Luchini, Assunta (Rigali)

Born in 1875 as Eletta Assunta Giuseppina Rigali in Fornaci di Barga, Italy, Assunta emigrated to Ellsworth in 1901 with her young daughter, determined to build a life in America with her husband. Widowed and pregnant just a few years later, she bravely took over her late husband's fruit business with her nephew Tony, becoming known as one of Maine's wealthiest self-made women. Several of her children were lost to various illnesses, including the flu epidemic.

Assunta remarried many years later to an Italian mariner, Tullio Boyer (or Bojer), who was being held at the Old Hancock County Jail among the crew of a ship that had allegedly mutinied in international waters. Assunta negotiated his release, married him, then helped him start his own thriving hot dog business on Main Street in Bar Harbor, Tullio's (now Geddy's).

Affectionately known as "Auntie" by many, Assunta was renowned in the Ellsworth community for her resilience, generosity, compassion, and kindness. She gave aid to the sick families in town, and even supported the injured WWI veterans who came from Boston University to Ellsworth for the summer in the early 1920s, fostering lasting connections with these men.

After losing her business to the Great Fire in 1933, she rebuilt the Luchini block in the finest Art Deco style, which Ellsworth still boasts. Some of those WWI vets from Boston she had made such a connection with even helped to pay for the new building. With their generous donations, she was able to create something so beautiful and iconic to Main Street—the delicately pink building with the stunning arches leading into Luchini's restaurant and the adjoining business (at the time an apparel shop run by another female entrepreneur, Carmelita Danforth). The American walnut woodwork inside today dates to Luchini's reopening as a full restaurant in 1934. It was operated as Luchini's all the way until 1967 (in 2025 it is Provender Kitchen + Bar).

During the rebuilding time after the fire, Main Street businesses were mostly temporary pop-ups in the area of the modern post office. Assunta had a hot dog and beer cart in this "Emergency Avenue" as it was called. Her new building became a hub for locals and visitors alike by including a most cherished candlepin bowling alley in the basement—Ellsworth's first—bringing some extra fun, levity, and friendly competition to downtown. Luchini's was a friendly staple on Main Street for decades.

The Luchini legacy continues locally through her family, including State Rep. Louis Luchini. As we remember Assunta, let’s honor her revolutionary spirit of reputation and the way she and other late women of Ellsworth paved the way for women-of-today to share equal rights, thrive in business, and help shape the future of our community with heart.