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A Family Discovery in Cirella, Calabria
Cirella is a small hamlet in the province of Reggio Calabria, tucked deep in the southern hills of Calabria. It has just over five hundred residents and feels almost hidden from the outside world. The town sits among olive trees, stone houses, and quiet lanes where time seems to stand still.
The origins of Cirella go back many centuries. Once part of the ancient communities that dotted the Aspromonte area, it developed through Byzantine and Norman times as a small agricultural village. Its isolation has helped it preserve an authentic rhythm of life that you still feel when you walk through its streets today.
Earlier this year, one of my clients contacted me with details about his grandfather who had emigrated from Calabria many years ago. Before his visit, I began researching his ancestry and family history. Through parish and municipal records, I was able to trace the house where his grandfather was born and the church where he was baptized. I also reached out to a local historian who had written a book about Cirella. Although he was overseas at the time, he kindly shared information and gave me contacts for locals who could help us.
With patience and persistence, I followed each lead, making calls until I found someone in the town willing to meet us and show us the addresses. Researching family roots in Calabria often requires time and intuition, and I am never shy to pursue it until I find what I am looking for.
When we arrived in Cirella, it was a calm and bright morning. The streets were completely still. Usually, in these small towns, you see people sitting in the piazza or chatting outside their doors, but that day there was no one around. As we walked through the narrow streets, we passed a small courtyard with washing hanging from a clothesline. I knocked on the nearby door, as I often do when exploring these villages.
A man opened the door, surprised but welcoming. After a short conversation, it became clear that his grandfather and my client’s grandfather were brothers. The realisation brought an emotional silence. Then came tears and disbelief as it sank in that the Americans at the door were in fact long-lost cousins.
The man began calling other relatives around the village. Within an hour we were being welcomed from one home to another, meeting cousins and extended family members who had not known each other existed. The women of the village were moved to tears, remembering those who had left long ago and never returned. It was emotional to witness that moment of reconnection, where memories of separation met the joy of reunion.
By the afternoon, my client had met his living family in the very town where his grandfather was born. We visited the church where the baptism record had been found and stood outside the stone house that once belonged to his family. It was a day filled with emotion, hospitality, and genuine connection.
Experiences like this are what make my Ancestry Tours in Calabria so meaningful. Each story is different, but they all share the same purpose,bringing people back to the places their families once called home. Behind the quiet facades of these small Calabrian towns are stories waiting to be found, stories of identity, belonging, and the deep roots that connect us across generations.
