Giuseppe Valentini

Italian Army ex-soldier, Lakeland’s police officer and farmer.

NONNO

Born on September 2, 1942, he’s the grandfather of nine, including Liam Matteo (Running Back of the New England Patriots), Ethan Kwon (YouTuber and professional makeup artist), ᑎᗩYᗩ (artist) and Alexa Valentini (stylist). Married to Rosa D’Angelo with whom he has three children: Matteo, Alexander and Pietro. He moved to the United States in 1977.

In 2013 he was diagnosed with bowel cancer, recovering two years later. Unfortunately, the tumors returned in 2016 and Giuseppe ended up dying at the age of 74. One of his last wishes was to see Naya singing in Italian on stage.

His life story was revealed by his granddaughter Naya Kwon in her autobiography “Thank U, Next”, published in 2021 and by his wife Rosa D’Angelo in her book “Memories of Milan”.

PERSONAL DATA

EARLY LIFE

Giuseppe’s parents were members of Resistenza Italiana, an armed movement that opposed fascism. The Partigiana fits into the historical title as the biggest phenomenon of resistance against Nazi occupation in Europe.

He could clearly remember the bombings that took place in Milan when he was very young. Unfortunately, he lost his father – who was a partigiani – when he was two years old. Even so, his mother never stopped fighting for the cause she believed.

When he turned 17, he was called to the Italian Army.

MARRIAGE & KIDS

He met Rosa D’Angelo in 1958, a linotype operator’s daughter. At the time he was 16 and she was 13 years old; Giuseppe courted her for an entire year before going into the army, promising that he would marry her one day.

In 1965, he was released after completing his years in the military and took Rosa to the Sanremo Festival, where they danced to his favorite singer, Bobby Solo. He proposed to her on the same day, outside the girl’s house.

The young couple got married in a simple and beautiful ceremony in 1967 and three years later, they had their first son Matteo, who was named in honor of the baby’s grandfather. In 1973, Alexander was born, named after Rosa’s father. Seven years later, his wife gave birth to Pietro.

UNITED STATES

Because of Anni di Piombo, the situation was the worst possible. Generally speaking, during this period, unprecedented social conflicts and terrorist attacks took place on the right and left sides of paramilitary groups, secret services and mafias. In 1969 and 1981, almost 2000 homicides were attributed to political violence in the form of attacks, murders and street fights between rival factions and militants.

For Giuseppe and Rosa, their children wouldn’t have an opportune future there and the couple lived in terror of conflicts. With the blessing and help of the rest of the family, Giuseppe moved with his wife and two older boys to Florida, in the United States in 1977.

They lived in the Lakeland region and the Italian started working as a police officer. Pietro, his youngest son, was born in American territory and in 1991, the family bought a farm in Atlanta where they used to spend the holidays until they moved there permanently after Alexander’s wedding.