Driving adventures and Roccabascerana

Our visit has been 10 books of stories, especially about driving in Italy. Yes, it is very doable. But, it takes fully one to drive and another as navigator. And, be sure to be prepared for unthought of occurrences that can ruin your trip if you do not make them part of experiencing Italy.

Despite our GPS and mapless issues (the GPS would show us two arrows to follow coming back at our location and maps in Italian are sometimes undecypherable), thus, arriving very late, we very much enjoyed the day in Roccabascerana. The driving adventures are as much part of experiencing Italy as having a gelato. We now have a whole book of stories about why driving in Italy is a real test of coming to understand Italians. Never loose your sense of humor and recognize it is not the United States. Besides, now you can understand Bostonian driving.

We obtained most of the information we came seeking and in many instances more information than we knew to ask about. The walk about Roccabascerana and Cassano Caudino was priceless, especially the opportunity to see the inside of the church Linda's grandparents probably attended. (Chiesa di Sant' Andrea, first built 1700) And, we will always remember with joy the lunch at the agritourist restaurant and inn (Barbati). The setting for a delightful meal was most appropriate for our visit, an agritourist restaurant on a very high hill overlooking Cassano. Assunta's church was very visable from our table seats outside under a garden cover on a patio The discussion with the owner and his sons, then, wife, of Italian customs and food mixed with meeting local Parrellas and Principis, thus, discussion of family genealogy, was frosting on the cake. And, we must not forget the continuous flow of Roccabascerana history facts from the many encounters made possible by our guide, Alfredo Franco. Linda was able to contribute her DNA Ancestry. com test reflecting the history of Southern Italy. None would have happened or would have been possible without our guide provided and prepared thru "My Italian Family."

Some changes to family history: the earthquakes of 1980 & 1981 had nearly no impact on Roccabascerana and Cassano Caudino, rather they brought extensive damage to Southern Avellino Provence and the out skirts of Naples. The collapse of many buildings in Roccabascerana was probably due to more than 50% population reduction in 1900-1915 by disease and immigration to the United States and Brazil. The population drop for Roccabascerana village was from 4500 to less than 2000; in 2003 the population finally got to 2000+. Many buildings were abandoned; thus, collapsed from neglect. The church in Roccabascerana was destroyed by fire in 1929, but the steeple remains and a new church was built. The church the Parrellas, to include Assunta, and Principis attended is located in Cassano and we got to see the inside. We made a significant donation to the church in the Parrella family name. The Parrellas and Principis lived in Cassano Caudino, the Cavuotos in Roccabascerana (the village names). Assunta's family, father etc, were olive farmers who worked for large landholders. They probably took in boarders of those who did not own their own dwelling, especially during times when the farms needed additional help. Their houses addresses were not clearly identified in the records, but the portion of a street that still exists was. We went there and have pictures of the nieghborhood. The Cavuto family were probably orginally from Benevento. We go there tomorrow.

Will take a bit to get all the pictures on the Blog please be patient. And, we will be getting a book detailing the family trees, complete with digital copies of the records that go back to the 17th Century. One thing, there are at least 4 Parrella branches completely separate from each other. Assunta and Gennaro were from different branches; they were not cousins, not even close.