Carmela & 12th ST.,
Among all the Italians in the South, The Sicilians were the most inclined to intermarry. In other words, it was not uncommon for Cousins some times to marry.
My wife is Sicilian and her parents were first cousins.
Also, I know of some cases where two brothers married 2 sisters and a brother & sister married another brother and siter. It makes the children double first cousins.
Sicilians are very clannish. That's why the Sicilian Mafia clans were successful. Each clan was mostly all related by blood or marriage.
True. I understand all that. My husband moved here at 20 years old from Sicily. Of course they intermarry. Sometimes? lol His entire family over there are first cousins practically. Then there's my dad who moved here from Sicily as a small child and he's also got first cousins that married. You have to understand, they don't get out much from their own town/province. Things are changing more today, but Sicily is the last to make it to 21st century.
