ISU

Unfortunately, I did not get the time to call, nor physically see any of my Grandparents to ask them questions about what life was like in Italy, or their experience when coming to Canada. I did however get to see my mother, who gladly answered questions for me about my late Grandfather, and my 73 year old Grandmother. Or as I call them, Nona and Nono.

                                      (Photo of my Grandparents getting married) 

   When I asked my mother why her parents came to Canada, she said “for work. Nono’s brother called him and told him there was work in Canada, and could find him a job” (Bandiera, 2017). She then continued to say, “There was no work in Italy, it was poor country” (Bandiera, 2017). My grandparents did not come with each other. When I asked my mother she had told me over text that they had come with , “ no one. They both had a brother and sister here already” (Bandiera, 2017). They also did not meet until they came to Canada. Although my mother was not sure the exact year they may have come in or around 1960. They were not married when they came to Italy. The met through my Grandmother’s sister, and eventually got married in Canada.

   Knowing now that the country was poor at that time, and causing them both to travel to Canada for money, I decided to do some research to see what Italy was like in the 1960’s.

   On a website called jstore.org, they stated in an article, “in 1952, half of all the homes in Italy lacked running water and only a quarter of them had running water.”.

   The country was lacking a lot of essential things. And around the 1960’s workers went on strike multiple times.

   My mother continued to tell me that when they got to Canada my “ [grandfather] worked in a shoe factory, and [my grandmother] sewed shoes”(Bandiera, 2017). She also told me they were making about 25 cents an hour. It was not much to live by on, but back then I assume it was better than nothing. It was enough to survive. I also know that my Grandfather used to work in construction as well, but it was well after my mother, and her siblings were born.

I decided to research what life in Italy was like now. Since it seemed like Italy was not a good place to live long ago. On a website called britannica.com, they have an article on the daily life and customs in Italy, the authors stated: "  One of the main elements of change is the more visible role women play in society outside the home, such as increased participation in higher education and the professions” (Signoretta & Lovett). Personally, I enjoy that women in Italy are getting more roles that do not involve them staying in the house. On both sides of my family, my Grandparents are very old fashioned. My Grandmothers always did the cooking and the cleaning in the house, while the men always had a job. Even though my Grandmother on my mother’s side had multiple jobs, she always came home to do the cooking, the cleaning, and to take care of the children.

The article also says, Though the popularity of home and wireless entertainment has grown, the use of public spaces remains important. Young Italians meet friends on a daily basis, often in the cities’ piazzas in the evenings, making frequent trips to bars, cinemas, pizzerias, and discos” (Signoretta & Lovett). In Italy now, and as far as I know, what it was like when my Grandparents were also children in Italy, meeting up with people face-to-face is more important than social media, or only talking over the phone. Going out, and maintaining a good social life is very important in Italy, and that is something I appreciate.

My late Grandfather used to go to the Sheridan mall in Toronto and meet up with some of his friends, and sit and talk for hours at one of the tables near the food court. Even to this day my Grandmother loves to go out and talk to friends, rather than call them over the phone.  

Finally, on the website they talk about the food in Italy. Personally, I am a big foodie, and I have grown up eating home cooked Italian food. The article says, “Food is traditionally a primary element of Italian life. Work patterns in Italy revolve around the midday meal, though the leisurely two-hour-long lunch break is disappearing” (Signoretta & Lovett).

This is one of the main aspects of Italy which draws me to my culture. All my life, every time I would go to either Grandparents we were served with a 3 course dinner that was all homemade. I think living in Italy would be quite nice, but I don’t know if I would like to give up living in Canada, because I do know that in some places in Italy there are still high numbers of unemployment. I would however would love for visit at months at a time, rather than have a permanent residence there.



Works Cited:  

Bandiera, Joanna. Instant messenger interview. 17 Jan. 2017.

Drake, Richard. “Italy in the 1960s: A Legacy of Terrorism and Liberation.” South Central Review, 16/17, 1999, pp. 62–76. www.jstor.org/stable/3190077.

Lovett, Clara M., and Paola E. Signoretta. "Italy." Encyclopædia Britannica,

    Encyclopædia Britannica, inc., 14 Dec. 2016, www.britannica.com/place/Italy/

    Daily-life-and-social-customs. Accessed 19 Jan. 2017.

Unknown. Lucia, and Adone wedding.