Discuss Roseto/Bangor

[Phil Falcone - Site Admin]

I think we have the right amount of current and former Roseto/Bangor members to have a common area to share stories. Many of you are having that "OMG" moment where you're connecting with other members one-to-one; just imagine if you could uncover even more of those because your stuff is in one common spot for ALL to reply to.

[Peter Confalone]

Daniel,
I joined to find out more about the Confalones of the Rosetos. In my search for my roots I traced the Confalone family to Ravello Italy in the 13 century. When I visited Ravello I was lucky enough to meet a clan of Confalones who were having a family reunion that week. At this event I met Anjelo Tajani (now living in Sweden) who wrote the book, "CONFALONE Patrizia della costa d'Amalfi". His mother was a Confalone from Amalfi. I have been in touch with him ever since that trip. He actually told me about The Two Rosetos, by Carla Bianco that is how I found this website. Lately I got this email from Angelo.

"It should be very interesting to know more about these branch of the family. To know
especially if someone has made searches concerning the first established Confalone to Roseto.
Can You help me, dear Peter, to having some contact for knowing if someone of Rosseto in America or Puglia has made searches in purpose?
I have l' complete genealogico tree of the family from 1300 but in order to deepen the searches
I must at least know a name of a living Confalone to Roseto in this period.
Cari saluti
Angelo"

Peter Confalone

[Donna Wright]

Great story Jim! So many of us experienced the same. There were in our era families who still would not allow their sons or daughters to date Italians (1961 Bangor High School).Saluiti Donna DeFrank Wright

[Jim Cistone]

Hi Donna,
Great to hear from you again. I didn't recognize your name, but when I read your profile, BINGO! I get to see Karen about once a year for our annual Class Reunion, although we missed her at the last one. I recall that you parents were in the same ethnic boat as mine, but as far as I can tell, us "mixed marriage" children look pretty good to me!
Take care,
Jim

[Ken Rosato]

Jim,
My "mixed marriage" daughter Alyssa, who is 1/2 Italian, 1/4 Lithuanian, 1/8 Irish, and the rest German and French, looks pretty good to me, but that's probably more because of her mixed marriage Mom (all of the above except the Italian) looks pretty good to me, too. And I am the non-Catholic in our family.
Ken

[Jim Cistone]

Ken,
We also ended up in the non-Catholic column. Legend has it that my grandfather, Peter, was one of the band of rebels who broke away from the Catholic Church and founded the Roseto Presbryterian Church. I do remember some Catholic discrimination in Bangor when I was young, but I also experienced the reverse when I was getting married to my (now) ex wife in Philadelphia. Being non-Catholic and getting married to a local Italian girl didn't go over too well with the church, so we were married at the chapel at Muhlenberg College.

[Lynda Matthews]

My family is related to two Sabatino families in Roseto, Pa - and one is Catholic and one non-Catholic. I will relate a cute story to you with regards to when I was getting married here in Ontario. When my grandmother first met "my then" future husband she asked my mother if he was Italian - and when told he was not, she thought for a minute and then said "well is he Catholic then". When my mother said "no he's not" nonna's response was "Oh well he's a nice-a boy anyway". That was in the late 60's and it was still a little dicey with regards to mixed ethnicity and religion.

[Ken Rosato]

Linda,
Brava Nonna!

[Lynda Matthews]

Yes, Ken I think she was pretty special. I lived at her house for a couple of years when I was late teens just before I got married. I remember one night I had stayed overnight with a friend of mine who was non-Catholic. Next day being Sunday she asked me if I wanted to go to church with her and I replied that I had better get back home. When I told my grandma of my friends invite her response was "why you no go to church with her". It amazed me because I knew how strict she was with her own kids. Maybe you would like to read a blog that I did about Nonna If so you can just click on that link and it will take you to my page and my blog area. Cheers -Lynda

[Catherine Dean]

This is a very cute response!

[Phil Falcone - Site Admin]

Pasquale Cirelli kindly sent a link to the following Morning Call article:
Roseto welcomes visitors all the way from...Roseto
Borough renews Sister City program with Italian namesake.
By Matt Birkbeck | Of The Morning Call | September 28, 2008

More than a hundred years ago, Italians settled in Northampton County and created a borough named after their hometown in the northern Apulia Valley of Italy.

On Saturday that borough, Roseto, welcomed a delegation from Italy that included a city counselor from their sister city near the Adriatic Sea who came bearing gifts and ideas that could see the two towns expand their long-standing ties.

Pasquale Cirelli, from Roseto's namesake -- Roseto Valfortore, surprised Roseto Mayor Daniel Confalone with a plan to begin a high school student exchange program. Students from Roseto Valfortore would spend a year in Pennsylvania, while students from Roseto would travel to Italy, some visiting with distant relatives.

View the entire article: Roseto welcomes visitors

[Phil]

Does anyone have the full article "Roseto welcomes visitors" printed in the Morning Call? Thank you.

Phil

[Ken Rosato]

Phil,
For some reason I can't get the Morning Call website to display the article, even though it lists it. But try this link, which apparently is to a site that reprinted the article. You might have to copy and paste it to an opoen web browser.

http://www.subappenninodaunointernational.it/news/news14.swf

Ken