Salone Italiano
by Kay Niemann
Salone Italiano is the fascinating tale of the lives and loves of the Sartore family,who exchanged their peaceful European existence for a life of both hope and hardship as immigrants living in the legendary mining town of Silverton, Colorado. Old world customs and traditions collide with the family’s newfound American lifestyle. Racial tensions reach such a fever pitch that, when romance begins to flourish, even murder is considered to keep lovers from crossing the line into segregated territory. The saga of the Sartore family is steeped in historical detail and rich in drama. Salone Italiano is based almost entirely on actual letters written by members of the family at the beginning of the twentieth century to relatives in Italy. Many of the family’s historic photographs also illustrate the book. Experience this little-known chapter of American history first-hand by vicariously witnessing the lives of true Colorado pioneers that are often forgotten in the annuals of history.
- Published
- 2005
- ISBN
- 1-932738-25-8
- Pages
- 264
- Category
- History
- Place
- Silverton
- Publisher
- Western Reflections Publishing Co.
- Listed at
- $19.95
Publication details from Open Library. The price shown is the last one on record and is historic, not a current offer.
- Direct from us info@westernreflectionspublishing.com or (336) 565-6915. We pack and post from Lake City.
- Amazon Buy from Amazon.
- Any bookshop Quote ISBN 1-932738-25-8 and your local bookseller can order it.
About this book
Salone Italiano tells the story of the Sartore family, who gave up a peaceful life in Europe for hope and hardship as immigrants in Silverton, Colorado. The book's description calls Silverton a legendary mining town and promises the lives and loves of the family, set where old world customs met a new American way of living.
The telling rests on real correspondence. The description says the book is based almost entirely on actual letters that members of the Sartore family wrote to relatives in Italy at the beginning of the twentieth century. Many of the family's historic photographs illustrate the pages as well.
Not everything in the letters is gentle. The description mentions racial tensions running so high that, when a romance began to flourish, even murder was considered to keep the lovers from crossing into segregated territory. Kay Niemann presents it as a little-known chapter of American history, seen through the people who lived it.
Who it is for
Salone Italiano suits readers who care about immigrant family history, especially Italian American families in the Colorado mountains. Silverton and San Juan County history shelves are a natural home for it. Because it draws on family letters and photographs, it also fits readers who like biography built from primary sources instead of retold secondhand. The record lists these subjects: Family, Italian American families, Italian Americans, Biography, Immigrants, and Ethnic relations.
Ways to use this book
Visiting Silverton with the book in hand
Check the historical society's season dates before you go, because its website says it closed for the 2026 season. Bring the book and compare its photographs with the streets you walk.
Starting a family letters project
The book rests on letters, so try yours: sort old letters by date, scan them and ask a relative to help with names. Write the sender and date on each sheet as you go.
Comparing Italian communities across Colorado
Read the library post's list of other books on Grand Junction and Denver Italians, then see how a mining town differs. /library/ has related Colorado history books.
Go deeper
The Sartore family story is set in Silverton at the start of the twentieth century. These groups preserve Silverton's records and Italian heritage in Colorado.
San Juan County Historical Society
A Silverton nonprofit founded in 1964 that runs a mining museum, a jail and an archive, and links Silverton newspapers from 1874 to today.
Colorado Italian American Foundation
A Pueblo organization that says it advances Italian heritage, culture, history and art through education and outreach.
Colorado Virtual Library: Italian-American Heritage Month
A library post listing books and articles on Colorado's Italians, including a history of Italian culture in Grand Junction.
Good to know
Where is Salone Italiano set?
What is the book based on?
Does it include photographs?
Is it fiction?
Has anyone discussed it publicly?
Where can I buy it?
Have a book of your own?
This is the kind of book the house publishes: regional history, biography, memoir and the stories that belong to a place. Send us yours and a person will read it.