The Sorrentino family history  was the toughest to track down in Italy.  I was not able to find my grandfather Ubaldo’s or his brother Riccardo’s birth on the Atenati.  They also had a sister, who was a nun in Naples, under the name Alfonsina.  Knowing that my oldest uncle’s name was Achille, it stood to reason that my great grandfather would be named the same.  I still could not find a record.  Finally, with the help of Bella Italian Genealogy, who came up with many records, I was able to piece a good part of the family back to the mid 1700’s.  Just yesterday, I found a few more records. While not noble, like my grandmother’s family, most had the title of Don or Donna.  As hit turns out, many were in the legal business, quite interesting to find out.  It also appears that they all lived in fairly well off neighborhood in Naples.   Elena Pedatella Death Record my 3rd Great Grandmother On December 24th 1848 Giuseppe ? age ? a ? living at ? and Luigi Fiero age 30 a ? Living at ? testified to the death of Donna Elena Pedatella age 51 Daughter of Antonio Pedatella a property owner and Mariangela Serrafini wife of Don Pasquale Princi Click here to join Italian Genealogy Blog on Facebook Son and Daughters of Vincenzo Sorrentino and Maria Michela Longo Birth of Maria Cristina 1838 On the 18th of January 1838 Don Vincenzo Sorrentino age 25 a lawyer from Naples testified that his legitimate wife Donna Maria Michela Longo age 25 bore a daughter names Maria Cristina Carolina. Presented by Don Luigi Longo age 54? a civil justice? living at  ? number 47 and Carlo ? a civil justice age 23 living at Vico Pergole al Borgo number 76 Birth of Emilia Elisabetta 1840 On the 2nd of March 1840 Don Vincenzo Sorrentino age 27 a lawyer from Naples living at Vico Loungo a Carbonara number 28 testified that is legitimate wife Maria Michela Longo bore a daughter named Emilia Elisabetta. Testified by Don ? Longo age 40 a lawyer living at Vico Loungo a Carbonara 28 and Antonio Di Maria age 60 a servant living at Vico Lammantoro 59 Birth of Achille 1842 On Dec 13 1842 Vincenzo Sorrentino age 28 and living at Vico Longo  28 in Naples presented a male named Achille Maria Luccio Aniello from his legitimate wife Maria Michela Longo. Witnessed by Don Giuseppe  ??? age 52 Doctor of Letters Living at number 78 Vico Luongo a Carbonara and Francesco Di Maria age 41 a servant living at Vico Giganti number 15 Birth of Maria Carmela 1845 On Sept 20 1845 Vincenzo Sorrentino age 31 and living at Vico Longo  28 in Naples presented a male named Achille Maria Luccio Aniello from his legitimate wife Maria Michela Longo. Witnessed by Don Agostino Lauri age 28 a lawyer  Living at ??  and Salvatore Baffo age 28 a property owner living at Vico Pergole number 2 Marianna Priscolo Death Record of My 3rd Great Grandmother 1815 On the 22nd of August 1815 Raffaele Guarino age 34 living at Strada ? #58 testified to the death of Marianna Priscolo age 78 living in the Vicaria district Strada Carbonara 87 daughter of Isai Priscolo and Orsola Cemanno.  First married to Salavatore Vecharelli and second marriage to Pasquale Scarufo.   Eleonora Scarfuro Death Record my 4th Great Grandmother 1844 On the 12th of November 1844 Rafaelle Baldino age 26 a writer living at Palazzo due Porte and Caperti #3 and Francesco Di Maria age 46 a writer living at Vico Gigante #15 testified to the death of Eleonora Scarufa age 79 living at Vico Longo a Carbonara 25 wife of Paolo Longo and daughter of Pasquale a property owner and Mariangela Priscolo. New Records added 7/19/2019 Maria Michele Longo Birth Record my Great Great Grandmother 1810 On the 12th ( I think ) of October 1810 Paolo Longo age 41 lawyer and counsel and living in the Vicaria district at Vico Pergole 73 presented a female baby from his legitimate wife Eleanora Scafuro.  Witnessed by Carmelo Giordano Orsini age 68 and Aniello Bonelli age 70.  Looks like they were both domestics.  The baby’s name  Maria Michela Francesca Saverio Vincenzo Sorrentino Birth Record my Great Great Grandfather 1813 On the 22 of Nov 1813 Angelo Sorrentino age 29 a pharmacist living at commune strada de San Pietro presented a male baby from his legitimate wife signora Carmela Genovese.  Witnessed by Luigi Contaldi age 30 a rich person and Vincenzo D’Andrea age 40 a ??? Giulia Domenica Princi Birth Record my Great Great Grandmother 1855 On the 21 of Feb 1845 Don Francesco Princi age 30 a Civil Clerk presented a female baby from his legitimate wife Donna Catarina Martre age 28 born on the 21st of this month named Giulia Domenica Luisa Arcangela Maria.  Baptized on the 25 of February at San Matteo.  Witnessed by Don Guglielmo Carafa of the Dukes of Andrea a property owner living at Strada San ?? 78 and Pasquale ?? a Civil Clerk living at Strada ?? number 9

Hi all.  I’ve decided to do a blog page for all the history and records that I have found so far.  I am going to start from the beginning and work my way back to all the aunts and uncles.  I’ll add photos, records eventually the old movies, whatever I have so far and may find later.  There are comment boxes, if you want to add a story or a memory. I am going to translate the records the best that I can, however, if anyone sees a mistake, let me know.  Several of us have done DNA and by golly, we actually are related!  If anyone has considered it please click one of my links, I make a small percentage, and it costs you the same.  I have done two Living DNA and Ancestry.com.  I have also put my data out to My Heritage, as did Cathy Murphy.  There is a tree out there, and it seems that site is the best to share charts and records.  If you have done 23 and me or any other DNA it’s pretty easy to transfer data over. If you have any photos from grandma’s yard, the aunts and uncles.  Please make a comment so we can figure out how to get them to so we can share with the group.  You can scan and send over to me, or send them to me and I will scan.  I know I can pull some from Facebook. To see grandma’s ancestors click the link below:  Marietta Nicoletti Fan Chart To see grandpa’s ancestors click the link below: Luigi Nicoletti Fan Chart Click here to join Italian Genealogy Group on Facebook The Story of St Nicholas of Bari The Nicoletti story going back centuries is that a group of people went to Turkey to appropriate the relics of St Nicholas.  There is now way to prove any of our ancestors participated, but you never know. How did the Bishop of Myra become ‘Saint in Bari‘? It’s a long way from Lycia to the eastern coast of Italy. St. Nicholas’ tomb in Myra was a popular place of pilgrimage. As Myra was a seaport, sailors heard the stories of the saint’s shrine and carried them to many distant places. If a town were fortunate enough to host such a significant religious site, it enjoyed considerable commercial benefit because pilgrims needed to be housed, fed, and otherwise provided for. After Myra fell under the control of the Seljuks, who were not sympathetic to Christian faith, Italian merchants in both Venice and Bari, saw an opportunity to bring such advantage to their cities. Their motives were opportunistic, but also spiritual, as there was real fear that pilgrimage could become difficult and dangerous or that the shrine might even be desecrated. St. Nicholas Church, Myra (Demre, Turkey) Photo: Anglican World/JMR Early in 1087, three ships with sailors and merchants from Bari stopped in Myra on their way home from Antioch. When they visited Nicholas’ tomb, the monks showed them where the manna was extracted. The sailors then asked where the saint’s body lay. The monks, perhaps naively, showed them. But the monks became suspicious and questioned the visitors about their intentions, “Surely you do not intend to take the saint’s remains to your own region? If so, we won’t allow it.” However, in the end the Barians prevailed and broke open the tomb with an iron bar. The sailors spirited the bones away to the ship, escaping just ahead of the townspeople coming in hot pursuit. The men of Bari sailed away on the long voyage back to the southeast coast of Italy. Before getting there, they stopped at a nearby port to make a beautiful box (casket) to hold the saint’s relics. When they arrived in Bari, May 9, 1087, the townspeople thronged to the harbor to welcome the saint’s remains. The returning men made a solemn vow to build a magnificent church to honor St. Nicholas. The crypt was completed by October 1089 and Pope Urban II laid the relics of St. Nicholas beneath the crypt’s altar, consecrating a shrine that became one of medieval Europe’s great pilgrimage centers. The main church was built in ten years, but it wasn’t until the middle of the 12th century that the imposing and majestic Basilica di San Nicola was complete. It is a particularly fine example of Romanesque architecture and served as a prototype for many other churches and cathedrals. Images from Church in Bari Vitantonio Solazzo and Maria Rosa Di Niello ( Maria Carnevale’s Grandparents Marriage 1808 ( added 7/20/2019) Record on the right.  There’s a lot here, but it basically says that on the 30th of Jan 1808 Vitantonio Solazzo age 27 son of Domenico Solazzo and Angela Bruno announced his intention to marry Maria Rosa Di Niello age 17 hmmmm,  daughter of Felice Di Niello and Maria Di Lisa in the church of Madre di Acquaviva. Giovanni Florio and Anna Toto ( Luigi Nicoletti’s paternal great grandparents) Death Record of Giovanni Florio 1827 On the 11th of July in 1827 Giuseppe ?? age 40 occupation ??  living in Toritto and Nicola Benedetto age 50 a farmhand testified to the death of Giovanni Florio age 57  son of Nicola in Toritto.   Death Record of Anna Toto On the 18th of Jan 1848 Francesco Madiero age 48 profession??  from Toritto and Nicola Caftoro age 42 a property owner living in Toritto testified to the death of Anna Toto age 78 a farmer daughter of Giovanni   Michele Nicoletti and Rachele Florio( Luigi Nicoletti’s paternal grandparents) Marriage Record 1831 On February 12 1831 Michele Nicoletti born in Toritto age 20 son of Carlo and Rachel Florio age 21 from Toritto daughter of Giovanni Florio and Anna Toto. Death of Carlo Nicoletti 1837 son of Michele and Rachele  ( added 7/20/2019) On this day the 21st of August 1837 in the commune of Toritto Province of Altamura Province of Bari came Antonio?? age 40 a fa farmer from Toritto and Dominic Scarangella a farmer to report the death Carlo Nicoletti son of Michele a farmer and Rachele a seamstress Death Record of Rachel Florio On the 11th of March 1884 Domenico Laforgia age a farmer from Toritto and Michele Antinori age 46 a shoemaker from Toritto witnessed the death of Rachel Florio age 78 a farmer from Toritto daughter of Michele Florio and Anna Toto.  Testified by Stefano Mirra a baker age 30 and Francesco Scarangella age 40 a farmer. Death Record of Michele Nicoletti 1871 Michele Chiarappa and Maria Lucia Chieco( Luigi Nicoletti’s maternal grandparents) Birth record of Michele 1826 ( added 7/21/1019) On this day May 11, 1826 in the commune of Toritto, District of Altamura, came Teresa Ciani age 53 ( I think the midwife ) and presented a male baby born to Antonia Lo Russo age 30 daughter of Carlo Lo Russo and Antonia Tarullo and Luigi Chiarappa son of Michele Chiarappa and Margherita Lamandola age 30 a farmer in Toritto.  The baby’s name is Michele. Pick up your copy of “Farmers and Nobles” Marriage record 1850 ( added 7/21/2019) On this day October 3 1850 in the commune of Toritto, District of Altamura, Province of Bari Michele Chiarappa age 24 farmer from Toritto, son of Luigi Chiarappa and Antonia Lorusso and Maria Lucia Chieco age  ?? a minor daughter of Savino Chieco and Angela Mirra to be married in the Church of San ?? Scarangella Giovanni Nicoletti and Antonia Chiarappa ( Luigi Nicoletti’s parents) Marriage record 1878 ( added 7/22/2019) Record on the left.  On this day October 12 1878 in the commune of Toritto,  Giovanni Nicoletti age 34 farmer from Toritto, son of Michele Nicoletti and Rachele Florio ( goes on to say that they presented all the documents required to be married ).  There were two witnesses Nicolantonio Centralli age 23 a tailor and Domenico Gagliardi age 22 a shoemaker.  There is more writing at the bottom, but my Italian is not good enough to read. Birth of Giovanni and Antonia’s son Domenico ( added 7/22/1019) Record on the upper left.  On this day September 4 1879 in the commune of Toritto,   Came Giovanni Nicoletti age 38 farmer from Toritto, living at Strada del Ponte #24 with his wife Antonia Chiarappa  presented a son Domenico.  Witnessed by Stephano Mirra age 37 a baker and Leonardo Lospoto age 54 a farmer.   Birth of Giovanni and Antonia’s son Carlo ( added 7/23/1019) Record on the upper left.  On this day February 28, 1886 in the commune of Toritto,   Came Giovanni Nicoletti age 42 farmer from Toritto, living at Strada del Ponte #40 with his wife Antonia Chiarappa  a seamstress presented a son Carlo.  Witnessed by Nunzio Cea age 42 a farmer and Francesco Scarangella age 42 a farmer. Birth of Giovanni and Antonia’s son Luigi ( added 7/23/1019) Record on the upper left.  On this day May 15, 1888  in the commune of Toritto,   Came Giovanni Nicoletti age 43 a farmer from Toritto, living at Strada del Ponte #2 with his wife Antonia Chiarappa  a seamstress presented a son Luigi.  Witnessed by Nicole Ferrante age 48 a farmer and Michelle Posinelli age 40 a farmer. Birth of Giovanni and Antonia’s daughter Rachele ( added 7/23/1019) Record on the lower right.  On this day July 18, 1991 in the commune of Toritto,   Came Giovanni Nicoletti age 46 a farmer from Toritto, living at Strada del Ponte #2 with his wife Antonia Chiarappa  a seamstress presented a daughter Rachele.  Witnessed by Giuseppe Macchia age 37 a farmer and Gaetano Paccione age 50 a farmer. Birth of Giovanni and Antonia’s first daughter Rachele ( added 7/23/1019) Record on the upper left.  On this day February 18 1882 in the commune of Toritto,   Came Giovanni Nicoletti age 46 a farmer from Toritto, living at Strada del Ponte #2 with his wife Antonia Chiarappa  a seamstress presented a daughter Rachele.  Witnessed by Domenico Paccione a farmer age 36 and Domenico Florio age 40 a farmer. Tomasso Carnevale and Maria Giovanna Solazzo ( Marietta Nicoletti’s maternal grandparents) Marriage Record added 7/28/2019 This record is very hard to read.  On this day January 22, 1848 in the commune of Acquaviva, District of Bari, Province of Bari Tomasso Carnevale age 24 Living at Strada ?? , son of Giuseppe Carnevale and Francesca Pietroforte farmers.  It then more or less says that he will marry Maria Giovanna Solazzo 22 a seamstress daughter of Vitantonio Solazzo who has died and Maria Rosa di Niello a seamstress.  They were married January 24, 1848 in the Regina Chiesa. Birth of Maria Giovanna Solazzo 1825( Added 7/29/2019 Record on the right.  On this day March 5 1825 in the commune of Acquaviva,   Came Vitantonio Solazzo age 32 a farmer living at Strada Labriota  with his legitimate wife Maria Rosa di Niello  age 25 presented a daughter Maria Giovanna.  Witnessed by Nicola de Marinas a tailor age 27 living at Strada ? and Pietro ? age 28 a Civil Servant.  She was baptized on the 8th of March at Mother of Acquaviva. Death of Vitantonio Solazzo 1848 ( Added 7/29/2019 Record on the right.  On this day August 5 1848  in the commune of Acquaviva,  District of Bari,  Came Felice di Niello age ?? a coachman and Michele Solazzo age 51 a farmer.  Announced the death of Tomasso Carnevale age 50 ( I think some sort of game keeper or game warden ) son of Domenico Solazzo and Angela Bruno.  

Via Scarangella Toritto My cousin Frank asked me about the origins of his name “Scarangella”, so here is what I found.  The Scarangella name originated in Toritto Bari, and for centuries it was only found there.  Now of course, with the ease of travel and migrations to America, it is found in many places around the world.  There are 543 Scarangella’s listed in the Antenati, most of them from Bari. I found this on a blog and will take it at face value.  If any Scarangella’s read this and have more or different information, please comment below.  Scarangella Initially I thought the name involved an angel (angella) and perhaps a variation of the word “sacred” – sacra in Italian. Southern Italians do have a habit of dropping the first vowel. This however seemed much too simple.  And knowing some of the family I doubt that our surname came from something akin to “holy angel”. So I went a little deeper.  And was astonished, Seems our last name is a “pet female variant” of Scaringi – old Norse, rooted in the Scandinavian name Ansigar – which translates to “God Spear”! The origin of our name is Scandinavian?! Who us?? Apparently Ansigar is the old  Scandinavian form of Ansgar – resulting in myriad forms of the first name Oscar and apparently the origin of our last name as well.   Seems”Scaringi” or “god spear” resulted in some little girl or comely young woman being call “scaringella”, a nickname for a little girl or comely female Scaringi.  Some families still carry the original spelling while others, like ours, changed the “i” to an “a” or more rarely, an “e”. Now how did a name of Norse origin wind up in Southern Italy? Well in 1067, one year after the Norman conquest of England, the Normans landed in Bari and took it from the Byzantines after a three year siege. Now to be fair I have also found the Surname Scaringi in Bari also. This link will take you to the full post My God are we Norse?   Where to find Scarangella’s in Italy  Click here to follow the Italian Genealogy page on Facebook

At the tomb of Pope Paul III my 13th Great-grandfather. The Big Cities If you have never been to Italy, Rome is a must. Walking through the streets you will see thousands of years of history within eyesight as you walk down the street. The Metro is very easy to use and can get you to most of the tourist attractions. It is best to get your tickets in advance, and for the Coliseum it is a must. Our first trip there was in 1995, in August and it was nice because the Italians were on holiday and most places were empty. If you are from the south of Italy, Naples is also a must. While it may not have the reputation as some of the cities in the North, for us southerners it is where all the action took place for centuries. I have to admit that I haven’t yet made it to Florence or Venice. But my bucket list includes at least one more important stop for me as you will read below. I have been to Milan which is a great cosmopolitan city, especially if you want to see the latest fashions.  One great thing now is that you can take a fast train between most of the big cities and it is relatively inexpensive and a lot easier than dealing with an airport.  Click here to join Italian Genealogy Group on Facebook The Home Towns For me this time it was all about the home towns. While the big centers are great, the real Italy is the place your family came from. Even if you are not Italian, the small towns are where you experience the real Italy, people and food. We visited home towns in four different regions Molise, Calabria, Campania and Sicily and each was a unique experience. Our tour was set up by Letizia Sinisi from Italy Rooting and designed just for us.  Of course everyone has their preferences, but for me it was to discover my roots and experience the sights and sounds of my ancestors. We were not able to get to my maternal home towns Toritto and Acquaviva Delle Fonte, but we are hoping to get there this year.  Unlike the big cities, you will walk away from the home towns with a sense of connection to Italy and more important, to your own history. Everyone that makes this journey comes back a changed person and longs to go back.  You With cousin Cinzia at the home of our 3rd Great Grandfather Count Giacomo Piromallo Check out my entire story here Follow our journey Home Town Photos

Maryann Maisano gives us a glimpse into growing up Italian in Fort Lee NJ, music career, dad’s taxi business and her one woman show “Agita” A true Italian-American tale centered around family, food, and of course, drama, Agita is the coming-of-age story of Maryann Maisano, a first-generation Italian American. Set in the shadows of the George Washington Bridge, Agita recounts the joys and challenges of life in 1960s suburban America being raised by traditional Italian immigrants in a rather dysfunctional household. Maisano takes the audience on a poignant and hilarious journey as she recounts tales of her rebellious childhood pushing against her family’s expectations that eventually lead her to embrace the unspeakable… THERAPY! Ultimately, Maisano makes two of the hardest decisions of her adult life, “coming out” to her very Italian family and trading in a six-figure job take a shot at being a full-time entertainer! Agita is a story of courage and hope, and how risking it all to fulfill our dreams is the true path to happiness! ag·i·ta /ˈajēdə/ noun 1.anxiety, stress, or aggravation 2. that feeling you get when you throw up a little in the back of your mouth and it burns AGITA has won “Best Comedy” from Lightbox International Film Festival. Best Stage Play from Movie Play International Film Festival and Best Drama in Indie-fare Independent Film Festival. Agita had its worldwide premier July 22,23 & 24th, 2022 on the streaming service Vimeo on Demand. Vimeo is a free service so need to worry about a 7- day trial. Simply download and sign up. vimeo.com/ondemand/agita www.theitalianchicks.com Podcast Click here to join our group on Facebook Video