There is a long history of Ferdinand’s ancestors and descendants across many of my great great grandparents from Castile, Aragon and Leon. Ferdinand III Ferdinand III, also called Saint Ferdinand, Spanish San Fernando, (born 1201?—died May 30, 1252, Sevilla; canonized February 4, 1671; feast day May 30), king of Castile from 1217 to 1252 and of Leon from 1230 to 1252 and conqueror of the Muslim cities of Córdoba (1236), Jaén (1246), and Sevilla (1248). During his campaigns, Murcia submitted to his son Alfonso (later Alfonso X), and the Muslim kingdom of Granada became his vassal. Ferdinand IIIFerdinand III, sculpture in the Sabatini Gardens, Madrid.Luis García Ferdinand was the son of Alfonso IX of Leon and Berenguela, daughter of Alfonso VIII of Castile. At birth, he was the heir to Leon, but his uncle, Henry I of Castile, died young, and his mother inherited the crown of Castile, which she conferred on him. His father, like many Leonese, opposed the union, and Ferdinand found himself at war with him. By his will Alfonso IX tried to disinherit his son, but the will was set aside, and Castile and Leon were permanently united in 1230. Ferdinand married Beatrice of Swabia, daughter of the Holy Roman emperor, a title that Ferdinand’s son Alfonso X was to claim. His conquest of Lower Andalusia was the result of the disintegration of the Almohad state. The Castilians and other conquerors occupied the cities, driving out the Muslims and taking over vast estates. Ferdinand’s second wife was Joan of Ponthieu, whom he married in 1237; their daughter Eleanor married the future Edward I of England in 1254. Ferdinand settled in Sevilla, where he is buried. This article was most recently revised and updated by Amy Tikkanen, Corrections Manager.  CITATION INFORMATIONARTICLE TITLE: Ferdinand IIIWEBSITE NAME: Encyclopaedia BritannicaPUBLISHER: Encyclopaedia Britannica, Inc.DATE PUBLISHED: 26 May 2018URL: https://www.britannica.com/biography/Ferdinand-III-king-of-Castile-and-LeonACCESS DATE: April 01, 2019 Relationship Ferdinand III (the saint) King de de Castilla y León’s relation to you: Direct ancestor (23 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. Cesare D’Avalos is the father of Innico III D’Avalos 14. Maria Aragon is the mother of Cesare D’Avalos 15. Fernando Aragon is the father of Maria Aragon 16. Ferdinand I Naples is the father of Fernando Aragon 17. Alfonso V Aragon is the father of Ferdinand I Naples 18. Ferdinand I De Antequera Aragon is the father of Alfonso V Aragon 19. Juan Castile is the father of Ferdinand I De Antequera Aragon 20. Juana Manuel De Villena Escalona Penafiel is the mother of Juan Castile 21. Juan Manuel of Penafiel is the father of Juana Manuel De Villena Escalona Penafiel 22. Manuel Fernandez of Castile is the father of Juan Manuel of Penafiel 23. Ferdinand III (the saint) King de de Castilla y León is the father of Manuel Fernandez of Castile From Catholic Online Ferdinand III of Castile was the son of Alfonso IX, King of Leon, and Berengaria, daughter of Alfonso III, King of Castile (Spain). He was declared king of Castile at age eighteen. Ferdinand was born near Salamanca; proclaimed king of Palencia, Valladolid, and Burgos; his mother advised and assisted him during his young reign. He married Princess Beatrice, daughter of Philip of Suabia, King of Germany and they had seven sons and three daughters. His father (the king of Leon) turned against him and tried to take over his rule. The two reconciled later, and fought successfully against the Moors. In 1225, he held back Islamic invaders; prayed and fasted to prepare for the war; extremely devoted to the Blessed Virgin. Between 1234-36, Ferdinand conquered the city of Cordoba from the Moors. Queen Beatrice died in 1236, and he overtook Seville shortly thereafter. He founded the Cathedral of Burgos and the University of Salamanca; married Joan of Ponthieu after the death of Beatrice. He died on May 30th after a prolonged illness, and buried in the habit of his secular Franciscan Order. His remains are preserved in the Cathedral of Seville and was canonized by Pope Clement X in 1671. Ferdinand was a great administrator and a man of deep faith. He founded hospitals and bishoprics, monasteries, chuches, and cathedrals during his reign. Her also compiled and reformed a code of laws which were used until the modern era. Ferdinand rebuilt the Cathedral of Burgos and changed the mosque in Seville into a Cathedral. He was a just ruler, frequently pardoning former offenders to his throne. His feast day is May 30th. Manuel of Castile 20th GG Born in Carrión de los Condes, the name Manuel was given to him to commemorate his maternal grandmother’s roots in Imperial Byzantium. He was granted the Seigneury of Villena in 1252, created for him to govern that lordship as “apanage” (a medieval micro-state that would return to the central crown if the minor lieage ends with no successor). This lordship would grow by receiving the cities around the Vinalopó River (Elda valley, Aspe, Crevillente, Elche). He also received the Adelantamiento of the Kingdom of Murcia. Manuel travelled to Italy in 1259 as part of the embassy sent by his father to Pope Alexander IV.Later, when his brother became king Alfonso X the Wise, served him as Alférezand Majordomo of the king. He died at Peñafiel in 1283 and was buried in the Monastery of Uclés. His son Juan Manuel, who succeeded him in Villena and Peñafiel among the others, and became prince of Villena, was a notable medieval writer. Manuel of Castile, as son of Ferdinand III of Castile, belonged to the royal House of Burgundy of Castile and León, but he was also the first of a new family branch, the House of Manuel of Villena. Prince Juan Manuel 19th GG Juan Manuel was born in the Castle of Escalona, in what is now the province of Toledo. He was a son of Manuel of Castile (son of Ferdinand III of Castile) and his second wife Beatrice of Savoy. His father died in 1284, and Juan was educated at the court of his cousin, Sancho IV, with whom his abilities made him a favourite.[2] With the death of his mother in 1292, Juan Manuel became duke of Peñafiel. Juan Manuel was trained in arts such as equestrianism, hunting, and fencing, and in addition learned Latin, history, law, and theology. At the age of twelve, he fought to repel the attack of the Moors from Granada to Murcia. In 1304 he was entrusted by the queen mother, Doña María de Molina, to conduct political negotiations with James II of Aragon on behalf of her son, Ferdinand IV, then under age. The diplomacy was successful and Ferdinand’s marriage to James II’s daughter, Constantina, added to Juan Manuel’s prestige.[2] Juan Manuel had constant confrontations with his king. At the time, the throne of Castile was occupied by two monarchs, Ferdinand IV and Alfonso XI. Juan Manuel’s loyalty was with Alfonso, to whom Juan Manuel gave the hand of his daughter Constanza. The wedding was postponed several times, until finally Alfonso XI jailed Constanza in the Castle of Toro for unclear reasons. This incident angered Juan Manuel, who decided to turn against Alfonso. He declared war on Alfonso, beginning a long confrontation. On the death of his wife Constantina in 1327, Don Juan Manuel strengthened his position by marrying Doña Blanca de La Cerda y Lara; he secured the support of Juan Núñez, alférez of Castile, by arranging a marriage between him and Maria, daughter of Don Juan “el Tuerto”; he won over Portugal by promising the hand of his daughter, the ex-queen Constanza, to the infante of that kingdom, and he entered into alliance with Muhammed IV, Sultan of Granada.[3] This formidable coalition compelled Alphonso XI to sue for terms, which he accepted in 1328 without any serious intention of complying with them; but he was compelled to release Doña Constanza. War speedily broke out anew, and lasted till 1331 when Alphonso invited Juan Manuel and Juan Nuñez to a banquet at Villahumbrales with the intention, it was believed, of assassinating them; the plot failed, and Don Juan Manuel joined forces with Peter IV of Aragon. He was besieged by Alphonso at Garci-Nuñez, whence he escaped on 30 July 1336, fled into exile, and kept the rebellion alive till 1338.[2] Finally, the Pope brought about reconciliation between Juan Manuel and Alfonso XI. This reconciliation was not complete until 1340, when Juan Manuel and Alfonso allied against the Muslims in the Battle of Río Salado, taking the city of Algeciras. After these events, Juan Manuel left political life and retired to Murcia, where he spent his last years focused on literature. Proud of his works, he decided to compile them all in a single volume. This compilation was destroyed in a fire, with no known copy preserved. Juan Manuel died at Peñafiel in 1348, the age of sixty-six. Duke of Dressing room and General Captain of Holy Roman Church in 1562; Gentleman of Tossignano, Juana Manuel 18th GG In 1361 (at the death of her teenage niece Blanca,[1] daughter of her brother Fernando Manuel who himself had died in c 1350 without other children) she inherited Villena, Escalona and Peñafiel.[2] Because Juana was a maternal granddaughter of La Palomilla, from her another cousin, Isabel de Lara who was murdered in 1361 [3] and her young daughter Florentina [4] (d after 1365), she also inherited Lara and Biscay. In 1369, she became queen of Castile and León. When in 1381 she died and left her inheritance to her son, Biscay finally was united with Castile, and ultimately Spain. The Basque people remember her for that.

Drawing of the Palazzo Piromallo in the 19th Century Little did I know that when I began the research into my ancestors that I would be led to Montebello Ionico Count Giacomo.  My paternal grandmother’s name PIROMALLO, is not a very common name in Italy.  In previous posts Piromallo Capece Piscicelli  and Nicola Piromallo I go through some of that research, so I won’t repeat it all here. How I learned about the connection to Montebello Ionico was through cousins that I found on Facebook, believe it or not.  Through this piece of information in the Libro d’Oro, I was able to find 4th cousins on Facebook.  And as a result of their friends, find almost all of the Piromallo’s.   O2. Marchese e Conte Don Fabio (* Napoli 30-1-1928 + 2-6-1990) = Napoli 4-4-1959 Agata Gambardella P1. Marchesa Donna Annalisa (* Napoli 16-1-1960) = Napoli 1-2-1984 Gianluca Scalvenzi P2. Marchesa Donna Januaria (* Napoli 28-5-1961) P3. Marchese e Conte Don Giuseppe (* Napoli 3-1-1968). After getting in touch with some of them, I learned that while my great grandfather and great great grandfather were born in Naples, the family originated in Montebello Ionico.  My 4th Great Grandfather was Count Giuseppe.  So far that is as far back as I can go with confidence, but I am working on previous generations. Click here to join Italian Genealogy Group on Facebook Palazzo Piromallo in Montebello Ionico Photos by my cousin Cinzia Coat button from my cousin Similar button from the internet My great grandfather’s Card C1900 My cousin’s grandfather C1950 Family History Documents Pentedattilo by my Cousin Cinzia Link to the Pentedatillo Story Link to the Sale of the Palazzo Palazzo Piromallo Il Palazzo Piromallo, più comunemente indicato come a “Turri”, esiste a Fossato da più di due secoli. alla fine del 1700 era un feudo di proprietà dei Conti piromallo Capece Piscicelli dei Duchi di Capracotta (IS) e Baroni di Montebello, fino aal’eversione della feudalità ( 2 agosto 1806). Il più prestigioso Barone montebellese fu il Conte Giacomo Maria piromallo fu Giuseppe, più volte Sindaco di Montebello, fondatore della borgata S. Elia e della Chiesa dedicata alla Modonna di Pompei (1895) di cui detenne il patronato. Il feudo si estendeva per svariati centinaia di ettari con boschi di castagno e vigneti. Per controllare meglio la proprietà i Piromallo fecero costruire la palazzina  all’ingresso del paese. Essa veniva per lo più utilizzata come residenza estiva o per pochissimo tempo in cui la famiglia veniva a riscuotere i proventi derivanti dalla vendita dei prodotti agricoli e boschivi. Dopo la caduta del Regno delle Due Sicilie e la nascita del Regno d’Italia la stessa non venne più utilizzata, le visite si fecero molto rare, e a poco a poco si liberarono della proprietà vendendola alle maggiori famiglie benestanti.   Santa Maria del Rosario di Pompei madonna Chiesa eretta in S. Elia nel 1895 a benefico religioso degli abitanti di quella borgata, dal Conte Giacomo Maria Piromallo, dei Duchi di Capracotta e Barone di Montebello, di cui detenne a lungo il patronato. Una lapide apposta sulla facciata del tempio, ricorda agli stanziali, al viadante e al postero, l’anno della sua erezione, l’alto fine per cui fu pensato il luogo di culto e il suo nobile patrono. La chiesa, tuttora in ottimo stato e funzionante è però giurisdizionalmente aggregata all’Unità parrocchiale di S. Giuseppe d’Annà in Melito Porto Salvo, insieme alla storica chiesa della Candelora in Pentidattilo.

Frogerio’s father was Guido a Cavaliere in the service of the Canossa’s.   Link to Libro d’ Oro Frogerio I Correggio’s relation to you: Direct ancestor (34 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. Federico Gonzaga is the father of Lucrezia Del Tufo 15. Francesco II Gonzaga is the father of Federico Gonzaga 16. Federico I Gonzaga is the father of Francesco II Gonzaga 17. Barbara Marquess Mantova Brandenburg is the mother of Federico I Gonzaga 18. Johann Hohenzollern is the father of Barbara Marquess Mantova Brandenburg 19. Elisabeth Von Bayern is the mother of Johann Hohenzollern 20. Maddalena Bavaria Landshut Visconti is the mother of Elisabeth Von Bayern 21. Beatrice Della Scala is the mother of Maddalena Bavaria Landshut Visconti 22. Mastino II Della Scala is the father of Beatrice Della Scala 23. Beatrice Correggio is the mother of Mastino II Della Scala 24. Giberto III Correggio is the father of Beatrice Correggio 25. Guido II Correggio is the father of Giberto III Correggio 26. Gherardo V Correggio is the father of Guido II Correggio 27. Gilberto I Correggio is the father of Gherardo V Correggio 28. Gherardo IV Correggio is the father of Gilberto I Correggio 29. Gherardo III Correggio is the father of Gherardo IV Correggio 30. Matteo I Correggio is the father of Gherardo III Correggio 31. Gherardo II Correggio is the father of Matteo I Correggio 32. Alberto I Correggio is the father of Gherardo II Correggio 33. Gherardo I Correggio is the father of Alberto I Correggio 34. Frogerio I Correggio is the father of Gherardo I Correggio Correggio Family, Italian feudal familywho were lords of Correggio, near Reggio Emilia, from the 11th to the 17th century. During the 13th century, as leaders of the Guelfs, they came to dominate the politics of Parma; and in 1303 Ghiberto da Correggio was acclaimed lord of the city, which he ruled until 1316. In 1341 his son Azzo, a friend of Petrarch, who dedicated to him the De remediis utriusque fortunae, recovered control of Parma, only to sell it again three years later to the Este family of Ferrara. Correggio itself, however, remained independent, being raised to the rank of countship in 1452 and to that of principality in 1616. Shortly afterward, in 1630, Siro da Correggio was condemned by the Holy Roman emperor Ferdinand II to pay a heavy fine for minting bad coin; unable to raise the sum he was forced to cede Correggio to the Este of Modena in 1634. The family came to an end with the death of Camillo in 1711.  From Encyclopedia  Britannica For more refer to Correggio Beatrice She was the daughter of Giberto III da Correggio, lord of Correggioand Elena Malaspina. Very young she was promised in marriage to Jacopo Rossi of Parma, but refused the marriage because of the ascent of her father Giberto III to podestàof Parma. Instead Caterina married in 1306in second marriage Alboino della Scala, lord of Veronaand they had three children: Mastino II(1308-1351), lord of Verona Alberto II(1306-1352), lord of Verona Alboina (? -1375), nun Widowed in 1311he remarried Galasso I Pio, lord of Carpi, from whom he had seven children: Jacopo, mayorof Milan Taddeo, religious Ludovico Ursuline Giberto, his successor Marsiglio, podestà of Bergamo Antonio Gilberto III Neither the date nor the exact birthplace of Giberto III is known, the son of Guido II da Correggioand Mabilia della Gente, entered the political-military scene in the year 1303, when he succeeded in making peace between several families of Parmaperpetually fighting among them, and to recall to the city those who had been expelled or had fled, with the exception of the Reds. On that occasion he was acclaimed by the people and elected Lord and defender of the city with the title of ‘The Defender’. During his regency, he obtained the castles of Campagnolaand Fabbricofor his house, thanks to the repeated military successes on the rival families of the Reds and the Este, and to a shrewd marriage policy.Always engaged in local wars, Giberto alternated in support of both the Guelphs and the Ghibellines, near the Emperor Henry VII of Luxembourgduring the Milanceremony of 1311, an ally of the Guelphs in peace negotiations with few Empire supporters years later.After having established peace with Guglielmo de ‘Rossiin 1314, marrying his daughter Maddalena, he was overwhelmed by a local revolt in 1316, headed by both enemy historians such as Rolando de’ Rossi, son of Guglielmo, and by some of his family, in Parma years before he had proclaimed him defender, which forced him to take refuge in the family fiefdom of Castelnovo di Sotto, where he died ten years later. , Duke of Dressing room and General Captain of Holy Roman Church in 1562; Gentleman of Tossignano, Gherardo V He held the office of podestàof several Italian cities: Modena( 1236), Parma( 1238), Reggio( 1240).He lived in Parma at the time when his family and the Guelphfamilies of the Rossiand Lupiexcelled.When the imperial factionprevailed in 1245, Gherardo took refuge in Piacenza.In 1247, Ugo Sanvitale followed in a successful attempt to expel the Ghibellines from Parma: Gherardo was elected mayor of the city.In 1250 hewas podestà of Genoa, militating against the Marquis Del Carretto, pro-imperial..

Those of us that are baby boomers, and grew up to Italian families in the US, probably had some of the best times.  I was blessed by having two great New York City Italian families.  I always wanted to write a book about growing up, but now the blogging is so much better and you get instant feedback that you would not get in a book.  My plan is to post more and more, especially photos and videos. Click here to join Italian Genealogy on Facebook Mom’s family, the Nicoletti’s, were originally from Bari.  As most families from there, they were mostly farmers.  Occasionally, as seamstress, or a cart driver show up in the records.  Almost every Sunday we were at my grandmother’s, but the really best days were Mother’s day and her birthday .  Virtually the whole family would show up for a super barbecue.  There were 9 sons and daughters, 23 cousins and over 30 second cousins.  I think that we can all agree that the best part of the big Italian party was seeing our non-Italian friends marvel at the food.  We had sausage and peppers and eggplant parmigiana at the beach! My Dad’s family was from Naples.  His father, came from a family of mostly lawyers, while his mom came from Noble Naples families Piromallo and Caracciolo.  Here are some of the Crests from my grandmother’s ancestors.  I don’t remember too much about her, but she was a very stately woman.  My grandfather passed away when I was only 2 months old, so I have no knowledge of him, other than he and his brother owned a bridal crown business. Here’s a great article on New York City Italian Families and Immigration from “Walks of New York”. My dad was a photographer for the NY Daily News, which made my brother, sister and I minor celebrities when we were growing up in College Point Queens.  My friends would always scan the pages for his photos, and if he had the front page or the centerfold, it was a big deal.  St. Fidelis School was filled with Irish, Italian and German kids for the most part, College Point was a big German Town at the end of century, until the Irish and Italians started moving in the 50’s and 60’s.  Dad is the first guy on the right. A few of dad’s photos As kids, we were always in the paper.  This is me when I graduated Kindergarten. List of 100 Famous Italian Americans Fifth grade– Count em Mom Dad

Having received great feedback on my post Italian DNA — Where Do We Come From?  I thought I would go a little deeper into Haplogroups.  Very simple put, a Haplogroup is a marker of sorts that denotes a certain mutation at a certain time in history.  This marker allows genealogists to more or less pinpoint a migration path.  Males inherit this marker from both parents, while females only their mother.   Knowing your haplogroup allows you to know what route your ancestors took from Africa to various places throughout history.   Most companies, like Living DNA, will give you your haplogroup and an explanation and history.  Most Italian males come from Haplogroup R1b.  Most Females come from Haplogroup H My Maternal Haplogroup – Mom is from Bari Haplogroup U4 is found at a frequency ranging from 2% to 6% in most regions of Europe. Its highest frequency is observed among the Chuvash (16.5%), Bashkirs (15%) and Tatars (7%) of the Volga-Ural region of Russia, followed by Latvia (8.5%), Georgia (8.5%), Serbia (7%), and southern Daghestan (6.5%). Generally speaking, U4 is more common in Baltic and Slavic countries and around the Caucasus than anywhere else. Within Europe U4 is rarest in fringe regions such as Ireland (1.5%), Portugal (1.5%), north-west Spain (0.5%, except Cantabria which has 3%), Finland (1%), and especially among the Welsh, Sardinians and Saami, where it is completely absent. U4 is not found in countries or regions that lack the paternal lineage R1a(Balto-Slavic and Indo-Iranian branches of the Indo-European speakers), with which it seems to be intimately linked. Outside Europe and the Caucasus, U4 is found especially in Iran (3%) and throughout Central Asia, particularly in Kyrgyzstan (3%), Turkmenistan (3%), Uzbekistan (2.5%) and Kazakhstan (2%), but also in parts of Siberia, notably in the Altai Republic (5%) and among the speakers of the Khanty and Mansi languages (12%), east of the Ural mountains. U4 is also found at high frequencies in some ethnic groups in Pakistan and Afghanistan, including among the Balochi (2.5%), Hunza Burusho (4.5%), Hazaras (8%), Parsi (13.5%) and especially among the Kalash (34% according to Quintana-Murci et al. 2004), although these frequencies have to been taken cautiously as they are based on very small sample sizes. Haplogroup U4 rarely exceeds 2% of the population of the Middle East and is completely absent from the Druzes of Syria, Lebanon and Palestine. U4 is only found at trace frequencies in North Africa. Click here to Join Italian Roots and Genealogy on Facebook My Paternal Haplogroup – Dad is from Naples Nowadays haplogroup G is found all the way from Western Europe and Northwest Africa to Central Asia, India and East Africa, although everywhere at low frequencies (generally between 1 and 10% of the population). The only exceptions are the Caucasus region, central and southern Italy and Sardinia, where frequencies typically range from 15% to 30% of male lineages. The overwhelming majority of Europeans belong to the G2asubclade, and most northern and western Europeans fall more specifically within G2a-L140(or to a lower extend G2a-M406). Almost all G2b(L72+, formerly G2c) found in Europe are Ashkenazi Jews. G2b is found from the Middle East to Pakistan, and is almost certainly an offshoot of Neolithic farmers from western Iran, where G2b was identified in a 9,250 year-old sample by Broushaki et al. (2016). Haplogroup G1is found predominantly in Iran, but is also found in the Levant, among Ashkenazi Jews, and in Central Asia (notably in Kazakhstan). G2a makes up 5 to 10% of the population of Mediterranean Europe, but is relatively rare in northern Europe. The only regions where haplogroup G2 exceeds 10% of the population in Europe are in Cantabria in northern Spain, in northern Portugal, in central and southern Italy (especially in the Apennines), in Sardinia, in northern Greece (Thessaly), in Crete, and among the Gagauzes of Moldova – all mountainous and relatively isolated regions. Other regions with frequencies approaching the 10% include Asturias in northern Spain, Auvergne in central France, Switzerland, Sicily, the Aegean Islands, and Cyprus. My Mother-in-laws Haplogroup she is from Sciaccia Sicily Haplogroup U1  is a  rare lineage very homogeneously spread across most of Central Asia, Europe, the Middle East and North Africa, with a frequency typically ranging from 0.5% to 2%. Only a few isolated ethnic groups, mostly in the Volga-Ural and North Caucasus regions, have frequencies above 3%. This includes the Uralic-speaking Udmurts (10%) and Mordvins (7%), as well as the Karachay-Balkars (4.5%), Nogays (3.8%), North Ossetians (3.6%), Adyghe-Kabardin (3.6%) and Dargins (3.6%) in the North Caucasus, and the Latvians (3.5%) in the East Baltic. The only region where U2 is constantly found in higher frequencies is South Asia, where it is found found in roughly 6.5% of Bangladeshi people, 12% of Sri Lankans, and at an average frequency of 5.5% of in India, especially among Indo-Euopean speakers (7.5%) and with local peaks in northern India exceeding 20% (source: Mestpalu et al. 2004). However, South Asian subclades of U2, namely U2a, U2b and U2c, differ from the Central Asian U2d and European U2e. Only a few ethnic groups in Europe appear to completely lack haplogroup U2, although this could be due to sampling bias. So far, U2 has not been found among Ashkenazi Jews, Cypriots, Sardinians, Welsh, Icelandic, Saami, Lithuanians, Avars and Chuvash people. For more on the Genetic History of Italians you can visit Eupedia.  Macerio Hay May 2017. More Information On DNA