My last on-site research trip was in October/November 2011 and included these adventures:
As always, my trip to Italy in October/November was wonderful! I'm looking forward to returning in March 2012 (see www.gentracer.com/nextrip.html).
Monday, 17 October
Flew out of Salt Lake City to Charles de Gaulle in Paris. Love this flight, takes about 9 hours and much less hassle than changing planes before leaving the country.
Tuesday, 18 October
Landed in Paris and took the shuttle to the hotel outside Roissy. Love that little village that's managed to maintain its original life with the hotels only on the outside . Terrific fresh bread! Took the train into Paris that afternoon and evening. Lots to see..
Wednesday, 19 October
Flew from Paris to Venice and picked up the rental car. Lovely hotel in Villorba so we can work in Pordenone the next day.
Thursday, 20 October
Too cold and windy to enjoy Venice (broke both our umbrellas).
Worked in Pordenone Archivio Storico. This office is at via Piave #54 and is open 9-12 and 1:30-6:30 on Monday-Friday, except Wednesday when the offices are closed and Saturday, for morning hours only. The man who has been answering my email assisted us and granted permission for photos. Found most of the family files we were seeking, need to contact Anagrafe offices for the more recent families.
Friday, 21 October
Worked in Pordenone Archivio di Diocese. They're open Tuesday, Wednesday and Saturday from 9-12 and Thursday and Friday from 4-6:30. We read the marriage records from San Marco parish for 1693-1789 and located marriages to extend families. We also searched the marriage records for San Giorgio parish in Pordenone and the marriages for Fiume Veneto and the parish of Torre (di Pordenone). Drove to Gavi.
Saturday, 22 October
Worked in Olevano di Lomellina that morning, driving back through San Giorgio di Lomellina and touring the fort that sits above Gavi that evening.
Sunday, 23 October
Coordinating with a local cousin, had appointment to work in the church in Tasso (a community in the city of LuMarzo).
Went to Rossi (another community in LuMarzo), but missed the cousins. Next time...
Stayed at Bagni di Lucca, a lovely town in the mountains north of Lucca.
Monday, 24 October
Worked in the archives at Lucca Diocese. This place is set up for researchers and has duplicate parish registers, wonderful!
Toured Pisa in the evening.
Tuesday, 25 October
Back to work in the Lucca Diocese archives.
Worked in the town library and Archivio di Stato that afternoon.
Drove up to Piazza di Brancoli that evening. Terrific views!
Wednesday, 26 October
Worked once more in the Lucca Diocese archives.
Drove to Roma to spend the night.
Thursday, 27 October
Stopped in Collelongo that morning and learned from a lady across the piazza that Mass was that evening. Drove to Avezzano and found out that the Diocese Archives has records for some parishes, but not Collelongo or Trasacco. Drove to Scanno, but arrived after those offices had closed for the day. After Mass in Collelongo, I worked in the church archives. Found a marriage for this family in book #3 (1801-1829). Searched marriage book #2 (1782-1801) and located another marriage. Book #1 was missing.
Spent the night at a favorite hotel in Velletri.
Friday, 28 October
Toured Roma after a scheduled stop in the Italian Army Archives (Stato Maggiore di Esercito).
Saturday, 29 October
Another lovely day in Roma, touring the sights.
Sunday, 30 October
Visited military cemeteries at Anzio (U.S. and Commonwealth) and Cassino (Polish), plus the Abbey at Montecassino.
Spent the night at a hotel in Casapulla outside Caserta.
Monday, 31 October
Worked in the Napoli Archivio di Stato. Some of the records for the city of Napoli (1809-1865) are on microfilm through the Family History Library, but the clerk I was working with was excited that the remainder of the sections of the city would be copied by the FHL by the end of the year. Still need to work in this archive with a week's notice for them to pull the 10 volumes per day I can read while there for town records before 1865 not yet available on microfilm or digital. More recent acquisitions are digital and I've enjoyed working in the Forio records in that last couple of months.
Tuesday, 1 November
Expected to Work in the Salerno Archivio di Stato, forgetting that this is a holiday. Toured the city and had a relaxing afternoon in the marina.
Wednesday, 2 November
Worked in the Salerno Archivio di Stato. Love this archive, very friendly staff and can order 3 volumes at each of 4 pulls Monday through Friday, 3 pulls on Saturday.
Thursday, 3 November
Worked in Avellino Archivio di Stato (in its new and lovely home in the former Bourbon Prison) and Caserta Archivio di Stato which was very difficult to find since it looks like an apartment building. Persevered by driving by several times and finally parking the car to walk the street to locate the address I'd found online. Staff was helpful and friendly so no problem reading quite a few folumes of lista di leva (military conscription records).
Spent the night in Barletta outside Bari.
Friday, 4 November
Worked in the church in Alberobello and toured this ENESCO Heritage site that evening. While this church is the oldest, they only have records back to 1900 and the priest doesn't know where the older records are . He joked about not being old enough to remember, clearly not a historian. He did say that some baptisms were at the hospital when there was no church open and we agreed that the older records are probably in the Diocese Archives in Conversano.
Spent the night in Renda, outside Cosenza.
Saturday, 5 November
Took ferry across the Strait of Messina to Sicily.
Spent the night in Balestrate with lovely sea views.
Sunday, 6 November
Attended Mass in Montemaggiore Belsito and made an appointment to work in those records the next day.
Monday, 7 November
Worked in the archives of the parishes of Montemaggiore Belsito after placing an order in the new Stato Civile office in Ficarazzi.
Tuesday, 8 November
Picked up a document in the new Municipio offices in Ficarazzi (PA). The older records in the basement haven't been organized since the move, so locating the right books and records is challenging, but the staff was very helpful and friendly.
Spent the night in San Leone, enjoying an evening walk on the beach.
Wednesday, 9 November
Attended Mass and scheduled work in the church archives in the Matrice in Canicatti. In between, worked in the new Stato Civile offices after getting a guide to the building from other Municipio offices in town.
Thursday, 10 November
Worked in the church archives in the Matrice in Canicatti along with couple of researchers from Catania. Fun morning! Stopped in Serradifalco where they haven't finished moving into the new town library before checking into our hotel at Triscali (on the beach near Castelvetrano).
Friday, 11 November
Worked in the Stato Civile in Vita. They've lost some staff, so we had to place an order that they promised to send the next week. Most of the order arrived two weeks later, wrote back for the rest but they've been slower to respond.
Started at the Municipio in Castelvetrano and then over to the Museum and library to locate an old POW camp from WWII. I think this camp changed locations since the description from the downed Canadian pilot who wrote up his story shortly after the war and published last year wtih the able assistance of his daughter.
Saturday, 12 November
Toured Sambuca di Sicilia, including their growing collection of museums and galleries. Love the pastries! However, I missed my friend Mariella. Next time...
Spent the night at another beach hotel, this one at Giardini Naxos. This is the perfect time of year to get good deals at empty beach resorts.
Sunday, 13 November
Went up Mt. Etna, through the cloud, so no views to the coast, but still spectacular!
Monday, 14 November
Worked in the Stato Civile offices in Licodia Eubea. New staff here, so while they were friendly and helpful, I was able to help them find records that had been overwhelming them.
Stopped to tour Carlentini on the way back to our hotel. Love the angel on the military monument there!
Tuesday, 15 November
Toured the cemetery in Catania, it's HUGE!
We had evening flights, mine to Paris and Chris off to Greece. Glad to have my daughter along to share the trip and to reap the benefits of her outstanding photographic skills.
Wednesday, 16 November
Flew Paris to SLC, good to be home!
For more about travel and research in Italy and other topics, please see my newsletter.
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 2012.
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