Darin clan in 1959

Marco Giovanni Battista Da Rin Zodan aka João Baptista Darin in 1945 (on the left) and in the mid-to-late 1950s. 

Marília's geography

We lived in a wooden plank house of 2 bedrooms on rua Mato Grosso, 393. Grandfather's house was on rua Campos Salles, 350; it was on the other side of town, but it wasn't too far; actually 11 blocks away, even though it seemed far because one had to climb a hill, descend it and climb it again. We always walked to Grandpa's. We went up and cross Avenida República, rua Pedro de Toledo, rua Nelson Spielman, then turn left towards rua Paraná, turn right and cross the railway line until we got to Avenida Sampaio Vidal, which was on top of the hill. 

After entering Avenida we walked past rua Arco Verde, where the Post Office stood, walked another block where wondrous Art Deco Cine Marília reigned supreme, turned right into rua Campos Salles and descended the hill, past rua 4 de Abril, rua São Luiz, rua XV de Novembro, at the bottom of the hill. From the bottom it was only half-a-block up when we got to Grandpa's house, rua Campos Salles, 350 which was on the right side.

Marco Giovanni's house 

My Mother (Yolanda Darin Amorim) used to visit her Father Marco Giovanni Battista Darin at least once a week so that house became part of my upbringing. I enjoyed going there for the house was always filled with guests from various parts of town - sometimes even out of town - for the Darin Family had grown pretty large by the 40s and 50s. The original 11 children had got married and begotten a lot of children of their own which were my cousins. Some of my cousins were already adults and had children themselves like Moacyr Dutra married to Zefa and Ivo João Darin who had 3 or 4 children even though they lived far away in São Paulo city.

In 1951, when Marco was 80 years old he was submitted to a successful prostate surgery in Campinas-SP. Rosa, his only not-married daughter had accompanied him on the trip by train having been guests of Joana Uccella & her husband Victor Caroni. Joana Uccella was loosely related to him as she was the youngest daughter of Angela Nani, Giovanni's mother-in-law, who had re-married (Luigi Uccella) and had a few more children from the 2nd marriage. Victor Caroni worked for Cia Paulista de Estrada de Ferro, a branch of São Paulo Railway, built by the British when they set up Santos-Jundiaí Railway in 1867. They lived in a house coupled to a bar where they sold 'pastéis' and other delicacies. While they were Caroni's guests Rosa Darin used to help Joana with frying stuff and keeping the place clean.

Every now and then Mother & we visited Grandpa's after having our lunch at 11:30 am. Mother used to like to mingle with her sisters and occasional brother in the afternoon. Sometimes they all listened to a soap-opera broadcast by powerful Radio Nacional from Rio de Janeiro-DF. Cuban author Felix B. Caignet's 'O direito de nascer' (The right to be born) ruled the radio waves from 1952 through 1954. While Mother talked with aunts Rosa, América, Nina, Maria, Angela or sisters-in-law we kids played with our cousins in the large backyard which contained a chicken coop, orchard and a beautiful vegetable garden. 

But the real exciting visit was on Sunday nights. That's when we had the chance to meet all our uncles, aunts and cousins. We usually arrived at Grandpa's a little before sunset. Rua Campos Salles came alive with the First Presbyterian Church all alight for their Sunday worship and just across the street, at 350, our Grandpa's house was also alight filled with the joy and closeness of  sons, daughters, in-laws, grandchildren and great-grand-children. 

Sometimes we arrived a little later so we had to go through a 'Polish corridor' of sorts. We entered the house through the living room but all the action happened back at the kitchen which was the largest room in the house. Rosa Darin & Maria Redondo, the women from the house, placed chairs with their backs to the wall so the whole place was 'covered' with people on all 3 sides; the fourth side stood a great big red stove made of cement with a hot coffee pot always ready to be served to those who just arrived or those who wanted a 2nd or 3rd cuppa.  

What I call 'Polish-corridor' was the routine we, poor kids, had to go through as soon as we entered the kitchen. We had to kiss the hands of every aunt & uncle who sat at the chairs which was not a really pleasant activity. Especially when our older cousin Moacyr Dutra used to play a trick on us. As Moacyr was already in his 30s, we, innocent kids thought he was our uncle, instead of our oldest cousin. So many a time I kissed his hand which he allowed and thought 'quaint'. He smirked with pleasure for he had duped me. Moacyr actually had a son called Junior who was only one year younger than I. We had other cousins in their 30s too but they were civil people, not as rogue as Moacyr, and left us alone.

The last 10 years of my Grandpa Marco Giovanni Darin were the best of his long life. From what I understand of my Grandfather's early life in Cadore, Belluno, his was a hard life. Marco Giovanni Battista Da Rin Zoldan was born on 11 November 1971, the year Italy finally got its act together and completed the Unification of Regno di Italia which started in 1861, under the House of Savoia (Savoy) from Sicily to Turin and Como on the boarder of Switzerland and Austria.

When Yolanda Darin (my Mother) and I visited her Dad during the late 1950s, he stayed in bed most of the time so Mother went to his bedroom to say hello. She usually brought him a tin of Nestlè's Cerelac milk-flour; had a little talk and then went on to salute her sister or sister-in-law. I remember I used to stick by my Mother's side listening to her conversation. One day while Mum was talking to him I realized looking out my Grandfather's bedroom window into a 'dead-end space' outside my voice reverberated in a funny way. I could hear the sound of my own voice repeating itself. It felt a little like magic. That house had a strange hold on me. 

On 13 February 1997, while I was staying in Marília, I asked Maria Redondo specifically about her relationship with Marco Giovanni. She said he would get out of bed in the morning put on his three-piece suit (including a vest and a white clean shirt); in summer he wore linen and in the winter, cashemere; he went into the kitchen, drank a cup of coffee with no milk and out he went. 

First to the vegetable market on Rua XV de Novembro where he bought fresh zucchini, kale (couve) etc. Marco Giovanni never missed the bakery 'Tartaruga' on Rua São Luiz, where he bought two loaves of bread (pão-d'água). Then he went back home, left the stuff on the kitchen table and off he went to work. 

For dinner, Marco Giovanni usually had a soup made either of beans or cassava (mandioca). Sometimes he had a meal he called 'panada', made out of left-over bread macerated with garlic & olive oil, boiled in water in a frying pan. He always had a few leaves of chicory (almeirão) the tenderest leaves Rosa could get from the backyard vegetable garden. He usually finished with a banana. Not long after dinner Marco went to his bedroom, usually around 8:00 pm and had a good night's sleep. 

Soon after marrying João Darin Filho, Maria went up to the top of the Family's pecking order as she had daily contact with the Pater Familias. She actually played his factotum on a day-to-day basis. For almost 10 years, until late 1958, as he was still mobile, Maria helped her father-in-law with his book-keeping activity going out to fetch or deliver books at the homes of clients like Vidrik, a Hungarian leather goods outlet owner. He also kept the books of a vinegar factory and 4 shoe-makers. 

Giovanni never raised his voice, was always dignified. Maria said he had what she called 'class'. 

Marco Giovanni lived most of the 1950s in good health. Maria Redondo told me that around December 1958, just after he had turned 87 years old, he had a stroke and was bed-ridden for the next 5 months. He developed bed sores which were painful. The old man was regularly visited by Dr Nicolau Catalán, a young doctor who was popular among Marilienses. 

Around April 1959, Marco Giovanni took to his feet again, walked from his bedroom to the kitchen and other parts of the house. He walked in slippers and dragged his feet, a side-effect from the stroke. He knew people noticed this dragging and once told Maria Redondo in jest, if she ever heard the sound of dragging feet after he died, it surely would be his ghost. He had been down but not out.  

Rosa who had shared the bedroom with him then moved to the bigger bedroom with a door leading to the kitchen. 

 Giovanni Battista Darin's death on 28 August 1959

As we have previously seen, the Darin clan had a major disruption on 25 May 1934, when Erminia Billò died of hypertension aka high blood pressure. 25 years later (a quarter of a century) on 28 August 1959, Erminia's widower Marco Giovanni Battista Da Rin Zoldan known in Brazil as João Baptista Darin died of natural causes. 

My Grandfather was revered by all and sundry especially by his offsprings. It was a great commotion when he finally died in the early hours of 28 August 1959. His death was expected so the whole family was aware it could happen any time. Dr Catalán had warned his heart was rather weak and it could stop beating any time. On that Thursday night he had asked his eldest daughter Maria Darin Dutra to stay overnight but she demured. As Marco died at 3:00 am of that day, there was plenty of time to notify relatives and in-laws both near and far. 

I remember waking up in my bed on the morning of 28 August 1959. It was still dark, it must have been 5:00 am! The sound of the motor of a vehicle woke me up. It was my uncle João Batista Darin who had driven across town to tell his baby sister Yolanda, that their father Giovanni Battista had (finally) died in the early hours of that day. Soon we were off on our feet to see how things progressed. I had turned 10 three months before and was a solid young man coursing the 3rd year of Elementary Education at Grupo Escolar Thomaz Antonio Gonzaga.

Telegrams were sent to São Paulo, where his oldest son Rissieri Darin lived with wife Elisa Surian and their only surviving child Ivo João Darin. Telegrams were also sent to São José do Rio Pardo-SP, where most of his Billò in-laws and  his only living sibling Marianna Darin lived with her adult children. Marianna Darin (86) would live 8 more months dying on 11 April 1960. 

A telegram was sent to Parapuã-SP, where daughter-in-law Corina Lopes (45) lived with son Wandyr (22) and daughter Wanda Darin (20). 

28 August 1959, a Friday, turned out to be one of the longest days in my life. We must have left our house on Rua Mato Grosso at 6:00 am. Mama said we children, Fernando (13), Myself (10) and Maria Lúcia Martins (9) didn't have to go to school which made us glad. We directed our feet towards rua Campos Salles, 350, which would take us 25 minutes to reach. 

When we arrived at Grandpa's house his body had already been laid out in a coffin in the living room surrounded by four great candlesticks already lit. As it was common then with middle class families, there stood a great yellow brass crucifix fixed on a round metal sheet imitating radiating flames at the head of the deceased. It would have been utterly sinister if we, children of 9 or 10, weren't used to attend funerals regularly. Maria Lúcia and Myself made a point of entering any private house bearing a coffin at the centre of their living room surrounded by mourning relatives and neighbours. 

I remember we cried our eyes out when we saw dearest Grandfather's face in the coffin. Funerals mostly took place in family homes, with members performing all aspects of after-death preparation of the body, to present the deceased to visiting friends and family.

Looking back at that particular day, I guess it was the saddest event in my whole life up to that time for we cried many a-tear! But being children, 5 minutes later we were outside the house playing on the corridor that ran on the left side of the of the brick house, talking to whoever listened to us. We always had something to do; go and visit the hens and their chicks; sometimes a turkey would respond gobble-gobble to our calling.

Weddings after the Funeral 

Beatriz Scarpetti married Francisco José Almeida on 17 December 1959, a Wednesday, at Santo Antonio's in Marília.

Wanda Darin married Lauro Miotto on 29 December 1959, a Tuesday, in Parapuã-SP. 

Marco Giovanni Battista in Santos-SP where he visited his eldest son Rissieri Darin who lived in hired-quarters with his wife Elisa Surian and their only child Ivo João Darin. This is obviously a clipped photo of Marco in Santos. I found out Octavio Darin was on Marco's right side and has been excised by someone who bore a grudge against him. Now, have a look below which is the back of the picture:

Someone wrote: 'Retrato do meu querido Pai, tirado em Santos', which means: Portrait of my dear Father taken in Santos. I kept on thinking whoever the person who expunged Octavio from the picture might be. At first I thought it might be a daughter of Marco's, based on the writing 'my dear Father'. I thought of all 6 daughters but couldn't agree on anyone. Then I thought it could only be a male child and after going through a few names I guessed it must have been João Baptista Darin. Especially when I remember I got this picture through Rosa Darin who lived with her brother João all her life.

Betty Scarpetti holds Paulo Roberto (born in 1952) next to the Darin Patriarch sitting on his sparkling living room. Note the portrait of Alécio Scarpetti, Betty's older brother on the left.