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Castel di Sangro, Abruzzo

I need assistance in making family connections. We would like to contact my Italian relatives in the village of Castel di Sangro in the province of Abruzzo. In April, my husband and I will travel to Italy and will visit Castel for several days. All four of my grandparents and great grandparents were from Castel di Sangro. My parents & all my grandparents are deceased. There has been little contact with our Castel family for 30 years. I know one of my mother's first cousins never left Castel, but would be in her late 80s if still living (Marcella Milano). In Internet searches (paginebianche.it), I've found listings for my family surnames as follows; number in parentheses indicates # of listings: Milano(8), Delorino Mannarelli(1), Mario Scarpitti(1), Balzano(7)individuals, (3)businesses and Marinelli(6). The only surnames that I did not find were for Arnaldi and Sagna.
My name is Alice Arnaldi Fast and I live in Tampa, FL. My parents were Mario J. Arnaldi and Emma Mannarelli Arnaldi. My maternal grandparents were Elisa Chelestina Milano Mannarelli and Eugene Amallio Mannarelli. My maternal great grandparents were Pasquale Milano and Francesca Balzano Milano. My paternal great grandparents were Francesco Mannarelli and Beatrice Marinelli Mannarelli. My paternal grandparents were Pacifico Arnaldi (Sagna) and Anna Scarpitti Arnaldi. My maternal great grandmother was Madeline Scarpitti, but I do not know her maiden name. My grandmother Anna was the daughter of Madeline and an unknown traveling engineer. Anna was adopted & given the name of her stepfather Scarpitti. I do not know my paternal great grandmother's name. I know that she was the governess for the Nobelman Sagna and had two children with him: my grandfather Pacifico and my great Aunt Rosaria. It was common knowledge in Castel that Nobelman Sagna had two families and they all lived together. When Pacifco and Rosario began attending school they were given the surname of Arnaldi. They were not entitled to the Sagna name.
I have phone numbers and addresses via my internet search discussed above, but am not fluent in Italian. I would appreciate finding someone that could help us communicate my information to my family in Castel. Do you have anyone in Castel that could assist us; maybe through the Chamber of Commerce? I truly appreciate any suggestions you might have. My grandparents all originally came to New York, but both my parents were born in Chicago (1920s). My mother's family resided in Chicago before relocating to Florida in the early 50s (St. Petersburg, FL). My father's family moved from Chicago to the Bronx and relocated to St. Petersburg. FL in 1948.
Sincerely,
Alice A. Fast

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3 posts

Hello Alice, it's interesting to hear you have roots in Castel di Sangro. I am from Abruzzo where I currently live. I think I know someone who can assist you, she is a genealogist and tour guide in Abruzzo and speaks excellent English. Her email address is mire82@gmail.com - I'm sure she'll be glad to answer your questions. I hope it helps!