Aerial view of a suburban neighborhood in 1970, featuring Breezeway Boutique Hotel surrounded by lush greenary

The Story of The Breezeway

A Look at Our History

June 1970

I was just born and my parents, who recently emigrated from Tusa, Sicily, were raising my older sister, my brother and me in a tiny cottage just a block away from The Breezeway. My dad who barely finished 5th grade and who spoke broken English was determined to succeed in America. He started his own business, Bellone Masonry; and broke his back laying blocks and bricks to provide for us. My mom, whose English was only slightly better, but who was previously a school teacher in Sicily took care of the books and everything else.

Motel with a blooming garden fountain surrounded by flowers and lush grass at Breezeway Boutique Hotel

Through their efforts, they managed to buy a couple of rental cottages in the neighborhood. Life was filled with hard work, diapers and Sundays at the beach. The American dream was in sight.

One morning towards the end of that summer, my dad jumped in his truck and drove up Winnapaug Rd. That’s when he saw it. FOR SALE - Stanton Realty. Quickly, he made a u-turn and drove to Stanton Realty to tell his friend Stanton Terranova that he wanted to buy The Breezeway. Mr. Terranova, who at the time, also owned The Pleasant View House, was concerned that my father didn’t know what he was getting himself into. Finally, he agreed to help close the deal under the condition that my mother was on board or else this may end in a divorce. She was on board but there was still one major hurdle. They had no money.

They would borrow, beg and sell whatever they could to make this happen. They loaded the truck and moved into The Breezeway in March of 1971. Life was filled with much more hard work, another year or two of diapers but no more Sundays at the beach. The American dream doesn’t rest on Sunday.

Maria, my beautiful mother passed away on Columbus Day of 2014. Nicola, my tough as nails father passed away in June of 2022.

John for The Bellone Family