History of the Caprotti and Venosta families Local History

The Caprotti family: Aunt Silvia, grandfather Peppino’s sister (1896 – 1994)

Silvia is the middle sister. From the letters that have remained to us, she is seen to be very attached to the family. In 1922 she became engaged to Ernesto Thomas, who in that very year founded the wool mill in Brusimpiano on Lake Lugano that still bears his name, and married him in 1923. Aunt Silvia, who is also present in the lives and affection of her grandchildren, grandfather Peppino’s children, and whom I knew as a boy in the 1980s, spent her entire life in Brusimpiano, where she died very old in 1994.

History of the Caprotti and Venosta families Local History

Manifattura Caprotti and continuity: fabrics from the 19th century to the 1980s

As in the past, the factory has continued to produce its fabrics in the present, updating to the fashions of the times some of its classics such as the checked or fancy fabrics, produced at least since the 1840s in the bright colours that were so popular and kept in production, updated in fabric and colour preferences, for more than a century more.

Food and Retail History History of Esselunga History of Italy History of the Caprotti and Venosta families Local History

The Caprotti family, the birth of Esselunga and US counter-espionage: James Hugh and James Angleton

Film buffs who have seen Robert De Niro’s 2006 film The Good Shepherd – The Shadow of Power may know that the main character, played by Matt Damon, is inspired by James James Angleton, one of the most legendary and controversial figures in American intelligence. However, the figure of James Hugh [Angleton], the father, is also of extreme interest …

History of the Caprotti and Venosta families

The Caprotti family and sport: uncles Ferruccio known as Illo and Ida Quintavalle, tennis, 1940s

Bruno and Adele Quintavalle’s other children were also sportsmen, and at a high level: both Ferruccio, known as Illo, and Ida, grandmother Luisa Quintavalle’s twin sister, were tennis champions at national level, and Ferruccio also internationally, reaching the Wimbledon Tournament and the Davis Cup. Once his competitive activities were over, Illo was the driving force behind the Autobianchi car company, which produced the legendary ‘Bianchina’.

History of the Caprotti and Venosta families

The Caprotti family: Uncle Giuseppe Caprotti, called Beppo Venosta, brother of my mother Giorgina Venosta

Uncle Giuseppe, known as Beppo, who appears in many photos as a child with my mother Giorgina, became a journalist, specialising in the Middle East and writing for important magazines such as ‘Panorama’, ‘Il Mondo’, ‘Il Sole 24 Ore’ and the Secolo XIX. He was also an original guy, like many in the family; unfortunately he passed away in 1999.