Monterey Lodge No

New York Bridge named after Italian-American:

Without Italians there would be no Verrazzano Bridge. Well, the bridge would probably be there but they would have named it after J.F. Kennedy, as in fact they tried, almost missing the opportunity to name something after the man who gave this land its first European name: Giovanni da Verrazzano, sailing a ship named La Dauphine, arrived in New York harbor in 1524. He left us a wonderful description of his attempt to come to shore right where the bridge now spans the bay. He undertook three voyages to the new world. Surveying the coast of the United States from Virginia to Cape Cod, he gave Italian or French names to all sights he saw. He named New York Bay, "the Bay of St. Marguerite", Long Island, "Isola Louise", Cape Cod, "Capo Pallavicino." America was, for him "Francesca", after Francois I for whom he sailed. Legend says he was killed by the natives in the Caribbean and eaten while his crew watched in horror from a distance at sea.

A word about "banco":

Without Italians we would not be acquainted with “letters of credit” or with “checks.” Come to think of it, the word “bank” would probably mean only the shore of a river instead of a place where money is deposited or withdrawn. The first “bankers” set up shop on the streets of Florence and Siena, sitting behind a “banco” (bench or table). From such a lowly beginning, Tuscan banking institutions grew to have offices throughout Europe from which they financed many British and French kings.
Monte dei Paschi di Siena (MPS), founded in the Middle Ages in 1472, is today the most ancient banking institution in the world. Initially called “Monte della Pieta,” its aim was to grant credit to individuals that were most in need, at a time where it was not permitted to claim interests on sums of money loaned, and the only possible way of financing was to resort to usurers. In the XVII century it played a fundamental role in the development of nearby regions. Today, it is considered one of the main European banking groups. In Italy, the MPS Group consists of a network of over 1500 branches, approximately 4 million clients, and over 23,000 employees. Abroad, the MPS Group has branches and representative offices in the main financial locations in Europe and all over the world

Read the story of Charles Atlas (Angelo Siciliano)

Monterey Lodge No. 2003