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Southern Italian Heritage

Calabria, Italy


Entry 37: Bouquets of Red, Hot Chilli Peppers - Nu Mazzu di Pipi Russi Bruscenti
Over time, the significance of chilli peppers as a popular vegetable extended beyond the kitchen to become a cultural symbol representing Calabria.


Entry 36: When a Quail Passes Through - Quandu Passa a Quagghia
Wild quails were not particularly meaty, but this seasonal game added variety and flavour to Moschilla meals - supplementing a basic diet of vegetables, pasta and bread.


Entry 35: Concetta Sprinted - Cuncia Curriu Fuiendu
In a race against time, a whirlwind of drama unfolds as Concetta sprints across the countryside, praying to reach home before she gives birth.


Entry 34: A Trimboli and Moschilla Ancestor Summary – Tying Family History Together
Giuseppe, Angela, Andrea and Cecilia are linked in a single family tree, with branches centred on Salvatore Moschilla and Concetta Trimboli.


Entry 33: The Children of Salvatore Moschilla and Concetta Trimboli
A family of ten: Salvatore and Concetta and their children - Giovanni, Angela, Maria, Cecilia, Girolama, Rosa, Andrea and Giuseppina.


Entry 30: Moschilla Descendants
The Moschilla children grew up surrounded by grandparents, aunts, uncles and cousins, all living within walking or donkey ride distance.


Entry 29: Seven Pairs of 'Zzoccoli' and a Photograph - Setti Para di Zzoccoli e na Futografia
Cunzia gazed into the lens of the camera knowing that very soon her eldest son was going to leave Italy and join her husband in Australia.


Entry 27: A Donkey, Two Cows, Broad Beans, Chickpeas and Five Children - A Sumera, Dui Vacchi, Favi, Ciciri e Cincu Cotrari
The foreign world of coal mining in America faded into a distant dream, almost forgotten. The countryside was where Andrea truly belonged.


Entry 26: A Second Voyage to America by Andrea - U Secundu Viaggiu pa America
Andrea Moschilla departed from Naples on a sea voyage to America to work in coal mines. He left his newlywed wife Cecilia Pedulla in Italy.


Entry 25: The Marriage of Andrea Moschilla and Cecilia Pedulla - U Matrimoniu di Andrea Moschilla e Cecilia Pedulla
Andrea and Cecilia's wedding took place in the Parish of San Nicola, Siderno Superiore. Sadly, within 3 months, bride and groom separated.


Entry 24: Andrea Moschilla
On 4 March 1875, at 11:13 pm, in their home on via Flavia, Fortunata Fragomeni and Francesco Moschilla's son, Andrea, was born.


Entry 23: Maria Cecilia Pedulla
Born in 1877, Cecilia was a gentle and unique woman, shaped by the cultural norms of her era, with one exception - she could read and write.


Entry 22 : Announcing the Marriage of Andrea Moschilla and Cecilia Pedulla
Much like seeds drifting in the wind, the news of Andrea's return from America to marry Cecilia spread for kilometres across rural Siderno.


Entry 21: Immigration to the USA by Andrea Moschilla ‘Po Pani e Lavuru' - for Bread and Work
Andrea was not a miner. In Siderno he lived his life under an azure sky surrounded by wheat fields, fragrant citrus trees and olive groves.


Entry 20: A Puzzle with Missing Pieces - Moschilla Migration to the United States
Andrea Moschilla's voyage to America in the early 1900's was a puzzle. Missing pieces of evidence threatened to keep the story a mystery.


Entry 19: Francesco Moschilla and Fortunata Fragomeni
Family tree for Francesco Moschilla and Fortunata Fragomeni was compiled from oral history passed down from Girolomo Moschilla to his son.


Entry 18: A Deteriorating yet Perfect Photograph - A Struduta pero Perfetta Fotografia
Three Moschilla relatives linger on torn and stained paper - their ghostly images refusing to fade into oblivion.


Entry 17: 1933 - A Moschilla/Trimboli Wedding and a Casella/Pintabona Birth
As she walked down the church aisle, bride Cuncia could feel the two-lire coin her mother placed in her right shoe for good luck.


Entry 16: Concetta's Dowry - A Dota da Cuncia
A reclining Japanese woman, wearing a kimono, found a welcoming place to rest in rural Siderno - on Cuncia and Sarvu's marital bed.


Entry 15: When Baby Concetta was Born - Quandu a Figghiolella Cuncia Nesciu
On Monday 15 May 1911, Peppe and Angela’s eighth surviving child, Cuncia, was born and like all previous births, it was a home-delivery.
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