Rino Vultaggio was a jack-of-all-trades whose people skills and generosity led him to become a successful entrepreneur and leader in Vancouver’s Italian community.
Vultaggio traveled to Vancouver in 1967 to visit his sister. He immediately fell in love with the city and, with $300 in his pocket, decided to leave behind a budding photography career in Milan, Italy, to start life anew amid the mountains and ocean that reminded him of his birthplace in Sicily. To save up some money, Vultaggio traveled to Cassiar to work in the mines and as a part-time dishwasher. His next move was to Commercial Drive, where he opened a photography shop, called Tivoli Fotostudio.
“That’s how he became well known in the Italian community,” says Vultaggio’s son Christian, 40, over the phone from their Vancouver home, where he moved last year to be close-by during his father's illness. “He would take their wedding and anniversary photos, and that’s how he got his name out.”
The social and extroverted Vultaggio was soon offered a spot on the multilingual radio station CJVB, which first aired in June 1972. Christian recalls the recording booth in their basement where his father would broadcast news, interviews, sportscasts and music of interest to Vancouver’s Italian community.
After cutting his teeth on radio, Vultaggio launched Il Marco Polo in 1974, an Italian-language newspaper that marked a progression in his lifelong passion of promoting Italian culture. There were a few stops in between for the serial entrepreneur, including launching several restaurants: Il Favorito Trattoria in 1981 and Andiamo Ristorante, at Hastings and Howe streets, in 1988, and involvement in the Jolt Cola energy drink enterprise. Yet, throughout his many careers, Vultaggio continued to pursue and build upon his deep love for the Italian community and culture, particularly through his work with the newspaper, and the Italian Cultural Centre, which he co-founded.
“He believed that you have to communicate news to the community, so the media was important to him,” recalls West Vancouver resident Orazio Scaldaferri, 67, who first met Vultaggio at an event at the Italian Cultural Centre 30 years ago. “But his energy came from enjoying contact with people.”
Vultaggio was often one of the first points of contact for Italian immigrants through his involvement with the Consulate General of Italy in Vancouver, connecting them with resources in the community. “He was someone that would welcome people and help them adapt to a new country,” says Scaldaferri. “He was a point of reference for a lot people.”
Vultaggio was diagnosed with cancer last year, and handed off Marco Polo, which now has a weekly distribution of around 5,000 copies, shortly after.
“My dad had a real zest for life,” says Christian. “He was a people person and leaving a legacy was always important to him… He was very generous… He did good things just to leave his mark; it was the sense of accomplishment that drove him.”
Vultaggio succumbed to his illness on May 11, 2017 at the age of 76, surrounded by family in his Vancouver home. He leaves behind his son Christian, daughters Jordana and Lisa, four grandchildren and his wife, Sofia Chen.
Friends and family are invited to attend a funeral service for Vultaggio on Friday, May 19 at 11am at Blessed Sacrament church, 3040 Heather St., Vancouver.
