---

Date: Sunday, June 17, 2007
Name: michael chiodi
Email: Michael Chiodi
City: cincinnati,
State: ohio,
Country: usa
Comments: I have on occasion tried to look up my ancestry. I know my father , Anthony and his father Michele were both born in Gallo I have an Uncle Andrew who was born in the States. My mother's father, Sisto Iannetti, was also born there and I have only been able to get to Northern Italy while visiting my wife who is from Switzerland. We both currently reside in Brooklyn New York but I consider Cincinnati my first home. It would be nice if some of my distant relatives saw this and were able to communicate with me via email. I myself do not speak Italian but oddly enough my wife whose maternal grandfather was Italian speaks it fairly well. Thank you and looking forward to hearing from you.

---

Date: Saturday, June 9, 2007
Name: rosemary mozzone goncalves
Email: rosemary mozzone goncalves
City: dix hills,
State: ny
Country: usa
Comments: Hi! I really love your site, all my relatives were from Gallo Matese, would welcome any information in constructing my family tree, my grandfather was pietro mozzone born around 1860-70,grandmother mary boiano(not sure of spelling).Their children are domenico, my dad(born 1909), frank, pasquella, pasqua and anthony. My mother was rosa delli carpini born 1915,my siblings are peter, victoria, mary and rosemary. My mother had a brother michael who lived in isernia, sister domenica and many other siblings.
Photos totally charmed my family, rosemary

---

Date: Wednesday, May 30, 2007
Name: Michael Rocchio
Email: Michael Rocchio
City: St. Louis,
State: Missouri.
Country: U S A
Comments: Benedetto,
Thank you very much for your kind note and the photo of Gallo. It is the best one I've ever seen. I'm honored that you would like to post my letter to your notebook. Hopefully, it will help me learn more about my family and it's history. Perhaps I will discover relatives still living in Gallo. That would make me very happy. Maybe some more information will help others to make a connection with us.

My father, Frederick, passed away two years ago at the age of 86. He was the eldest son of Pasquale (Pat) Rocchio, the eldest son of Federico and Maddalena having been born in The Bronx in 1919. He was the first in our family to go to college. He attended Fordham University and became a pharmacist. During World War II he was a captain in command of a company of medical personnel who cared for wounded Italian prisoners of war brought to the US. He told us many stories of these men for whom he had the utmost respect and affection. As I write I am looking at a portrait of my mother, Joan (Lafond), in her wedding dress painted by a Colonel Ruggiero. It is one of our family's most treasured heirlooms. He told us of a time when a group of his prisoners left the camp and commandeered a truck which they drove into town to celebrate New Year's Eve. They came back late that same night completely plastered (drunk). My father thought he was going to be shot when his commander found out. His brother, my uncle Bob, fought all through Italy including Monte Cassino, and Salerno. He opened a restaurant on his return with money he got from running the crap game on the troop ship on the way home. It was an Italian restaurant, of course. He was very successful. He was married to Elaine Mariello. My father also had a sister, my aunt Madeline, now 81 and living in Naples, Florida. She'd married a wonderful man named Joe Gaglio.

My parents had four children, Karen, Frederick, Jr., Patrice, and me, Michael. After the war my father took a job with a large pharmaceutical company and moved to St. Louis, Missouri. We all grew up here. My brother, Fred, is CEO of a steel company, my sister Karen is retired and lives with her son in Chicago helping him raise his two children, my sister Patrice is a merchant who owns two ladie's clothing stores. I studied music at Indiana University and sang opera for a number of years before changing careers to business.

I feel such a strong connection with Gallo. It's almost as though I'm being pulled by a magnet. I regret that when in Italy in 2001 my wife, Ellen, and I were unable to travel to Gallo. She took ill in Naples and had to stay aboard the ship. My brother and I have vowed we will visit there very soon. I want to do what I can to help revitalize the town and keep the dialect and traditions alive.

Thank you for allowing me to share information with you, Benedetto. I hope we will meet soon.\
Grazie,
Michael Rocchio

---

Date: Tuesday, May 29, 2007
Name: Michael Rocchio
Email: Michael Rocchio
City: St. Louis,
State: Missouri.
Country: U S A
Comments: Gentlemen,
I really enjoyed your photos of Gallo Matese. Can you tell me how I might get a copy of the "Grand View" one sees when clicking on the logo on your site? My family eminates from there.

I've been able to trace my direct ancestors on my great grandmother's side back to Francesco Rocchio, a farm hand born in 1795, who was married to Elisibetta del Vecchio, born 1797. Their son, Giovanni, born 3 July 1825, was one of three children. He married Antonia Palumbo and they had a son, Cosmo, born 10 February 1846. I haven't been able to ascertain who he married since it appears the marriage record has been lost, or destroyed, but he and his daughter, Maddalena, born in Gallo 1875, emigrated to the U.S. 13 March 1893 aboard The Brittania. She is my great-grandmother.

My great-grandfather, Federico, was born in Gallo about 1877. He emigrated 27 August 1894 aboard La Normandie out of La Havre, France. Due to the lack of records (What a pity so much history was lost to the anger of the anarchists.) I haven't been able to ascertain who his parents were. I'm going to have to make some calls to relatives to see if anyone knows. Federico and Maddalena met somehow and were married a couple of years later. Their first two children, Pasquale (my grandfather) and Theresa, were born in Providence, Rhode Island in 1899 and 1900, respectively. The family then moved back to New York City and lived in The Bronx.
Please feel free to write.
Michael Rocchio

---

Date: May 6, 2007
Name: Salvo
Email: salvo101@msn.com
City: Turriaco
State: Friuli-Venezia Giulia
Country: Italia.
Comments: Sono capitato per caso sul tuo sito e lo trovo molto bello. Sono orgoglioso di essere un Italiano come voi. E' doveroso ringraziare tutti quei cittadini che con i loro sacrifici,emigrando anche in altre nazioni, hanno contribuito a diffondere positivamente il nome dell'Italia nel mondo. Vi ringrazio...io non dimentico. Con stima e affetto,Vi saluto dall'Italia. Buona vita Salvo

---

Date: Friday, April 13, 2007
Name: linda dee cornelius
Email: jlbcbigmoose@aol.com
City: kokomo,
State: IN
Country: U S A
Comments: WOW!! I just love your site. I've never been to Gallo Matese, but I have lots and lots of relatives who are from there. My mother is Caterina Maria (Rocchio) Cupp Born in 1917, had polio. She lived at Via Selciato#27. I would like to compile a family tree but I need to know allot more about her mother and father's families. Her mother is Domenica(Mozzone)Rocchio-father/Guiseppi Rocchio.They were married in September 1910. I would appreciate ANY info about my family. My mother has never been back to Gallo, but loves when she sees your pictures!!!
Thank you again.

---

Date: Wednesday, April 4, 2007
Name: Dom Muccio
Email: morleycircle@yahoo.com
City: Melville
State: N.Y
Country: U S A
Comments: Caro Benny, eccoci prossimi alla santa Pasqua e io ho ritenuto appropriato e opportuno inviare atutti i nostri compaesani sparsi per il mondo un messaggio della grande poetessa Ada Negri, una sua poesia in effetti, che io dovetti imparare a memoria alla squola elementare di Gallo e che non ho piu' dimenticata. Eccola:"

---

---

---

Click to add your comments to Benedetto's Guestbook