"As early as 1853, seven years before the North and South of Italy were to be joined into a single nation, the dream of America was poignantly reflected in a petition addressed to the Bourbon Minister of the Interior by the peasants in the Abruzzo village of Vasto. The petition requested that the deforestation then in progress in the area be stopped, since it was seriously interfering with their livelihood and robbing them of firewood. In deferential language the petitioners identified themselves as 'His Majesty's faithful subjects,' but the final sentence of the document warned that unless the request was granted, 'the undersigned and all the other inhabitants of the Abruzzo region will be compelled to emigrate to California.' "

This page is a tribute to the memory of my maternal grandparents, Salvatore Fanti (born Fante) [1878-1962] and Giulia D'Adamo [1882-1965], who were born in Vasto and emigrated to the United States., and to the memory of my mother, Vittorina (Victoria) Fanti Alfano [1918-1974].

Select SS CALABRIA to see a picture of the SS Calabria, which brought Salvatore Fante to these shores on September 20, 1902.
A ship of the Anchor Line, launched April 9, 1901.
Dimensions 376 x 47 feet, 4,376 tons.
Maximum speed 13 knots. Scrapped in 1923.

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Select SS CITTA DI MILANO to see a picture of the SS Citta di Milano, which brought Giulia D'Adamo to these shores on May 9, 1904.
A ship of the La Veloce Line, built in 1897.
Dimensions 364 x 43 feet, 3848 tons.
Maximum speed 12 knots. Made last Italy-NY voyage in 1907.

Be sure to visit my Immigrant Ship Information Page.

The purpose of this tribute is to compile as much information about Vasto as possible in one place on the Internet, and to serve as a gathering place for those of Vastese descent.

I have begun including information about Vastese genealogy on this page, and some links to places which I hope will be of interest.

- Louis Alfano

My maternal grandfather was born Salvatore Felice FANTE in Vasto, Abruzzo, on December 28, 1878. This is verified by a copy of his Atto di Nascita which I copied from an LDS film. One of his siblings, Michele Agostino Francescopaolo FANTE (whom we called Zi' Paol' - Uncle Paul), was born about 4 years earlier.

Zi' Paol' came to America with his new bride on March 18, 1901. Grandpa followed on September 20, 1902. On the passenger list of the SS Calabria, grandpa's name is shown as Salvatore FANTE, and it indicates that he is going to stay with his brother, Michele FANTE.

Grandpa was illiterate, and before he emigrated he had been courting Giulia D'ADAMO, my maternal grandmother. He continued this courtship long-distance after coming to America, not be means of the telephone, but through the services of a scribe who would write letters that he dictated. After almost two years of written courtship, he persuaded her to come to America to get married.

When Grandma came to America aboard the SS Citta di Milano on May 9, 1904, the passenger list indicated that she was coming to see Salvatore FANTI. How did the "E" become an "I"?? The only reasonable explanation I have is that the scribe must have signed grandpa's letters "Salvatore FANTI." I have no proof per se, but this explanation fits the facts which the documents disclose. Salvatore FANTI married Giulia D'ADAMO at Most Precious Blood Church on Baxter Street in Manhattan on June 11, 1904 (their marriage certificate says FANTI).

Zi' Paol's children all carried the FANTE name, while grandpa's children were all FANTIs.

So, since Ellis Island immigration inspectors worked from passenger lists, there is little chance that any family's name was really "changed at Ellis Island." Some "Americanized" their names for various reasons, and some were the "victims" of a scribe's defective hearing.

A Guide to The Vasto Page

Maps of Vasto
Links of Interest
A Vasto Snapshot
The Vasto of our Immigrant Ancestors
Historical Information
Mayors of Vasto, 1289 - 1979
Cultural Features
Cuisine
Recreation
Side Trips
Names We Are Researching
Vasto Today / Vasto D'Oggi - News from a correspondent in Vasto
Some Travel Links

Links of Interest

VASTOCOM - A New Source In Vasto
Courtesy of Carlo Marino.

Vasto - Alcune Immagini (Several Pictures of Vasto) - by Luca Fanaro (in Italian). - New - June 10, 1998

PIE Homepage

Italian Genealogical Group

Il Circolo Filippo Mazzei

Chieti on the Net

Tutto Abruzzo

Lou Alfano's Italian Genealogy, History & Culture Page

Cyndi's List of Genealogy Sources

Return to "Page Guide"

If you have information to contribute to THE VASTO PAGE (including names of Vastese families whose genealogy you are researching), send it to LOU ALFANO .
Be sure to include your full name, as I will NOT reply to unsigned e-mail.
AOL Users - Please don't bother to write me.
AOL blocks ALL messages from IOL as "Spam," so I won't be able to reply.
If you have a Yahoo, Hotmail, or other alternate e-mail address, use THAT one instead.

Info?