Project Description
September, 2014
My family and I consider ourselves very fortunate to have worked with Mirella Ammirati and Southern Italy Travel during our recent family trip to Abruzzo.
Our visit to the hometown of my husband’s grandparents was thehighlight of our 2 week trip to Italy. Mirella was a pleasure to work with during all stages of the trip, including helping us with our initial plans, assisting us making reservations, researching our family connectionsin two towns, obtaining the documents needed to apply for dual citizenship, arranging a wonderful full day visiting with our relatives, translating all along, and finally coming to our aid, when we unexpectedly and urgently needed a translator to help us after we were involved in a minor car accident.
My husband’s maternal grandparents both emigrated from Palombaro, a small town on the edge of the Majella National Park. We knew that some family still lived in town, but with the passing of generations contact had been lost.
Mirella was able to find our relatives and arranged a reunion for us. We had a wonderful day. My husband met several 2nd cousins, saw the house where his grandparents had lived and visited the church where they were baptized and married. Mirella translated capably and patiently all day, adding cultural insights to help us understand stories and local history. Her pleasant, respectful, warm manner was welcome and appreciated by all.
Prior to our visit, Mirella had obtained official copies of birth and marriage certificates for my husband’s grandparents, so that we were able to spend our time focused on meeting family and touring the town. We now have new family connections and warm memories to cherish.
My husband’s paternal grandfather and great grandparents had also emigrated from Abruzzo – from Chieti, a larger city nearby. We knew very little about this side of the family history – only names and approximate birth dates. With very little to go on, Mirella also successfully researched this family background for us. We learned family names and occupations going back another generation.
We chose to spend a few days after the reunion touring in Abruzzo on our own. Unfortunately during this time we were involved in a car accident. The accident was minor but insurance required completing a report and an interview with the police. Mirella responded to my urgent phone call, spoke to the police, arranged an appointment and translated for us. This was an invaluable help to us and greatly eased our stress.
We hope to return to Abruzzo and to work with Mirella again to help plan, guide and translate. We wholeheartedly recommend Mirella as an excellent, warm and very capable genealogical researcher, tour guide and translator.
Maryann Wattendorf
