Gaetano's in Denver: A Historic Venue with Mob Ties and Ghostly Legends
Gaetano's, a well-known Italian restaurant in Denver, has a storied past intertwined with organized crime. Established in 1947 by Clyde and 'Checkers' Smaldone, it served as a hub for the Smaldone crime family during the 1950s and '60s. Owner Ron Robinson, who has extensively researched the Smaldone legacy, recounts tales of bootlegging and infamous visitors like Al Capone. The restaurant's basement, now used for food preparation, is rumored to have been a site of mob executions. Despite the decline of mob activity by the 1980s, Gaetano's remains a Denver icon, with stories of ghostly presences adding to its mystique. 
