Today we want to tell you about the Ancestors Tour with Mark Holzbach. He came from Grand Rapids, Michigan, US, and decided to dive into his Italian roots with the crew of the museum.
One of his family lines has Calabrian origins. Indeed we visited Rovito (Cosenza) on Monday, 24th.
Our thanks go to all who made it possible. Our special thanks go to
Rovitesi people who warmly welcomed us in Rovito; Daniele Andronaco, a fellow from Reggio Calabria. He did previous research onsite and stayed with us the whole day long.
Mr. Tonino Menonte, a retired Italian Post Office employee;
Mr. Tonino Bennardo, the former person in charge of the Registry Office at the Rovito Town Hall;
Prof. Tonino Lavoratore. He is the historical memory in Rovito. He told us many stories about the family connections between Mark’s family and Rovitesi. Indeed, he told us about a distant cousin living in Lappano, a tiny town not far from Rovito.
Through his stories, we also figured out some tombs belonging to Mark’s family while visiting the cemetery after lunch. In the afternoon, the meeting with Mrs. Alessandra Rizzuti, the distant cousin mentioned above. She hosted us at her house, and we spent joyful hours.
Last but not least, a great thank goes to our tireless coworker and interpreter Astrid Meijer.
Thanks to our efforts and dedication, we managed to organize this Mark’s roots journey. He craved this tour, and we were pleased to let his dream come true.
But there is more. In these days, other stories are coming as we moved to Sanza for another exciting journey back into the past.