{"id":17773,"date":"2026-05-19T11:00:01","date_gmt":"2026-05-19T11:00:01","guid":{"rendered":"https:\/\/www.europesays.com\/italy\/17773\/"},"modified":"2026-05-19T11:00:01","modified_gmt":"2026-05-19T11:00:01","slug":"from-italy-to-staten-island-a-south-beach-familys-120-year-legacy-of-hard-work-and-tradition","status":"publish","type":"post","link":"https:\/\/www.europesays.com\/italy\/17773\/","title":{"rendered":"From Italy to Staten Island: A South Beach family\u2019s 120-year legacy of hard work and tradition"},"content":{"rendered":"

STATEN ISLAND, N.Y. \u2014 Before the boardwalk crowds and summer-day bustle came to define South Beach, its story was written by immigrants who carried little more than trade skills and a stubborn resolve to build the American dream with family at its center.<\/p>\n

For Anne Navarria, 73, a resident of the Shore Acres section of South Beach, that history is not a distant chapter but a living inheritance, etched in the lives of her grandparents, Anna Macchia and Luigi Cassano.<\/p>\n

More than a century after the couple emigrated from Puglia, Italy to New York, their descendants are preserving the story of how Italian immigrant families helped shape South Beach into a close-knit waterfront community rooted in hard work, entrepreneurship and multigenerational family traditions.<\/p>\n

Family roots<\/p>\n

Navarria\u2019s grandmother, Anna, was born in 1887 in Toritto, a small town in Italy\u2019s Puglia region.<\/p>\n

Her father sold milk and cheese from a goat he walked through town, ringing a bell for customers, while her mother worked as a seamstress for wealthier residents.<\/p>\n

At 16, Anna immigrated to the United States in 1903 to join her sister Mary in Manhattan. She found work on the West Side cleaning animal skins at a furrier \u2014 difficult labor that marked the beginning of her life in America.<\/p>\n

Navarria\u2019s grandfather, Luigi Cassano, was born in 1880 in Grumo Appula, another town in Puglia. His father sold vegetables, specializing in bitter onions popular in the region, while his mother made pasta for affluent families.<\/p>\n

\"(CourtesyA photo from the 1920 of Ann Navarria’s grandmother, Anna Macchia in front of her house on Cedar Ave, South Beach. (Courtesy Ann Navarria)(Courtesy Ann Navarria)<\/p>\n

Cassano learned English while serving in the Italian Army, a skill that proved critical after immigrating to the United States in 1904.<\/p>\n

In New York, he purchased a truck for an ice and coal business and took on delivery jobs hauling laundry, fish and vegetables. He also worked on the docks, including jobs tied to U.S. Army operations.<\/p>\n

During construction of the Outerbridge Crossing in the 1920s, he traveled to Arthur Kill Road to light kerosene lanterns along largely unpaved roads for workers at the site.<\/p>\n

\"(CourtesyAnna and Luigi Cassano met and married in 1906 at Our Lady of Pompeii Church on Bleecker Street, Manhattan, and began their life together in a small apartment on Peck Slip, on the East Side. (Courtesy Ann Navarria)(Courtesy Ann Navarria)<\/p>\n

Anna and Luigi married in 1906 at Our Lady of Pompeii Church on Bleecker Street in Manhattan. The couple settled into a small apartment on Peck Slip.<\/p>\n

\u201cGrandpa slept with an axe under his pillow to protect himself from local gangs,\u201d Navarria recalled, underscoring the realities of immigrant life in the city.<\/p>\n

A visit to South Beach<\/p>\n

Their connection to Staten Island began with visits to friends in South Beach, where they spent summer days by the water.<\/p>\n

Eventually, they came across a multi-family home with an attached dry goods store for sale \u2014 an opportunity that would shape the family\u2019s future.<\/p>\n

Navarria said her grandfather was hesitant at first, but her grandmother saw potential.<\/p>\n

\"CourtesyA 1963 photo of the granddaughters: (l-r) Toby Caracappa, Donna Scala, Pam Migliaccio, Ann Navarria, Florinda Mattia, Annie Perez, Annagrace Pastore. At this time, Ann Navarria was an infant.Courtesy of Ann Navarria<\/p>\n

\u201cMy dad described his mother as an entrepreneur who saw a place for their growing family with income from rentals while running the family store,\u201d she said.<\/p>\n

South Beach at the time was, in her words, \u201ca seaside paradise,\u201d filled with families of similar backgrounds, small shops and even a local dressmaking factory, along with a strong sense of community.<\/p>\n

The neighborhood bustled with activity: trucks moved through delivering bleach, milk, watermelons and even backyard furniture, while traveling vendors offered services like knife sharpening and umbrella repair.<\/p>\n

Others sold house dresses, fabric and curtains door-to-door.<\/p>\n

The family\u2019s store provided everyday essentials, including shoes, clothespins, fabric and other household goods.<\/p>\n

By the late 1940s, the family converted the storefront into an apartment \u2014 a space Navarria said became central to her own childhood memories, where she and her cousins spent their most formative years.<\/p>\n

\"(Courtesy(l-r) A 2026 photo of some of the same granddaughter as the 1963 photo: Pam Migliaccio, Donna Scala, Florinda Mattia, Ann Navarria, Annagrace Pastore, Libera Vizoskie. (Courtesy of Ann Navarria)(Courtesy of Ann Navarria)A multigenerational household <\/p>\n

Anna and Luigi raised eight children on Cedar Avenue, creating a multigenerational household that remained rooted in the neighborhood for decades. <\/p>\n

Four of their children stayed in the family home after marrying, raising their own families there before eventually moving into homes of their own. <\/p>\n

Most remained nearby, with only two relocating to New Jersey.<\/p>\n

Family life revolved around the Cedar Avenue house and its backyard, which Navarria described as vibrant and full of life.<\/p>\n

\u201cFamily was everything, especially when everyone gathered for Sunday dinners or for our backyard parties,\u201d said Jessie Cassano-Mattia, the only surviving child of Anna and Luigi. <\/p>\n

\u201cWe didn\u2019t have much, but I had loving parents, five sisters, two brothers and 21 nieces and nephews. Who could have asked for more.\u201d<\/p>\n

\"(CourtesyAnna and Luigi Cassano lived in South Beach and hosted many family parties in their home. Luigi is pictured in the kitchen, in his kitchen in the 1950s. (Courtesy Ann Navarria)(Courtesy Ann Navarria)<\/p>\n

A sprawling mulberry tree shaded much of the yard\u2019s blacktop, alongside apple, fig and pear trees, as well as tomato plants \u2014 some of which continued through later generations.<\/p>\n

\u201cGrandma would lay out a white sheet in the sun to dry her tomatoes for tomato paste,\u201d she said.<\/p>\n

Today, Navarria reflects on both her own experiences and those passed down from her father, who died in 2014.<\/p>\n

\u201cThe family gatherings were constant,\u201d she said. \u201cThere were Sunday breakfasts outside and parties in a backyard, full of fruit trees and clothes lines. <\/p>\n

\u201cOur memories are endless.\u201d<\/p>\n

The yard also served as a shared space for an extended family network, with multiple clotheslines to accommodate as many as five households, along with swings, sandboxes and a small pool during the summer months.<\/p>\n

\"(CourtesyA vintage family photo from the 1950s. (Courtesy Ann Navarria)(Courtesy Ann Navarria)<\/p>\n

One of the most cherished traditions was the family\u2019s annual Labor Day celebration, a three-day event that brought relatives and friends together. <\/p>\n

Preparations began with gathering mulberries from the tree, as family members worked together to shake loose fruit onto tarps below.<\/p>\n

\u201cBreakfast began with buns and rolls from LaRosa Bakery,\u201d Navarria said. \u201cIt was a very special weekend for the women of the family because the men were in charge of the menu, preparation and cleaning.\u201d<\/p>\n

In the days leading up to the celebration, makeshift tables were assembled from scrap wood, and chairs were gathered from every apartment in the house.<\/p>\n

\"(CourtesyA vintage family photo of the Navarrias from the 1950s in front of their South Beach home. (Courtesy Ann Navarria)(Courtesy Ann Navarria)<\/p>\n

Music, games and friendly competition filled the weekend. Relatives brought instruments, song sheets were distributed, and activities were organized for all ages.<\/p>\n

A highlight each year was a chess tournament, with a trophy awarded to the best player \u2014 a tradition that reflected both pride and playfulness within the family.<\/p>\n

Anna and Luigi died just three months apart in 1969, but their legacy lives on through the memories they created and the family they built.<\/p>\n

\u201cWe all feel so blessed to have such good memories,\u201d Navarria said. <\/p>\n

\u201cWe don\u2019t know how much longer the house will remain. The yard is already gone.\u201d<\/p>\n

\"(CourtesyA vintage family photo from the 1920s of the Cassano’s South Beach home. (Courtesy Ann Navarria)(Courtesy Ann Navarria)\"(CourtesyA vintage family photo from the 1950s in the South Beach backyard where so many family parties were held. (Courtesy Ann Navarria)(Courtesy Ann Navarria)\"(CourtesyA vintage family photo from the 1950s. (Courtesy Ann Navarria)(Courtesy Ann Navarria)\"(CourtesyA vintage family photo of the Cassanos. (Courtesy Ann Navarria)(Courtesy Ann Navarria)\"(CourtesyA vintage family photo from the 1920s of the family home in South Beach. (Courtesy Ann Navarria)(Courtesy Ann Navarria)\"(CourtesyA vintage family photo from the 1950s. (Courtesy Ann Navarria)(Courtesy Ann Navarria)\"(CourtesyA vintage family photo from the 1920s in front of the family home on South Beach. (Courtesy Ann Navarria)(Courtesy Ann Navarria)\"(CourtesyA vintage family photo from the 1950s of the Cassanos. (Courtesy Ann Navarria)(Courtesy Ann Navarria)\"(CourtesyA vintage family photo from the 1950s. (Courtesy Ann Navarria)(Courtesy Ann Navarria)\"(CourtesyAnna and Luigi Cassano immigrated to the U.S. from Italy in the early 1900s, eventually settling in South Beach. Many family parties were held at the Cedar Avenue backard, with live music and abundant food, through the 1950s.(Courtesy Ann Navarria)<\/p>\n

MORE BY DR. GRACELYN SANTOS<\/p>\n

\"(CourtesyAnna and Luigi Cassano immigrated to the U.S. from Italy in the early 1900s, eventually settling in South Beach. Many family parties were held at the Cedar Avenue backard, with live music and abundant food, through the 1950s.(Courtesy Ann Navarria)\"(CourtesyAnna and Luigi Cassano immigrated to the U.S. from Italy in the early 1900s, eventually settling in South Beach. Many family parties were held at the Cedar Avenue backard, with live music and abundant food, through the 1950s.(Courtesy Ann Navarria)(Courtesy Ann Navarria)\"(CourtesyThe South Beach family home as it stands today.(Courtesy Ann Navarria)(Courtesy Ann Navarria)<\/p>\n","protected":false},"excerpt":{"rendered":"STATEN ISLAND, N.Y. \u2014 Before the boardwalk crowds and summer-day bustle came to define South Beach, its story…\n","protected":false},"author":2,"featured_media":17774,"comment_status":"","ping_status":"","sticky":false,"template":"","format":"standard","meta":{"footnotes":""},"categories":[2],"tags":[11390,4220,13047,6690,3973,13048,13049,13050,13051,13052,5,13053,13054,13055,13056,13057,3741,13058,4328],"class_list":["post-17773","post","type-post","status-publish","format-standard","has-post-thumbnail","category-italy","tag-11390","tag-architecture","tag-bryant-park","tag-building","tag-city","tag-cityscape","tag-da-luo","tag-downtown","tag-events-and-programs","tag-high-rise","tag-italy","tag-metropolis","tag-movie-nights","tag-office-building","tag-professional-photography","tag-pulp-fiction","tag-summer","tag-tower","tag-urban"],"_links":{"self":[{"href":"https:\/\/www.europesays.com\/italy\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/posts\/17773","targetHints":{"allow":["GET"]}}],"collection":[{"href":"https:\/\/www.europesays.com\/italy\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/posts"}],"about":[{"href":"https:\/\/www.europesays.com\/italy\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/types\/post"}],"author":[{"embeddable":true,"href":"https:\/\/www.europesays.com\/italy\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/users\/2"}],"replies":[{"embeddable":true,"href":"https:\/\/www.europesays.com\/italy\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/comments?post=17773"}],"version-history":[{"count":0,"href":"https:\/\/www.europesays.com\/italy\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/posts\/17773\/revisions"}],"wp:featuredmedia":[{"embeddable":true,"href":"https:\/\/www.europesays.com\/italy\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/media\/17774"}],"wp:attachment":[{"href":"https:\/\/www.europesays.com\/italy\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/media?parent=17773"}],"wp:term":[{"taxonomy":"category","embeddable":true,"href":"https:\/\/www.europesays.com\/italy\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/categories?post=17773"},{"taxonomy":"post_tag","embeddable":true,"href":"https:\/\/www.europesays.com\/italy\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/tags?post=17773"}],"curies":[{"name":"wp","href":"https:\/\/api.w.org\/{rel}","templated":true}]}}