From the Alps of Italian Switzerland to the Golden Hills of Australia and California
Public presentation of the new book just translated into Italian Miners, Milkers and Merchants by Marilyn L. Geary. Followed by an aperitif offered at the Medici Restaurant
When observing migration phenomena and wondering what drives people in search of a better life to leave their homes, families and villages, little attention is often paid to the personal stories of the migrants, each of whom takes a unique path motivated by different aspirations. The three Rotanzi brothers, who joined the migratory movement that characterised Ticino in the mid-19th century, are the perfect example of this: each of them sought his own way, some in California, some in Australia. Through their correspondence with their father, who remained in Peccia, Marilyn Geary reconstructs their moving stories, not at all dissimilar to the epics on the frontier of the new worlds that have thrilled contemporary generations. Extraordinary lives, whose significance and legacy still resonate today in the places (and their names) they helped shape and build.