Pasquale Alfarone

The "Alfarone" family that has its origins in Gerace (RC). The first two generations lived in Calabria, in the towns of Gerace, Locri, Petrizzi and Guardavalle. They were potters who worked with clay and baked clay [photo].

Today still exist in Gerace some workshops where members of the "Alfarone" family sell their pots and others products made of clay.

Son of Francesco Alfarone, he was born in Gerace (in Calabria) in 1830. He married Vittoria Casentino in Petrizzi. They had three children:
- Francesco, born in Petrizzi in 1864 (*)
- Maria, born in Petrizzi, she went to live in Fiumarella after her marriage
- Rosaria

Pasquale was a potter. After his marriage he lived for many years in Petrizzi, then he went to live definitely in Gerace.

(*) Francesco Alfarone

Francesco also was a potter, and he played an instrument in the band of Gerace.
When he was young, he fell in for a girl of his town. At that time, especially in south Italy, it was difficult to have relationship between youngs of different sex (because of the narrow mentality of people), it was even hard to manage to talk. So nobody except him knew about his love. One day a friend of Francesco’s asked him help to make a serenade (the famous “serenata”) to a girl he loved. So Francesco had to sing while his friend had to play a guitar. When the two arrived under this girl’s balcony Francesco started singing the serenade, telling the girl how his friend loved her. But when Francesco saw the girl… he recognized that she was the one he loved, so he began to sing his own love for her. Francesco’s friend got furious and hit him with the guitar, so a fight began. Unfortunately during this scuffle his friend fell violently to the ground, hitting it with his head, and died. 
From that day another life began for Francesco (years 1881-1882). Few days later he had been processed and condemned to 7 years of prison, which he served in the prison “San Vittore” in Milano. Then in 1889 he went back to Gerace but, because of the presence of the family of his dead friend near his house, to avoid tensions and pains for them and for himself, he chose to go to live in Guardavalle, a town on whose territory there was a lot of clay, so that he could start again being a potter. In Guardavalle he had been soon appreciated for his products, in fact he used tin and other materials for decorations that were really unusual for the people of that lands.
One day he met Caterina, a beautiful girl who was 15 years old (at that time girls of this age were considered ready to get married). He fell in love with her but, when after some time he declared to her his love, she refused him. Some months after this episode he had a clash with Caterina’s suitor, in which Francesco lost one eye. When Caterina knew about this event, she accepted Francesco’s courtship and after some time, she decided to marry him. 
They had eleven children: Vittoria, Rosaria, Erminia, Pasquale, Antonio, Giuseppe, Salvatore, Teresa, Vincenzo, Assunta and Carmela.

Photos

[Vittoria] [Rosaria] [Erminia] [Pasquale] [Antonio] [Giuseppe] [Salvatore] [Teresa] [Carmela]