Laurenzana is the town my great-grandparents emigrated from in 1888. It’s one of a series of small villages perched on hilltops south of the provincial capitol of Potenza, in the southern Italian region of Basilicata. Being in the mountainous, sparsely populated south, and perhaps because we went in the Fall and there had been rain, there was a sense of verdant, pastoral glory to the area – the vistas were at times breathtaking. Our visit was all too brief, but memorable nonetheless.
The website that originally hosted this is gone and forgotten… surprisingly, interest has been expressed in seeing this again, so I am posting this page here.
Apologies for the length, but this is a compilation of our posts relating to our visit to Laurenzana (which was just a part of our excellent adventure)…
Preface/Background
Wednesday, October 21, 2009
You may be wondering why we chose to take two days out of our week in Rome in order to visit a small town in the rural, mountainous South. I’m pretty sure Susan was. Well, when my Uncle George heard I was going to Italy, he put me in touch with a distant relative, genealogy buff and all around good guy Doug Warwick. Doug is married to my dad’s cousin, Jane (nee Scavullo) and with his help we determined that the ‘ancestral village’ of the Pavis clan (and not incidentally the Scavullos) was a small town in Basilicata called Laurenzana. Since I had been unaware of this fact (and truthfully never really considered the issue) for the first 42 years of my life, I was a bit surprised by my desire to see this semi-mythical font of ancestry. My wife Tara and our traveling companion Susan both graciously agreed to make an overnight excursion down south. Since the planning was left to me, there was very little planning and we basically just drove south with maps in hand and a poor understanding of the time and distance involved. Still, the minor adventure we had will stay with me for as long as I live.
I owe a great debt of gratitude to my dad Jim, my Uncle George and especially Doug for all their help in tracing this branch of the family tree. Also, thanks to Tara and Susan for indulging my genealogical curiosity.
For those of you who are interested in a little more detail, let me make a short story long…
corrections are gladly received and any inaccuracy is solely the fault of the author.
In 1881 my great-grandfather, a farmer named Giambattista Salvatore Pavese married a young seamstress Maria Carmela Martoccia. As the south of Italy at that time was going through an extended period of brutal poverty, they joined the many thousands of their fellow Lucani (historically, this area was called Lucania and its residents Lucani or Lucanese) in emigrating to the United States. Upon landing in New York City, they settled in Brooklyn and started about the business of starting a family… and in stereotypical fashion had produced seven children by the turn of the century – Robert (Rocco), John, Angela Margaret (matriarch of the U.S. Scavullos), Vito Antonio (a.k.a. Victor Salvatore – my grandfather), George, Rosa (known by me as Aunt Rose) and Frank. Around 1914, in response to anti-Italian fervor and in order to procure work, the brothers decided to Americanize their name from Pavese to Pavis. Vito (Vic) Pavis married Eugenie Blanche Charpentier (who I know as Nana Pavis), their children were Vic, Bob, Alice, George, Gerry and Jimmy. Thus were the Pavises in America born.
Regarding Laurenzana itself, I’m going to be lazy and copy and paste from Wikipedia:
HistoryLaurenzana’s origins probably date from the 12th century when the Normans decided to build a fortified village in this area due to its strategic position. In 1268 Laurenzana took part in the Ghibelline revolt against Pope Clement V. During the Aragonese domination, it was ruled by the Orsini del Balzo and then in the 15th century by the Loffredos followed by the Filangieris the De Ruggieros, the De Quartos and the Belgioiosos.Main sightsThe most prominent architectural attraction is the Chiesa Madre dell’Assunta with a stone portal dating from 1780. It has one nave and two aisles, and houses a polychrome marble high altar, a fresco dating from the 16th century and Neapolitan school canvases dating from the 18th century.Near this church there is the Belvedere from which it is possible to admire the surrounding valleys and mountains. Also noteworthy is the Church of the Madonna del Carmine, housing a canvas painted by Giovanni Battista Serra from Tricarico and dating from 1611.Walking through the narrow streets of the village center the ruins of the castle situated in a position dominating the village. Delightful walks can be taken along the Abetina (“Fir-wood”) of Laurenzana, covering an area of 8 square kilometres on which silver firs and beech trees grow. The Società Botanica Italiana has considered the Abetina as a biotope of extraordinary environmental interest and has designated it a “Riserva Naturale Regionale”EconomyUp to a few years ago, Laurenzana was famous for the production of high quality liquors produced in four distilleries situated within the village. Handicraft activities regarding the manufacture of wooden barrels, bagpipes and wrought-iron were also widespread. The economy of the village is mainly based on agriculture; in fact, it is possible to find silviculture and animal breeding farms producing delicious dairy products.Religious festivals• Sant’Antonio di Padova : June 13• San Vito : June 15• Madonna del Carmelo : July 16• San Rocco : August 16• Madonna Addolorata : Last Sunday in September
You’re Going Where?
Wednesday, October 21, 2009
According to Andy:
Off to Laurenzana… since we rented a car, getting out of Rome was its own adventure. Malfunctioning rental company computers, Roman traffic and a navigator possessing only passing familiarity with the language all took their toll, yet with only one small detour we were able to get on the Grande Raccordo Anulare, the freeway that encircles Rome and connects to the A1 superhighway. Once on the A1, it’s basically head south past Naples and hang a left at Salerno… which didn’t stop us from taking an unplanned side trip to Sorrento, which as it turns out is lovely.
Part of the highway between Salerno and Potenza was closed for construction in the vicinity of Picerno, so we also got to tool around the countryside a bit on the detour…. As much as I enjoyed them, these detours meant the drive was taking longer than anticipated. Once we got to Potenza, it was late afternoon and time to head south on the local roads, which are unlit, windy, really gorgeous and not in nearly as poor repair as we had feared (take that Rick Steves).
The drive through Basilicata was very nice – the mountains make for great vistas that are much more dramatic than the hills we would be seeing later in Tuscany – but the sun was going down before we made it to Laurenzana and Susan was done for the day (I hadn’t yet discovered that I actually can drive a stick) so we stopped about 20km short of our goal in the vicinity of a town called Pignola. This turned out to be a bit of a blessing as the place we found randomly on the side of the road, Il Giubileo, was quite nice and nearly empty (I think traveling in the off-season really helped us here). It was a bit dispiriting to get so close without actually seeing the town we had driven so far to see. I was ready to give up and call it a night, but at Tara’s instigation, we hired a cab to take us to Laurenzana for dinner, hang around and bring us back afterward.
Tara and I both want to return in the future.
The reaction to our desire to go to Laurenzana – Why would you want to go there? – was pretty much universal. Equally universal was the understanding and approval once we managed to explain my great-grandfather emigrated from there. In fact, once people found out the backstory they often became friendlier, more talkative and would usually either share which other small nearby town they were from or which relative of theirs came from Laurenzana.
Our cab driver and chaperone for the evening was Ignazio, who, in addition to his driving gig had the snow plow concession in the Pignola area (I imagined him in a ‘Signore Plow’ jacket à la Homer Simpson). He was genial, loud, claimed he could teach me Italian in a matter of days and seemed to feel strongly I should hook up with some Paveses… he seemed to approve of me coming back to see the town my ancestors had left so long ago (he was trying to explain to me that there is an organization which helps the descendants of the Lucani return to visit, but I misremember the name). We drove from the hotel past San Donato and Anzi, looking across at Abriola and Calvello – the towns in the valleys stretching south from Potenza become like multi-colored jewels atop their hills after dark and the effect is dramatic and beautiful. As we drove through the twilight, we came upon a shepherd guiding his flock across the road… Ignazio took the opportunity to explain to us that in Pignola ‘il pastore è marito ma le pecore è moglie’ (the shepherd is the husband and the sheep is the wife) carrying on the rural humorists’ ancient tradition of exploring the… shall we say, intimate… relationship between the shepherd and his sheep.
Upon arrival, we became a spectacle for what seemed like the whole town as Ignazio drove around town importuning various groups of pensioners and/or teenagers in hopes of finding either some Paveses or someone who spoke English (he seemed to think every teenager should be able to, but well over a dozen denied the ability). Several of the children were eerily Pavis-like and one in particular looked like she could be my niece Nicole’s sister.
Ignazio wanted to find us a Pavese and have them bring us to their house (he seemed to expect this as a matter of course), but in fact the only Pavese we found was and older lady manning the cash register at the local market. She was nice, but didn’t seem to be eager for house-guests from America… she seemed content to deny having ever heard of my great grandfather (who,after all, had left well over 120 years previously).
As it turns out, the only restaurant is closed on Wednesdays (the type of thing that must be expected while enjoying plan-free travel), but there was a sort of fast food joint called Fast Gio and the owner graciously fed us lasagna and a variety of reheated doughy dishes, one of which she said was a traditional Laurenzanese dish that was like a cross between calzone and stuffed foccacia with green peppers inside. After dinner he walked us down Il Centro for a sort of passagiata, pointing out various local landmarks – his uncle’s house, the salumeria and what I think is/was the local house of ill-repute (I may be translating incorrectly) – and showed us a pair of statues in a little park at the very end and tried to explain their significance. One was the Beato Egidio (Blessed Giles) who is the patron saint of Laurenzana. Local legend has it his body still lies uncorrupted in it’s tomb and each year on the anniversary of his death the town has a celebration. More on Beato Egidio here. The other I took to be the original master of the castle that overlooks Laurenzana, but my understanding of Italian failed me at that point… that, the long day and perhaps the beer we shared at dinner.
At any rate, we went back to the hotel after our walk and on the way, while driving in total darkness on country roads infested with cows, sheep and dogs, Ignazio showed us cell phone video of his wife Sara (rhymes with Tara, which seemed to please Ignazio) and his fancy new snow plow (which was admittedly pretty bad-ass and cost €150k if I understood him correctly). As we continued on, he gave us the lowdown on his three children… one is in the Carbinieri, one is a chef and the third, a daughter, is at home studying computer programming (I think). I believe that his being stuck ferrying us around may have ruined her plans that evening, for which I do apologize. He seemed to be quite proud and very fond of all of them. He also offered to bring us back around the next day, but I didn’t want to bother him too much and our time was very limited, so we drove ourselves. I still am kicking myself for not getting a picture of him… I quite enjoyed his company and am unreasonably fond of him for someone who I spent so little time with.
According to Tara:
Woke early again and went out on my own to get some bread for breakfast. Being a bit navigationally challenged, and given the warren of tiny cobblestone streets surrounding us, its taken me this long to get my bearings enough that I thought I could find my way out and back again.
Andy made scrambled eggs with bacony hunks, it was tasty and a nice break from our usual. Today is the day we head off in search of Laurenzana, Andy’s ancestral village. It was an adventure all the way around, starting with the rentacar guy who felt that banging on the computer monitor would eventually bring his computer system back up. He also spent more time rifling through the supply closet than seemed strictly necessary.
Today was our worst lunch ever. We had made an earlier stop at an Autogrille to stretch our legs and get minor supplies (gum, water, and not the Michael Jackson CDs which were piled high at checkout). This particular Autogrille seemed to have a nice selection of fresh items – we even saw salads. So when lunchtime came around and we saw an Autogrille we stopped. It was a mistake. This one did not have anything fresh. I had a reheated hand-held pocket type of thing which was very bready and had a spinach and cheese filling. Not good.
The drive to Laurenzana takes much longer than we expected, and there is a bridge out somewhere which requires a detour. The Potenza area, Potenza being the “big” city nearest to Laurenzana, is hilly and once we got off the main highway, we were on winding single lane roads. It was quite beautiful, but not where we wanted to be driving after dark and dusk was approaching. We stumbled upon the Giubileo hotel and decided to go ahead and stay there. The Giubileo was about a 30 minutes from Laurenzana.
A brief advertisement for the Giubileo – the grounds are gorgeous and they have all the amenities that one would expect in a resort hotel. The bathroom in our room, though small, had a heated towel rack. They have spa and massage services which seemed quite appealing but I didn’t end up having a chance to get a massage.
So we settle into the Giubileo and Andy is disappointed that we got so relatively close to Laurenzana but didn’t quite make it. So I decide that the best plan would be for us to take a cab from the hotel and go into Laurenzana for dinner. Susan was staying in for the night so it was just the two of us.
I went down to the reception desk for what seemed to me to be a relatively simple request – certainly simple seeming for someone whose only experience of Italy so far is Rome! But as it turns out, the man behind the desk was quite concerned about my request. First, he doesn’t speak very much English. Second, Third and Fourth, no one goes to Laurenzana. Why would we want to do that, he kept asking? Fifth, its not really a “take a cab” kinda place. He knew someone who had a cab, but we would need to pay him to stay around and take us back to the hotel after dinner. Ultimately I was able to arrange the deal with the cab driver thanks to the hotel desk man.
Promptly at the time arranged, our cab driver appears and introduces himself – his name is Ignazio – and he has Andy sit in the front seat. Andy was then quizzed at length about why we would want to go to Laurenzana and what we were doing there. Fortunately Andy’s Italian was better than Ignzaio’s English and so from what I could make out from the back seat (and given that Andy progressed much further with the Rosetta Stone than I did) Andy was able to establish our purpose for the trip.
In the mean time, I’m checking out the amazing scenery and contrast from Rome. This part of Italy is extremely rural. During the cab ride – on the one lane winding road – we had to stop for a shepherd with his handful of sheep in the road.
At this point Ignazio tells a joke about sheep and marriage that Andy will have to explain.
Once we get to Laurenzana it becomes clear that we’re not just going to find a restaurant and anonymously have some dinner and then go back to the hotel. Ignzaio seems to have decided that we need to find some of Andy’s relatives (who I’m sure he thinks will then invite us in for dinner). Things are complicated by the fact that the one restaurant in the town is closed on Wednesdays. Things are also complicated by Ignazio’s belief that all teenagers must speak English, so he continues to shout out to every young person he sees to find someone to speak to us in more detail about what we want to do for dinner. This is combined with his also trying to find a Pavese, which he did, in the small market – she was working the register and was not particularly interested in having a conversation with us. When we left the market Ignazio continued his attempts to find a teenage translator, and at one point there was a crowd of at least 20 people gathered around us. We were quite the spectacle. I didn’t take any pictures of the crowd, but there were definite Pavis-like features in several of the faces.
Eventually someone who spoke some English was summoned by one of the members of the crowd and we were able to confirm that we would be fine with eating some pizza at the local “fast food” place. We walked with a small escort of folks and were served some delicious lasagna and other pizza and calzone offerings. Andy shared a beer with Ignazio and I was happy to finally be able to eat as by this time that terrible lunch at the Autogrille was a long time in the past.
After dinner Ignazio took us on a walk on the main street and valiantly kept trying to foster communication between us. Between the walk and the drive home we learned quite a bit about him, his wife, and their 3 kids. Ignazio is also a snow plow driver in the winter (he said they get up to 4 feet of snow in the winter) and while he was driving us home, he showed us a video on his cell phone of himself, driving the snowplow. On the ride home I was also required to sit in the front, so the three of us had quite the sociable ride back.
Back at the hotel I was quite happy that we decided to have our adventure. I was also quite happy for the heat in the room and the single channel in English (BBC news – and so my excitement at English TV quickly morphs to depression about all of the terrible things going on in the world).
Morning In Laurenzana
Thursday, October 22, 2009
According to Tara:
Had the breakfast buffet at the hotel. Seems that there is only one other person staying here besides us. Feels weird given how large the hotel facility is. The buffet breakfast was in a giant dining room. There wasn’t actual coffee or espresso drinks but instead they had one of those machines that dispense an assortment of terrible drinks. And a separate machine for terrible juices.
Lovely drive into Laurenzana, light rain, beautiful countryside and cows on the road. We went up the the castle and took lots of pictures of the castle, the church, and the town. Got stared at a lot. Found the city hall, such as it was, a small modern looking building that houses all the city services – the police, the mayor, what seems to be city planning, and records. At first no one wanted to talk to us and it was a bit challenging to break the ice. But somehow Andy managed to connect with someone (while I was outside taking pictures) and I found him in the records department doing a great job of explaining what he was doing there in Italian. Everyone became extremely helpful, especially after the birth record of his great grandfather was located – confirming that Andy was truly related to one of their own. Pretty soon we had certified copies of Andy’s great grandfather’s birth certificate and marriage certificate. The clerk who helped us, Anna, was so nice and helpful and she kindly posed for pictures.
Then Anna gave Andy a book (which she also stamped as an official copy). The book has the story of Laurenzana’s development and I’m sure it will be full of really interesting information once one of us can learn to read it. We were all very touched by this gift, and by the helpfulness and caring of Anna and the others who helped us. Even if the rest of the trip was disastrous, it wouldn’t matter after this.
Our final stops in Laurenzana allowed Andy to get some locally cured meats (furthermore referred to as the “disappointment meats” because we were really hungry for lunch but every restaurant we found was closed, so we kept hoping that we would not have to resort to eating the cured meats in the event that we couldn’t find any other lunch). We finally did find an open restaurant in a hotel, the Bouganville, and it was quite good.
Lots more driving to get back to rome, when we finally made it to the autostrada I volunteered to learn to drive a stick so that Susan could have a break from being the only driver. We had a nice empty parking lot and I did OK – I got to the point where I could fairly reliably get into first while remembering all the other parts of driving a car, such braking, turning, and not running down pedestrians, etc, but it was pretty clear that it would not be safe to tackle the autostrada quite yet. At least my extended driving lesson gave Susan’s knee some rest and she was ready to get behind the wheel again.
We managed to find our way back to the car rental return in Rome without too much trouble although the instructions that we were sort of given about what to do with the keys didn’t make any sense (and we encountered another set of tourists with the same problem) so there was some runaround but we eventually made it home by about 10pm. Andy and I brought back gelato for a light dinner (since lunch was so late and so large) – somehow this was our first gelato of the trip (how did we go so long without?) and it would also turn out to be the best. It was from a little hole in the wall place quite close to the apartment. I had half chocolate and half stratification. It was a long day and I was exhausted, but very happy for how well our visit to Laurenzana turned out.
According to Andy:
This morning we drove to Laurenzana! It is truly beautiful countryside, mountainous, with pastoral valleys and picturesque towns perched on the tops of hills. As we drove along, there were many cow crossing signs and not a few rain soaked cows meandering about on the roads. When we turned off of the main road (Statale Strada 92 or SS92 for short) to approach the town, we took a fortuitous wrong turn which allowed us to drive along the sort of main drag (il centro) that we had walked along the previous evening. At various times this is called the Via Roma, Corso Cavour and Corso Garibaldi (Italians must not be sticklers for one road keeping the same name for its entire length as we found this to be a common occurrence in Rome and Tuscany as well). It is a beautifully cobbled road, less narrow than most of the side streets in the village, which meanders across the lower parts town with small parks at either end – where it intersects with the SS92 is the park where all the kids were hanging out the night before, but where the retirees apparently congregate during the day and the more modern city hall. Laurenzana is comprised mainly of a profusion of winding, narrow cobbled streets lined with closely set rustic dwellings – I’m not sure how to describe it, but there is definitely a feeling that the basic look and feel has been unchanged a very long time.
Perched upon the upper reaches of the town are a castle and church, both dramatic, disused and picturesque. So naturally, we stopped and took a raft of pictures. While we were taking the pictures, several townspeople happened by – I think it’s unusual for carloads of tourists to pile out of the car and start snapping pictures in Laurenzana. The castle dates from the 12th century and is really quite imposing. Sitting as it does on a knob of rock, I can’t imagine people being too enthusiastic about storming the ramparts. The church – Chiesa Madre dell’Assunta – is of a similar age but has fared much better over the centuries, having been added on to and renovated over that time.
After our photoshoot, we headed back down to the town hall and went inside with vague plans of maybe seeing if they had the birth record there or some sort of tourist information kiosk. Our initial tentative queries (‘parla Inglese?’) were met with a sort of dismissive indifference and at first I was all for just finding some lunch and heading back to Rome. This was in keeping with the general pattern of our interactions there – initially we were regarded with a sort of cool distance, verging on outright suspicion in the case of the retirees roaming around downtown, that transformed into an gracious warmth and generosity once the ice was broken (this is especially true once they found out why I was there and that I had some connection to the town).
At any rate, as I wandered haplessly through the municipal offices I happened upon the local police chief (basically what seemed like the Andy Griffith of Laurenzana) and he invited me into his office and asked if I needed anything. Immediately upon finding out my reason for being there, he hustled me right over to the town clerk-recorder (at least that’s my approximation – I’m not precisely sure of her title) whose name is Anna Pelletieri and who is a delightfully nice and helpful woman. He also flagged down the vice mayor and soon there were 4 or 5 people all trying to figure out who I was what precisely I wanted – apparently I am too far removed for dual citizenship, but genealogical research is a-ok.
Soon they were all riffling through various official records looking for some reference to Giambattista Salvatore Pavese or Maria Carmela Martoccia. After a great deal of searching they located and made copies of Giambretta’s birth certificate and the marriage certificate for Giambattista and Carmela. Anna gave them the official stamp and as a parting gift presented me with a book containing the official history of the town of Laurenzana, which, being in Italian will take me a while to figure out… however the gift was extremely touching and Anna and all the kind people who helped us will be with me in memory for as long as I live.
Before leaving for Rome (the trip to Laurenzana was all too brief – we kind of squeezed it in as we found out about it after having made all of our reservations and so forth) I walked down the cobbled main street again looking for some snack items for the drive. As I purchased some salumi picante and bresaola in the little store that had sausages and so forth (I only found out later bresaola is traditionally made with horsemeat. It was delicious in any case). I found out that the shopkeeper was also a Pavese and she seemed glad to meet a distant relative, if puzzled as to why I came all the way from America for so short a stay. I like to tell myself she would have given me the prodigal son treatment had there been more time. I hope to return for a more extensive visit someday…
As we drove back toward Potenza, another photo opportunity manifested itself in the form of cows wandering across the road. As we tried to pull over, a man in a family van tried to wave us around… as it turns out, they were his cows and he was pulling over to encourage them to go home for the evening. I’m pretty sure he thought we were insane, but seemed not to mind us pulling over for bovine glamor shots. The cows themselves seemed to understand his command to go home and filed off in pretty good order and with seeming purpose at his urging.
Johnny Disaster 
This is so awesome!!
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Thanks!
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I think we have a DNA relation Mildred Pavese is my grandfather’s mother..sent in my DNA yesterday..
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My great grandparents are from Laurenzana also. They immigrated about the same time yours did and settled in Chicago……..I’m sure they probably knew each other. Interesting!
Thanks for sharing!
Mike
Contact me anytime, I can provide more info.. mharscher@gmail.com
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Great story and probably the only real info I’m ever going to find online about Laurenzana. I just figured out that one of my paternal gr-grandmothers was born there. Her family names were Bonamassa and Vomero.
My ancestors came to the US around 1880 as well, via a French shipping line, through the port of NY (Castle Garden), and ended up in Chicago.
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Hello, I read with great interest your impressions of Laurenzana. My family line also includes the the surname Pavese from Laurenzana. So far, I have found the following on relatives:
Giovanni Pavese (DOB @1810) married Margherita Ambruso (DOB@1815) in 1836 . They had two children that I know of: Maria C. Pavese (DOB@1840) and Brigida Pavese (DOB Feb 19, 1837).
Maria C Pavese married Guiseppe C. Manzi (DOB@1833) They had three children: a daughter who died in Italy, a son Francesco Manzi (MY Grandfather) (DOB 1880) who migrated in 1896 to the US and changed his surname to Manzo, and a son Giovanni or Guiseppe? they called him “Jack” who later changed his surname to Manz.
Backing up….. the original Giovanni Pavese here remarried in 1848 a Mariantonia Sansone (children unknown).
Also Brigida married a Domenico Rizzo (dob@1831)and had 4 children.
If you have any info on any of the above I would appreciate a reply. If not thank you for the interesting read. My grandmother who married my grandfather Francesco Manzi in the US was also from Laurenzana. Her true surname is unknown as she was an adopted child.
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Johnny Disaster thank you for sharing your Laurenzana experience. My ancestry reaches back there too. My great-grandparents Emilio Antonio de Stefano and Maria Carmela Emanuela Pelletieri emigrated from there in 1870, first settling in New York but ultimately landing in Chicago and being some of the earliest Laurenzana Italian Americans to settle in the Chicago. Emanuela is recognized as having organized the Italian Feast of the Madonna that has occurred yearly in Melrose Park since the late 1890s.
Someday I hope to repeat your experience and visit. It’s been more than 10 years since you first wrote this. I started my Ancestry research in 2006 and dabble back in from time to time. It was truly a happy moment and joy to read about your experience. Thank you for sharing your story, especially since it’s part of my story too and who knows? Perhaps we are related.
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I enjoyed your travelogue, Johnny D. My great grandparents Frank Paul Napolitano and Mary Fabrizio were born in Laurenzana. They married in Brooklyn after coming to the USA in the 1880s. I have copies of their Laurenzana birth records. Frank’s mother Mary Glionna was born there also, but I could not locate the record of his father Giovanni. The Napolitanos lived for a short time in Naples before coming to America. I am hoping to go vistit with my friend Steve whose ancestors are from Taurasi.
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My name is Michael LeRoy and my great great grandparents came from Laurenzana to Hartford Ct. In the 1870’s. The original surname was Laraia and was anglicized to LeRoy. Pietro Antonio Laraia and Anna Montano brought their 5 children to Hartford and their son Dominic is my great grand father. The other family names from Laurenzana are Martocci, Di milto. I went to Laurenzana in 1991 and it was the most memorable trip of my life, in my opinion the nicest region of Italy is Basilicata. I also have family from Matera, Pisticci, and Ferrandina. Thanks for your wonderful story of your trip, I’ve heard Laurenzana is more popular today and more traveler friendly amenities are available. There was only one hotel and maybe 2-3 restaurants in 91. Very proud to be from that part Italy it was always the poorest region with crippling poverty corruption and little chance of being nothing more than a peasant your whole life. They all had the guts to leave their home and start over in America and succeed…
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Hi Michael,
This is so interesting. My mother’s maiden name was Montano and she also came to Hartford, Ct. from Laurenzana in the 1920’s. Her father’s name was Rocco Montano and his parents were, Giuseppe Montano and Maria (Schiavone) Montano. Rocco siblings were rosa, Ferdinand, Marianna and Dominick. I have visited Laurenzana twice and met Montano cousins.
Regards,
Joan-Marie Permison
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Great read! My great grandparents are also from Laurenzana: Bernard Carlomagno and Michelena DeSanti. They settled in Worcester, MA.
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Thank you for sharing your travels to Laurenzana, Italy. My great grandparents migrated from there. Salvatore Laurenzana and Madelina ( I don’t know my great grandma’s sur name and I don’r know the timeline) They had 10 children and settled in Springfield, IL. My grandfather, Frank Laurenzana, moved to the Chicagoland area and had 4 children, Frank (my dad), Patricia, Marilyn, and Richard. I’m looking forward to traveling to Laurenzana, Italy and learning more about the history.
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Thank you for sharing your travels to Laurenzana, Italy. My great grandparents migrated from Laurenzana. Salvatore Laurenzana and Madelina ( I don’t know my great grandma’s sur name and I don’t know the timeline) They had 10 children and settled in Springfield, IL. My grandfather, Frank Laurenzana, moved to the Chicagoland area and had 4 children, Frank (my dad), Patricia, Marilyn, and Richard. I’m looking forward to traveling to Laurenzana, Italy and learning more about my family history.
Jeanine L Laurenzana May 16th, 2024
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The Laurenzanese community in Utica NY was significant. Earliest family members included Pelletieri, Nola, Fanelli, Pavese, etc. The major Italian parish, Our Lady of Mount Carmel, founded in 1896, was largely inspired by this community.
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Jim, I am also from Utica and many of my family are from Laurenzana- Motta. Motto, Fanelli, Romano, Pelletieri, Ungaro, DeCristoforo (which became Christopher) in Utica.
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Johny Disaster, I know I am commenting on this wonderful articles years later but here goes. Hello everyone, my name is Annie Romano Niccolai and my family hails from Laurenzana. Giambattista Salvatore PAVESE (Pavis) is a cousin of mine. Currently, I live in Colorado and work as a genealogist, specializing in research on Laurenzana. Over the past couple of summers, I’ve spent a total of six months in the village, conducting in-depth family research. I absolutely love Laurenzana and am always eager to connect with others here in the U.S. who share that same passion for our ancestral roots.
I know the village well and have met many cousins along the way. I’m familiar with most of the families listed above—Romano, Pelletieri, Pavese, Bonomo, Manzi, Motta, Rizzo, Lariai (LeRoy), Fanelli, Ungaro, Martoccia and others. In fact, I’ve had the privilege of meeting many of these families in the village today.
If anyone is looking for information on Laurenzana or planning a trip, I’d be more than happy to help. I can guide you on how to get there, recommend a charming B&B for only $19 a night, and introduce you to a dear friend and cousin who is an excellent translator. If you haven’t had the chance to visit yet, I highly encourage it. The village boasts a magnificent castle, five stunning churches with incredible art, and is the site where many of our relatives were baptized, married, and laid to rest.
If you have any questions or need assistance, don’t hesitate to reach out. You can contact me at Anneblack1479@comcast.net.
Warm regards,
Annie Romano Niccolai
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Hi Annie, I am Mark in Dallas, Texas. I too have a well researched (by my aunt) ancestry hailing from Laurenzano. While I would love to visit but I do not speak Italian and I’m afraid that just isnt in the cards right now anyway. Just wanted to share with you in the event you may have information on my Laurenzano kinfolk.
My great grandfather, Nicolo Nigro, was born there in 1863. His father, Salvatore Carmelo Gabriele Nigro, (GGFx2) was born there in 1835 and married a local girl, Maria DiStephano – and the list goes on through the Mottas, Valentinos, Magliettas and of course many more Nigros (GGPsx3 and GGPsx4).
Nicolo emmigrated to US, first to NYC, went back home, then left for good, sailing to Galvaston and ending up in Dallas. He did well until 1939 when he retired to the valley (Alamo, Texas) and I recall visiting him with my mom in the ’50s. Quite a character at that point in his life.
..and who knows – maybe we are distantly related ourselves!
Cheers!
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Jim, I am also from Utica and many of my family are from Laurenzana- Motta. Motto, Fanelli, Romano, Pelletieri, Ungaro, DeCristoforo (which became Christopher) in Utica.
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Thanks so much for this great portrait of Laurenzana. My family, too, has roots there, and I visited in 2015. Your photos and impressions bring back great memories. Matera, nearby, is also fascinating for its many cave-houses cut into the hillside, and there are great Greek ruins in Metaponto. Southern Italy has a wealth of wonders, and it’s not heavily touristed, so it makes a great destination for a traveler who has even the most basic Italian. If you’re considering it as a vacation excursion, go.
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Johnny Disaster, What a wonderful story on your Laurenzana adventures. My Grandparents emigrated fro Laurenzana to New York City in the early 1900s. Depending uponn what record you read, my Grandfather’s name is Leonardo De(Di)Lorenzo and my Grandmother is Anna Graziadei. We are planning to visit Italy and Laurenzana next year.
Best regards, Leonard DeLorenzo (ldelorenzo3@yahoo.com).
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Chiming in after reading your account of your visit to Laurenzano. Thank you for taking the time to post; it’s still out there! Certainly gives a vivid picture of our ancestral village, as well as the effort to get there.
My great grandfather, Nicolo Nigro, was born there in 1863. His father, Salvatore Carmelo Gabriele Nigro, (GGFx2) was born there in 1835 and married a local girl, Maria DiStephano – and the list goes on through the Mottas, Valentinos, Magliettas and of course many more Nigros (GGPsx3 and GGPsx4).
Nicolo emmigrated to US, first to NYC, went back home, then left for good, sailing to Galvaston and ending up in Dallas. He did well until 1939 when he retired to the valley (Alamo, Texas) and I recall visiting him with my mom in the ’50s. Quite a character at that point in his life.
So, just wanted to connect with someone with similar ties to the old hilltop – and thank you for showing us around the city and environs.
Cheers!
Mark in Dallas
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Great story, I loved reading it. My mother (Maria Montano) was born in Laurenzana, I’ve visited a few times, looking forward to going again.
Best,
Joan-Marie Permison
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Thanks, enjoyed the piece. On a roots journey where most of my grandparents/great grandparents are from Sicily and in the process of working on relocating there, but my dad’s mom, whom I always understood to be from Napoli, is actually from Laurenzana (obtained her birth certificate today, Maria Rachele Concetta D’Alessandro). Look forward to visiting there in the next year, and your article added inspiration to the anticipation, again, grazie mille!
Steve
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Prego! I’m always very happy to see that people are still enjoying my little travelogue, and glad that my fellow descendants of Laurenzana can get a chance for a peek at the ancestral village.
I have, over the years, considered exploring my eligibility for a dual citizenship but never actually followed through… and although current life circumstances are such that international travel is not in the cards, I really do hope someday to return.
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