Calabria
Calabrians scattered throughout the world are sons and daughters of a land with ancient roots, located in Italy’s far south, at the “tip of the boat”. The Calabrian peninsula is renowed for its beautiful nature, which ranges from the uncontamindated coast of the Ionina Sea to the east and the Tyrrhenian Sea to the west, as well as the mountains of the Sila, the Aspromonte and the Pollino with their respective national parks. However, the small hamlets inhabited by a «wandering», and at times «restless», people, as defined by the Calabrian anthropologist Vito Teti – are often completely vacant compared to the glorious past of a region that, according to the historian Tucidide, was the first to go by the name Italy and that was the crossroads of ancient populations, kaleidoscope of cultures, learning and legends.
Roots
The Calabrian spirit seems to emulate the shape of the “rota” the circle of tarantella dancers who enliven the feasts, as much as those dancing in the centre. Similarly the heart of this region beats wi. thin and without the borders of the motherland.
In Calabria there are numerous places that recall the departures and the historical events that drove its people to leave. During the “Risorgimento” and the Italian Unification the area bore witness to events that are still taught in the Italy’s schools.
More modern history is recalled at the International Museum of the Memory in Ferramonti di Tarsia, the largest fascist concentration camp, that held thousands of ltalian and foreign jews, antifascists groups of Chinese and political refugees. The camp is a sad but fundamentally important reminder to ensure that the future generations remember the principles non-violence and peace (www.campodiferramonti.it).
In Calabria, like in other southern regions of Italy, it will be easy to reconstruct the memory of the places where your ancestors on lived, because many things have remained as they were. Especial in the so called “ghost hamlets”, abandoned after natural disaster such as landslides, earthquakes, floods and epidemies, but al emptied due to emigration.
Amongst the most picturesque there is Pentedattilo, close to Melito Porto Salvo, with various hospitality options made available through the effort of certain associations they also organise a series of cultural events, such as the Itinerant Festival of Magna Greci Culture Paleariza (www.paleariza.it) and the Pentedattilo Film Festival (www.pentedattilofilmfestival.net).
Some hamlets have not been abandoned completely, but their population is largely scattered abroad: sometimes there are more people who left than stayed. More recent emigration waves have meant that it is mainly the elderly who still live in these villages, maintaining the way of life of the past: when you go to your village of origin, they will probably welcome you on their front door. We recommend asking them about your family. They might ho Known your grandparents or your great-grandparents and, who knows, they may even have been their childhood friends.
Some of the ancient trades can still be found in the area, so you may be able to find small workshops making ceramic objects, a tradition that dates back to the Magna Graecia period and that is still one of the distinctive traits of the region. The largest producers can be found in Squillace and Seminara, the latter is also the home of the Museum of Calabrian Ceramics.
Paolo Condurso, one of the most important artists who worked there, was appreciated by Picasso. The apotropaic masks that were used to ward off evil spirits are some of the most popular products, but also the hedgehog which is a fertility symbol and the fish that recalls the Christian and seafaring tradition of the region.
The Calabrians are a population of musicians, something that you may already aware of, if you’ve ever been to parties organised by Calabrian associations in your city. Perhaps you’ve danced the tarantella or clapped your hands in the circle of the “rota”, recalling the times of the Aspromonte or the Sila.
In Bisignano there is also an important musical tradition that is not solely linked to popular music, which are its luthiers. The lute arrived in Sicily and Calabria from Arabic countries as of the IX-X century AD, at the court of Sanseverino da Bisignano, and from then onwards local craftsmen have rendered it a handmade product of excellence. This masterly art has been passed down through the generations to the present day, where there are still some workshops famous throughout the country and the Museum of Lute Making dedicated to Nicola and Vincenzo de Bonis the most prestigious family of luthiers.
Important laboratories that explain your ancestor’s lives can be found at the Museum of Rural Life in Scido, with an ancient stone oil press, and the Museum of Rural Life and Crafts of Calabria in Monterosso, with various crafts such as the production of textiles, and exhibitions of traditional clothes from the different areas of the region.
The production of silk deserves a separate chapter, of which Mendicino held an absolute primacy in the nineteenth century. Of this tradition, which has gone down in history, today remains the Dynamic Silk Museum, set up in two ancient spinning mills in the historic center of the town.
The history of emigration, one of the most painful and at the same time important chapters of Calabria in the world is told at La Nave della Sila, a museum on emigration housed in a farmer cattle shed in Camigliatello Silano. The project, an initiative of the Fondazione Napoli Novantanove, is curated by Gian Antonio Stella, an Italian intellectual who has examined the issue in Italy, in the museum’s spaces large images that show the journeys and daily life abroad are accompanied by a narrative voice that tells of the peoples lives, made of suffering and also of achievements.
The museum also tells of Calabria as a welcoming land and in the “Mare Madre” (Mother Sea) section there are the stories of new migrants (www.lanavedellasila.org).
In Francavilla Angitola there is another Museum on Emigration dedicated to the bishop Giovanni Battista Scalabrini. The history of this place is rather unique, because it starts with the discovery of a trunk by a Scalibrinian missionary in Favelloni di Cessaniti, which dated back to 1910 and belonged to Domenico Favelloni, an emigrant who crossed the ocean numerous times. The exhibition, initially itinerant, has grown over time with new elements, until it found its permanent home in Francavilla Angitola, which today is a point of reference for all those who want to learn about the history of Calabrian migration.
In San Giovanni in Fiore they commemorate the tragedy of the Monongah mine in Western Virginia in 1907, which claimed the lives of forty Calabrians who originated mainly from here. The disaster is here remembered with murals and with an expression that is still used today: «Te piensi ca vaju a Mironga?» (Do you think l’m going down to Monon-gah?), when someone wants to say that they don’t want to disappear without leaving a trace.
If you are in Calabria to trace the history of your family, here are some useful resources for your search:
State archive of Cosenza
State archive of Catanzaro
State archive of Vibo Valentia
State archive of Reggio Calabria.
Sicily
Sicily is Italy’s southernmost region and the largest island of the Mediterranean. It’s a warm, lively, and colorful land, known all over for its unforgettable landscapes and its traditions that have by now taken root across the five continents, thanks to its many children scattered across the globe.
The image of the emigrant carrying a cardboard suitcase has in many cases been identified with Sicilians who embarked on the island for America. «My beautiful Sicily, enchanted land of love and emotions/those who leave you leave you with tears/and when they return they smile and rejoice» pined the poet Giovanni Formisano, imagining the tears of those who said goodbye to the island from the bridge of a ship.
Its wonder wasn’t lost on the young scions from Northern Europe who, from the eighteenth century, made it one of the preferred destinations of their Grand Tour. Now as then, the intensity of its coasts, including those of the archipelagos of the Eolie, Egadi, Pelagie, and of the small Islands of Ustica and Pantelleria, have enchanted all. Without forgetting its imposing volcanoes like Etna, a Unesco World Heritage site for its ancient history and cultural value, but also Stromboli and Vulcano, which are all still active.
Sicily also boasts a glorious past as can be seen in the remains of the civilizations that followed each other on the island, thanks to its strategic position in the Mediterranean. The first signs of humans date back to the XIlI century BC with the rock paintings of the Addaura Caves, that are now kept in the “Antonio Salinas” Regional Archaeological Museum in Palermo. Other excavations on the island of Lipari, home of the “Luigi Bernabò Brea” Eolian Regional Archaeological Museum, date back to the Neolithic period. The passage from the Bronze Age to the Iron Age can be seen at the UNESCO site of the rocky Necropolis of Pantalica in the Province of Syracuse. The island reached its utmost splendor during Greek rule. A visit to the archaeological site in Agrigento, also known as the Valley of the Temples, now a UNESCO World Heritage Site, is still a breath-taking experience today, or the “Pietro Griffo” Regional Archaeological Museum, which holds many finds (www.lavalledeitempli.it).
The most politically important center of the time was certainly Syracuse (another one of Sicily’s UNESCO World Heritage Sites), where you can visit the remains of the Altar of Hieron and of the Greek Theatre (in the summer there are the famous performances of Greek drama) inside the Neapolis Archaeological Park, as well as the columns of the Temple of Athena, now part of the city’s Cathedral, and the Temple of Apollo, both on the island of Ortygia, the oldest part of Syracuse, without forgetting the “Paolo Orsi” Regional Archaeological Museum. At the end of the first Punic War, which ended in 241 BC, the island came under Roman rule, until the fall of the Western Roman Empire in 476 BC. Amongst the most important remains of the period, there is the Villa Romana del Casale (a UNESCO World Heritage Site), a few kilometers from Piazza Almerina, that dates from the IV century.
The Romans were followed by the Byzantines, and then, from the VII century, there were the Saracen incursions which led to their rule from the IX century to the year one thousand, two long centuries, which were followed by the Normans.
This period and the coexistence of these two cultures, which greatly shaped the island, can be seen in the Arab-Norman Itinerary, another UNESCO World Heritage Site, which includes the Royal Palace, the Palatine Chapel, and the Cathedral of Palermo. From the XIII century, the Kingdom of Sicily passed to the Swabians, and the rule of the many-sided figure of Frederick II, then the Angevin in 1266, and finally the Aragonese. In XVI it was the turn of the Hapsburgs of Spain who initiated a great economic, social, and cultural development that lasted until the beginning of the XVII century, when Sicily’s fortunes took a turn for the worse.
Along with a great economic crisis, there was also the terrible earthquake that destroyed the Val di Noto, which was subsequently rebuilt in a Late Baroque style, turning it into an immense flowering garden of volutes and other ornaments and included in 2002 as a UNESCO World Heritage Site. In XVII the Bourbons gave life to the Kingdom of the Two Sicilies, which dominated the island until the Italian Unification, whilst maintaining an important influence on its imagination.
The island’s more recent history has been marked by terrible events such as the earthquake in Messina (1908) and in Belice (1968) and, most significantly, by the mafia. However, today Sicily, one of the world’s most sought-after tourist destinations and full of resources, is fighting to overturn the Sicilian stereotypes that have spread due to the ancient tales of the emigrants and famous film productions such as The Godfather saga by Francis Ford Coppola. Sicilians look for their redemption in legality and their warm reception, a distinctive trait of theirs that is often little known.
In recent decades Sicily has become the symbol of contemporary migrations toward Europe. The island, and Lampedusa especially, is often the first landing for many who cross the Mediterranean. Even though many young Sicilians look for fortune elsewhere, its charm beckons countless travelers who want to discover its beauties, experience its charm, and delight in its flavors.
Roots
If you are in Sicily to trace the history of your family, here are some useful resources for your search. You will find further documentation at the municipal registry office and the parish records of your ancestors’ hometown.
STATE ARCHIVE OF MESSINA Home to the Civil Status records of the towns of the province (1820-1865). All of these records are available online. There are also Conscription lists and Military service records from various archives from several periods. www.asmessina.beniculturali.it
STATE ARCHIVE OF CATANIA Along with the Caltagirone archive it holds the Civil Status records of Catania and the surrounding province (1820-1893). As well as the records of the towns of the Province of Catania, there are also records of certain towns that are now part of the Province of Enna (1820- 1865). All of these records are available online. There are also Conscription lists and Military service records from various archives from several periods. www.ascatania.beniculturali.it
STATE ARCHIVE OF SYRACUSE Home to the Civil Status records of the section of Noto (1820-1899). A part of these records are available online. There are also Conscription lists and Military service records from various archives from several periods. www.archiviodistatosiracusa.beniculturali.it
STATE ARCHIVE OF RAGUSA Home to the Civil Status records of the tribunals of Ragusa and Modica and the towns of the Province of Ragusa (1820-XX century). A part of these records are available online. There are also Conscription lists for the residents of the districts of Ragusa, Syracuse, Catania, and the towns of the Province of Ragusa (classes 1857 -1930). www.asragusa.beniculturali.it
STATE ARCHIVE OF AGRIGENTO Along with the Sciacca section it is home to the Civil Status records of all the towns of the present-day province (1820-1865). A part of these records are available online. There are also Conscription lists and Military service records from various archives from several periods. www.asagrigento.beniculturali.it
STATE ARCHIVE OF CALTANISSETTA Home to the Civil Status records of the towns of the province (1820-1930). A part of these records are available online. There are also Conscription lists and Military service records (classes 1840- 1945). www.ascaltanissetta.beniculturali.it
STATE ARCHIVE OF PALERMO Home to the Civil Status records of the towns of the province (1820-1865). A part of these records are available online. There are also Conscription lists for the military districts of Palermo, Termini Imerese, Cefalù, and Corleone (classes 1841-1925) and Military service records (classes 1841-1929). www.saassipa.beniculturali.it