NO ONE HAS SPECIFICALLY MENTIONED WHERE IN
SPAIN WE ORIGINATED, THOSE THAT COULD HELP IN
THIS HAVE PASSED AWAY. ONE REASON I WENT TO
ITALY WAS TO TRY AND FIND AN ALFONSO CONNECTION,
HAVING KNOWN WHERE MY GRANDFATHER CAME FROM.
THE ABRUZZO REGION IS WHERE MY GRANDFATHER ORIGINALLY
LIVED. THE ECONOMY WAS NOT GOOD AND HE WENT TO
COMPABASSO, WHERE HE MET MY GRANDMOTHER,LUCY DiNARDO.
I WAS ABLE TO FIND COUSINS IN MILAN. I STAYED WITH
THEM, AND WE WENT TO CASACALENDA WHERE THEY
ORIGINATED. I ALSO WAS ABEL TO MEET SEVERAL
GREAT AUNTS IN CASACALENDA.
COMPABASSO IS IN THE SOUTHERN MOST PART OF ITALY.
CASACALENDA IS A SMALL TOWN A SHORT DISTANCE FROM
COMPABASSO. THESE TWO TOWNS ARE IN WHAT IS KNOWN
IN THE MOLAISE AREA (MUCH LIKE WHAT WE WOULD CALL
A COUNTY). THEY HAVE A DIALECT OF THEIR OWN.
GRANDFATHER FROM ABRUZZO SPOKE THE ABRUZZI DIALECT.
THERE ARE ABOUT 17 DIFFERANT DIALECTS IN ITALIAN
THESE DIALECTS ARE LIKE LANGUAGES OF THEIR OWN, AND
CREATES PROBLEMS FOR PEOPLE FROM ONE AREA TO
ANOTHER HAVING DIFFICULTY UNDERSTANDING EACH
OTHER. WHAT LITTLE I LEARNED AT HOME WAS MOLAISE.
WHEN I WENT TO MILAN, THEIR DIALECT WAS DIFFERANT.
MY COUSINS JOKINGLY SAID I HAD TO LEARN TO SPEAK
MILANESE TO LEARN CORRECT ITALIAN