The Quilietti Family

Angela Giulianotti is the daughter of Antonio Giulianotti.

Antonio Giulianotti was  the youngest son of Rosa Brattisani and Giulio Giulianotti.

It is with great love that we thank Angela for all her help in sponsoring  the photographs of the Giulianottis, Brattisanis, Fuscos, Quilietti  and more,  which she has inherited from her granny, Rose Brattisani.

Angela has been the guardian angel of these photos for many years and has saved them from the scrap heap on more than a couple of occasions.     These photographs have haunted her childhood and were always there.  Always,  at the back of her mind, she would  look at them and wonder about her family’s past.   This haunting feeling was always with her throughout her childhood and went on through the years.

As she would fearlessly protect these images, the familiar faces of her past would stare back at her with piercing eyes and she knew  that deep in her heart, one day,  if luck was on her side, her family’s lost past would somehow come alive again.

This is exactly what has happened.   With a little help from  our  ‘lost’ cousins we are striving to unravel the ghosts of our lost forefathers through these precious photographs.

The strangers who once stared into the lense are our history, our aunts, uncles, grandparents, great grandparents and many cousins .  Angela recalls when she was a child her dad would tell her often ‘you are here to bring a message’.   This ghostly voice from the past has shone through and just to say Angela on behalf of all your new cousins,

Thank you Angela, we all salute’ you………………..

The Giulianotti family all come from the village of Borgo Val di Taro , Parma, Emilia Romania in Italy.  Connected and intertwined with Zanre, Coffrini and Brattisanis the families would have had connections which spanned back the centuries.

Many of our ancestors chose Scotland to settle and there were five cousins with the Giulianotti name who settled here, in Edinburgh at first, then Aberdeen, Stonehaven, Perth and the surrounding area.

These Giulianotti’s would have been brothers and cousins and they all done very well in their chosen profession of restraunteurs and confectioners.

Giulio Giulianotti was no exception.  He married a girl from his hometown by the name of Rosa Brattisani in 1892.   Rosa’s father had settled in Edinburgh early 1880 and as we know he was a great franchiser and businessman.

The couple married in Edinburgh and then moved north to Aberdeen shortly thereafter.  They had 13 children who spanned 20 years.   Their  family business flourished and by the year 1901 they had many ‘servants’, who were employees in the restaurant and ice cream business.    Because of their new found wealth they were able to travel home to Borgotora for holidays, to enjoy the sun and escape the harsh Scottish winters.

Their youngest son Antonio born in the year 1915,  was the father of lovely Angela.

Being the youngest of the family he would have had a privileged upbringing and his elder brothers would have been on hand to guide him in all  the right directions.

Antonio in his later years spoke about his father Giulio.  He was not a man of great height or strength but he would carry the great sacks of tatties into the shop on his back.

But Antonio was only 14 when the tragedy of losing his beautiful mother was upon him.

Then two weeks later his dad Giulio died of a broken heart.

Antonio’s older brother Joe,  who was eleven years his senior, and Joe’s wife Susan,  became the surrogate parents  and guided him through the awquard teenage years.

For reasons unknown to us and perhaps a sign of his ancestors search of adventure, Antonio followed his two older brothers, Eduardo and Victorio  and left lovely Scotland for London.

For a while the Giulianotti brothers  worked in the Savoy Hotel which at that time was run by another Italian family, perhaps even relations of some intertwined marriage from their home village in Italy.    Eduardo had been blessed with the gift of the art of music and he played both the Saxaphone and the Piano in the Savoy.  He was talented indeed.

London was now to become Antonio’s new home, the place  where his  children were born and raised.    It would have been a great change for Joan, who  was of  Scottish farming stock.  Her father’s name  was Jock [John] Gall.  Her mother was called  Nellie [Helen] Florence.  But despite it all they made this their new home.  Joan is now in her 90s and sadly in failing health.   Thanks to Joan for treasuring her husband’s box of family memories and for keeping them in safe hands for us all to appreciate now.

After work, Antonio would often meet up with his brothers Victorio and Eduardo

in the vicinity of  the mightly Trafalgar Square where they would enjoy an afternoon eating and enjoying a beer.  London was now home for these Giulianotti brothers.

They were happy indeed and their Four children, Nina, Valerie, Angela and Stuart came along like little stepping stones  all born circa 1950 in London, England.

Angela was the youngest girl  of the family.  But being the youngest sibling things were not all roses, hearts and happiness.  Like all families there were differences of opinions and family tiffs.

Angela has however shone through, fought back and became the beautiful lady we know today.

Angela is photographed here with her brother Stuart.

The next photograph is of her dad Antonio in 1964 whilst holidaying in Devon.  Nina is at the back sitting beside Antonio.  Angela is at the front and Stuart with his dad’s  hat on, looking like the singers of the day.

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