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Recordiad sain / Audio recording: Paolo Cavarra
Oral history recording with Paolo Cavarra. Part 2 of 3 (AV 11376, AV 11377, AV 11378). Recorded as part of the Italian Memories in Wales project (2008-10), delivered by ACLI-ENAIP and funded by the National Lottery Heritage Fund.
00:00:05 Paolo talks about celebrating his and other Italians’ arrival in Wales after 50 years. Paolo moved to Wales to keep his best friend company- however they were separated and his friend returned home after contracting Tuberculosis and spending a lot of time in hospital. When the interviewer asks what life was like in Italy he recounts why he moved to Wales, for his best friend, they planned to embark on a world trip together. Subsequently this friend moved to Australia and then Kent where he and Paolo were reunited
00:06:00 When Paolo returned to Sicily after two years he recalls that his mother didn’t recognise him he was so thin. He settled in at home again, started eating yet couldn’t wait to return to his wife and the life they had created for themselves in Wales. The community in Wales organised events; for one such event an Italian pop singer was booked, and his daughter did a pre-performance by dressing up as him. They also organised trips, yet now the Italian community is depleting.