In the early 1900s, Antonio Pietrangelo and his wife Maria emigrated to the United States with their two small daughters, Asunta (Sue) and Mary. (Petrangelo family photos here) Once here, they set about creating many more children, including Liz’s dad. So, a visit to the ancient homestead was in order. Roccamorice sits atop a hill in the high lands of Abruzzo. Not much has changed there in hundreds of years, although we’ve seen quite a few changes since we visited 10 years ago. More new construction, and someone has added an “E” to the monument dedicated to all of those who left. It now reads “Al Fratelli Emigranti,” whereas 10 years ago, it read “Al Fratelli Migranti” (meaning To our brother emigrants.) Notice the church where Grandma and Grandpa were married, and where both of the girls were baptized. We visited midday, which is the time when everyone in Italy is at home eating, so the streets are empty. We found a bar with a bathroom, and watched the news in Italian, trying to puzzle out just exactly what had happened to Lehman Brothers. We knew it was something bad, but beyond that….well… After Roccamorice, we toured Chieti, home of the archeology museum, which houses a large collection of Etruscan artifacts. Then, since we were only 25 miles from the Adriatic, we had to go –see Pescara, sniff the sea air, pick up two smooth stones, and walk on the sand.

 

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