Isoletta, Arce Italy

View of the Isoletta Area from an near by hill

Joan and I traveled to Isoletta Italy where my grandfather (my mother's dad) was born.  It is a rural area that is very scenic and is located about 45 miles south of Rome.  While there we met families that have relatives in Providence, RI and one of them was kind enough to give us a tour of the area.

Main Street in the old part of Isoletta

 

 One of the things that I often wanted to know was who was my grandfather's real mother as his dad (my great grandfather) re-married when he immigrated to the states and my grandfather's real mother has never been mentioned.  The families we met have promised to do some research to find out who my Great Grandfather's first wife was.  They believe the information would be recorded in the administrative offices for Isoletta which they are planning to research for us.

I also learned that my grandfather's surname was a very common name in the area of Isoletta which is not surprising  to be honest.

 There appears to be strong family ties between Isoletta and Providence, RI where my grandfather lived as many families are connected and travel back and forth.

We had lunch at the restaurant shown above where we met Gino who is the owner.  Gino has other brothers who live in Providence, RI and he gave me contact information for one of his brothers who I hope to contact when I get back to the states.  His wife had a sister who lived in Chelmsford but has since passed away.

What was surprising to me was how connected to Isoletta Providence has been as many families from Isoletta have immigrated to Providence and some have actually moved back to isoletta. 

 I went to Isoletta with the plan to only see what the area was like but never expected to meet such warm and friendly people and never really expected to learn anything about the Boffi family background.  I am now optimistic that I may finally learn something about my real grandmother.