By K. Burnell Evans
About 240 years ago, Antonio Giannini and his wife and daughter left Fibbialla, Italy, for Virginia at the behest of Florentine merchant Philip Mazzei, a friend of Thomas Jefferson's.
Part of a cadre of skilled workers Mazzei employed at Colle, his farm adjoining Monticello, Giannini planned to return home after five years.
Source: http://www.dailyprogress.com