While I had only a little luck finding specifics of my ancestry in Italy; I have now filled out my great grandfather's family tree.... and been contacted by several spouses of cousins, and one probable distant cousin (we're still working on the connection).
Total strangers have done research for me "just for fun" and traced the DiGrazia roots back into the 1700's. My father's family had no idea that there were living cousins and half cousins; so this has been a revelation. Now two of these cousins (actually spouses of cousins) have met in Chicago. They continue to send me bits of their research; pictures of the church where everyone was baptised etc.
One gentleman found the blog by searching for John N DeGrazia (my grandfather... he arbitrarily added the "N") because he had some tickets from the 1920's to some dances he sponsored. Apparently his great uncle and my grandfather were partners in these dances... his uncle was a musican.
Most people find the blog by searching for Calvello... I presume while researching their roots. Today I spoke with a woman of no relation except that her husband has ancestry in Calvello and has been there twice. She has finally found concrete connections to relatives there and will meet a cousin this September when they (and other Calvellesi from all over the world) come together for the festa and processionale up the mountain.
I don't know if I will ever go back to Calvello, but based on the number of Calvellesi who have read this blog, it seems that a little bit of this town has followed us into America and many other countries in the world. Times were tough there; and often tougher after immigrating to other lands. "Anche se tutto 'e perduto mai e poi mai ti abbandonero". Although all was lost, I will never ever abandon you. (I take Calvello with me always).
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