Project
We are two brothers, Mario and Marco Toscano, and through our no-profit Association we are committed to helping our compatriots scattered throughout the world to find their roots.
WAP (WE ARE PAESANI) is the name of the project by which we are seeking to assemble the world’s largest database aggregating historical information on natives of Southern Italy.
Calabria, Basilicata, Sicily, Apulia, Campania, Molise and Abruzzo are at the heart of this work, made possible by archival research and the collection of millions of records.
WE ARE PAESANI aims to become the main online resource for genealogical research and for the reconstruction of family histories connected to Southern Italy.
Why We Search
Our maternal grandfather, Saverio Milione, used to reminisce about that evening when, through his window, he stared at the street lamp post, waiting for his father Francesco to return from Chacabuco, Argentina.
He knew his father would take his family to South America, and could already picture the arrival at the Montevideo port. But, in truth, Francesco no longer wished to sail across the ocean.
Over time, the ship that was once the symbol of a new and more rewarding life had become for him the image of a tragedy lived by countless migrants.
When we think of these stories, we can hardly resist the temptation to visit all those far-away lands that became home to our ancestors and, at the same time, the places in Southern Italy from which they departed.
We wish to see the houses that gave them shelter, the streets and squares where they gathered, and the communities they left behind. On the other side of the ocean, their children and grandchildren often wish the same.
The Mission
- Index a large number of public records stored in the Italian State Archives and in the Registry Offices of Italian Municipality on natives of Southern Italy;
- Index and preserve historical information on the documentation useful for genealogical, personal data, family history and personal history research stored in the Italian Parish Archives;
- Become the main online resource for genealogical research and the reconstruction of family histories of Southern Italy;
- Help our compatriots scattered throughout the world to discover their italian roots;
- Engage local and global communities with what we do.