Bianca Maria Gjomarkaj
Original Author
Bianca Maria Gjomarkaj was born in Rome, Italy in 1959. At thirteen, she and her family emigrated to New York City. Her mother, Maria Teresa Agostini Gjomarkaj, instilled in her a love of literature, art, and history. Over time Bianca became more interested in her family history, which ultimately led her to research her ancestor, Sister Maria Rosa Agostini. This interest grew over the years from exposure to an oil portrait inherited by her grandfather, Carlo Agostini of Loreto, which hung in her family's living room. The portrait has been her inspiration for the book "The Merchant Saint of Loreto"; a portrait which now hangs in Bianca's living room and is a constant reminder of her Italian heritage. Bianca always remembered her Albanian roots. After her relocation to Shkodra in 2012, she began extensive research into her paternal origins. This research culminated with her penning a historical account of her family, concentrating on their suffering during the communist regime 1944-1991. Bianca shares insight into their stories of survival and death in the book "Tower of Resistance-Markagjoni Family an Albanian Dynasty" which is a comprehensive book filled with historical documents, references and photographs.