Italiano:
Nota: Il cognome Tiberino/Tiberini di Gessopalena è stato scientificamente provato, tramite test avanzati di Y-DNA, come derivato dallo stesso capostipite maschile della famiglia Larcinese.

English:
Note: The surname Tiberino/Tiberini of Gessopalena has been scientifically proven, through advanced Y-DNA testing, to descend from the same male founder as the Larcinese family.

1. The Roman Root: Arx / Arcis

Il termine latino arx (arcis) significa cittadella, fortezza situata in alto. In tutta l’Europa medievale questo elemento linguistico genera toponimi e cognomi che non alludono a forme topografiche (“sella”), bensì a centri fortificati ed ecclesiastici. In italiano, il suffisso aggettivale -ensis → -ese produce gentilizi come Genovese, Milanese, Larcinese.

The Latin term arx (arcis) means citadel, fortress on high ground. Throughout medieval Europe this linguistic root produces place names and surnames referring not to topographical shapes (“saddle”) but to fortified and ecclesiastical centers. In Italian, the adjectival suffix -ensis → -ese yields gentilics such as Genovese, Milanese, Larcinese.

2. The Ecclesiastical Arcioni

• La famiglia nobile romana degli Arcioni: attiva a Roma e nell’Italia settentrionale, con figure ecclesiastiche come Nicola Arcioni, arcivescovo di Teramo. Il loro cognome appare nei documenti medievali come Arsionum, Archionibus, Arcionibus.
   
• Connessioni monastiche: gli Arcioni sono attestati a Roma, Teramo, Parma, Montecassino, sempre in contesti legati alla Chiesa.
   
• Parallelismo francese: in bolle papali, la chiesa di San Pietro ad Arce è registrata come “Arsionibus”, chiaro riferimento al sito fortificato.
   
• The noble Roman family Arcioni: active in Rome and northern Italy, with ecclesiastical figures such as Nicola Arcioni, Archbishop of Teramo. Their surname appears in medieval documents as Arsionum, Archionibus, Arcionibus.
   
• Monastic connections: the Arcioni are attested in Rome, Teramo, Parma, Montecassino, always in ecclesiastical contexts.
   
• French parallel: in papal bulls, the Church of Saint Peter at Arce appears as “Arsionibus”, a direct reference to the fortified site.
   

3. Comparative Evidence Across Europe

Sulla mappa di Lubin (Orbis Augustinianus, 1659), Arcos de la Frontera appare con il gentilizio latinizzato: Archenensis (Arcenese). Ciò dimostra come i nomi derivati da Arco/Arce venissero resi con il suffisso -ensis, esattamente come Larcenese / Larcinese.

On Lubin’s 1659 Orbis Augustinianus map, Arcos de la Frontera is labeled with its Latinized gentilic: Archenensis (Arcenese). This demonstrates how Arco/Arce names were rendered with the -ensis form, exactly as in Larcenese / Larcinese.

Il borgo lombardo di Arcene chiama i suoi abitanti arcenesi, direttamente da arx. Le cronache locali collegano il nome a origini di fortezza/agger, con possibili echi etruschi (arcena).

The Lombard town of Arcene calls its people arcenesi, directly from arx. Local histories link the name to fortress/agger origins, with possible Etruscan echoes (arcena).

Il toponimo Rocca d’Arce significa letteralmente “fortezza della cittadella” (rocca = fortezza, arce = cittadella). La sua identità si fonda sul terreno fortificato, confermando la continuità di arx/arce nella toponomastica medievale.

The place name Rocca d’Arce literally means “fortress of the citadel” (rocca = fortress, arce = citadel). Its identity is rooted in fortified high ground, confirming the continuity of arx/arce in medieval toponymy.

La famiglia Larcinese è documentata nella Contrada Annunziata, accanto al castello e alla chiesa benedettina. Qui, Arcioni non indicava un semplice villaggio, ma il territorio ecclesiastico della cittadella.

The Larcinese family is documented in Contrada Annunziata, beside the castle and Benedictine church. Here, Arcioni did not mean a hamlet but the ecclesiastical terrain of the citadel.

4. Why “Saddle” Is Insufficient

Le definizioni moderne di arcione come “sella” o “arco” sono fuorvianti per la storia dei cognomi:

• Nessun documento nobiliare o ecclesiastico usa Arcioni in questo senso.
   
• Le forme latine Arsionibus/Arcionibus si riferiscono sempre a cittadelle o siti sacri fortificati.
   
• Un cognome come Larcinese non poteva derivare da un villaggio oscuro a forma di sella; come ricorda Joseph Fucilla (1949), i cognomi geografici si riferiscono a luoghi riconoscibili a tutti.
   

Modern glosses of arcione as “saddle” or “arch-shaped” are misleading for surname history:

• No noble or ecclesiastical record uses Arcioni in this sense.
   
• The Latin forms Arsionibus/Arcionibus always refer to citadel or fortified sacred sites.
   
• A surname like Larcinese could not derive from an obscure “saddle-shaped” hamlet; as Joseph Fucilla (1949) reminds us, geographical surnames refer to places universally recognized.
   

5. The Meaning of Larcinese

Larcinese = de/dell’Arcenese → “della Cittadella.”
Il cognome colloca la famiglia in rapporto diretto a:

• Il castello benedettino di Gessopalena
   
• Il territorio monastico di Sant’Egidio e Prata
   
• Il mondo benedettino di Montecassino
   

Larcinese = de/dell’Arcenese → “of the Citadel.

The surname places the family in direct relation to:

• The Benedictine castle of Gessopalena
   
• The monastic terrain of Sant’Egidio and Prata
   
• The Benedictine world of Montecassino
   

When approaching the origins of the name Larcinese, it is essential to move beyond the lazy definitions sometimes offered for Arcioni — “saddle,” “archer,” or similar. Such explanations may serve in a modern dictionary, but they lack the historical and ecclesiastical vigor that the name actually carries.

In my own research — grounded in notarial acts, church documents, prosopography, and Y-DNA analysis — a different picture emerges. The evidence demonstrates that Arcioni and Larcinese belong to a dialect of ecclesiastical geography, rooted in the Arx/Arce tradition of citadels, castles, and fortified monasteries. This usage is attested in Rome, Teramo, Montecassino, Parma, and across Europe in places like Arcos de la Frontera (Archenensis) and Arcene (arcenesi).

While it is easy to chase the “obvious” candidates — Arcene, Larciano, Lanciano — the painstaking work of reconstructing family, clerical, and territorial networks in Gessopalena points to a far more nuanced reality. The surname is not reducible to a topographic whim, but reflects a deep ecclesiastical landscape that only careful study can uncover.

I acknowledge that others may hold different views. Yet too often, such views are guided by impressions or feelings rather than by evidence. This site does not aim to promote conjecture for its own sake. It seeks instead to present the most documented, exacting, and accurate research to date. Anyone with alternative theories based on solid sources and verifiable analysis is welcome to contact me. But arguments built on inspiration over scholarship — no matter how heartfelt — cannot replace the weight of historical documentation.