In Italian folklore, Befana (pronounced [beˈfaːna]) is an old woman who delivers gifts to children throughout Italy on Epiphany Eve (the night of January 5) in a similar way to St Nicholas or Santa Claus. A popular belief is that her name derives from the Feast of Epiphany or in Italian La Festa dell’Epifania… …read […]
The Mormon Church has now digitalized even more Italian records. Renting microfilms from the Family History Center may be a thing of the past as more and more Italian records are digitalized and available for viewing on line thanks to the efforts of the Church of Latter Day Saints. Recently the LDS has not only digitalized these records […]
We’d like to take this opportunity to wish you and your families a Very Happy and Prosperous New Year! May 2016 bring hope, health and happiness to all! And remember, please be kind to each other for everyone has a story to tell.
Italian Pride: 101 Reasons to Be Proud You’re Italian – Amazon Book Offer I love a good book – especially if it deals with genealogy or being Italian and I’m always looking for something new to read on cold winter nights. I love them even more if they’re on sale. . BUT it’s even better when […]
From our family to yours…Happy Holidays We’d like to take this opportunity to wish all our readers around the world and their loved ones a very happy and safe holiday season. Thanks to all the support and encouragement we’ve received over the years this little mailing list has turned into one of the largest databases […]
Sicilian Surname History and Onomatology This interesting article, found on the Best of Sicily Magazine website and written by Luigi Mendola, attempts to dispel a few myths while considering the origins and development of various surnames and how they originated in Sicily. It takes a bit of reading to fully focus on what he is […]
Jewish Genealogy This wonderfully informative site is an excellent starting point to researching your Jewish/Italian ancestry. You’ll find everything from DNA information to former surnames of Jews by provinces such as Rome, Venice and Sicily. There are also plenty of resource links to explore. Definitely worth checking it out! For more Jewish names check out […]
