Prior to the event, Bruna met Sig. Giancarlo Zambelli of Boretto, Italy, who promotes local history and traditions of the Emilia Romagna region, from where many Italians migrated to South Wales at the turn of the 19th century. Sig. Giancarlo, with the help of Sig. Matteo Freddi, a local fruit and veg producer and exporter, was able to send hundreds of beautiful Borettane Onions for the two-day event. They were sold with a booklet of recipes with Borettane Onions, that is now available for you to enjoy!
A Report from the
Due to huge demand, this event was run twice, on 8 March and 12 April 2014. Some speakers changed for the second date, but the content remained much the same and included:
The music and culture of Italy Sarah Fisher, accompanied by David Seaman, gave us a recital of Italian music, ending with the much-loved “o mio babbino caro”. The quality of the singing was demonstrated by the absolute silence of the hall during the performance.
The food of Italy – Sian Roberts
A Welsh – Italian author
A taste of Italian food. This topic was central to the day. The presenters
(Bruna Chezzi and Romeo Basini), spoke about the migration of Italians,
especially from Bardi, into Wales. They established a network of cafés, ice
cream parlours and fish and chip shops in Wales from the 1890s onwards. In the
Rhondda Valley they became known as 'Bracchis' after an early café owner.
During the Second World War, Welsh-Italians without British citizenship were
declared enemy aliens and a number were interned. 53 Welsh Italians lost their
lives in the sinking of the Arandora Star in 1940. Glenys Care paid tribute to many of the Italian women through history who had been influential in Italian life, from a pioneer of women’s health in the 11th Century through mathematicians, artists, actresses, educationalists and politicians to present day fashion, cookery and sport icons.
Onions Members took advantage of the opportunity to buy fresh Borettane onions flown in especially from Bruna’s home village in Italy.
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