My paternal grandmother, Loredana Carla Pia Maria Stenech (now Tedesco), was born in the quaint northern Italian town of Rovereto, Italy. Located in the Province of Trento, Rovereto, is nestled in the Dolomites and boasts about 37,500 residents. I call my grandmother “Noni, an endearing diminutive of Nonna, the Italian word for grandmother. Telling Noni’s story is extremely important to me since she has encouraged my passion and pursuit of Italian genealogy more than anyone else. She is my heroine…
My grandfather, Edward Tedesco, was born in the small Calabrian community of San Pietro a Maida, Italy. It is an ancient town surrounded by lush green mountains covered with thousands of the most beautiful olive trees you have ever seen. So enchanting is the scenery that you can sit entranced for hours imagining how wonderful life is. But beyond this ambient serenity, few outside the region are aware that from these lovely family groves comes a rare secret olive oil…
There is no question that I love Italy. Nothing makes me happier than stepping off the plane and onto the eternal streets of Italy. The history, the culture, the language, the people and, of course, the wonderful food make my visits full of life and enchantment. I hope to share my excitement with many of you. My enthusiasm for Italian Family History research is part nostalgia, part curiosity and part insanity. I’d rather be in the arcane basement of an…