Our first stop in central Italy's Abruzzo region is off the well traveled path to the tiny village of Ortona dei Marsi. Nestled in the lush mountainside, made of stone and steeped in time, this is the magical place where Bob's maternal grandparents are from. They came to America when they were 18.
Bob's grandfather Juliano DiCiccio came to America (Brockton, MA) first when he was 16. He traveled back to Italy to see his family and was drafted to the war. It was during this time he fell in love with Virgo Maria Albanese and when the war was over they moved to America together. They had 4 children - Angelina, Lucia, Rita (Bob's mom) and Valentino. [The Luiso's are from the Bari Region of Italy which is further southeast. Bari is on the bucket list for another trip!]
The locals we met did not speak English but we did our best to communicate. We took in the beautiful 14th century church of St. John the Baptist, sipped cappuccino in the towns single cafe and explored the steep and worn-in-time yet utterly charming streets.
We were able to locate some "relatives" with his maternal grandmothers maiden name, Albanese! When we loosely put together the family tree this made sense - Albanese stuck around because his grandmother had brothers, but DiCiccio faded as his grandfather only had sisters. Is the younger woman in the photo a distant Albanese relative? Perhaps!
My Italian roots are from my paternal grandmother Julia Infante. She passed at the age of 88 in 2006. The Infantes are from the nearby Molise Region, I believe the city of Campobasso.
His little 6 month old faces - I can't!
Just sipping a Cappuccino with my Mom + Dad, taking in my Italian heritage!
Our impromptu stop after a long days journey from Praiano --> Sorrento (where we picked up our rental car) --> Pompeii --> L'Aquila (province in Abruzzo) was genuinely amazing. To explore a little bit of family history, to imagine Camden's great grandparents as kids playing in these stone streets and to embrace Bob's families true Italian roots. Ortona dei Marsi tucked into a lovely corner of Abruzzo shows us a remarkably different part of Italian life!
Hope you had a great time. I have been back to Ortona many times now. There are people that speak english, but the best time to find them is in September during the festivals. Guiliano would be my 3rd cousin twice removed. His parents were Valente Di Cicco and Lucia Venti. Have a great summer. Be safe.
ReplyDeleteMy Dad Giuseppe DiCroce was born in Ortona. My Father came to the US aft the age of 17. I brought him back to visit his family 50 years later. What a thrill for him. I went back again five years later. The house my Dad lived in was all stone. I understand my cousins live in it now. My Maiden name is DiCroce. I would love to hear from anyone in Ortona.
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