By the time Pasquale's and Pasqualina's son Nicola (my great grandfather) was born on 21 December 1875 the rebellion was over. In the ten years between 1860 and 1870, the fight was knocked out of the rebels, freedom fighters, partisans, resistance, macquis of the Kingdom of the Two Sicilies. Call them what you will but don't call them brigands or terrorists.
Nicola was named after an older brother born on 10 August 1869 who died at the age of 4 on 19 September 1873. His elder brother Luigi was now 10 and he had a sister, Trofimena who was now three.
At some stage in the 1890s he joined the Merchant Marine. He made a few coastwise journeys from Amalfi or Salerno to places like Taranto then on 24 January 1896 he transferred to the Royal Italian Army. Whether the transfer was voluntary or not I have no idea. I don't know whether he saw active service. There is no evidence of any such action but he was serving at the time (1895-1896) of the First Italo-Ethiopian War.
He would've looked smart though in his uniform. 1.85 metres (6 ft 3 ins) tall. Short chestnut hair. Chestnut eyes. Well trimmed handlebar moustache.
I imagine that when he married Rafaella Fraulo on 8 February 1900, he marched down the aisle in that uniform. The story that I was told was that they married in the cathedral in Amalfi - he was from Scala and she was from Minori. I have no idea whether it's true but it's a lovely image. Her in her grandmother's or great-grandmother's wedding dress and him in his uniform getting married in that beautiful arabesque cathedral.
On 2 March 1900 there is an entry in his Matriculation Booklet which reads (to the extent that I can read the handwriting) "I declare that there is no obstacle to the holder removing himself to London for the period of two years from today under obligation to return in the case of a call to arms ... under pain of denunciation and punishment as a deserter. Dated 2 March 1900, Captain of the port."
In the 1901 census of England and Wales, Nicola and his wife Rafaella Fraulo were safely ensconced in Carlisle Street in Marylebone and he was working, probably unsurprisingly, as an ice cream maker.
Just over two years after having left Pontone, they celebrated the birth of their first child, Pasqualino, obviously named after his parents.
I have no idea why he left. I supposed when I first started writing this story that he left because there wasn't enough land between them to support the siblings, there wasn't enough work or some other such reason but it was all pure supposition. It is entirely possible that what the newborn Italian government called the Brigandage was enough to drive him out of the country along with millions of his compatriots.
When he left Pontone in 1900, he was still 'under arms' under obligation to return in case of a call to arms.
At some stage in February 1908, Nicola packed his bags and took ship again for Naples. His grandparents, parents, brother and sister must have been delighted to have him back. His aunts, uncles, cousins, friends and neighbours will have come running round. What's London like? Are the streets really paved with gold? How's Rafaella? How many children have you got now? Will you stay there forever?
Now there's a question? He might have said 'no'. He might have said that he planned to return as soon as he'd made enough money to buy a house of his own and a bit of land. It is certain though that he would have sat round the table at lunch or dinner drinking vino paesano and answering an endless stream of questions and telling captivating tales of life in London ... the underground, the markets (he practically lived at Covent Garden Market), Bond Street, Oxford Road, the Strand ...
On 4 March, he and the Corp Commandant signed his certificate of indefinite leave from the Royal Italian Army (Regio Esercito Italiano). It says of Nicola that "during his time under arms, he has conducted himself well and served with faith and with honour."
It was signed by the mayor of Scala on 8 March 1908. I don't know how long he stayed. I don't know how often the ships sailed out of Naples to London. He might have stayed a week, he might have stayed a month.
Back in London were Rafaella, Pasqualino, Giolina, Marie and Amelia and Rafaella presumably ran the greengrocer's shop ... and looked after the kids - Pasqualino was only 6 and Amelia was only 18 months.
Six years later Europe was at war. Nicola and Rafaella had now had eight children and Pasqualino was two years dead. They appear to have come through the Great War largely unscathed. Italy had joined on the right side for this one.
