I am going back to Italy. I recently read a series of memoirs by an Irish writer named Rosie Meleady, about buying a decrepit villa in Umbria and moving her family there to fix it up and run a wedding planning business. As I read, I kept thinking this was a writer I would loveContinue reading “Dreams of Italy”
Category Archives: Italy
52 Ancestors, Week 6: Social Media
This week’s theme in the challenge to post about my ancestor’s each week this year is Social Media. I could have come up with something about what counted as social media in my ancestors’ times. But I’m going to talk about a modern social media site that has proven invaluable in my research. I haveContinue reading “52 Ancestors, Week 6: Social Media”
52 Ancestors, Week 5: Oops, Wrong Village
It’s Week 5 of the 52 Ancestors in 52 Weeks project, created by genealogist Amy Johnson Crow. The theme this week: Oops. My “Oops” moment is about the process of uncovering the past. My grandmother had always told us her family was from Serravalle, a village in Marche, Italy. By the time I first visitedContinue reading “52 Ancestors, Week 5: Oops, Wrong Village”
52 Ancestors, Week 3: Out of Place
It’s time once again for the 52 Ancestors in 52 Weeks project! This is a challenge started by genealogist Amy Johnson Crow, who sets a different theme for each week of the year. For Week 3, the theme is Out of Place. The ancestor I’ve chosen to highlight for this one is Giovanni DeRiggi, myContinue reading “52 Ancestors, Week 3: Out of Place”
Becoming Italian, Part 2
Today I did something I’ve been thinking about for a long time. After several phone consultations, I contracted with a genealogy firm that will research and pull together the documents I need for claiming my Italian citizenship. If all goes well, I will eventually be a dual citizen, with both a U.S. passport and anContinue reading “Becoming Italian, Part 2”
Becoming Italian
I just sent an email giving a genealogical company the green light to start the research to prove I’m eligible for Italian citizenship. If all goes well, I will be a dual citizen, with both a U.S. passport and an Italian one. This is something I’ve been wanting to do for years. As far asContinue reading “Becoming Italian”
The Perfect Chandelier
We’ve been in this house for nearly three years, and the whole time, I’ve been looking for a chandelier for the dining room. I have my heart set on Murano glass from Italy — or, a good imitation of Murano glass from Italy. Of course, Murano glass chandeliers can easily run into five figures, andContinue reading “The Perfect Chandelier”
Throwback Thursday: Steamship
I just found an image from an old postcard of the S.S. Chicago, the steamship that brought my great grandmother and three of her children to Ellis Island in 1909. Francesca Piccioli was from the Marche region of Italy, but she had been working as a wet nurse in France, which explains why she boardedContinue reading “Throwback Thursday: Steamship”
2021 Reading Challenge Completed
Happy New Year! The year is just about over, and so is my 2021 Reading Challenge on the Goodreads website. My goal for the year was 125 books read. I completed the 125th book earlier this week. It was Jacqueline Woodson’s Hush. And yesterday I finished a bonus book, number 126. It was Rosie Meleady’sContinue reading “2021 Reading Challenge Completed”
Postcards From the World: Un Trullo
Today I want to show off a postcard I received yesterday from an Italian Postcrosser named Francesco. He lives in Bari, in the southern Italian region of Puglia (also called Apulia), on the Adriatic coast. The picture on the card shows a historic type of house called a trullo that is unique to the area.Continue reading “Postcards From the World: Un Trullo”
The Petrini Page 