BRATTESANI Giovanna 1901-1972. Franchi/Borrotzu connections
It is with great pleasure that we introduce our new fourth cousin Lia Franchi into the family. Lia very kindly has been in touch with myself and has connected her line back to our mutual Brattesani lines in Italy.
Lia was born in the year 1962 in Raynes Park in London. She is the daughter of Remo Valentino Giovanni Franchi 1929-2005 and Norma Teresa Virginia Collini 1936-2012. Brought up in London she and her husband now live in Puglia in Italy in a town called San Vito dei Normanni. They also are owners of La Mimosa which is a beautiful holiday destination for anyone looking to visit the area.
https://www.thetrullolamimosa.com/?fbclid=IwAR315bAL98E6T3DU3KiD2fNV3nFCRXkFhqmLYOqYSJViJJWjs0edrUTxV7g
Their little Trullo self Catherine holiday home in Puglia, what could be more magical
CONNECTED SURNAMES
PATERNAL LINES – BORROTZU FRANCHI. BRATTESANI LANZAROTTI. FORTUCCI. CURA. FERRARI a possibility still to be confirmed
MATERNAL LINES – COLLINI, MAFFEI, SORENTI, BOSCO, BURZONI
GUINADI, Massa Carrara, Toscana
The village of Guinadi belongs to the municipality of Pontremoli, in the province of Massa-Carrara, region Toscana. The village is on the border between Tuscany and Emilia Romagna to the north.
The village of Guinadi is 6,89 kilometers far from the same town of Pontremoli to whom it belongs.
THE BRATTESANI CONNECTION
Giulio had moved to London with brother Giuseppe who was one year younger than himself.
He met Rosa Lanzarotti and they married
at St Peter’s Italian Church, Holborn, London on 3rd March 1893.
The church is now a very famous Italian shrine in the heart of London.
The certificate gives us Giulio’s father as Savino Brattesani but this name may be a shortened version of his full name.
Lia’s direct line, Giovanna’s name was already changed to the anglicised version of Johanna. Their address was 114 Canterbury Road, Kilburn, Willesden, Middlesex.
LIA’S GRAND-PARENTS Brattesani/Franchi
https://alondoninheritance.com/tag/marylebone-lane/
Luigi and Giovanni [Johanna] were married at Our Church of Our Lady of Sorrows in Paddington, London on 12th October 1924. Luigi was described as a confectioner and was 24. He lived at the time at 70 Marylebone Lane, St. Marleybone, London. His father was Francesco Franchi [deceased] and he was a builder. Luigi’s witness was Lorenzo Franchi who was his brother.
a 1950s snapshot of Our Lady of the Sorrows. A small intimate Chapel
Giovanna or Johanna’s dad was Giulio Brattesani, confectioner and her sister Netta [Antoinetta] Brattesani given as her witness. The family lived at 33 Delamere Crescent which was situated in Paddington, London at the time of their marriage.
After their marriage they moved to an address in , No. 50 Oakland Road in Islington where Lia’s dad RENO VALENTINO GIOVANNI FRANCHI was born on 28th August 1929. Luigi’s profession given as Refreshment Caterer.
Giovanna and Luigi moved to 2 Middleton Buildings, London during the 50s\60s. They ran a sandwich bar with a restaurant attached. Opposite and downstairs they had a Function Room called San Rocco in the adjacent Riding House Street. For a time Luigi also ran a confectionery business in another property opposite.
Sadly, Lia’s parents divorced sometime shortly after this was taken.
The restaurant business was in the blood and their son Mario ran two restaurants, The First Edition and the New Edition, aptly named as they were in the Fleet Street, Chancery Lane District of London.
Like a lot of Italians who lived abroad the couple would return back to Italy for the summer where they had a house in Lido di Camaiore. Lia remembers holidaying there in the summer months with her family.
Johanna Brattesani died in 1972. Luigi Franchi in 1976.
THE FRANCHI CHILDREN
- Guido Franchi was born in 1926. He married Alba Zazzi in 1960. Two children Marco born 1960 and Viviano in 1962
- Mario Franchi was born in 1927. He married Ida Villanelli in 1953. Two daughters Francesca and Cristina.
- Maristella Franchi date of birth unknown married Alberto Manfredi in 1967. One son Allessandro born 1970
- Remo Franchi was born in 1929. He married Norma Teresa Virginia Collini on 9th September 1956. They are Lia’s parents
LIA’S PARENTS
REMO FRANCHI and NORMA TERESA VIRGINIA COLLINI
Remo and Norma had three children. Lia born 1962, Lia married Giuseppe Borrotzu. Roma was born in 1959 and Marino in the year 1964.
LIA’S Line
Lia married Giuseppe Borrotzu. They had two daughters Pierina 1985 followed by Carmela in 1987.
Carmela married to Lewis Evans and they have two daughters Lidia and Allegra.
THE COLLINI / SORENTI LINES
Lia remembers her with greatest fondness and love.
“Yea she was the best nonna ever. The maternal line is very close it’s what I considered family. When my parents first divorced we went to live there until we got a new home so there were 9 of us. There was me, my brother and sister, mum, my nonna, my great-aunt – nonna’s sister, my nonno, my uncle and my bis-nonno – nonna’s father. Good Job it was a big house”.
Hamlet of Pinzolo village, Sant’Antonio di Mavignola is located on a hill made by a heap of morainal debris of the post glacial ages. At the beginning many inhabitants were peasant families from Pinzolo, who in summer brought their livestock to those pastures, before reaching the alpine huts (“malghe”) at the highest altitudes. It seems that the first core of the village was in Milegna area, where now you can see the ancient farms dedicated to the mountain pasture. The Masi Milegna belonged to some families of Pinzolo, who lived there before going up to “Ritorto malga” (alpine hut); they came back to these “masi” in the end of summer, before going to their houses in the valley. Milegna is one of the typical mountain huts, made by some private houses in a pasture area. Isolated by the other houses, “Casa Capot” is a typical restored mountain hut, with a granite base and huge larch logs. “Capot” was the nickname of a family of jurists, who lived in a majestic mansion house; the mountain house was dedicated to the pasture and, at the same time, it was the symbol of the wellbeing and the richness of the family.
Lia says
“.The dresses are amazing aren’t they. No too sure when this was taken, but obviously My Great-Grandmother was born in 1894 and in this picture she isn’t wearing a wedding ring. My Grand-mother was born in 1912, when my Great-Grandmother was 18, so this might be on her engagement, because she has the big bow on her corsage and the others don’t. I think it must be about 1910, just at the end of the Edwardian era.“
