RIMINI, Italy — If you ever find yourself feeling a bit homesick while visiting the Adriatic Coast in Italy, you might be surprised and delighted to find a giant Wyoming state flag painted outside a store that’s just steps from the soft sand beaches of this European resort town.
Welcome to Jack and Gill, a store that’s been an institution in this beach destination since 1978 when owner Carlo Betti Ricci first opened shop.
In a place where many people look like they just stepped off the beach, Ricci dresses like he just climbed off a horse. His signature look is a pair of Wranglers with a big belt buckle, a Western shirt, cowboy hat (with several pins, including one of the Wyoming flag) and a pair of cowboy boots with spurs.
If there was any question about the depth of Ricci’s love for the American West, it disappears when you come across the framed underwear once worn by John Wayne.
Though he’s never visited the United States, you might not know it by looking around Ricci’s shop. He sells all sorts of Western clothing and art, Native American jewelry, American military gear, and plenty of flags — Wyoming front and center.
And, naturally, that might leave you wondering: What’s with all the Wyoming stuff?
The iconic bison of Wyoming's state flag is painted outside of the Jack and Gill store that's steps from the beach in this Adriatic Coast destination. Inside, there are a wide variety of items that are also Wyoming-related, from a stuffed bison to a jackalope art piece to clothing. (Anna-Louise Jackson) 
Since 1978, Carlo Betti Ricci has sold all sorts of items celebrating Wyoming and the American West and in his store, Jack and Gill, that's located in the beach destination of Rimini, Italy. He also loves Donald Trump, but says Ronald Reagan is his favorite U.S. president. (Anna-Louise Jackson) 
Playing on repeat in the store is a song that Carlo Betti Ricci wrote and recorded with a friend that tells the story of his life and how the Jack and Gill store came to be. (Anna-Louise Jackson) 
Playing on repeat in the store is a song that Carlo Betti Ricci wrote and recorded with a friend that tells the story of his life and how the Jack and Gill store came to be. (Anna-Louise Jackson) 
Carlo Betti Ricci's love of Wyoming, the American West and Donald Trump is plastered all over his store in Rimini, Italy. (Anna-Louise Jackson)
Inspired By John Wayne
There’s only one rather significant problem with trying to report on Ricci’s unique, Americana-meets-Italiana shop: He isn’t fluent in English, but thanks to Google Translate and a lot of yes/no questions, you can understand more about his life.
One American icon in particular gets the credit for igniting Ricci’s lifelong love of the American West: John Wayne.
Ricci’s favorite of Wayne’s 120-plus films was “The Searchers,” which he describes as “molto, molto, molto bello” — or “very, very, very nice.”
That film came out in 1956, and Ricci turns 80 this year, which means he was around age 11 when it was released.
As for the prominence of all-things Wyoming, the iconic bison is what’s appealing to Ricci, it seems. Though to be fair, most everything that’s country and Western is “molto bello,” in his eyes.
Best Sellers
As for what American items sell, Ricci said his best-sellers are the wide range of American and Italian military items he has in one section of the shop. And no, he didn’t serve in the military.
The song playing on repeat in the shop is an original that Ricci wrote (and recorded) with a friend, telling some of the story of his life and how the store came to be.
Though he also sells a lot of Texas-related items, Ricci carries an impressive selection of Cowboy State paraphernalia: Wyoming flags, hats, license plates, clothing, a jackalope artwork and more.
Testing his Wyoming-ness, Ricci’s asked if he rides horse (yes) and if he’s gone to a rodeo (yes) and he said he especially likes bull riding.
The store is part-museum in some ways — there’s barbed wire on the wall and Ricci has a framed pair of underwear that were purportedly owned by Wayne.
And given his love of Western cinema, it’s perhaps not surprising that another Hollywood star, Ronald Reagan, is Ricci’s favorite U.S. president.
But he said he likes Donald Trump, too, which is evident by the large number and variety of flags from his campaigns. When asked about Trump’s popularity abroad, Ricci said the president is popular in Italy, but not so much in Rimini.
The shop is, in some ways, part museum. Carlo Betti Ricci has a framed pair of underwear that were purportedly worn by John Wayne. (Anna-Louise Jackson) 
Carlo Betti Ricci's love of Wyoming, the American West and Donald Trump is plastered all over his store in Rimini, Italy. (Anna-Louise Jackson) 
Since 1978, Carlo Betti Ricci has sold all sorts of items celebrating Wyoming and the American West and in his store, Jack and Gill, that's located in the beach destination of Rimini, Italy. (Anna-Louise Jackson) 
Since 1978, Carlo Betti Ricci has sold all sorts of items celebrating Wyoming and the American West and in his store, Jack and Gill, that's located in the beach destination of Rimini, Italy. (Anna-Louise Jackson) 
The iconic bison of Wyoming's state flag is painted outside of the Jack and Gill store that's steps from the beach in this Adriatic Coast destination. Inside, there are a wide variety of items that are also Wyoming-related, from a stuffed bison to a jackalope art piece to clothing. (Anna-Louise Jackson) 
The iconic bison of Wyoming's state flag is painted outside of the Jack and Gill store that's steps from the beach in this Adriatic Coast destination. Inside, there are a wide variety of items that are also Wyoming-related, from a stuffed bison to a jackalope art piece to clothing. (Anna-Louise Jackson)
Lost In Translation
Given the language barrier, some things got lost in translation.
Take, for example, when Ricci was asked what he did for work before opening his first Jack and Gill store in the town of Massa Lombardo in 1976. The word “fabbrica” is mistaken by this reporter as meaning “fabric.”
“Were you a tailor?” was the follow-up question typed out on a smartphone.
“No, no, no,” he responded nicely.
Listening back on the conversation later, it’s evident how far off that was: “fabbrica” means factory — and explained he worked in a sugar factory in the town of Ravenna.
Understanding why Ricci carries so many Confederate flags in the shop and has one hanging beneath the Stars and Stripes on a flagpole outside was a bit harder to decipher. And, perhaps, it’s a bit hard for him to decipher the flag’s meaning for many Americans.
Ricci recalled how some tourists came into the shop and said to him: “Tu razzista, tu razzista!” or, “You racist, you racist!”
He’s not a racist, he emphasized, as he does for the tourists when confronted. Rather, Ricci just likes to sell American stuff.
I Vecchi Cowboys Non Muoiono Mai!
Luckily, no translation is needed to appreciate Ricci’s love for the American West. On the store’s website, the Italian cowboy describes how he now has gray hair and many memories.
And he signs off with a saying that transcends cultures: “i vecchi cowboys non muoiono mai” — old cowboys never die.
Anna-Louise Jackson can be reached at: jackson.anna@gmail.com
