Casgliadau Arlein
Amgueddfa Cymru
Chwilio Uwch
Recordiad sain / Audio recording: Irma Caffarelli
Oral history recording with Irma Caffarelli who was born in the mountain village of Costa in North Italy and moved to Wales in 1956. Part 3 of 3 (AV 11347 - AV 11349). Recorded as part of the Italian Memories in Wales project (2008-10), delivered by ACLI-ENAIP and funded by the National Lottery Heritage Fund.
00.18 Irma talks about keeping the house after a day working at the market. She talks about moving from the village to the city and going out with friends. Her clothes were made by a girl who lived in an apartment upstairs. 05.27 Irma talks about war coming to the village and the German and Russian soldiers and Partisan groups. She talks about soldiers taking food from the farm and about people, including her husband, hiding so as not to be sent to war. She describes being very frightened at the time, and Germans questioning them about Partisan groups hiding in the house. Her father was in the First World War and was too old to be sent to fight for the Second World War. 14.23 Irma talks about moving to Wales in 1956 to work in the Town Clock Chip Shop at around thirty three years old. Her husband moved before Irma, because of the lack of employment and food. A contact in London brought her husband and other men from the village over to work in agriculture at Waltham Cross. Two years later Irma moved to Aberystwyth to work in her sister in law’s fish and chip shop, her husband joined her after his four year work contact was up and he was free to move. Her sister in law moved over to Wales before the war to open the shop. She talks about leaving Italy, her feelings and the journey. She describes what it was like moving to Wales- it was difficult and she missed Italy. She talks about working in the shop and customers coming in speaking Welsh. Irma had no problem with Welsh people; she explains similarities between Italian people and between the Italian and Welsh languages. She talks about the other people who moved to Wales from Bardi and how they socialised, they used to always celebrate New Year’s Eve together. However, she says that there wasn’t a lot of socialising within the community, like in London or South Wales. She says she never danced since she moved to Wales and feels too old to dance when she goes back. 26.25 Irma talks about going back to Italy. She meets with family and talks about the popular Festa d’Immigranti where all immigrants from Bardi come back to the region. She Bardigiana she says. She talks about her family here in Wales with whom she speaks English, Italian and dialect. Her grandchildren both speak Italian and she talks proudly of them. Irma says she would move to Italy if she had more company there, but for the moment she goes over for a few months a year.