Hi All,Silvia here, I'm a

Hello , I have been going back to Italy on a yearly basis. Each trip I locate more of my Italian family. We have a very interesting story , it would be great to share with you. Finding my family has been such a wonderful thing for me and to find our roots is amazing. I will look forward to hearing from you. Sylvia Raimondi Kerber 

Hello!ill never forget my 2 trip to Italy with my parents. One year we went back to visit for the first time with relatives from my mothers side. A few years later we returned to visit my fathers. That was the trip that was the most emotional. Since my father never knew his mother , died of sickness when he was one. Lots of beautiful stores and family reunions in Sicily, I'd love to share! Rick Mutascio Minot 

My grandfather, Pasquale Filice, left San Nicola as a young man for Morgan Hill, CA.  They were quite poor  and were not able to give his grandmother a proper burial.  Upon arriving in the US he promised that he would return to his hometown one day  and build a mausoleum in her honor.  After traveling twice to Cosenza in southern Italy and exploring San Nicola, Piane Crati and the surrounding area I finally found the mausoleum, barely recognizable.  I was also able to reconnect with family in Piane Crati.  This connection is on my mother's side but my father's family (Maida) is from the same area.  I have such wonderful memories of these two trips and am so eager to return.  I would love to hear from you.  Rosalind Maida Farotte

Hi, my name is Deb, and I am very fortunate to have traveled twice to Italy.  My Paternal Grandfather's family are from Rose, a small mountain town in Cosenza, Calabria. I had been trying for a few years to research my family tree without much success. I finally decided to travel to Italy to learn more about my ancestors, and boy, was I glad I did.  Not only was I able to connect and meet with a few relatives, but I was greeted by the entire village, and was actually able to see the homestead where my Grandfather was born.  I have so many memories that I would love to share!  Debbie Orrico

Just this December, my sisters and I travelled to Sicily specifically to visit the hometowns of our maternal grandparents. We reconnected with family (to include my mother's last surviving first cousin). We visited our family cemeteries to pay respect to our great grandparents. We visted the churches (large and small) where generations of our ancestors had been batptized, married and eulogized. And on my birthday, I stood at the doorway of house where my eponyous grandfather was born.As my family's historian I was able to serve as tour guide to places I had never been before, and the opportunity to make personal what had always been purloined memories was indescribably thrilling.It was a visit filled with emotion, memory, history and pleasure. And it changed me deeply.Frank ArduiniLittleton, Colorado

Ciao Silvia,I'm an Italian - American who is fascinated by my Italian roots. My parents were immigrants from Naples and started Italian restaurants in Seattle in 1957. I operate the restaurants today and also lead a tour annually to Italy. I know most of my Italian family but it is interesting to me that when I ask questions about ancestors beyond my grandparents that my cousins seem to know little and don't appear to have a lot of interest. I would love to one day to do an extensive family tree report for my family. i think some of my ancestors on my father's side were from Capri:)Vince Mottolawww.vincesrestaurants.comwww.mottolaitaliantours.com

Hi,My sister & I are travelling to Monno, Brescia,Italy at the end of May.  Our great grandfather, arrived in Australia in 1881.  We have made contact with the local Mayor's office, who has provided us with his Paternal family tree & discovered he was married.  We had no idea he was previously married, as Australian records & family stories indicate he was single when he arrived.  We don't know what happened regarding his marriage in Italy.  We have also made contact with the Monno community via their Facebook page.  It will be exciting to visit & meet some distant cousins. 

Hi! Six of my 8 great grandparents came from Italy. I have been visiting towns and meeting family the past 5 years and still have a few comune to visit. I have met my grandfather's first cousin (she's 90) and we visited the nearby town where my great grandfather was born and saw the house. Another cousin on the same side is an Italian astronaut.  They are originally from Gallese but now live in Vasanello. We have also visited the mountain town of Greci in southern Italy where my great grandmother was born. We have seen the church records dating back to 1610 when two dozen Albanian families settled there. I have roots back to most of those families. We met distant cousins, ate great food, visited houses and the cemetery. The Gallese family ( thru which I am recognized as an Italian citizen) helped me celebrate my birthday a few years ago and we have met on several other occasions.  I now speak Italian and have been in Italy since January.  I have yet to visit Oppido Mamertina in Reggio Calabria or Bellosguardo in southern Italy. More research wS done in Pescantina near Verona. Lots of wandering around cemeteries!  I love the connections and feel like I belong.

Hello All, and thank you for writing! We've received a large number of responses from people excited to share their journeys into their Italian roots, and I'm now busy sorting through them all! Your stories all sound wonderful, I'll be in touch with additional questions once we've made a selection of stories we're going to feature. Grazie ancora, a presto!Silvia

Hi Silvia!  I have also traveled to Italy to do family research and discovered that my grandfather was the only one of 6 brothers to settle in the United States (Brooklyn, NY). I was met by a tidal wave of relatives and I was completely unprepared for the torrent of love and hospitality. The experience was beyond words.  I returned last year and plan to go back this year as well. I have many many cousins and 3 great uncles and aunts -- some of whom live in the north (near Milan) and some that continue to live in a small town named Umbriatico in Crotone, Calabria. They are the most wonderful people and we keep in touch by Facebook and text messaging. I'm planning another visit this year in September or October. I always look for opportunities to share this story and have lots and lots of pictures. I'd be happy to participate in your project. Regina Napolitano Stein