A journey to the roots of the LUPIA family
by Per Thorenfeldt

First of all, it¹s Parenti (it is pronounced Parentee).

Parenti is a small village, but it is also a township, with of a number of small villages or settlements, It consists of high mountains, up to 1.400 meters, and steep, narrow valleys. It is a farming and logging community, but even today, they farm those narrow terraces on the wildly steep mountainsides with a picket and elbow grease.

A good deal of the township of Parenti, lies within the boundaries of Parco Nazionale della Calabria, in a part of the park called Silla (or Silla Piccola, if you want to be exact).

The area is lushly green in mid May, when we visited. As a matter of fact, it is an amazingly lush and beautiful part of Italy, not looking anything like we had expected.

No one knows, and we were not able to determine, whether the Lupia¹s hail from the village of Parenti, or from some other part of the township. It seems likely though, that the community center of Parenti is where Antonio Lupia came from.

Parenti (the center) looks old, and I must say, grey and poor. The village is built on a hillside so steep, you wonder how it is possible. A main street (Highway 535) goes through the village, at a fairly low level.

Per John and daughter Ida.

The rest of the streets are very narrow, with corners of houses and staircases jutting out, and with street corners you would have trouble negotiating on a bike. The majority has stairs. That, and only that stops Italian drivers. We saw cars going up narrow streets so steep, that we took cover for fear that the vehicle might come crashing back down. Didn¹t seem to bother the people of Parenti much, they drove around in their tiny cars as if this was Long Island.

There is some construction of new housing going on in the hillside above the old town, but we saw nothing to indicate any place that provide jobs for anyone.

If you ever go to visit Parenti, and we strongly recommend that you do, you need to know a few, but complicating facts. Nobody speeks English. This fact covers all of southern Italy. Even if you contact people in the Tourist business, the only answer you will ever get, is a big smile, and the only phrase they know: NO SPEEK INGLISH! But don¹t let that deter you - the Italians are extremely friendly, and will go to any length to get information across.

Next, get cash from a cash machine. There is one, even in Parenti. Cards are useless. Fact is, that only 50% of Italians own a bank account. In the south, that number approaches 90% (that don´t! You cannot stay in Parenti. There is not even a rooming house. We stayed the first night in a tourist hotel in the national park. Ok, but we wanted something with more local flavor, so we stayed the next nights in a great little hotel in Rogliano. Incidentally, that is only a 15 min drive on curvy and steep roads, that puts a new meaning into «the Scenic route». Down to the river valley (no floor to be seen) and up again over the next mountain ridge.

Even a local branch of a national Supermarket chain had an elaborate sign on the door, stating they were closed for lunch from 12:00 to 3:00 (15:00). Fact is - they had not attempted to open, when we tried to do some shopping at 15:00. Conclusion: If you want to do some shopping, your best bet is in the morning. 8:00 is great. The town is bustling.

The three or four bars we found in Parenti, seemed to do a brisk business at all hours. They will sell you Italian sandwiches and the like, that will carry you over.

Parenti is very beautiful, if you do not to think about how these people can make a living. We have agreed on the fact, that it was no wonder, that Antonio left for America!

We had an interesting talk with the local butcher. His name was T. Lupia, we never managed to decode what that T stood for. He was friendly, and very interested in Rosie`s family tree. He said, that from 1900 to approx. 1910, 90% of the population of all Parenti left for the US of A. He stated, that the majority of those, went to what he called Upstate New York, but he could not define that more exactly. He was about from our generation, maybe a little younger, and he meant that Pietro Giovanni Lupia could possibly be the brother or cousin of his great grandfather. That would make him a very distant relative indeed!

When we parted, he said that his biggest worry for the future of Parenti, was the ever-increasing number of Moroccan immigrants. That was not obvious to us, but bothered him.

There is a dentist in Parenti by the name of Lupia. We did not get in touch with him. But we were told several times, that in a not too distant past, the major of Parenti was a man with the name Lupia. If we got our information correct, and I mean that we did, he is now dead, but he used to live in a house right across from the church.

The national park is worth a visit. A few roads cross through, and the drive we took, was fascinating! Locally, the park is called Sila, and there are signs all over directing to it.

The most prominent feature, is of course the beautiful mountain landscape. The most surprising, is the great variation in vegetation and scenery. It seemed as if we came to a completely new place behind every fifth turn or so. The park has a lot of trails, tourist accommodations, and places of beauty. It even boasts a few skiing areas, complete with lifts and all. There is also a lot of logging going on.

This is a considerably larger village. It can boast a roundabout, a hotel, and even a railroad station. It has a historic town center, and a pedestrian street (more out of necessity, that actual need, I suspect). The old part of Rogliano is perched on top of a ridge extending from a mountainside, with the newer part of town climbing down from there. There are not many terraces, as in Parenti, and the town seems to be much more prosperous and modern. We came to the conclusion, that this must be because of the relative closeness to Cosenza. Most likely, people commute to Cosenza fo work, not more than maybe 30 min. away.

The family owning the hotel in town was very nice, and food and service were excellent. It also turned out, that grandpa had a brother who had been married to a Lupia! Unfortunately, both were dead by now.

We visited the local cemetery. The attendant showed us family graves of several branches of the family, although no names from our family tree came to light.

As a curiosity, a Lupia owned the local gas station in Rogliano.

We took some time to drive through the district, and to our surprise, there came into sight a street sign, showing the way to the village of Lupia!

We went there, of course. This was a tiny village, considerably smaller then Parenti, and located nearer to the bottom of the valley that leads to Cosenza. Right across the valley, lies the turnpike A2 that connects North and South Italy. This seemed to be a more affluent place too. Probably for the same reason - there is absolutely nothing going on in town, except for some fixing and upgrading of housing. We had brought or own lunch, and were happy for that - we didn¹t even find a bar!

We visited Cosenza on the way into the area. Cosenza is a big city; a famous, very large university is located here. The outskirts had, as in any modern city, mile after mile with modern buildings, housing businesses and industry in impressive numbers. Definitely a booming, modern city, part of the development of tomorrow!

The townships of Parenti and Rogliano, are in turn, along with a number of similar communities all around, part of the administration center of Cosenza.

It came as a surprise to us, that severe earthquakes have ravaged this district. In the course of the last 200 years, there have been several severe earthquakes, that have damaged buildings and constructions to the degree, that hardly nothing is left of the old Cosenza!

There is no other possible conclusion to my family¹s visit to Calabria, and to the area that our forefathers left, than this:

Scenic and beautiful, but we thoroughly support our forefathers decision to leave the area, for a better future across the ocean.

Standing outside the church in Parenti, it is easy to see before your inner eye, the young man of 19 or so, entering to pray for a prosperous future, before leaving for good. He must have known that he would never see this place again -. Venturing into an uncertain future like he did took bravery and strength! It is a mark of the US population of today, that the strong and adventurous left Parenti, the timid and weak stayed behind.

He must have walked across those mountains, carrying all his belongings, to head out for Napoli, or some other place of embarkation. It is not difficult to imagine his feelings, being attracted to his hometown, and all his friends and family in it. And on the other hand, the excitement of following up the decision that he had made to go to America to start a new life!

It is doubtful that he ever saw the ocean before he came down out of the mountains, to go across the Atlantic. Imagine the apprehension, or fear, he felt for that hostile and dangerous journey!

No matter how obvious it seems to us, that this was the right decision, he did not know that for a fact. He, and everyone else he went with, took a brave decision and the majority of them where successful. But never forget that a considerable number of immigrants did not make it! Some went back, and some succumbed.