My last on-site research trip was in March 2004 and included these adventures:
I flew into Milano and down to Catania where I picked up the rental car. I drove up to Randazzo (on the Northern slopes of Mt. Etna) shortly after dark and spent the night. In the morning, it was raining there and snowing further up on Mt. Etna. I turned north into the Nebrodi Mountains and the rain turned to snow. There was sparse traffic from the other direction, but none of them wore chains so I moved forward cautiously. About an hour later, I emerged from the snow into cloudy skies and stormy seas on the northern shore. I drove up to Piraino (475 meters) and had a spectacular view of the coast. The Stato Civile office is in the Municipio on the edge of town. The clerk was very helpful and friendly.
After spending the night on the coast in Brolo, I again climbed the mountain in search of the priest. I got there in time to see him start his car, but he had no time to talk. I have since written to him requesting that birth record around 1879. It is possible that, especially if the child was born in Gliaca, the birth was not civilly registered (which required a trip to the top of that mountain). I then toured Brolo and took lots of photos around the town and collected brochures from the tourist office.
I headed to a hotel in Sciacca that I knew and enjoyed on my last trip. The next morning, I arrived early in Sambuca di Sicilia and visited Mariella at the tourist office. After spending the day around Sambuca, exchanging information between my American client and his cousins and doing some research in the Municipio, I headed back to Sciacca for a dinner date with more cousins. The next day included research in Aragona and a meeting with my colleague, Emilio, in Argigento.
I arrived outside one of the new American housing areas for Sigonella to met my clients. Its always fun to meet someone youve been corresponding with (sight unseen), but this was amazing! These folks were my clients six years ago and surprised me with their youth! Good to be reminded that this family history stuff isnt just for folks over 40. We spent a delightful day together visiting his ancestral town of Mascalucia and making the discovery of previously unknown folks with the same surname in the cemetery, being tended by a living relative! For years, everyone around town had been telling us that the family in question moved to other locations a long time ago. Wrong! We topped off the day with an evening in Motta SantAnastasia, watching the sun set on Etna and enjoying a wonderful dinner.
I didnt get far that night, just Gelso Bianco, a very nice hotel at a rest stop outside of Catania. Up early the next morning and up the coast to Messina to catch the ferry to the mainland. I drove all day and finally stopped for the night at a rest stop near Mirabella. It was just an hours drive from there to Melfi. I arrived at the record office 5 minutes after opening and was recognized when I came in the door. Wonderful!
I drove into Isernia in the afternoon and located at hotel. After checking in, I drove out to Forli del Sannio in hopes that the record office opened in the afternoon, as they do occasionally. It wasnt open, but the sign on the door told me that it would be open from 8:30-12:30 the next day, so I was optimistic about getting lots of work done. I then toured the town and took lots of photos of the major buildings and monuments to gain an understanding of the town. The next morning, I arrived shortly before the offices opened. When they opened, I learned why several had been grouped together on the schedule, they were handled by only one person. She had me fill out a form for my requests and compared my information with my passport before letting me know that the mayor had to approve all requests and the archives were in another location and could not be searched that day. By then, ten minutes had gone by and three ladies were in line behind me, so I left my requests and moved on. I took more photos of the town and surrounding area and wrote letters to request documents to send from home on my return. It was very frustrating to run into such a wall near the end of a trip complicated by a cold and a tight schedule with too many miles between towns in the last few days.
After a few days rest, I was homesick for Italy again. Just remember to allow for rest and sleep when making the journey. I generally do, but with a cold and several nights out with cousins and colleagues, and trying to drive (alone) the 10 hours between Catania and Melfi in one day, I was drained. I'll be more careful next time!
For more about my adventures on this trip and other topics, please see my newsletter.
My latest book on CD is titled Agrigento, Palermo and Catania Provinces (Italy) - A Reference for Researchers and is now available. With a file for each town (plus many other files), it relates the history of Italy as reflected in the photos, records and festivals of its towns. It contains over 600 text and photo files and can be ordered at CD order.
Later this month, I'll be publishing the Rosters of Italian Prisoners of War held in the Continental US on 31 March 1945 (A-B). It will be available on CD and can be ordered at www.gentracer.com/powcd.html.
My next trip is scheduled for November 2004.
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