[Photo: The Raimondi and Leggeri families all together again in 2015 after being apart since 1913.]
As part of our series ‘Back to Your Italian Roots’, we share the story of Sylvia Raimondi Kerber, who has traveled to Italy every year since 2006 in search of her Italian relatives, fulfilling the same dream her father had, but wasn’t unfortunately able to turn into reality before he died: going home. Feeling the same draw to the motherland her father did, Sylvia has been able to locate her family’s roots to Sezze in central Italy, about 65 kilometers south of Rome, where she has met several relatives and experienced a profound sense of belonging, of truly having come home. Here’s her story.
[Photo: Sylvia and Luigi Raimondi.]
What prompted you to begin your search to trace your Italian roots?
My father’s family came to America from Italy and he always wanted to make the trip “home”. Unfortunately, he died before he got a chance to make that trip. I felt the same draw that my dad did; I needed to see where our family came from and meet them.
Please describe the process. Did you already know your ancestral town? If not, how did you find it? Who or what was your first resource when you started your search for your ancestral town and Italian relatives (a relative, an office, an online service, etc.)?
I had no idea where my father’s family lived in Italy. Unfortunately, no one in my family had any information to get me started. There was a communication gap so there were lots of unanswered questions. My sister and brothers didn’t have any recollection of my father sharing any family details, so I started searching online. I found ancestry.com to be very helpful. I would recommend it to anyone trying to connect with their roots.
I discovered that the family name, Raimondi, traced back to Sezze in the province of Latina. That was enough of a start for me! My husband, my niece, her husband, and I set off for Sezze! We were in a café and a most wonderful man struck up a conversation, asking us where we were from and why we were visiting Sezze. When I told him that I was looking for my family, he asked their names, literally said “un momento”, got on the phone, and made contact with my family! Within half an hour, members of my family were in that café, greeting me. That’s when the journey “home” truly started.
What were the obstacles, if any, during the process of finding your relatives and then getting in touch?
The hardest part is finding information by relying on people’s memories, tying bits and scraps of stories together. Meeting my family members, in person, in Italy, was where the real magic happened. Everyone wants to talk and tell their stories and share their memories. So, my advice is this … Never give up! The internet is an amazing tool. Ancestry.com and Facebook were critical to beginning and continuing contact.
Please describe the moment when you first met your Italian relatives. How did you feel?
Meeting the family made me feel whole. My heart was filled at that moment.
Please describe how you felt the first time you walked the streets of your ancestral town.
The first time I drove into Sezze, I felt at peace. Every time we visit, I feel that I am back where I belong. It is an amazing sense of being in exactly the right place.
[Sezze, province of Latina in central Italy.]
Any fun anecdotes about meeting your Italian relatives?
The Food plus the Stories! The food, oh the food! It is amazing that my Italian family can eat so much and stay so thin. My cousin Alberto is afraid that if he comes to visit me in America, he will starve! Meal time for them is about being together; sharing old memories and making new ones. The stories, oh the stories! All of the family has so many tales to tell, and I love hearing every one of them. I found out that my Nonna (Silvia Leggeri) and my Nonno (Alessandro Raimondi) grew up next door to each other! Their relationship had started as children, and blossomed into the marriage that formed the basis of my family tree.
Did you discover any amazing story during the process of searching for your Italian relatives?
Indeed I did. It seems my Nonno and Zio would write home (to Italy from America), but those letters didn’t get shared with all of the family members in America. Therefore some members felt left out, thinking that family ties were broken. When I showed up so many years later, there was a lot of emotion and crying. Lines of communication opened up and the family now looks forward to get-togethers - filled with food, laughter, and love.
Ultimately, what has the experience of reconnecting to your Italian roots meant to you?
Meeting my family gave me peace. It has given me understanding into many of the traditions we had in our family here in the United States. It explains so much of why we are the way we are. I only wish that my father could have gone “home” to Italy before he died. I know that it would have been the best thing for him.
Thank you, Sylvia, for sharing your story!
