Welsh Italians
   HOME

TheInfoList



OR:

Welsh Italians (; ) are Welsh who are fully or partially of Italian descent, whose ancestors were
Italians Italians (, ) are a European peoples, European ethnic group native to the Italian geographical region. Italians share a common Italian culture, culture, History of Italy, history, Cultural heritage, ancestry and Italian language, language. ...
who emigrated to
Wales Wales ( ) is a Countries of the United Kingdom, country that is part of the United Kingdom. It is bordered by the Irish Sea to the north and west, England to the England–Wales border, east, the Bristol Channel to the south, and the Celtic ...
during the
Italian diaspora The Italian diaspora (, ) is the large-scale emigration of Italians from Italy. There were two major Italian diasporas in Italian history. The first diaspora began around 1880, two decades after the Risorgimento, Unification of Italy, and ended ...
, or Italian-born people in Wales. Most Italian immigration to Wales took place in the 19th and early 20th centuries, with the largest number of migrants settling in
Glamorgan Glamorgan (), or sometimes Glamorganshire ( or ), was Historic counties of Wales, one of the thirteen counties of Wales that existed from 1536 until their abolishment in 1974. It is located in the South Wales, south of Wales. Originally an ea ...
and Newport.


Migration history

Italian immigrants to Wales, mainly originating from the
Apennine Mountains The Apennines or Apennine Mountains ( ; or Ἀπέννινον ὄρος; or – a singular with plural meaning; )Latin ''Apenninus'' (Greek or ) has the form of an adjective, which would be segmented ''Apenn-inus'', often used with nouns s ...
and in particular the town of Bardi, established a network of cafés, ice cream parlours and fish and chip shops in Wales from the 1890s onwards.The Welsh Academy Encyclopedia of Wales. Cardiff: University of Wales Press 2008 In the Rhondda Valley the cafés became known as "Bracchis" after an early café owner. The number of Italian cafés in Wales was more than 300 before World War Two. 11 of these are still run by the same families. The brothers Frank and Aldo Berni, who started in business in
Merthyr Tydfil Merthyr Tydfil () is the main town in Merthyr Tydfil County Borough, Wales, administered by Merthyr Tydfil County Borough Council. It is about north of Cardiff. Often called just Merthyr, it is said to be named after Tydfil, daughter of K ...
, went on to found the Berni Inn chain. Ystrad Mynach has seen many Italian cafes over the years, owned by families such as Lusardi, Massari, Bracchi and Sidoli. The last Italian cafe in the town, John's Cafe, was owned by the Sidoli family and closed in 2017 after over 50 years of trading. During the
Second World War World War II or the Second World War (1 September 1939 – 2 September 1945) was a World war, global conflict between two coalitions: the Allies of World War II, Allies and the Axis powers. World War II by country, Nearly all of the wo ...
, Welsh Italians without British citizenship were declared enemy aliens and a number were interned on the
Isle of Man The Isle of Man ( , also ), or Mann ( ), is a self-governing British Crown Dependency in the Irish Sea, between Great Britain and Ireland. As head of state, Charles III holds the title Lord of Mann and is represented by a Lieutenant Govern ...
or in
Canada Canada is a country in North America. Its Provinces and territories of Canada, ten provinces and three territories extend from the Atlantic Ocean to the Pacific Ocean and northward into the Arctic Ocean, making it the world's List of coun ...
. 53 Welsh Italians lost their lives in the sinking of the passenger ship in 1940. A memorial was placed in Cardiff Metropolitan Cathedral in 2010 to commemorate the tragedy. A memorial chapel is in the cemetery in Bardi. In 1911 there were 20,389 Italians in Wales. is estimated now that there are 40,000 people of Italian origin living in Wales.


Notable people

* Boxer Joe Calzaghe * Member of Parliament for Gower, Tonia Antoniazzi * Actor Victor Spinetti and his brother Henry * Boxer Enzo Maccarinelli * Chef Angela Hartnett * Musician Pino Palladino * Footballers David D'Auria and Donato Nardiello * Rugby players
Robert The name Robert is an ancient Germanic given name, from Proto-Germanic "fame" and "bright" (''Hrōþiberhtaz''). Compare Old Dutch ''Robrecht'' and Old High German ''Hrodebert'' (a compound of ''Hrōþ, Hruod'' () "fame, glory, honour, prais ...
and Peter Sidoli, Theo Bevacqua, Ben Cambriani, James Ratti * Artist Andrew Vicari * Chef Michael Bonacini * BBC News presenter Nick Servini


In popular culture

The
BBC The British Broadcasting Corporation (BBC) is a British public service broadcaster headquartered at Broadcasting House in London, England. Originally established in 1922 as the British Broadcasting Company, it evolved into its current sta ...
broadcast a two part documentary about Welsh-Italians. It was presented by Michela Chiappa (Welsh, born in Merthyr Tydfil, but of Welsh-Italian parents) who went to visit Bardi. Café owner Bella Lasagne from '' Fireman Sam'' is an Italian citizen living in Wales.


See also

* Italian migration to Britain * Immigration to the United Kingdom *
Italian diaspora The Italian diaspora (, ) is the large-scale emigration of Italians from Italy. There were two major Italian diasporas in Italian history. The first diaspora began around 1880, two decades after the Risorgimento, Unification of Italy, and ended ...
* Italians in the United Kingdom * Italian Scots * Genoese in Gibraltar


References


External links


Amici Val Ceno Galles Welsh Italian friendship society

A South Wales male voice choir visit BardiBBC Wales feature on Italian immigration to WalesArticles and information about Welsh Italians
{{Italian diaspora Italian diaspora in the United Kingdom Ethnic groups in Wales