The town of Naro, located in the Sicilian province of Agrigento, dates back to the twelfth century.  It was once called fulgentissima (splendor) for its location high on a hill beside a river, overlooking fields of olives, almonds and wheat.  Rich in history and monuments, it contains the castle of the noble Chiaramonte family, and also the ancient sanctuary of Saint Calogero, the black patron saint of Naro, who is said to have come from Calcedonia (now Turkey).

On November 4, 1891, Marietta Alaimo was born to Marianna Dainotti and Libertino Salvatore Alaimo of Naro, who already had one child, a son named Ferdinando Calogero, born on August 23, 1890.  Two years later their third and last child, Filomena, was born on November 19, 1894.

Libertino, who was a member of the feared carabinieri (military police), was a stern father, but Marietta grew up with a streak of fierce independence that would prove to be more than a match for him.  When she was sixteen, she met Calogero Ala, a handsome shoemaker who was more than ten years older, and their flirtation grew quickly to determined love.  Knowing that Libertino would never permit such a match, the lovers plotted an elopement.  With the assistance of Filomena and of Calogero's sister Paola, they fled to a neighboring town and hid.  Libertino, enraged to discover his daughter's disappearance, collected together a posse of his fellow carabinieri, and quickly pursued and captured the fugitive pair, dragging them into court to see his wishes enforced.  He had not reckoned, however, with Marietta, who stood before the judge and declared that nothing would stop her from running away again and again until she succeeded in being with the man she loved.  Knowing perhaps just what his daughter was capable of, Libertino surrendered, and the lovers were properly married on July 13, 1908.

Marietta's new husband, whose nickname was Lili, was born December 17, 1879, also in Naro.  He was the son of Gesualdo Ala and Angela Gurreri.  The Ala family is said to have some Turkish ancestry, and perhaps to have derived its name from Allah.  It appears that the families of the mothers of Marietta and Calogero (Marianna Dainotti and Angela Gurreri) were already linked by marriage, but the exact degree of connection has yet to be determined.  In addition to his sister Paola, Calogero appears to have had at least one younger brother, Stefano.

Sadly, Marietta miscarried her first pregnancy, but quickly conceived again, and gave birth to Angela Ala on December 17, 1909.  It was an alarming time to be in Italy, as the government, jealous of French acquisitions in North Africa, was gearing up for its attempt to seize Libya from the decaying Ottoman Empire.  Perhaps the Ala family's Turkish connections contributed to Calogero's disinclination to fight, but in any case, the United States beckoned as a safe and promising harbor, and, four months after the birth of his daughter, Calogero sailed alone from Palermo on the S.S. Italia, heading for New York.  He arrived safely at Ellis Island on May 5, 1910;  the ship manifest describes him as 5' 3" tall, with brown hair and eyes, a rosy complexion and a scar on the right eyebrow.  He reported that he was going to the home of his cousin, Vincenzo Dainotti.  (This Vincenzo was the son of Calogero Dainotti, who was probably related to Marietta's mother Marianna Dainotti, and of Carmela Gurreri, who I believe was the sister of Calogero's mother Angela Gurreri.)

While Calogero worked to provide a place for them in New York, Marietta and baby Angela travelled north to Naples, where they took ship on the S.S. Cincinnati, and on December 20 the young family was joyfully reunited in New York.  They remained there in safety for the next six years, through the birth of their son Gesualdo (Joseph) on July 4, 1913, and their second daughter Marianna on February 6, 1916.  Marietta was pregnant with their fourth child when a cable arrived from Naro in early 1917, telling Calogero that his father was about to die.  This forced them to make a terrible choice:  Italy was now thoroughly embroiled in World War I, and if Calogero set foot on Italian soil, he would immediately be put into the army and sent into battle.  Marietta pleaded with him not to go, but Calogero could not bear to give up on seeing his father one last time, and so the family packed up and took ship for Sicily.

As they had feared and expected, Calogero had no choice but to accept induction into the army.  While Marietta waited with her family in Naro, Calogero was sent north to the front lines.  Their youngest daughter, named Calogera (Lily) for her father, was born in Naro on August 3, 1917.  Two weeks later the 11th Battle of the Isonzo began, and Calogero suffered a leg wound while fighting in the capture of the Bainsizza Plateau.  At first it must have seemed as if his wound would be his savior, as he lay in the army hospital while the tragic disaster of Caporetto slaughtered massive numbers of Italian soldiers.  He wrote to Marietta that she should not worry, because even if they had to cut off his leg, he would still be able to practice his trade as a shoemaker.  Then gangrene set in.  Marietta, heartbroken, promised that she would never let another man be a father to his children, and Calogero died, age 37.

After Calogero's death, Marietta was inconsolable, insisting that she hated Italy for killing her husband.  The Alaimo family decided that all of them:  Libertino and Marianna, Ferdinando and Filomena, and Marietta and her children, would emigrate permanently to New York.  They wrote to the family of Marianna's brother, Alfonso Dainotti, who had settled in New York in 1913.  Alfonso's generous wife Caterina Tropia borrowed money to provide surety for the Alaimos' immigration, and offered them shelter in her home.  On February 13, 1920, Ferdinando, Filomena, Marietta, and the four children sailed from Palermo on the S.S. Presidente Wilson, arriving at Ellis Island on February 26th.  Libertino and Marianna followed on July 1st, sailing from Palermo on the S.S. Giuseppe Verdi and arriving on July 14th.

Once in New York, Marietta's independent streak quickly resurged.  She found a job sewing in the sweatshops of the garment district, and moved her family into a little apartment of her own.  Of course, money remained very tight, and as soon as little Angela turned twelve, Marietta had her birth certificate falsified to show her as fourteen, and took her out of school to go to work.  Sadly, by 1924 Alfonso, Caterina, and Libertino were all dead, first Alfonso from complications of diabetes, then Caterina from pneumonia, and finally Libertino on October 25, 1924, cause unknown.  Libertino is buried in St. Raymond's Cemetery in the Bronx, and Alfonso and Caterina rest in Calvary Cemetery in Queens.

Marietta's sister Filomena married John Maida, and had two children, Anthony and Eva.  Marietta's mother Marianna died on January 14, 1935, and was buried in her husband's grave in St. Raymond's.  Ferdinando Alaimo, who had been a bright young law student, had tragically suffered brain damage from a very high fever, and was forever after dependent on his family, only able to do simple work.  He never married, and died in 1938 when he was attacked by thugs on the subway for the small amount of money that he carried.  He too is buried in St. Raymond's Cemetery, in his parents' grave.

Many men courted Marietta over the next fifteen years, but she held true to her promise to Calogero, and refused them all, even when her little family had to move from apartment to apartment in the dead of night because there was no money to pay the rent.  She would not remarry until all of her children were grown.  Around 1930 Angela Ala married her cousin Calogero Dainotti, son of Alfonso and Caterina.  Joseph Ala married Mary Roselli, a close friend of his sisters', and Marianna Ala married Michael Caccuitto.  Finally, Lily Ala married Joseph LoCascio, and Marietta's promise was fulfilled.

On March 17, 1937, Marietta married Henry Russelle, a handsome and gentle man who made his living as an actor.  Cathy DeMaio says:

Grandma's husband, Henry Russelle, had been an actor in silent pictures and on stage and was never a good provider, but I remember him well, and even as a child I was aware of how much he loved Grandma.  He called her "beloved" and I never heard him say a harsh word to her.  He was a classy man with impeccable manners, who did not fit into this immigrant Italian family.

Marietta and Henry were married happily for ten years before a sudden infection took Henry's life, leaving Marietta a widow for the second time.  He was buried in St. John's Cemetery in Brooklyn, and still holds a special place in the memories of Marietta's grandchildren.  When Marietta eventually died, having outlived yet a third husband, it was in Henry's grave that she was laid to rest.

After Henry's death Marietta spent some time living with each of her children's families, staying for a while and then moving on.  In the late 1950s she met and married Tony DiSalvo, who she loved, fought with, and eventually buried after 25 years.  She then moved in with her oldest daughter Angela for some time.  By then some of the family had settled in Florida, and Marietta eventually let herself be persuaded to move there too.  She spent the last years of her life there, helping to care for her great-grandchildren.  She died on September 15, 1984, at the age of ninety three.

Grandchildren of Marietta and Calogero are:  Catherine, Laurie, and Marie Dainotti (daughters of Angela Ala and Calogero Dainotti);  Charles, Frank, and Catherine Ala (children of Joseph Ala and Mary Roselli);  Franklin, Michael, Charles, and Kathleen Cacciutto/Caccuitto (children of Marianna Ala and Michael Caccuitto);  Joseph, Charles, Geraldine, Maryanne, and Gina LoCascio (children of Calogera "Lily" Ala and Joseph LoCascio).  Their great-grandchildren number at least two dozen, and their great-great-grandchildren have begun to arrive.
 
 

Marianna Dainotti and Libertino Salvatore Alaimo

Libertino Salvatore Alaimo was born on August 26, 1862 in the province of Caltanissetta, Sicily, in the town of Gela (then called Terranova).  Marianna Dainotti was born on April 21, 1858, in Naro, to Calogero Dainotto and Maria Alaimo.  It appears that they were probably cousins of some sort, since Marianna's mother was an Alaimo.  Perhaps Libertino, from the Gela branch of the large Alaimo family, came to Naro to marry his cousin Marianna circa 1889 or so.  The photo at left shows Marianna in her family-sewn wedding dress, which is believed to still be somewhere in the family.  Frank Cacciutto says:

I have seen it several times and always wondered at its beautiful workmanship and how shockingly small it is. I doubt it is even a size one. It is amazing to see her wearing it!

If you know any of the information on this page to be wrong, or if you are a relative that I have somehow left out, please let me know.  This story has been told with much assistance from Franklin Cacciutto, Catherine Dainotti DeMaio, Richard DeMaio, Kathleen Caccuitto, Charles LoCascio, and from the gracious Ufficiale dello Stato Civile of Naro, Dottore Francolino Tito.

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