Casgliadau Arlein
Amgueddfa Cymru
Chwilio Uwch
Recordiad sain / Audio recording: Massimo Alzetta
Oral history recording with Massimo Alzetta who was born in Montereale Valcellina di Grisso and moved to Wales in 1954. Part 5 of 7 (AV 11335 - AV 11341). Recorded as part of the Italian Memories in Wales project (2008-10), delivered by ACLI-ENAIP and funded by the National Lottery Heritage Fund.
00:5 Massimo remembers that he rebelled against religion. His mother used to clean his shoes so he could go to church with a shiny pair of shoes, but Massimo didn’t want to go. When asked about social activities Massimo says that in the evenings he used to go to a drawing class. He would go home late at night, and when he got home his mother would be sewing, making trousers for the children. In the villages they used to go from house to house, to play the accordion and dance. There were also some inns where music was played. They played scopa, briscola, madras (a card game), bocce (a ball game) and morra. Now playing morra is banned. He remembers the summer festivals on 15 August. They also used to play football, go swimming, climb the cuccagna (a greased pole) and have donkey races. Every small farmer had a donkey and he remembers the donkeys’ braying. They had horses and cows that they used to plough the fields. 7:55 Although his father worked at the power station the sons used to work on the farm. His father was not very interested in working on the farm. That part of Italy has plenty of water which is used to generate electricity. He remembers his food. As a child he loved caffelatte. His mother was from Venice and was a wonderful cook. She used to make baccala’ mantecato (dry cod marinated in milk and garlic). He remembers his mother was very hard working. His part of Italy is known for good chefs, waiters and porters. A friend of his cooked for the Queen at the French Embassy - there were seven Italian members of staff, all from Montereale Valcellina. In the restaurants in Venice there are also many people from that part of Friuli. 15.20 In the road where he lives in his Italian village, Borgo Alzetta, eleven of the men have married foreign wives. He remembers the clean air in his village in Italy, where there’s always a healthy breeze. He says that he can’t complain about his life, as he still has all his friends. He doesn’t miss Italian products any more, as he can get them all in Wales. In Italy people always think of saving money, whereas in Wales people tend to enjoy themselves more. He talks about the emigrants’ festival that takes place every year in Friuli Venezia Giulia. 22.55 He talks about the nicknames used in his village. Every family had its nickname, to tell them apart, as his surname is very common - almost everybody in his village has the same name as he has. He remembers washing being done in public, and also all the fountains in his village. Massimo likes going back to Italy and talking to his friends about the old days.