Lionello Perera

The biography explores the life of Lionello Perera, a pivotal figure in the early 20th-century Italian American community in New York. Originally from Venice, he transformed his uncle's Wall Street business into a significant financial institution and became the Vice President of Bank of America. A key supporter of Mayor Fiorello La Guardia, Perera championed welfare initiatives for Italian immigrants. Alongside his wife, he fostered the arts, becoming influential patrons for musicians and creating a cultural hub in their Art Deco home, filled with an impressive art collection.