The Albanos of Pignola
Saturday, July 7, 2018
Last Saturday, I boarded a train in Naples and rode east for a few hours to the town of Potenza. Potenza is located in the Basilicata region of Italy. Just a few miles down the road from Potenza is the village of Pignola. Pignola is an important and special place in the Albano family because this was our family's hometown in Italy. In fact, it still is home to many Albanos. In 1896, my great great grandparents, Saverio Albano and Filomena Del Genio left this town to come to the United States. (Did you know I am named after Saverio? In English, Saverio means "Sam!")
On Saturday afternoon, I met members of the Albano family who live in Pignola and Potenza still today. They treated me to lunch at a delicious restaurant on a mountain near Pignola. We are still working out some of the details of our family tree. But we think Maria Albano's grandfather was a first cousin of Saverio, my great great grandfather.
Saturday happened to be Michele's 70th birthday. (Michele is "Michael" in Italian.) Michele is Maria's husband. The entire family threw a big party for him in Pignola, and I was invited. This was a great place to meet many Albanos. I was surprised by how similar the Italian Albanos are to the American Albanos. Both families are big, loud, happy, warm, and loving. The Albanos in America speak English and go to bed at 10. But that's where the differences end!
Maria gave me a copy of a beautiful painting she has of Albano family tree. The painting lists all the names of the Albanos in Italy as far back as they can remember. The first Albano listed was born in 1808. This may be my great great great great grandfather, but I'm not sure. I will be giving this painting to my parents to hang in their home. But I will continue to study it and try to figure out exactly where our side of the family fits. I have some ideas but need to keep researching and asking questions of our family members.
Saturday happened to be Michele's 70th birthday. (Michele is "Michael" in Italian.) Michele is Maria's husband. The entire family threw a big party for him in Pignola, and I was invited. This was a great place to meet many Albanos. I was surprised by how similar the Italian Albanos are to the American Albanos. Both families are big, loud, happy, warm, and loving. The Albanos in America speak English and go to bed at 10. But that's where the differences end!
Maria gave me a copy of a beautiful painting she has of Albano family tree. The painting lists all the names of the Albanos in Italy as far back as they can remember. The first Albano listed was born in 1808. This may be my great great great great grandfather, but I'm not sure. I will be giving this painting to my parents to hang in their home. But I will continue to study it and try to figure out exactly where our side of the family fits. I have some ideas but need to keep researching and asking questions of our family members.
On Saturday evening and Sunday, my family gave me an excellent tour of Pignola. It turns out, the Albanos are pretty important folks in Pignola. Everyone seems to be an Albano, related to an Albano, or friends with an Albano! I visited the parish church where a group of Albanos are buried. They even have their own special altar there! And as it turned out, the parish priest's mother was an Albano!
Because Pignola is fairly high up, the weather was very comfortable for summer. As you can see, Pignola is surrounded by many beautiful mountains. You might remember that I was in the Apennine Mountains in Umbria. This was the northern Apennines. Pignola is located in the southern part of the Apennines. Pignola is a town with both old and new. The old part of Pignola is located high atop a hill. New parts of the town are located around the bottom of the hill. Both are important parts of the town today.
Because Pignola is fairly high up, the weather was very comfortable for summer. As you can see, Pignola is surrounded by many beautiful mountains. You might remember that I was in the Apennine Mountains in Umbria. This was the northern Apennines. Pignola is located in the southern part of the Apennines. Pignola is a town with both old and new. The old part of Pignola is located high atop a hill. New parts of the town are located around the bottom of the hill. Both are important parts of the town today.
|
|
After a Monday morning cup of coffee with Michele, I boarded my train in Potenza to head back to Rome.
It was an incredible and special experience to walk the same streets my great great grandparents once walked and to meet members of the Albano family who still live in Pignola to this day. They were very kind to me and treated me like--well--family! This was one of my favorite parts of my time in Italy to be sure! |