007 Italian Records

16/08/2026

Buon Compleanno 007!

09/08/2026

09/08/2026

This little Sicilian town always surprises me.

It's in villages like this that you find authentic life — far from the tourist spots, you can feel life the way your ancestors lived it.

I visited Sclafani Bagni, a town of 350 people that was once well known for its castle, which still dominates the whole valley... Back then, people needed locations like this: far from the water, in a position impossible to attack and easy to defend.

The small streets lead you up to the top, where the view is stunning. Along the way you'll find cats and old ladies sitting in chairs, kids playing soccer, old Vespas and Apes, and an aperitivo spot that will shock you with the taste — and the price — of the food.

It's exactly what you need to enjoy la dolce vita!

03/08/2026

Un antipasto bellissimo e buonissimo!
Salumi, formaggio fresco, marmellata e frutta di stagione!

28/07/2026

Sometimes dealing with the Italian office feels like an “ Odyssey”.

Yesterday I went to the cinema in Palermo and watched the movie in its original language as a way to improve my English.

Now, about the movie... it was very good.

It follows the poem very closely, but even more impressive are the locations.

The cinematography is breathtaking because many scenes were filmed in Sicily, especially on the island of Favignana.

If you've been there, you'll recognize the island with its crystal-blue sea, the castle on top of the mountain, and the yellow broom flowers (ginestra), all of which make you feel as if you've traveled back to the time of ancient Greece.

Sicily was truly part of the story of Ulysses.

The monster Scylla was located in the Strait of Messina, between Sicily and Calabria.

The huge rock thrown by Polyphemus is represented by the Faraglioni of Aci Trezza, near Catania.

Okay, maybe Agamemnon's armor looked a bit too much like Batman's, but the director Nolan really did a great job portraying the human side of Ulysses—a man who paid for his clever strategy to conquer Troy with the Trojan Horse by wandering for twenty years before finally returning home.

26/07/2026

Have you ever looked for your ancestors house?

It’s a thrilling experience but there is always more mystery.

My client Todd was kind to entertain me with my videos about his ancestors street name. Called "Street of The Dead Woman"

Please note the street was named long time before his family lived there!

25/07/2026

The ancestral tour day of my client Todd was full of emotions.

We were able to use two clues that helped me find his family in town:

1: Spaccalaficu
2 Via Fimmina Morta

Spaccalaficu means "split the figs in half."

I picked up Todd and as we were driving to Marineo he told me a story that he was always told his family nickname was Half a Fig. He told me he was not sure if this was true or not and that this was the only clue he had.

My client's last name is Cutrona, a surname that's as common in this town as Smith is in America.

This is where the magic of Sicily comes in.

Often To tell families apart with the same last name different family lines are given nicknames.

Todd's ancestors were fruit sellers, and they were known for being incredibly honest. If someone bought 1 kg of figs and the scale was just a little short, they would cut a fig in half to make sure the customer received exactly what they paid for. That's how they earned the nickname Spaccalaficu.

The second clue was Via Fimmina Morta, an old street in town that still looks much as it did 100 years ago. This was the street written in the old record of the ancestors.

The name means "Street of the Dead Woman." It sounds frightening, but it's based on a real story. Long ago, a woman was found dead there under mysterious circumstances, and the street kept that name. One of the Cutrona families lived on that very street for many years.

With these two clues, along with research in the residency records, we were able to identify the correct family and find living relatives.

Everything matched the official records—and when we met them, you could see the family resemblance immediately. The same smiles, the same eyes. DNA doesn't lie.

My client Todd was completely shocked, happy, surprised and so were his relatives in Sicily. After generations apart, they were finally reunited.

And of course, I had to joke with them:

"The American figs finally met the Sicilian figs!" 🇮🇹🇺🇸

Todd was staying in Palermo and his new relatives gathered one evening to take him to dinner before he left.

Mission accomplished!!

23/07/2026

"The best way to end a day of picking up documents is to enjoy a PASTA ALLA NORMA in front of Cefalù Cathedral"

22/07/2026

Each one of you knows the best way to honor your ancestors! Jonathan decided to play in the mother church where his family was baptized!

22/07/2026

The life is to be in the right place at the right moment! I was hired by a client Jonathan for a record from my own town Collesano.

He wanted to pick up the record in person while stopping by to see the town for the first time.

By coincidence the day he came I had to go to Palermo for a nose Dr appt.

The plan was to leave the document at the local bar for him to retrieve.

But life is karma. I got a flat tire and I had pulled over trying to fix it at the entry to my town.

While I was waiting a car pulls over with a beautiful family inside. Someone yells in Italian “ Sei Francesco? Sono Jonathan! “

I was so happy we could meet after all. I was able to meet his wife and 4 daughters!

We had a conversation where I learn he is a talented musician and professor at a university.

Jonathan wanted to play music in the mother church in honor of his ancestors.

He will be coming back to play a full concert in the future.