{"id":98539,"date":"2023-09-14T16:39:00","date_gmt":"2023-09-14T20:39:00","guid":{"rendered":"http:\/\/johncohn.org\/base\/?p=98539"},"modified":"2023-09-23T02:15:53","modified_gmt":"2023-09-23T06:15:53","slug":"thursday-night-meet-the-ruanos","status":"publish","type":"post","link":"http:\/\/johncohn.org\/base\/2023\/09\/14\/thursday-night-meet-the-ruanos\/","title":{"rendered":"Thursday night – Meet the Ruanos"},"content":{"rendered":"\n

Woke up in another day in paradise. The AirBNB we have is just amazing ! Check out the view from our room !.

<\/p>\n

 <\/p>\n\n\n\n

\n
\"\"<\/figure>\n<\/figure>\n\n\n\n

We got breakfast, went for a short run and packed for the day.<\/p>\n

 <\/p>\n\n\n\n

\n
\"\"<\/figure>\n<\/figure>\n\n\n\n
\n
\"\"<\/figure>\n<\/figure>\n\n\n\n
\n
\"\"<\/figure>\n<\/figure>\n\n\n\n
\n
\"\"<\/figure>\n<\/figure>\n\n\n\n
\n
\"\"<\/figure>\n\n\n\n
\"\"<\/figure>\n<\/figure>\n\n\n\n

Here’s the tiny woods road behind the house..we seem to be the only inhabited house on it it.. and it goes forever !<\/p>\n

 <\/p>\n\n\n\n

\n
\"\"<\/figure>\n\n\n\n
\"\"<\/figure>\n<\/figure>\n\n\n\n
\n
\"\"<\/figure>\n\n\n\n
\"\"<\/figure>\n<\/figure>\n\n\n\n
\n
\"\"<\/figure>\n<\/figure>\n\n\n\n

We headed towards Bucchianico<\/a>, the home town of both of Dianes dad’s parents. It’s a centuries old hill town like so many of the other small villages around here. here’s what it looks like from the road below<\/p>\n

\u00a0<\/p>\n\n\n\n

\n
\"\"<\/figure>\n\n\n\n
\"\"<\/figure>\n<\/figure>\n\n\n\n

The walk around the town was beautiful ! .. tiny narrow cabled streets. <\/p>\n

 <\/p>\n\n\n\n

\n
\"\"<\/figure>\n<\/figure>\n\n\n\n
\n
\"\"<\/figure>\n<\/figure>\n\n\n\n

the view from the town was great as well ! Mountains , vales, vineyards, olives and the Adriatic Sea.<\/p>\n

 <\/p>\n\n\n\n

\n
\"\"<\/figure>\n<\/figure>\n\n\n\n
\n
\"\"<\/figure>\n<\/figure>\n\n\n\n
\n
\"\"<\/figure>\n<\/figure>\n\n\n\n
\n
\"\"<\/figure>\n\n\n\n
\"\"<\/figure>\n<\/figure>\n\n\n\n
\n
\"\"<\/figure>\n<\/figure>\n\n\n\n

Many of the people from this town , like Dianes grandparents, moved to western New York and Pennsylvania . They brought with them customs, language and food. One of the things Dianes’ home town of Binhampton and Endicott is known for is “speedier’ skewers of marinated meat  roasted on simple skewers. They come from this region where they are called ‘Arrosticini’.. We even found a playing card deck with them on it !<\/p>\n

 <\/p>\n\n\n\n

\n
\"\"<\/figure>\n<\/figure>\n\n\n\n

Today was market day in the town square. that’s were we’d agreed to meet Diane’s Cousin Massimo and his parents. We met Massimo and his wife Guilia in England a few months back.. We realized then that we might be in Italy around the same time, so we coordinated to meet up in Bucchianico. (See near the end of this post<\/a>)<\/p>\n

Around 9 we met op with Massimo and his dad Rocco and Rocco’s cousins Lino and his wife. They are all Dianes distant cousins. We grabbed coffee and pastries and set to work figuring out everyones common lineage.<\/p>\n

 <\/p>\n\n\n\n

\n
\"\"<\/figure>\n\n\n\n
\"\"<\/figure>\n<\/figure>\n\n\n\n
\n
\"\"<\/figure>\n\n\n\n\n\n
\"\"<\/figure>\n<\/figure>\n\n\n\n
\n
\"\"<\/figure>\n<\/figure>\n\n\n\n
\n
\"\"<\/figure>\n<\/figure>\n\n\n\n
\n
\"\"<\/figure>\n<\/figure>\n\n\n\n
\n
\"\"<\/figure>\n<\/figure>\n\n\n\n
\n
\"\"<\/figure>\n<\/figure>\n\n\n\n
\n
\"\"<\/figure>\n<\/figure>\n\n\n\n
\n
\"\"<\/figure>\n<\/figure>\n\n\n\n

A couple of other cousins came by in response to Rocco’s invitation. They added their memories in as well. <\/p>\n

 <\/p>\n\n\n\n

\n
\"\"<\/figure>\n<\/figure>\n\n\n\n

We then took a quick stroll around the market before heading off to Roccos house for lunch<\/p>\n

 <\/p>\n\n\n\n

\n
\"\"<\/figure>\n<\/figure>\n\n\n\n
\n
\"\"<\/figure>\n\n\n\n
\"\"<\/figure>\n\n\n\n
\"\"<\/figure>\n<\/figure>\n\n\n\n

 and Diane’s brother Steves excellent scholarship in the books we had from him, On our walk, we came across the town records office. With Massimo’s translation help, we found the birth records of Dianes grandfather including the street address. <\/p>\n

 <\/p>\n\n\n\n

\n
\"\"<\/figure>\n<\/figure>\n\n\n\n
\n
\"\"<\/figure>\n\n\n\n
\"\"<\/figure>\n<\/figure>\n\n\n\n

Here’s a picture from Steve’s book. Dianes gradndmother is in the center of the picture, just to the right of Dianes great Grandfather Donato with the amazing mustache<\/p>\n

 <\/p>\n\n\n\n

\n
\"\"<\/figure>\n<\/figure>\n\n\n\n
\n
\"\"<\/figure>\n<\/figure>\n\n\n\n

Here are the records the folks in the office found<\/p>\n

 <\/p>\n\n\n\n

\n
\"\"<\/figure>\n<\/figure>\n\n\n\n
\n
\"\"<\/figure>\n<\/figure>\n\n\n\n
\n
\"\"<\/figure>\n<\/figure>\n\n\n\n
\n
\"\"<\/figure>\n<\/figure>\n\n\n\n

What a moment !  . We left feeling like we’d found a treasure<\/p>\n

 <\/p>\n\n\n\n

\n
\"\"<\/figure>\n<\/figure>\n\n\n\n

Then out to Luigi’s can for a ride to Rocco’s .. <\/p>\n

 <\/p>\n\n\n\n

\n
\"\"<\/figure>\n<\/figure>\n\n\n\n
\n
\"\"<\/figure>\n<\/figure>\n\n\n\n

You could see the much bigger town of Chieti.. the biggest town in the area.. where Dianes grandmother once lived as a young woman.<\/p>\n

 <\/p>\n\n\n\n

\n
\"\"<\/figure>\n\n\n\n
\"\"<\/figure>\n<\/figure>\n\n\n\n

We left a sandstone in the main gate from the old city in bucchianico<\/p>\n

 <\/p>\n\n\n\n

\n
\"\"<\/figure>\n<\/figure>\n\n\n\n

One of the stops we made was the place where Diane’s grandmother grew up. You could still see the fields. This is the site of  an amazing story that the family has told through the years. Diane’s Grandfather Constantino  moved to the US in 1909. He married a woman named Teresa Mancini and they had 3 kids: Dianes aunts Marie, Antonia and Armando. Then Teresa died of pnemonia . Donato eventually went back to Italy to find a new wife to help him raise the kids. His first wife’s Teresa’s parents introduced him to Pierrina  Ruano… Dianes grandmother. It turns out the Pierrina’s parents were eager to get her married and out of town. Peirinna had two suitors and they had a duel… and one killed the other.! . he went to jail. Massimo’s father Rocco heard the story when he was a little boy and remembered where the killing happened. It was at the interesection of two old roads.. and he showed us the spot !.. Here it is !

<\/p>\n\n\n\n

\n
\"\"<\/figure>\n<\/figure>\n\n\n\n
\n
\"\"<\/figure>\n<\/figure>\n\n\n\n
\n
\"\"<\/figure>\n\n\n\n
\"\"<\/figure>\n<\/figure>\n\n\n\n
\n