The Zugnoni family:

Genealogy, History & Immigration

from Mellarolo, Lombardy, Italy to America.

My grandfather, Vittorio Lorenzo Zugnoni,  arrived on Ellis Island March 23, 1907. Precisely one century later, on March 23, 2007, I handed a copy of the ancient ship manifest with his name recorded to a friend who was travelling to Northern Italy with hopes he could find more information on my family. So here my story begins.

Where to begin, but at the beginning; in a tiny commune called Mellarolo, located high in the Italian Alps of Northern Italy in the province of Sondrio. My grandfather immigrated to the USA from Italy as a 14 year old child in 1907. He never mentioned the commune name but occasionally referred to Lake Como or Sondrio. I truly wished I had listened more to him as Mellarolo is sandwiched between the two and took decades for me to find.

Mellarolo sits high in the mountains overlooking a fertile river valley which the River Adda runs through; a region of Northern Italy called the Valtellina.

In October 2008, after 30 years of off-again-on-again research the long anticipated trip to my homeland began. But first, I have a correction.... my heritage is not simply "Northern Italian".  I am Valtellinese; of the Valtellina - an region rich in it's own culture, history, traditions,  foods and wines.

And in my trip I discovered family; yes, the DNA linked kind, but also the family that takes you under their wing and warms your heart. Cousins are cousins, family is family.... be it 1st, 2nd or 10th generation.  And friends are family too.

And yes, I did cry when it was time to leave....

I hope you enjoy this!

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