* The Pighini Family Coat of Arms: "Gules (Red), a tree vert (Green), on a terrace of the same, entwined by a serpent, proper, in chief, a magpie sable (Black)"

* The Pighini family Motto: "Sis Justis nec Timeas" (Be just and fear not)

* History of the Name: One of the first written records of the name was when Sebastiano Pighini (1500-1553), Bishop of Manfredonia, Italy was made a Cardinal of the church, under the title of S. Callisto, in 1552 by Pope Julius III. He was born in Arceto, near Scandiano in the diocese of Reggio. The son of Grazio Pighini & Caterina Vigarani. He was council president during the Council of Trent (1547 to 1549) and Nuncio before Emperor Charles V (1550 to 1551). He is buried in the church of S. Maria del Popolo in Rome.

* The oldest medieval structure on Via Appia in Imola, Italy is the Palazzo Pighini, dating from 1290 AD. The town of Imola is in the provence of Emilia Romagna, about 70 miles West of Castelnuovo & SE of Bologna.There is also a Pighini public square in the town of Arceto for the citizens of Arceto & Scandiano (Also in the provence of Emilia Romagna, West of Modena & ~ 40 miles NE of Castlenuovo)

* As of 1995 it was estimated that about 208 Pighini households existed worldwide. 133 households (~375 people) live in Italy, mainly Lucca; 48 live in the United States, mainly in Illinois; and 17 live in France, mainly Bouches Du Rhone.

* I am Gerald Pio Pighini. My wife of 50 years, Jackie, and I have four children; three married daughters (Valeri Roark, Dia Cornell & Renee Wright) and one married son - Mark A Pighini. My father, Arthur R Pighini was born in New York City as was I. We live in downtown San Jose, the heart of 'Silicon Valley'.

My sister Diane Herschderfer (nee Pighini), has two children Cas Milewski and Monique Reynolds all living in Southern California.

My father, Arthur Rinaldo Pighini was born in NYC in 1909. He married my mother, Marie Hebenstreit from Baldwin, Long Island in 1932, and died in Mtn. View, Ca in 1993.

My grandfather, Pio Pighini, immigrated from the town of Castlenuova di Garfagnana, in the province of Lucca, Tuscany in 1906. He came via Glascow, Scotland, where he had an Ice Cream business with his friend Belonzi . He was born in 1877 to Marcilio Pighini and Caterina Giovannelli. They had 11 children - Teresa (1873-1968,married name Bertucci), Isola (married name Moscardini lived in Firenze), Maria, Rosa, & Assunta.The boys were Alberto, Pietro, Francesco, Pio, Guiseppe, & Abramo. Pio died in NYC in May 1931. He was married to Maria Gabrielli in NYC. She immigrated in 1903 from Pontremoli in the province of Massa e Carrara in Tuscany. She married my grandfather in 1908. She had two sons by a previous marriage, Albert & Joseph Belonzi.