MY ROOTS

In June and July 2011, I went on a tour of Italy with my wife and her sister. My sisterin-law had never been to Italy. We stayed in Campobasso for five days. On this trip, we visited my mother’s town of San Bartolomeo in Galdo, in the province of Benevento, region of Campania. I have a cousin in San Bartolomeo who knew we were coming – this would be my first time meeting her.

San Bartolomeo in Galdo is a magnificent location with views of the majestic mountainside of Italy. My cousin had a wonderful lunch for us including rabbit, which we are not used to eating. I saw the house where my mother grew up: my mother was born in Dunbar, Pennsylvania; when she was five years hold, her father brought her to Italy; she returned to the United States when she was 19 years old (she spent all of her formative years in Italy).

When she returned from Italy in 1925, my mother spoke no English. In San Bartolomeo we found a story, all its own, that took our interest. The boxing champion Rocky Marciano was from Brockton, Massachusetts, about 25 miles south of Boston. To some, Brockton is considered “The Italian Neighborhood”. Rocky Marciano’s mother was from San Bartolomeo and her maiden name was Picciuto – the same name as my mother’s maiden name. As we came into town there was a big sign that read in part “IN HONORE DELL GRANDE ROCKY MARCIANO.”

It was a wonderful dedication to one of the greatest boxers of all time. In my next article, I will write about one of the most memorable event of life, and that is a visit to the birth place of my father, in the town of San Martino in Pensilis, province of Campobasso, region of Molise.