The Italian Legacy in the Dominican Republic

THE ITALIAN LEGACY IN THE DOMINICAN REPUBLIC

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The family eventually moved to Santo Domingo. In fact, both Frank and Fernando were born in the cap-

ital. Francisco worked as manager of the General Sales Company, a family enterprise founded in Santiago by

his uncle William Harper, who married Mafalda Rainieri. Upon Harper’s passing, Francisco had to assume

responsibility for the business, as his two cousins Billy and Franky were too young to do so.

Venecia—also descended from Italians who immigrated to the country in the late 1800s—did not limit

herself to simply being a housewife. She had grown up around her family’s business ventures, the most well-

known of which was La Casa Marranzini. It operated for several decades, but eventually went bankrupt after

the Great Depression hit in 1929. Venecia was a natural businesswoman who taught her children about honest

hard work and how to save money. She organized many activities for the family business in order to round out

the household finances. This is how the Rainieri-Marranzini family lived during the 31 years of the Trujillo

dictatorship.

Frank, the more restless and rebellious of the three boys, became a malcontent for two main reasons. The

first was the inherent rebelliousness of a teenager who was deeply troubled by injustice. Due to this rebellious-

ness, his mother sent him to New York City at the age of 15, fearing retaliatory action from the Trujillo regime.

There, he was forced to survive, his battle against solitude tempering his character. The second factor that

drove him to rebel was his close relationship with Antonio Imbert Barrera, an uncle whom Frank admired,

loved, and protected.

Imbert Barrera, one of the chief architects of Trujillo’s assassination, was related to Frank through his

marriage to Yolanda Rainieri. As many Italian families were prone to doing, they held weekly family gather-

ings where Frank started to learn about the concept of liberty. To wit, his uncle Manuel had been exiled, and

other members of his family had been jailed by the regime. His parents were responsible for delivering their

meals each week. On May 30, 1961, Francisco Rainieri had to help Antonio go into hiding.

Another personal tragedy that undoubtedly hardened his character was the death of his fiancée, Leslie

Imbert, Antonio’s daughter. They had been together since adolescence and were planning a Catholic wedding.

In February 1970, she traveled to San Juan, Puerto Rico—as was the custom at the time—to choose her dowry.

The Compañía Dominicana de Aviación airplane carrying Leslie and her mother crashed into the sea almost

immediately after takeoff, killing all 102 occupants.

The Birth, Growth, and Development of Tourism

Pleasure travel became a phenomenon that arose after World War I, specifically after 1919, though its world-

wide surge occurred in the mid-twentieth century. This was how tourism—sometimes referred to as the lei-

sure industry—became one of the largest industries in world. Despite its growth, however, many economists

were reluctant to acknowledge its importance, betting on the consumer goods market instead. As time went

by, and tourism’s impact on the global economy forced these ideologues to reconsider their positions, Domin-

ican economists were similarly forced to acknowledge the positive impact it had on the daily lives, culture, and

economy of a country well-suited for such an industry.

Despite its slow beginnings in the 1950s, during the Trujillo regime’s death throes, the development of the

Dominican tourism industry offered a genuine beacon of hope. It is important to acknowledge that it was after

Joaquín Balaguer’s rise to power in July 1966—giving rise to a 12-year regime—that concrete measures were

taken to promote tourism in the country.

Dominican tourism scholars agree that tourism on the island truly began to take off starting in 1967, with

Executive Decree No. 2536 declaring its development to be in the country’s best interest. During the 1970s,

tourism on the island grew considerably with the establishment of the Banco Central del Departamento para

la Infrestructura Turística (INFRATUR) along with the INFRATUR fund, though the most significant growth

came during the 1980s.

Opening page:

Playa Blanca

Restaurant, Punta

Cana.