Louise at Casa Genetti
Ciao! I finally have an afternoon to chat with you! There have been so many wonderful adventures during this trip to Italy that I will probably have a year’s worth of blog posts to write when I get home. For now I’ll just share the highlights.
I spent most of last week exploring the villages of Fondo and Castelfondo located only a few kilometers apart in Trentino, Italy. My husband and I hiked the beautiful and mysterious canyons that weave through the area (more on this later), visited the Genetti casa in Castelfondo, made new friends, reconnected with old friends, and enjoyed the company of my Italian Genetti cousins.
Over the past five years I have had the pleasure to correspond by email with several people from this area – some found me, others I tracked down for help with various genealogy questions.
Marco Genetti, Louise Genetti Roach, Dino Marchetti
Last week I met with Marco Genetti of Fondo and Dino Marchetti of Castelfondo. Somewhere in the distant past Marco and I may be related. Since most Genettis can trace their ancestral root to Castelfondo, it’s a matter of finding a common relative. Marco shared a very impressive collection of documents with me along with his family tree. His family moved to Fondo from Castelfondo in the mid-1600s. Since I do have the original baptismal records from the village going back to 1565, I will be doing my homework when I arrive back in New Mexico to find out if we share a many times great-grandfather from centuries gone by. I also made a connection with Dino Marchetti through my 3rd cousin, Brian Lockman. You see I am also a Marchetti from Castelfondo through my fraternal grandmother (Brian and I share a great great-grandfather). It turns out that Dino is an accomplished historian and once the town mayor. Although we are not related, Dino was especially generous with his time, taking us on a tour of Castelfondo, giving us a book he had authored about the village, and sharing his archive of vintage photographs. Grazie mille to you both!
Marco Romano, Louise Genetti Roach, Andrea Cologna
I also met with my friends Marco Romano (a researcher and historian) and Andrea Cologna. Marco and Andrea were kind enough to be my guides on my first trip to Castelfondo in 2011. I have kept in touch with them over the years and treasure their friendship and wisdom. We had a lovely lunch together in Tret.
And of course I spent a good bit of time with my Genetti famiglia. Last Sunday the family gathered for a hike into the very high country above the village. Since my husband and I love hiking, this was a real treat. In the Trentino-Alto Adige, everyone (both young and old) gets out on the trail. And on weekends, it’s a family event!
Me with three of the Genetti sisters: Maria, Louise, Lidia and Luciana (missing is Adriana).
My closest Italian Genetti cousins are related through my great-grandfather, Damiano. The four Genetti sisters (Maria, Lidia, Luciana and Adriana) are my third cousins, once removed. This means that they are of my father’s generation and their great-grandfather and my great-grandfather were first cousins. Our closest common relative is my great great great-grandfather, Alessandro Genetti. The photo to the left shows me with three of the sisters. Unfortunately Adriana could not make it that day.
The family gathered in the morning at Maria’s home in Castelfondo. The sisters live elsewhere (Bolzano, Trento) and have summer places in the village of Castelfondo (some have apartments in the original Genetti homestead). With all the little ones packed up and ready to go, we headed higher up into the mountains above the village. After parking, getting hiking sticks and strollers out, we trekked up a beautiful path that wove through peaks and above valleys. Past grazing cows with jingling bells hitched to their collars, we hiked with other families to a mountain hut or “malga”. These respites tucked into the hills were originally a refuge for shepherds during the summer when they grazed their herds in high mountain pastures. Now they are restaurants run by farm families that feed passing hikers. The dishes are simple traditional fare – tasty home cooking such as dumplings and venison, beer and wine, apple strudel for desert. What a great way to hike with a meal waiting for you at the end of the trail!
Genetti cousins
After lunch we gathered outside the malga for a group photo, then hiked back down the trail. The day ended with espresso at Lidia’s apartment in the old Genetti home in Castelfondo. A great ending to a week filled with memories, friends and family.
The mountain hut or malga where we stopped for lunch.
That’s Leonardo, Chiaro’s son and Maria Genetti’s grandson running ahead on the path.
The Genetti Family Genealogy Project 
Hi, is there anyone with the last name of Genetti still living in Castlefondo, Italy? If so how many? My 2nd cousin Frida Zambotti and her son Simone owns the Bar and Cafe in Castlefondo. I had the blessing of being there a couple of weeks ago and didn’t remember to ask that question. They were so loving and took great care of us. I loved walking through the cemetery and connecting with my roots so many of those beautiful ancestors I have found, what and incredible visit I had. After all these years of wanting to visit the land of my grandparents Dominic and Marie Niederjaufner Genetti through a gift given me by my children I was able to visit this beautiful land of Castlefondo, and Brez, I will never forget the feelings I felt. Our ancestors are still there because I felt them.
Hi Linda, that is a complicated question. Yes there are still families with the surname of Genetti still living in or in the area of Castelfondo. But they may not be from your direct line. The family began in 1265 and as you can imagine, over the centuries, the family grew into many different branches. I know of a Genetti branch in Fondo and another in Dambel, as well as several different branches in Castelfondo. It’s likely that your closest common ancestors could be from the 1500’s or earlier. Also many families emigrated at the end of the 1800’s to either the United States or South America, taking entire family lines with them. My own closest Italian cousins are the four Genetti sisters who are my third cousins, once removed. I share my 3rd great-grandparents with them, who are their 2nd great-grandparents as we are one generation apart. They are in their 70’s and 80’s and live near the cities of Trento and Bolzano. Because we are certain of our genealogy, we know our closest shared ancestors date to the late 1700’s. So you might have cousins still in or near Castelfondo, but you would need to know your genealogy going back several generations in order to find current living descendants from your line. Since I know all of the men in your direct Genetti line immigrated to Wyoming, it’s likely the only cousins you might have still living in Italy would be from the sisters of your grandfather who all stayed in Castelfondo. But of course, their descendants would not have the surname of Genetti as they descended from the women in your line. Hope this explanation helps!