Giuseppe's Stories

  Giuseppe Stories #2:   Calabria, Gasperina, and “23 and We” Giuseppe and Caterina were born in Gasperina, Calabria in the late 19th Century–Calabria, the snubbed toe of the Italian boot. In his book Old Calabria, * Norman Douglas recounts his visit to Calabria prior to World War One. Douglas was a celebrated travel writer, Italy his favorite destination. In John Manchip White’s Introduction to the book White writes, “In 1912 it was still possible to gain one last impression of the ancient world before it was transformed by the locomotive and automobile.” (Douglas, xv.) The region has been under control of many different rulers: The Bruttii of Vibo in the 4th century BCE, ancient Greeks in Magna Graecia– its northernmost area kissed by the Pythagorean Colony. Subsequent rulers include Imperial Rome, Byzantium, Germanic Lombards (7th and 8th centuries CE),  Byzantines/Ottomans again, Normans, Aragonese, Spanish and French Bourbons, the Kingdom of the two Sicilies, th...

Giuseppe Stories #1 -                    One Man’s Dream   The “Giuseppe’s Stories” begin with the dream of one man. His name was Giuseppe. He was a force of nature. He was my grandfather. Giuseppe came to the United states seeking opportunities not available in his native Italy, but the stories that follow reveal the dreams and disappointments, the struggles and successes, not only of Giuseppe, but also those of his family–brothers, cousins, wives, children, and subsequent generations, each proud to claim a common family history. These are their stories.  They are my stories.  They are your stories.  Why now? I am in my 80s, the daughter of a second generation son.  The early stories will eventually die if they’re not written. It has been the custom of our family to preserve whatever “C” history we could in the annual family picnic publication, “The Rose.” ...