I am from Naples, Italy. Naples is a beautiful city. But October 1, 1943 when the American troops finally came in the city, Naples was a big gigantic mess. No electricity, no gas, no water and no food, just garbage everywhere. You see, when the German troops left they blew up and destroyed whatever was left. Anyway, I’ve barely started to tell my story.
My story is very romantic! It was March 19, 1944 at six o’clock in the evening; my family and I were in the dining room having dinner. Somebody knocks at the door. My brother went to open. After a few minutes, he came back to the dining room and said, “In the foyer is an American officer and he speaks LATIN!” My father, who spoke English, said “I better go talk to him. I think he’s lost. Evidently, he is looking for someone in the building.” He got up from the table and went to the foyer. After a minute, he escorted the officer into the dining room and said, “It’s not a mistake, this officer comes for a visit.” At this point, the officer introduced himself. “I’d like to pay my respects to you and your family. My name is Stefano Edwardo Stewart. I am stationed at Capodichino. I live not too far from here and share an apartment with Captain Moore who is very fond of you and gave me your address.” (Captain Moore was my brother’s friend.) At the same time, he was looking at me and said to himself, (she’s really beautiful. She has beautiful long and very black hair, green eyes and an alabaster skin.) At the same time I looked at him and said to myself, “he’s tall and pretty handsome. He’s not so bad.” Well, he stayed until 10 o’clock talking about various things, especially the eruption of Mt. Vesuvius and all of the ash and how the ash covered the wings of B-25’s and bent them. He talked about the lava coming down the mountain and how fortunate it was that the lava was going in the other direction and how fascinating everything was. Finally, when he decided to leave he said, “Thank you for this beautiful evening, and with your permission, I’d like to come back tomorrow if you allow me. My father answered and said, “You are very welcome. Come back anytime you like.” Well, he came back tomorrow and tomorrow and tomorrow, and every day thereafter.
One night, he invited me to go dancing. With my parents’ permission, I went. What a strange dance. I never had seen anybody dance like that. The name was “boogie-woogie”. I couldn’t dance the boogie-woogie, so we sat at a table. Stefano had a martini, and I had a strange drink I didn’t like. The name was Coca Cola, and I still don’t like it.
Easter Sunday was around the corner, and by now, we called him Stefano. My mother invited Stefano for dinner, which he accepted without hesitation. Now, how do you cook dinner without gas or electricity? The Neapolitan people are very resourceful. They invented some kind of barbecue using a garbage can and sold them for a few thousand lire. We bought one and cooked on the balcony. How about charcoal? None available. The same people were collecting wood from bombed buildings like furniture and doors, etc. Cutting up and selling it in small bundles. The smell from the wood was not very pleasant.
We know Stefano pretty well by now, and he told us quite a bit about himself. We know he graduated from Miami University in Oxford, Ohio. After he joined the Army Air Force, he was sent to M.I.T. in Boston where he got his Masters Degree in Meteorology. After Boston, he was sent to a fighter bomber Group staff. From there, overseas to Africa, then Italy. Now he was Base Weather Officer at Capodichino with the 12th Weather Squadron.
By now Stefano was spending all of his free time at my house. We used to play games, especially checkers, which he usually won. We talked with him in Italian. Stefano translated from Latin into a new kind of Italian language. Sometimes there were words I can’t repeat. We really had lots of fun. Sometimes we went for a walk at the park. Sometimes we went to the seashore in his Jeep. Always in company of someone else. We discovered that we had a lot in common and really liked each other.
Every time Stefano went for a trip he brought me a present. Not too expensive or too extravagant just something to show he was thinking of me, but the gifts were always beautiful.
In August, he went to Cannes, France on R & R (Rest and Recreation). When he returned, he gave me a beautiful box with Chanel No. 5 perfume, plus a letter. A very special letter telling me how much he loved me, and how he would like to marry me.
I took a piece of paper, and I wrote, “When?” Soon as I talk to your father he answered.
They have a long discussion. Finally everything was alright. Stefano wrote to his parents to let them know his decision. His parents congratulated him and sent an engagement ring plus a double wedding ring. We had a very nice engagement party with champagne included, which was rare to get. We decided to marry by October.
In the meantime, he tried to apply for permission to marry. Surprise! He can’t marry anyone until the war was over. Why? He knows too much. (You are in operations which is top secret so you are top secret. You brief the pilots before they go on their mission. This is sensitive. Whatever you know is sensitive. So, when the war ends, if you still want to get married, submit the application, and after an investigation it will be approved or denied, because even if the war is over you are still in operations.) Finally, May 17, 1945 the war ended. Stefano submitted his application. After two weeks, he received the answer. Capt. Clarence Albert Stewart congratulations, permission is granted. “Who is Capt. Clarence Albert Stewart”, I asked. Stefano answered, “That’s me, my name.” “Your name? You said it was Stefano Edwardo.” “Yes, a sergeant who knows Italian told me so.” I say, “Wrong, Clarence doesn’t exist in Italian”. Anyway, forget about Clarence Albert, his name is Stefano forever.
Now we concentrated on our wedding. How about a wedding dress? Forget buying one – none available. How about material to make one. No luck. So, my mother decided to use a brand new linen bed sheet. A bed sheet? I didn’t like the idea period. A lady friend of the family came to the rescue. We can dye it any color you want. Her family owned the plant where they dyed material in bulk. She suggested for me to pick a color, which I did – Sky Blue. The plant was closed for the war, but her husband opened it and called a worker to come in and dye the material. This was her wedding present to me. How about announcements and invitations? Again, another present from a family friend who was a director of a newspaper. How about the veil? We had a piece of tulle left over from a curtain, and we made a veil. And now a big surprise! The 12th Weather Squadron gave us the wedding. A wedding with all the trimmings, plus a week honeymoon at the Isle of Capri. The wedding was performed at the Hotel Eremo on the top of Mt. Vesuvius. All the military free from duty attended, including the squadron commander, his aid, and the press photographer. After the ceremony, everybody wanted to kiss the bride. The commander congratulated Stefano and said, “Stu, how did you manage to make such a good catch”. A magnificent dinner followed the ceremony. My father was able to buy a very special wine called “Lacrima Christi”. This wine is made from grapes grown on Mt. Vesuvius. We spent the night at a hotel, and next morning left for Isle of Capri where we stayed in a beautiful villa with a splendid view of the Faraglioni rocks. (Rocks which stick out above the water) We had a car with a chauffer who drove us all over the island. We had a very good time. We were fortunate to have the right weather to go into the Blue Grotto. You have to lie down in the rowboat to get in. When inside it’s spectacular. After a beautiful week, we returned to Naples and started our married life.
This year we are going to celebrate our 60th Wedding Anniversary. We have four children, two boys and two girls. We also have 4 grandchildren, two boys and two girls. In 60 years we have met a lot of interesting people. We spent one year in Cairo, Egypt and two years in Madrid, Spain. Gloria, our second child was born in Madrid. Our first child was born in Naples, Italy. In 1949, we came to the United States and lived 13 years in New York where George and Richard were born. From New York, we moved to Mt. Holly, New Jersey for 10 years. From New Jersey, we moved to Spokane, Washington where we currently live. After my husband retired, we spent the winters in San Jose, California. Spokane is too cold in winter and we are not “spring chickens” anymore.
We still play checkers, but Stefano doesn’t win all the time. I don’t let him.
This is my story and I am very lucky.
Francesca Stewart
P.S. “I am the lucky one”, said Stefano.
Francesca at age 102 (2019)
Clarence Stewart
Francesca Sorvillo Stewart, 98 years old, July 10, 2015
Thank you for establishing this web site. What an interesting story you have. My daughter, Emily, has announced that she wants to visit Italy to connect to her Italian roots. I know this sounds like a strange question, but I just wonder if your Sorvillo history might help me know more about mine. My father was Raphael Sorvillo. He was born in New Haven, Connecticut. His father was Angelo Sorvillo. Angelo moved from Naples, Italy to New Haven in 1916, or so, where he met Asunta Milano. She immigrated from Amalfi. They met and married and had ten children (one died shortly after being born, his name was Louis). The other children were Ann, Frank, Emilia, Michael, Florence, Anthony, Ralph, Phyliss, and Elizabeth (Betty). I have been told that Angelo named some of the children after his brothers that he left behind in Italy because he missed them so much.
Is there any chance you know anything about this Sorvillo family from the Naples area??
The answer is probably no, but I have enjoyed giving it a try.
Christian Sorvillo
Christian,
Thant you for responding to the story my mother wrote. The story in Made into America is a very short version of her story. Recently in the Italia American newspaper a longer version was printed.
There are two families of Sorvillo. One is of High Society Aristrocracy the others are the ones who worked for them and took the name. Sorvillo isnt a very common name in Naples.
The name began from the King of Naples son an Aragon from Spain. In the 1400s during the time of Columbus he had a delicate position. We believe it was tuberculosis. The climate was too cold for him in Spain, so he went to Sarno, Italy outside of Naples. Later he went to Naples. His name was Ollivros which is Sorvillo spelled backwards. From this name a new dynasty was established. The Arogona palazzo is still in Naples. It’s a royal palace built in the 1400s and is near the national museum in Naples. My uncle, grandfather, great grandfather and so on were born in this palazzo. In 1927 my mother’s family moved out and purchased a very large apartment in Santa Lucia near the Royal Palace on the Bay of Naples were a small piazza is located. They lost their residence ther during the allied bombing and later moved to the Vomero. My mother lost her Italian fiancé during the war. One day my father an American officer shows up at her house. As you know my mother is a WWII war bride.
There is a Sorvillo Palazzo in Naples as well. I believe it’s a five-star luxury hotel now. I’ve never been there.
My mother is the only Sorvillo Italian aristorcrat in the United States as far as we know. If you want I can ask my mother to give you some names to see what the correlation of names has as a connection. I mentioned the names you wrote to my mother and she doesn’t see any family connection.
Last month my mother turned 97 .
If you would like any other additional information, don’t hesitate to let me know.
All the best,
Richard
We are a bunch of volunteers and starting a brand new scheme in our community. Your website provided us with helpful inrmooatifn to work on. You have performed a formidable activity and our entire group will likely be grateful to you.
Hi richard,
thank you for your email.
sorvillo is not a very common name. even in naples we are around 150.
Neverthless I do not believe that we are relatives through your mother.
You have to know that in Naples there are 2 big families SORVILLO. One belongs to the aristocracy of 19th century / high society: there is even a luxury hotel named “Palazzo sorvillo” in the very center of Naples (Piazza Margherita and paranise) and 2 very important public notaries (Esq. Eugenio Sorvillo). I believe that if your mother went to Naples University around 60 years ago she probably belongs to the this family.
I was the first one graduated from the other Sorvillo’s. My family was a family of carpenters and fishermen.
Have a good year
francesco
Maybe this information may lead to the Sorvillo’s your looking for.
Best,
Richard
We have been looking for our family of sorvillo’s for quite. He was born in 1885, was a monk in Italy before coming to America meeting and marrying my grandmother. His daughter (my mother is 90 ) and still wants info. Do you know of him?
I forgot to mention that his name was Andrew or Andrea sorvillo
I’m not familiar with a monk with the Sorvillo name.
My mother is the only Sorvillo decedent of her line that moved to the United States.
There are two lines. One is from high society from a newly established dynasty started from by the son of King Alfonso of Aragon, King of Naples In the 1400s.
His name was Ollivros,. Spell it backwards and you get Sorvillo.
My mother is from this line.
Did mom ever hear of andrew sorvillo
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How I enjoyed reading your story. I came across it by chance. My late mother also was from Naples and she to married in 1945 May 13th. My late father was a Royal Marine and had spotted my mother who worked for her Aunt in her jewellery shop in Naples.They were married for almost 60 years, but sadly my father passed away in 2004.
My mother survived for another 5 years. Her name was Antoinette Grampino. She arrived in Liverpool at the age of 17 years old 1945 The youngest Italian War Bride to arrive in England of World War 2.
You never know its a small world, I wonder if you ever had known each other.
Regards John.
John,
Very interesting. I just read your email. I belong to the WWII War Bride Association. We put on displays throughout the United States. Maybe you”d like to submit yours or go to one of their reunions. My mother passed two years ago in March. She was almost 103.
Regards Richard.
WWII War Bride Association