Dicono di noi
Julie Jenkins da Monterey, CA a Zumpano, Calabria
A trip of a lifetime… journey of a century…
We hired Gabriele to research our family and find our roots in Zumpano, Calabria Italy AND take us there. No one in our family had been back in nearly 100 years. And HE DID IT! We were thrilled!! This is not an easy place to get to… high up in the mountains of Calabria, and the dialect, so difficult to interpret.
He not only managed to find the village, but where they lived, the family church… AND, found many family members that still live in the village. It was like a movie unfolding. Lucky for us, one of our cousins is a police officer, and that opened many doors. We met at the local police station, went to his family home… then word got out in the village that we were there, and people came from everywhere to meet and greet us. What an experience. Gabriele managed to interpret for 9/10 hours as no one spoke english.
Getting the chills remembering this time. We now keep in touch with family via facebook and what’s app… can’t wait to go back. And we will… and Gabriele will be our guide!
Vincent Giordano da Stamford, CT a Gravina di Puglia, e ad Avigliano, Basilicata
For many years I had wondered about my Italian roots.
Both sets of grandparents had emigrated to America, and then raised their families in the same town, Stamford, CT. No one spoke of the old country, or maybe I was simply not paying attention.
Over the years I had been able to gather two basic pieces of information. I knew that one set of grandparents were from Gravina di Puglia and the other set of grandparents were from Avigliano in the province of Potenza. That was pretty much it. When my son and future daughter-in-law announced a destination wedding in Firenze, Italy, it struck me that now it was time to learn more about our history.
I hired Ancestry Heritage Tours and through them was introduced to Gabriele. Gabriele did a great job for us. He was thorough, engaging and thoughtful. After researching our family history, he visited both towns prior to our trip. So that when we arrived, he was familiar with our story, the lay out of the town and the town amenities. One example, when visiting Avigliano he had met and befriended the owners of a small museum. So that when we visited, on a Sunday, they opened the museum just for us and gave us an in-depth look at the dress and customs of Avigliano.
The final report that we received from Gabriele is now a family keepsake. Full of information about our family that would have otherwise been lost. Something to share with future generations. Grazie Gabriele.
Lisa Tsyvine da Baltimora, MD ad Aragona, Sicilia
Embarking on a journey to discover my ancestral roots in Aragona, Sicily has been a lifelong dream.
After years of research with an ancestry company, I enlisted Gabriele, the top ancestral guide in Italy, to bring my family’s history to life.
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Gabriele not only met but exceeded every expectation. From the church where my ancestors were married to the streets they walked and the sulphur mines they toiled in, he seamlessly intertwined their stories with the town’s rich history.
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His kindness and expertise were evident from the start. Gabriele had meticulously arranged for an art and history expert, along with a town representative, ensuring we could explore every nook of Aragona. He provided insightful historical context, connecting my family’s past to global events, and engaged with locals effortlessly.
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Throughout the tour, Gabriele’s warmth resonated, creating an unforgettable experience. He shared not only the facts but also the emotions tied to each place. My father, overcome with emotion, continues to praise Gabriele’s exceptional ability to make the tour deeply personal.
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For a journey filled with sight, sound, smell, and stories, Gabriele made every moment extraordinary. Lunch included mbriulati, just as I had hoped, and the entire experience became a cherished memory for my family, thanks to Gabriele’s dedication and genuine passion for ancestral exploration.
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Christine Moson da Mt.Pleasant, SC a Cianciana, Sicilia
What an amazing trip!
Gabriele Musumeci was truly wonderful and so engaging. It was very clear all of the research and effort he put into planning our trip making it an unforgettable experience for us all. From the start of the tour seeing the original birth certificates and wedding certificates of our ancestors to visiting the streets of Cianciana and walking the streets of their homes, we were excited and mesmerized by all of the information Gabriele shared. Thank you so much for giving us the gift of our history!
Nancy Hamel da Iowa City, IA a Falerna, Calabria
Gabriele was the perfect genealogist for my dream vacation to Italy, where my goal was to finally locate my greatgrandfather’s death record.
Thanks to his preparation and local expertise, he arranged meetings with town halls and parish offices — we found the record the very first afternoon. His assistance was absolutely essential. Gabriele communicated with local officials, opening doors inaccessible to me alone. His in-depth knowledge of Italian genealogy and their unique archives was amazing. He didn’t just help me obtain documents; he made the entire experience meaningful.
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Beyond the normal research, Gabriele uncovered important details about my relatives and even spent an afternoon showing me the homes where my deceased relatives lived. It was an unforgettable, deeply personal experience that I could never have achieved without him. Gabriele is a tremendous genealogist — knowledgeable, organized, professional, and genuinely friendly. As a fellow “noncertified” genealogist, I found him approachable, patient, and enthusiastic about sharing his expertise. I would hire him again instantly when I return to Italy.
Kyle Stephenson da San Francisco, CA a Rogliano, Calabria
Spending time with five cousins over a long four-hour lunch with active conversation, laughter, family stories and too much food was beyond expectations.
In 2025 Terri and I traveled to Calabria along with my sister and her husband. My grandfather was born to Italian immigrants in America and at an early age was placed in an orphanage. In Calabria we visited family villages where our family lived and worshipped. We also wanted to meet family members if located and available. Gabriele planned our two days in Calabria visiting villages and was able to contact a cousin I had lost touch with. Gabriele was well versed in the history of each village and answered all our questions.
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Walking through the villages with Gabriele and learning about where our family lived over the years was special. Spending time with five cousins over a long four-hour lunch with active conversation, laughter, family stories and too much food was beyond expectations. Gabriele was a key participant at the lunch translating conversation and helping us learn about our family. The time spent planning the trip by Gabriele had a positive impact and made our time in Calabria exceed our expectations.
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We have stayed in touch with our cousins in Italy and two of them will be visiting us in a few months. A big thank you to Gabriele for being a major part of a memorable trip to Calabria and for helping our family reconnect.
Jeff Olson da New York City, NY a Bari, Puglia e ad Agrigento, Sicilia
I cannot recommend Gabriele Musumeci highly enough.
His extraordinary talent for unearthing detailed genealogical facts is matched only by his warmth and genuine charm. Thanks to Gabriele, we were not only able to trace our Sicilian roots, but he also personally introduced us to family members across Italy, turning long-lost ancestors into living relationships.
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Karen Makrides da Cleveland, OH a Sant’Agata di Militello e Capri Leone, Sicilia
I can’t thank Gabriele enough for his very personal, professional research and guidance. He gave us more that any fee could pay for – he gave us our ancestry, our story!
We were so fortunate as a family to connect with Gabriele Musumeci through Ancestry.com. Our dear Mother had passed away at 97 a few months before we planned a family trip to Sicily in October 2025. Our maternal grandparents came to the United States from Sicily in 1921.
As we researched our family ties to the region, we found that we were ill-equipped to dig more deeply into our roots before our trip. When we turned to Ancestry.com Pro, they suggested a guide that came highly recommended by the clients that had used him for their research. Not realizing how much legwork needed to be done, we were very pressed for time before our trip. We were not sure how much they would be accomplished in the 30 days we had before we landed in Sicily. We were delighted to meet Gabriele that early October morning. Not only was his English impeccable, but his knowledge of the history of Sicily and Italy was astonishingly deep. Little did we know how his excellent research would change our lives!
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Once he got our assignment from Ancestry.com, he spent time in our grandparents’ villages, visiting the records department, tracking down possible relatives, pulling together an amazingly detailed report and preparing for our visit together. Gabriele met us and our driver early in the morning and we headed to Sant’Agata di Militello where he took us to the records building and we were able to touch my grandfather’s signature on the birth certificate of my uncle. It was such an emotional experience for my brother, sister and me! From there we went to breakfast with cousins from my grandmother’s family in Capri Leone. Again, Gabriele had contacted them and arranged the whole meeting. He sat at the long table and translated everyone’s joyful conversation. We took so many picture and I am still in touch with these cousins on almost a weekly basis thanks to his work!
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Gabriele researched where my grandmother lived in Capri Leone and was able to narrow it down to a few buildings. He knew where she likely did laundry with the rest of the village women and even the probable area where my grandfather’s home stood. We were even lucky enough to see the home that my Grandparents lived in before immigrating to the United States. It had recently been sold to yet another cousin.
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The final and most amazing part came when we met another cousin connected by marriage to my great grandparents. We met at the cemetery in Sant’Agata. My great grandparents had been resting there for 100 years, but the time had come to move their bones to a common grave if there were no surviving relatives to claim them. We luckily were able to claim the bones and our great grandparents will be moved to a marked crypt in the cemetery now. It was the most amazing day thanks to Gabriele. He was so invested in our family story. He spent the time in the van as we traveled between the villages filling in information about our family and how that fit into the historical information about their region of Sicily in the early 1900s.
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I can’t thank Gabriele enough for his very personal, professional research and guidance. He gave us more that any fee could pay for – he gave us our ancestry, our story!