NOW PLAYING: RUSS, MEG AND MONICA MEET THE FAMILY
While visiting Marsico Nuovo with my wife Meg and sister Monica, I couldn't escape feeling like we were in a movie. The script was perfect. The setting was a small Italian town resting on three hills rising out of the Val d'Agri. It was surrounded by the Apennine Mountains and exuded history.
The cast was full of people who were warm and welcoming and I felt an instant connection. The only villain was time (We needed more!). The plot was rich with twists and turns we didn't see coming (our newly found cousins are awesome!). When our visit was over, we couldn't stop talking about it. I can't wait for a sequel. Keep reading and you'll know why....and hopefully begin to plan your own trip to meet the D'Agrosa family in Marsico Nuovo.
PROLOGUE: A LONG TIME AGO...
Family history can be complicated. Lot's of names, dates, and places. So, before we delve into the details of a this adventure, let's set the stage for how Marsico Nuovo fits into the history of the Cipollo family.
On May 28, 1881 Domenica "Minni" D'Agrosa was born in Marsico Nuovo, a small town nestled in Italy's southern region of Basilicata. Almost twenty-one years later, at Our Lady of Good Counsel in Philadelphia, Domenica used her adopted "Lagrosa" surname when marrying Felix Cipollo (born Felice Cipolla) on April 28, 1902.
How did they come together? The Cipolla and D'Agrosa families immigrated to Philadelphia in the 1880s and 1890s seeking a better future. Both families would have experienced the lasting impact of a decimating earthquake and the political and economic fallout from the unification of Italy (1861), including violent episodes with local "brigands" (See outlaw Angelantionio Massini for example). Felix was originally from Muro Lucano, a community in Basilicata thirty-six miles from Marsico Nuovo. While mountains (and about fourteen hours of walking) would have kept Felix separated from Domenica in Italy, they were neighbors on Montrose St, in Philadelphia.
This might sound like a straightforward story, but officially connecting Domenica to Marsico Nuovo took decades to piece together. The fact that the "D'Agrosa" surname morphed into "Lagrosa" and other variations didn't help. Unfortunately, I have no idea why the name morphed into "Lagrosa". Clues pointed to a Basilicata origin story for the family, but it wasn't until 2022 that we had proof that Domenica's parents (Born: Francesco Saverio D'Agrosa and Annunziata Votta), brothers (Born: Donato D'Agrosa and Gianuario D'Agrosa), and sisters (Born: Agostina "Augustina" D'Agrosa, Peppina "Josephine" D'Agrosa and Carmela "Millie" D'Agrosa) were from Marsico Nuovo.
Sadly, Domenica's brothers would not live to see America. Her sister Agostina would marry Donato Di Grossa and Joseph Fortunato. Her sister Peppina (Josephine) married Domenico Cianciarulo. It is unknown if any of these spouses were from Marsico, but I think it is likely some were. Carmela never married, but she did retain the original D'Agrosa name in many documents, which later proved to be an important research clue.
Once it was clear Marsico Nuovo was Domenica's homeland, I knew I had to visit. It took time, but it all came together in 2024.
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| Domenica "Minni" Cipollo (born D'Agrosa) and Annuniziata D'Agrosa (born Votta) were born in Marsico Nuovo |
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| Domenica & Her Grandchildren |
ACT I: HATCHING A PLAN
One thing I learned from a 2018 trip to Muro Lucano was that having a local guide is invaluable when exploring your roots in small rural Italian town. So, when planning our trip to Marsico Nuovo I searched for a local connection. I tried and failed multiple times and I think maybe my great grandmother Domenica took notice and threw me a miracle. After a desperate "Hail Mary" on Facebook I found myself directed to Marsicuore.it. From there I was connected to Carmelinda Castellaneta ("Carmen"), a Guardian Angel for those who trace their roots to Marsico Nuovo.
On August 10, just four days before takeoff to Naples from Philadelphia, I had video call with Carmen. I didn't know what to expect, but she was gushing with enthusiasm and immediately started to put plans in motion to make our visit to Marsico Nuovo on the 18th a magical event. She brings a passion for reuniting those with roots to Marsico Nuovo, the Marsicani, to their ancestor's hometown.
While waiting to board our plane to Naples, Carmen chatted me on What's App, "How happy would you be on a scale of 1 to 10 if I told you...that I found relatives in Marsico?" I was floored. A few days prior I envisioned wandering the streets of Marsico Nuovo hoping to find a few landmarks, now we were going to meet family!
Ideally we would have planned for more time in Marsico Nuovo, but the die was already cast. Before Carmen came into the picture, we had built an itinerary with a few things we couldn't budge. After three days in Sorrento (with day trips to Capri and Positano), we would travel to Marsico Nuovo on Sunday, August 18th and spend the day there before heading to Muro Lucano (about 1 hour from Marsico by car) for two nights. We'd dig deeper into the history of the Cipollo family while in Muro Lucano (more to come!)
That said, Carmen's "fingerprints" made an impression on our Italian adventure even before we arrived in Marsico Nuovo. The night before we departed Sorrento we followed Carmen's dining recommendation (she even made the reservation) and we had a wonderful meal of seafood, pasta, and deserts at Il Gozzo in the charming Marina Grande district of Sorrento.
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| Mariana Grande in Sorrento |
ACT II: AT HOME IN MARSICO NUOVO
The Journey to Marsico Nuovo
With my International Driving Permit and Europcar reservation in-hand, I picked up our rental on the 17th and parked it for the night so we could exit Sorrento early on the 18th. Having observed some crazy driving habits in the area (Vespa's make their own lane!) and wanting to arrive before 11:00, we got out of Sorrento relatively early for people fatigued from three days of intense heat, thousands of steps and jet lag. If I hadn't inadvertently directed Google Maps to avoid toll roads (which resulted in us detouring through the less attractive parts of modern Pompeii) we probably could have shaved 30 minutes off the roughly 2:30 minute trip.
The drive was scenic as we left the Mediterranean coast, moved away from (and around!) Mt. Vesuvius, and headed east of Salerno into the Apennine Mountains. I learned from my 2018 Muro Lucano trip that it is best not to drive a stick shift when navigating the landscape of the Basilicata region. It was easy driving this time.
As we neared the exit for Marsico Nuovo, the town of 4,000 came into view. The central area of Marsico sits on three hills: Civita, Portello and Casale, which rise from a valley surrounded by rolling green mountains with rugged stone faces. Carmen had said, "follow Google and you won't get lost", but she overestimated my ability to follow directions (even straight lines apparently). After creating a traffic snarl and frustrating a few local Marsicani, we arrived at our meeting point in front of Palazzo Pignatelli. Following a warm greeting from Carmen and a generous packet of info for the places we were about to see and a family tree she created, we set out on foot to climb our first hill of the day....I wasn't joking when I said the town was built on three hills.
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| Our Volkswagen...ready for a road trip! |
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| Catching our first glimpse of Marsico Nuovo |
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| Approaching Marsico Nuovo! |
Church of Saint Michele Arcangelo (Chiese San Michele) & Diocesan Museum of Sacred Art
You don't just show up at in a remote Italian town on a Sunday and find things open and guides who speak English. In fact, the signs are not translated into English either. So, to fully immerse in the history of Marsico, you need keys, local experts and a translator (unless you are fluent in Italian!). This isn't Rome where almost everyone seems to know English, but this is a place where people want to talk to you and even exchange a friendly "Buongiorno." Fortunately, Carmen knows the people with the keys and she is fluent in both Italian and English! So, when we arrived at Chiese San Michele we were introduced to Luigi Lopopolo (a local historian), Massimo Macchia (the mayor!), Beppe Chierici (singer-songwriter performing that night in the Summer Fesitval), Father Don Michele, the parish priest. Carmen helped with the translations, but in some ways the beauty and history of things spoke for themselves.
The church is thought to have been built in the 8th century under the rule of the Lombards. Yes, people aren't really sure of its age, that is how old it is! The church has evolved over the centuries and it has been rebuilt after multiple earthquakes. Standing in it I came to realize that regardless of what has changed, thousands of masses were been held within the walls and some of my own family undoubtedly prayed there.
For me the most intriguing thing at Chiese San Michele is in the diocesan museum of sacred objects behind the altar. There you'll find a painting of the "Last Supper" unlike any other. "The Last Supper by Todisco" reflects the culture, food and traditions of Lucania (the ancient name for this region). This work is dated to 1599, but it was hidden by plaster until it was rediscovered in 1980 at the Convent of San Francesco.
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| The Last Supper by Todisco |
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| Chiese San Michele |
Church of Saint Gianuario (Chiese San Gianuario) & Philly Connection
Around the corner from the church of Saint Michele is the Church of Saint Gianuario. It was a strange feeling to be standing in front of the ancient church. Having gazed at it online with Google Maps Street View, it was like I had now stepped into the picture.
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| Luigi, Carmen, Monica, and Meg at Chiese San Gianuario |
The building itself is a former abbey (Santo Stefano) and it sits upon ruins of a temple dedicated to the Greco-Egyptian god Serapis. It is one of many indications that the history of this region is centuries older than the Roman Empire. The history of the church dates to at least the 8th century. If you've been to Venice, Florence or Rome, you will observe that this church looks spartan by comparison on the outside. Many of those churches are much younger (e.g., Saint Peters in Rome was completed in 1626). The true beauty of this church is etched in the weathered stone portal and the modern bronze door which tell the story of Saint Gianuario.
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Saint Gianuario was born in Carthage in the 3rd Century while the Roman Empire was in decline. This African bishop is recognized as a martyr having been beheaded in the nearby woods of Monte Arioso after visiting Marsico. His head then rose up to speak to his executioners and his body was later hidden away. He would appear in visions of a Marsicana woman centuries later and with the miracles that followed, his remains were returned to Marsico. He is recognized today as the patron saint of Marsico Nuovo. His story is captured on the doors of the church.
My focus inside the church was on the statue of San Gianuario (1714). This is where a surprising Philly connection comes into the picture. Every year on August 26 there is a procession in Marsico where the statue is carried on the shoulders of the faithful. It turns out, there is another statue of San Gianuario (very similar to the one in Marsico) in Philadelphia. The Philadelphia equivalent is included in the annual Procession of Saints which takes place from Saint Mary Magdalen de' Pazzi Church. This is because Luigi Di Santo, an immigrant from Marsico Nuovo, donated the statue in 1911. It isn't hard for me to imagine my great grandmother Domenica and her family watching that same statue parade through south Philly with a sense of pride and nostalgia as their mind wandered to Marsico Nuovo.
Decedents of Luigi Di Santo, including Linda Berenato and her family, carry on the tradition of parading the San Gianuario statue in Philadelphia. They are so dedicated that they visited Marsico Nuovo to participate in the procession there on August 26, 2024, just days after we left! I've seen photos and videos of their participation (they even got on TV!) and it looks like it was a great day for the community.
So, yes we missed the procession of San Gianuario in Marsico by a few days and it was kind of embarrassing that we didn't plan better. The good news is that we might have some folks from Marsico Nuovo pay a visit to Philadelphia for the Procession of Saints in the near future. We've heard from Linda that we are invited to join in celebrating San Gianuario too. We are all Marsicani!
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| Statue of San Gianuario |
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| Russ & Carmen |
Co-Cathedral of Saint George the Martyr (Cattedrale San Giorgio Martire)
As a descendent of great grand parents who were from Muro Lucano and Marsico Nuovo, I was interested to learn that in 1986 the dioceses of Muro Lucano, Marsico Nuovo and Potenza were merged into one diocese. The bishop is at the Potenza Cathedral, while Muro Lucano and Marsico Nuovo each host a "Co-Cathedral" (Cattedrale di San Nicola and Cattedrale San Giorgio Martire). When I visited San Nicola in 2018, I had no idea I'd be visiting its co-cathedral peer in 2024. The exterior of both are strikingly similar and both suffered serious damage in a tragic earthquake that rocked the region in 1980. Both reopened in 2017 after massive restoration efforts.
We walked to the Cathedral of San Giorgio through the narrow streets of Marsico that were clearly built before anyone even thought about cars, trucks and SUVs. These "streets" were made for donkeys and people on foot. We steadily climbed up Civita, the highest point in Marsico Nuovo, to arrive at the Cathedral with a history dating to 1131. Before entering we observed rumbles of thunder and lightning strikes on the mountains around our exposed position. The keys hadn't yet arrived for the church so we took some pictures of the surroundings and learned about a family connection to Georges Brassens, a famous folksinger born to Elvira D'Agrosa (still need to map those family tree details!).
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| The "road" to Cattedrale San Giorgio Martire |
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| Cattedrale San Giorgio Martire |
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| Cattedrale San Giorgio Martire at the top of Civita |
Each church we visited presented a different architecture and style. As you might expect, the cathedral was larger than all the other churches. It contains several beautiful frescoes and statues. What struck me most was the dome, which has a simple and elegant in design. To fully appreciate the beauty of the dome, you need to know the story behind it. On November 23, 1980 there was a mass scheduled in the cathedral. Due to some confusion, the priest, Gerardo Marscio, did not celebrate the mass. So, when the massive 6.9 magnitude Irpinia Earthquake shook the region and collapsed both the dome and apse, nobody was in attendance. A miracle. You know what (who?) was in attendance? The statue of San Gianuario, which survived "intact under the rubble."
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| Cattedrale San Giorgio Martire |
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| Cattedrale San Giorgio Martire |
After admiring the art, beauty and resilience of San Giorgio we made our way back to the car through narrow alleys, steep steps and past a few cats and some friendly faces. I would love an opportunity to explore some of these local houses. Maybe a B&B is in our future.
Sampling Biscotti at Pastificio Tre Spighe
One thing I learned from planning this trip is that you need to use Italian words when conducting Google searches for communities like Marisco Nuovo. You also need to be prepared to let Google Chrome do some translation for you. That approach lead me to two stories touting visits to Pastificio Tre Spighe (See My Social Wanderlust and a post in a Suitcase full of Travels). I mentioned Pastificio to Carmen and of course she new the people there. With some encouragement she got them to stay open a little late (it was Sunday after all) so we could pay a visit and both sample and purchase some of their unique "Biscotti" and sweet treats. When you visit Marsico, you should pay them a visit!
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| Pastificio Tre Spighe |
Lunch at Agriturismo Vignola
When looking for lunch recommendations in Marisco Nuovo, we of course sought Carmen's input. She gave us a few choices and then made us a reservation at Agriturismo Vignola. This is a great place to eat and stay (you can rent rooms). The venue sits about 10 minutes outside the central part of Marsico. Their website describes it best: "....surrounded by the greenery of the Marsican hills, stands our Agriturismo...on about 10 hectares of cultivated fields, vineyards, olive groves and woods." I think we could have spent a full day wandering the landscape, eating and ultimately spending the night. Maybe next time!
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| Agriturismo Vignola |
If you are a "foodie" or just looking for quality food authentic to the region, this is the place to go. Vignola is a farm to table experience where everything is locally sourced and organic. The menu is fluid (at least on Sunday's) based on what is available fresh from the farm. Sitting outside with our carafe of local wine and surrounded by local Marsicani celebrating a christening, we indulged in multiple courses.
It was a big big lunch! I lost track of how many dishes we were served over multiple hours. There was an array meat dishes favoring lamb and pork. We had bread, cheese, ravioli, stretched pasta and more made with resources from the farm and prepared with local touches. Overstuffed (and cognizant that we had dinner plans in a few hours) we tried to get away with sharing a single desert, but were instead presented with three per person! They were so generous and kind. When I mentioned that I loved raspberries, they gave me a whole container to take with me. It might sound like a stereotype....but these Italians (Marsicani!) made sure we didn't go home hungry. Domenica would be proud.
Also, I can't say enough about our waitress, Francesca. I think she was the only person who spoke English with any confidence and she looked after us (and kept in contact with Carmen to explain why we were running late for our next appointment with her!).
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| Outdoor dining at Agriturismo Vignola |
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| Sampling Dessert & Fresh Fruit |
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| Russ and Monica with Francesca at Agriturismo Vignola |
ACT III: REUNION WITH FAMILY, CHURCH & PARISH
"I'm already here at Palazzo Manzoni" was the text from Carmen at 3:36 PM, so we headed straight there from Agriturismo Vignola. With a pin-drop from Google Maps we left the valley and drove up Casale, the lowest of the three hills in Marsico Nuovo. At the end of our route (and after questioning our navigation...didn't want a second traffic snarl) we were back under the supervision of Carmen who met us a short distance from Chiesa Madonna del Carmine. The vista was beautiful. You could clearly see the Cathedral resting on Civita.
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| Russ & Meg at Palazzo Manzoni |
Church of Madonna del Carmine (Chiesa Madonna del Carmine)
Before departing for Italy, a visit to Chiesa Madonna del Carmine was near the top of "to do" list. Why? Carmen uncovered a hidden truth about the marriage of Annuziata Votta (Age 20) to Francesco Saverio D'Agrosa (Age 29), the parents of my great grandmother Domenica. The official record for their marriage on November 25, 1865 indicates that they were married in the parish of Santa Caterina. I originally assumed they were married in the physical building of Chiese Santa Caterina. Seems reasonable, right? Well, that church was destroyed by an earthquake in 1857 which explained why I had a hard time finding it on any maps.
Carmen was able to resolve this puzzle after speaking to Luigi, the local historian I mentioned earlier. "At that time S. Caterina was the biggest parish in Marsico and it kept this status until the '90s. On all documents you can read 'parish of Santa Caterina' but it means that the celebrations took place in that parish but not in Santa Caterina Church itself. All the weddings at that time were celebrated at Madonna del Carmine so this means your ancestors got married there."
We thought we'd only be able stroll the exterior of the church, but Carmen surprised us when we arrived...the mayor helped get the church unlocked! Almost 160 years after Saverio and Annuziata were married at Chiesa Madonna del Carmine I found myself walking towards the same doorway that welcomed them on their wedding day.
The church dates to between the 13th and 14th centuries and was restored in the 20th. It is part of wider complex connected to the Monastery of St. Thomas of Canterbury. Like many things in Marsico it predates Columbus arriving in America and the country Saverio and Annunziata would call home less than two decades after their union.
Soft off-white and cream colors blanket both the interior and exterior walls of the church. A colorful wooden statue of Madonna del Carmine rests near the altar. Less than a dozen rows of wooden pews sit on each side of the aisle. It felt almost like a chapel. One man sat praying, probably the man who brought the keys, as we gazed and took pictures. I remember thinking that Annunziata and Saverio's wedding ceremony must have been modest and that this church would be fitting to host them. In the years that followed, their children were most likely baptized in this church, not far from their family home in the Sant' Elia district of Marsico Nuovo.
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| Approaching Chiesa Madonna del Carmine |
Donato & Davide D'Agrosa
The climax of the movie vibe we were experiencing started when two figures came walking up the path towards us as we exited Chiesa Madonna del Carmine. Within a minute we were shaking hands and embracing Donato and Davide D'Agrosa, cousins I didn't know I had just a few days before. Davide is Donato's son and with the help of a family tree diagram prepared by Carmen, we were able draw a line to how we are connected. Ancestry.com tells me Davide and I are "4th Cousins" and Donato is "3rd Cousin 1x Removed". Those distinctions don't really matter. They are family and couldn't have been more welcoming. Any concerns that maybe we'd be inconveniencing them were quickly washed away. This meeting felt like destiny fulfilled after decades of research into family history.
Over the next hour we traded stories about our roots, exchanged gifts and got to know each other. It wasn't long before we learned Davide (33) had a passion for music (including Bruce Springsteen) and football (soccer). Davide is both a singer-songwriter (he was performing the next night at the Brassens festival in Marsico) and captain of FC Sancto Elia, the local football team representing the district of Sant' Elia where my great grandmother Domenica lived. In fact, Davide and Donato live in Sant' Elia today! We were given multiple gifts connected to the football club and we gave a small gift we had brought from the US (a tote bag with Philly landmarks...including the Italian Market, of course).
We walked the grounds around the former monastery taking "family pictures" at scenic overlooks. A cannon even fired in the distance, a daily reminder of the upcoming festival for San Gianuario. Eventually after suggesting we go get drinks together, we strolled back in the direction of our car, but we wouldn't be leaving just yet. Instead we headed towards the front door of a former convent for the Benedictine nuns of San Tommaso. It is a large building with a rich history (even served as a "princely residence" in a former life).
It was very unassuming from the outside. Much to our surprise parts of the complex have been transformed into a cafe, bar and restaurant. We passed through the building to an outdoor space with seating and another beautiful overlook...this time with our ancestral home of Sant' Elia in the distance. In retrospect, we were at the the "Waikiki Bar" which I know sounds Hawaiian...I have no explanation for that name.
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| Donato, Russ, Davide & Monica |
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| Gifts from Davide and our shared Family Tree |
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| Davide, Russ and Carmen |
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| Davide D'Agrosa playing Streets of Philadelphia |
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| Val d'Agri and the district of Sant' Elia |
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| Our D'Agrosa Family Tree from Carmen |
After taking pictures we grabbed some seats with our D'Agrosa cousins and were introduced to Carmen's fiance and members of her family. Before long I was drinking a local beer and we were all toasting our how lucky we were to be together. The highlight was still to come when Davide asked for the outdoor music to be turned off. He then pulled out a guitar and played a version of "Streets of Philadelphia" that would make Bruce Springsteen proud. He had the perfect voice for it. I couldn't make this up if I tried. For an encore he covered "Purple Rain", which was also beautifully done. We were filming it of course, but it felt like we were in a movie.
It was around 7 PM and since we still had to travel to Muro Lucano we began to plan our exit. Davide had one more idea and invited us to see where his FC Sancto Elia would be playing in the championship match a few days later. When we arrived at the stadium it was a pleasant surprise to discover that there was an actual match being played (semi-final between Portello and Sancto Vito). I just loved the sense of community on display.
We moved to the section supporting Portello, Carmen's team, and were joined by Donato, Davide, and others. We posed for pictures under the FC Sancto Elia sign before settling in to watch the match. Still full from our lunch we were offered pizza and Peroni and did our best. Again, the generosity made us feel at home. After a few scores from the much stronger Sancto Vito we had to say our final goodbye.
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| A panoramic view from Stadio A. Incerto |
As we left Marico Nuovo behind in the fading light of the day, we had time to reflect on the amazing experience. Just days before I was wondering if it would be worthwhile to visit Marsico Nuovo, and now my only regret was that we didn't have more time to spend there. We will be back. There is more to see and do (e.g., Walk through Sant' Elia, participate in San Gianuario festival, visit the nearby national park). Most importantly, we have family there!
Carmen and Marsicuore.it understand that Marisco is, "a place of the heart and if you visit it, you will want to take it with you." We took memories with us and I encourage you to visit. If you are thinking of making a trip, happy to provide some thoughts and would recommend you engage Marsicuore.it too.
ROLL THE CREDITS
If you've followed along this whole journey, you know that Carmen and Marsicuore.it really brought the magic to this whole production. The passion is genuine. Thank you!
BONUS MATERIAL
I couldn't figure out where to place this nugget. From various documents we know Domenica's family were farmers who resided in the Sant' Elia district of Marsico Nuovo. Sometimes that got lost in translation (e.g., US Naturalization document for her sister Millie notes that she lived in "Saint Leo" before she immigrated to the US...but that didn't make sense). It took a few years to figure out that what she was trying to communicate was Sant' Elia. If I hadn't met Carmen, I don't think I would have had that epiphany
RELATED LINKS
Websites (I recommend you use Google Chrome and allow it to translate some of these pages):
Municipal Website for Marsico Nuovo
Marsico Nuovo Wikipedia page in IT (holds a lot more info than the English verion)
Instagram:
Facebook:
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