About Us

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Matthew Larcinese is a medievalist, archivist, and museologist who has conducted archival research in Europe for over 20 years. Currently a Ph.D. candidate, he focuses on medieval history, Church influence, and museum anthropology. He holds a master’s degree in Museum Studies, Heritage, and Interpretation from the University of Leicester. His research includes curating and translating archives, relics, and antiquities in central Italy. Recent projects involve transcribing 13th- and 16th-century texts, such as Digestum Scripturarum Coelestinae Congregationis, II, II,30/1, and documents by Notary Claudio Paglione (1580–1609) and Parrocchia di S. Valentino Martire Battezzati records (1598–1652) from Italian and Latin into English.

For two decades, Matthew has explored his roots in Gessopalena, Abruzzo, tracing 35 local family lines back to the 1500s. Through 16th-century notarial documents, he located ancestral land, purchasing 15 acres of a property his family has held for over 500 years, with historical homes built by his family in the early 1800s. 

Matthew’s lineage is interwoven with the Benedictine, Cistercian, and Celestine monastic orders. His ancestors, among them members of the Tiberino, di Blasio and de Berardo families, were significant to both the local clerical and magistrate classes. His research has revealed that while the Benedictines were established in this Abruzzo region since the 9th century (including the Monte Cassino monastery in Frosinone), the 13th-century Celestine branch constructed another monastery directly tied to his family’s origins. Records indicate that several members of his family were affiliated with these monastic institutions, with at least eight priests in the early 1600s.

His latest fieldwork uncovered the location of a Cistercian monastery, demolished by local communities in the mid-14th century. Alongside surviving artifacts like pottery and architectural fragments, he was able to determine its historical site, although further excavation will be needed to understand the full cultural impact of this area.

Matthew’s work often involves tracing ancient documents and uncovering the remains of monasteries lost for centuries. His journey includes exploring the ruins of 700-year-old monastic sites, piecing together historical accounts of their construction, and rekindling the forgotten faith traditions that once flourished in these places. Besides his work on family land and monastic histories, he has also rediscovered several Jewish quarters and ghettos in Abruzzo, offering new perspectives on the region’s diverse cultural heritage.

Ludovica Pimpinella, 30 years, Rome, Italy.

Official Italian translator, theatre, and art lover. For years she has been engaged in equal opportunities and antiviolence culture. Ludovica states,  “Rome means everything to me. I could never live without the fascination and magnificence of the eternal city.”