I'd appreciate any advise from the Italian experts!
In my tree, Maria Messana (see note on surname at the end) was allegedly born in Salerno around 1845. Sometime before her marriage in 1870, she moved to San Severo. Her parents were Michele Messana (born 1817) and Antonia Consiglio (born 1817).
I know that Maria had at least three brothers - Francesco born in 1847 in Salerno, Salvatore born in 1849 in Quartiere San Giuseppe, Naples, and Pasquale born in 1854 in Salerno.
I've found baptism records for all three of the brothers, but not for Maria herself. Apparently the family moved around a bit between Naples and Salerno. Birth records in Salerno for the year of 1845 are not available on the Antenati website - are these available somewhere else or have they been destroyed?
I don't yet have the date of her death (she would have died in San Severo), but no useful information is included in her marriage record or publication.
Her father Michele is another issue for me, as it seems he was born in Caltanissetta, Sicily. This surname has been written as Messano in several documents from Salerno, but Messana seems to be the predominant spelling in this area of Sicily. Michele does not show up in baptisms for the town of Caltanissetta itself in 1817, so it's likely that he was from a village in this region. Ravanusa and San Cataldo seem to have the most Messana people. I also do not know when Michele died but I believe it was before 1879 in Salerno. I cannot find a record of his marriage to Antonia Consiglio.
Ultimately I am looking for Maria's baptism so I can help trace Michele's family farther.