From the Po to the Mississippi: The Italian Connection

My thoughts, normally on my beloved downtown Memphis, turned inward last night to family matters and I found myself doing a little searching online trying to determine just how many families immigrated to Memphis from Bassignana, Italy (that's its' Municipal Coat of Arms above). My family on my mother's side immigrated from Bassignana to Memphis in the late 1800's. It seems that a large number of Italian-Americans in Memphis can trace their ancestors back to that small village in northern Italy. Here's a shout out to the Vescovo, Barzizza, Fracchia, Novarese, Bursi, Robilio, Soro, Sampietro and Gaia families and I'm sure there are others. For those pioneering Bassignanesi, I assume the allure of the south and in particular Memphis was farming and proximity to a river. Bassignana is on the Po River which in comparison to the Mississippi is piccolo indeed. I know this as I managed to track down a family member still in Bassignana, visit her there a few years back and see the Po for myself. The Po, which runs about 400 miles, is the longest river in Italy. The Mississippi in comparison runs 2,340 miles and is the second longest river in the U.S.

My grandfather's family (also on my mother's side) came to Memphis from Trabia, Sicily, now things are starting to get interesting. Favazza, Battaglia and LoBianco are some of those family names. I need to find some of those families who may still be in Sicily and roll up into Trabia or wherever they may be and say "Ciao, Ya'll".

Municipal Coat of Arms - Trabia