The Italian Legacy in the Dominican Republic

THE ITALIAN LEGACY IN THE DOMINICAN REPUBLIC

to the service of the fledgling Dominican nation, and with them

they established the first flotilla consisting of three ships for the

Dominican Navy. The Provincial Governing Board selected Juan

Bautista Cambiaso to lead it and appointed him as an admiral

with such incredible success that on April 23, 1844, the Domini-

can ships fought a successful battle against several Haitian vessels

at the site of Tortuguero, in Ocoa Bay, sinking three of them.

Cambiaso commanded the schooner named the Separación

Dominicana; Maggiolo, the schooner María Chica; and Acosta,

the schooner Leonor. (Acosta was a Dominican Criollo born in

Baní.) Ten years later, in 1854, under the command of Cambiaso,

these three sailors with three new ships (named Cibao, Merced,

and General Santana), brought the navy to the northern coast

of Haiti to provide support for the Dominican troops that were

preparing for the famous Battle of Beler.

Among other Ligurian merchants established in Santo Do-

mingo, special mention is due to the brothers Nicolás and Anto-

nio Canevaro, natives of the town of Zoagli, near Genoa, who

were also the owners of multiple schooners, and were closely

connected to the Cambiaso brothers. Nicolás de Canevaro ded-

icated himself to the exportation of leather and precious timber

and to the importation of European goods. Others, like the broth-

ers Luis and Juan Bautista Cambiaso and Juan Bautista Maggiolo

were owners of schooners and brigantines. Still, others like Juan

Bautista Pellerano, were government moneylenders, and others

were dedicated to commerce and artisanal products.

Canevaro also had ships and was a well-known merchant in

the capital of the nascent Dominican Republic. In the books and

records of the General Treasury Division kept as of 1853, there

are many notes about Canevaro’s commercial and naval exploits. In these documents, it states that Canevaro

was the owner of at least one schooner and two brigantines that made continual trips abroad, exporting ma-

hogany and carrying goods. These ships operated for many years. The schooner was named “Dos Amigas,”

and the brigantines were named “Sardo Palestra” and “Julio César.”

The Cambiaso brothers were partners at a company named Cambiaso y Ventura. As can be gleaned from

the ledger books for the Ministry of the Treasury—which recorded sales of provisions to the government—they

also had considerable commercial influence during the First Republic. The Cambiasos continued with this busi-

ness after the Dominican Restoration War, as did Canevaro, who continued operating as a shipowner, import-

er, exporter, and occasional supplier for the government. In April of 1869, the Cambiasos went a step further

and asked the government for the long-term lease agreement for a depot at the old customs office for the port

of Santo Domingo. Having their own depot as customers gave the Cambiasos a clear operational advantage.

In that year, Juan Bautista Cambiaso was the owner of numerous seafaring vessels. One of them was the

schooner Dos Amigas, formerly the property of Canevaro. The others were the schooners Rodolfo and Citania,

and the brigantine Rodolfo, as well as the three-masted schooner Luis Cambiaso, which made trips with timber

to Genoa. The schooners Rodolfo and Citania had a load capacity of 68 and 53 tons respectively. Years later,

the Cambiasos were also agents for the first steamships that operated in the port of Santo Domingo. Being the

owner of ships contributed to the fact that Canevaro and the Cambiasos were able to offer goods at lower prices

than other merchants, since they could sell their shipments without incurring certain brokerage costs.

Casa Vicini served as

the headquarters for

all companies owned

by Juan Bautista Vicini,

as well as partner

companies, for four

generations of the

family. Meetings were

held there since before

1879. The house

was connected to the

warehouses in the port

of Santo Domingo,

by means of a tram,

which eventually

extended all the way

to calle El Conde.

Casa Vicini / Inicia