Maria Domenica De Cesare (1872-1947) was a remarkable woman. She immigrated to the United States from Marzano-Appio in the Province of Caserta—a Southern Italian region formerly known as the Terra Lavoro, or “land of work.” In 1901, she purchased a two-story house on Blaine Street in the North End of Providence, Rhode Island. Soon after, she met and married Carmine Viti (1864-1945), a hardworking and dedicated fellow Italian immigrant (see wedding photo below).
Together they raised a large family consisting of three boys (Michael, Allie, and Attilio) and seven girls (Mary, Julia, Lena, Louise, Adeline, Mollie, and Gilda). The Vitis were not wealthy and might even be considered somewhat poor by today’s standards. But Carmine and Maria, accustomed to hard work and sacrifice, gave their children gifts beyond price. From an early age, the children learned the traditional values of hard work, honesty, and love of family.
Maria and Carmine’s youngest son Attilio (6/11/1908-2/10/2003) married Amelia DiNofrio (10/3/1913-6/14/2002). They had four children – Attilio, Jr., Marie, David, and Richard. This blog is about Attilio and Amelia’s youngest son Richard and his offspring – Richard, Jr., David, and Daniel.
