Friday, January 31, 2020

History of Italian Immigration to America






The BELLINO FAMILY of Lodi, New Jersey

Immigrated to New York City from Lercara Friddi Sicily in 1904

Before settling in Lodi, where Filipo opened a Shoemaker Shop on Main Street


Can you imagine what it was like to say goodbye to your family, your home and your friends? To leave for a strange country, not knowing the language, and with little or no money? Who would do such a thing? Why would anyone do something so drastic?
The following is not "pretty story." It is however a TRUE STORY that ends well, and it needs to be told, and told again and again, lest future generations forget. It is the history of our families emigration to America....why they came and what it was like when they got here.

Going to America

Most Italian immigrants never planned to stay in the US permanently. There is even a special phrase that was coined for Italians: "Birds of Passage" since their intent was to be migratory laborers. Even though about 75% of Italian immigrants were farmers in Italy, they did not wish to farm in the US (as it implied a permanence that did not figure in their plans). Instead, they headed for cities where labor was needed and wages were relatively high. Many Italian men left their wives and children behind because they expected to return (and many, many did). In any event, for many Italian immigrants, migration could not be interpreted as a rejection of Italy. In fact, it is a defense of the Italian way of life, for the money sent home helped to preserve the traditional order. Rather than seeking permanent homes, they desired an opportunity to work for (relatively) high wages in the city and save enough money to return to a better life in Italy. Very commendable considering the difficult conditions that characterized life in southern Italy in those times. These conditions were a result of many different factors.


The History


The vast majority of immigration came from the former Independent and Sovereign State of southern Italy, the Kingdom of the Two Sicilies. It included all continental southern Italy from Abruzzi, to Calabria and Puglia, and Sicily. It was occupied in 1860, without a declaration of war, by the northern Piedmontese Kingdom ruled by the House of Savoy (Kingdom of Sardinia). A ten-year bloody civil war followed, and, as a result, about one million people, Neapolitans and Sicilians, were murdered by the Italian Army of occupation. The National Treasury of the Two Sicilies was robbed and appropriated by the invaders. Even machines from Neapolitan factories were moved to the North. Severe economic depression followed.

Although southern Italy's troubles can be attributed to exploitation by their own people, I don't believe it is fair (or historically accurate) to attribute all the suffering to northern Italians alone. In fact, for centuries in all of Italy the entire peninsula was divided into feuding states, with foreign powers often ruling one or several states. In this chaotic situation, the feudal system ruled the economic system. Specifically, the feudal system allowed hereditary land possession to determine one's political power and social status, so many poor Italians had almost no opportunity to improve their lives. But it is true, that southern Italians suffered more hardships than those in the North. The Italian government was dominated by northerners, and southerners were hurt by high taxes and high protective tariffs on northern industrial goods. Additionally, much of southern Italy's problems can be attributed to it's lack of coal and iron ore which was needed by industry; extreme scarcity of cultivatable land, soil erosion, deforestation, and overpopulation. For the North, their higher level of industrialism meant less poverty and agricultural difficulties. On top of all of that, several natural disasters rocked southern Italy during the early 20th century: Mt. Vesuvius erupted burying an entire town near Naples, Mt. Etna's eruption, the 1908 earthquake and tidal wave that swept through the Strait of Messina, which killed more than 100,000 people in the city of Messina alone.


Ellis Island




(The following text is from "The World's Work" written in 1902)
I welcomed Florio Vincenzo when he came over to become one of us. He had no doubts of the future for he wooed the Goddess of Good Fortune boldly. Florio is fourteen; he came from Palermo. He traveled light. When he opened his cheap paper valise, it was apparently empty, save for a pair of discredited and disreputable old shoes. Florio bowed, cap in hand, and his white teeth flashed as he smiled suavely:
There was an odor that an old inspector knew. He picked up one of the shoes and extracted from it, after some manipulation, a creased and crumpled hunk of Bologna sausage. The other shoe was stuffed with a soft, sticky and aggressively fragrant mass of Italian cheese. These articles and a sum of Italian money equivalent to about $1.80, and the clothes he stood in, formed the basis on which Florio expected to rear his fortune.
Pietro Viarilli was gray-haired, round-shouldered, and weazened. He, too, had come make his fortune. His impedimenta consisted of one padlocked canvas valise lined with paper and containing two striped cotton shirts, one neckerchief of yellow silk blue flowers and edges, one black hat (soiled and worn), one waistcoat, two pairs of woolen hose of gay design, one suit of underwear, one pint of olive oil and about half a peck of hard bread biscuits. Until his arrival the list included a quart of Vesuvian wine of the rich purple hue one may buy in cheap cafes in Naples. Carelessly Pietro had slung his valise from his shoulder, and had smashed his bottle, drenching his store of biscuits. He and his companions had munched them greedily until the supply was exhausted.

Money Brought by the Immigrants
At the examination the immigrants are asked to show their money. Some craftily fail to show it all; others willingly display their whole petty hoardings. The money is carefully counted, and, after a record has been taken, restored to them. Later, they are asked if they wish any money changed. Many refuse for fear of being cheated; others stop before the busy money-changers' booth at the end of the long examination room.

Last year the 388,931 immigrants showed $5,490,080, an average of $14.12 The French led all the others with an average of $39.37. The Hebrews stood at the foot of the list bringing on an average $8.58. The Germans followed the French with an average of $31.14. The other nationalities stood in the list as follows:
Race Average per Capita
Italians(Northern) $23.53
Bohemian and Moravian $22.78
Scandinavian $18.16
Irish $17.10
Armenian $15.75
Croation and Dalmation $15.54
Greek $15.10
Slovak $12.31 Magyar $10.96
Italian(Southern) $8.67

Roughly speaking, the North-of-Europe people make better citizens than those from the South of Europe. The better class go to the country and the worst to the cities. Greeks are considered about the least desirable of all; the Italians from the southern portion of the peninsula also make poor citizens; but those from the northern part of Italy rank with the Swiss and other desirable nationalities.

At Work
In an open ditch, red and raw under a broiling sun, sixty-five Italian immigrants, stripped to the necessities, toiled silently with shovel and pick. A hard-faced, red-necked man, their taskmaster, walked up and down the trench, and wherever he stopped the men worked with feverish speed. Temporarily, at least, this will be the fate of thousands of the other immigrants who flowed in through Ellis Island in this year's spring flood, the greatest in twenty years.

These Greeks and the Southern Italians, however, who live by selling fruit from the push carts in the city streets, earn considerable sums of money. An old Italian was detained at Ellis Island, preparatory to being deported because he had arrived here penniless. He sent for his son, a push-cart man, who had been in this country just one year. The boy (he was not more than twenty) brought his book showing deposits aggregating $250. This money represented the sum he had saved. He impressed upon the inspectors his ability to support his father, and the old man was admitted. The boy said his expenses were about $7.00 a week, and that he did not work for a padrone, but was an independent merchant.(End of text from "The World's Work" written in 1902)

Life In A New World

And so... to America we came, hundreds upon hundreds of thousands until we were more than four million. We faced overwhelming prejudice, poverty and the isolation of being in a strange and unfriendly country. The majority came to the US when they were very young with high hopes for a better future for themselves and their families. They found that not only were the streets not paved with gold but that they were expected to pave them. We soon discovered that we were here to do the dirty work that nobody else wanted to do. We came to a place that considered us and treated us as less than equal. (Read the comments written above.) We were regarded as low class, stupid and inferior.

We had to learn how to hide our foreignness. We had to learn how to fit in and to adapt and so we did. However, we still held our heads high and we were still proud of where we came from and of who we were. The mainstream of society tried to humbled us, but we refused to believe that they were better than us and we refused to be treated as inferior. We learned to speak English, we found jobs, we started our own businesses. We joined unions and we even formed our own unions. We bought our own homes and we succeeded in spite of the prejudice, discrimination, and less than friendly welcome we received in the US.

We stuck together and even managed to preserve the Italian way of life back in Italy by sending home a great deal of money. In the US, Italians mobilized to preserve their culture. In Italian neighborhoods, Italian shops and other businesses sprung up. Italians made it a habit to buy from other Italians. We kept the money in the community and we prospered. I remember my father would never buy from a 'mericano' (American) if he could by it from an Italian. Italian-American newspapers were published in major cities, immigrant-aid and fraternal societies were formed --i.e., Sons of Italy etc. All of this greatly helped the continuously arriving immigrants who in addition to the strong Italian work ethic, brought dance, music and food! In fact, Italian food is now a staple of the American diet.






Filipo Bellino

1904






SANTO CARUSO and NUNZIA PIGNARERO CARUSO

On Their WEDDING DAY






COOKING SICILIAN







FRANK SINATRA with daughter NANCY (L)

and Parents DOLLY and MARTINO SINATRA


Frank Sinatra's father, born Severino Antonino Martino Sinatra in Lercara Friddi, Sicily in 1857, immigrated to New York City from Palermo, Sicily in 1903. Marty Sinatra (as he was called) married Natalia Garaventa in Jersey City, NJ on Valentines Day, February 14, 1914. The couple settled in on Monroe Street in Hoboken, New Jersey where Francis (Frank) Albert Sinatra was born on December 12, 1915 ...

Natalia Maria Vittoria Garaventa (aka Dolly) was born on December 26, 1896 in town near Genoa, Italy, and her parents immigrated to America when Natilina was just 2 months old in 1897.




Saturday, January 4, 2020

Sophia Loren

 
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Clark Gable and Sophia Loren

The ISLE of CAPRI

During the Shooting of IT STARTED in NAPLES
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CLARK GABLE and SOPHIA LOREN


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WHISKEY & SODA

TU VUO FA L'AMERICANO

"I WANT to BE AMERICAN"

SOPHIA LOREN
IT STARTED in NAPLES
with CLARK GABLE



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Movie Poster
IT STARTED in NAPLES

This was the last film that Clark Gable 
  made that was released in his lifetime.
 


Looking for a  HOTEL on CAPRI

NAPLES - POSITANO -
The AMALFI COAST
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SOPHIA LOREN Cooks SPAGHETTI

From the Movie "IT STARTED in NAPLES"
with CLARK GABLE

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POSITANO is COMING !
The AMALFI COAST
COOKBOOK - TRAVEL GUIDE

March 2020 


SOPHIA LOREN
In "The GOLD of NAPLES"

Directed by Vittorio DeSica

SOPHIA'S Favorite RECIPES

 


La SOPHIA  



Sunbathing

On a Boat off of Napoli


 


SOPHIA





SOPHIA LOREN In "SCANDAL in SORRENTO"

  On location in SORRENTO ITALY




SEXY SOPHIA  



 
Sophia Loren with Jane Mansfield
A photo taken 60 years ago of Hollywood’s two most alluring sex symbols is still getting a lot of attention. The most famous side-eye or even stink eye photo in history belongs to Sophia Loren’s reaction to Jayne Mansfield and her famous large assets! Here’s a little history of the iconic photo that appeared in newspapers and magazines with the word ‘censored’ hiding Jayne's exposed breast.
The story goes that Sophia Loren was at a Paramount party in Beverly Hills that was organized for her when she was a newcomer to Hollywood in 1957. Everyone who was anyone was there. But the last person to come to this event was the va-va-voom force of nature that was blonde bombshell Jayne Mansfield.  She sat down at Sophia’s table which included actor Clifton Webb and of course, had every eye in the room watching her. She barely dressed for this event and her famous ample breasts were the focus of a notorious publicity stunt intended to take the media attention away from newcomer Sophia. Loren couldn’t help but stare at her exposed nipple, as she was fearful that they would come down crashing down on her plate! She said she was afraid that everything in her dress was going to explode, BOOM! And spill all over the table.
There were other photos taken of Sophia at the event laughing and more relaxed with Jayne later in the evening but this version of the vision, will last forever. Sophia admitted her mind was always on that dress. And the only picture that truly shows how it actually felt for Sophia at that moment of time. A bit shocked, fear in the eyes, all of it right there. Forever captured in such a brief but telling moment of history. Sophia exclaimed, “No, no. Well, there may be other photos, but this is the picture. This is the one that shows how it was. This is the only picture.”
Sophia is constantly asked to autograph this photo, but out of respect for the late Jayne Mansfield, she always declines. And she truly doesn’t like to be associated with the photo that launched millions of side-eyes. 
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SUNDAY SAUCE

EAT LIKE SOPHIA

 


Sophia Loren w/ Clark Gable

on The Isle of Capri

"It Started in Naples"




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Thursday, January 2, 2020

Best Sandwich Panino in Italy Siracusa Market





ITALY'S BEST PANINO

STREET FOOD in SIRACUSA SICILY

The MARKET in ORTIGIA








SICILIAN STREET FOOD

At the Market (Mercato) in ORTIGIA

SIRACUSA

SICILIA




COOKING SICILIAN









ITALY'S Most FAMOUS PANINO

SANDWICH






 





FORMAGIO











CASEFICIO BORDERI

ORIGIA MERCATO

SIRACUSA





SIRACUSA

SICILY




HISTORY and RECIPES

Of The SUBMARINE SANDWICH




HOW to MAKE

An ITALIAN SANDWICH




SICILIAN FOOD

RECIPES

Amazon.com





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How Make Potato Gnocchi

 
POTATO GNOCCHI
 
 
Ingredients :
 
 
1 pound Baking Potatoes
1 cup Flour
1 extra large Egg
 
Wash potatoes. Leave skin on. Boil the potatoes until tender (when you can easily stick a fork to the middle of a potato).
 
Remove from water and place in a colander.
 
As soon as the potatoes have cooled enough, peel skins off of them.
 
Put potatoes in a Food Mill or Ricer and pass them through into a large bowl.
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Working very gently with a wooden spoon or spatula, mix into the puréed potato a generous pinch of salt, the egg (optional) and enough flour to make a smooth, soft and only slightly sticky dough. Do not knead the dough or it will become gummy, just mix the ingredients together as gingerly as you can. Form the dough into a ball and place it on a well floured surface. 
 
Then break off a handful of the dough and roll that with both hands until you have a ‘rope’ about the thickness of your thumb. Cut this rope into 1 inch lengths. Take each bit of dough and flip it with your index finger against the inside of a fork (or if you have one, the special Rigagnocchi, or ‘gnocchi paddle’ pictured below, which you can find in some specialty food shops). This will cause the gnocchi to take on a concave shape with ridges on the outside, which will ‘catch’ any sauce you put on them. Cook the Gnocchi in gently boiling well-salted water. They are done just as soon as they rise to the surface of the water.
 
 
GNOCCHI con BOLOGNESE
 
WORLD'S BEST RECIPE
 
RAGU BOLOGNESE
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Federic Castelluccio Sopranos

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The Sopranos

Frederico Casteluccio, Steven Van Zandt, James Gandolfini



Bumped into Federico today. Frederico Castelluccio that is. I know Federico for a few years. We are not fast friends or anything like that, aquaintances you could say, I know him from around town and when he first started coming to a restaurant I was Wine-Director of Barbetta. Federico first came to Barbetta with Tony Cipolla and the great Italian actor Giancarlo Giannini of Swept Away and other fame.

Anyway I bumped into Federico who was having lunch with a friend at Da Silvano Restaurant in my neighborhood. We chatted a few minutes and I gave him a copy of my book "La TAVOLA" Hope he likes it. Many might not know, but Federico is a World Renowned Painter. He paints in oils in the classic style, and he is a great painter. Federico was born in Naples, Italy and grew up in Paterson, New Jersey were his parents immigrant to when Federico was just 4 years old in 1964. Federico was a talented young artist and was awarded a full scholarship to The School of Visual Arts. Federico started acting in 1986 and is best know for his role as Furio in HBO's The SOPRANOS. Federico has many other acting credits. He's an all around talented guy and a Prince of a Person. We look forward to all of Federico's artist endeavors in painting, acting, and other. Bravo Federico!



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Federico Castelluccio In HIS STUDIO




 
Painting by Federico Castelluccio


                  Painting by Federico Castelluccio




 
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La TAVOLA


  "La TAVOLA" Is Available on Amazon.com along with Other Titles by Daniel Bellino Zwicke, Including THE FEST of THE 7 FISH and GOT ANY KAHLUA?  The COLLECTED RECIPES of The DUDE .... ABIDE ! Watch for Daniel's "SUNDAY SAUCE" Due For NOVEMBER 2013 PUBLICATION ....  




Get SUNDAY SAUCE on Amazon.com






Martyrdom of Saint Sebastian


by Guercino



Federico Castelluccio discovered a 17th century painting by Italian Baroque painter Guercino at a Frankfurt gallery and subsequently purchased it at auction after it had been incorrectly identified as an 18th-century painting. The painting was purchased for €49,000 and was estimated at $10 Million Dollars. The total cost of the painting including restoration and shipping plus extra costs came to $140,000











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