THE DUKE OF PASSYUNK

or

CALAMARE AND CORONETS

Consider this- how many of you have met someone in the neighborhood to hear them tell of their great and noble Italian family… how their ancestors over there were all people of high repute and ancient title…

I knew many in the neighborhood, one women who came from a part of Southern Italy that as of 2005, still had bombed out buildings from WWII! And this is the provincial capital. She would often tell me how “ her people was all important back in It-ly .. her grandfaders and greatgrandfaders was dukes and bishops and had der ownn pews in de churches and wentt around wit people holdin theire umbrellas..” Grandfathers who were Bishops?? HMMMM Perhaps Pope Pius IX allowed this God forsaken province the right to a married Episcopal? Or perhaps they were bastards???? Or perhaps she was Malad (deluded) or a spacone wannabe inventing glorious lineages to hid the fact she led a most mean existence. I would hope her illustrious ancestor Il vescovo (Bishop) would at least have been able to say a proper Latin mass and give a proper name to their country of origin - Italia as opposed to It-ly

My own Great Aunt Madalena (????- 2005: no one will every know her real age., we just know when she died.) who was the daughter of Rocco Oratorio (188?-1950) and Maria Farina (also 188?-1950), consistently told us from childhood the same story…. My Great Grandmother Maria Farina was the descendent of the Duke of Farina – ( I would image it was pronounced Fa-ri-na with an accent on the Fa). This Duke was a man of great wealth and renown, but his wealth was squandered by his son who seemed to have been Maria’s uncle or great uncle. Maria came to America with her father and sister and a bit of money, leaving some property behind in Italy. Maria came from a small hamlet called Miglianico ( http://www.miglianico.com/ don’t you love it how these places have there own web sites!!) outside Chieti and on the beach near Ortona in the Abruzzo. Apparently she brought from Italy some beautiful art works, marbles, chandeliers from the old palace to grace the new palace on 12th street off Dickinson , where she and her husband Rocca lived. This house is still inhabited by her grandson my Cousin Onesto (called Junior by us as his dad was Onesto senior, dad died in 1969 but guess what- we still call him junior, and always will, and you know why). My great aunt Madalena remembered how the cumare from Miglianico treated my great grandmother with high respect as she was La Figlia della Duca. My great aunt also often made reference to our Italian inheritance- some land back in the old country. As I often traveled to Italy and went to the Abruzzo , she suggest I seek our this property and tell them of my renowned pedigree. For most assuredly I would be given the keys to the Palazzo Fárina and a carrozza (a carriage not the guys from the twin Shoppe) emblazoned with my family crest and paraded triumphantly back to my ancestral home, where I would be enthroned upon the basanegol throne and given the symbols of Abruzzese power- the Chittara (to make spaghetti) and the Zampoli (Bagpipe) to sooth the sheep…. Or maybe they may just tell me to take un bel caminato ( take a walk) …

There is something I don’t get with these stories -why would ANYONE leave the beauty of a large Palazzo with liveried servants , carriages , and acres of land, to come live in a little row home on Isminger street and take the 12th street trolley with the escutcheon of PTC instead of your grand family crest? Even if for political or personal or financial reasons you went into exile, how about a 5 bedroom Flat in Paris instead your highness… That’s what Oscar Wilde did, he chose Paris instead of Synder Avenue to escape his personal and political problems. That is what the great Abruzzese poet Gabriele D’Annunzio did to escape financial problems, he choose Paris over 9 street. . Paris in the Fin di Sielce (1900) was very cultured and liberal, more, I would think then South Philly at the time. Surely an unhappy or impoverished noble of culture and pedigree would be happy there and find a productive or at least an interesting life, far better then selling fish on 9 street?

I can find no hard evidence of the duke of Farina- but then I never went to Maglianico to look, I have only been to the places associated with my Braccia name. Perhaps I feared it was all a con, an elaborate Abruzzese scam- yes we will process your grand and ancient title, there are however $5000 in administrative costs.

I do know in southern Italy there were two types of titled nobility. The first were those of the Ancient Regime ,with titles in existence before the Northern conquest of the South (1861) or as some call it the unification. These were real nobles and had long histories. Then you had the New Nobles , created after the formation of the Kingdom of Italy- many of these were wealthy people who accepted the new Italy and jumped on King Victorio Emmanuelle II’s band wagon and were rewarded with a title. In the years following unification many of the Ancient Regime nobles did i loose power and wealth, and some may have found their way to America. Would like to hear any real stories – with proof. As far as the new nobles were concerned, they were on the top of the food chain in Italy and I sincerely doubt any came to the shores of the Delaware.

I never saw Maria Farina’s marbles and art works. Maybe the Duchess exchanged them with Randazzo for some tomatoes during the lean 1930’s???? ( in case you don’t know –Randazzo’s was the produce shop next door to the 12th street home, that is until the 70‘s). My guess is my Great Grandmother had a well to do uncle who lost a small family fortune. She was more well to do then her neighbors, and her dad came here with more then a shirt on his back- and he may have given cumare Andunedd’ a few bucks in 1895 and that’s how it started.. Oh Grazie Marinu tua padra’ra un brav’uomm com'un ducca ( Thanks Maria your dad was a great guy like a duke). Personally I do not think Great-Grandmother made any claims of nobility, I think my Aunt Madalena weaved the many stories and memories of her mother ( who only spoke Italian) into this story of the Duke- and once finished Aunt Madalena liked the cloth and wore it every day.

They say my great Grandmother Maria was a real lovely person and a superb cook and family matron. My mom always said the nicest things about her, as did cousin Junior and his brother Micky (all her Grandchildren) and she provided a loving home and many memories. Her life ended in a great family tragedy as she, her husband Rocca, and her son Romeo (my grandfather) all died within months of each other in 1950. But maybe that’s how nobles are- my Great Aunts Madalena and Sussana ( Susie) , Maria’s daughters , both died within days of each other last year! I guess that’s a family thing?? Lets all die together so we don’t have to share the line at heaven’s gate with vulgar commoners.

I once even turned profit with this story. When I lived in Helsinki Finland (1996-1998) I was allowed to join a prestigious private club called the House of Nobility ( reserved for those with noble lineage) as an associate member, because of my claim. I was sponsored by a friend who was a real countess (which was useless as Finland did not recognize titles) .. I think they all guessed it may not have been true, but the thought of this dark Italian American among the white ghosts of Finland must have appealed to their singular Scandinavian sense of humor. The picture above is me in December 1997 dress up for a do at the House of Nobility.

But why not give ourselves titles today? I could be the Duke of Passuyunk and you could be the hereditary prince of Tasker , or the comte d'cross street, or the Grand Duke of Synder ,or the Princess Dowager of Packer Park ….. Or just a spacone with absurd pretensions….

Remember we Americans threw out the kings, and I guess that’s why our ancestors came here in the first place!

Maria Farina Oratorio provided a loving home and many memories worth more then all the senseless titles…. Our ancestors were hard working courageous people- we don’t have to put imaginary coronets on them.