heritage quest photos

Flickr currently hosts a collection of photos and records from my various heritage quests: https://www.flickr.com/photos/40422516@N04/collections/72157634383384235/

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Info Dolomiti

I was recently researching the history of towns in the Dolomites, where my paternal grandfather's family was from. Most sites were in Italian, but this one is in English, has interactive maps, and things to do in the area of my first heritage quest.

Via Claudia Augusta Altinate

The ancient Roman road that led from the Adriatic Sea (Altino) to the Danube river, relives, after 2000 years of history, a new, fresh season. Conceived in 15 B.C. By the Roman general Druso Maggiore, adopted son of the Emperor Augustus, the route was designed to open a passage through the Alps during the military campaigns in Austria. The huge project was completed only 60 years later by Drusus's son, the Emperor Claudius (41-54 A.D.).

The Via Claudia Augusta can be considered as a bridge between different cultures, environments and emotions: it is a symbolic itinerary that crosses three countries (Germany, Austria and Italy) featuring an enormous variety of landscapes and traditions, art treasures and culinary specialities.

In the Belluno area, the route first crosses the Feltre, starting from Castel Tesino (province of Trentino) passing the towns of Lamon, Sovramonte, Pedavena and reaching the center of Feltre. Then the road climbs up to Cesiomaggiore, where in Villa Centenere is exhibited one of the two milestones of the Way, and then leadsn you to Busche. After crossing the Piave river, the itinerary continues through the towns of Lentiai and Mel, featuring its imposing Zumelle Castle, and arrives up to the Praderadego mountain pass which separates the province of Belluno from Treviso.

Worth a visit: 

• Lamon, Sovramonte and Pedavena; 
• Feltre and surroundings: the Cathedral with the archaeological area underneath the church yard, the old town with Piazza Maggiore square and Alboino's Castle, the Civic Museum and the “Carlo Rizzarda” Modern Art Gallery, the Diocesan Museum of Sacred Art, the Sanctuary of the Saints Vittore and Corona in Anzù; 
• Cesiomaggiore: Villa Tauro alle Centenere where are on display the two milestones that marked the Way, the “Toni Bevilacqua” Historic Bicycle Museum , the Ethnographical Museum of the Province of Belluno and of the Dolomiti Bellunesi National Park; 
• Lentiai: Church of Santa Maria Assunta; 
• Mel: Piazza Papa Luciani square and the Zumelle Castle.

Una Sera Bellunese

Fosca, the girl who arranged for me to stay with her in Pren, took me to Feltre for an artisanal fair. We met some of her friends and had a glass of wine. I asked the bartender for something local, and he gave us some prosecco. As we were sitting outside drinking our bubbly, I noticed a De Bacco sign in the window.

It is a wine – and a sparkling one at that.

She told me it was a shame I was only in Belluno such a short time, and decided to ask her friends if any knew a Bellotto or a De Bacco. One said he had a friend with the surname De Bacco and told us to call him. We did, and he said we might be related, but that he’d have to ask his dad. He said he’d call us back in the morning.

Another of her friends told me there was a grocer in Pedavena named De Bacco, a bakery too.

I saw this box with my great grandmother's maiden name on it at the market this morning in Feltre. I  stopped to talk to the man whose stall it was and tried to ask him what the box was for. I'm pretty sure he told me it was a wine company, but I'm not sure. He did say it was a local surname though, so hopefully that's a good sign!

I talked to one of the people I'm staying with and he said Bellotto is a pretty common name around here too.

Tomorrow I take the bus to Zorzoi to see the town Romano Bellotto left as a teenager to head west.

 Feltre even has a statue for my great-great grandma

Dolomiti

I am an American mut – a quarter Italian, the most of anything.

My great grandfather, Romano Silvio Bellotto, was born in the late 1800s in the village of Zorzoi, which is part of the commune of Sovramonte. Roman’s father was Pietro, Italian for Peter. His mother’s name was Laurrie Antonil or Anonin.

Roman left Italy in the early 1900s, traveled through Europe, and hopped a boat to the USA. He moved to Pennsylvania and married my great grandmother, Giacinta DeBacco.

Giacinta is Italian for Cynthia. I called her Little Grandma, but apparently her nickname was Cinta (pronounced Chinta).

Her father, Antonio De Bacco came from Pedavena. Her mother, Angela or Angelina, was from Feltre. Her maiden name was De Pian, Dal Pian, De Pain, or something like that.