Have you ever wondered about your family roots? Are you ready to journey back in time, tracing your ancestry through the ages? Join us as we walk down memory lane with Pat Pizzatti, a phenomenal woman whose 30-year-long pursuit to understand her Italian lineage has led her on an incredible adventure. With grandparents who immigrated to Argentina, and a great-grandfather who toiled on the train rails, Pat’s family history is as riveting as it is diverse. While her quest for Italian citizenship had its fair share of highs and lows, Pat managed to weave a captivating story around her family’s history.  She takes us through the challenges of crafting clan names,  and the dramatic differences between the archives in the north and the south of Italy. To top it all, Pat also provides her Instagram account, for you to contact her to trace your roots. https://www.instagram.com/lagenealogistaitaliana/ Podcast Click here to join our group on Facebook Video

There are over 300,000 Italian surnames and the origins are really very interesting.  Have you ever thought about the origin of your Italian name?  If so, I’d like to recommend the book “Our Italian Surnames” by Joseph G. Fucilla.  While this book does not list all 300,000 Surnames, it does give us great insight into the evolution of both given names and surnames. Our Italian Surnames covers every fact of Italian names and naming practices. It is here we discover, for example, that Bussolari is Italian for compass, Orsini means bear, and Passalacqua stands for butterfly. Besides given names and the evolution of Italian surnames, the book contains chapters devoted to pet names, botanical names, geographical names, bird names, insect names, occupational names, and more. Written for a popular audience, each chapter of the book is a separate and informative unit in itself. Complete with a list of sources and an index of more than 7,500 names, Our Italian Surnames is a monument to the late Professor Fucilla’s lifelong interest in the language and names of Italia. Catch a quick idea about the book in the podcast below. Podcast Visit our recipe page here Click here Click here to join our group on Facebook

Please welcome the esteemed author and storyteller, Tony Ardizzone, who generously sheds light on his Italian-American heritage and how it has influenced his intriguing stories. Embark on a journey that traverses from Tony’s father’s Sicilian roots and tales of his childhood, to the colourful streets of Rome, where his recent book In Bruno’s Shadow unfolds. Uncover how Tony’s father’s admirable work ethic, his aunts’ memorable cooking, and his own experiences of Italian-American culture shaped his life. This episode also takes you on a visual tour through Rome’s art and culture, revealing fascinating stories such as Caravaggio’s artichoke fight and the tragic tale of Giordano Bruno, a Benedictine monk. See how these historical episodes have carved their way into Tony’s novel. He also shares his valuable insights on writing a family history, breathing life into his experiences and turning them into captivating narratives. In the final segment of this episode, prepare to soak up Tony’s unique perspective on overcoming perfectionism in writing. Tony also imparts his wisdom on writing fiction and character-building, offering incremental steps towards progress. This episode is brimming with Tony’s wisdom, rich storytelling, and invaluable insights into the art of writing, promising to inspire and captivate you. www.tonyardizzone.com Podcast Click here to join our group on Facebook Video

The Second Night In 1991, we moved into a new home not far from our first home. Unlike our first home, which we both new from a builder, this home was about thirty years old. It was a very normal looking split level and a place that you would not associate with paranormal activity. That changed the second night we were there. My wife’s sister and her husband were spending the night and about 2 AM we heard loud banging. It sounded like someone was banging on the door or the walls. We all ran out into the hallway and were asking each other what happened. No one knew! It was very strange, but we all went back to sleep and forgot about the incident. Who Turned Off The Light Not long after that incident, I was leaving for work the day after Thanksgiving. My wife was out of town,, and after I left home, I noticed that I had left the kitchen light on. I was running late, so I left it on. When I returned home, the light was off. I figured the bulb blew out. Then I checked the switch and saw that it was turned off, but not by me. Click here to follow Italian Genealogy Is One Bedroom For The Ghost One weekend my father-in-law visited us and stayed in the small bedroom in the front of the house. A couple of weeks after that my wife came home after visiting him and relayed the following story. My father-in-law asked her why we bought such a big house, and was one of the rooms for the ghost. “What ghost?”, my wife asked. “The one in the bedroom.” He went on to describe a short old man that was dressed in shorts and a baseball cap and was pacing in front of the window in his bedroom. The next day I saw our next door neighbor and asked her if Rose’s father was short and if he wore shorts and a baseball cap. She turned as whiter as a ghost and asked, “How did you know that?”. I explained that she asked what bedroom. When I told her she informed me that the room was Rose’s sewing room and that her father would pace back and forth waiting for her to return from work! The Wood Pile In the winter I would pile wood up in the garage for the fireplace. I would stack it up nice and neat. One night I heard noises from the garage like wood being moved around. The next morning I found that the would didn’t fall from the pile, but it was scattered around the garage. The Froebel Star Rose was born in the Black Forest in Germany. One year I redid the insulation and floor in the attic and cleared everything out. I moved everything away from the center and so there was a wide open space. A few weeks later I found a German Origami Froebel Star dead center in the attic. It was never there before and could not have just dropped from somewhere, it was placed there. I recognized the star as being from Germany because as a boy in the cub scouts, my den mother was from Germany and one year we made these stars at Christmas. Rose’s Mom After a few years, everything stopped. We then learned that Rose’s mom had passed away. Our conclusion was that possibly Rose’s dad was waiting for his wife. We never felt threatened, but there were a couple of attic rooms where Rose’s parents lived that always seemed a bit eery.

Unearth the mysteries of emotional DNA with our special guest, the awe-inspiring Judy Wilkins-Smith. How much of our thoughts, feelings, and actions are truly ours and how much are inherited legacies from our ancestors? In this riveting dialogue, we journey through the intriguing world of emotional DNA and family patterns, unveiling how our lives can echo our forebears in unexpected and intriguing ways. Did you know that leadership skills can be passed down through generations, much like your grandmother’s blue eyes or your father’s knack for numbers? But, these inherited traits can also be sparked to life by external events. We scrutinize the idea of interactive genealogy, a path Judy believes can lead us to realize our fullest potential. We also consider how our siblings may embody different ancestral patterns, illustrating the diversity and complexity of our family’s emotional heritage. We wrap up our conversation on a note of growth and self-discovery. From the boardroom to the living room, understanding your emotional DNA can unlock untapped potential, reveal your true purpose, and guide you to a more fulfilling life. Judy imparts her wisdom on the significance of learning from our mistakes and the victories of others. So, invite curiosity and join us on this enlightening odyssey into our emotional DNA – a journey that promises to reshape your understanding of who you are and the hidden legacies you carry. Judy Wilkins-Smith, world-renowned Family Patterns, Systemic Work and Constellations Expert, Author, and Motivational Speaker, offers guidance on how to decode your Emotional DNA and shift the unconscious, inherited patterns that are no longer serving you. Contact for day of interview: 903.312.5196 (cell) 903.534.6263 (landline) Judymaysmith (skype) Website: https://judywilkins-smith.com/ Social Media Links:  • Instagram: https://www.instagram.com/judywilkinssmith/ • Facebook: https://www.facebook.com/judywilkinssmith • LinkedIn: https://www.linkedin.com/in/judywilkinssmith/ ● Youtube: https://www.youtube.com/channel/UC2deofVCmw7Fxdq866SpJbQ Podcast Click here to join our group on Facebook Video