My Italian Connections

My grandfather, who will soon turn 90, was born in the United States. His parents and his brother were immigrants in the U.S. from Matrice, Italy. Matrice is a small village of about 1,000 people in the Molise region east of Rome.

Back in 1987, some of our relatives visited Matrice. With no street address but an old photo, they found a policeman who offered to take them to the house where my great grandparents used to live.

Earlier this week, I found out that Google’s “Street View” now includes Matrice. I’ve been able to explore the village where my ancestors lived almost 100 years ago. And, with confirmation from our relatives, I can share this picture from Street View.

One of these days, I’m going to visit that house. In the mean time, I’m once again amazed at what technology allows us to experience.