Ciao a tutti! Benvenuti! Welcome to my blog about Abruzzo and other places in Italy. I’m a self-confessed Italophile with roots in the Abruzzo region. My mother’s parents were both born in the Teramo province of the region. My grandfather, Giovanni Pergolini, came from Montepagano (just up the hill from Roseto degli Abruzzi) and my grandmother, Anna Mezzacappa, from Morro d’Oro, (13 kilometres from Roseto).
I visit every few years to spend time with cousins, learn more Italian, explore my roots and search for more members of the family tree. I know many of my grandfather’s Pergolini family, but not his mother Sofia De Angelis’ family or their history before Sofia (b. 1867 Montepagano – d. 1935 Roseto degli Abruzzi).
My grandmother’s father was Nicola Mezzacappa and her mother was Maria Antonietta Di Rocco. They were married in Italy and emigrated a few months apart in 1909 to the USA. Maria Antonietta took my grandmother Anna and an older sister Maria Luisa, with her. We have a few family records from the DiRocco part of the family. We would love to hear from anyone with information about the Mezzacappa and Di Rocco families in Italy or around the world (I live in Australia).
Grazie tanto!
Mary Louise (Lou)
Leave a message here or email me at:
heartinabruzzo (at) icloud (dot) com
Bio: Writer, Blogger, Traveller, Italophile.
http://about.me/marylouisetucker
Heart in Abruzzo 
great new blog, MLT! love the pictures, the colours, and well, the subject 🙂 – susanna
Naturalmente, il soggetto! Grazie Susanna
Thank you for following my blog. I look forward to reading yours.
Jovina
Auguri on the new blog! I started mine a few months before you and it’s really a continuous learning experience but I’m really enjoying it. Here in Vancouver Canada we have a lot of Abbruzzese-a lot of them from Civitanova. They are mostly immigrants from the 1960’s. Ciao Cristina
Grazie per il ‘follow’. I love Vancouver and used to have a bro-in-law there. Looking forward to exploring more of Abruzzo later this year.
Hello MaryLou! I just found your blog and I’m absolutely impressed with its content! Well done! I’m an Italian dad from Puglia (not too far from your Abruzzi…) who has been living outside of Italy for almost 15 years now and I’ve recently decided to share all I know around Italian cuisine – especially from the South of Italy – on my website italianfoodboss.com and my YouTube channel youtube.com/italianfoodboss .
I’d be grateful if you’d wish to have a look!
By the way, I also live in Australia right now, in Sydney: what a coincidence!
Ciao ciao and congratulations again on what you have managed to build in a few short years!
Ciao Maurizio, thanks for reading and your kind comments. I just had a quick look but I’ll be sure to have a really good look at your site and YouTube channel.
I love Puglia and spent a month in Lecce a few years ago. I have also spent time on the Gargano and other places along the coast and inland.
The last trip to Italy we travelled around Molise and also went to Lucera in Foggia Province. A lovely place.
This year we are focusing on southern Campania and Basilicata plus always Abruzzo.
Buon lavoro.
Mary Lou
hello, I am in Canada,
I am not italian, my wife is,
I am using google translate to write this…I hope it is acurate enough!?
We have had pizzelles as a family tradition passed down from her grandmother
I am trying to purchase 3 pizzelle irons to give as a gift to our children
How can I buy them? and ship to Canada!
thanks
Paul, thanks for reading, I suggest you check the local Italian delicatessens and providores near you. If you search online you should find Pizzelle irons for sale online. Make sure they are not waffle irons. Waffles are much thicker. I bought mine at a shop in Italy many years ago. Mary Louise