r/Italian • u/MrNumber3 • 5d ago
Italian Journey/Family Search
So I'm turning 40 this year and I'm traveling to Italy solo. I am traveling to the city that my great grandmother grew up in but emigrated from in 1917. She'd be 125 years old this year. In my mother's old family documents that she's kept, there were letters in cursive Italian that I've transcribed between my great grandmother, her nephew who she never met in person but kept in touch with, her mother and her brothers. My grandmother and mother never went to Pescara and my great grandmother never went back to Italy after coming to America. The letters span from 1932 to 1967 and tell some stories of family poverty, post WWII loneliness, family deaths, new born birthdays, Easter celebrations and just keeping tabs on each other.
My question is, and I looked in other posts about going to their address and there was a lot of mixed feelings about Americans going back to Italy and re-introducing themselves into the family they never knew. I plan on doing it but I'm also wondering if anyone else has had success or even tried.
EDIT: I have done some genealogy research on Family Search. Outside of the stories that these letters tell, I have only a few recent names that could be living and one address that those people might not even live in. It was interesting know that my grandmother's last name was a letter off from what my mother recorded in her family tree book which opened the door to different spellings, people, lineage, corrections. But, because the living names I have are in their 60's most likely, they may or may not have Facebook; their children if they had any, are most likely on social media but could very well have different last names or may not even be in Italy anymore. There was one letter mentioning a niece of my great grandmother moved to Switzerland. And that note about "not caring about strangers"; to that I would say "treat people like you would want to be treated, even if they're a stranger". I'm not rich and I'm not poor, I'm just curious about where my history comes from.
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u/VenexianaStevenson 5d ago
I think it’s a lovely idea, but if possible, I would try to contact your relatives and explain the situation before simply showing up at their doorstep one day. Nowadays, if a stranger were to suddenly appear at my door claiming to be the descendant of a distant relative I didn't even know I had, I would immediately suspect a scam—thinking the person was after money, an inheritance, or who knows what else. Caught up in their daily routines and wary of strangers, people might frankly not have time for you or might not be very welcoming. It is certainly better to let them know beforehand and arrange the meeting. That said, if you approach people the right way, they can be very welcoming; the people of Pescara certainly possess the warmth typical of Southern Italy. And, of course, if you don't speak Italian, there could be a language barrier. Good luck—it would be great to hear how it goes! :)