Hi Phyllis. Great to hear from you. You know all the Montis and Matteras from Lacco Ameno have to be related. I have my great grandparents marriage certificate. I might have told you this. It lists their parents as well. My great grandfather - Antonio Monti's parents were Angelo Monti and Luisa Doria and my great grandmother was Maria Angela DiSpigna (she was married before to DiSpigna - he died at sea) her parents were Antonio Mattera and Restituta Calisi and they were all from Lacco Ameno. They were married in 1898 and my grandfather was born in 1899 in Brooklyn, New York so they came over to US in the 1890s - not sure of the date. I know this because grandpa's oldest brother Bernard (he was from first marriage to DiSpigna) was born in Ischia and came over with his mother and stepfather when just a boy before 1898. My great grandmother Mattera died in childbirth and the child Joe was raised by her family the Matteras and they adopted him so he didn't have the Monti last name. She was very beauitful - she had the Mattera big eyes as I do - do you have large eyes. Great grandfather was very handsome - he looked like Omar Sherif (sp?) Great grandmother's brother Anial(sp?) Mattera was also in America and he was a shipbuilder (he owned a ship yard not sure where). He died at about 100 years old. I have a post card from Ischia, Lacco Ameno from I guess a cousin who wrote to them in New York. I will have to find it and make a copy for you. I also have pictures of great grandmother and father too. What is your e-mail address? Send me your e-mail and I will write back - we can talk on the phone too if you like. I am living in North Carolina. Dad moved the family down from New York in 1972. I'm 37 years old and not married yet - no good looking Italians around here. The Monti family is very close and we are very interested in family history. Hope we can make some connection here. Have you been to Ischia. I looked at a web site about Ischia and Lacco Ameno - they have a museum there and the guy who is running the museum is a Monti. Oh well - must go for now my dear distant cousin. Hope to hear from you soon.

Patricia Jane Monte - solaceair@aol.com