{"product_id":"salone-italiano-the-true-story-of-an-italian-immigrant-familys-struggles-in-southern-colorado-9798295555787","title":"Salone Italiano: The true story of an Italian immigrant family's struggles in Southern Colorado","description":"\u003cp\u003eA hundred years ago, in the legendary mining towns of Silverton and Durango, racial tensions among American immigrants had reached a fever pitch\u003cem\u003e. Salone Italiano\u003c\/em\u003e is a lavash account of one Italian family's struggles, passions, and adventures as outsiders in a strange new land. Based on actual letters written by members of the family. We experience Angelina Sartore's confused attempts to bring her family closer together. But Katie Sartore continues a forbidden romance with a member of a rival immigrant colony, and Phis Sartore continues a love affair with a well-known local prostitute. So, this is a family imbedded in constant turmoil. The story shows what life was like for European immigrants in a Colorado mining town. The reader will witness the lives of some of those who were most intimately involved.\u003c\/p\u003e\u003cul\u003e\u003cli\u003e\u003c\/ul\u003e\u003cstrong\u003eThe Narrative Engine: The Letters\u003c\/strong\u003e\u003cp\u003eThe most distinctive feature of the book is its reliance on a \"miracle find\"-over \u003cstrong\u003e150 original letters\u003c\/strong\u003e hidden in an attic in Rivarolo, Canavese, Italy. These letters provide a rare \"double perspective.\" Most immigrant stories are told only from the perspective of those who left. This book includes the voices of those who went to America and those loved ones who stayed behind, desperate for news, money, and connection.\u003c\/p\u003e\u003cp\u003e\u003c\/p\u003e\u003cstrong\u003eThe Geography of Struggle: From the Alps to the Rockies\u003c\/strong\u003e\u003cp\u003eThe book tracks a specific migration path from the \u003cstrong\u003ePiedmont region of Northern Italy\u003c\/strong\u003e to the \u003cstrong\u003eSan Juan Mountains of Colorado\u003c\/strong\u003e.\u003c\/p\u003e\u003cul\u003e\n\u003cli\u003e\n\u003cstrong\u003eThe Mining Frontier: \u003c\/strong\u003e In Silverton, the family lived at an elevation of over 9,000 feet. The book describes the brutal winters, the constant threat of mining accidents, and the social hierarchy where \"Northern Italians\" often looked down upon \"Tyrolean's.\"\u003c\/li\u003e\n\u003cli\u003e\n\u003cstrong\u003eThe Business of Vice: \u003c\/strong\u003e The \u003cstrong\u003eBelleview Saloon\u003c\/strong\u003e in Silverton was a cornerstone of the narrative. Niemann describes the physical layout of the saloon, the gambling tables, and the \"cribs\" (small rooms for prostitution) that were legally part of the business.\u003c\/li\u003e\n\u003c\/ul\u003e\u003cstrong\u003eThe Matriarchal Conflict: Angelina's Burden\u003c\/strong\u003e\u003cp\u003eWhile Louis Sartore was the business visionary, \u003cstrong\u003eAngelina Giordano Sartore\u003c\/strong\u003e is the emotional heart of the book.\u003c\/p\u003e\u003cul\u003e\n\u003cli\u003e\n\u003cstrong\u003eCultural Resistance: \u003c\/strong\u003e Angelina never fully accepted America. She viewed Silverton as \"crude\" and spent decades trying to replicate the class-conscious, structured society of Italy in the lawless West.\u003c\/li\u003e\n\u003cli\u003e\n\u003cstrong\u003eArranged Marriages: \u003c\/strong\u003e A major sub-plot involves Angelina's attempts to control her children's romantic lives. She famously opposed her daughter Katie's love for a Tyrolean man because he wasn't from their specific region of Italy. This internal family \"war\" reflects the broader immigrant struggle of maintaining tradition versus embracing American independence.\u003c\/li\u003e\n\u003c\/ul\u003e\u003cstrong\u003eThe Dramatic Climax: The Death of Peter Dalla\u003c\/strong\u003e\u003cp\u003eThe book reaches a fever pitch with the story of \u003cstrong\u003ePeter Dalla\u003c\/strong\u003e, a man loved by Katie but despised by her mother. His sudden and suspicious death, which many in the community believed was a murder, is a pivotal moment that explores the dark side of the immigrant feuds. Niemann uses court records and family whispers to reconstruct a tragedy...a murder that was never solved.\u003c\/p\u003e\u003cstrong\u003eSocietal Shifts: Prohibition and the Great Depression\u003c\/strong\u003e\u003cp\u003eThe family's journey is a microcosm of American history: \u003c\/p\u003e\u003col\u003e\n\u003cli\u003e\n\u003cstrong\u003eThe Golden Era: \u003c\/strong\u003e The years of the saloon \"boom\" where money flowed freely.\u003c\/li\u003e\n\u003cli\u003e\n\u003cstrong\u003eThe Moral Shift: \u003c\/strong\u003e The rise of the Temperance Movement. When Colorado went \"dry\" in 1916 (four years before the rest of the nation), the family had to literally take down the \"Salone Italiano\" sign and close the saloon.\u003c\/li\u003e\n\u003cli\u003e\u003cstrong\u003eThe Rebirth:\u003cbr\u003e\u003cbr\u003e\u003cbr\u003e\u003cb\u003eAbout the Author\u003c\/b\u003e\u003cbr\u003e\u003cb\u003e\u003ci\u003eNiemann, Kay A.:\u003c\/i\u003e\u003c\/b\u003e - Kay Niemann was born in Durango, Colorado but began her life abroad in 1967 when she was hired as a teacher by the U.S. Department of Defense. She taught music to American dependent children in Okinawa, Japan, and later transferred to Incerlik Air Base in Turkey. There, she met Jon Niemann and they married in Durango in 1972. Kay received news of the letters found in Italy and was inspired to write Salone Italiano while living in Sydney, Australia. She and Jon now live near Los Angeles, California.\u003c\/strong\u003e\u003c\/li\u003e\n\u003c\/ol\u003e","brand":"Salone Italiano","offers":[{"title":"Default Title","offer_id":52038927352082,"sku":"9798295555787","price":11.99,"currency_code":"USD","in_stock":true}],"thumbnail_url":"\/\/cdn.shopify.com\/s\/files\/1\/0831\/4771\/8930\/files\/img_2d92a05f-fa5f-4b7b-bf03-8fff361b6264.jpg?v=1771341873","url":"https:\/\/surprise-castle.myshopify.com\/products\/salone-italiano-the-true-story-of-an-italian-immigrant-familys-struggles-in-southern-colorado-9798295555787","provider":"Surprise Castle","version":"1.0","type":"link"}