My Bella Basilicata Reviews

Great service, quick responses, and loads of interesting information!

Date of experience: April 03, 2024

I am so grateful for the services of Bryan and Valerie. There were clear in their intentions with locating documents of my ancestors. they were timely and responded in a clear way. I love how they compiled the info of my paternal lineage in the tree format as well as an organized format, so I could read all the relevant dates of my family. They helped me realize a dream of finding my birth father's family and it makes me cry with joy. I am beyond happy...thank you, thank you. Olivia Marie Oso

Date of experience: May 09, 2023

Valerie and Bryan were great guides for our trip to Basilicata.
We spent two days with them exploring the area and towns where my grandparents were born and lived until they came to the US. They were able to track down original documents, including birth and marriage certificates, and show us where my grandparents and their families grew up, their churches and also provided insights into what their life was like in the late 1800's in Southern Italy. We also enjoyed some delicious Italian food and drink along the way.

Date of experience: February 13, 2019

We took a family history tour to our ancestral home in southern Italy in June, 2014. Valerie and Bryan at MyBellaBasilicata were a terrific help in many ways, including helping us find old family homes and arranging a meeting with the Village Sindaco (mayor)!
Valerie also arranged our stay at Foresteria de San Leo which was a perfect fit for our needs. She took a good bit of the travel stress out of our trip and her advice was terrific.

The Michael Castrigano family (Cleveland, OH)

Date of experience: October 08, 2015

Goodness, I got so much more than I expected from this experience. From the start Bryan was friendly, professional and prompt in his responses. He gave an honest estimate and explanation of the work and time that goes into the research. This inspired me to go with the most time offered for two lines of my lineage, and I'm not the least bit sorry I did. When corresponding he was also happy to answer any questions, even provided reading recommendations for more of my own research. Documents are very clearly digitized with additional family tree and details provided.

If you have roots in Basilicata, please consider this lovely business as your guide into the past!

Date of experience: March 01, 2023

My experience with Bryan and My Bella Basilicata was fantastic. Even during a pandemic, Bryan was able to search records and talk to locals trying to find family still in Trivigno. He took my family lineage back to the late 1700s...far more than we ever knew. Bryan shared all documents and gave me a completed family tree of my mother's family. In addition, Bryan "painted a picture" for me when he answered questions about what life was like in Trivigno when my great grandparents lived there in the mid 19th century. I am very grateful and can't wait to compile all the documents for a very special Christmas present for my family.
Mary Beth Morelli

Date of experience: November 18, 2020

Valerie and Bryan helped us find living family in Basilicata. They served as translators, helped us find accommodations, and even helped arrange for meetings with commune officials. They worked diligently for us and truly did everything possible to make our experience grand. Without Valarie's fluent use of the local Basilicata dialect we truly would have not accomplished what we wanted. She really helped open doors for us. Even after we left Italy Valerie continued to advocate on our behalf to finalize our dual citizenship and follow-up on links to our family tree. We would highly recommend them and their services.

Date of experience: October 08, 2015

After years spent narrowing down my Italian roots for the "Lagrossa" family to a few towns in Basilicata I found myself stuck and unable to find the conclusive evidence I was looking for. Fortunately I stumbled upon My Bella Basilicata and Bryan. I had never hired anyone for research before, but I'm so glad I did. Within a few short days Bryan's fresh perspective and expertise broke the code. The true Italian surname (D'Agrosa) and roots (Marsico Nuovo) of my family were revealed! The communication with Bryan and the materials provided (pedigree chart, digital artifacts of official records) were perfect. I felt like a kid on Christmas when I got his report. Now I can move on to explore more stories and someday visit Marsico Nuovo (already looking where to stay!)

Date of experience: March 13, 2021

i'm so happy with my experience with my bella basilicata. i have tried for the last 4-5 years without success to track down my dad's italian ancestors in potenza, and bryan got me a report in under two weeks. i now have lots of information about my dad's grandparents, who immigrated to the US at the turn of the century. i am so pleased i have asked them for six more hours of research. bryan was responsive, friendly, and professional. i strongly recommend him to anyone who is struggling with researching their italian heritage.

Date of experience: March 02, 2020

Valerie was a GREAT planner and tour guide. She arranged for our transportation from the Amalfi Coast to Tricarico with Nicola. He was an excellent driver and had us singing Italian songs with him as we made the 4 hour trip. Our family of 6 couldn't have been more pleased with the special tour of my father's birthplace. It was a special treat that Valerie had arranged for the town architect to lead us through historical places in Tricarico. If we return to Basilicata for a more in-depth tour of this beautiful part of the world, we will DEFINITELY have Valerie be our planner and guide. Ciao Valerie! Tony and Cindy Danzo along with Jennifer, Kristen, Robert and Alexis

Date of experience: November 06, 2017

Amazing trip to Venosa! My mother-in-law's family came from Venosa to America over 100 years ago. We were able to see the houses her ancestors were born in and the churches her great-grandparents were baptized in. We got to explore the city with two amazing people!! They even went the extra mile and helped us by translating for us with our hotel manager and helped us purchase bus tickets. Highly recommend. I also learned it is always time to eat in Italy! :-)

Date of experience: June 29, 2019

Bryan has been helping my husband and I research his family geneaology in the Campania region of Italy and we have had an absolutely amazing experience. I cannot say enough good things. We have just finished Phase 3 of our research and just keep coming back for more. Bryan communicates very well, sets and meets expectations on timeline, is very thorough and has provided us with such a wealth of information that will benefit generations to come! The organization of materials has been very impressive to us as well. We are so glad we embarked on this journey and highly recommend Bryan and My Bella Basilicata to anyone wanting to learn more about their Italian roots.

Date of experience: October 04, 2023

Bryan and Valerie , My Bella Basilicata, provided the utmost friendly, informative service we had hoped for. We, my sister and I, met Valerie and Bryan in Potenza and followed them to Calvello. In Calvello we met a possible relative who was excited to meet us. He worked in the archives and when Valerie told him the names she was researching he was beside himself. he was in fact a member of that family. We then did a long leisurely walk to the top of the hill to the castle which guarded the valley in medieval times. Then back down the narrow streets feeling the time shift back to when my ancestors walked these streets. I wish I could describe the feeling. After a great late lunch we followed Bryan and Valerie to the highway to Matera. Do I want to go back? YES.

Date of experience: November 01, 2017

Our family has been researching our Italian branch for years, but our knowledge of our Trivigno ancestors was limited. Then we discovered Bryan and Bella Basilicata. I provided him the information I had discovered on my own and he ran with it, documenting (and correcting) the research I had done and adding so much more depth to our family tree. With his help, I am now confident I am presenting our family with a family tree that is is complete and verified back five generations. Bryan listened to what I wanted to learn and delivered on each and every question I presented. Thank you, Bryan. You were fabulous to work with. You have helped me give a wonderful gift to our family and I sincerely appreciate it.

Gail Casurella
Marietta, Georgia

Date of experience: September 28, 2020

Wow. What a terrific research experience. I was only able to take my Bari research to a certain point and was unable to go further. Both my great-grandparents had been widowed when they married and My Bella Basilicata was able to figure it out.

Date of experience: December 31, 2020

I will be forever grateful to Valerie and Bryan for the amazing experience I had in my ancestral town of Venosa! It was something I will never forget. I can’t even put it into words. It would not have been the same without them to guide us. They were so prepared and showed us things and details beyond my comprehension. The nicest couple you could ever meet! Grazie mille!

Date of experience: June 26, 2019

Bryan and Valerie did a superb job researching my family history in Basilicata. Not only are they very nice people and easy to deal with, but they communicated promptly and always in a very friendly manner. The genealogical information they provided went beyond my expectations and was provided in organized and easy to read documents. I also thought the fees were reasonable and fair. I look forward to using My Bella Basilicata for future explorations.

Date of experience: February 13, 2019

It helped us that Valerie and Brian spoke English. Their prices were fair. They gave quick responses. They were punctual upon meeting us. They were patient with spending the entire day with us. They took personal interest.

Date of experience: February 13, 2019

My Bella Basilicata, Valerie & Bryan, offers the most comprehensive approach to Italian family genealogy research in the Basilicata region of Italy better than ANY other Research team we have contacted in Italy. Their personal approach to researching your family is as if they are researching their own. We are extremely pleased with the results from pictures of records and in depth research to the personal story presentations of their findings. Thank you Valerie & Bryan, we highly recommend your services and plan to continue as we go more indepth with our family tree's in Basilicata!
Caio,
Tony Mastadonna

Date of experience: October 24, 2017

I can't say enough wonderful things about Valerie and Bryan. When I was working on obtaining my Italian citizenship my grandfather's birth certificate was integral to the process. Since I didn't speak Italian or have access to the records I enlisted Valerie's assistance. Within hours they sent me photocopies of all of my grandfather's information from 1875! Shortly after this when my attorney asked the comune for a more formal document they responded that they didn't have it, but thanks to Bryan and Valerie we showed them where it was located and I was able to get the formal documents. I truly could not have done it without them. If you want knowledgeable, efficient and friendly service, these are the people to use.

Date of experience: December 01, 2015