L'Italo-Americano

THURSDAY, APRIL 18, 2024 www.italoamericano.org 30 L'Italo-Americano A s L i b e r a t i o n Day approach- e s e v e r y A p r i l 25th, the editor- i a l p a g e s o f Italy's national newspapers reignite the national dis - course over Mussolini, fas- cism, and the future of Ital- ian democracy. Although the fall of nazi/fascism may seem remote, it remains relevant today, not only to Italians but also to Italian Americans. Italian fascist influence in America and especially Cali- fornia has been well docu- mented in works by profes- sors Gloria Ricci Lothrop and Philip Cannistraro, as w e l l a s i n t h e b o o k s a n d essays of other Italian Ameri- can scholars. Prof. Lothrop informs us that Mussolini established the Los Angeles consulate so that he could influence Southern Califor- nia's Italian population with his fascist propaganda. In addition, his propaganda m i n i s t r y a l s o s e n t f a l s e reports about fascist success- es to all Italian newspapers throughout North America. We also learned recently i n a n a r t i c l e b y G i u l i a F r a n c e s c h i n i i n L ' I t a l o - Americano that Mussolini e s t a b l i s h e d R A I r a d i o t o spread his propaganda not only throughout Italy but to Italian immigrant colonies throughout the world. In Iris O r i g o ' s W a r i n V a l D'Orcia an Italian man tells h e r i n t h e a f t e r m a t h o f WWII, "The radio made fools of us all." In 1977 I visited L'Italo- Americano's original office on Spring Street where I met with the then editor Mario Trecco in order to launch my book review column in the paper. Mario introduced me to the previous editor, Cleto Baroni, the nephew of the founding editor of the paper in 1908, Gabriello Spini. While in the office Mario pointed to the stacks of care- fully preserved early editions of L'Italo-Americano, which I assumed at the time dated back to 1908. H o w e v e r , i n t h e 1 9 8 0 s when I asked Mario for per- mission to research the early editions of the papers before 1940, he informed me that in a l l l i k e l i h o o d C l e t o h a d destroyed those early edi- tions because they contained fascist propaganda. As Can- nistraro and Lothrop have demonstrated, by the 1940s Congress had begun to inves- tigate fascist influences in the Italian community in Califor- nia, including Italian news- papers. Although we do not know about Cleto's political beliefs, Cleto, fearful of being i n v e s t i g a t e d , m u s t h a v e destroyed the early editions of the paper that contained those glowing propaganda news reports that Mussolini had sent to all Italian news- p a p e r s t h r o u g h o u t t h e world. Among those influential Italians in California at the time who were influenced by Mussolini was novelist, jour- n a l i s t , a n d e d i t o r P a o l o Palavicini. He is featured in the 1939 edition of Italian American Who's Who, where we learn that he was born in Milan, immigrated to New York where he wrote for Il Progresso, before he traveled to San Francisco and became m a n a g i n g e d i t o r of L'Italia. Otherwise, little else is known about his life. W h i l e s e l e c t i o n s o f h i s work have appeared in some Italian American antholo- gies, (ITALOAMERICANA: The Literature of the Great Migration: 1880-1943), few have read his works, includ- ing his California novels, which have not been trans- lated from the Italian and have been out of print for decades. In one of them, La Carezza Divina, published in Italy in 1939, we have a win- dow into his commitment to Italian fascism. Set in San Francisco, California's Cen- t r a l V a l l e y , M e x i c o , a n d I t a l y , L a C a r e z z a D i v i n a r e v e a l s n o t o n l y Pallavicini's fawning loyalty t o M u s s o l i n i b u t a l s o h i s inexcusable anti-Semitism. B y 1 9 3 9 M u s s o l i n i h a d passed his anti-Semitic racial laws, dispossessing Jews of their rightful place in Italian society. P a l l a v i c i n i ' s 5 7 3 - p a g e novel has many subplots, far too many to describe here. To advance the novel's fascist agenda, characters conve- niently appear and disap- pear. The main action of the n o v e l f o c u s e s o n I t a l i a n American Anna Valdese who works for a wealthy immi- grant Italian farmer, Giorgio Albani. Characterized as a benevolent man who is aid- ing Anna and her bankrupt family, Albani owns a vast farming empire in an imagi- nary California landscape that stretches from some- where south of San Francisco to the Mexican border. In what I must character- ize as a ruse, to obtain his readers' sympathy for his heroine, Anna is character- i z e d a s a s t r o n g - w i l l e d woman who is on the side of the poor. In one incident at gunpoint she rescues one of Albani's tenant farmers from eviction from his home by wealthy investors who are attempting to build a dam on Albani's property. This is an allusion to William Mulhol- l a n d a n d h i s w e a l t h y investors who before World War I hijacked Owens Valley water rights from unsuspect- i n g O w e n s V a l l e y f a r m e r s . T h e s e e m i n g l y r i g h t e o u s A n n a i s a l s o a singer, performing in clubs from San Francisco to Mexi- co and finally Italy, where s h e b e c o m e s n a t i o n a l l y famous. As a beautiful, talented w o m a n , A n n a h a s m a n y admirers, most important of all, the wealthy Italian Amer- ican Robert Lorenz, a stock- broker who has Anglicized his last name to facilitate his s u c c e s s i n S a n F r a n c i s c o s o c i e t y . I n o t h e r w o r d s , Robert is a crass, money-ori- ented, assimilated American who has forsaken his Italian heritage in pursuit of materi- al gain. Upon meeting Anna, he falls in love with her and t r i e s t o p e r s u a d e h e r t o marry him, promising her an affluent, comfortable life. However, Anna rejects him, but for mysterious reasons. She speaks to Robert about a puzzling kind of love, which the materialistic Robert can- not understand. Anna continues with her singing career and travels to I t a l y w h e r e s h e b e c o m e s f a m o u s . A t t h i s p o i n t , Pallavicini finally shows his hand. Anna's celebrity comes to the attention of Il Duce, who invites her to sing at his residence, Villa Torlonia, where he accompanies her on the violin. While in Italy, Anna reveals her commit- ment to Italian fascism and her admiration for Il Duce. C o n v e n i e n t l y R o b e r t appears in Italy and contin- ues to implore Anna to marry him, which she repeatedly rejects for reasons that now become clear. Anna explains to Robert that he has forsak- en his noble Italian heritage and has committed himself to crass American material- ism. Therefore, cannot possi- b l y e v e r c o m p r e h e n d h e r meaning of "love," the love of Mussolini's La Patria. Suddenly, Giorgio Albani arrives in Italy and takes Robert on a tour of Northern Italy to introduce him to his lost Italian heritage, as well as to the glories of Italian fas- c i s m . T h e c o n c l u d i n g moment of their tour comes when they arrive in Piazza V e n e z i a u n d e r P a l a z z o V e n e z i a ' s b a l c o n y f r o m w h i c h I l D u c e s t a g e d h i s speeches to his adoring sup- porters. Together the two men look up at the infamous b a l c o n y f r o m w h i c h , a s Albani explains to Robert, Il Duce expressed his plan for the "new Italy." Robert is suddenly converted to that love of La Patria and respect for Il Duce. Robert is ready for a renewed relationship with Anna. But there is an egregious s u b p l o t i n t h e n o v e l t h a t makes La Carezza more rele- vant to contemporary Italy and America than expected. April 25th: Italian Liberation Day, fascism in California, and Italian Americans KENNETH SCAMBRAY The 25th of April marks the anniversary of the end of World War Two in Italy (Photo: Roman_Studio/Shutterstock) Please visit www.italoameri- cano. org to read the article in its entirety HERITAGE HISTORY IDENTITY TRADITIONS PEOPLE

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