Join us on a captivating journey with our guest, Sarah Nielsen, as she unveils her family’s rich Italian heritage and their migration to Australia post World War II. Sarah takes us back in time, sharing the challenges her grandfather faced as a young man in his early 20s, leaving Italy to build a new life Down Under. Discover the profound impact he made on the Italian community in Australia and the intriguing process of ancestral land ownership, as Sarah’s great-grandfather carved out a new existence in a foreign land.
This episode takes an exciting twist as we delve into the complexities of cultural differences within Sarah’s family. Be captivated by the contrasting experiences between her family and her father’s Scottish influenced family, highlighting the journey of two distinct cultures intertwining in Australia. Enjoy heartwarming tales of her family’s embrace of Italian culture, their unique reasons for moving to Australia, and the bittersweet emotions tied to visiting their ancestral Italian towns.
We conclude this immersive journey with an exploration into the intriguing world of DNA and ancestry. Sarah shares her exhilarating discovery of a distant relative in America and the unraveling of her family’s mysteries. The episode ends on a poignant note as she unravels the complex legacy of her great-grandfather, a man who despite his difficult nature, achieved his dream of securing land for his son. Prepare to be enthralled by the compelling journey of family history, immigration, and heritage.
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The Journey Home 2023 — Roseto Capo Spulico Calabria
Click here to join out Facebook group On our 2023 rooting trip we made a quick stop to visit our friends Sabrina and Antonio in Roseto Capo Spulico. Sabrina runs a beautiful B & B less than 1/4 mile from the sea. Along the shore there is a magnificent walk with several restaurants. A great place to unwind and relax for a couple of days. There is also a 1000 year old castle/watchtower in walking
How God Created Calabria
Great conversation with Gianluca about Calabria, including it’s Greek beginning, food and people, including his grandmother’s story about “How God Created Calabria”, on the eighth day. Gianluca is a licensed Italian tour guide with twenty years of experience, including leading hiking groups in the Calabrian mountains, working at ski resorts in the Alps and Finland, guiding cultural tours in South Italy and arranging travel for tourist agencies with his own company. He has a passion
Calabria “The Other Italy”
Bob interviews Karen Haid who lived and taught in Italy and wrote a fascinating book about her travels through Calabria. Karen gives insight into the food, customs, things to do and much much more. ONCE THE HUB OF THE MEDITERRANEAN, Calabria now dangles, largely ignored, at the bottom of the Italian boot, struggling for survival, acceptance and a place in modern Italy and the world. Little-known even to Italians outside the nefarious activities of
The Journey Home — Day 9 — Montebello/Fossato Calabria
Click here to join out Facebook group The drive from Scilla to Montebello is about an hour and on the way we stopped to view the mountain “ghost town” Pentedattilo, which is derived from the Greek language and means five fingers. You can read the interesting story of two barons here. Our day in Montebello and Fossato turned out to be one of the more special days. Mostly due to my cousin Cinzia Piromallo (
Where Do Italians Come From — The Ancient Calabrian Tribes
There is evidence of the presence of a type of Homo Erectus in Calabria along coastal areas as far back as 700,000 BC. More recently ( 12,000 BC ) Stone Age there is a figure of a bull in the Romito Cave. The first villages arrive in 3,500 BC. Click here to join Italian Genealogy on Facebook In approximately 1500 BC the Oenotri or vine cultivators settled in Calabria. According to legend, they were Greeks
Italian Immigration to Australia
As part of an ongoing series of posts I’m going to provide information on Italian Immigration to Australia. I never knew the impact until seeing how many Italian Australians read my blog. Canada will be next. Click here to join our Facebook group Italian Migration To Australia Italian migration to Australia in the late 19th century and much of the 20th century was fueled by the same factors that drove Italians to the Americas –
