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, the Italian Republic, the Italian Kingdom, and the current Italian Republic. Frequent incursions were made by North African Muslims and the Saracens. Greek was spoken in Calabria for centuries. There has been a large Albanian presence since the 16th century. Douglas praises “the charm of travel in this land of multiple civilizations–the ever-changing layers of culture one encounters, their wondrous juxtaposition.” (Douglas, xv.)  More later…

Calabria is one of 20 administrative regions in Italy. It lies within the Apennine Mountain chain. In ancient times, Calabria was represented as the heel of Italy, not the toe…the area was famous for its olives, fruit, wine, and horses.** The region features mountains, wooded hills, and coastlines that follow the Ionian and Tyrrhenian Seas. Earthquakes are not uncommon. Calabria is slightly smaller than Connecticut.  It is not a land blessed with rich soil or raw materials. Primarily rural, the land produces wheat, porcini mushrooms, bergamot, olives, and olive oil.  Sheep and goats are raised on its rugged hillsides.  Life in Calabria has always been hard. C’e miseria was the answer given to George Gissing*** when he asked “What people do here?” The universal answer, “There is nothing but poverty.” (Gissing, 129)

    

        ←Regional Map of Calabria           

        Gasperina is just south of

        Squillace  in Catanzaro

          

       Calabrian Children 1885,  by Alberto  Tarsita-no-Acri. I like to think that Caterina could have been one of these children. She would have been five years old, and her family was prosperous.  ↓ 

Gasperina

    ← View of the Ionian Sea from Gasperina. See also: “Eleven Places to Visit in Calabria” https://www.italyweloveyou.com/calabria-italy/

The name, Gasperina, comes from the Old Persian word “Kaspar” which means “treasure bringer." The city is located within the province of Catanzaro. It is about 2 square miles in area with an elevation of 1640 feet. Although not situated on the coast itself, Gasperina commands a good view of the Ionian Sea, which was an advantage when Saracens were raiding Italian towns. Inhabitants were given enough warning to escape into the hills. Tourist guides might describe it as a “terrace on the sea.”  Today there are nearly 3,000 inhabitants, down significantly from its peak of 4,006 in 1911. 

As you can tell, Gasperina is a small place but it was not unknown. The first written mention of the town was in a 1091 Norman paper. In 1098, Norman Roger of Altavilla donated the casale of Gasperina to the monk Bruno, founder of the Carthusian cloister, the Calabrian Chartreuse.**** The complex is located nearby, between Gasperina and Montauro. The monastery was nearly destroyed in the earthquake of 1783, but its presence still commands one’s attention. 

Pietragrande (basically, “the big rock”) is to be found just off the beach in Staletti–part of the neighboring municipality of Montauro. Pietragrande is a significant landmark in our family’s history, as I will explain in Stories #3.    

                            

        ← Pietragrande off Staletti beach

   2023 - Above, cousin Elisabetta acts as Guide for her American cousins

    

Gasperina–fiercely independent–was assigned to be a part of the Calabrian Chartreuse until the 18th Century, with the exception of 1497-1542 when the Borgias of Squillace annexed them to their principality. Gasperina  objected to being under French rule and insisted on remaining part of the Church of Mileto. Religion aside, the real danger came from the sea. In 1645, 3000 Ottoman invaders reached Calabria, raiding from Squillace to Staletti, Montauro to Gasperina–burning and looting. 

Beginning in the second half of the 18th Century, political opponents vied for and against republicanism. Leaders like Franco Spadea voiced opposition. Another Spadea, Saverio, proved his educational leadership with the establishment of the Normal School in Gasperina. This made Gasperina the chief town in the nearby communities. The early 19th Century introduced Calabria to famous Gasperine brigrands like Nicola and Vincent Macrina. Gasperina was a small town, but it was consequential.*****

The most common surnames (cogonomi) in Gasperina are 1. Macrina,

 2. Spadea, 3. Fulginti, 4. Voci, 5. Procopio. (We’re tied for 6th place)

I know that several family members–myself included–joined 23 and Me®, which “offers DNA testing with the most comprehensive ancestry breakdown, personalized health insights and more.” (Company's website, ©2022) I imagine that others have joined similar DNA genealogy sites like Ancestry®. They  do so to discover their DNA information which can indicate ethnic heritage. (DISCLAIMER: This is not a recommendation for any DNA/Genealogy companies.)

When I sent my DNA sample I expected to see an Italian result close to 50%, with maybe some Greek because the area was ruled by Byzantium for centuries. To my surprise it showed that I am only 40% Italian with very little Greek, and almost 9 % Western Asian and North African–mostly Anatolian. These results were similar to many of my 23 and Me® cousins. I believe that, in my case, Caterina was responsible for the Anatolian results. I always noted that my grandmother had slightly pronounced (high) cheekbones, which would suggest some Asian heritage.  

[above: Screen grab from my results, updated October 2023]  

Where the heck is Anatolia? It describes an ancient area between the Caucus Mountains, East-Central Turkey, Armenia, Northern Iran (ancient Persia), Syria and Mesopotamia (Iraq). Its ancient capital was Cappadocia. Of course! Calabria was a Byzantine province, not necessarily Greek. Byzantine officials, military, and businessmen were chiefly Anatolian. Over the centuries Byzantines intermarried with the Calabrian people. “Anatolia, ‘the East,’ the late Greek name for that part of Asia which is roughly equivalent to modern Turkey.”******

What today is known as Turkey, was Anatolia for millennia. Cappadocia was its capital. Anatolia peoples have a rich and varied history. 

[Photo credit: By Cplakidas https://en.m.wikipedia.org/wiki/File:Asia_Minor_ca_780_AD.svg]

Anatolian civilization goes back thousands of years. It was home to agriculture which began after the last Ice Age. It was the nexus of westward migrating populations and Asian “barbarian” incursions. Anatolia was well known to ancient and medieval peoples, its civilization well developed.

If you recall the word “Gasperina” comes from ancient Persian. Persia (Iran) was next to Anatolia. Secondly, the most common name in Gasperina is Macrina, which comes from the word, Makri, meaning long, tall, or a tall person. The Macrinas even have a saint in the family, St. Macrina the Younger was born in Cappadocia, Anatolia in 327 CE. St.  She was the elder sister of Basil the Great and Bishop Gregory of  Nyssa. The Saint is praised for her sanctity, chastity, humility and asceticism. St. Macrina was the model for being a holy early Christian woman. (Wikipedia) 

What other signs point to the rich Calabrian multiculturalism praised by Douglas? Blue eyes thanks to the Normans and the Lombards. My father had blue eyes. My brother, and my granddaughters, were blondes when young.  In his USA Naturalization document, Giuseppe is described as having “gray eyes.” Aunt Rose often remarked on Uncle Sam’s light hair and blue eyes. (He was Sicilian, but much the same heritage applies there.) Cousin Art had an olive complexion as a child–a reminder of Saracen and North African invaders. Which other physical traits persisted in the first and second American born generations of the family? In you? 

         Next time: #3 - La Famiglia, Naming Conventions, and Contranome

*Douglas, Norman. Old Calabria. Evanston, Illinois: The Marlboro Press/Northwestern; 1993, 1996. (Based on the 1915 edition.)

**Howatson, M. C. (editor). The Oxford Companion to Classical Literature. Oxford: Oxford University Press, 1989. Page 108.

***George Gissing, By the Ionian Sea. London: Century Hutchinson LTD, 1901, 1986.

****As far as I can tell the Chartreuse is similar to a diocese with an Abbot instead of a bishop and with the monastery having power over all the local churches.  

*****See: https://www.eng.viveregasperina.it/gasperina/storia-e-tradizioni/ 

******Howatson. Page 34.