MYSTERIOUS ADRIATIC VILLA: It holds the greatest secrets, Al Capone was hiding his mother there

Surrounded by tall fence in Opatijska street, between Rijeka and Volosk, hidden in the dense groove, far from the eyes of the curious people, once summer residence of the leader of Udba and Ozna, Aleksandar Rankovic, the name Capone received after the most ruthless Chicago mobster. 

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Even thou some think its about a legend and there are no proofs, many Rijeka historians managed to get to data that claim Al Capone was really there.

In the matter of fact, he settled his mother in the Villa, after the WWII. Al was in the villa in the '20 of the last century, he even financed the building of the private harbor, which is even today near the southern entrance, on the sea.

Al's mother Teresa (born Raiola) was allegedly from Rijeka. Official records of American immigrant service state that the Al Capone family sailed to America from Rijeka. But, before marrying the Naples' barber and Capone's father Gabriel, with whom she migrated to USA in 1894, Al's mother lived in Rijeka.

Foto: Wikipedia/britannica.com

That story origins from a man from Rijeka, who drove Al once in Chicago as a taxi driver to the trial. Famous gangster asked him from where did he come to USA, and when he mentioned Rijeka, Al started talking about his mother Teresa being from Rijeka and how she told him stories about the city on Kvarner. Rijeka connection to Al Capone was confirmed in the book "My uncle Al Capone" by his cousin Deirdre Marie Capone.

- I was told that my grandgrandmother Teresa Capone was born in some other city from the ones mentioned, it could be Rijeka. I was not sure if he was the owner of the house in Rijeka, but if its about the year 1924 i believe that it is a house he brought my mother when his brother Frank was murdered - said Capone for the Novi list. And, really, according to the records of passengers of New York, in 1924 Al Capone was in Europe.

The fact is well known that construction of Rijeka's skyscraper (1939-1942), in the time when Rijeka was a free market zone, under the administration of Italy, was a perfect tax oasis for money laundry, was financed by Capone's accountant Marco de Arbori. People from all over the world came to admire the first building in south east Europe built by the project from Chicago, with anti air shelter, laundry room in the roof, 66 floors tall which was 2 stories taller than the first build skyscraper in the world in Chicago in 1885.

Foto: Wikipedia / László Szalai

Legend goes further on and it says that this, formerly luxurious structure and today's mark of Rijeka, infamous mobster Capone instructed to be build in honor of his mother Teresa. 

After the murder of his brother Frank in 1924, he brought his mother to the secret villa in Bivi, and the fact that the passenger lists for New York agree with that, clam that the notorious Chicago criminal was in Europe. But, Well preserved and nicely decorated five room house, with the great conference hall, surrounded by big park and entrances by both main road and by the sea. It was not loved by only Capone.

After Rankovic, it served high officials of Udba and Ozna. In 1990, object came under the administration of Croatian secret service, and it is said that some ministry members spent their summers there. Even thou that there are no evidence that the former president of Croatia, Franjo Tudjman, went there, his closer family has surely been there in summer months, his wife and daughter, Ankica and Nevenka Tudjman. 

It is interesting that, even though Croatian government is official owner of this impressive structure,  no former owners were recorded in the documents.

(Telegraf.co.uk / source: express.hr)