Growing Up Italian American is a super book by Dr. Ferdinand Visco.  Dr. V. gives us an inside look into the Baratta and Visco families that came to America to make a better life, and live the American dream.  They had a goal for their children and grandchildren, many of whom became pharmacists and doctor’s.  What is especially amazing, is that Dr. V. and I came from the same small town College Point, in Queens NYC!  We lived only about a mile away, and never met, until we found each other on Facebook. Dr. V gives the stories of his grandparents and parents and the values they instilled on their children.  How they started businesses and became well known in their communities.  While they never lost sight of their roots, they believed in America and it’s values. Like most Italian American kids that grew up in the 40’s and 50’s, we share many of the same experiences, especially the food.  Although Dr. V is a bit older than me, we can relate to so much.  For example, we went to the same school, same church, knew the same teachers and priests.  I must have walked past his home 1000 times, by Chisolm’s Park.  And I know I went into his dad’s Pharmacy.  Three things that hit home was his going to 42nd St with his mom and eating at the Automat.  My dad worked for the NY Daily News and he would take me there too.  Also, going to Corona to buy Italian food.  They were shopping around the corner from my grandmother’s home. Dr. V also talks about his experience in Med School in Italy ( I recently found a distant cousin that related similar stories ).  He also worked at Flushing, St. John’s, St. Vincent’s Bronx Lebanon to name but a few.  Some of his doctor stories are quite amusing.  Whether you grew up in NYC, Philly, Boston or any other immigrant Italian neighborhood in the world, this book is for you. <br />

Italian: from Latin imperialis ‘imperial’, either denoting someone of aristocratic lineage or a nickname for a haughty person.The Imperial family, formerly called Tartaro, descends from the counts of Ventimiglia and originates from Conrad, brother of Adalbert King of Italy and Otto, son of Emperor Begorio II the Lombard. The Imperial family, formerly called Tartaro, descends from the counts of Ventimiglia and originates from Conrad, brother of Adalbert King of Italy and Otto, son of Emperor Begorio II the Lombard. In 1308 Emperor Andronius II granted the imperial surname to the Tartar and Mangiavacca families; The Mangiavacca became extinct, the Tartar family was called by way only Imperial, Imperialis or Imperial. He enjoyed nobility in Genoa, where together with 28 other noble families now extinct, he formed the Imperial Hotel, in Milan, Vicenza and Naples, where it was aggregated in 1743 to the Neapolitan Patriziato of The seat of Capuanaand, after the abolition of the seats (1800), in the Book of Neapolitan gold. Copyright © 2007 www.nobili-napoletani.it From Libro d’Oro Princes of Sant’Angelo From Nobility of Naples

Number 7 Italian Surname Ricci   There are at least thirty known spellings of this famous Italian surname ranging from Ricca, Ricci, Ricco and Rizzo, to Riccelli, Rizzillio and Rizzotto. However spelt they are all nicknames, and all derive from the ancient word ‘ricco’ meaning ‘curly’. It is generally accepted that this was originally a nickname given to people with curly hair, however it was also probably more specific and regional, and may have referred to people from the south of Italy or Sardinia. Like most such names, and at least fifteen percent of all surnames are of nickname origins, it is at least seven hundred years since it was first used, with the result that it is now quite impossible to determine the exact original meaning, and to whom it was applied. Only those that were there can be sure of that! In addition surnames of Italian origins usually suffer from a lack of early recordings. This is because Italy did not become a unified country until 1860, prior to that it was a loose confederation of about twelve states. Some insisted on recordings of births and deaths, but most did not bother. To this lack of information has to be added war and general neglect, resulting in the loss of many early registers. We have however secured a number of early recordings and these include: Giovanni Ricci, a witness at Pontelandol, Siena, on February 17th 1545, David Ricca, christened at Angrogna, on June 1st 1652, and Pietro Riccio, christened at Napoli on August 5th 1675. See the very interesting article on Matteo Ricci below. © Copyright: Name Origin Research 1980 – 2017   Christie Ricci(1982-), American wrestler Christina Ricci(1980-), American actress Fausto Ricci(1961-), Italian motorcycle racer Federico Ricci(1809-77), Italian composer Francesco Ricci Bitti(1942-), Italian sports administrator Franco Maria Ricci(1937-), Italian art publisher Gregorio Ricci-Curbastro(1853-1925), Italian mathematician (Ricci curvature) Italia Ricci(1986-), Canadian actress Jason Ricci(1974-), American blues harmonica player Kenneth C. “Kenn” Ricci(fl.1981-2015), aviation entrepreneur Lawrence Ricci(1945-2005), US murder victim alleged to be a high-ranking officer in the Genovese crime family Lella Ricci(1850-71), Italian singer Lorenzo Ricci(1703-75), 18th Superior General of the Jesuits Luigi Ricci(1805-59), Italian composer Luigi Ricci(1893-1981), Italian vocal coach Luigi Ricci-Stolz(1852-1906), Italian composer, son of composer Luigi Ricci Marco Ricci(1676-1730), Italian Baroque painter Matteo Ricci(1552-1610), Jesuit missionary in China Michelangelo Ricci(1619-82), Italian mathematician and Cardinal Mike Ricci(1971-), Canadian ice hockeyplayer Nina Ricci(1883-1970), French fashion designer Nino Ricci(1959-), Canadian novelist Ostilio Ricci(1540-1603), Italian mathematician Regolo Ricci(1955-), Canadian painter and illustrator Renato Ricci(1896-1956), Italian Fascist politician Renato Ricci(1940-), Australian footballer Renato Ricci(1991-), Italian footballer Richard Ricci (?-2002), a convicted burglar suspected of involvement in the Elizabeth Smart kidnapping, later cleared of all charges Ruggiero Ricci(1918-2012), American violinist Sandro Ricci(1974-), Brazilian football referee Sebastiano Ricci(1659-1734), Venetian Baroque painter Ulysses Ricci(1888-1960), American architectural sculptor Click here to purchase a copy of my story Matteo Ricci, SJ (1552-1610) Matteo Ricci, SJ, was a missionary to China who brought his mathematical and astronomical knowledge to China and adapted to Chinese culture. Matteo Ricci entered the Society of Jesus in 1571. Along with his studies in philosophy and theology, Ricci studied mathematics, cosmology, and astronomy, subjects that would serve him well on his mission to China. In 1578 the Jesuits sent Ricci on a mission to Asia. In 1580 Ricci was sent by Alessandro Valignani, superior of Jesuit missions in the East Indies, to prepare to enter China. Ricci sailed to Macao, the Portuguese colony in South China. There he took an intensive language course mastering Chinese to perfection. Entering China in 1583 with Michael Ruggieri, his Jesuit companion, Ricci dressed first in the clothing of a Buddhist monk and then later as a Confucian mandarin. Ricci’s aim was to adapt to the customs of China to be more accessible. Ricci also brought with him Western clocks, musical instruments, mathematical and astronomical instruments, and cosmological, geographical, and architectural works with maps and diagrams. These, along with Ricci’s phenomenal memory and mathematical and astronomical skills, attracted an important audience among the Chinese elite. In 1601 Ricci was called to meet with Emperor K’ang-Hsi in Peking. He was the first western missionary so invited. For nine years Ricci and other Jesuits dialogued with members of the Chinese intelligentsia. In these dialogues Ricci sought to build a Chinese-Christian civilization. By the time he died in 1610, Ricci left behind 2,500 Chinese Catholics, with many in the educated classes. He also left behind a Treatise on Friendship, a Treatise on Mnemonic Arts, a Chinese translation of Euclid’s Elements of Geometry, a book of Chinese apologetics—The True Meaning of the Lord of Heaven, and Ten Discourses by a Paradoxical Man. After Ricci’s death certain of his decisions were questioned by Church authorities. Especially questioned was Matteo Ricci’s acceptance of Chinese ancestor worship as a legitimate, nontheological memorial to their ancestors that Catholic converts could practice. Later missionaries, not as schooled in Chinese culture, questioned this interpretation and brought their case to the Vatican. After decades of debate, in 1705 the Vatican decided that the Chinese practice of ancestor worship rites was incompatible with Catholic doctrine and was forbidden. Hearing this, the Chinese emperor banned Christian missions from China in 1721, closing the door that Ricci worked so patiently to open. From Ignation Spirituality Join Italian Roots and Genealogy on Facebook Ricci Links Ricci Link from Ancestry Ricci Link from Forbears Ricci Link from igenea.  They have a research project for Russo. Description:Welcome to the Ricci Y-DNA genetic project! We invite all males with the Ricci surname from anywhere in the world, but also with the spelling variants: Riccio, Rizzi, Rizzo, Rizza, Lo Riccio, La Riccia, Lo Rizzo and La Rizza to join. This surname group is very frequent in Italy and we would like to discover: 1) how many different Y-DNA lineages bear these surnames and 2) if individuals bearing different variants of the Ricci surname share nevertheless a common ancestor! Requirements:A Surname Project traces members of a family that share a common surname. They are of the most interest in cultures where surnames are passed on from father to son like the Y-Chromosome. This project is for males taking a Y-Chromosome DNA (Y-DNA) test. Thus, the individual who tests must be a male who wants to check his direct paternal line (father’s father’s father’s…) with a Y-DNA12, Y-DNA37, Y-DNA67, or Y-DNA111 test and who has one of the surnames listed for the project. Females do not carry their father’s Y-DNA. Females who would like to check their father’s direct paternal line can have a male relative with his surname order a Y-DNA test. Females can also order an mtDNA test for themselves such as the mtDNAPlus test or the mtFullSequence test and participate in an mtDNA project. Both men and women may take our autosomal Family Finder test to discover recent relationships across all family lines. Other surnames in ProjectDe Ricci, De Riccio, De Ritiis, La Riccia, La Rizza, Lo Riccio, Lo Rizzo, Riccio, Rizza, Rizzi, Rizzo   Various Ricci COA from Stemmario.It Italian Name Search Link

Buona Pasqua from Italian Genealogy.  So far it’s been a fun year and we have made a lot of discoveries and new friends.  We got to meet some long lost cousins too.  Enjoy the photos and some of our favorite blogs.  So from the Sorrentino, Nicoletti and Piromallo families Happy Easter.

Saint Adela Capet of France is my 29th Great Grandmother.   It’s a long road there through French, Flemish, Spanish and finally Italian ancestors.  Her father was Robert II Capet King of France. Saint Adela (3), January 8 (Adelais, Adelaide). + 1071. Princess of France. Countess of Flanders. Abbess of Mecsene. The countess-queen. Daughter of Robert the Pious, king of France, 996-1031. Sister of Henry I, 1031-1000. Wife of Baldwin V. (of Lille), count of Flanders, 1084-1067. Mother of Baldwin VI. Mother-in-law of William the Conqueror. This appears to be the same princess who was married in her infancy to Richard, duke of Normandy. Whether Baldwin of Lille was her first or second husband, she was married to him in her childhood, and was taken by his father, Baldwin IV, to Flanders, to be brought up in his own family. The town of Corbio was her dowry. Baldwin rebelled against his father, stirred up, says Sismondi, by the pride of his wife, who, being a king’s daughter, thought she ought to have the first place in the house of a count. Finding the fortune of war against him, and no help coming from the king of France, he craved mercy and pardon. A reconciliation was made, on Baldwin swearing, in presence of the Flemish bishops and barons and of the bodies of Saints Pharaildis, Walburga, and other famous patron saints of Flanders, to submit to the count’s authority and keep the peace. In the same year, 1031, Robert, king of France, Adela’s father, died, and was succeeded by his son Henry I. In 1036 died count Baldwin IV after a long and prosperous reign. He left his country at peace, both with the Emperor and the king of France a circumstance which had seldom, if ever, occurred before. Adela’s husband succeeded as Baldwin V. He was constantly at war, either refusing to do homage to the Emperor or to the king of France for his possessions, or punishing others for refusing to acknowledge his suzerainty. Nevertheless, he was considered the best prince of his time, and was loved by his subjects and respected by his neighbours. On the death of his brother-in-law Henry I of France (1060), he was chosen regent of France and guardian of the young king Philip I, the Fair, Adela’s nephew, then only eight years old. His letter of foundation to the church of Saint Peter at Lille says – “I Baldwin, marquis of the Flemings, Count, regent of France, guardian of King Philip . . . considering that by building a house of God on earth, I prepare for myself a dwelling in heaven, . . . and acquiescing in the good advice of my wife Adela, and my son Baldwin . . . have founded a college of canons to implore day and night the clemency of God for . . . my soul, the souls of my predecessors, my wife and children, and all faithful souls. . . . “Done at Lille, in the Basilica of Saint Peter, in the presence of Philip king of France, in the seventh year of his reign.” King Philip also signed the deed. Baldwin and Adela built the Benedictine monastery of Meescne. Several grants by them, to Mecseno and other churches, are to be found in Le Mire’s Notitia Ecclesiarum Belgii. They rebuilt the monastery of Einham, or Iham, on the Scald, and gave it to the Benedictines in 1063. Baldwin made the Fosse neuf, a great canal between Flanders and Artois. In 1069 he gave his whole attention to his approaching death and the completion of his pious works. His last public act was the dedication of his new church of Saint Bavo, on the site of the former one, at Ghent. He died 1 September 1069 and was buried in the church of Saint Peter at Lille, where his tomb and epitaph were to be seen in the 18th century. After his death, Adelaide chose the monastery of Meesene as her residence, that she might spend the remainder of her life in silent prayer. She wished to receive the religious veil from the hands of the Pope, and for that purpose went to Rome. She travelled in a car, covered with a curtain, to protect her from wind and rain, that her prayers might not be interrupted on the journey. She obtained from the Pope some of the relics of Saint Sidronius, as well as the veil and the papal blessing. She then returned to Meesene, and remained there until her death in 1071. Her children were Baldwin VI of Mons (the Good), Robert the Frisian, Henry, Matilda (married William the Conqueror, duke of Normandy, and king of England), Judith (married, 1st, Tosti, brother of Harold, king of England; 2nd, Guelph, duke of Bavaria, founder of the younger line of the house of Guelph, from whom the present royal family of England are descended). Baldwin VI was a good prince; in his time, doors were left open, and people could go about without sticks or daggers. His secretary, Thomellus, a monk, has left an account of the youth of his master, valuable as illustrating the manners of the time. A story of the wooing of Matilda by William of Normandy has often been rejected by modern writers as incredible; but Lo Glay thinks it not at all inconsistent with what is known of the times and the people, and says it is related in some very old chronicles. The account is as follows – William, duke of Normandy, sent a message to Baldwin, count of Flanders, to ask the hand of his daughter Matilda. Baldwin was pleased with the offer, but when ho told Matilda of it, she answered that she would never marry a bastard. Baldwin made the most polite excuses he could for his refusal. A considerable time passed before William heard what the young lady had said. He was extremely sensitive on the subject of his birth, and bitterly resented any slight or insult grounded on that misfortune. When Matilda’s answer was told to him, he went to Lille; rushed, unannounced, into Adela’s apartment, where her daughters were sitting with her; seized Matilda by her long plaits, dragged her through the room, threw her down, and kicked her; then, disappearing as suddenly as he had entered, mounted his horse and rode away to his own dominions. Very soon alter this strange incident, the young people were reconciled and betrothed. As Pope Leo IX raised objections to the marriage, on tho ground of consanguinity, there was some delay; they were married, nevertheless, at Eu, in 1050, and afterwards obtained a dispensation, on condition that each should build a church. William built the abbey of Saint Etienne, at Caen, and Matilda that of the Holy Trinity, in tho same town. Matilda had a great deal of influence over her husband, which she always used for good. MLA Citation Agnes B C Dunbar. “Saint Adela”. A Dictionary of Saintly Women, 1904. CatholicSaints.Info. 25 September2012. Web. 17 April 2019. <http://catholicsaints.info/dictionary-of-saintly-women-saint-adela-3/> Relationship Saint Adela Capet’s relation to you: Direct ancestor (31 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. Innico III D’Avalos is the father of Francesca D’AVOLOS 13. Lucrezia Del Tufo is the mother of Innico III D’Avalos 14. Margaret Palaiologos is the mother of Lucrezia Del Tufo 15. Anne Alencon is the mother of Margaret Palaiologos 16. Renè Valois is the father of Anne Alencon 17. Jean II Alencon is the father of Renè Valois 18. Jean 1 le Sage Alencon is the father of Jean II Alencon 19. Pierre II Alencon is the father of Jean 1 le Sage Alencon 20. Charles II Alencon is the father of Pierre II Alencon 21. Charles IV Alencon is the father of Charles II Alencon 22. Isabella Aragon is the mother of Charles IV Alencon 23. Yolande Hungary is the mother of Isabella Aragon 24. Yolande Courtenay is the mother of Yolande Hungary 25. Yolanda Flanders is the mother of Yolande Courtenay 26. Baldwin V Hainault is the father of Yolanda Flanders 27. Baldwin IV Hainault is the father of Baldwin V Hainault 28. Baldwin III Hainault is the father of Baldwin IV Hainault 29. Baldwin II Hainault is the father of Baldwin III Hainault 30. Baldwin I Hainault is the father of Baldwin II Hainault 31. Saint Adela Capet is the mother of Baldwin I Hainault Charles II Valois 18th GG Charles II of Alençon, called the Magnanimous(1297 – 26 August 1346) was the second son of Charles of Valoisand his first wife Margaret, Countess of Anjou, and brother of Philip VI of France. He was Count of Alençonand Count of Perche(1325–1346), as well as Count of Chartresand Count of Joigny(1335–1336). In April 1314 he married Jeanne of Joigny, who succeeded her father John II as Countess of Joigny in 1335, but died on 2 September 1336. They had no children. He showed a marked, if foolhardy courage from the time of his first taking up arms (1324, in Aquitaine), and took part in the Battle of Cassel(1328). In December 1336, he married Maria de La Cerda y Lara(1310 – 19 November 1379, Paris), the daughter of Fernando de la Cerda, Lord of Lara.[1] Charles Valois 19th GG Charles had as appanagethe counties of Valois, Alençonand Perche(1285). He became in 1290 count of Anjouand of Maineby his marriage with Margaret, eldest daughter of Charles II, titular king of Sicily; by a second marriage, contracted with the heiress of Baldwin II de Courtenay, last Latin emperorof Constantinople, he also had pretensions on this throne. But he was son, brother, brother-in-law, son-in-law, and uncle of kings or of queens (of France, of Navarre, of England, and of Naples), becoming, moreover, after his death, father of a king (Philip VI). Isabella of Aragon 20th GG Isabella was the daughter of King James I of Aragon[5]and his second wife Violant of Hungary[6]and thus granddaughter of Yolanda de Courtenay. In Clermonton 28 May 1262, Isabella married the future Philip III of France, son of Louis IXand Margaret of Provence. She became queen upon the accession of her spouse in 1270. She accompanied her husband on the Eighth Crusadeagainst Tunis. On their way home, they stopped in Cosenza, Calabria. Six months pregnant with her fifth child, on 11 January 1271 she suffered a fall from her horseafter they had resumed the trip back to France. Isabella gave birth to a premature stillborn son. She never recovered from her injuries and the childbirth, and died seventeen days later, on 28 January. Her husband took her body and their stillborn son and, when he finally returned to France, buried her in the Basilica of St Denis.[7]Her tomb, like many others, was desecrated during the French Revolutionin 1793.