From the late 1800s to around 1960, many Fontanarossa’s inhabitants migrated to the United States looking for a better life. In 1900, the village had thousands of residents, but life was difficult.
That is why, around that period, many people decided to leave for America to find fortune. The youngsters were the first to leave. Once they found a job and accommodation, they waited for their families, wives, and fiancées to join them.
At that time, the United States offered many opportunities to those who were eager workers. All of our emigrants were able to prove their value, and almost all had the chance to start a new and wealthy life.
The largest community of settlers from Fontanarossa is currently living in San Francisco and its surroundings. However, many have not forgotten the village of origin and their relatives. Their love towards Fontanarossa has been passed on to their children and grandchildren, with many of their descendants wishing to keep in contact with Italy and their ancestors’ origins.
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Since this website was created, many have reached out in recent years to learn more about their relatives. For example, in November 2001, we received an email from Jackie Repetti who wanted to learn more about her husband’s grandfather’s family, Nino Repetti. Nino’s grandfather was Giovanni Angelo Repetti, the son of Rosa Campi. We carried out some research and found out that his nickname in Fontanarossa was “Chiodo”. Since he left for the United States, no one has ever heard from him. We managed to build his family tree and sent it to his nephew in the USA. |
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| Antonio Repetti | Jackie e Nino Repetti |
Back in 2002, Donna Lynn Chappelone Salomon sent us a beautiful book she wrote about her family’s origins: The Story of Our Italian Family (La storia della nostra famiglia italiana).
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Helped by her cousin Julie Holland Looney, and after carrying out detailed research and consulting her relatives, Donna Chappelone Salomon managed to trace her family’s history, starting from her grandfather’s departure from Fontanarossa to America until our current days. In her book, Donna talks about the struggles her ancestors faced in building a new life: the hard work, the earthquake in San Francisco, the Great Depression, the family misfortunes |  |
| Donna Chappelone Salomon | Julie Holland Looney |
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