I'm posting here on behalf of my wife, who's the one with the Italian ancestors, since I've never been able to persuade her to use any of the many computers I've used over the past 20+ years. Her mother, Leonora RISPOLI, was born in Standard Street, New Kent Road in South London, in 1908. Her father Andrea (he later used the name Andrew), described himself at that time as a 'Fritterer (market)'. In later years, he had a greengrocers' shop in Deptford. Leonora's mother was Andoria RISPOLI, formerly MANZI. We believe that the family came from Amalfi, and probably not too long before the birth of Leonora. We are keen to find out more about where they came from, and seeking information from the PRO regarding naturalisation might be the best way to go. We are not at all certain that Leonora's parents were ever naturalized, certainly her father was dead when Leonora married my wife's father in 1929, and, due to the cultural and religious differences between the families of bride and bridegroom, relations between them were apparently always rather 'distant'. However, some contacts were retained, and my wife's father told me a fascinating story of how he attended the funeral of one of his Italian relatives - it might have been a RISPOLI, a MANZI, or an AVITABLE. The wake took place in the small living room above the greengrocer's shop in Deptford. All the family were present, including the deceased, and elderly gentleman who stood, fully dressed in his Sunday best black suit and black hat, in his coffin, which was propped in one corner. Apparently, he stood there as though he was just about to take a walk to his own funeral. To me, all this sounds very south Italian - Sicilian almost. I suppose that Amalfi is fairly far south though. We'd be very happy to contact anyone researching these same families, particularly here in the UK, and, of course, for any suggestions for getting some leads into Italy. Best wishes,-- Roy Dent EoLFHS #7549