33, and presented a female child whom he declared was born to him and to lady Luisa Mohr from Lucerne, Switzerland, aged 30, his wife living with him, on the 21st of said month at 7 hours of Italy. The same also declared to bestow to the child the names of Maria Emilia Giulia Anna Luigia Lutgard Paolina Baldassarre Melchiorre Gaspare. Witnesses to this act were lord knight Ferdinando Messanelli, wealthy aged 32 from Naples, and lord count Francesco Cigala, wealthy aged 34 from Naples. She was baptized on June 22nd, 1860. [Side note on second page] On June 24th, 1882, Maria Emilia Caracciolo of the late Filippo married with Nicola Piromallo in the Vicaria district of Naples. Birth of Emilia Caracciolo Page 1 Birth of Emilia Caracciolo Page 2 Col Martino Mohr 1853 Death of Martino Mohr.