In mid-October, 13 Bristolians traveled, as members of the La Bella Sicilia Society, to Sicily attempting to find their roots and the homes of their ancestors. 

In the early 1900s a good number of Sicilians ended up in Bristol, primarily for jobs in the US Rubber Company and the fishing industry. Most came from the province of Messina with a few from the Palermo province. La Bella Sicilia Society was formed in 1929 to promote mutual aid to the immigrants and their families. 

At one time there were over 100 Sicilian families living in Bristol. Prominent among them were the Bruno, Perroni, Pirri, Bisbano, Squatrito, Marabello, Millemaggi, Campagna, DeLuca, Mascena, Bucolo, Campanella families, and many more.

This trip to find our roots included John Bisbano (Falcone), Mike and Chris Byrnes/Campanella (Spadafora), Nick Puniello/St George (Oliveri), Sabastian Wardell/Cannizzaro (Montemaggorie Belsito), Richard Falcone (Canicatti and Delia). 

The group visited the fishing villages of Spadafora, Falcone and Oliveri on the northeastern coast of Sicily. It was interesting to see how the boats are hauled out of the water daily with bulldozers rather than stored at docks. Of course when in a fishing village, you have a lunch of the fresh fish caught that day. Then, when visiting the hill town of Tindari, the lunch consisted of freshly sliced salumi, meats, cheeses and vegetables prepared many different ways. When visiting Cerda, the artichoke capital of Sicily, the lunch consisted of 15 different dishes of artichokes, eggplant and mushrooms.

While everyone visited their ancestral hometowns, Sabby Wardell hit the jackpot in the small country hilltop town of Montemaggorie Belsito. He found his relatives names on the town war memorial, got copies of his grandparents’ birth certificates, located the now abandoned family home, and found the family tomb in the local cemetery. While at the cemetery he met a caretaker named Digati whose family was the only other one that immigrated to Bristol from Montemaggorie Belsito.

Richard Falcone also did well in Canicatti where his paternal ancestors came from. He got birth certificates and met several of his Falcone cousins, who greeted him with open arms. Then, we all had the great fortune to visit a superb vineyard near Canicatti. With one phone call and thirty minutes we were welcomed at the Bonsignore Vineyard for an excellent meal and wine tasting.

The group stayed in the beautiful seaside town of Cefalu and the central hill town of Enna. On the tourist end we visited Tindari to see the Basilica of the Madonna of Tindari, better known to all Sicilians as the Black Virgin. The group spent an afternoon at Piazza Armerina to see the Villa Romana del Casale dating back to 320 AD with 38,000 square feet of amazing well preserved mosaics. We also spent time in Taormina, the beautiful city above the Mediterranean Sea.

The final visit was to Savoca, the quaint hilltop town that was featured in the Godfather movie. We had refreshments at the Bar Vitelli and prayed at the church where Michael and Apollonia were married.

The Society is already planning a return trip to Sicily in the next year or two.