Brazilian by Birth, Italian by Ancestry, and Canadian by Choice!

My biggest achievement and the happiest day ofvillages back in Catanzaro, Calabria), therefore
my life!One morning not really knowing why, I feltleading me to believe that if both names were
the need to find out more about my roots andfound in the same town, there was a chance that
my ancestors. To my surprise, once I startedthe couple was probably married there and
asking around, all I could uncover was my familyundoubtedly had their children baptized in that
name and little or no history regarding mycommunity's church - and BINGO!, that's exactly
ancestry. Before I knew what I was getting into,how I found my great-grandfather's date and
I was meeting relatives that I didn't even knowplace of birth. Believe it or not I came up with
existed, asking them questions about mysixty small towns which beared both names. I
great-grandfather, the late Salvatore Santoro.wrote to those sixty community churches in Italy
Nobody knew when he emigrated to Brazil orand when the replies started coming back, the
where he first arrived.One thing I found to beninth contained my great-grandfather's certificate
common among European families is that ifof baptism. It turns out he was born in the town
something went wrong with a family member,of Umbriatico, province of Crotone/Catanzaro,
such as a husband committing adultery and afterregion of Calabria, Italy, on November 25th, 1859.
years of heated arguments and endless attemptsTo give you an idea of what I felt that morning,
mostly by the wife and the rest of the family topicture yourself winning a 10 million dollar lottery all
keep things together, separation eventually wouldby yourself! It was truly amazing that after all the
follow and anything to do with that familyyears of research, a trip to Italy in 1995 for a
member would be erased. For example, he wouldmonth to do further research, would uncover all
be cut out of any picture he was in, especially thethe secrets which were hiding the true identity of
wedding photos. Then came pictures by himself,my ancestry.You maybe asking why I'm telling
which would be burned along with any documentsthis story, it's because I needed that document to
left behind and very, very rarely talked aboutbe able to claim my Italian citizenship, and in doing
again. I may have encountered a little moreso, be truly proud of my heritage! I would also like
difficulty because of similar circumstances, butto mention that I am interested in hearing your
that was not the main reason. Somehow, alongstories and especially hearing from other Italians
the years due to the young age of my ancestorswho are currently searching for their ancestors. I
when they first entered South Americawould be happy to provide any tips or useful
(Argentina more precisely and Brazil by landinformation which I have accumulated over the
afterwards), things were lost and names werepast six years. Arrivederci!Brazilian by birth, Italian
changed.To make a long story short, after fiveby ancestry and Canadian by choice! I currently
exciting years of research through the archiveslive in Toronto, Ontario, Canada. I'm also a
of churches and registry offices in Sao Paulo,professional model and an aspiring actor. I have
Brazil and Catanzaro, Italy, and many, manyappeared in more than twelve national television
phone calls and letters sent all over to anyonecampaigns as well as countless editorial
who could give me even the smallest clue aboutpublications. I am always open to new ideas,
the town where and when my great-grandfathereither locally or abroad which will enhance my
was born; I came up with an idea that proved toexperience as an individual. I welcome anyone to
be infallible. I started criss-crossing the names ofcontact me through my e-mail address in order to
Salvatore's father and his mother's maiden namediscuss any possibilities.
(in a current telephone directory of the Italian