Marisa Tomeii was Friday’s featured celebrity on Who Do You Think You Are? She was able to explore her Italian
roots and focus on the mystery surrounding her great grandfather, Leopoldo
Bianchi. The family legend told of a philandering Leopoldo being shot
dead in a bar. This unflattering image had been carried down
through the generations.
How flawed family legends can be. As Marisa learned the Bianchi family story, the image of
a scoundrel great grandfather slowly faded away. The Bianchi family was in the business of making kilns and
had acquired a partner who later fired Leopoldo’s brother for being disloyal.
Disloyalty can mean many things in my mind but at that time and in the Italian
culture disloyalty was a matter of honor; which led to an argument and the
eventual shooting of Leopoldo Bianchi from behind. To make matters worse, the incident was declared to be self-defense and the assailant went
free.
Original documents and archived newspapers gave evidence of
the murder and the trial. We visited cemeteries, archives, and cafes on the beautiful
Tuscan coast while listening to beautiful Italian names roll off Italian tongues. Who Do You Think You Are? takes viewers on genealogical research
trips to the most amazing places.
Oh how I wish I were of Italian descent!
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