The photos exhibition Ellis Island: Italians in America, held in Rome from the 19th December to the 28th February, is meant to remind us of a piece of history, and it does so through a series of very evocative pictures that describe how, between the end of the 19th and the beginning of the 20th century, millions of Italians left their countries, their houses and, often, their families too, in search for fortune in America. Ellis Island id the isle that arises around 1 mile away from Manhattan and that was considered, from the 1st January 1982 to 1924, as the entrance to America. Ships arriving from Europe, indeed, were docked there, and it is in Ellis Island that the newly-arrived people were visited to be sure that they were not ill and that they could be allowed to enter. Just because this place was a symbol for a possible refusal of being allowed to stay in the new country after a long journey, Ellis Island was named the tears island.
The exhibition comprises around 100 pictures divided into 3 sections, and each section describes topic moments in immigrants lives: Leaving, Arriving, Living in America. Following the exhibitions itinerary it is possible to go along the legs of Italian immigrants route. Looking at these pictures we can see that in the gaze of leaving people there is a sense of loss for the things that they are leaving, most probably forever, but also a sense of hope for the things that might come. The section Arriving makes us understand the obstacles that people found when they disembarked, from the difficulty in finding their own suitcase to the examinations they had to undergo. Living in America shows how immigrants (as it happens nowadays) had to content themselves with hard and demeaning jobs, like working in mine, to survive. Apart from these and other pictures that reflect Italians difficult integration, there are also some photos that show how some immigrants succeeded in having a more profitable career.
The displayed photos are very suggestive, but to give a more complete image of the situation of the time, other events have been organised during the exhibition: reading of essays and tales about this theme, projections of films and documentaries , a debate about Italy seen both as immigration and emigration country, and a musical soire during which some folk songs of the period taking inspiration from this migration experience will be sung.
Book now a cheap hotel in Rome and grab the chance to visit one the most beautiful cities in the world and, at the same time, to learn something more about a piece of Italian history.
Tickets: free event
Date: 19th December 2008 28th February 2009
Location: Casa della Memoria e della Storia, Rome, Italy
This article was written by Michele De Capitani with support from cheap hostel in Rome for any information, please visit bed breakfast Rome or for travel insurance visit accommodation in Rome.
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