Tombstone Tuesday: Cava de' Tirreni, Salerno, Italy cemetery

In my trip to Italy, while in my home town, I couldn't help but go to the cemetery where most of my ancestors on my father's side are resting.
I love this cemetery. I used to walk around all of those resting places and say a prayer to some of the tombs that looked like they were abandoned or the tombstones of little children.

I just loved the peace that you can find there, and I still do.

The main purpose of this trip, beside visiting my direct family tomb

 

was to take pictures of as many tombstones of Santoriellos (my maiden name) as possible.

Unfortunately, being with a little child, I could only go around almost half of the cemetery before he would start getting really bored and scream for freedom from the stroller, so I know I will have to go back and take pictures of the remaining Santoriello tombstones, but you can find the pictures I was able to take on the photo section of Santoriello in the world facebook group which I created to reunite all the Santoriello, as I am convinced, we are all cousins.

With time I am going to match the info on the tombstones with the info from my researches in the Cava de' Tirreni commune, library and churches, and I will give a better explanation on who each person is.
I hope with my efforts, to be able to reconnect as many Santoriellos as possible to their roots and to their long lost cousins.
If you are a Santoriello, or a descendant of a Santoriello, or even have ancestors born or died in the Cava de' Tirreni, Salerno, Italy comune, don't hesitate to contact me as I might be able to help you find your roots!

Tombstone Tuesday: Oreste Santoriello and family

One of the great things about cemeteries in Italy is that you will find pictures of the deceased on almost any tombstone, and this is true for my family's tomb.

My dad bought the piece of land in the Cava de' Tirreni cemetery(in Italy) and build it in 1963 to host his family members' remains. I consider it a blessing and I will always be grateful to him for the sacrifices he did to make this happen.

While I feel that my dad is always with me, going to the cemetery and offering a prayer in front of  these tombstones gives me an opportunity to feel even closer to them.

The picture of me and 2 of my boys on the tomb was taken in March 2008, which was the last time I was able to go to Italy. Even if you don't see it, my third born was there too, still floating in my belly.

I deeply desire to go back to Italy to visit my family and pay my respect to my ancestors, and I am working hard to make this happen as soon as possible.