A Legacy of Emigration:
♦ “MEMORIA E MIGRAZIONI” ♦
This is another of my articles about museums that I have visited and loved. I hope that someday you can visit them all as well.
Join me on an unforgettable virtual voyage, the voyage taken by millions of emigrants seeking a new life…
After all, their story is my story and maybe your story, too?
Join me at Galata Museo del Mare in Genoa, Liguria.
Galata Museo del Mare is approximately a 20 minute walk from Genoa’s historical center to the Porto Antico. It was from this port that millions of hopeful Italians emigrated first to Argentina and then to America.
~ “MEMORIA E MIGRAZIONI” ~
Although their story has been told and documented in film and literature and I thought that I had an idea of what it must have been like, it wasn’t until I visited the Museum’s “MEMORIA E MIGRAZIONI” that I felt on a very profound emotional level, what they endured…
And this was all the more personal because my maternal grandparents took this journey from this port. Somehow (train?) they found their way from the remote hill towns of the Garfagnana to Lucca and to the port of Genoa and sailed for New York in America on the S.S. Duca d’Aosta on August 14, 1910.
I don’t know how they decided, what motivated them to leave their remote hill towns. I do know that life was difficult. They had married only a few months before and from the ship’s manifest, it seems that they were traveling with family members and that they were headed to Napa, California, probably at the encouragement of relatives or friends. It took tremendous courage. To leave family and probably never to return…leaving everything you know for a new place. Driven by poverty and hope…willing to risk it all. I am truly humbled.
The third floor of the Galata Museo del Mare is dedicated to a virtual interactive multimedia experience entitled “MEMORIA E MIGRAZIONI”. It is designed to literally walk you through the their experience; to step back in history to the beginning of the 20th century when thousands of Italians emigrated to America.
THE VOYAGE
You are welcomed at the maritime station where you receive your passport and boarding card to sail towards America. After you pass the first medical inspection (sick people were not allowed on board) and your passport and tickets are checked, your voyage begins…
Welcome Aboard!
You are allowed to bring one piece of baggage which is left in the hold. Passengers had to wear the same clothing throughout the voyages you can only imagine what that would be like! Women often carried a “infagottate”, a piece of cloth or a shawl in which a few things were wrapped to take to the new country. In some photos, you see women “infagottate” (bundled up) by wearing layers and layers of clothing so as not to leave their few precious belongings unguarded in the hold.
Most passengers were in steerage. If a ship, for example, could hold 1400 passengers, only 40 were 1st and 2nd class. In 1900 steerage tickets cost $30, first class tickets cost approximately $52.
Sleeping
In crowded conditions, needless to say, maintaining personal hygiene was a challenge.
Men (from 7 years old) and women with children were accommodated in separate dormitories. The accommodations were crowded, often dark, dam, poorly ventilated, and afforded no privacy. Sadly, more illness and fatalities occurred in the women and children’s dorm.
Despite having a doctor on board, diseases such as gastroenteritis and bronchitis were common. Children were especially susceptible to chicken pox and the mortality rate was high.
Eating
On the ships there is no place to eat except in the dormitories or on the decks. Upon boarding passengers were divided into groups of six (ranci), usually a family, with one as the leader (caporancio). At lunch and dinner they would queue in front of the kitchen to get their sharer the group. They would wash and return the bowls, cutlery, etc. until the next meal.
Miss Liberty
Immigrant dreams of getting to America (“la Merica”) came true when, after 2 weeks, they arrived at the port of New York and were greeted by the Statue of Liberty.
The Promise and the Reality…
However, this relief and joy was dampened when they disembarked and were forced to Ellis Island. Then came a long series of regulations and strict screenings. Many were rejected and returned to their homelands as a result of immigration laws. (For example, if your health was poor, you were too young or too old, or a widow or orphan with no one to care for you in the USA, you were rejected.)
(Note: In 1917 the Literacy Act was passed featuring a ban on illiterate immigrants.)
For most, the “welcome” and promise was a long time coming. The paths weren’t paved with gold but their story is one of hard work, sacrifice, and determination. They helped to build roads, do unskilled labor, construction, work in mines and on public works. They started small businesses, often with family and friends. Women tended the house and children and developed cottage industries.
“Little Italies” provided a place to go where their was familiarity and community.
Emigration by the Numbers
The number of emigrants leaving Italy over a century peaked at about 26 million. The first to leave were those from the North of Italy, followed by the Southerners. Approximately 5.7 million went to the United States. The rest are divided among France, Switzerland, Argentina, Germany and Brazil.
♥ A Story to Remember ♥
Despite the challenges and obstacles, those who came made a life here. My respect, admiration and appreciation is enormous. Their journey and story made my story possible and so I say, grazie da cuore.
♦ Are your ancestors immigrants? Have you researched their story? Please share…
♦ In case you missed my Roots Redux posts describing my personal journey, I would love for you to click here:
Roots Redux – Part 1 & Intro: Memories of Growing Up Italian
Roots Redux – Part 2: Digging Deep to the Heart of the Family Tree
Roots Redux – Part 3: Dual Citizenship – the Search & Success!
Roots Redux – Part 4: Remembering My 2016 Journey – Where It All Began
Roots Redux – Part 5: Past to Present – What’s Next?
Sources:
Galata Museo del Mare
under every sky: Guide to the Museo Paolo Cresci – Museum of the story of Italian emigration
Recommended Reading/Viewing:
“Pane Amaro” and “Finding the Motherload” – excellent documentaries by Gianfranco Norelli and Suma Kurien
Cinema: “Nuovomondo” (“The Golden Door”), 2006 film directed by Emanuele Crialese; drama based on a family’s migration from Italy to New York City, U.S.A. at the beginning of the 20th century
♦ CLICK HERE For Links to Other Museum Visits You May Enjoy!
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♦ When you are ready to travel again, we are here and we are ready to help you! ♦ Victoria & Friends
