Welcome
"Digging the Past, Inc. (DIG)** is an American educational organization founded by medievalist and museologist Matthew Larcinese, dedicated to the preservation, restoration, and recovery of history across Europe and the United States. Our work is grounded in “dust and bones” research—moving beyond internet-based records to uncover history where it lives, in archives, ruins, and landscapes. From rare document digitization and restoration of special collections to identifying and preserving archaeological sites, we are dedicated to recovering history’s forgotten corners and connecting them to the present.
For 2024 and 2025, our focus includes groundbreaking research in Italy, particularly within Benedictine sites. Ongoing projects in Abruzzo with the Ballerini family and in Sasso di Castalda, Potenza, with the Langone family, delve deep into monastic influences on local histories and culture. Matthew’s own surname research in Arcioni uncovers connections between Benedictine monastic orders and the origins of local families like the Larcinese and Tiberino, bringing to light the heritage behind these ancient lineages.
DIG also has two major family narrative projects underway for 2025: the Mann family, tracing its roots from Kent, England, to Scituate, MA, and the Melton family of Albemarle, VA, both the results of extensive, years-long research.
Since 2018, DIG has directed the **Abruzzo Judaica and Val di Sangro Research and Archaeology Project**. This initiative combines ancient documents, on-site analysis, archaeology, and Y-DNA sampling of male residents in small towns of central Italy. The project aims to reveal traces of Greek, Arab, Jewish, and other cultures that may have left a lasting impact in Abruzzo’s communities. The project has rapidly gained momentum and will soon expand into regions of Italy, Lithuania, Poland, Hungary, Ireland, and England.
We are actively seeking new projects and collaborators and will be conducting on-site research in Italy and England in January 2025. Whether recovering family lineages, exploring the influences of ancient monastic orders, or preserving forgotten cultural sites, DIG continues to bridge past and present, enriching our understanding of shared heritage.
