My father enjoyed listening to recordings of the famed Italian-American tenor Mario Lanza. Lanza was a volatile figure. There were even whisperings that his mysterious 1959 death at age 38 resulted from a "revenge" hit by Lucky Luciano after Lanza refused to perform for the mobster at a Naples concert.

Lanza's superb vocals, though, lived on, keeping him a national treasure for decades afterward. Through them, I grew up learning all of the beloved Neapolitan songs — "O Sole Mio," "Santa Lucia," and, most memorably, "Torna a Surriento" ("Come Back to Sorrento"), the ballad of yearning that has bestowed enduring fame on the Italian town. The passion synonymous with Italian life is poured into the song's electrifying final line: "Please do not go away and leave me in torment; come back to Sorrento and let me live!"

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Source: https://www.bostonglobe.com