From the archives: Italian immigrants arrive at Union Station

These are some of my favourite vintage photos as an Italian-Canadian. From the archives at York University, these pics show Italian immigrants arriving at Union Station in Toronto. The clothes, the suitcases, the look of wonder; these photos from 1951 look almost movie-perfect to any story about immigrant arrival. I’m on the lookout for more vintage, archival photos of Italian-Canadians, if you know of any, share them in the comments!
 

Old photos, new life

With two grandparents passing away this year, there has been a lot to think about and a lot to sort out, mentally and physically. While doing just that kind of sorting, my family found this photo of my great grandfather in New York (where he originally landed from Italy and had a shoe repair shop) from 1947. I love it. From his smile to what the women are wearing behind him…it makes me wish I had been the one there taking the photo. It definitely makes me think about where I’ve come from and the new life I’m starting this year too. Old photos, new life, all the same here.

MacLeans: When Italy met Canada

My family meeting Canada

So there’s definitely more of us out there thinking about what it means to be Italian-Canadian and how Italian that is. Last month, MacLean’s magazine published “When Italy met Canada”, a short article about how Italian immigrants settled in Canada in terms of culture and traditions and how we are not exactly like our cousins still living in Italy. Covering the typical tomato plants in the backyard, plastic on the couches and huge weddings, it suggested how shocked modern Italians would be of our culture here.

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Are we related? Memories and histories of Italian-Canadians

I’ve got this thought now…what memories, what histories, were lost when my parents came to Canada from Italy?

I was up late last night reading the opening story to my new book purchase, Are we related?

The first story, with the same title, is written by Linda Grant and is about a daughter coping with an elderly mother who is losing her memory. It explores the notion that losing her mother’s memories meant also losing her history. More interesting was the truths that came out about the family’s past as Jewish Russians, things that were hidden or names that were changed to facilitate their living in England now. The main character, or I guess, the author depending on how it was written, touches briefly on the family history lost in the immigration and things she will never know about the past.

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