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THE ITALIAN LEGACY IN THE DOMINICAN REPUBLIC
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It is here that the Multimodal Caucedo Port is currently
located, as well as the Caucedo Logistics Center, and also
the natural gas plant known as AES Andrés, which was the
first electrical power generator to operate with natural
gas throughout the entire region of the Caribbean. Today,
there are multiple Free Trade Zone companies in the area.
Angiolino also owned large expanses of land in the regions
of Jarabacoa and Constanza. During the summer he lived
in both areas, seeking cooler temperatures as well as the
peace and quiet found in the breathtaking landscapes, the
soothing chirping of birds, and abundant fruit and vegeta-
bles that are grown in these extraordinary regions.
Angiolino Vicini Trabucco died at the age of 80 on June
19, 1960, in the city of Santo Domingo in the presence of
his loving wife Dilia, all of his children, and some of his
grandchildren. He was an Italian who was very connected
to, and supportive of, his homeland throughout his entire life. At the end of the Second Italo-Ethiopian War
and again upon the conclusion of World War II, he donated some of his very valuable personal property to the
government of Italy as a means of economic support for the reconstruction of his beloved Italy.
Among the documents related to his extensive stay in the Dominican Republic is found a manuscript dated
February 19, 1958, which his grandson Federico Guillermo Rodríguez Vicini treasures for its uniqueness as the
first-person testimony of an immigrant. It reads as follows:
From Italy to the New World
It was March 23, 1896. I sprang out of bed that day at 6:00 a.m., as everyone in my parents’ home was
already awake. It was an unforgettable departure, and recalling it now, it is even more indelible without
even having understood its profound meaning.
Departing is essentially dying.
While on the train with my cherished father, I left behind my house, my family members, and ac-
quaintances for Genoa to embark on a small and ele-
gant brigantine that awaited me, hoisting its anchor as
it set off into the infinite Atlantic.
Understanding this final moment of my anguish and
suffering, my father left me before the impressive “La
Bianca Aspasia” schooner was towed out into the im-
mense port of Genoa and into the open seas where its
sails floated like gulls.
I understood that I was leaving Italy and that before me
the New World awaited.
On September 25, 1949, he donated a portion of the
land located in the city of Santo Domingo, with an area of
20,000 square meters, to the Italian government. The en-
dowment document clearly stated the primary reason for
the donation: to allow for the residence of the ambassador
On February 1, 1950,
Angiolino Vicini was
awarded the Star of
Italian Solidarity by the
Italian Ambassador
of Italy as a sign of
gratitude for Vicini’s
1949 donation to Italy
of the plots of land.
© Courtesy of Guillermo
Rodríguez Vicini