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THE ITALIAN LEGACY IN THE DOMINICAN REPUBLIC
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Italian Culture in Dominican Society
Italian capital and talent have been present at various definitive stages in the history of the Dominican
people, beginning with the arrival of Cristoforo Colombo (Christopher Columbus) and the first resident
archbishop in Santo Domingo, Monsignor Alessandro Geraldini, who initiated the construction of the first
cathedral in the Americas.
The Genoese Juan Bautista Cambiaso was one of the founders of the Dominican Navy, participating in
the naval war against Haitian troops on April 15, 1844. Surnames such as Bonelli, Bonetti, Billini, Campillo,
Imbert, and others were present in the campaigns against the Haitian army between 1844 and 1856.
Juan Bautista Vicini Burgos served as provisional president of the republic, assuming power on October
21, 1922, and General José Oliva was in command of the San Pedro de Macorís Fire Department from 1934
to 1961.
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These are merely some of the Italian-Dominicans present in political and military events of the
nation.
Immigrant families introduced elements of Italian culture into Dominican society, and to cite just a few
examples, we find the Christmas nativity scene, reverence of the figure of La Vieja Belén,
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pizza, pasta,
fish, and seafood. The Neapolitan influence led to an expansion in Italian cuisine, most notably through
pizzerias, such as Sorrento, the Napolitano restaurant, and the Pizzarelli, Pala Pizza, and Calzone chains.
Some of the important Italian names in a range of businesses include Oreste Menicucci, Nicolás Alterio
Gerasuoli, José Oliva Currari, Pascual Prota, Pietro Bolonotto Lanteri, Carlos Marranzini D’Piano.
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In
the city of Santiago de los Caballeros, recorded Italian surnames introduced Italian culture during the first
decades of the twentieth century, mostly those from Santa Domenica Talao in Calabria, a region that con-
stitutes the tip of the Italian peninsula.
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Of fifty-nine registered Italian surnames, twenty-six came from Santa Domenica Talao, including Pez-
zoti, Pugliese, De Puglia, Russo, Longo, Campagna, Divanna, Schiffino, Cosentino, Anzelotti Cosentino,
Cucurrullo Senise, Sabatino Oliva, and Capobianco Caputo. Two such families, the Demorizzis and Bonel-
lis, settled in the country in the nineteenth century.
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Families from the same Calabrian area settled in and around Santiago, including those of Francisco
Bloise Minervino; Silverio Campagna; Luis Ciliberti; Luis, Francisco, and Mario Cino; Carlos Cozza; Sal-
vador Ferzola; Angel and Blas Leogaldo; Nicolás Leone Lagreca; Pascual Marino; Angel Oliva and his wife
Antonia Pignataro; Blas Russo; Enrique Sassone Maimone; Nicolás Perrone; Francisco and Genaro Pezzoti;
Bruno Figgliuzi; Carlos Grisolía Divanna; and Dr. Vicente Grisolía, among others.
Because the population of Italian descent in the Dominican Republic is estimated at 300,000—one of the
largest in the Caribbean region—in addition to the colony of Italian citizens totaling approximately 25,000,
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it is not surprising that this community is present in nearly all sectors of the economy.
The history of cinema in the Dominican Republic begins when the company of the Italian Francesco
Greco in Puerto Plata projected eleven films by the Lumière brothers, beginning on August 27, 1900.
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Domingo Russo Cino and his brother Alessandro were the founders of the first pharmacy in the city of Bon-
ao, and the Italian Giuseppe Ruso Cino was the pioneer behind the installation of electrical power in Puerto
Plata, La Vega, and Moca; he is also credited with establishing the only cinemas in La Vega and founding
the Rotary Club. Arturo Pellerano Alfau founded
Listín Diario
in 1889, one of the most respected morning
newspapers in the country.
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Italian Investment during the Trujillo Era
As mentioned earlier, the first Dominican bourgeoisie principally comprised merchant-intermediaries who
financed the producers and exporters of raw materials beginning in the late nineteenth century, when there
were no formal banking institutions; the second bourgeoisie was formed by entrepreneurs who were re-