L'Italo-Americano

THURSDAY, JANUARY 10, 2019 www.italoamericano.org 18 L'Italo-Americano T here is an under-the- radar town that has a few s ecrets up its sleeve. Its name is V ico Equens e and dates back to pre-Roman times. The picturesque village between Sorrento and Castellammare di Stabia, at the gateway to the breathtaking Sorrentine Peninsu- la, gets los t in the glitz and glamour of the s ublime and ultra-expensive Amalfi coast, but it packs plenty of personali- ty, awe-inspiring beauty and nar- ratives about some of the people who made America great. Certainly, there is a direct link between rocker Bruce Fred- erick Joseph Springsteen, "The Boss," and the warm town with the backdrop of Mount Vesuvius in the distance. His maternal grandparents were born in Vico Equense – which I suggest as a starting point for exploring some of the region's most dramatic sights. Every turn along this spectac- ular coast and glistening sea brings you to another legendary destination, be it Positano, Sor- r e n t o , R a v e l l o o r A m a l f i itself. You can reach Capri via ferry, while Pompeii is only 9 miles away.  Mario Verde, a former INPS (national social welfare) official and a resident of Vico Equense, started researching Springsteen's Italian ancestry in 2008. "His maternal grandfather Antonio Zerilli left Vico with his family at age 12.  Antonio had four brothers and a sister. They first settled in San Francis- co where he became a lawyer and formed his own family by marrying a girl, also from Vico, named Adele Sorrentino," Verde says. "Antonio was born in Vico on December 14, 1887," he says reading from a copy of Anto- nio's birth certificate. "Bruce's great-grandfather Andrea was born in Palermo on December 20, 1828," he says. M r . V e r d e h a s t r a c e d t h e entire Italian family tree of "The Boss." Springsteen's great-grandpar- ents, the Zerillis, opened the Gran Caffè Zerilli in the second half of the 19th century. "His great-grandfather bought a piece of land to build a home and a large coffeehouse that served as a restaurant and a café concert hall." The historic café overlooks both Piazza Umberto and Via Roma. The new owner adopted the original name Gran Caffè Zeril- li. Verde reveals that Spring- steen often spends time on the Costiera Amalfitana, precisely in the sleepy fishing village of N e r a n o , a h a m l e t o f M a s s a Lubrense that is a paradise for nature lovers. "It has become his hideaway, "he says. "He was seen in local restaurants. He a r r i v e s w i t h h i s f a m i l y a n d American friends, a total of 200 to 300 people. They say he gets there on a steamboat." But surprisingly enough, he never visited Vico Equense. "I blame it on the municipali- ty of Vico. It should get crack- ing and have him to visit here," says Verde.  "On the contrary, Springsteen's mother Adele Ann v i s i t e d h e r r e l a t i v e s s e v e r a l times. Now they have all passed away except for one: Maddalena Frevola, the only direct descen- dant still alive." M a d d a l e n a r e t i r e d a f e w years ago from the National Library of Naples. "She is the daughter of a cousin of Bruce's mother and lives in Bonea Vec- chia, a hilly hamlet of Vico, just like all their relatives used to do." But in reality, Vico Equense awarded the rock star an hon- orary citizenship in 2012 that he r e c e i v e d i n F i n l a n d f r o m N e a p o l i t a n P a o l a J a p p e l l i , founder of the Springsteen fan club Pink Cadillac Music. O n e d a y , t h e J e r s e y - b r e d musician would do well to visit Vico, which incorporates 13 unmissable hamlets and 20 com- munities. "They all celebrate t h e i r o w n c o - p a t r o n s a i n t t o whom they show devotion and veneration by carrying statues in procession toward the sea," says Nino Aversa, a local historian and hiking guide.  Saint Ciro is instead the main patron saint whose feast takes place on January 31. The Christ- ian martyr was a physician in Alexandria, Egypt, that was then part of the Roman Empire when he was born in about 250 AD. "His cult was introduced by the Jesuits," Nino says. Vico's clifftop Chiesa del- l'Annunziata is one of the most beautiful churches on the Sor- r e n t o P e n i n s u l a a n d w h e r e Neapolitan jurist, philosopher and social reformer Gaetano F i l a n g i e r i i s b u r i e d . H e h a d moved to the town in hope of recovering from tuberculosis, but instead got worse in 1788 a n d p a s s e d a w a y o n J u l y 2 1 inside the massive Giusso Castle nestled between the sea and the mountain. Filangieri's La Scienza della Legislazione is considered one of the most important works of the Enlightenment. His ideas influenced Benjamin Franklin and the writing of the US Con- stitution.The American polymath showed a spontaneous interest in Filangieri's masterpiece. Their correspondence lasted seven years, from 1781 to 1788, the year of the Neapolitan philoso- pher's death. Vico is included in the nature reserve of Punta Campanella where trekkers can explore the Via Minerva, a pagan pilgrimage r o u t e w h e r e R o m a n s p r a y e d along the way as they headed to t h e t e m p l e o f M i n e r v a , t h e Roman goddess of wisdom.The R o m a n s c o n s i d e r e d h e r t h e "inventor" of olives and olive oil – oleaeque Minerva inventrix, as Virgil writes in the Georgica. Local products, such as "pro- volone del monaco" cheese, as well as fruit and wine, are excel- lent. Obviously, pizza is out- standing. "My land is incredibly fertile thanks to the volcanic soil, a gift from Mount Vesuvius," Nino says proudly. "This is the land of sensory pleasures. MARIELLA RADAELLI Vico Equense is part of the same beautiful coastline where Positano, Sorrento and Amalfi are. Photo: Salvatore De Stefano Napoli The beautiful waters of the Mar Tirreno © Nikolai Korzhov | Dreamstime.com It is a town rich n history and art, as the chiesa dell'Annunziata demonstrates © Danilo Mongiello | Dreamstime.com Vico Equense and the human touch: Springsteen, Franklin and the Neapolitan Enlightenment ALL AROUND ITALY TRAVEL TIPS DESTINATIONS ACTIVITIES The beautiful Vico Equense was home to the ancestors of Bruce Springsteen. Photo: Salvatore De Stefano Napoli

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