San Vittore del Lazio
Today, Wednesday, January 7, 2026, was the big day—time to visit the birthplace of our maternal grandfather Patrick Verdone (b. 11/3/1905; d. 1/16/1994). But first things first! We walked down the hill from La Residenza di Carolina to Naples Coffee Bar.
Pastries and cappuccinos to start the day.
Unable to figure out a satisfactory bus route, Carolina decided to drive us the 20-minutes to San Vittore. Here we are coming out of the traffic circle with the sign pointing to the city, which is perched on the hill in the distance.
She dropped us off at the town’s only church with a graveyard, which was labeled Church of Our Lady of Grace and the attached Cemetery of Saint Victor. Both are seen here from town. They are just out of town and connected by car over a winding road, or on foot by an old path that was once likely the only way between the two.
The view of San Vittore from the church and cemetery. From here you can imagine its historical hilltop position as the ancient walled city of Samnite of Aquilonia.
Caught between Nazis forces repelling Allied forces advancing from the south, parts of San Vittore, including the previous church and cemetery here, were destroyed during WWII. The plaque on the left says, “The restoration of the exterior façade of the church was carried out with the contribution of the people of San Vittore and fellow townspeople residing in Detroit and Canada. A.D. 1975.”
What became obvious rather quickly touring the graveyard was that all the dates on the graves were too recent. Relatives like Pat’s maternal grandmother Diodato Maliza were born around 1855; however, the oldest birth dates we found were from the turn of the century.
It was not until we discovered our grandfather’s given name at birth was Pasquale—not his adopted Anglicized name of Patrick—that we found his birth certificate. It was from this that we learned he was born in San Vittore del Lazio on November 3, 1905.
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—thus San Vittore del Lazio. roughly translates as “Saint Victor of the Lazio Region.”
The Lazio Region has five provinces: Frosinone, Latina, Rieti, Viterbo, and the Metropolitan City of Rome Capital. However, the top of Pat’s birth certificate says Province of Caserta and the District of Sora. By royal decree on December 6, 1926, the district of Sora—historically belonging to the former province of Caserta—became part of the Province of Frosinone, which explains the change in province following Pat’s birth in 1905..
From the birth certificate we see Pat’s parents were Angelo Verdone and Elvira nee Bonaventura. Elvira died in America aged 49 in roughly 1922, and this may be a photo memorializing that sober occasion. If so, then Pat (Pasqule) is about 17 years old and Victoria (Vittoria) is about 15 years old. Pat is dressed as a “man,” while his younger brothers Eugene (Eugenio) (13) and Frank (Franco?) (6-7) are dressed as “boys.”
As was often the case, Angelo moved to America first to establish financial security. Elvira followed with the three oldest children in tow, each with an entry on Elvira’s 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.
We did find one grave for an Elvira Bonaventura. While Pat’s mother died in America, it may have been a relative. This photo is on the footpath back to the city (looking back toward the graveyard). The stone enclosure was built to house a Madonna.
Dave on a clearly more modern bridge that crosses the ravine before climbing up into San Vittore.
This was the town hall where we apparently had missed the record keeper who had left earlier in the morning. Dave continues to work with them online attempting to secure familial records. Although we were not able to gather the records we had hoped, we did learn that the name Verdone was definitely not from San Vittore but Bonaventura most decidedly was!
The blue clouds show clusters of the name Verdone in relation to the town of San Vittore del Lazio, shown as a red dot. From this it seems likely Angelo Verdone was a neighbor to Elvira Bonaventura, who lived in San Vittore del Lazio.
Inside the town hall we found this map of San Vittore that showed the outline of the megalithic walls from the Samnite period—primarily from the Iron Age (c. 1000 BCE) through Roman assimilation (4th-3rd centuries BCE). Note the church (A) and gate (red arrow).
There are two churches in town. This is Chiesa di San Nicola (Church of St Nicholas), which was located at the east edge of town, outside the old city walls. This is one option of where Pasquale may have been baptized. The distinctive two-tone belfry is seen in later photos.
The church probably dates from the 10th century, and was built by a Greek community. It was originally formed from a single space, then expanded in the 13th century when a right side aisle was added. The church is dedicated to the Augustinian Order of St Nicholas, the revered 4th-century bishop known for his generosity, inspiring the figure of Santa Claus.
Dave surveying the church (right).
In the nave, the two figures in the center are St Peter and St Nicholas. An Orsini family crest dated 1360 means these frescos likely predate the application of the crest, speaking to the rich history of the church.
The church contains frescos from the Middle Ages (5th to the late 15th centuries) and the Renaissance (14th-17th centuries). This is looking into the expanded right side aisle that containing the 16-panel paintings of the life of St Margarita (left).
The full 16 panels depicting the life of St Margarita along the wall of the right aisle. The church eventually fell into disrepair, with major reconstruction in the 1800s to address decay or damage. A 1933 earthquake caused damage. And then came WWII…
San Vittore del Lazio was a fiercely contested town during WWII, strategically located near the Gustav Line. It suffered immense destruction from heavy Allied bombings and German defenses, leading to high civilian casualties and its near-total ruin as troops fought house-to-house in January 1944 to dislodge German forces.
The fighting in January was 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. Here an Italian child plays with debris on a San Vittore street.
On January 9, 1944, weary American infantrymen enter San Vittore, 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.
Dave and the two town hall personnel who accompanied us to Chiesa di San Nicola, walking back toward the center of town. The St Mary of the Rose Church belfry is in the distance.
We grabbed some snacks at an unnamed bar through the white doors located on the small Court of the Saints piazza adjacent to St Mary of the Rose Church.
Enjoying our snacks.
Looking southeast from the Court of the Saints piazza between the bar and St Mary of the Rose Church. I can’t help but imagine these buildings remain very much the same as when Pat and his family lived here.
The town’s second church, St Mary of the Rose Church. If you scroll back to the top and find the map of the town, this church was marked as “A” and the belfry end once formed the wall of the ancient walled city. It was also possible that Pat was baptized in this church.
WWII damage to St Mary of the Rose Church.
Following the cobbled streets that were once inside the ancient walled city.
Likely a prominent family in the town’s history.
The streets inside what was once the walled city.
Walking the old town streets.
The only remaining gateway from the old walled city.
In front of the water fountain in Town Hall Square.
As we depart town on foot, looking back at the belfry on St Mary of the Rose Church and a second unnamed belfry near Town Hall Square.
Looking back on San Vittore.
Looking back on San Vittore.
It was a tremendous privilege to visit this significant place of family history; farewell San Vittore del Lazio!
We successfully boarded a Cotral (Compagnia Trasporti Lazio) bus from the traffic circle below San Vittore del Lazio and rode it back into Cassino, where we ate an early dinner at Trattoria Locanda D’amore del 2011 (Inn/Restaurant of Love, Since 2011). We started with red wine (Dave), an Abbey of Montecassino golden ale (alba) beer (Steve), acqua frizzante (fizzy water), and fresh olives.
For dinner I had cime di rape (turnip greens), hummus, bread with olive oil, bruschetta, and grilled zucchini.
After dinner we had an espresso, which—at 3:20 pm—was a mistake for me!
Walking back through downtown Cassino we caught a glimpse of the Abbey of Montecassio on the hilltop and Carolina’s peach condominium complex just visible on the hillside.
The Abbey of Montecassio and Carolina’s home. What an amazing day and one we shall cherish forever!
