May 21 Mendicino Part 2 The Church and the First Home Visit

After we left the coffee shop and our visit with the mayor, we walked back to the car and then drove over to the church where Rosaria was baptized.  It had been closed for a few years but is now reopened and refurbished, so the actual baptismal font that she was baptized from had been replaced.  Also, Domenico was not able to obtain the actual baptismal certificate as the church office was not open when he went.

This is the Church of San Nicola (Saint Nicholas) di Bari (of Bari).  They think it was originally built in the year 1000 and over the years has been repeatedly restored and modernized structurally.  After being closed for worship for twenty years, it was reopened in 2001.  An employee of the church let us in to look around.

This town has ten Catholic churches. From what Domenico and Antonio and the church employee told us, there are no Protestant churches in this town.

Antonio Rubino's grandma and parents live right next door to this church.  Is is very common that a grandparent bought a house with 3 levels and they lived on the bottom with their children (into adulthood) living on the second and third levels.  Antonio is living here, but just bought his own home for about 10 or 20 thousand euros, I think he said!

Antonio Rubino, his grandma, and Laura outside his grandma's house

One of the things that is listed on the birth certificate is a region where a family is from.  From that birth certificate, Domenico established that Rosaria's father was a farmer and that their family was from the terredonniche area, an area outside the village or between villages. 

There were some Reda families he found that lived in this area and some had the names Rosaria, Carolina, Teresa in the family so he thought perhaps they could help us track down our Rosaria's family.  It turned out we were not related, but oh what a joy to be in their homes!

First was the home of Franca Reda Greco and Emilio Greco.  Franca is the daughter of an Antonio Reda.  The video is a Marco Polo I made for my family while I was sitting in that home.  I was so happy.  I think we drank about our 5th cup of espresso for the day here.  You just don't say no when people have you in their home and share their lives with you!  Of course we don't say no to Courvaisier either, especially when served in 100-year old shot glasses.  All the time we were there, Franca was receiving phone calls from village people who we might be related to or who might have known of the Reda sisters who went to America.  But we are several generations removed now so it's not been that easy to find.  But oh the journey!