January 31, 2011.
Nazareno Montalbini was baptized on April 8, 1850 in Serrungarina, Italy. His parents were Petro Montalbini and Angeli Sabbatineli. According to a cousin born in Savignano, Nazareno fought with Garibaldi in the reunification of Italy and moved to Savignano after the war and became Nazareno Montalbino. This move may have been influenced by Captain Luigi Cavallari. Our interpreter during our 1987 visit to Savignano was a Cavallari who thought that one of her husbands’s relatives was an officer in Garibaldi’s army.
The Families of Savignano is an excellent resource for those with roots to Savignano. This site contains the Montalbino geneaology. Thank you Tony.
The house behind the road sign is where the Montalbino family was born and raised. The door to the right of the woman is the home where Nazareno's wife, Francesca Rusco, had lived. The street pictured is Corso Vittorio Emanuele. The Commune Office and Purgatory are on this street with the Piazza at the end. Facing the street, the old Medieval Church built, around 500AD, is on the right corner. The fountain is across the street from the Church. The house is at my back. The main road from the valley enters on my left. The fountain would be on my right.
As you look down the street, this building will be between the two cars on the left. The building consists of three residences. Nazareno and Francesco resided in the right side of the building which included the balcony. This portion was apparently purchased for their parents by four brothers as 1/4 of the property was passed on to my father, Nazareth, in Louis's will. Joseph died in the flu epidemic of 1918. Francesca died the same year. Louis died here while visiting in 1922.
Seletta Maria married Crescenzo Bocchicchio on Oct 19 1895. They had about 11 children. At some point they all moved into this residence. Perhaps the four remaining brothers bought this residence for their father and Seletta and family moved in to take care of him.
If you look closely at the doors you will see they need repair. Around 1985 one of her sons sold the property. A nephew in Rome contested the sale. Nothing has been done to the house since. It appears that it takes years for cases to be heard in the Italian Courts. It was resold in 2007. The son also sold the family plot in the Cemetery.
This is a picture of Pompey outside the door of the house. His wife Mary is on the left. Saletta is sitting with, I assume, her granddaughter on her lap and her daughter, the childs mother, is in the middle. This may have been taken in 1922 when Louis died.