In Search of Lucio, Revisited

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In Search of Lucio, Revisited

Back in July 2024, I did a series of posts called “What’s in a Last Name – In Search of Lucio.” In researching for those posts, I reviewed several podcasts from the Italian Roots and Genealogy website and came in contact with the sites owner Bob Sorrentino.

At the beginning of December, Chip (my brother) and I were interviewed by Bob. And the results of that interview can be found on his website, YouTube channel, and Podcast. (Yes, we’re famous now, autographs available upon request!)

Our main hope for the interview was to get Lucio’s story out further and possibly connect with anyone who might have suggestions.

Additionally, the story of our last name has so many twists and turns, that it’s amusing and possibly entertaining for others. (Think of it as a genealogical rollercoaster ride!)

To see the article, visit the Italian Genealogy Blog – Researching Avellino The Valleriano Brothers’ Heritage Quest – Italian Genealogy

YouTube – (Don’t forget to like and subscribe!)

Or listen on Apple Podcasts – https://podcasts.apple.com/us/podcast/the-valleriano-brothers-heritage-quest/id1513734127?i=1000679762348 (Perfect for your next road trip!)

Nebaletan Word of the Day – Cooch – Revisited?!

In my last blog post, I introduce the Nebaletan Word of the Day – SAUSEEGE.

I’m not sure why, but when searching Bing for SAUSEEGE, maybe because it’s Christmas time (am I allowed to type Christmas? Did I offend anyone…A’ Fanabola’ to you then!), I found the links above, but for some reason, the search also returned this:

I laugh and sing, then cry when I hear this. It’s fun! Then the thoughts of childhood and family overwhelm my brain with emotion.

Capos Donnie and Carm both gushed about Dominick! Bringing up similar emotions and family memories like “my aunt used to always sing Dominick and say ‘he was a real ass.'” Carm also forwarded his other favorite Lou Monte music videos that I’ll share in future posts.

It was interesting that Capos Buffalo Chuck and Chicago Scott hadn’t heard Dominick!

The full lyrics can be found in the above YouTube. The last verse includes the line “When Santa Nicola Comes to town and brings il ciucciariello.” The “il ciucciariello” (the little donkey, aka little jack ass) which I explored in my blog post of August 25, 2020 (see here).

Since that time, I’ve had stickers made for my bikes with “il ciucciariello” to proudly display to my riding buddies that I can be a little jack ass — as if they didn’t already know!

Some Pix – Page, AZ

Pizza Review – Strombolli’s, Page, AZ

After leaving the Grand Canyon, we headed to Page, AZ because we wanted to see the slot canyons.

Even though we were only there for a couple of day, I’d come to appreciate the Navajo people that we’ve encountered. Friendly, fun, knowledgeable of their lands, and well educated.

Date	9/26/24
Pizzeria	Strombolli’s
City/Neighborhood	Page, AZ
Website	Welcome to Strombolli’s – Strombolli’s
About Us	None, menu says it’s been here since 1982
Style	New York
Ambiance	Old school pizzeria inside, nice deck on the front outside. Most of the staff and customers were from the local Navajo nation. These provide an interesting combination of the cultural spectrum.
Beverage Pairing	Beer

Rating Criteria
Shape	Round
Dough/Crust	Tickness – New York Thin Cook – Soft and Chewy, No char, but browned toasted all are hallmarks of NY style Flavor – yeasty/bready with some sweetness which is typical for same day dough.
Cornicione	Slight crispiness and Chewy which is not easy to accomplish, not really airy and no bubbling, Sweet like the crust
Toppings	1/2 Peperoni, all cheese Fresh – not likely
Sauce	Tangy, Thin with some tomato chunks The sauce wasn’t a stand out flavor, but it also was not ruined by over spicing
Cheese	Cheese Type – Moozedell, no other cheese flavoring Cheese Distribution – all over and a lot, what might be considered “extra” cheese for someone like me Greasy, Stringy, Salty
Cheese to Sauce Ratio	Sauce – A little, Medium Cheese – Medium, A lot Balance – slightly favoring the cheese, but too out of balance.

Value	Very good to Great pricing and value at $17 for a 14″ cheese which is $12.50 for a 12″ equivalent.
Overall Rating	Good
Would I Go Back?	Yes, although the pizza was “only” good, the interesting cultural exchange was interesting for me to observe and very different from my Midwest/East Coast background.