By Andrew Coen
The mudslides hit with full force in the mountains of southern Italy on March 7, though residents had time to evacuate. Cavallerizzo is home to relatives of many Italian families in the Five Towns, including Cedarhurst Mayor Andrew Parise, Inwood Republican leader Jesse Mistero and the late Peter J. DeSibio, an Inwood community leader.
As a result of the mudslides, hundreds of the town's residents were forced to flee the area and take shelter in nearby schools. In the wake of the extensive damage, it is unclear whether they will be able to return to their homes.
According to Parise, many of those who settled in Inwood in the 20th century emigrated from Cavallerizzo, which, ironically, is also considered one of the "Five Towns" in that area of southern Italy. The region, named for five communities originally settled by Italian-Albanians in the 1500s, includes the towns of Mongrasano, Cerzeta, San Giacomo and San Martina di Finiti. Since Cavallerizzo's establishment in 1556, the residents have continued to speak Arbresch, the native language of Albania.
Parise, whose cousins were living in Cavallerizzo before the landslides, estimated that about 300 relatives of Five Towners are now homeless as a result of the mudslides. "We're all concerned about it because it's all family," said Parise.
The migration from Cavallerizzo to Inwood resulted in the creation of one of many Italian-Albanian communities in the New York City area, according to Dr. Richard Renoff, a professor of sociology at Nassau Community College, who wrote a paper titled "The Italian-Albanian-American Community of Inwood" in 1986. Author Salvatore LaGumina also chronicled the large population of Italian-Albanians in Inwood in his 1986 book, "Immigrants in Suburbia." According to LaGumina's study for his book, Inwood began to see a large influx of Italian-Albanians in 1910.
Mistero, a first cousin of Parise, has roots in the town next to Cavallerizzo, San Giacomo, which was not affected by the slides. "I'm very relieved to find out that our town was not affected, but I do feel for the Parise family," said Mistero. "It's a tragic thing."
Cedarhurst resident Albert Occhiuzzo, who grew up in Inwood and now owns Goldie's Restaurant in the Gibson section of Valley Stream, also has roots in Cavallerizzo. Occhiuzzo's mother grew up in the area before immigrating to Inwood in 1903. Occhiuzzo, who is Parise's uncle, spent three weeks in his mother's hometown in September 1994. "It feels terrible," he said of the tragedy. "The people there were really friendly during our visit."
Mary Boltz, 82, who grew up in Inwood and now lives in Rockville Centre, was concerned when she heard the news, since her 21-year-old cousin Mario Caparelli lives in the town, and she didn't hear from him for two days. "I was shocked," said Boltz. "I was very scared."
Boltz said she speaks with her cousin often, and now feels comfortable with the situation there after Caparelli assured her that the Red Cross and the government have taken care of the many victims.
Occhiuzzo and Boltz were a part of a 21-person group from the Five Towns that traveled to Cavallerizzo and the surrounding towns 11 years ago. Their trip included a visit to the Our Lady of Good Counsel Church in Cerzeta, which was the inspiration for the church of the same name in Inwood, according to Boltz. St. Joachim's R.C. Church in Cedarhurst was also founded by the Italian-Albanian community, and was named for the town of San Giacomo.
Hewlett Fire District member Pat Tuda was born in Cavallerizzo, and immigrated to Inwood when he was 15. The 53-year-old, who now resides in Woodmere, said Cavallerizzo holds a special place in his heart. "It's been a long time [since I lived there] but it's still my hometown," said Tuda. "At least nobody got killed."
Tuda's brother-in-law, Al Leone of Lynbrook, is also upset about the destruction of Cavallerizzo, since it's where his grandfather grew up before he settled in Inwood, and many of Leone's cousins called it home. "There was a lot of history there," said Leone. "The people are really brokenhearted."
Parise and Mistero are forming a committee to establish a relief program to allow Five Towners to assist those affected by the mudslides.
Comments about this story? ACoen@liherald.com or (516) 569-4000 ext. 210.
