Is This Where It All Began?
Vellano, Italy

The story of our family may reach even further back than Sicily. While we know with certainty that our ancestors Mariano and Marianna came from Termini Imerese, Sicily, the name itself — Pedivellano, D’Vellano, Di Vellano, or De Vellano — hints at an earlier origin in Vellano, a mountain village in northern Italy.

Vellano’s history stretches back over a thousand years. Its castle dates from the 10th century, and by the 1300s it stood as a fortified walled town, built for protection from marauders, much like other Italian hill villages of the time. The name “Vellano” has deep roots there, and it’s possible that our family name evolved from this place.

The village itself carries the memory of Giuseppe Garibaldi (1807–1882), the great Italian patriot of the Risorgimento, often called the Hero of the Two Worlds for his campaigns in both Europe and South America. He personally led battles that unified Italy, and in Vellano his name is honored with a plaque above the old church door.

Today, Vellano is a small community of about 600 people, nestled in the Tuscan mountains with green valleys and vineyards producing some of the world’s finest wine. Though no families named Vellano remain in the village itself, the name lives on in Italy and abroad — including in New York City — a lingering thread that may yet tie us back to this historic place.