On Hurley Street lives a man who’s been in the same house for 25 years. He cooks extravagant Italian meals for himself; bolognese sauce is perhaps his best dish. Until recently, he’d call his daughters each winter to tell them that he shoveled snow “for all the old people on the street.”
In reality, that man, Franco Vitiello, was the oldest of them all.
Now 100 years old, Vitiello remains full of the same energy and enthusiasm that have guided him throughout his entire life.
“He does not look his age,” said his daughter Caroline, the oldest of four sisters and a Belmont resident. “He’s still very spry.”
Raised in Mergellina, a coastal district of Naples, Italy, Franco Vitiello came to the United States at the age of 29, hopeful that he could find more academic and economic opportunities than were available in his war-ravaged, fascist homeland. Although he didn’t speak English at first, he taught himself the language while working as a presser at a textile factory. He would go on to graduate from Boston Architectural College, become a successful architect, raise four daughters with his wife Mary, and invest heavily in both his Italian and American culture.
The Architect
In June, Boston Architectural College awarded Vitiello an honorary doctorate, recognizing his contributions to the field of design. Vitiello graduated from BAC in 1968 after attending years of night classes while working during the day at an architectural office. In his career, he worked on the Madonna Queen of the Universe Shrine at the Don Orione Home in East Boston, and he was the job captain for the Boston Public Library.
“He’s very hardworking,” Caroline said. “He’s an artist, too. He believes in form and function. He used to say that you can make anything beautiful.”
Indeed, Vitiello views the world through a positive lens despite a challenging upbringing. After Franco’s mother, Caroline Scagliola, died when he was five, Vitiello and his siblings were split up and raised by various members of their family. Franco stayed with his father and stepmother, becoming independent from a young age. Food was not guaranteed.
“He’d wait in line for bread for six hours,” says Caroline. “He’d get to the end of the line, and there would be no more bread.”
As a young adult, Vitiello was a member of the Italian Air Force and had dreams of becoming a pilot. But soon his superiors noticed Franco drew very well, and the idea of becoming an architect emerged for the first time.
Meeting Mary
After World War II, Vitiello’s sister Giovanna and her American G.I. husband moved to Cleveland. Franco had spent many nights in the Naples bomb shelters with his father during the war, and so he decided to join Giovanna and move to the United States. There, he was introduced to Mary DeCunto, who would become Mary Vitiello, his wife of 64 years.
“My mother really believed in him,” Caroline said. “Think about the chances she took. He didn’t speak the language. He didn’t really have a career, and she knew that he would be able to succeed.”
To this day, Franco says he couldn’t have achieved his success in America without Mary.
“He was the architect of the buildings, and she was the architect of the family,” says Caroline.
Mary died in 2021, but the family remains close. They live within a 30-mile radius in Massachusetts, to be exact. All four – Caroline, Tina, Frances, and Maria – have achieved success in their respective careers, which span various fields, including healthcare and technology. They have built families of their own, too. In total, Vitiello has six grandchildren and two great-grandsons.
“The message [from our parents] was: You can do anything you put your mind to,” Caroline said. “He’s so thrilled with the successes of his family. He’s proud of us.”
The Italian American
In addition to working as an architect and raising a family, Vitiello has also been heavily involved in multiple Italian American social organizations. He is a lifetime member of the Board of Governors of the Dante Alighieri Society, a nonprofit that promotes the study of the Italian language and culture. He was the president of an Italian literary club, Circolo Letterario, and a member of the Pirandello Lyceum, which connects Italian Americans across industries.
In 2013, Franco was recognized for his contributions to his community. The Consulate General of Italy in Boston and the President of Italy presented him with the award of Commendatore, a class within the Order of Merit of the Italian Republic and a prestigious civilian honor.
“He has been very dedicated to preserving his Italian culture,” Caroline said. “He always said, ‘I love both my cultures.’ His Italian, and his American.”
Vitiello remains grateful for the opportunities afforded to him in the United States, though he faced discrimination and the many challenges of assimilating to a new country. At the same time, he holds on tightly to his roots, whether it be by teaching Italian or making his signature bolognese for his family.