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.
