So, What’s in a (Last) Name, Part 4

Table of Contents

This is 4th and last post in the “What’s in a (Last) Name” series.

What about Valleriano?

In previous posts, I explained how the Valeriano and Rocco surnames came about but what about Valleriano?

I’m not sure we’ll ever know the full story. My father (Grandpa Tony), in his typical matter-of-fact manner, told a story, “One day I went to school Tony Rocco. The next day I went to school as Tony Valleriano!” Just as simple as that!

But why “Tony Valleriano” and not “Tony Valeriano?” This is just another screwy thing about this story!

Grandpa Tony’s birth certificate shows Anthony Valleriano. WHY WAS IT RECORDED WITH TWO L’S? WHO THE HELL KNOWS!!!!!

ASIDE – notice, no middle name, Grandpa Tony never had a middle name!

But, for the first 10 or 12 years of his life, Grandpa Tony went by Tony Rocco until it wasn’t! WHY? WHO THE HELL KNOWS!!!!!

My theory centers on the clash of cultural norms during the Southern Italian Diaspora. As Italian immigrants settled in the USA in the late 1800s and early 1900s, they encountered a different cultural landscape—one that adhered more strictly to rules and norms.

A clash between the Italian “kinda’ follow the rules” mindset and the Puritanical American adherence to rules created situations like this. This division persisted into the mid-1900s before gradually finding resolution as Italian Americans became “more white” (see this, contact me if you wish to read this book).

Are there other Valeriano/Valleriano?

You can add Valeriani/Valleriani and Valeri, and Valerio/Valereo last names to that list too! If you remember my post about Valerian the Roman Emperor, most of these names are derivatives of that.

But yes, there are other Valeriano/Valleriano but it’s highly unlikely that we are related.

Just in Rochester, there’s my former real estate agent, Rose Valleriani (a Valleriani by marriage). I chose Rose to help me buy my first house in 1983 because I saw her last name in the newspaper! There’s also Judge Valleriani in Rochester. But, we’re not related.

If you do a Google search on the name (see here), you find the name is primarily found in Central and South America, but rare in the USA and even Italy! Given that Valeriano (and it’s derivatives) was likely a name given to abandoned infants, it’s not surprising that many of those babies emigrated away from Italy to escape servitude.

Who are Lucio’s Real Parents and Last Name?

Chip and I believe that we’ve found Lucio’s mother. It’s a name that’s still common in Avellino. But since we’re not totally sure, we’ll hold that information until we’re more certain.

Given the large amount of Northern African and Middle Eastern blood in my DNA, and Lucio’s facial features, we believe that Lucio’s mother was likely a North African/Middle Eastern maid/servant/slave for a wealthy family in Solofra, Serino, or even Avellino.

It was common for the wealthy landowners to have maids that provided other “services.” And given the church’s need to protect their meal ticket (ie: wealthy landowners that paid the church for secrecy when illegitimate babies were born), it’s not a far-fetched theory.

We’ve spent lots of energy to triangulate data on Anscestry.com and 23andMe.com and have narrowed the mother to one name!

And given that there were just a few aristocratic feudal landowners in Solofra, Serino, and Avellino, it’s easy to list Lucio’s possible father candidates and his actual last name. I have a theory that would cause us to be related to the family of a wealthy Democrat politician (seems incongruent). That’s an exercise that needs to be treaded lightly.

Are there other children from Lucio’s parents?

Most certainly. Both Anscestry.com and 23andMe.com show “relatives” that originate from the same great-great-grandparents. We’ve found some of these people on Facebook. But, given that this can become a privacy concern, we’ve been hesitant to reach out too far.

Previous topics in this series:

What is a Routa dei Proietti?
What and Where is the New Street Quarter in Solofra?
What’s this about Infant Abandonment?
What does it mean that he was “given the name” and how and why?
Why Valeriano?
Why was Lucio’s wet nurse was so important
What about Rocco? How did that Last Name Come About?

Pizza Review – Wildflour, Rochester, NY

On a recent Sunday afternoon, while running errands, we found ourselves running too late to cook and craving pizza. The North Winton area held a pizzeria that I’ve been curious to try, but alas, it was closed. However, a beacon appeared on Google Maps: Wildflour.

The Setting: A Slice of History

Wildflour resides in an old building at the intersection of Winton and Goodman.
This very spot once housed a Jreck Subs, a familiar haunt since my arrival in Rochester back in the early ’80s.
Later, it transformed briefly into Bay-Goodman pizza
And now, Wildflour—a name that had eluded me until Google’s reviews beckoned.

The result – very pleasant and surprising!

Date	July 14, 2024
Pizzeria	Wildflour
City/Neighborhood	Rochester, NY / Winton & Browncroft
Website	Wildflour (wildflourrochester.com)
About Us	None – too bad! I had a chance to talk to the Pizzaiola. She was engaging and seemed passionate about her business, her suppliers, and her baking which extended beyond pizza.
Style	Sheet pan – Sicilian-ish
Ambiance	Inside – modern, but not the disgustingly cheap, high ceiling with exposed utilities! The small market of Italian specialty food and artwork made the inside feel warm and welcoming. Outside – also modern with a muted paint job which was a drastic change from the old Jreck’s Subs lime green motif days. There are picnic tables in shade which we used on the warm July day. Wonderful!
Beverage Pairing	Saratoga Water

Shape	A whole pizza is rectangular, but we each ordered a square, like a classic Sicilian shop would deliver. That was a fun and nostalgic memory of NYC!
Dough/Crust	Tickness – Tick Cook – Soft with a crispy crunchy bottom, but still spongy, bubbly, and airy (that’s quite a trick!!!!). This young woman knows her dough! Flavor – LIKE NO OTHER PIZZA THAT I’VE EATEN!!! There’s a delightfully strong tinge of whole grain which I later found out to be locally grown spelt that is specifically ground for Wildflour. The Pizzaiola said that she mixed the spelt with another flour. I thought I heard it to be “burrata”, but I couldn’t find a reference for that on the web. I’ll need to ask when we return. But, given the amount of air in the crust, it’s hard to imagine that that flour was not a higher gluten variety in order to maintain the air in the dough. Also, all recipes that I’ve found that use spelt flour call for an additional carbohydrate (sugar, honey) to be added. This will add energy to the flour mix given that the spelt has a lower carbohydrate content than white flour. The carbohydrate energy is needed in order to feed the yeast and allow rising (and air) to occur. An added carbohydrate would also explain the slight sweetness that’s apparent in the crust.
Cornicione	There’s really no cornicione per se. The pizza just extends to the end of the pan. Therefore, it has the same characteristics described above. BUT, there’s another WOW! The cornicione had a distinctive Detroit style caramelization from melted and “fried” cheese that was spread to and along the edge of the pan. Since the pan’s edge conducts heat differently than from the top of the pizza, the combination of oil on the pan and oils from the cheese “fry” with the heat from the pan’s edge. This makes for a wonderful combination of fried taste and with a cheesy crunch!

Toppings	We ordered two different squares a Pepperoni square and a “Seasonal” square. The Pepperoni was pepperoni, sauce and cheese. The pepperoni had a great cup and char and was quite spicy. There was a heap of freshly grated parmagian on top. The Seasonal had an eclectic mix of mushroom, shallot, pistachio and pea made into a tapenade that was spread in a huge dollop on top of Cacio Cavallo cheese in the middle of the square Fresh – almost certainly, yes
Sauce	Pepperoni square – I tasted very little sauce, but the funny thing, as much as I love my tomato sauce, I didn’t miss it since the other flavors were so novel and fun! Seasonal – a white pizza without tomato sauce
Cheese	Cheese Type Pepperoni – Now, this is where I was most intrigued! The cheese flavor was simply more than moozedell and a good parmagian! There was too much flavor for it to be moozedell only! I questioned the Pizzaiola about this, and she insisted that it was moozedell and parmagian only. I believe that some of the Cacio Cavallo from the Seasonal pizza was added either by mistake or plan. Whatever it was, it was INCREDIBLE! And if it was Cacio Cavallo by mistake, I’d suggest making the mistake part of the recipe! Seasonal – seemed to be just a small coating of grated Cacio Cavallo. Cheese Distribution – All over, although much more cheese on the Pepperoni square
Cheese to Sauce Ratio	Pepperoni – Sauce – A little to none – Cheese – Medium to a lot – Balance – if this was a more “normal” pizza, it would be out of balance, but because of its uniqueness, the lack of strong tomato taste was not missed

Value	Very good to Great! $5 for square of cheese pizza which is about 6″ by 6″ (36 square inches) while a full pizza is $30 for 8 squares (288 square inches). At first glance, this seems steep. But, a $5 square is equivalent to $16 for a 12″ round equivalent. And better, the full pizza is $12 for an equivalent 12″ round.
Overall Rating	Great – the very different flavor profile along with the excellent pricing might make this my favorite pizza in Rochester. If you remember, when I started this nearly 5 years ago, the blog was as a result our loss of many of the classic pizzerias in Rochester and dearth of new pizzerias of note. Wildflour changes that! I’ve now reviewed 158 pizzas in those 5 years and 38 just in 2024. This the first GREAT PIZZA THAT I’VE FOUND IN ROCHESTER!!!!
Would I Go Back?	Yes, can’t wait!