Book excerpt: A Street Paved of Gold: An Italian Epic By: Robert R. Dattilo About the Book At the turn of the twentieth century, Vincenzo Martinelli migrated from the Provence of Calabria with his family in pursuit of the American dream. Upon entering the country, a chance meeting changes the trajectory of his life, and that of his family’s for generations to come. Filled with back-room deals, Prohibition-era mobsters, and everyday life in the growing town of Elizabeth, New Jersey, A Street Paved of Gold is an epic tale of one family’s rise to success through hard work, perseverance, and dedication to principles, and the traps and trials many immigrant families faced on their way to find their own street paved of gold.