The Mattiozzi Family - Living Witnesses

In late 2005, we were contacted by a member of the Matteozzi family living in Buenos Aires. They had come across the site and advised us that three of the members of this extraordinary family were still alive. We had the opportunity to meet and speak with some of the survivors.

Originally the group had been thirteen travellers, all related from Sant Elpidio de Ascoli Piceno in Italy. These were:

1) Francisco Mattiozzi (shown on the survivor lists as Eugenio)

2) His wife: Angela Santandrea de Mattiozzi

3) A daughter: Lina Mattiozzi : 13 years (now deceased)

4) A son: Rinaldo Mattiozzi: 9 years (now deceased)

5) A daughter: María Mattiozzi: 7 years (now deceased)

6) A son: Ferruccio Mattiozzi: 5 years (still living)

7) A daughter: Alcestina Mattiozzi: 2 1/2 years (still living)

8) A daughter: Julia Mattiozzi: 8 months (still living)

9) The sister of Angela Santandrea: María Mancini de Sant'Andrea

10) Her husband: Elpidio Sant'Andrea

11) A cousin: Agustín Mancini

12) A cousin: Mecozzi José Luis

13) A cousin: Mariano Chima D´amore

All survived the sinking of the Principessa Mafalda. The picture below appeared in a Sao Paulo magazine shortly after the sinking and shows the family upon their arrival in Brazil. This photo (and others) were discovered in a long-forgotten magazine in a library in Santos in Brazil by Emerson F.R. da Silva.

Eugenio Mattiozzi

"Only to a miracle can I ascribe the saving of all my family composed of my wife and seven children. Given the young age of these, I found myself with all of them at the foot of the rescue ladder, waiting for a boat, then these were taken by assault in a form which made it impossible to achive our aspiration. Soon in trying to launch a boat the davits broke and the boat fell right where we were located. Immediately, I placed in it my wife and children, but the force of the waves drove it away from the ship and I remained on board the Mafalda with one of my children. I obtained a lifejacket, put it on and took my son with the left arm, while with the right arm made useless efforts to reach the boat that had my family on board. Finally, I achieved it and miraculously also saved all my family.

Maria Mancini de Sant'Andrea

El mar me trajo a América en la segunda década del siglo XX. Yo soy María Mancini de Santandrea, nacida en 1908 en Sant Elpidio de Ascoli Piceno y fui unas de las pocas pasajeras sobrevivientes del último viaje que haría el barco "Principesa Mafalda" antes de hundirse en el Atlántico. Después de la tragedia permanecí en un bote salvavidas repleto y en malas condiciones. Antes, viendo a mi hermano en la escalera del barco que se hundía irremediablemente lo tomé del saco y lo hice caer en nuestro bote.

Así estuvimos sufriendo hambre, frío y la desesperación de no saber si llegaríamos vivos a tierra firme.

Entonces supe lo que era el miedo. No puedo olvidar el momento en que el mar arrancó de los brazos de una madre a su hijo de tres años. Al mismo tiempo, yo temía respirar por miedo a perder al hijo que había gestado en mi tierra y que esperanzado nacería en Argentina.

Afortunadamente mi familia se salvó completa de esa desgracia. Creo que fue la única.

Mariano Cima D'Amore

Que según cuentan, al ver que hundía el barco se abrazó con su mejor amigo y se subieron al mastil mayor. Cuando da vuelta campana son despedidos por el aire quedando en alta mar, luego fueron recogidos y a su vez ayudaron a salvar a otros sobrevivientes.

Seventy-nine years later.....

The photo below shows one of the Mattiozzi survivors (second from the left) in October 2006 at a celebration held in Buenos Aires for the 79th anniversary of the sinking with members of the family surrounding a model of the ship made specially for the event.