hello paesons any[pagano]heritage italians out there

Hello my friend! That would be me! From Basilicata, alot of our people are steeped in pagan traditions that have been around for 6000 years! It is a pleasure and an honor to meet another fellow Italian pagan!

Would you kindly explain to me what you exactly mean by pagano heritage?
Pagano as in paganism? I never heard of such a strong pagan tradition in Italy, but I live in Campani, probably Basilicata is different (never been there, by the way, although it's very close)

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Yes it refers to paganism. And as I said before it is steeped in thousands of years of tradition. Remember, Basilicata is a time machine.....

The problem with Basilicata is that one never thinks about it when it comes to tourism and such! But it seems interesting from what you say!
Is this paganism currently active or it's just a remaining tradition without actual applications?

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It is currently active as far I know!

There are actually 6005 people listed in the Italian Phone Book (Pagine Bianche) with the surname Pagano.
(Sorry to but in, but genealogy is a pastime of mine...)

But the name Pagano could have derived in several ways:

Paganelli, Paganello, Paganetti, Paganetto, Pagani, Paganin, Paganoni
All these surnames make one speculate around a non Christian origin of the family and in fact they were in use in medioeval times and used to define barbarians and non Christians or saracens. Therefore the surname Pagano appeared. But it is possible that it derived also from many nick names with roots in paganism.

Famous personages in the 1700’s – the distinguished jurist Francesco Mario Pagano native of Brienza, in Basilicata. There also exists the possibility that the surname Pagano derives from the altered Paganello and Paganino documented by Pagano Della Torre (Torriani), founder of the dynasty in the 13th century; Pagano Doria in the 14th Century

Translated in part from the 'Origins of Surnames'.