My last on-site research trip was in February/March 2009 and included these adventures:
Wednesday, 25 February
Caught the Delta SLC (Salt Lake City) to CDG (Paris) flight. Love that non-stop to Europe flight!
Thursday, 26 February
Flew CDG (Paris) to MPX (Milan) on EasyJet with their discount for my Europecar rental.
Picked up the rental car at Milano Malpensa airport and drove to Montecatini Terme and the Park Hotel Moderno for a 3 night stay. Parking for several hotels is central a few blocks away (8 Euro/night) and internet extra (6 Euro/day). It was a little better than staying in Lucca, traffic and pricewise, but still challenging.
Friday, 27 February
Arrived at Archivio di Diocese di Lucca when it opened (9:30 am) and stayed until closing (www.gentracer.com/luccaphotos.html). Got permission to make digital copies of documents (2 Euro total since less than 10). Found a lot of documents on these families in the hills outside Lucca! This Diocese has duplicate parish registers for every parish in the Diocese and a nice place to work so it's much better than trying to catch the priest and work in the limited space in the parish.
Saturday, 28 February
Worked at Archivio di Stato di Lucca from 8-12 and found listings for these families in 1823 and 1809 (volumes called statistics but listing every family member with age and occupation).
American Cemetery Florence
Sunday, 1 March
Spent the morning at the American Cemetery in Florence (www.gentracer.org/cemeteryflorence.html). This is the military cemetery holding Americans who died in Northern Italy during World War II. Angelo Munsel was at his desk and answered a lot of my questions before I went out to shoot all the headstones in Section A. He gave me a copy of a documentary on the Buffalo Soldier unit that had such extraordinary experiences nearby during WW II. Light showers before and after my photo shoot so it was an extraordinary experience. Hotel Tivoli outside Rome had internet (6 Euro extra) next door at sister hotel. Good parking, quiet rooms, just off the autostrada for a good price.
Monday, 2 March
Stopped in Roma to call Karina and make an appointment in the Army Archives. I couldn't get an appointment for that morning so made one for 17 March when I'd be back in Roma. Drove down to Hotel La Marchesina in Teggiano for a 4 night stay. Excellent internet and parking at no extra charge. Conad (large chain) market next door, so very convenient. Excellent cappucino in the morning!
Tuesday, 3 March
Arrived at the Stato Civile offices in Eboli when they opened at 8:30 and worked all morning, returning at 3:30 to finish the project. We found lots of documents regarding the family. The staff was most helpful and friendly, going the extra mile. This town had some plaques in the main piazza telling the story of a Jewish concentration camp in the area and the efforts of the people of this town to help the prisoners. Very moving and the timing was amazing since I met the woman who just wrote a book (It Happened in Italy) about this previously unknown camp in New York City at the Italian Roots Conference at the end of this trip.
Wednesday, 4 March
Arrived at Stato Civile offices in Controne at 8:30 and talked to the clerk. He told me that it would take at least a week to locate the children and grandchildren of the siblings of the emigrant. He said he'd charge 5 Euro per name and call me on Friday (he didn't call). I left a written request and my card so he could mail the results to me, still hasn't. Then I drove to Campagna and waited for the clerk who was working in another office most of the morning. When I was able to talk to him, he told me that it would take a least a month to locate the children and grandchildren of the emigrant in the archives. I left a written request and my card so he could mail the results to me (still hasn't). This town also had plaques talking about the Jewish concentration camp and the efforts of the people of the town to assist the prisoners. This is the same camp talked about in Eboli and located in Potenza province, just over a mountain.
Thursday, 5 March
Drove through driving rain and a couple of hail showers to arrive at the Fardella Stato Civile at 8:30. The clerk recognized my request and showed me several letters requesting the same family. We searched additional records. The church was open, but the priest wasn't there to access the records. Toured Teggiano in the afternoon, including the Diocese museum. Lots of history here!
Teggiano
Friday, 6 March
Snow this morning on the hilltop of Teggiano. Good thing I went to Fardella yesterday, the weather is worse today! The sign said the Curia of the Diocese was open to the public on Tuesday, Thursday, and Saturday, but the nice priest in the reception area looked up the contact information for the priest in Galdo (covers the parish in Castelluccio) so I could contact him for the records. Drove down to Vittoria Hotel in Rosarno (1 night) with excellent internet and parking for free.
Saturday, 7 March
Took the ferry to Messina and on to Residence Agritourismo Santa Margherita at Gioiosa Marea (2 nights). Excellent lunch. Great views of the Lipari islands once the sky cleared.
Sunday, 8 March
Drove into Messina to visit city cemetery and the graves of WW I Commonwealth casualties. English section of this cemetery in very sad shape, but had some fascinating monuments, including one for deaths in the 1837 cholera epidemic, and a couple for the 28 December 1908 earthquake and tsunami, including the Swiss consul. Hotel internet down every day.
Monday, 9 March
In Castroreale, I had an appointment with the priest in the morning. He wasn't there and the church was closed. Went to Pro Loco (tourist office) and they called around and found that he was running late this morning. They walked me over to the town Museum where I got a tour and they called the priest afterwards. He said it wasn't possible to do research today or tomorrow. I went to the Stato Civile offices and searched marriages. Stayed at Villa Giatra in Cammarata for the next 2 nights. Free Parking and internet for 6 Euro extra.
Alia
Tuesday, 10 March
Got to Alia in time for Mass. The priest worked with me in several baptism and marriage books even though he was clearly feeling under the weather. Copies were not possible.
Wednesday, 11 March
Returned to Alia and worked through another few marriage books. Stayed at Hotel Ventura (Caltanissetta) for 2 nights. Free parking but no internet.
Thursday, 12 March
Returned to Alia to read the final marriage book (#1, 1696-1748).
Friday, 13 March
Arrived early in Canicatti and was there when the doors to the Matrice (San Pancrazio) opened at 8:30 in preparation for a memorial service at 9:30. After the service I met with the priest for the parish who was about to enter a meeting with the Monsignior and many other priests. He told me to return at 12 to do my research. He was a couple minutes late, but very accommodating. He didn't know where the early church records were so we were searching the cabinets in the large meeting room when I found them. They have the baptisms for the Matrice back to 1583, the marriages for the Matrice back to 1579, the deaths for the Matrice back to 1583, the baptisms for San Biagio from 1753 and the baptisms for San Diego from 1688 to 1875. After watching my work a short while (he was on the telephone), he asked to see my ID and left me with the books while he went out. There is a gap in the marriage records from 1795, but overall an excellent experience!! Stayed at Grand Hotel Selinunte (3 days). Free parking and internet.
Saturday, 14 March
Visited with Mariella in Sambuca di Sicilia and caught up on things in our lives since our last meeting. She's still working in the tourist office and museum in town.
Selinunte
Sunday, 15 March
A day off in Selinunte! Played tourist among the ruins, wrote reports and caught up on email.
Monday, 16 March
Caught the RyanAir flight from TRA (Trapani) to FCO (Roma) and played tourist the rest of the day. Stayed at Hotel Impero in Roma between the Termini train station and Santa Maria Maggiore (2 nights). WiFi was only in the lobby and a small fee, no parking so this is a good place to stay when you're not dealing with a car.
Tuesday, 17 March
Worked all morning in the Archivio dello Stato Maggiore (Army Archives) and found over 600 pages dealing with Italian prisoners of war in the United States. That evening I met with Karina in my favorite wine bar and we caught up on life since our last meeting.
Wednesday, 18 March
Flew Delta from FCO (Roma) to JFK (New York) and then on to BWI (Baltimore). Stayed at Days Inn in College Park (3 nights). Free parking and internet.
Thursday, 19 March
Worked all day at the National Archives in College Park and used the hotel's free internet that evening.
Friday, 20 March
Worked all day at the National Archives in College Park, ending up with over 800 pages of digital copies regarding prisoners of war in Utah.
Saturday, 21 March
Flew Delta from BWI (Baltimore) to JFK (New York). Stayed at Comfort Inn Chelsea with free internet and no parking. This is really a charming little hotel near Madison Square. My sister met me there and we spent a quiet evening in the neighborhood.
Sunday, 22 March
Went to the Brotherhood Synagogue at Gramercy Park for the Italian Jewish Roots Conference there. Wonderful folks attending, wonderful speakers on DNA (Greenspan) and archaelogy and family traditions (www.rabbibarbara.com). I met the author mentioned above (It Happened in Italy) while my sister did the audio recording (www.riverwalkmedia.com).
Monday, 23 March
Played tourist with my sister in the morning, including taking a carriage through Central Park and stopping to remember our parents at St. Patrick's Cathedral. What a great time! Flew Delta home from JFK (New York) to SLC (Salt Lake) that evening. Just about the perfect trip with no wasted time, no rushing from one place to another, and enough time in the evenings to stay caught up on email and reports on the road.
For more about travel and research in Italy and other topics, please see my newsletter.
I'll be in Winnipeg in August to kick-off the filming of "Red Gold" (see www.redgoldthemovie.com). I'll stop at the National Archives on my way home to gather more source materials for my book, Prisoners of War in Utah. November will see me in Arkansas for part II of the documentary, Faces like Ours, with Mike Pomeroy and Col. Parri to discuss prisoner of war life in Camp Monticello and the other camps around Arkansas.
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 October 2009.
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