|
Rocco Gualtieri
1876-1977
Rocco Gualtieri was born in the southern Italian town of Staletti,
Province of Catanzaro on September 7, 1876. He served in the Italian army and then emigrated to the United States with his
wife, Mary Angela in 1901. They settled in Rome, New York where he would become a leader in the Italian community. In 1902
he opened an Italian market on East Dominick Street and sold imported delicacies to the Italian population in the neighborhood.
Gualtieri served the Italian community in many ways besides providing groceries. He helped his fellow countrymen with travel
arrangements, banking services, interpretation, and legal aid. His store on East Dominick Street which opened a year after
the Wright Brothers first flight has succeeded through three generations of the Gualtieri family. Today, the original store
at 294 E. Dominick Street is undergoing a major renovation to restore splendor and community pride as it once did in 1902.
|
