Contessa Entellina is approximately 78 km (50 miles) south of Palermo, Sicily.

Approximately 2000 live in Contessa Entellina today. The postal code is 90030. The address for the city hall (municipio) is 6 Via Municipio; 90030 Contessa Entellina (PA); Sicilia, Italia.

Nunzio Barone and sister Rosa Barone, born in San Francisco, California. Children of Nick Barone and Concetta Taffaro. Please contact me if you know of these two people. See Photo.

I AM UPDATING MY DATA OFTEN.

Contact me for more information, see my email address below.

HISTORY

Settled in the 15th century A.D. by people of Albanian ancestry, many of the customs, language and religion of these original immigrants have survived for over 500 years. Many of the residents speak the Albanian language referred to as "Tabresh", in addition to Italian and Sicilian. The area was first settled as a military camp of Albanian soldiers and their families between about 1450 and 1462. Permanent village structures were first built after 1462 on land leased from Count Alfonso Cardona. The town was named in honor of Countess Cardona of Chiusa Sclafani 'Entellina' was added to the name in modern times when borders of village were expanded to include lands around the Rocco Entella mountain. The original residents were soldiers under command of Giorgio and Basilio Reres of Epiros. They were the sons of the military governor of Calabria, Demetrios Reres. Between about 1469 and 1520 the village received an influx of new settlers known as "Coroni". First they were mostly Albanian and Greek nobility from the region of the Peloponnese and then later, from many of the Greek islands.

ARBERESH VILLAGES

In the Province of Palermo Piana degli Albanesi (previously named Piana dei Greci), Santa Cristina Gela, Mezzojuso, and Palazzo Adriano are near-by towns with similar Albanian history. Many people with the same surnames are in these towns. The Arbëresh villages have two names, an Italian one and a native Arbërisht name by which villagers know their town. Contessa Entellina; Kundisa, Piana degli Albanesi: Hora e Arbëreshëvet or Hora e Arbereshevet, Mezzojuso (also, Mezzoiuso): Munxhifsi, Palazzo Adriano: Pallaci, Santa Cristina Gela: Sëndastina or Shendestina.

CONTESSIOTI IN AMERICA

In the late 1800's people in Sicily began to emigrate to various countries. The people of this town began immigrating to America. They immigrated to Chicago, Illinois; New York City, Sacramento, San Francisco, Los Angeles, San Jose, Newcastle, and Stockton, California; Madison, Wisconsin; Hammond and Independence Louisiana and Tampa (Ybor City), Florida; Houston and Dallas, Texas. The greatest number immigrated to New Orleans, Louisiana. Their exodus was such that at one time there were more Contessioti in New Orleans then remained in Contessa Entellina. Today New Orleans is the home of the greatest concentration of Arbreshe-Americans.

THANK YOU

I am indebted to those who have been so kind as to share their family history. Special thanks for all that they have done to help those who have an interest in Contessa Entellina and to preserve and pass on the ancestry of many families. Through the years there have been so many that it would be impossible to list them here. Because of them you might be able to find a connection with your ancestry in these pages. If you find something of value here for your research would you share your family information with us and in doing so perhaps find cousins that you do not know exist.

Sincere thank you, to our friends, Antonino Schiro’ and Papas Nicola Cuccia of Contessa Entellina, Carlos Quiroga of Baton Rouge, Louisiana, Carl Musacchia of California, and Alice Holmes of Littleton, Colorado for their assistance and dedication to family research which has been so helpful to me and to others. Unimaginable hours have been spent by these people photographing records, researching obituaries, and going through volumes of material from the archives. Many thanks also to the wonderful people at the municipio in Contessa who have been so kind to us.

FEATURED FAMILIES

We will be featuring the Liuzza and DiBartolo families for now and in the future will feature the Schiro and Terranova families. If you have any pictures or stories about these families will you please share them with me so we can post them to this site.

CONTACT ME

Genealogy is an on going and life time hobby. I am continuing to collect and share records and family histories of Contessa Entellina and the descendants of immigrants. If your family is from Contessa Entellina I would be delighted to hear from you. If you have a story about your immigrant from Contessa, which you think might be interesting to others please send it to me. You can contact me at:

Download Contessa Entellina Birth, Marriage and Death Records 1820-1865. contessa.exe