(Click here to read “Retracing Noni’s Footsteps – Part 1”) (Click here to read “Retracing Noni’s Footsteps – Part 2”) Italian family history research is about remembering and researching the stories of generations who came before us. It has been honor to tell you my grandmother Noni’s story over the past several weeks. This is story of my Italian family. Noni has influenced me in many ways, especially in my desire to pursue Italian genealogy as a profession. I am…
(Click here to read “Retracing Noni’s Footsteps – Part 1”) Sometimes one’s family history comes into unexpected convergence with world shaping events. My grandmother Loredana Tedesco (nee’ Stenech) was a young girl living in Rome when World War II broke out. She remained in the city throughout the war. It was a difficult period for the Italian people and for my grandmother. Many lives were lost. Families were disrupted and destroyed. Prior to Rome being declared an “Open City,” buildings…
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…
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…