About Us

Guardia Lombardi (AV)

Stephanie Longo

Author, Irpinia Stories

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Ciao tutti! My name is Stephanie Longo– most people know me for my work in the Italian American community as associate producer of the Italian American Podcast or through my work regionally as a historian focusing on the Italian American community of Northeastern Pennsylvania.

However, one of my greatest research loves has been the Irpinia region of Campania because there, in the town of Guardia Lombardi, my grandfather, Joseph Anthony Longo, was born in 1916. I never met my Nonno Joe as he died eight years before I was born, but my mother told me stories about him since I was little. The story that stuck with me the most was that he wanted to return home to Guardia many times, but never had the opportunity to go back because life got in the way.

Irpinia Stories is my celebration of my ancestral homeland done through stories of the place that so many people’s families called home before moving to the United States. I realized that not a lot of people were familiar with the area and decided to do something about it. To my knowledge, this is the only English-language blog out there focusing exclusively on the region and for that I am proud!

In just a few short years since starting this blog, I’ve met countless people whose stories I have gotten or will get to tell. I’ve gotten to have experiences I never would have dreamed of, and I’ve even picked up a few awards along the way for some of my favorite posts, such as this one on St. Rocco and this one on the Languages of Campania. (While no one does a project like this for the awards, the pat on the back is always a nice thing!)

I’ve been to Irpinia several times and am always looking forward to going back to discover even more about this magical place that is now a second home for me, too! I hope you enjoy this passion project of mine and I hope you get to experience the “Land of the Wolves” for yourself one day as well!

Buona lettura!

This 2005 photo is of me standing in front of the house where my grandfather was born (1916) in what is now called Piazza Kennedy in Guardia Lombardi (AV). My grandfather, along with the rest of his family, left Guardia to come to Scranton, PA, in 1927.
Connect with me!

I am always looking for more stories to tell on this blog, so please connect with me below on my social sites or hit the “Contact Me’ button above with any story suggestions or just to say hello!