VIDEO PODCAST (45 minutes) by genealogist Lynn Serafinn on the early history, frazioni (hamlets) and parish records of Castelfondo in Val di Non, and an overview of its most ancient surnames.

Located on the northernmost part of Val di Non, bordering the province of Bolzano (South Tyrol) is the parish of Castelfondo. While historians tell us that popular myths about Roman origins of its people are probably wrong, the truth about Castelfondo is even more interesting, and more ancient.
In this podcast, we will

1. Take a brief look at the history of Castelfondo and its frazioni (hamlets) -- both as a comune and a parish.
2. Then, we'll explore the origins of some of the oldest surnames associated with this parish, and a bit about some of the noble families.
3. Finally, I'll share with you my notes on the parish records for Castelfondo, which are fundamental to genealogical research.

Originally aired on Facebook Live on Friday 9 April 2021 in our Trentino Genealogy Facebook group: https://www.facebook.com/groups/TrentinoGenealogy .

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VIDEO PODCAST by Lynn Serafinn, https://trentinogenealogy.com on the dramatic and scandalous story of Marco of Caderzone (ca.1430-1490), the illegitimate son of Count Giorgio Lodron.

The 1400s was a century of tumultuous change in Europe. Noble dynasties, especially in the northern part of the Italian peninsula, had already been in a constant battle for power, but the social upheaval in the aftermath of the Black Death (1347-1353) had made the situation even more extreme.

In this genealogy podcast, we will be travelling back in time to the 1400s, to look at the infamous life – and violent death – of ‘Marco de Caderzone’, an illegitimate son of one of the Counts of Lodron, whose notorious misdeeds are said to have terrorised the people not only in Caderzone, but throughout Val Rendena in northern Trentino. We’ll also look at how he met his demise, and the series of vendettas that took place after his execution in 1490.

Lastly, we will look at the rising of the noble Bertelli family, who had a crucial role in both putting an end to Marco’s power, and ultimately obtaining that same power for themselves.

I hope you enjoy this podcast. Even if you have no ancestors from Val Rendena, this fascinating story is truly like something out of 'The Medici' or 'The Borgias'!

Originally broadcasted on Friday 3 February 2023, on Facebook Live.

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By Lynn Serafinn, genealogist at https://trentinogenealogy.com . Video podcast on the 4 primary types of surnames in Trentino and their linguistic roots. Many examples are given.

In this 50-minute podcast, we look at:

Patronymic surnames
Surnames derived from personal nicknames
Surnames derived from place names
Surnames derived from occupations.

Originally broadcasted on Facebook Live on Friday 8 January 2021.

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By Lynn Serafinn, genealogist at https://trentinogenealogy.com .
Tutorial on how vowels, diphthongs and certain consonants might transform into different spellings in Latin and Italian records from Trentino. In this tutorial, I focus on the consonants C, G, Z, V, H, and J, and how they are sometimes used interchangeably. Understanding these linguistic variants are essential when researching your Trentino (or Italian) family tree. Edited from a Facebook live broadcast on 21 February 2025. Come join our Trentino Genealogy Facebook group at https://www.facebook.com/groups/TrentinoGenealogy .

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The BENASSUTI of Trentino: Medieval Origins, Nobility, and a Dynasty of Notaries. New eBook by genealogist Lynn Serafinn. Buy the book, read the introduction and see table of contents and table of images at: https://trentinogenealogy.com/2024/08/benassuti-nobility-notary-history or visit Lynn's Digital Download shop at https://trentinogenealogy.com/digital-download-shop/ .

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Story from upcoming book 'Miracles on a Mountain' by genealogist Lynn Serafinn of https://trentinogenealogy.com . In this story, Lynn reads the eye-witness account of a 30-year-old woman named Cattarina, wife of Domenico Benodritti of Varignano in the parish of Arco (Trentino, northern Italy), who claims she was miraculously cured from chronic and debilitating depression when she made a vow to the famous 'miracle cross' of Santa Croce del Bleggio. It's a period of history that is truly interesting, and most books on the subject focus on the cross itself or the church, rather than on the people (long forgotten by historians) who reported these miracles. In this story, we'll look at Cattarina's life, and the tragic factors that surely led to her depressive state, as well as what happened next. I hope you enjoy it.

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Anagraphs, also called Stati delle Anime, interesting and useful tools for Genealogy Research in Trentino. But where do you find them? And how do you make sense of them? What can they tell you, and what are their limitations? In this 39-minute 'How to' video podcast, genealogist Lynn Serafinn of https://trentinogenealogy.com guides you through all these details, showing you several examples of anagraphs from different parts of Trentino, as well as one example from the province of Brescia.

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VIDEO PODCAST (4 MAY 2024). How Many Surnames Are There in Trentino? From genealogist Lynn Serafinn of https://trentinogenealogy.com . Earlier this week, I posted a poll in our Facebook group asking this very question. Over 100 group members shared their guesses. Surprisingly, there was NO clear consensus on people's answer to this question. In this 8-minute video, I share some answers. Have a watch. You just might be surprised!

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https://trentinogenealogy.com . Tips on how and why to record godparents in your family tree. Video podcast by genealogist Lynn Serafinn.

What is covered:
1. Why you would want to record godparents in your tree.
2. Different information you can discover by looking at godparents.
3. Example of how many people record godparents.
4. Examples of how I record godparents and why.
5. A look at an old record from the 1500s.
6. Example of doing a 'godparent review' to try to identify the mother of the children.

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How a baptismal record from 1593 in Trento told a completely different ancestral story from what I had previously assumed. I hope you find this interesting! Please leave a comment below. Video podcast by genealogist Lynn Serafinn, trentinogenealogy.com .

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https://trentinogenealogy.com . The surname Pellegrinati was present in Val Giudicarie at least since the early 1500s, and went extinct in the late 1800s. In this podcast, genealogist Lynn Serafinn walks through some of the research techniques she used when trying to make sense of the very confusing parish records for the early Pellegrinati families of Bivedo and Duvredo in the parish of Santa Croce del Bleggio. During the presentation, she talks about two different 'soprannomi' of the early Pellegrinati lines, and translates two important marriage records from 1588 and 1633.

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https://trentinogenealogy.com/2021/10/comini-sole-ancestry-nobility/ (related article). 5-minute video overview about article 'The Comini of Val di Sole: Ancestry, Nobility, and Challenges of Research'. In this article, I present theories and evidence on the origins of the Comini of Val di Sole, and share some fascinating tales of family of the noble Comini de Sonnenberg, including a MURDER mystery from 1799. From genealogist Lynn Serafinn of Trentino Genealogy dot com.

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Presented by genealogist Lynn Serafinn from https://trentinogenealogy.com .

In Val di Sole, just on the border with Val di Non, is the ancient parish of Caldes. Called 'a noble community' by author Alberto Mosca, many of its families are well documented back to the medieval era. But Caldes also has a true 'genealogical treasure' in its parish registry: a collection of family trees of the ancient families of Caldes made by Father Tommaso Bottea in the 19th century.

In this podcast, we will look at these Caldes trees: what families they cover, what the trees contain (and what they don't), how they are organised, and how to use them in your research. We'll then explore some of the surnames of the most ancient families of Caldes, including their historical, linguistic and sometimes geographical origins, as well as the titles of nobility conferred on some of these families.

To participate LIVE during these podcasts, come join our Facebook group at https://www.facebook.com/groups/TrentinoGenealogy .

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Presented by genealogist Lynn Serafinn from https://trentinogenealogy.com .

A genealogical tour of the parish of Revò in Val di Non in northern Trentino, and its ‘satellite’ parishes of Cagnò, Romallo, Tregiovo and Rumo. Lynn will give you a broad overview of how the parish has evolved over the centuries, what kinds of records are available for research, and where you might experience gaps in those records. We’ll also look at some of the common historic surnames associated with each place of these places, and tips for your genealogy research.

To participate LIVE during these podcasts, come join our Facebook group at https://www.facebook.com/groups/TrentinoGenealogy .

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Presented by genealogist Lynn Serafinn from https://trentinogenealogy.com .

Cloz is a small parish in the northern edge of Val di Non of Trentino. This podcast is a supplement to an article published on the website at https://trentinogenealogy.com/2020/09/cloz-val-di-non-history-parish-surnames/ . In the podcast, I discuss four research ideas and tips, with specific examples from my research in the parish of Cloz:

1. How History Affects the Surviving Records
2. Using Clues in the Records You DO Have
3. Get to Know Your Ancestral ‘Neighbours’
4. Don’t Ignore Records that Don’t HAVE Surnames!

To participate LIVE during these podcasts, come join our Facebook group at https://www.facebook.com/groups/TrentinoGenealogy .

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Presented by genealogist Lynn Serafinn from https://trentinogenealogy.com .

Many of our Trentino ancestors tended to stay in one place, sometimes for many centuries. But SOME Trentino families really 'got around'! Long before the age of mass immigration in the 19th century, certain families migrated to many different places within the province.

In this podcast, we'll explore the migration of 4 Trentino families, who all have a connection with a village called Fiavé in Val Giudicarie. But the thing is... NONE of them were actually FROM Fiavé.

Which families will I discuss? Well, you'll just have to tune in to find out.

To participate LIVE during these podcasts, come join our Facebook group at https://facebook.com/groups/TrentinoGenealogy .

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Presented by genealogist Lynn Serafinn from https://trentinogenealogy.com .
Is there a way to KNOW you are related to someone who has the same surname in their family tree, even if you have no documentation, or DNA tests don’t show a match?

In some cases, YES! In this podcast, we’ll look at 6 Trentino surnames that are KNOWN to have come from a common ancestor who migrated into the province from someplace else.

Tune in to find out what these surnames are, and whether you might already know some distant cousins.

To participate LIVE during these podcasts, come join our Facebook group at https://facebook.com/groups/TrentinoGenealogy .

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Presented by genealogist Lynn Serafinn from https://trentinogenealogy.com .
What do we know about illegitimacy in Trentino before the 20th century? How are illegitimate births recorded in parish records? Can an illegitimate child ever become 'legitimate'? How have patterns and attitudes about illegitimacy changed over the centuries? What was the role of the midwife, and how were midwives trained in Trentino? What was the ‘Istituto delle Laste' in Trento, and how can we find out about our ancestors who were born there?

Tune in to find out the answers to these questions and how these issues affected our ancestors’ lives.

To participate LIVE during these podcasts, come join our Facebook group at https://facebook.com/groups/TrentinoGenealogy .

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Presented by genealogist Lynn Serafinn from https://trentinogenealogy.com .

PART 1: What kind of medicine did people take to combat the plague in the 1500s? In this podcast, I share a list of most unusual ingredients for a plague remedy invented by botanist Pietro Andrea Mattioli, the personal medical doctor of cardinals, kings, and emperors.

PART 2: What can we learn by looking the TOP occupations in the province of Trento in the 1800s? What professions no longer exist?

Tune in to find out the answers to these questions and how these issues affected our ancestors’ lives.

To participate LIVE during these podcasts, come join our Facebook group at https://facebook.com/groups/TrentinoGenealogy .

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Presented by genealogist Lynn Serafinn from https://trentinogenealogy.com .

RIDDLE 1: You may have heard about the Black Death in the 1300s. But what's the story of the plague that hit Trentino in 1630?

RIDDLE 2: What are some of the legends told about the plague of 1630?

Tune in to learn about the history of this devastating episode in the history of Trentino, Lombardia and Veneto, and to hear some of fascinating legends about life during the plague.

To participate LIVE during these podcasts, come join our Facebook group at https://facebook.com/groups/TrentinoGenealogy .

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