On Thursday,February 14, Provincetown lost one of its most famous and generous long-time residents. Artist, famed restauranteur, and benefactor of the arts Ciriaco ‘Ciro’ Cozzi died peacefully, surrounded by family. He was 91.
He leaves behind his loving and devoted wife of 47 years, Patricia, and his loving children Theo, Michaele, Peter and Alethea, as well as his grandchildren Andrew, Brandon, and Liam and great grandchildren Nathaniel and Alexis. He is also survived by his sister Rita DeNegre of Connecticut, along with his many nieces and nephews.
Ciro was born in the Bronx, New York, in 1921, the first son of Luigi Cozzi and Angelina Buonacuore. From early in his life it was evident that Ciro had a truly exceptional artistic talent, and he pursued his love of painting throughout his life. He studied painting with Henry Hensche, which is what first brought him to Provincetown. In addition, he studied fresco technique with Jean Charlot and attended the Art Students League in New York City on full scholarship.
In 1951, Ciro returned to Provincetown. To finance his art and support his family, Ciro initially did many jobs, including sandal maker and construction worker. However, that all changed when Ciro and his first wife,Ero, bought a house for their growing family on Kiley Court. The house had a large basement and Ciro was able to convince another artist, and friend, Sal DelDeo to partner with him in opening a sandwich shop. Through the help of family and friends they were able to convert the basement into a restaurant,Ciro and Sal's. The restaurant employed many local artists-painters, sculptors, writers, musicians, dancers and became a local gathering place where they would discuss art and politics into the wee hours. As the restaurant grew in popularity, Ciro and Sal began creating recipes to expand their menu. The rest, as they say, is history. Not only would many of these young artists go on to become famous, but many of the young chefs that passed through his kitchen would go on to open restaurants of their own and pursue successful culinary careers. Ciro would later go on to open two other restaurants, The Flagship Restaurant in Provincetown and Ciro and Sal's in Boston. He would also publish two cookbooks.
Throughout his life in Provincetown, Ciro continued to paint and to do all he could to support artists and the art community, as a whole, in Provincetown. He held the position of president of the Art Association for eight years and, along with his wife Patti, hosted summer garden parties to benefit the Art Association. He was instrumental in transforming the Art Association into a true museum, PAAM. In a fitting tribute to all that he had accomplished in the arts, in 2009 the Provincetown Art Association held a retrospective of Ciro's body of work, spanning more than sixty years.
With his passing, we have lost an incredible artistic talent, a man of incredible energy, force of will and generosity, a husband, father, and grandfather. He gave much to all of us and we will miss him greatly.
A Funeral Mass will be celebrated Monday, February 18th at 1 PM in St. Peter the Apostle Church, Prince St, Provincetown. Burial will be in St. Peters Cemetery.
Memorial donations, if desired, may be made to the Provincetown Rescue Squad, PO Box 109, Provincetown, MA 02657.