Emigrant Rose Garden, Rose, CS, Italy

02/06/2026

🎉 Big Milestone + An Exclusive Early Preview! 🚀
Hey everyone!
Can you believe it? Our group is officially 4 years old! 🎂
Thank you to every single one of you for sharing your thoughts, your amazing photos, and building such a fantastic community here.
To celebrate this milestone—and to give us a space where our content can be organized, beautifully displayed, and easier to find—we have been working hard behind the scenes on a brand-new project.
✨ We are officially launching a companion website! ✨
The site is almost ready for its prime-time debut, but because this community is the heartbeat of everything we do, we want you to have the very first look.
👉 Check out the early preview here: www.emigrantrosegarden.com
🛠️ We Need Your Eyes & Brains!
Before we open the doors to the public, we want to make it the best it can possibly be. We’d love your honest feedback:
• What do you love? (How does it look? Is it easy to navigate?)
• What needs work? (Did you spot any bugs, broken links, or weird formatting?)
• Wishlist: What features, tools, or content categories would you love to see added in the future?
Drop your thoughts, critiques, and ideas in the comments below.
Thank you all for an incredible four years. Here’s to the next chapter! 🥂

Un giardino della memoria nel centro storico di Rose, Cosenza.

01/06/2026

It is with immense sadness that we announce one of our biggest supporters, Rudy Gelsi, has passed away.

Rudy has been a garden supporter almost since the beginning. Certainly fr when he became aware. He was always there saying “what can I do to help?”. In April I posted the need for an obelisk for one of the roses and in moments Rudy contacted me to sponsor. On May 4 he reached out to me to sponsor two name bricks for others, unfortunately we agreed to speak again when I returned to America. We did not speak again.

I was fortunate to meet Rudy in person at the garden dedication in 2024 where he read two of his poems and again at the Figli di Rose Christmas party in December. When Rudy was passionate about something everyone knew it! He was such a character.

As Rudy was a Rose emigrant, his name will be displayed on an emigrant plaque near the fountain in September.

Please share your special memories about our friend.

27/05/2026

Taking care of the garden requires a lot of work. To keep the roses blooming requires the roses are constantly deadheaded. (Take away the faded roses). It is difficult to imagine the amount of work required to care for 86 roses, many trees, and several accent plants.

In addition to removing spent roses is pest control, weeds, pathway cleaning, and fountain maintenance.

Yes this property belongs to the Comune di Rose and they are technically responsible to care for it. The garden is cared for by volunteers not only watching for any vandalism but making sure it is taken care of so visitors and residents can enjoy and be proud of this beautiful space.

Today Marisa Scarpelli, Iolanda Magaro, and Marisa’s Mom
worked in the garden to keep the roses blooming and ready to welcome visitors.

Thank you all for taking care of the garden without ever being asked but seeing that it needs attention. Your kindness does not go unnoticed from all of us that cannot be there to do this work on a regular basis.

Please LIKE our page and SHARE to your Facebook friends and help our garden family grow.

27/05/2026

It was a beautiful day in Rose today!

The garden had visitors today.

Frank Smeriglio and his family are from Stamford, Connecticut visiting family in Rose.

Beautiful photos. Thank you for sharing. The garden is really exceptional right now.

Please LIKE our page and SHARE so everyone can see who stops by….

12/05/2026

Let’s welcome a new emigrant to the garden!

Iolanda Magarò wanted to honor and remember her favorite aunt that emigrated to Canada.

Thanks to MixPrint and Mary DiThomas this was able to happen just 2 hours before I left Rose. This has been in the process for weeks with Marco completing her paperwork, Marisa sharing the status. It literally takes a village.

Now Iolanda, who spends so much time watching out for our garden can sit in her favorite seat, by the fountain and remember Iolanda. ❤️

Next she wants to add a photo of Iolanda to her plaque….

Please LIKE our page and share with your friends to help our garden family grow.

12/05/2026

Good morning! Yesterdays flowers TODAY!

The roses continue to bloom in the garden, there is still a round of “late bloomers” that have buds but not a bloom yet.

I found MANY beetles suddenly yesterday morning in the garden. These are easily “tapped” into a bucket of soapy water.

I also deadheaded those first roses that I shared earlier so the blooms will keep coming…

Enjoy…..

Please LIKE our page and SHARE to help our garden family grow….

10/05/2026

It is Sunday, Happy Mothers Day to all the moms.

Here are some roses to enjoy…..

Please LIKE our page and SHARE with your friends. Again….HAPPY MOTHERS DAY!

09/05/2026

LIBRANDI Angiolina #17

Angelina LIBRANDI was born in Rose on 28 Nov 1893, to her parents Maria Carmenia (Carmela) Castiglione and Antonio LIBRANDI. Her father was in America at the time of her birth. Her family lived on San Pietro. Angelina married Pasquale Pangaro in Rose on 10 Sept 1911. He was born 12 Jan 1893 in Sharpsburg, PA. His parents were Teresa Murano and Gennaro Lorenzo Pangaro. The Pangaro family had returned to Rose around 1905. Angiolina, at the age of 19, emigrated to the US, arriving in New York on 16 Sept 1913. According to the ships manifest she was joining her bridegroom in Greenwich, CT.

Their first child, Theresa, was born in 1917 in Greenwich. Their second child, Gustav Anthony, was born in 1920 in Philadelphia, PA where the family had
moved when Pasquale started working at the US Naval Shipyards on Hog Island.

Julius, their third child, was born in Mingo Junction, OH in 1923, sadly surviving only one day. The family had moved to OH, with hopes of Pasquale, who had studied at the Chicago School of Technology, of getting a job in architecture. The family and many relatives and friends who had moved there, who might help him find employment in his own line of work. With his good command of both English and Italian, he instead found he had great success selling policies to mill workers of Italian decent along the Industrial Ohio River corridor after landing a job with Metropolitan Life.

My father, Lawrence Patrick (born Lorenzo Pasquale) was born in Mingo Junction in 1924.

The loss of a child two years later weakened Angeolina’s health, which became more severe during the pregnancy leading up to my father, Larry’s birth. She died 23 May 1925, after loosing battle with bronchopneumonia and influenza. She was buried at Mt. Calvary Cemetery in nearby Steubenville.

According to what my father later learned, things became a bit complicated after her death, as her father (Antonio) had come over to be with his daughter, his only child, and upon her death insisted on bringing all the children back to Italy to be raised by himself and his wife, the children’s maternal grandparents. Pasquale refused the offer, then a second offer of just taking the youngest (Larry) was presented, again to be refused. Antonio stormed off, catching the next boat back to Italy and never had direct contact again with the family.

After such a loss, family and friends all came to Pasquale’s help. My father was left in Ohio with his god parents, Gus was sent to his father’s brother, Tony, and family in Philadelphia and Theresa remained with her dad, who moved back to Greenwich. The family was reunited within a few years after Pasquale (known as Charles) Pangaro who had met her through a matchmaker, remarried a wonderful woman named Caroline Rosa. Pasquale (Charles) Pangaro died in 1955 in Greenwich, CT.

I am so pleased to be able to add Angelina and her history to this garden!

Story submitted by Diedre Pangaea Smith, granddaughter (contact information can be found at the bottom of the Italian translation)

Please LIKE our page so you see all the stories and photos, also SHARE so others can read about the amazing emigrants from Rose.

07/05/2026

SMERIGLIO Francesco Tranquillino #26

My grandfather, Francisco Tranquillino Smeriglio was born 18 Nov 1881 in Rose, Province of Cosenza, Italy. At the age of 22 (1904) he left Rose leaving behind his wife Luisa D’Andrea of Rose, whom she married on 25 Aug 1898 in Rose. My Grandfather, also left behind sons, Michele Smeriglio, born 3 April 1904 and his eldest son, Luigi, who was 4 years old at the time. Before Francesco left Rose he was a farmer and for a short time he was a shepherd.

Francesco sailed in the S.S. Sicilia on 11 May 1904 out of Naples and arrived in New York on 25 May 1904 at Ellis Island along with his younger brother Pasquale Smeriglio who was 18 years old. My grandfather Francesco and his brother Pasquale were reunited with uncle Francesco Pirri on Morris Ave in Riverside, Connecticut when they arrived from Ellis Island. The ships manifest states that Francesco and Pasquale each came to America with $10, were listed as peasants, and stated this was their first voyage to America.

In Stamford, Connecticut homes were heated by coal. Francesco worked for agencies and delivered coal to the private residences.

The following year my Grandmother, Luisa D’Andrea who by now was 24, along with my Dad (Michele) age 1 year old, and his older brother Luigi age 5, were reunited with my Grandfather Francesco in Stamford, Connecticut.

My grandparents had two more sons, Antonio and Giuseppe. Both boys were born in Stamford, Connecticut.

When it was time for my Dad and his older brother Luigi to go to school, they decided they would rip off their buttons from their shirts and play an old traditional game, Quatrettu, which is very well known in Rose. When my grandfather found out they were skipping school he shipped my Grandmother and their 4 children back to Rose knowing that the school system was more strict there than in the United States. At that time Michele was 8 years old and Luigi was about 12, younger Antonio, and Giuseppe (ABT 1911)

In 1925 my Grandmother finally left Rose for good leaving behind my Dad (Michele) because he was already 21 and was in love with my Mom, Giuseppina Pirri. Luisa took her two American born sons Antonio and Giuseppe, now teenagers, and Luigi who was now 25 years old. Luigi was a stowaway on the ship because he was older than the legal age to come with his mother legally. Luckily he didn’t get caught on the ship.

Francisco and Luisa’s son Michele Smeriglio (my father) married Giuseppina Pirri in Rose on 18 April 1926. After my parents had a family of 8 children they were called to come to America. Michele was able to take along with him my brother, Mario, age 19, and Luigi age 17. Giuseppe was sent to Montreal, Canada to by with my Dad’s first cousins.

In 1956 I (Yolanda) along with my sister , Concetta, and my brother, Tony, arrived on October 31 (Halloween night).

My Mom was finally able to come to the United States on 20 February 1960. Giuseppina couldn’t come sooner due to an illness that she had.

The rest of the family, brother Francesco and his family (leaving behind one daughter) and Ida Smeriglio with her family arrived in 1969.

Francisco Tranquillino died in 1946, 20 years before his wife Luisa. They are buried together at the St.Johns Catholic Cemetery in Darian, Connecticut.

Information provided by Yolanda Smeriglio (granddaughter) contact via Facebook Messenger or WhatsApp

Please LIKE our page so you don’t miss any of the emigrant stories, photos, and garden updates.

Also, please SHARE our posts/page to let others know how WE honor and remember our ancestors from Rose, CS, Italy

It is ALWAYS ok to share, print, and post from this page. We encourage anyone who knew our emigrants to share memories or photos-it is most appreciated by the families.

06/05/2026

I would like to announce 3 new sponsorships in memory of people that we’re a big part of Rose by their families.

These sponsorships help us to greatly improve the amenities added to the garden. In addition, a small portion of the sponsorships is used for
Garden maintenance, repair, and other amenities not covered by any specific sponsorship.

These types of sponsorships are typically indicated by the green plaque.

The other thing I want to share is the “silver emigrant plaques”. These plaques are NOT issued without extensive research and proof that each emigrant that earned their plaque received their plaque with integrity.

As if today we have 128 silver plaques in the garden. ALL researched with the same integrity and research as the next one by Mary DiThomas. This does not account for the emigrants that were researched and unfortunately did not qualify to receive their silver plaque in the garden. Mary spends literally hours and sometimes weeks researching, voluntarily, out if her love for Rose, the emigrants, and the residents. Of course some are much easier than others but the majority take a bit of time and many come from her commitment to many years of records she has researched. Mary has exclusive contact with the officials at the Comune to assist when records are out of her reach or confirmation is required.

If any of you have ever either hired (or inquired) about hiring either a genealogist or researcher to do your family history I can tell you by personal experience, it can cost hundreds, and even thousands of dollars to accomplish with documented proof. After all, if it was easy, we would each do it ourselves, right? The resource we have with Mary is a true gift to all of us and we owe her a huge debt of gratitude.

I do need to say we are winding up the emigrants we can add to the garden and the individual sponsorships for amenities. Long term, we will need to turn to other types of sponsorships to be used towards regular maintenance and repair. I am not getting younger 🤷‍♀️. Our goal was never to make this gift to Comune di Rose a burden but to show our gratitude to this amazing place that is in our hearts.