Pasquale Verdone

Italian birth certificate for Pasquale Verdone, born to Angelo and Elvira (née Bonaventura) on November 3, 1905, in San Vittore del Lazio. Pasquale later Anglicized his name to Patrick (Pat).

Italy is divided into five geographical areas: North-West, North-East, Centre, South, and Islands. Italy is further divided into 20 regions, with the Lazio Region being in Central Italy. San Vittore del Lazio translates as Saint Victor of the Lazio Region.

The Lazio Region currently has five provinces. While Pat’s birth certificate from 1905 says Province of Caserta and the District of Sora, in 1927 the town was subsequently transferred to the newly formed province of Frosinone.

San Vittore del Lazio perched on a hill overlooking the last stretch of the Liri Valley and the confluence of the Liri and Gari Rivers. The village is surrounding by the Mainarde and Aurunci Mountains.

The area includes the slopes of Mount Sammucro, which contains pre-Roman ruins. High on the first peak northeast of the village are the remains of a mighty defensive system formed by gigantic boulders surrounding the first two ridges of the mountain.

The pre-Roman remains the walls of a Samnite settlement on the slopes of Mount Sammucro, probably Aquilonia a Samnite city. The Battle of Aquilonia was fought between the Roman Republic and the Samnites during the Third Samnite War. This battle saw a large Samnite army that had gathered in the mountainous region of Aquilonia to stop Roman expansion, but was decisively defeated by the Roman legionaries in 293 BCE.

Situated near the Via Latina—a major Roman consular road linking Rome with Campania, including cities such as Pompeii and Naples—the Romans used San Vittore del Lazio as a strategic stronghold to control the surrounding plains and as a defensive position during the Samnite Wars.

The Aquilonian ruins are on the hilltop to right. Later, in the early medieval period, a monastic cell dedicated to San Vittore (St Victor) was established on this lower hilltop. By the tenth century, repeated Saracen raids promoted the cell’s fortification, and it gradually evolved into a defensive stronghold—shaping the medieval street plan that remains. San Vittore defenses were first documented in a 1057 charter.

San Vittore del Lazio was once again of strategic importance during WWII. This is the town before suffering near-total destruction due to its position on the Gustav Line, a key German defensive front near Cassino. From late 1943, the area endured intense fighting as part of the broader, brutal Battle for Cassino, with San Vittore serving as a critical, heavily damaged outpost before the main abbey battle in February.

Allied forces advanced toward the town in early January 1944. Heavy Allied bombings and fierce house-to-house combat to dislodge German forces, lead to high civilian casualties. Here a child plays in the rubble of San Vittore del Lazio.

Roughly 91% of the town’s buildings were heavily damaged or destroyed, including St Mary of the Rose Church, the prominent church seen in most images of the village.

San Vittore del Lazio was liberated on January 6, 1944. Here, on January 9, weary American infantrymen enter the village, now quiet with desolation and death after three nightmarish days of ceaseless shelling and bombing preceding its capture. The two-tone spire of Chiesa di San Nicola is visible in the distance. For its wartime ordeal San Vittore received the Silver Medal for Civil Valor in 2004.

San Vittore’s town hall that Steve and Dave visited on January 7, 2026.

From the town hall they learned Verdone was not a surname directly connected with San Vittore. The red dot shows San Vittore with surrounding clusters of the surname Verdone. From this it seems likely Angelo Verdone was a neighbor to Elvira Bonaventura, who lived in San Vittore del Lazio.

A map inside the town hall showed the outline of the once formidable medieval town walls and towers, some of which are still discernible—in particular “A” is St Mary of the Rose Church. San Vittorie del Lazio was once known locally as the “castle with twenty-three towers.”

The red arrow on the map of the medieval city walls marks this, the fortification’s only remaining gate.

This is the "San Vittore del L" exit from the traffic circle on the Autostrada A1—the main highway between Rome and Naples. The ruined walls of Aquilonia still crown the hilltop to the right, overlooking the village of San Vittore del Lazio on its promontory.

The hilltop position of San Vittore del Lazio.

Looking southeast from St Mary of the Rose Church. The buildings and the view must remain much the same as when Pat and his family lived here.

Born in November 1905 and carried to America in September 1913, Pasquale spent the first eight years of his life wandering the winding paths of San Vittore del Lazio—surely, more than once, his footsteps traced this very stradina.

Passport issued to Pat’s mother Elvira Bonaventura (maiden?) on September 18, 1893.

As was often the case, Angelo moved to America first to establish financial security. Elvira followed with the three children in tow, each occupying an entry on her passport, their places of birth all listed as San Vittore del Lazio. The arrival date stamped upon entry is September 20, 1913. Frank was born in the US on January 1, 1916.

Sadly, Elvira died in America aged 49, roughly 1922 and 9 years after arriving. This may be a photo memorializing the sober occasion. If so, then Pasquale (Pat) is about 17, Vittorio (Victoria) 16, Eugenio (Eugene) 13, and (Franco?) Frank 6-7. Pat is dressed as a “man” while his brothers are clothed as “boys.”

Eugene?? and Pat. Where???

Angelo

?? and ??

Frank?, Eugene?, Pat, and Angelo where???

Victoria?? and ??

Mildred and ?? Where??