Welcome To Calabrian Genealogy
My grandfather, Giuseppe Napolitano was born on November 11, 1892 in the Parantoro section of Montalto Uffugo in Cosenza Province. No one in the family knew much about his life there or his family. I have always been curious about his life and family there. So I began my research into my Italian genealogy. I have created this site to share what I have discovered about Calabria, it's history, culture and people.
Calabria is located in the southern-most tip of Italy. It's landscapes vary from mountainous rocky terrain, rich, lush farm land to sunny beaches. I began my research into my Calabrian roots many years ago to try to discover my family origins. I will share here what I have learned in the hopes that it can help you too.
To read about my grandfather, Giuseppe Napolitano go to his page here.
If you are looking for our website about Montalto Uffugo go here.
Please be patient, I am still working on these pages.
About Calabria
Calabria consists of 5 provinces; Cosenza, Catanzaro, Crotone, Vibo Valentia and Reggio Calabria. Prior to 1991 there were only 3 provinces. In 1991 Catanzaro Province was split into 3 provinces and Vibo Valentia and Crotone Provinces were born. Calabria is home to several differant terrains and landscapes. The east and west is bordered by the Ionian and Tyrrhenian seas. In between are rugged mountains and fertile vallleys and villages that offer a different culture and language (dialect) than the rest of Italy. There is a national park located in the Sila Mountains in Cosenza Province. There are numerous mountains scattered throughout the region namely the Sila, Pollino and Aspromonte and of course, beautiful seaside villages. This region has been influenced by the Greeks, the Romans, Albanians, Austrians, Germans, Spainish and the Middle eastern countries of The Ottoman Empire. The Calabrian region has always been more isolated from the rest of the regions of Italy. Separated by dialects, traditions and it's rugged terrain and poverty. It was very different than the rest of Italy. Much of the culture and traditions Calabria are unique to the region. Today, many small towns appear to be dying a slow death, with the de-population of it's residents. Other towns have become successful tourist towns and are thriving.
Calabria has a long history dating back to primitive man (see section on Cosenza Province here). The land has been influenced by the Normans, the Ottoman Empire, the Greeks and more. Many wars have been waged on this land as well as devastating natural disasters, famines and diseases such as malaria and cholera. For more on Calabrian history go here.
If you are looking for my pages about Montalto Uffugo in Cosenza Province, I have moved them to a new domain here.
The whole purpose of this site is to present information. When I began looking for information about Calabria I had a difficult time finding what I wanted to know in English. There were many informational sites in Italian and other languages but few in English. My intention is to share everything that took me years to find in one place. For a History of Calabria and what you can expect to find there, click here.
Navigating this site
I have tried to make navigating this site simple. To the left of the page is a navigation bar. It will change depending on what page you are on. For example, if you are looking for information on earthquakes, you would follow the link on this page to the history page. Links will vary according to the section you are in, so if you get lost return to the home page here.
Other pages on this site
The history page on this site has information and links to our other pages about Calabrian history, earthquakes, plagues, poverty and information about the Aberesh culture of many of Calabria's communities. You will also find history in the Province and comune (town) pages. Currently the pages we have available here are listed below.
What is missing from this site
Still missing from this site is information on the Provinces of Vibo Valentia, Crotone and Reggio Calabria. I am working on these pages and will have them here as soon as they are finished. A friend of mine is doing research in Reggio Calabria and is working on transcribing the records of Reggio Calabria. You may visit her here.
Merry Christmas
We wish you a very Happy Holiday season. If you are looking for Italian Christmas Traditions visit my friend's site here.