WTI Magazine #50    2014 December, 26
Author : Associazione Bellunesi nel Mondo      Translation by:

Numerous Italians emigrated to the U.S.A. between the end of the 19th century and the beginning of the 20th century to seek their fortune. Many of them came from the region of Veneto and from the province of Belluno, even if America was not one of the most favourite destinations of the emigrants from Veneto. Between 1880 and 1915, 4 million Italians chose to sail across the Ocean; 70% came from Southern Italy. However, between 1876 and 1900 most emigrants came from Northern Italy and 45% of them were from the regions Veneto, Friuli Venezia Giulia and Piemonte.

So, people from Veneto also had the chance to settle down in the U.S.A and to contribute to national growth thanks to their intelligence, effort and hard work. Some of the emigrants who became popular and successful in America were, for instance, Italo Marchiony from Cadore, the inventor of the ice cream cone, Giovanni Dalla Costa from Pederobba, who during the Klondike Gold Rush was one of the co-founders of the city of Fairbanks with Felix Pedro (Felice Pedroni from Modena) and the Count Carlo Camillo di Rudio, an aristocrat from Belluno who was an officer of 7th Cavalry Regiment commanded by Lt. Col. Custer.

Other talented and successful emigrants from Veneto were the lawyer from Verona Gino Speranza, who was the defender of the immigrants, Amedeo Obici, a businessman from Treviso who invented roasted peanuts and called the "Peanut's King", the journalist, writer and diplomat Adolfo Rossi, as well as many other men and women who are the pride of Italy, Veneto and America.

The Association "Bellunesi nel Mondo", which has worked since 1966 with Italian emigrants, is undertaking a project to collect historical documents (e.g. photos, letters, documents etc.) related to emigration from Veneto and Belluno. The aim of the project is to create a digital archive with index. The purpose of this archive is not only to organise exhibitions in the whole region of Veneto (in which the sources of the photos will be cited), but also to be able to remember and tell the history of migration through images.

We would be grateful if you could help us to create this archive with documents and photos about emigration from Veneto. If you would like to help us, you can send your photos or material with a brief explanation, digitalised (minimum resolution 600 dpi) either as email attachment to redazione@bellunesinelmondo.it or on CD or DVD through the post to: Associazione Bellunesi nel Mondo, via Cavour, 3 – 32100 Belluno (ITALIA). If you send a printed paper version, please send it through the post to Associazione Bellunesi nel Mondo, via Cavour, 3 – 32100 Belluno (Italia); do not forget to write the sender on the envelope, so that we can return the photos or the material when we have digitalised them.

For more information please contact our offices: +39 0437 941160; redazione@bellunesinelmondo.it. Thank you very much for helping us with our project!