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 I can find one that’s free!!

Yup..you read that correctly. Amazon is now offering the free Kindle edition of Italian Pride: 101 Reasons to Be Proud You’re Italian by Fred Moramarco and Stephen Moramarco available to read immediately upon download. Don’t have a Kindle? No problem. You can purchase a Kindle directly from Amazon or you can download the free Kindle App to read it on any device.[Canadians download here or visit Canadian site].  Or if you prefer a hard copy you can purchase it as well on either site along with hundreds of other books.  Happy Reading!

**Full disclosure: Article contains Affiliate Links.

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 trying to convey but there is some good content and many other links which provide useful information.

What is a Sicilian?

The first chapter of the book written by Mendola and titled Sicilian Genealogy & Heraldry begins with “What is a Sicilian?” It has been noted that it may be the deciding factor in your successful discovery of Sicilian ancestors and a unique Sicilian heritage.

Here’s a snippet of what you can expect to read…

Unfortunately, the misperception persists, with many Sicilians believing that every Sicilian surname having a Greek or Norman-French root indicates that the family was therefore of Greek or Norman origin in the male line. This is nonsense. It would be like saying that any boy named Cesare was descended in the male line from Julius or Augustus Caesar….

read more from this site » »

**Full Disclosure: Article may contain affiliate links.

Our Italian Surnames – By Joseph Guerin Fucilla is available on Google Books.  The section from which I linked it to entitled The Evolution of Italian Surnames concentrates primarily on Northern Italian Surnames.  There are over 7500 surnames and sources listed throughout the 299 page book which makes it an interesting and most comprehensive read.

Book Review

You can read the Google book review available for more information.

The book was originally written in the late 1940’s and is available on Amazon.com as well as Chapters.Indigo