Our Sicilian Roots — The PediVellano Family

In 2012, we had the opportunity to visit Campofelice di Roccella, Sicily, and meet members of the PediVellano family, relatives connected to the family of my great-grandfather.

My great-grandfather Mariano left Sicily in May 1900 at just 20 years of age. He spoke no English and travelled with three other young men, carrying only $20 U.S. in his pocket. His occupation was listed as a fruit salesman. Their journey brought them through Ellis Island, before beginning a new life in Canada.

One of the albums on this website contains a copy of the original 1900 ship manifest, preserving an extraordinary piece of our family's immigration story.

More than a century later, we returned to Sicily and walked the streets of our ancestral home, met distant relatives, and photographed the places where our family story began.

The Google Photo Album below contains nearly 100 photographs from that unforgettable visit to our PediVellano family roots in Sicily.