I talk with John Polverino about his just starting his research, Italian citizenship and how he opened an Italian Restaurant in Tennessee. Podcast Click here to join our group on Facebook Visit Our Shop

One thing that I have found is that once you have some reliable information, there are other people doing very similar research.  Since I knew the birthplaces of my grandparents, I would look for similar names from my family.  Both my maternal and paternal grandparents followed the traditional Italian naming conventions.  The first male was named after the paternal grandfather, the first daughter after the maternal grandmother.  The second daughter was named after the paternal grandmother and the second son after the maternal grandmother.  We had a lot of Luigi’s and Franks. As my dad’s grandfather was Nicola Piromallo, which is not very common, I looked for Piromallo’s in Cercola, Naples, Sorrento and Caserta.  If I came upon some one named Nicola, I would give it a shot.  I found a couple of dozen 4th cousins that way.  You will be surprised, in that you can often see family resemblance. Updated 11/26/2021 About a month ago, with the help of my fourth cousin Cinzia Piromallo, who started a group with the family name, I found my second cousin Roberto. I knew that there was a relationship, but I was never able to confirm his grandfather Enrico. This took 12 years!   Cinzia, expected to find cousins in Spain or South America, but had no idea that there was family in the USA.  Updated 8/3/2022 One of the most amazing things that happened this year was being contacted by dad’s first cousin Nicola Di Paolo, who is several years younger than me. My great-grandfather was his grandfather. How is that possible you ask?  Well, my great-grandmother passed away in 1902 at the age of 41. In 1913, my great-grandfather Nicola Piromallo remarried to a woman half his age Rosa Cautiere, in fact, she was only six months older than my grandmother. She had a daughter Emilia in 1919 and another daughter Anna in 1921, who was 2 years older than my dad. Nicola is one of her sons. Making him my father’s first cousin and me his first cousin once removed. I had been in contact with his nephew for years, but was unaware of Nicola. In any event, about three months before our trip he contacted me on Facebook. So we got to meet face to face this past June. But, wait, it gets even better. We met with some other family members for lunch and he said that he would meet us at the cemetery when we went on the following Tuesday and that he wanted to take us to Torre del Greco. I knew this town outside of Naples because my dad had mentioned something about family there 40 years ago. Nicola brought us to an apartment building and as we climbed the stairs he told us to wait a minute. He went up and we heard a lot of Italian going back and forth. Finally, he told us tom come up and we were met by three women, all in their 90’s! The were my dad’s first cousins from my grandmother’s youngest brother Giovanni.  What really blew me away was when Zia Ida pulled out my mom and dad’s wedding photo from 1944 with my grandmother’s hand written message on the back. Besides photos of my aunts and cousins, they even knew the gossip from 60 years ago. Since then, Nicola has sent me photos that my grandmother sent her father in the early 1900’s Maria Luigia Piromallo 1919 Dear Papa so you never forget your dear daughter Gigina Join Italian Roots and Genealogy on Facebook Another recent find on Facebook was finding a fourth cousin from my grandmother’s mother, Emilia Caracciolo. I have been following Carlo Raso for about a year as he has several groups that deal with Italian roots and nobility on Facebook. One day he put up a post on Luigi Caracciolo, I had a Raso in my tree, but never made the connection. We finally were able to put it together.     

We combined all our posts on the regions in Italy into one.  Just click on the button to read the history of your ancestors regions and to see an awesome 4K video of that region.  A new window will open so you won’t lose your place. Abruzzo Molise Veneto Friuli Trentino Aosta Liguria Piedmont Lombardy E. Romagna Tuscany Lazio Sardinia Sicily Marche Basilicata Puglia Calabria Campania Umbria Get your Regions of Italy or other fine Italian and Genealogy Tee’s and Hoodies Click here to join Italian Genealogy on Facebook Some Regional Books on Amazon

Sorrentino Family C 1919 My Italian Identity Growing up as a child of the 1950’s and 1960’s and a second generation Italian-American from both parents I had very strong ties back to Italy. If you are of my generation you were asked; “What are you?”  “Italian” Later we would say “Italian-American.” Now most of us would say American. We grew up with the smell of an Italian kitchen, bakery or pork store. The sound of the language being spoken and as Mary Ann Vitale pointed out to me in a comment, the love of Italian music. The feast of the patron saint a block or two away. Yes, some of this exists, but not to the same extent. Even the San Gennaro feast in Little Italy in NYC is commercialized with very few “Italians” Our 4th, 5th and 6th generations are losing out on our identity. I would even guess that some don’t even know where their great-great grandparents came from, maybe never saw a photo, or heard a story Being in Italy recently, it was very clear that we are American. Exact quote; “You American’s make your sauce with ketchup.” Well we don’t but you get the picture.  After a few days in Italy I never felt more American. After two weeks I never felt more Italian, and have a desire to get back as soon as possible.  Click here to join Italian Genealogy Group on Facebook What I found in Italy First and most important I found some of my dad’s first cousins that I never knew existed! It was like going back in time and this more than anything helped me to restore my Italian identity. The connection was immediate and they were so very happy to see us, welcome us into their home and of course feed us. I also found a deep respect for tradition, culture and the older generation. They are very proud of their heritage and take great care to preserve and protect their ruins and cultural buildings, while still moving into the modern age. Fast trains speeding by ancient ruins. Even in Naples, you can still find the small shops. One thing that really struck me were the fruit stores ( remember them )? Fresh fruit. When I asked about them… “they have no refrigeration, they don’t need it, they sell out everyday and get fresh produce from the farm the next morning.”  Not that I’m a big church goer, but even in the smallest towns, they we immaculate, with fresh cut flowers everywhere.  The Piromallo Family in Italy Nicole with cousin Cinzia in Montebello Preserving Our Identity So the big question is, “What do we do?”  Some of us old-timers are hoping to start a program to identify youth ages 18-26 and send them on their first trip to Italy. My children are in that range and they came back with an entire new perspective on their identity as Italian-Americans. And they can’t wait to go back either.  You might ask, aren’t their programs that do this already. The answer is sort of, in that some of the larger organizations do send a select few to Italy, but not on the scale of Birthright Israel.  If you are interested in learning more you can comment here with your email or send us an email at ompinof51@gmail.com  

In this episode I talk to Angelo Coniglio about his family research and his book “The Lady of the Wheel”. Angelo explains naming conventions of the abandoned children and how poorly they were treated. This is a story set in Racalmuto, Sicily in the late nineteenth century. As historical fiction, it deals with a heartbreaking aspect of parenting: the practice of of leaving unwanted children in a revolving door or wheel (ruota) of a church, hospital or foundling home, so that the children would be cared for or placed for adoption. In some towns, the receiver of foundlings was called ‘la ruotara’ or ‘la ruotaia’ (the lady of the wheel). Coniglio Family Website The Lady of the Wheel   Podcast Visit Our Shop Click here to join our group on Facebook Video