Dino Paul Crocetti was born in Steubenville, Ohio, on June 7, 1917. His father was Gaetano (Guy) Alfonso Crocetti (December 15, 1894 – August 29, 1967), a barber who had emigrated from the city of Montesilvano (population 53,738 in the 2015 Census) on the coast of the Adriatic Sea in the province of Pescara in the region of Abruzzo, Italy. His mother was Angelina Barra (December 18, 1897 – December 25, 1966). She was born in Jefferson County, Ohio. Her parents, Domenico and Maria, had emigrated from the region of Lombardia in northern Italy.

The family spoke only Italian at home so, when Dino started attending Grant Elementary School at age 5, he was bullied for speaking broken English. As soon as he turned 16 while in the tenth grade, he dropped out of Steubenville High School to work a number of odd day jobs. In the evenings, he sang with local bands and called himself “Dino Martini,” after the Metropolitan Opera tenor, Nino Martini. He soon got his first big break singing for the Ernie McKay Orchestra in the crooning style of Perry Como. At age 23 in late 1940, he got his second big break in Cleveland, singing for band leader, Sammy Watkins, who suggested that Dino change his name legally to just Dean Martin. In October 1941, he married Elizabeth (Betty) Anne McDonald (July 14, 1922 – July 11, 1989) in Cleveland. They had four children: Craig, Claudia (March 16, 1944 – Feb. 16, 2001), Gail, and Deana. Martin sang for Watkins’ band until 1943 when he was drafted into the U.S. Army. After 14 months, he received a medical discharge because of a noncombat injury. Martin then returned to sing for Watkins’ band which was in New York City at that time.

There, at the Glass Hat Club, Martin met a comedian named Jerry Lewis with whom he formed a music-comic team. They debuted together on July 24, 1946, at the 500 Club owned by Skinny D’Amato in Atlantic City. The team made their TV debut on the first broadcast of The Ed Sullivan Show on CBS on June 20, 1948. A radio series began in 1949. During that same year, Martin divorced his first wife and gained custody of their children. Later that year, he married a former Orange Bowl Queen named Dorothy Jean Biegger (March 27, 1927 – Aug. 24, 2016). Lewis was the best man at the wedding. Martin and his second wife had three children: Dean Paul (Nov. 17, 1951 – March 21, 1987); Ricci (Sept. 20, 1953 – Aug. 3, 2016), and Gina. Before the year was over, Martin and Lewis signed a contract to make a series of comedies for Paramount Pictures which allowed them to control their club, record, radio, and TV appearances. They earned millions of dollars from these outside ventures. On January 12, 1953, Martin released his first solo album, Dean Martin Sings, which contained the hit song That’s Amore. Martin was encouraged by the album’s success. He also had the desire to avoid being stereotyped as just a comedian. So, he formally broke up with Lewis on July 24, 1956, which was exactly ten years after their first act.

The family spoke only Italian at home, so when Dino started school, he was bullied for speaking broken English.

Martin then launched his solo singing and dramatic film career. His song Volare reached #15 on the hit list in 1957. He then starred in the war drama, The Young Lions, with Marlon Brando in 1958. Also in 1958, he starred for the first time with Frank Sinatra in the drama, Some Came Running, directed by Vicente Minnelli. Martin and Sinatra became friends and socialized with Peter Lawford, Joey Bishop, and Sammy Davis, Jr. The group became known as the Rat Pack. As a result of this friendship, Martin refused to perform in clubs which would not allow African-American and Jewish-American performers. In 1959, Martin starred with John Wayne and Ricky Nelson in Rio Bravo. Martin and Sinatra teamed up again in 1960 for the crime caper, Ocean’s 11. He was nominated for a Golden Globe in 1960 for Best Actor in Who Was That Lady? In 1963, Martin and Sinatra starred in the western, 4 for Texas, and in 1964, they starred in the musical, Robin and the 7 Hoods. Also in 1964, his song, Everybody Loves Somebody Sometime, was #1 on the hit list. His footprints were then immortalized at Grauman’s Chinese Theatre in Los Angeles later in 1964. Overall, he appeared in 64 films. Although Martin could not read music, he recorded 34 albums and about 600 songs. Nine of his albums were certified as Gold by the Recording Industry Association of America.

In 1965, Martin launched his weekly NBC TV comedy-variety series, The Dean Martin Show.

He won a Golden Globe for Best Actor in a TV Comedy or Musical in 1966 and was nominated again for the next three years. He occasionally had trouble with censors for his off-the-cuff use of obscene Italian phrases which brought complaints from Italian-speaking viewers. The show was almost always ranked among the top ten weekly programs. In 1972, Martin filed for a divorce from his second wife. The 55-year-old Martin then married a 26-year-old hair salon receptionist named Catherine Hawn on April 25, 1973. They had no children and divorced after three years. In 1974, Martin’s TV show was converted into the Dean Martin Celebrity Roast in which he and his panel of pals made fun of a variety of popular entertainment, athletic, and political figures. The show continued through 1984. Overall, he appeared on 25 TV programs before he retired in 1985 at age 68. He had earned the nickname “The King of Cool”.

Martin was devastated on March 21, 1987, when his 35-year-old son, Dean Paul, was killed after his F-4 Phantom II jet fighter crashed while he was flying with the California Air National Guard. Martin’s grief left him depressed and demoralized. To help him recover, Martin came out of retirement. However, his heart was not in his work. His last show in Las Vegas was held at Bally’s Hotel where he had his final reunion with Lewis on his 72nd birthday on June 7, 1989. On December 8, 1989, he joined Sinatra in a tribute to Davis on the latter’s 60th and last birthday. On December 15, 1990, he participated in a 75th birthday special for Sinatra. Although Martin often played the comic role of a drunk, he was not a heavy drinker. However, he was a heavy smoker. As a result, he was diagnosed with lung cancer at Cedars Sinai Medical Center in Los Angeles in September, 1993. He was informed that surgery would be necessary to prolong his life, but he declined to have it. He returned to his home in Beverly Hills and died there of acute respiratory failure resulting from emphysema on Christmas 1995, exactly 29 years to the day and almost to the minute after his mother had died. He was 78. On the evening after his funeral, all lights along the Las Vegas Strip were dimmed in his honor. His body was interred at the Westwood Village Memorial Park Cemetery in Los Angeles. His crypt has the epitaph Everybody Loves Somebody Sometime. In 1997, Ohio Route 7 through Steubenville was renamed Dean Martin Boulevard.

 

 

January/February 2022

Province of Pescara, Region of Abruzzo

The picturesque town of Loreto Aprutino is located southwest of Pescara among hills of olive trees. It has approximately 7,549 inhabitants, known as Loretesi, and it is renowned for its world-class olive oil. Loreto Aprutino along with Moscufo and Pianella forms the so-called “golden triangle of olive oil.”

The town is built on a hillside, with its castle and the Church of San Pietro at the top of the hill. From there, visitors can see beautiful views over the golden stone houses with pale terracotta roofs below and the beautiful surrounding countryside, much of which is covered in ancient olive trees.

The picturesque town of Loreto Aprutino is located southwest of Pescara among hills of olive trees. It has approximately 7,549 inhabitants, known as Loretesi, and it is renowned for its world-class olive oil. Loreto Aprutino along with Moscufo and Pianella forms the so-called “golden triangle of olive oil.”

The town is built on a hillside, with its castle and the Church of San Pietro at the top of the hill. From there, visitors can see beautiful views over the golden stone houses with pale terracotta roofs below and the beautiful surrounding countryside, much of which is covered in ancient olive trees.

Loreto Aprutino stands out against the sky with its imposing Palazzo Chiola (formerly a medieval castle) and the Church and the belltower of San Pietro Apostolo, promising the visitor a wealth of artistic and historical treasures.

A nearby Italic necropolis shows that the area was already inhabited in the 6th century B.C. This suggests that a significant pre-Roman settlement once existed near the modern town. Later on, in the early Middle Ages, it was known as Castrum Laureti because of the many bay laurels (laurus in Latin) that then grew in the area. Its importance in the medieval period is reflected in the many works of art which embellished the rich medieval center. Still later, it belonged to the D’Aquino family and in the 16th century was first under the D’Avalos and finally the D’Afflitto.

The town was built around a castle and abbey established by Benedictine monks around the year 1000 and rose to political prominence in the 11th century with the coming of the Normans. The town would be a stronghold of Swabian and Angevin nobility until the 14th century, when a series of important families would rule the town and the surrounding countryside up to the abolition of feudalism.

A nearby Italic necropolis shows that the area was already inhabited in the 6th century B.C.

In 1863, after the unification of Italy, the adjective “Aprutino” was added to the name of the town to distinguish it from several other towns with the same name — in Ancona province, in Asti province, in Novara province, and two separate towns in Perugia province. During this period, the town would experience a renaissance of culture and civic life after a long period of stagnation. The arts and crafts were supported by wealthy benefactors such as Giacomo Acerbo, who created the Museum of Ceramics. It was during this period that Castello Chiola, which dominates the skyline of the town, was constructed.

Castello Chiola was built on the site of a medieval castle which, according to the earliest records dates back to the 9th century, and at times was also used as a prison and military fort. Another significant landmark is the church of San Pietro Apostolo. Built in the 11th century, the church has a central nave and two aisles decorated with scrolls and baroque decorations, and side chapels with frescoes and tiled floors, the most important dedicated to St. Thomas Aquinas and St. Zopito the Martyr, the patron saint of the town.

Just outside the town is the church of S. Maria in Piano, which dates from 1280. On all the walls and ceilings are eight frescoes dating from the 14th to the 16th century, depicting stories of saints, including St. Thomas Aquinas, whose family commissioned the frescoes. But the more famous painting is the Giudizio particolare delle anime (“Unusual punishment of souls”), made with the technique by which colors are dissolved into melted wax and heated at the time of painting. The work represents the Divine Judgment as a difficult passage across a bridge as thin as a human hair (“The bridge of hair”), that only holy souls can overcome without falling into the river of boiling pitch, and who are then adorned with fine clothes and ascend to the heavens.

To learn more about the traditions of olive oil production, which in this area date back to the 4th century B.C., visitors can go to the olive oil museum. This museum happens to be housed in one of the most interesting buildings in Loreto Aprutino — a lovely stone Gothic building with a hexagonal tower at one end. The building was a former olive oil mill and was built in the 19th century. Its owner was a pioneer in the methods of quality olive oil production including the need to press the olives right away after harvesting. In the museum, visitors can see the olive presses and mill stones that were used in the oil production and learn about traditional methods of production.

Each spring on the first Monday after Pentecost, the town celebrates the Festa di San Zopito and a parade is held. A child, dressed all in white and wearing a crown of flowers, rides a white ox that is decorated with colored ribbons on its horns and a red mantle bearing an image of San Zopito. The child kneels down before the patron saint’s statue, and then follows it into the church.

Important Dates

• Monday after Pentecost — Feast of San Zopito, the patron saint

What to See

• Majestic Palazzo Chiola, from the 18th century
• Beautiful palaces and mansions including Palazzo Acerbo, Casa Antimo, Casa Baldini-Palladini and Casa Raietta
• The church of San Pietro Apostolo, with a silver urn with San Zopito’s relics
• The church of San Francesco d’Assisi, from the 14th century, with a beautiful portal and huge belltower, which was renovated in 1601
• The church of Santa Maria in Piano, with frescoes on the life of St. Thomas Aquinas, whose family ruled over the town, and the magnificent Universal Judgement Cycle
• The Torre Dragone remains
• The Museo Acerbo, with a fine gallery of Abruzzese ceramics.

       

Italiano

   

Tradotto da Ennio Di Tullio

Provincia di Pescara, Regione Abruzzo

La pittoresca cittadina di Loreto Aprutino si trova a sud-ovest di Pescara tra colline di ulivi. Conta circa 7.549 abitanti, conosciuti come Loretesi, ed è rinomata per il suo olio d’oliva di prima classe. Loreto Aprutino insieme a Moscufo e Pianella forma il cosiddetto “triangolo d’oro dell’olio d’oliva”.

Il paese è costruito su una collina, con il suo castello e la Chiesa di San Pietro in cima alla collina. Da lì, i visitatori possono vedere splendide viste oltre le case in pietra dorata con i tetti in terracotta chiara sottostanti e sulla bellissima campagna circostante, in gran parte ricoperta di ulivi secolari.

Loreto Aprutino si staglia nel cielo con il suo imponente Palazzo Chiola (già castello medievale) e la Chiesa e il campanile di San Pietro Apostolo, e promette al visitatore una ricchezza di tesori artistici e storici.

Una vicina necropoli italica mostra che l’area era già abitata nel VI secolo a.C. Ciò suggerisce che un tempo esisteva un significativo insediamento preromano vicino alla città moderna. Successivamente, nell’alto medioevo, fu chiamato Castrum Laureti per via dei numerosi allori (laurus in latino) che crescevano nella zona. La sua importanza nel periodo medievale si riflette nelle numerose opere d’arte che abbellirono il ricco centro medievale. Ancora più tardi appartenne alla famiglia D’Aquino e nel XVI secolo passò prima ai D’Avalos e infine ai D’Afflitto.

Il paese sorse intorno ad un castello e ad un’abbazia fondata dai monaci benedettini intorno all’anno 1000 e assurse alla ribalta politica nell’XI secolo con l’avvento dei Normanni. Il paese sarà una roccaforte della nobiltà sveva e angioina fino al XIV secolo, quando una serie di importanti famiglie governeranno il paese e il contado circostante fino all’abolizione della feudalità.

Nel 1863, dopo l’Unità d’Italia, al nome del paese fu aggiunto l’aggettivo “Aprutino” per distinguerlo da diversi altri centri omonimi – in provincia di Ancona, in provincia di Asti, in provincia di Novara, e due distinti comuni della provincia di Perugia. In questo periodo la cittadina conoscerà una rinascita della cultura e della vita civile dopo un lungo periodo di stagnazione. Le arti e i mestieri furono sostenuti da ricchi benefattori come Giacomo Acerbo, che creò il Museo della Ceramica. Fu in questo periodo che venne costruito il Castello Chiola, che domina lo skyline della città.

Una vicina necropoli italica mostra che l’area era già abitata nel VI secolo a.C.

Il Castello Chiola è sorto sul sito di un castello medievale che, secondo le prime notizie, risale al IX secolo, ed a volte veniva utilizzato anche come prigione e forte militare. Un altro punto di riferimento significativo è la chiesa di San Pietro Apostolo. Costruita nell’XI secolo, la chiesa è a tre navate con volute e decorazioni barocche, e cappelle laterali con affreschi e pavimento in cotto, le più importanti dedicate a San Tommaso d’Aquino e San Zopito martire, patrono della città.

Appena fuori dal paese si trova la chiesa di S. Maria in Piano, che risale al 1280. Su tutte le pareti e sui soffitti ci sono otto affreschi databili dal XIV al XVI secolo, raffiguranti storie di santi, tra cui San Tommaso d’Aquino, la cui famiglia commissionò gli affreschi. Ma il dipinto più famoso è il “Giudizio particolare delle anime”, realizzato con la tecnica per cui i colori vengono sciolti in cera fusa e riscaldati al momento della pittura. L’opera rappresenta il Giudizio Divino come un difficile passaggio attraverso un ponte sottile come un capello umano (“Il ponte dei capelli”), che solo le anime sante possono superare senza cadere nel fiume di pece bollente, e che vengono poi adornate con bei vestiti e ascendono al cielo.

Per conoscere meglio le tradizioni della produzione dell’olio d’oliva, che in questa zona risalgono al IV secolo a.C., i visitatori possono visitare il museo dell’olio d’oliva. Questo museo si trova in uno degli edifici più interessanti di Loreto Aprutino, un delizioso edificio gotico in pietra con una torre esagonale a un’estremità. L’edificio era un ex frantoio ed è stato costruito nel XIX secolo. Il suo proprietario è stato un pioniere nei metodi di produzione dell’olio d’oliva di qualità, inclusa la necessità di spremere le olive subito dopo la raccolta. Nel museo i visitatori possono vedere i frantoi e le macine in pietra utilizzati nella produzione dell’olio e conoscere i metodi tradizionali di produzione.

Ogni primavera, il primo lunedì dopo Pentecoste, la città celebra la Festa di San Zopito e si tiene una sfilata. Un bambino, vestito tutto di bianco e con una corona di fiori, cavalca un bue bianco decorato con nastri colorati sulle corna e un manto rosso con l’immagine di San Zopito. Il bambino si inginocchia davanti alla statua del santo patrono, e poi la segue in chiesa.

Le attrazioni del luogo:

• Maestoso Palazzo Chiola, del XVIII secolo
• Splendidi palazzi e ville tra cui Palazzo Acerbo, Casa Antimo, Casa Baldini-Palladini e Casa Raietta
• La chiesa di San Pietro Apostolo, con un’urna d’argento con le reliquie di San Zopito
• La chiesa di San Francesco d’Assisi, del XIV secolo, con un bel portale e un enorme campanile, ristrutturata nel 1601
• La chiesa di Santa Maria in Piano, con affreschi sulla vita di San Tommaso d’Aquino, la cui famiglia regnava sul paese, e il magnifico Ciclo del Giudizio Universale
• I resti di Torre Dragone
• Il Museo Acerbo, con una bella galleria di ceramiche abruzzesi.

Date da ricordare:

• Lunedì dopo Pentecoste — Festa di San Zopito, patrono

Sources:

en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Loreto_Aprutino www.italyheritage.com/regions/abruzzo/pescara/loretoaprutino.htm www.italythisway.com/places/loreto-aprutino.php

January/February 2022

Province of Campobasso, Region of Molise

The beautiful town of Petacciato is located in the province of Campobasso. It has approximately 3,488 inhabitants known as Petacciatesi. Although situated in a beautiful position on a green hill not far from the sea, it is threatened by unstable soil where a number of landslides have taken place in the last 50 years. It is one of the few centers in Molise that has seen population growth, thanks especially to the summer tourism in Petacciato Marina, with its fine beach with sand dunes and its coastal pinewood.

The town’s dominant position offers a unique and evocative panorama that extends the view from the Maiella mountains to the Gargano promontory, crossing the archipelago of the Tremiti Islands.

One of the sights worth seeing is the Church of San Rocco, which is Romanesque in origin and has a massive bell tower. It shares the town center with the exquisite Renaissance Palazzo Ducale Battiloro, another noteworthy sight.

The name Petacciato derives from the Latin “Civita potatius.” In 1274, the fiefdom belonged to Godeffroy de Meliac, and in 1421, it was brutally attacked by the forces of Corrado Lupo, leaving many victims. Attacked again by the Caldora in the 17th century, the town found finally some peace with the Duke of Celenza. Petacciato has been an independent municipality since 1923, while before it had been a frazione of Guglionesi.

The town still retains the signs of the presence of the Battiloro family with its Ducal Palace. Probably dating back to the Norman period, the palace is situated in the main square of the town, while the nearby Romanesque-style Church of Saint Mary dates back as far as the 11th century. Along the coast there are the ruins of a tower, probably built to protect against the danger of Turkish invasions. Its countryside, rich in vineyards and olive trees, descends to the sea, providing a beautiful landscape that is no doubt drawing the increasing number of summer tourists.

Important Dates

• August 16 — Feast of San Rocco, the patron saint

What to See

• The church of San Rocco from the 13th century
• The Renaissance Palazzo Ducale Battiloro

       

Italiano

   

Tradotto da Ennio Di Tullio

Provincia di Campobasso, Regione Molise

La bella cittadina di Petacciato si trova in provincia di Campobasso. Conta circa 3.488 abitanti detti Petacciatesi. Pur essendo situato in bella posizione su una verde collina poco distante dal mare, è minacciato da un terreno instabile dove negli ultimi 50 anni si sono verificate numerose frane. È uno dei pochi centri molisani che ha visto crescere la popolazione, grazie soprattutto al turismo estivo a Petacciato Marina, con la sua bella spiaggia con dune di sabbia e la sua pineta costiera.

La posizione dominante del paese offre un panorama unico e suggestivo che estende la vista dai monti della Maiella al promontorio del Gargano, attraversando l’arcipelago delle Isole Tremiti.

Uno dei luoghi da vedere è la Chiesa di San Rocco, di origine romanica, con un massiccio campanile. Condivide il centro del paese con il pregevole Palazzo Ducale Battiloro rinascimentale, altro spettacolo degno di nota.

Il nome Petacciato deriva dal latino “Civita potatius”. Nel 1274 il feudo appartenne a Godeffroy de Meliac, e nel 1421 fu assalito brutalmente dalle forze di Corrado Lupo, lasciando molte vittime. Attaccato nuovamente dai Caldora nel XVII secolo, il paese trovò finalmente pace con il duca di Celenza. Petacciato è comune autonomo dal 1923, mentre prima era frazione di Guglionesi.

Il paese conserva ancora i segni della presenza della famiglia Battiloro con il suo Palazzo Ducale. Risalente probabilmente al periodo normanno, il palazzo è situato nella piazza principale del paese, mentre la vicina Chiesa di Santa Maria in stile romanico risale al XI secolo. Lungo la costa si trovano i ruderi di una torre, probabilmente costruita per proteggersi dal pericolo delle invasioni turche. Le sue campagne, ricche di vigneti e ulivi, scendono fino al mare, offrendo uno splendido paesaggio che sta sicuramente attirando il crescente numero di turisti estivi.

Le attrazioni del luogo:

• La chiesa di San Rocco del XIII secolo
• Il rinascimentale Palazzo Ducale Battiloro

Date da ricordare:

• 16 agosto — Festa di San Rocco, patrono

Sources:

en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Petacciato www.italyheritage.com/regions/molise/province-campobasso/petacciato.htm molisecoast.com/en/petacciato

January/February 2022