BIOGRAPHY

Richard Blandini was born in Sicily, in Southern Italy, and raised in a traditional Sicilian Catholic family. His father’s family hails from the medieval town of Pietraperzia, a name meaning "Pierced Stone." This designation derives from ancient archeological sites in the area, where natural rocks with unique perforations are found, a feature that influenced the town's Sicilian dialect form, pietra perciata (pierced stone). These stones are linked to a variety of pre- and protohistoric tombs carved into rock faces. The village itself carries a rich heritage, intertwined with Greek, Roman, Berber, and Norman influences. Richard successfully traced his family's presence here as far back as the early 1500s. On his mother’s side, Richard's roots trace back to Agrigento, an area rich in Greek heritage as it was once a part of Magna Graecia, the greater Greek region of Sicily and once the ancient Greek colony of Akragas.  This area was a hub of ancient Greek culture, leaving a lasting impact on Sicilian traditions, language, and architecture that endures to this day. Agrigento, known in antiquity as Akragas, was famed for its monumental Greek temples, some of which still stand and highlight the deep connection between Sicilian and Greek cultures. The dialects, art, and religious customs in Sicily reflect these Greek influences, fostering a cultural blend unique to the island. 

Richard's close connection to his grandmother during childhood impacted his life in many ways and still inspires him today. His devotion and passion to trace the history of Pietraperzia, his family's hometown, is mostly due to the influence of his grandmother on his childhood and a tribute to her. 

Richard's father Paolo, a devout practicing Catholic, used to be well-known in Italy in the field of religious sect studies between the 1990s and 2000s, and authored several publications and studies on the subject. 

From a young age, deeply inspired by his father, uncle and brother, all painters, Richard developed a profound passion for both art and writing. Simultaneously, he immersed himself in genealogy and family history, meticulously constructing an extensive family tree that traces back to over 1,000 ancestors and reaches as far as the early 1500s, collecting old records from the Catholic Church, the Italian Civil Archives, the Declarations of Assets records and Notarial Deeds, meticulously piecing together the intricate details of their lives. Later on, after two decades of genealogical research, he began integrating DNA testing into his work, ultimately becoming an expert in genetic genealogy and becoming an active member of the ISOGG.

Through his research, Richard discovered his ancestral connection to Nicolò Gallo (maternal great grandfather), a renowned politician former Italian Minister of Education and Justice from 1897 to 1907, a professor in Aesthetics at the University of Rome and a writer with a background in philosophy and pioneer of the Science of Art in Aesthetics, a prominent figure who has significantly influenced his passion for art and writing. Nicolo Gallo's son, Gerlando, Richard's maternal grandfather, ran the largest pasta factory in Sicily and Italy, straddling the end of the 19th century and the beginning of the 20th century. However, the factory was permanently closed due to the impacts of World War II. 

Additionally, through his paternal great-grandmother, Caterina Giarrizzo, Richard is related to the playwright, dramatist, and story writer from Pietraperzia, Giovanni Giarrizzo (1898 - 1982).

In Italy, Richard's professional journey was diverse, including work as a graphic designer, volunteering to help visually impaired individuals, and taking on roles in the Italian food industry. Inspired by his personal background and deep-rooted connection to Sicily, Richard took on work with an organization and public institution committed to fighting mafia and extortion, driven by a desire to support victims of organized crime. This experience left a lasting impact on him. 

In 2014, Mario Rino Biancheri, the president of the organization, dedicated two pages of his book "Sepolto vivo" to Richard, in his biographical story about injustice and mafia experienced during the years of service. 

By an absurd twist of fate, Richard's genealogical research revealed that his grandfather Giovanni Blandini was a second cousin to John Oddo, also known as Johnny Bath Beach, a former lieutenant to Al Capone, the most infamous gangster and businessman in the United States during the 1920s and early 1930s.

Richard pursued studies in art and later on became an educator, a role that continues to shape his professional journey. Today, his passion for genetic genealogy remains strong, alongside his enduring love for art and writing. 

In 2018, he discovered to carry the E-V22 haplogroup, a Y-DNA marker associated with certain ancestral lineages in the Levant and linked to the Jewish Diaspora. One year later, he founded the E-V22 study project, a project dedicated to studying the genetic origins and historical migrations of individuals carrying the E-V22 genetic mutation. This project aims to trace the ancient movements of people from the Near East, particularly those with Jewish heritage, and their dispersal throughout Europe and North Africa. By analyzing DNA data, historical records, and archaeological findings, the E-V22 project seeks to uncover connections between present-day descendants and their ancient ancestors, contributing to a deeper understanding of human history and the legacy of the Jewish diaspora in these regions. Today, the project counts more than 400 members from all over the world.

In the same year, through diligent investigative work using the innovative NGS (Next Generation Sequencing) on his Y chromosome, along with that of another man residing in Belgium who shares the same surname and genetic marker, he was able to precisely confirm the paternity of his sixth great-grandfather, Francesco Blandini. This discovery also brought to light the tragic story of his 6th great grandmother Rosaria Alù, who died by suicide in 1742. 

Richard's grandfather Giovanni Blandini, a former police investigator in the mid-1900s, along with his two brothers Rosario and Filippo, has been his greatest source of inspiration for all of his investigative work. In fact, the three Blandini brothers are remembered for the many criminal cases they solved.

To deepen his expertise in genetic studies and advance professionally in the field, he pursued academic studies in health sciences in 2022 and is set to graduate soon.   

In the same year, at a conference on Sicilian genetics he organized in Sicily, he used genetic testing to confirm a long-standing family story about the true identity of his grandmother's biological father. In the same year he was featured in a testimonial video by the Houston based company Family Tree DNA during the international conference RootsTech. 

In 2024, after six years of extensive research, he concluded that his earliest known paternal ancestor—the one from whom he inherited the E-V22 haplogroup—was a Jew.  This discovery was supported by both genetic evidence and historical context, revealing that his forebears likely belonged to the Jewish communities that once thrived in Sicily during the Middle Ages, before converting to Christianity. Through the study of his Y-DNA haplogroup and its migrations, he traced his lineage back to the Jewish populations of the Holy Land, connecting his family's story to the broader narrative of Jewish history and their presence in Europe over centuries.

Richard is an avid reader, with a particular interest in art, history and science.