Find a street whose name was changed

[rp76226]

My grandfather, Evangelista Lorusso, was born on September 18, 1900 in the city of Altamura, Bari, Puglia, Italy. His parents lived at 58 Via Paunta. See attached record. Cannot find the address on Google Earth. Probably the street name was changed. Have a relative in Altamura for two days right now and the locals can't find it either. Would love to get a photo of this address.

[darkerhorse]

Are you sure that's the spelling?

[rp76226]

That's the spelling as I see it on his birth record which you can also view per the attachment. Do you think that it is spelled differently. Handwriting issues often cause problems.

[JPiedmont]

If that's not the spelling it's pretty close... although the attachment is a little grainy. Do you have the antenati link? (Not that that will be clearer, just asking on the off chance.)

[rp76226]

Here is that link (number 728):

http://dl.antenati.san.beniculturali.it ... 4.jpg.html

[erudita74]

could it be via (della) Poverta` (poverty???). I realize that the second letter looks like an "a," but if you look at the second letter in the words moglie and domiciliati, the "o" in those also look like the letter "a." Unfortunately, I can't find evidence online that a street with that name ever existed in that town

Erudita

[darkerhorse]

Have you tried searching old maps like this one?

Map of the southern provinces of Italy (1862-1876)
https://maps.arcanum.com/en/map/italy-1 ... &layers=20

[rp76226]

Just tried it now, but no luck.

[mmogno]

Definitely Via Povertà
http://sast.beniculturali.it/index.php/ ... 212e15ed63

[rp76226]

I see the street name by that red line. Don't see anything close to the number 58. Can't seem to travel the street using my mouse to find other house numbers. Google Earth not recognizing it on a Search.

Ron

[JPiedmont]

Not much has gone unchanged in Italy in the last hundred years thanks to development, modernization, and earthquakes. The trick with hundred and fifty year old maps like these is to find a point in common and use that as a reference. Via Conservatorio Carmine appears on both maps, and on mmogno's it's adjoining to the Via Poverta that you're looking for. Seems to me that your relative could go to the Chiesa del Carmine (perhaps an elderly priest there could help?) then take the turn onto Via Bisanzio Filo and head north, and they'd be in the approximate area where Via Poverta used to be. Without diving deep into municipal records to trace development, property sales, etc, the rest is up to fate. Perhaps your cousin will run into someone who remembers the area as a child and knows which buildings are original, or what happened that erased/changed the street.

Hope that helped. In bocca al lupo!

[rp76226]

My cousin is already gone from Altamura. She was there for one full day on vacation. I had the same problem with my paternal grandfather's birth address in Racalmuto (couldn't find it either) which I visited for three hours once on vacation on a brief detour from an escorted tour. I was also in Altamura for about 3 hours on that same escorted tour. Altamura is much bigger than Racalmuto.