Tania Strauss: Peter Jacomelli's stepdaughter sang from his favourite opera

Ticinese celebrate the life of Peter Jacomelli

It was both a night to remember and a night for remembering, when members of the Unione Ticinese and the New Helvetic Society gathered at the Swiss Embassy to recall the very active life of one of their best loved members, Peter Jacomelli.

Seventy relatives and friends heard UT president Ian Giuliani recall Peter’s long service to the society, which he had joined in the early 1930s and was still its honorary vice president at the time of his death.

He said that one lasting memorial to Peter was the PJ Youth Fund, aimed at rewarding exemplary efforts by young Ticinese members of the UT.

The evening raised just under £550 for the fund, including a lottery for a painting, ‘Orient in Ticino’, which had been donated by the artist, Yong Sun Mazzucchelli, and which was won by Paul Gruhn. Another prize winner, in a photo caption contest, was Rose Marie Breitenstein,

UT archivist Peter Barber spoke about Peter Jacomelli’s close relationship between his place of birth in London and his ancestral home of Semione in the Ticino, and Joe Broggini recalled many aspects of Peter’s colourful life.

Peter Jacomelli's step daughter, Tania Strauss, sang his favourite operatic aria.

Jeffrey Long promised to boost the income to the PJ Youth Fund by walking 93 miles (Peter would have been 93 this year) from his birthplace to the Swiss Embassy, visiting places and people of significance to Peter’s life en route.

It was, said Ian Giuliani, “an amazing and very generous offer” which would give a great potential boost to the fund.