Tracing the Footsteps of Our Ancestors — Part 12

Some of the Pianezzi siblings with their parents in Bognanco, 1870s: Marietta, mother Anna Maria Mottini, Teresa, John Peter, father Giovanni, LawrenceAfter checking into my hotel at Bognanco at the “frazione,” or hamlet, of Fonti, I made it my mission to see as much of the Bognanco Valley as possible despite the rainy weather. From Fonti, I walked down the road to the hamlet of Pianezza, which was the home of the maternal line (the Baiettini family) of my great-great-grandmother Rosa Morganti Mottini.

Pianezza is home to a small cluster of stone cottages, just a handful of residents, and a tiny museum devoted to the history of the town’s antique wine press, which dates to 1744. At the museum, I was greeted by an older woman who was happy to open the museum for me, though she probably found it odd that some scruffy American was excited enough to walk nearly two miles in the rain to come and visit her tiny hamlet. The woman had no clue who I was, but I already knew who she was from my genealogical research - she was my fourth cousin once removed!

Historically, the residents of Pianezza only produced two varieties of wine: the “Nostranino,” which featured grapes of local origin, and the “Americanino,” which featured grapes of American origin. The museum curator did not know where the American plants originated but knew they were probably introduced to the hamlet in the late 1800s. So, I explained my theory to her: it would not surprise me that the wine plants came from the Ramm Ranch near Camptonville (now known as the Pendola Ranch), as that is where many of the immigrants from Bognanco lived and worked. The Ramm Ranch was once home to the largest vineyard in the region, and its grapes were known far and wide. As discussed in my last article, my great-great-grandfather Joseph Mottini worked for many years on the Ramm Ranch, as well as members of the Pianezzi family (who had roots in the hamlet of Pianezza; note the similarity between the surname and the place name) and many others from Bognanco. Joseph Mottini, Joseph Pianezzi, and countless others made return trips from California to Bognanco - one can only wonder which one of these men brought the “Americanino” wine plants back with them to the hamlet of Pianezza!

Of interest, the Marysville Daily Appeal of October 25th, 1893, reported a “Camptonville Mayhem Case” which occurred on October 17th of that year at the Ramm Ranch between Bernardo Baietta and Andrea Broggio, two immigrants from Bognanco. The article states, “Both men were working on John Ramm’s ranch near Camptonville on the date mentioned, had some trouble, and commenced to fight. [Baietta] was the strongest and had his opponent on the ground and when he grew tired of punching him caught a hold of his nose between his teeth, and when they were separated the nasal organ was partially off… Mayhem is a crime punishable by sentence to State’s prison.” Also present was Lorenzo “Lawrence” Pianezzi (a brother of Joseph Pianezzi). Later coverage of the event in the newspaper covered the testimonies of the men involved, with the headlines “Men with a Taste for Blood - One Chews a Finger While the Other Munches On His Opponent’s Nose - Over a Barrel.” Broggio stated that “they were all drinking and shaking dice in John Ramm’s cellar at Camptonville, when some trouble took place between [the men].” Afterward, Broggio “caught hold of [Baietta] and took him away, which made [Baietta] angry and he commenced to fight. They both fell on the top of a barrel and [Baietta’s] finger getting in the witness’ mouth, he bit it. [Baietta] then bit his nose… Judge Garber stated that there was no use in sending the case for trial, as no conviction could be had. He discharged the defendant. The evidence showed that both men were equally to blame, and that liquor caused the trouble.”

Lawrence Pianezzi married Rosa Armetta, also a native of Bognanco, and the family made their home in Sierra City for many years and later Nevada City. One of their sons, Peter Pianezzi (1902-1992), had quite an interesting story. He was part of a gang that robbed banks in Los Angeles and was framed for the murder of bootlegger Les Bruneman and a restaurant employee. Pianezzi barely missed the death penalty and ended up serving time at San Quentin. It was Justice William Newsom, father of Governor Gavin Newsom, who fought to exonerate Pianezzi, who was eventually pardoned by Governor Jerry Brown in 1981 after Jimmy “The Weasel” Fratianno admitted to the FBI that Pianezzi was, in fact, framed for the double murder. Governor Gavin Newsom, who knew Pete Pianezzi, stated he was influenced by the man’s case when establishing California’s death penalty moratorium in 2019.

Part 13 of this series, coming next week, will continue with my adventures in the Bognanco Valley.