Regions of Italy

I never expected to find Sardian DNA or ancestry when I began my research.  However, my fatherline shows 12% Sardinia and my autosomal DNA shows 1.2%.  I was also able to trace back to the “Judges” of Arborea to Comita I in 1075 who is my 26th great grandfather on my paternal grandmother’s side.  I also have a connection through the Aragonese.  Specifically James II, my 20th great grandfather King of Aragon in 1297 and

Must See Places The History of Marche Italy is very interesting.  The most known cities being Urbino and Pesaro. I have ancestors from almost every province in Italy.  Marche is especially interesting  to me, due to the Guelphs, Montefeltro, Charlemagne and Dukes of Urbino, that all factor into my ancestry.  Scroll to the bottom to see the connections. Italy Magazine Get your copy of my new book click the photo to buy direct of buy

I never really paid much attention into the history of Basilicata Italy.  As it turns out, many of my ancestral families are listed as playing a significant role in middle ages, specifically, Carafa, Caracciolo and Pignatelli from Italy.  And the Capetians from France and the Aragona from Spain. Basilicata, region, southern Italy, along the Golfo di Taranto (Gulf of Taranto), consisting of the provinces of Potenza and Matera. Bounded by the regions of Puglia(north and

Some of the most familiar provinces in Italy are found in Emilia Romagna.  For example,  Bologna, Ferrara, Modena, Parma and Rimini.  I have several ancestors that have their roots in this region.  Such as, the Dukes of Ferrara and the D’Este and Farnese families.  You can read more about them lower in this post. Emilia-Romagna Emilia-Romagna: cultivated fieldsCultivated fields near Brescello, Emilia-Romagna regione, Italy.Szeder László Bologna: Palazzo del PodestàPalazzo del Podestà (left) and Palazzo dei

I have been researching the history of Campania Italy for over ten years as this is one of the two regions that my family comes from. Both of my father’s parents are from Naples, and I have traced my grandmother’s family back centuries.  I’ve been their once and hope to go back again soon.  Both of my grand mother’s families are listed in the Nobilita Napolitana.  The Caracciolo’s and Piromallo’s lived on or near Via

My connection to Sicily is interesting.  While not really Sicilian, many of my ancestors had some hand in ruling there, either directly of indirectly.  For example, the Hauteville, Hohenstaufen, Angevin French, the Argagonese and Spanish Hapsburgs are all part of my family tree going back almost 1000 years.  Also, my wife’s mom is from Sciaccia, and her family is Proietto, Baldasanno, DeMino, Gelardi and some Cusumano. Reading through the history, it’s not surprising that when

By F l a n k e r (optimized by Blackcat – Own work, CC BY-SA 3.0, Liguria, the third smallest of the regioniof Italy, bordering the Ligurian Sea, in the northwestern part of the country. It comprises the provincieof Genoa, Imperia, La Spezia, and Savona. PortovenerePortovenere, La Spezia province, Liguria, Italy.© sds-studio/Shutterstock.com Shaped like a crescent reaching from the mouth of the Roia River to that of the Magra and from the French frontier

 History of Umbria Italy The first two major tribes to share Umbria were the Umbri and the Etruscans. Although the Etruscans have received more press, the Umbri settled the region first, as far back as 1000 BC. The river Tiber (Tevere in Italian) mostly divided the two: Umbri on the east, Etruscan on the west. The Umbri tribe flourished early on in eastern towns such as Spoleto, Gubbio, Città di Castello and Assisi. Etruscans established

The history of Molise Italy is important to me, as my 3rd great grandmother Beatrice Capece Piscicelli was the Duchess of Capracotta ( Cooked Sheep ), which lies in Molise. Towards the end of the seventeenth century, the family acquired the fief of Capracotta and King Charles of Bourbon, in October 1674, conferred on Andrea Capece Piscicelli, the title of Duke of Capracotta, a title that several years later, following the inevitable feudal events that

By F l a n k e r (optimized by Blackcat – Own work, CC BY-SA 3.0,  Piedmont, Italian Piemonte, regione(region), northwestern Italy, comprising the province(provinces) of Alessandria, Asti, Biella, Cuneo, Novara, Torino, Verbano-Cusio-Ossola, and Vercelli. Piedmont Village near Vinadio, Cuneo province, Piedmont, Italy.© paokun/Shutterstock.com To the south, west, and north Piedmont is surrounded by the vast arc of the Ligurian Apennines and the Maritime, Cottian, Graian, and PennineAlps. The core of Piedmont is the Po River valley,

Abruzzo(UK: /æˈbrʊtsoʊ/,[5]US: /ɑːˈbruːtsoʊ, əˈ-/,[6][7]Italian: [aˈbruttso]; Aquilano: Abbrùzzu) or Abruzziis a regionof Southern Italywith an area of 10,763 square km (4,156 sq mi) and a population of 1.2 million. It is divided into four provinces: L’Aquila, Teramo, Pescara, and Chieti. Its western border lies 80 km (50 mi) east of Rome. Abruzzo borders the region of Marcheto the north, Lazioto the west and south-west, Molise to the south-east, and the Adriatic Seato the east. Geographically, Abruzzo is divided into a mountainous

My personal connection with the History of Lazio Italy is that I have to great great … grandfathers that were Popes.  Pope Paul III and Sixtus IV.  Paul III ( Alessandro Farnese ) my 14th great grandfather is interred under glass in St Peter’s and his palazzo is now the French embassy.  Alessandro’s sister Giulia, was Pope Alexander’s ( the Borgia pope ). mistress.  Pope Alexander’s daughter, Lucrezia Borgia, had and affair with my 13th

Join Our Facebook Group Italian Roots and Genealogy Farmers And Nobles on Amazon History of Tuscany Italy Tuscan countryside, Monteriggioni, Italy.© William J. Bowe Tuscany, Italian Toscana, regione(region), west-central Italy. It lies along the Tyrrhenianand Ligurianseas and comprises the province(provinces) of Massa-Carrara, Lucca, Pistoia, Prato, Firenze, Livorno, Pisa, Arezzo, Siena, and Grosseto. Tuscany, Italy: landscapeAn aerial view of the landscape of Tuscany, Italy.Geoff Tompkinson/GTImage.com Tuscany is a transitional region occupying much of the former grand

My mom’s family if from Toritto and Acquaviva Delle Fonti, Bari.  Although, I do have come ancient de Hautville ancestors from the region on my dad’s side.  My uncle Giovanni stayed behind when my grandparents came to America, and raised his family there until the late 1940’s.  My cousins have an interview that they did with him in Barese and I hope to someday have that translation.  My great grandfather, Francesco, owned a cow and

My roots go back to two important families in the region.  The Sforza family and the Gonzaga family. Lombardy The resort town of Bellagio on Lake Como, Lombardy, Italy.© Index Open   Lombardy, Italian Lombardia, regioneof northern Italy. It is bordered on the north by Switzerland and by the Italian regioniof Emilia-Romagna(south), Trentino–Alto Adige and Veneto (east), and Piedmont (west). Administratively, Lombardy consists of the provincieof Bergamo, Brescia, Como, Cremona, Lecco, Lodi, Mantova, Milano, Monza e Brianza, Pavia,

Little did I know, that when I began my family research, that I would have ancestors from Calabria.  The Piromallo family was originally from Barcelona, Spain and eventually move to Naples.  The “capostipite” or founder of the family was Count Domenico Piromallo, who died heroically, as commander of the Castle of Crotone in 1528.  There’s not too much history to be found on the family until Francesco Antonio purchased Barony of Montebello in 1755 from