Fruits of summer, and of labor, part of Italian life

Many of the societies rented storefronts for use as a clubhouse. This must have been a major accomplishment — providing a physical space in which the business of the organization could be carried out. But equally important, a place for men to socialize and share ideas and comment on the state of affairs.

Not many immigrants were overtly political, but many had opinions regarding current events both here and in Italy, and upon gaining citizenship and the voting franchise, many were developing a keener interest in local issues. But the conversations were usually confined to such places that didn’t offer concern regarding the participants — the clubhouse was one such place.

For many men, the social aspect was engaging in card playing, such as Scopa or Briscola, in the evening, or on a Sunday afternoon. The one outdoor activity that was especially popular was bocce, a form of lawn bowling that is played on a court. Some men carried a small tape measure to be utilized whenever there was a disagreement over which ball was closest to the pallino.

There were bocce courts at Waterside Park, and on Wooster Street, near Hamilton, outside the clubhouse of the Flavio Gioia Society. This was one of the few open spaces in the neighborhood and was a welcome diversion from the closely built properties in which most of us lived. The society was named for Flavio Gioia, an Amalfitani sailor who was credited with developing the mariner’s compass. His statue surrounded by a replica of the compass in stone, laid out on the ground, stands in the boulevard in Amalfi facing the sea.

The shops and factories where so many of the residents were employed were only cooled through open windows and occasional fans, so spending eight hours inside one of those facilities was difficult on a hot summer day. At home, most used portable screens that slid into place to fit the window opening, and perhaps a portable fan in the kitchen. Everyone welcomed time spent outdoors in the evening, and the Italian custom of an after dinner passagata became a custom of sitting on the front stoop or porch, interacting with the neighbors.

In our home, the cooling beverage that we enjoyed was a combination of grape juice and ginger ale stirred in a pitcher filled with ice. American lemons are much more tart than those grown in Campania, so a glass of lemon juice and water needed the addition of sugar, something not necessary in Italy. Of course, the pastry shops were open until 8 in the evening, so a cup of refreshing lemonata was usually just a block or two away wherever you lived in the neighborhood.

With the bounty of summer fruit available, most looked forward to summer melons, with watermelon as a special treat. In August, a truck from one of the Carolinas would appear at our store with a load of long, green watermelons, filled with seeds but sugar-sweet. We would usually purchase six or eight and then hope to sell them whole. In those days, they were a once-a-year treat.

Peaches, especially the denselyfleshed clings or percoca, imported from California, were very often a Sunday speciality, cut into wedges and marinated in red wine. After enjoying a glass of wine with dinner, the pink-hued peaches were then retrieved from the pitcher and eaten as a dessert.

Wine on the Sunday table was considered a necessary accoutrement to the meal. A pitcher of homemade red, drawn from the keg in the basement, was generally a standard beverage. If not homemade, wine from one of the local package stores was the next best — either a Chianti, in a straw wrapped bottle, or a jug of California wine produced by one of the wineries founded by Italian immigrants who somehow managed to find a place to thrive across the continent. It wasn’t unusual for the children to be given a small glass with a finger measure of wine and filled with soda, in the belief that a taste of wine was a healthful addition.

The Friday payday, usually in cash, was generally allocated into segmented envelopes. Rent and food would be the major expenses to account for, with everything else saved for other needs. Sometimes there was a need for temporary assistance and most of the neighborhood stores had a ledger in which a purchase of food and groceries would be carried over to another week. In our store, we called it the Trust Book.

Everyone paid their bills in cash, in person. The department stores, such as Shartenbergs and Horwitz, were places where one could pay a utility bill, and United Illuminating, on Temple Street, was open every day for bill payments. Everyone saved for the things that needed to be purchased from time to time, such as clothing and emergencies. A home or office visit with the doctor or dentist required a cash expenditure. While most had an account with a local bank such as Community or New Haven Savings, everyone kept a cash envelope hidden securely somewhere in the house, and it wasn’t unusual for a housewife to suddenly reveal a hidden cache in an emergency, accumulated by quietly saving a few coins each week from the paycheck.

Working children who lived at home usually passed on their pay to help with the expenses and received an allowance in return and their personal needs such as clothing and other necessities. A small dowry would be provided for the daughter upon her engagement, a kind of hope chest of bed linens, towels, personal items and, of course, the wedding dress and their share of the wedding celebration. A young man had to provide an engagement and wedding ring, perhaps some new furniture purchased at one of the many furniture stores on Grand Avenue, and the other half of the wedding bill. It wasn’t unusual for a newly married couple to begin their lives together using the monetary gifts that they received as wedding presents.

It was generally expected that children of marriageable age would find a mate and move out on their own. If you weren’t married, you continued to live at home.

These arrangements were necessary in order for the family to begin to amass some resources that would help to make them financially secure, something that was everyone’s goal.

Life in Wooster Square was contrived to make the most of available opportunities yet living within a very simple lifestyle.