Casgliadau Arlein
Amgueddfa Cymru
Chwilio Uwch
Recordiad sain / Audio recording: Armando Cugno
Oral history recording with Armando Cugno. Recorded as part of the Italian Memories in Wales project (2008-10), delivered by ACLI-ENAIP and funded by the National Lottery Heritage Fund.
00:00:01 The interviewer asks Armando to talk about his parents but unfortunately his memories of his father aren’t vivid as he died when Armando was very young. However, he remembers the sacrifices his mother made for sake of the family. In his youth, Armando remembers playing with a patchwork ball because they didn’t have money to buy an actual ball. They would wait until their father returned home to eat, they never ate before he arrived, and they would eat mostly greens and vegetables grown on the land.
00:11:58 The priest had a very strong influence on everyday life in his town. During the war life was very hard; necessities were rationed and when the Allied Forces arrived they could smuggle things in like biscuits.
00:30:00 The interviewer then asks Armando to talk about his journey from Sicily to Wales. He explains that he had to have seven medicals; the first in his town, the second in Naples, then Milan, on the boat, in London and finally in Cardiff. The interviewer asks Armando to talk about what he did in Wales in his free time. He responds that he loved to dance and so would rush to the dance hall as soon as he could, for example to the Concerto Capital. Or on Sundays they would go for a cup of tea or coffee with friends.
01:00:00 The interviewer asks Armando to explain if his children have learnt Italian and he replies that they only know a few words but they understand some Italian. He says that all of his family feels Italian, including his grandchildren who are very proud of their Italian roots.