The Families of Poggioreale, Sicilia

Piazza Elimo e Matrice, Poggioreale, Sicilia


Poggioreale is a small farming community of about 1800 people located in the inland portion of far western Sicily, in the Italian province of Trapani. Located near the tip of the boot of Italy, Sicily is the largest island in the Mediterranean Sea. Because of its strategic location and fertile soil, world powers have fought to possess Sicily for centuries.

The name Poggioreale comes from the two Italian words 'poggio', meaning hill and 'reale', meaning royal. The town is located on the southern exposure of Mount Castellazzo, popularly known as Castellaccio, which has been long rumored as the site of an ancient town founded by the Trojans who were fleeing the destruction of their city by the Athenians. Unfortunately this myth has not been substantiated by the several archaeological digs over the years. Nevertheless, the site has a commanding view of the Belice River Valley that the founders from nearby Gibellina considered to be fit for royalty. This photo is a view of the Mother Church, or Matrice, as seen from Piazza Elimo.

Poggioreale was founded in 1642 and suffered extensive damage in the 1968 earthquake which also destroyed the neighboring towns of Salaparuta and Gibellina. The new town of Poggioreale was constructed a few miles to the southeast. Although nothing remains of the old towns of Salaparuta and Gibellina, many buildings still stand in the abandoned Old Poggioreale, making it a popular site for pilgrimages by Poggiorealesi and their descendants around the world.

This website is dedicated to my parents, Judge Robert Lee Lowry and Kitty Higginbotham Lowry, and to the friendly and generous people of the present day town of Poggioreale, to whom I am forever in debt. It is currently (and continuously) under construction by Robert Lowry Jr. of Houston, Texas, USA. My paternal grandparents were Antonino Loria and Anna DeNina, both born in Poggioreale. They raised a family of twelve children in the Brazos River Valley in central Texas, not far from Bryan. This website is part of my attempt to contact, and to create a permanent record of the many families that trace their origins to Poggioreale - families that are now represented in countries throughout the world.

If you would like to receive one or both of our newsletters, please contact me at the address at the bottom of this page. The larger newletter, now going out to about 460 addresses, includes happenings in Poggioreale and news of the communities of Poggiorealesi descendants throughout the world. The second, which is e-mailed to about 50 addresses, highlights those Poggioreale families and their descendants that lived in the communities of Highbank and Marlin, Texas. You'll need to set the poggioreale.net address as a "safe sender" or the newsletters will likely go automatically to your junk mail folder without your knowing it.





Highbank, Texas and its Catholic Cemetery



Houston Reunion 2009



Let's Take a Census




Some of the more common surnames in Poggioreale (past and present) are Abbate, Accardo, Accurso, Agosta, Alesi, Allegro, Aloisio, Ancona, Anselmo, Apicella, Arcuri, Augello, Bella, Blanda, Bufalo, Burgano', Cacioppo, Calamia, Camardo, Campisi, Cangelosi, Cangemi, Cannatella, Cannella, Cannizzaro, Cantavespri, Caronna, Cascio, Catalano, Ceneri, Ciaccio, Chiappetta, Ciancetta, Clesi, Coltello, Console, Corte, Cuccia, Cunzulo, Cutelli, de Paula, de Petra, DeNina, Dibenedetto, Failla, Falco, Falsone, Fasullo, Fazzino, Fontana, Furmuso, Gagliano, Garacci, Giacone, Gracciano, Guarisco, Ienna, Impastato, Ippolito, La Rocca, Labruzzo, La Vite, Leggio, Leto, Lombardo, Loria, Mangogna, Maniscalco, Martorana, Messina, Milazzo, Milici, Monticciolo, Mule', Palasota, Palazzotto, Palermo, Pizzolato, Ricca, Roppolo, Sacco, Salsiccia, Salvaggio, Salvato, Sancetta, Scamardo, Scardino, Scarpinato, Sparacino, Stagno, Stillone, Strada, Stranci, Termine, Todaro, Tritico, Tusa, Valvo, Varisco, Vella, Venezia, Viola, Zinnanti, and Zummo




Access to the website is free but a password is required. Click here to find out how to get a password. Please be sure your anti-spam software is set to allow you to receive e-mail from this site. Once you have your user ID and password, you can enter the website by clicking below. Passwords are periodically re-set, but you are welcome to request another at any time.


Click Here to Enter Website




These are some of the things you will find on the site


Photos and History of Poggioreale, Sicilia

Books about Poggioreale and Related Subjects

The Loria Family of Poggioreale, Highbank and Hearne
Photos and history of many families from Poggioreale
Italians of the Brazos River Valley in Texas
Cemeteries, Trivia and Culture Shock

Photos of places I've visited, such as Agrigento, Alcamo, Alessandria della Rocca, Alia, Bisacquino, Bivona, Burgio, Caccamo, Calatrasi, Caltabellotta, Camporeale, Caltagirone, Castelvetrano, Cefalu', Chiusa Sclafani, Cianciana, Contessa Entellina, Corleone, Erice, Gibellina, Giuliana, Maranfusa, Marsala, Mazara del Vallo, Modica, Monte Iato, Montevago, Noto, Palazzo Adriano, Palermo, Partanna, Piana degli Albanesi, Porto Palo, Prizzi, Rocca d'Entella, Roccamena, Salaparuta, Salemi, Sambuca, Santa Margherita Belice, Sciacca, Segesta, Selinunte, Siracusa, Taormina, Trapani, Villafranca Sicula and others



Copyright Royal Hill Publishing

This site was last updated in December of 2009 and was created in November of 1997

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