Hometown of a saint
This tiny village, tucked into a bend of the river Tuccio in the lower Aspromonte of Calabria, is called Chorio. It is the birthplace of Padre Gaetano Catanoso (1879) and my grandfather, Carmelo Catanoso (1887). Its history dates back to the fifth century. But the history that captivated me the most was the last few hundred years, when the Catanoso family settled in this place (which I write about in Chapter 1) While it was a poor, isolated and difficult place a century ago, it is alive and lovely today. Whenever I visit, most recently in March, I am welcomed like a native.
Tags: Aspromonte, Calabria, Catholic, Chorio, Italy, Justin Catanoso, miracles, My Cousin the Saint, Padre Gaetano Catanoso, Roman Catholic saints, Saints
July 9th, 2008 at 10:47 am
I stumbled upon your blog and am fascinated by this post. My maternal grandmother’s maiden name was Tuccio. I had no idea there was a river by the same name.
My mother’s side is from Ganzirri, Sicily and my father comes from Torre Faro, the far most northeastern corner of the island.
Good luck with your blog. I’ll be checking in often.
July 9th, 2008 at 11:24 am
Thanks so much for dropping by. The rural Aspromonte is rugged and beautiful, though not in the way that Tuscany is beautiful. It’s far simpler, not nearly as quaint. My wife and I love visiting Chorio, not only because we have family there, but because the people who live there now are so warm and gregarious. As for the Tuccio, your namesake river, it’s often dusty and dry in the hot hot summer months. But it was flowing when we visited last March. Be sure to check out the video on the multimedia page of this web site — particularly The First Miracle, with a long shot of Chorio over the Tuccio.