Gens Braghetta

(Abstract from e mail exchanged between Tony and Renzo in August 2005)

Cari cugini Renzo e Giovanna:

I found your message about the Braghetta family reunion on the Switzerland message forum.  We are all members of the Braghetta family, and have done much research on the Braghetta family of Lavertezzo, Canton Ticino.  I have church records on the Braghetta family dating from the 1600s.  My family in Lavertezzo is Dodini, for Bill Betts the family is Dedini, and for Jay Grossi it is Grossi.  These are "patrizi" families of Lavertezzo.

 There are many descendants of the Braghetta family here in California, USA.

 Have you been to Lavertezzo?  If you "click on" my home page, go to the book I wrote called On Wings of Gold.  The Dodini family section deals with Lavertezzo.

 I hope to hear from you.  We are all Ticinese interested in our Swiss heritage.

 Tony

Tony Quinn
taquinn@worldnet.att.net
homepage:
http://home.att.net/~taquinn

Hello Renzo:

Thank you for your message of August 25.  Actually, I cannot write nor speak Italian, but can read simple Italian.  However, my cousin here in Sacramento teaches Italian at the local university and he helped me translate your message.  When I write to my relatives in Switzerland, this is what we do.  It is much easier for both of us to write in our native languages.

It would not appear that your Braghetta family is connected to the Swiss Braghetta family, especially if your family is found near Rome in the 1500s.  Most of the other Braghetta families on the attachment you sent me are found in northern Italy, and they may be descended from some Braghettas of Lavertezzo who moved into Lombardia in the 1700s or 1800s.

I looked up Braghetta in the California birth and death database.  66 Braghettas have died in California since 1905, most of them many years ago.  Many were born in Europe and I believe most in Switzerland.  38 Braghettas have been born in California since 1905, but since 1930 only six male Braghettas have been born.  The California "white pages" shows only eight people named Braghetta listed (and three more unlisted).  All but two live in the state of California.

I also looked at the Swiss "white pages (tel.search.ch) and found 12 Braghetta families listed in Switzerland.  Three were in German Switzerland, the rest in Ticino, in villages close to Lavertezzo.

 There is a book I have in Italian called Le Origini del Presente by Aquiliano Gnesa which tells the names of the families of the Valle Verzasca, Ticino, and it includes the family Braghetta.  If you will send me your postal address, I will make a copy of the Braghetta page and send it to you. The name is first found in Lavertezzo in 1681 and the author notes: "il cognone potrebbe derivare da 'bragh', pantaloni."

I hope this information is helpful

Tony

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Tony,

ciao and thanks for your interesting e-mail.

As you say it looks unlikely that our family Braghetta living in Sacrofano is someway connected with the Swiss Braghetta.

My personal opinion is that the name Braghetta could be assigned simultaneously to many people wearing a particular pants and disconnected each other.

But a cousin of mine, and he is delivering a speech in the matter that we hope to include in the web-site we plan to prepare, is more incline in thinking that:

1. the name is born in Veneto, Venice area (Padua, Ravenna, etc.) identifying a sort of class of artisans, artists, middle people in general wear that pants.
2. someone spread from Veneto to Rome and to Swiss, most likely as soldier following the venture captains of the middle age times, when this job was very frequently undertaken.
3. But according to a non demonstrated and difficult to support theory, this my cousin has investigated on the property we have had here in Sacrofano. The result is that the family could have been involved, or in someway related, with the assistance of pilgrims bound to Rome, mainly on German route linking the Veneto to Rome by the Via Romea and the Via Flaminia, route that joined the Via Frachigena (pilgrims from France) just in Sacrofano, one day walking to Rome. This link could also explain the commonality of Braghetta names in Sacrofano and Veneto area.
4. If a common source of Braghetta exist my personal opinion is that the Swiss branch is derived, not originating, the Veneto branch. It is in fact unlikely that the Braghetta does not exist in Como, Milan and nearby areas of Ticino, that mainly at that time were the most attractive areas. And all the Braghetta now living in Lombardia are deriving from Veneto, Ferrara area.

But who knows?

Certainly I will be very interested in receiving the copy, that you kindly offered to me, of the page concerning the Braghetta name or origin according to your book.

My postal address is

Renzo Braghetta

Via Prima Porta, km 11,250

00060 Sacrofano, Rome, Italy