Dear Readers,
Salvatore Marchese lives in Milan but was born in Canicatti, Sicily in 1976. A singer, writer, poet, children’s book author and composer, he has performed in New York, Los Angeles, Edmonton, Canada and recently performed in San Francisco, California, at the Museo ItaloAmericano, where in collaboration with the national Sicilian American Foundation (NSAF) members enjoyed a memorable evening listening to the Poetry and Music of Salvatore Marchese.
His poetic readings in Italian (with written English translations) reflected the poet’s love of travel which via his poetry becomes a sort of metaphor for his voyage through life as inspired by the Tuscan countryside, Capri, Pavia and Manhattan. Salvatore Marchese is also a composer as well as a poet. He has written many poems which, after adding music, have become songs. Transcending language barriers, it was these songs as sung by Salvatore and the added melodies that thrilled the audience.
Among the songs he performed were “Poeta inamorato”, “La forestiera”, and my favorite “Il sognatore” (The Dreamer), music and lyrics by Salvatore Marchese. In addition he sang “Grazie Dio” a song he introduced in Sicily last December. A member of the I.C.F. (Italian Catholic Federation) sitting in the audience, contacted Father Piero Giacomini, Chaplain at Saints Peter and Paul I.C. F. Branch 38, who officiates at the Italian Mass on Sunday and arranged for Salvatore Marchese to sing his “Grazie Dio” at Saints Peter and Paul Church, in North Beach on Pentecost Sunday.
Nota Bene: Find someone in your family who is computer literate and visit www.salvatoremarchese.com to enjoy a virtual performance of Salvatore Marchese’s “Grazie Dio”, his latest CD and then click on You Tube to enjoy his other poems, songs and interviews. All “molto” enjoyable. 2 photo captions: Salvatore Marchese, noted Italian pop singer, songwriter and poet at the Museo ItaloAmericano in San Francisco.
Salvatore Marchese, singer, writer, poet and composer from Sicily gave a poetry reading and performed some of his original music at the Museo ItaloAmericano in San Francisco. Following the program, a Museo member showed Marchese the Art of Frances Galli Exhibit.
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June Brides of yesteryear often included rich American girls who married “title” to boost their social standings into the stratosphere. But what they gained in status, they often lost in marital bliss. Huntington Hartford’s widowed mother, Henrietta’s bid to enter European royalty had its own misfortunes. Mrs. Hartford had made quite a social splash for herself at Newport, but when her victories there began to pale, she set her goals higher.
In 1937, at the age of fifty-six, she married Prince Guido Pignatelli, a Naples man whose ancestors included a pope. Henrietta Pollitzer Hartford became Princess Pignatelli. Unfortunately, Prince Guido had neglected to inform his first wife that he had divorced her only twenty-four hours before his remarriage. Having no intention of being an ex-princess, she filed suit in New York contending that the Reno divorce was invalid. After a nasty little trial at which neither Guido nor Henrietta made an appearance, the court found in favor of the first princess and stripped Henrietta of her title.
The prince concluded that the decision applied only to New York and since he was a resident of Nevada, the divorce was legal. Bur what’s the use of a title if you can’t use it in New York? The prince pursued the case, had his first marriage annulled, and, a few years later, the New York State Supreme Court granted Henrietta her title. The princess died in New Jersey in 1948 and left her husband a legacy of $50,000 and a $12,000 annuity to show her gratitude for her sojourn in the land of titles and tiaras.
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Napoleon Bonaparte, after escaping from exile on Elba, made a last bid for empire near Waterloo, Belgium, on June 18, 1815. In a battle now synonymous with ultimate defeat, his 72,000 French troops were repelled by the Prussian Army and forces led by Britain’s Duke of Wellington, and suffered 25,000 casualties. Forced to abdicate a second time, Napoleon was again exiled, to St. Helena Island, where he died at 51, in 1821.
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Venice, California, by C. Alexander, is part of Arcadia’s “Images of America” series which celebrates the history of neighborhoods, towns and cities across the country. Unlike its famous Italian counterpart, Venice, California (part of Santa Monica’s Ocean District until 1911) did not have an “abbondanza” of early Italian connections, however, Italians were pre-eminent musically in Venice, CA.
In 1911, Manfredi Chiaffarelli and his family were brought from Italy to lead the “Venice of America Band” in the Pavilion and in 1917 Cesare La Monica, also from Italy, took up the baton for the Venice Band of America at the Pavilion, whose members were all Italian immigrants. Readers familiar with Venice, CA will enjoy reading the short distinctive stories and viewing the excellent archival photographs. Info: www.arcadiapublishing.com
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Walla Walla, by E. Gibson, is also published by Arcadia. When Washington became a state in 1889, Olympia became the state capital, despite the fact that Walla Walla had once been the largest city in the state. Walla Walla’s agricultural pre-eminence continued to grow throughout the turn of the century. Grain production kept several mills busy. Apples were the most popular orchard fruit and they did very well in the warm summer climate. Peaches and apricots were also planted.
Row crops such as potatoes, onions, and squash grew well in the rich soil. Walla Walla became known as the Garden City. With all the farming going on, many related businesses arrived to support it, such as those that sold horses and mules as well as plows and harvesters. A large proportion of the vegetable growers were Italian, with a smaller group of Chinese descent. One of the most famous growers was Peter Pieri of Corsica.
He was responsible for bringing the onion seeds that, after cross-breeding, produced the famous Walla Walla Sweet Onions. Not only did these onions have excellent flavor, but it was possible to plant the bulbs in the fall for a mid-summer harvest, much earlier than other varieties that had to be planted in the spring. The variety is patented and can only be grown in certain counties in Washington.
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