A hundred years ago, in the legendary mining towns of Silverton and Durango, racial tensions among American immigrants had reached a fever pitch. Salone Italiano is a vivid and heartfelt account of one Italian family's struggles, passions, and adventures as outsiders in a strange new land. Old-world customs and traditions collide with the family's newfound American lifestyle when romances begin to flourish between immigrants of different regions and social classes.

Certain individuals are willing to resort to violence — even murder — to keep lovers from crossing the line into segregated territory.From Angelina Sartore’s confused attempts to bring her family closer together, to Katie Sartore’s forbidden romance with a member of a rival immigrant colony, to Phil Sartore’s love affair with a well-known local prostitute — theirs was a family embedded in constant turmoil. Discover what life was like for European immigrants in a Colorado mining town, and experience this little-known chapter of American history firsthand by witnessing the lives of those most intimately involved.

Bring Salone Italiano to life! Kay Niemann grew up surrounded by the Italian culture of her immigrant grandparents. In her youth, she followed them around, listening to the rhythm of their language and feeling the warmth of their extended family.
She was taught to sing little Italian songs — because, to Italian families, music is the essence of life. These melodies danced in her mind and inspired a deep sentimental feeling for the haunting music of her heritage.
While writing the book, she allowed her emotions to dictate and inspire her music. At the time, Kay and her husband were living in Sydney, Australia. When she wanted mandolins to portray her feelings, she contacted members of the Sydney Mandolin Orchestra, who were delighted by the authentic quality of her melody.
The Theme from Salone Italiano was performed in concert in Sydney on November 4, 2002.
Encouraged by this success, Kay turned her energy toward writing more music. Motivated by the story of her ancestors, each song carries a distinctly Italian flavor. Her relatives in Italy have said that her music brings back memories of days past — when every community had its little band of mandolins, called “dilettanti,” playing in the local bars.

Kay Niemann was born in Durango, Colorado. She obtained her Bachelor of Music degree from Western State College in Gunnison, CO, and started her teaching career in Bloomfield, NM. In 1970 she joined the United States Department of Defense as a music teacher where she taught music to American dependent children in Okinawa, Japan, and Iater transferred to Incerlik Air Base in Turkey. There, she met Jon Niemann, and they married in Durango in 1972, raising a daughter and two sons. Always on the move, Jon's career took them to 7 states and 2 foreign countries.
Kay Niemann with the roulette wheel from the old Belleview Saloon. The photo was taken in 2003 at the old jail, now the San Juan County Historical Museum in Silverton, Colorado.
She and Jon now live near Los Angeles, California. Kay may be contacted through Western the publisher or directly at kayniemann@hotmail.com

Carla Urban is an artist of many talents. She is accom the fields of oil painting, wood burning, and pen and ink drawings. Carla obtained degree in French language and Art from Colorado State College, Greeley, Colorado, and her Master's Degree from the University of Oregon. In Salone Italiano she used her ability with pen and ink to create the photo-like drawings. Carla was born in Durango, CO. She and her husband, Pete, currently reside in New Mexico. Carla sister to author, Kay Niemann.
Currently Carla is collaborating with her brother-in-law, Jon Niemann, in creating a variety of unique wooden items, wood burned and painted with acrylic. See them on the NUWoodz shop on Etsy: https://www.etsy.com/shop/NUWoodz?

The San Juan County Historical Society of placed this marker on Peter Dalla's "unmarked grave after Salone Italiano was published. His grave site is within a "stone's throw” of the Louis Sartore plot on Hillside Cemetery in Silverton. The photo is compliments of Betty Loffer of Durango, co.

Angelina Sartore, Jenny Sartore Bonavida, Anna and Lina Bonavida, and Katie Sartore.
This would be after the murder of Peter Dalla and before Katie's marriage to John Baudino. Jenny Bonavida would be expecting her third child, Emilio.