My last on-site research trip was in November 2009 and included these adventures:
Sunday, 1 November 2009
flew from SLC to BWI, took B30 bus to Greenbelt Station in College Park and to my hotel.
Monday, 2 November 2009
Walked down to the University of Maryland to catch the C8 to NARA II. I could have taken the 86 to the University, but I really like that walk in the early morning. Updated my ID and equipment list and boarded the elevator. The other woman on the elevator turned out to be Gina McNeely, my colleague and co-worker that morning. A good start to the day!
We placed our orders for the first pull and I worked on copying another section of the catalog while she took take of other business on another floor. I discovered two more Entry #s that contain records that may be useful to both my Utah book and the work I’ve been pursuing regarding Camp Monticello and the Italian Generals held in the US.
Found a few general orders and directives that document the rules and regulations that had been referenced in other research, as well as a file documenting the health of Gen. Bergonzoli until his death. Gina left at lunch and I continued on, locating a file on the 10 July incident at Ft. Lawton. Gina had found a single page reference to it in another box earlier, wonderful to find a complete incident report with interviews from several people!
Not all my digital photos turned out, need to sit next to the windows the way I have in the past to make that work without flash as required.
Since it was Monday, the building closed at 5, giving me the perfect opportunity to catch the Metro to Washington to see some sights. Of course, the museums I’d love to view were all closed when I got there, but just walking the Mall and walking around some of the buildings there while viewing the lit Washington Monument and Capitol Building was a thrill.
Tuesday, 3 November 2009
Flew from BWI to JFK for my flight to FCO (Rome). All went well…
Wednesday, 4 November 2009
Arrived in Rome and waited for my flight to Palermo (should have booked an earlier flight) in the new EasyJet terminal. Rome has changed their terminals from A, B, C to 1, 2, 3, although my reservation didn’t reflect it. At least they didn’t change the order so it was easy enough to navigate. Picked up the rental car (EuropeAuto, good discount when I made the EasyJet reservation). Drove down to Bolognetta before stopping for the night.
Thursday, 5 November 2009
Drove about an hour to Alia to arrive in time for Mass. When I asked to research, the priest acted like he didn’t remember me, although I’d worked with him for three mornings last March. He finally relented and fetched 4 baptism books for me and told me to go ahead and research while he took care of other business.
Drove down to Selinunte and couldn’t find the hotel I’d reserved on Expedia. I even called home and had my family searching for it on the internet and calling Expedia, without finding it. I found another hotel after 3 hours. The next day I found the first hotel at venere.com and learned that it was in Triscina, not Selinunte. I drove out there and it looked OK, if desolate.
Friday, 6 November 2009
Drove up to Vita in a light sprinkle of rain and arrived shortly before the offices opened. The clerks there were very friendly and helpful and allowed me to work alongside them as they compiled family charts for the many children in this family. Wonderful!
Stopped by the cemetery on my way out of town and found the grave of a cousin who had died just last year. Then the sexton advised me that he needed to close and followed me out.
Back to Selinunte where I did some internet work and ended the day with a delightful seafood antipasto accented with a local white wine. Nothing like eating seafood at the marina!
Saturday, 7 November 2009
Arrived in Sambuca di Sicilia, but the town offices were closed, and the church offices, and Mariella’s house was still closed, so I stopped at my favorite pastry shop. Just as I was finishing this decadent pastry, there was a knock at my window and there were Mariella and Franco who had parked next to me! They were headed for her uncle’s funeral so I joined the party and we walked the block to the church.
We stopped at the rest home in town to visit Franco’s mother.
Several stops (fresh bread, fresh veggies) later we arrived at their home and prepared lunch. I knew I had a three-hour drive before my overnight stop so we said our good-byes.
Drove to Bianco Gelso, a rest stop with a nice hotel where the A19 meets the highway around Catania and the hotel has good Wi-Fi.
Sunday, 8 November 2009
Knowing I had all day to get to Vibo Valentia, I back-tracked to Agira to visit the Canadian War Cemetery there. The Commonwealth website has good directions. The cemetery has a lovely view with the town on the hilltop above and the lake below. Very well tended with a wreath placed by the town on the 4th (their day to honor the military).
Then back toward Catania and the Catania War Cemetery (Commonwealth). This is right off the freeway and they’d placed a gate on the road leading to the cemetery with a combination lock. The combination is posted on the Commonwealth website and they advise you to park inside to avoid vandals so I did. Also a very well tended place and wreaths from the local city organizations placed on the 4th.
Then I drove off to Messina and the ferry to Villa San Giovanni and up the coast to Vibo Valentia. Stayed in Bivona in a new little family place with poor wireless. Oh well…
Monday, 9 November 2009
Arrived in Tropea before anything opened. Had a nice cappuccino while waiting. The folks at the Pro Loco (tourist office) gave me directions to the Stato Civile offices. They advised me that the family I was seeking had a lot of folks living there, but they weren’t from there. I was concentrating on a 1796 birth or his marriage, so you can see the extended view of time they have. The Diocese museum that might have had the records was closed. I did get a brochure for them and apparently they were closed the whole month. The Stato Civile told me that their older records had been moved to the library and the library was closed for renovation so I was out of luck. They were annoyingly non-sympathetic. Frustrating when institutions don't place information like this on their websites.
I drove over to Mileto in hopes that the current Diocese archives would have the records I was seeking. I’d gotten the contact information from their website, but it didn’t say that the archives was only open on Wednesday, although it could be opened on Tuesday or Saturday for an appointment. Of course, it was Monday, so there was no opportunity. I’d sent them an email two weeks prior but still haven’t received a response. Sent letters once I got home to get those documents I couldn't get on the trip.
Now another three-hour drive up to Benevento (actually San Giorgio del Sannio) where I’d be staying at an affordable hotel I’d used before. Wireless was good and I did some catching up before falling asleep.
Tuesday, 10 November 2009
It only took an hour to get to Santa Croce del Sannio, better than I’d expected. The offices were just opening and they were most helpful and friendly. They even made photocopies of the first documents I requested. After that we started collecting all the children in the family and I was reduced to notes, but it was an overall very good experience! They told me there had been a fire about 50 years ago and only had the books I could see on the shelf. I then headed for the next town.
Jelsi was another hour down the road, but a more disappointing experience. The Stato Civile office had their records in storage and the man at the window couldn’t leave his post, although he was very sympathetic to my situation. The church was closed (with no times posted for Mass) so that appears to be normal for that town, like the town before.
With no hope that things would be better the next day, I pointed my car towards Rome. I stopped at the Venafro Free French Cemetery. It's amazing! The front (south) half is Christian with crosses marking the graves and a chapel a the center. The back (north) half (divided by a wide walk, French flag, and monument wall describing the history and giving the numbers is Muslim with a tower, crescent moons on the headstones and palm trees and cactus in the landscaping. All graves outlined with cement and filled with stones and facing East (both halves of the cemetery). I was hoping for a brochure, visitor book, welcome center, but found none of the above. Very well tended and I passed a supervisor-appearing man checking the work buildings as I left. He may have an office in one, but they were closed with no signs.
Drove into downtown Cassino in hopes of finding a map showing all the assorted WWII cemeteries in the area, but they weren't on the map I found outside the Municipio. In the same area were two monuments to the war, one with wonderful photos you'll see once I get this stuff posted (background to history came out better in the photos than in person). I did find the Commonwealth and German cemeteries listed on my roadmap and a signpost to the former as I entered town from the South. I also found a signpost pointing North for the Polish cemetery, appears to be the same road as the German cemetery, but no sign for them. I found out that there's a War Museum in town that I'll visit next trip and hopefully get directions to all the related cemeteries and more information. Still looking for numbers since the USA moved their burials to the Sicily-Rome cemetery near Anzio and each cemetery lists their own history and numbers of burials. I know the US cemeteries hold about 2/3 of the fallen, the remainder were shipped home for burial. I don't know the numbers on the rest of the nationalities. Maybe once I finish the US book I can do an Italian War Cemeteries and POW camps book.
Stayed at a hotel in Fiumicino because I just put too many miles into too few days on this trip. The flight home the next day went well, but I’d forgotten that by the time I change planes in ATL or JFK, I’ve been awake 24 hours before I find my own bed. Next time I’ll take that Paris to SLC flight, much easier.
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My latest book on CD is titled Sicily, Part 1 and Part 2 and is now available on 2 CDs. With a file for each town (plus many other files), it relates the history of Sicily as reflected in the photos, records and festivals of its towns. It contains over 2500 text and photo files and can be ordered at CD order.
My next research trip to Italy is scheduled for March 2010.
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