IN HONOR OF MY GRANDFATHER VITTORIANO CIACCIA, A BERSAGLIERI IN THE ITALIAN ARMY DURING WORLD WAR I
Recently, I was asked by the Italian Embassy to share the story of my grandfather Vittoriano Ciaccia who was a Bersaligieri in the Italian army during World War I. On May 25 there was a celebration in Trieste, Italy to honor all those who went back to Italy to fight for their country and a number of stories were shown on “jumbotrons” in the piazza in Trieste. When the war broke out the Italian government requested Italian men abroad to come back to Italy and fight in support of their country.
My grandfather Vittoriano and his brother Benjamino both returned to Italy with a promise from the Italian government that they would be allowed to return to United States after the war. Grandpa fought in Austria and was wounded. Soon he returned to Celano in Abruzzo where he married my grandmother Maria Grazia Malsegna. They had two children, my mother Laura and my uncle Delfino, before returning to Rochester, New York in 1920. Their family continued to grow after they settled in the United States. On behalf of my cousins and aunts and uncles I shared the story of our grandfather’s journey - a journey that actually was the beginning of the Ciaccia/Malsegna family 6
We all have a love for Italy and I am sure it is because of our grandfather's love and service to his beloved country Italia. He definitely was someone we all looked up to and we honor his memory. To see my video, visit
BRUMIDI PAINTING IN HONOR OF JOE GRANO
On Saturday, June 20, around 40 people gathered at Casa Italiana for the unveiling of the painting of Constantino Brumidi, in memory of Joe Grano. Joe was a member and an officer of AMHS until his death on November 24, 2013. As President of the Society, I was quite honored that Father Marchetto asked me to unveil the painting, which was done by Raffaele De Gregorio.
Joe was a larger than life figure, involved in various causes which he took on with passion and dedication – historic preservation of sites within the Washington community and, of course, securing the legacy of Constantino Brumidi. Joe founded the Constantino Brumidi Society about 15 years ago.
This group became Joe’s vehicle for getting Congress to award a Congressional Gold Medal posthumously to Brumidi, the Italian immigrant whose frescos decorate the U.S. Capitol. One of Joe’s kindest acts for AMHS members was to set up a private tour of the Capitol and Brumidi’s frescos; this was about 4 years ago.
We even met with the artist entrusted with restoration of the frescos. On January 19, 2014, a magnificent gathering of Joe’s friends came together in Casa Italiana, to remember an extraordinary man and to celebrate his life. Many individuals who attended that event were present for the unveiling (Bill Brown, President of the Association of Oldest Inhabitants of DC; Bill Rice; Nelson Rymensnyder, and Jan Fenty, mother of former DC mayor Adrian Fenty).
It was good to see everyone gathered together in the celebration of Joe and his legacy. Special thanks to AMHS members who came to the event: David Ciummo, Nancy DeSanti, Dick DiBuono, Francesco and Anna Isgro, Joe Lupo, Maria Marigliano, Albert Paolantonio, Sarah Scott, Carmela Ventresca, and Sam Yothers.
IN SEARCH OF LITTLE ITALY FOR THE DAY
On a warm and sunny Saturday, May 30, a small group of AMHS amici went in search of an event to celebrate their Italian heritage.
They did not have far to go, for in the small town of Frederick, MD, the group stumbled upon the 3rd Annual Festa Italiana at Rose Hill Manor Park! Actually, we had been informed of this Festa for some time (we were contacted by the Festa Chair, Maria Giovanna Galasso), and decided it would be worth checking out to support our Italian heritage and culture.
What’s not to love about that! Needless to say we were pleasantly surprised with the location, the vendors, the crowd, and the festivities. There were wonderful homemade dishes (lasagna, gnocchi, eggplant parmigiana, sausage sandwiches, pizza), an excellent wine and beer bar (with flights for wine tasting), games for children, grape stomping, and bocce.
Of course there was music, with performances by accordion player Joan Tacchetti Grauman (who played at the June 1, 2014 Silent Auction and at the AMHS general Society meeting in September 2014), i-Talians The Band, and the Monaldi Brothers.
While walking the Festa grounds, we came upon AMHS members Tony, Elodia, and Robert D’Onofrio, James Mustachio, and Ingrid and Arrigo Mongini, from The Italian Cultural Society (which had a booth at the Festa to promote the Society’s Italian Language program).
There were also about 16 members of the Passatempo Meetup group, of which Sarah Scott is an organizer: Paula Johnson and Susan Frazier; Giovanna Morena and her mother, Filomena; and Neusa (Flor) and Mauricio “Mo” Facenda.
AMHS members Lucio and Edvige D’Andrea, Albert Paolantonio, and Sarah Scott decided to make a full day and stayed through the evening for a performance by The Sicilian Tenors. Not a bad way to top off a wonderful and festive day. Throughout, we were fortunate to have the good company of Tricia Maltagliati, President of the Lucchesi nel MondoTuscany Club. This festival is definitely worth the drive, and it is for a very good cause – all the proceeds go to benefit Habitat for Humanity of Frederick County.