Early Life and Family Background
Franco was born prematurely at sea, aboard a ship traveling between Salvador and Rio de Janeiro. On his father's side he was of partial German descent (the Stiebler family from Minas Gerais), while on the mother's side he was of Italian descent, with both of his maternal grandparents having emigrated to Brazil from Italy. His mother's name was "Itália", which means "Italy" in Portuguese and Italian. Franco's father died prior to his birth.
Franco was named Itamar because he was born on board the ship Ita, at sea (in Portuguese Mar). His family was from Juiz de Fora, Minas Gerais, where he grew up and became a civil engineer in 1955, graduating from the School of Engineering of Juiz de Fora.
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