Celebrating Michele Berardini’s Legacy in San Sebastiano dei Marsi
On July 6th, at a press conference held in the hall of the Hotel Gemma in San Sebastiano dei Marsi, Stephen Acunto Berardini, founding chairman of Beacon International Holdings and a descendant of the American branch of the Berardini family of San Sebastiano dei Marsi, recalled the historic figure of banker Michele Berardini. Michele Berardini was a successful entrepreneur and banker whose legacy and contributions to the Italian-American community are commemorated to this day.
Berardini was born in San Sebastiano dei Marsi on April 29, 1858. In 1882, at the age of 24 and seeking fortune, Berardini emigrated to America. Taking a different path than most emigrants, Berardini arrived as a rising entrepreneur who invested his savings in the Oyster Bay Railway Line, an extension located near Ellis Island. Berardini’s first successful contract with this railway established his reputation in the industry, eventually leading to additional lucrative contracts for constructing and extending rail lines in states such as Connecticut and Kentucky.
From the beginning, Berardini had ties to banking, as many fellow employees trusted him with their savings to send back to Italy. This experience led Berardini to transition into the banking industry, where he opened the “Michele Berardini State Bank” in 1886. Once in the industry, telegraphic remittances were his key to success, as he remitted over a billion lire to Italy between 1886 and 1925. From there, the bank expanded with branches in Boston, Philadelphia, Pittsburgh, and Naples.
Michele Berardini married Mary Garbarino from Genoa and had five children: Loretta, Fillippo, Michele, Modesto, and Alfonso. Berardini died on January 13, 1924, in Naples, Italy. Following his death, renowned writer Matilde Serao paid homage to him in a tribute published in the Mattino di Napoli newspaper.
One of Berardini’s descendants, Stephen Acunto-Berardini, married Mercedes Biaggi Bisordi and has continued to carry on Berardini’s legacy. Stephen is the Honorary Consul of Italy in New York, the President of the Italian Academy Foundation, and the President of Beacon International Group. He currently resides with his wife Carole Haarmann in Greenwich, Connecticut, and Palm Beach, Florida, and has two children: Stephen and Claudia Palmira.
At the press conference, Chietan publisher Marco Solfanelli presented journalists with Ermanno Grassi and Pino Coscetta’s volume “San Sebastiano dei Marsi, the town of memory,” a book detailing the history and stories of this town in the Abruzzo National Park. The authors invited everyone to the official presentation of the volume, sponsored by the Pro Loco, which will be held in the hall of the Multipurpose Center on Saturday, August 10, at 5:30 pm.
Source(s):
In Remembrance of Michele Berardini
– Sofie Lumaco
