"We are very pleased to be able to display this work which is touring around museums in Wales. It is an 'All Wales' exhibition but to make it more
This exhibition is the result of a grant aided project from the Heritage Lottery Fund.
ACLI-ENAIP, the Christian Association of Italian Workers, applied for the money to set up and support Italian immigrants and wanted to preserve the memories and personal photographs of the Italian Community in Wales.
The Italian Memories in Wales oral history project, which took place in 2008, recorded life stories and collected personal photographs of Italians who moved to Wales after the second World War, and during the 1950s. The funding covered the collecting of information about the life in Italy during and after the war; the journey made to Wales and the reasons for moving.
Italians moved to Wales during the 1950s to work in various industries such as catering, mining, tin plates and agriculture, many moved over with their families after being Prisoners of War in the various camps around Wales.
The project unearthed the stories of a great number of families and the collection of images is extensive. It was a very difficult task having to decoded what to put into the display and what to leave out.
Interesting aspects of the display include the testimonies of those who reflect on Italian heritage and how they feel about their national identity now. The collection of oral and visual history will eventually be deposited at St Fagans in Cardiff and act as a resource for future study.
The exhibition has already been shown at the National Assembly in Cardiff and various workshops have been carried out at schools in south Wales.
The project has built a good archive for study and I'm sure a lot more information will come to light by raising awareness of the work of ACLI-ENAIP. This is an opportunity for people to come together to discuss their history and focus on their feelings about those issues from the past."
Article written by Michael Freeman
your comments
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Lynette Thomas, Canberra
My mother, now 89, remembers the "Bracchis" when she grew up in Aberdare. Wikipedia states this name may have originated from one particular family who owned an ice-cream parlour. The same article does mention a particular village - Bardi.
Fri Aug 28 15:16:55 2009
Martin Tither, Harrogate
I remember my mother (Margaret Clark, Lanbadarn) talking about going to Louie's Cafe at the top of Pier Street (now The Penguin) and being met by Mr Antoniazzi senior. That must have been immediately post-war, I guess, since I understand that the Italians were shamefully interned for the duration?
Thu Apr 16 10:45:56 2009
Mair Williams, originally from the Bettws (Llangynw)
I would be interested in an even older history of the Italians in Wales.I remember, before and during the 2nd world war, that all the mining villages and others had Italian ice-cream stores. The urban legend was that a whole village had moved from Italy to South Wales. True?
Fri Apr 3 15:55:54 2009
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