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Oral history recording in English with Dora Marubbi. Recorded as part of the Italian Memories in Wales project (2008-10), delivered by ACLI-ENAIP and funded by the National Lottery Heritage Fund. Part 4 of 4 (AV 11436 - 11439)

00:00:21 Dora moved to Wales on 9th July 1946. She remembers getting up and putting her dressing gown on, on seeing her sister in law told her to put on her overalls for work in the shop. She settled in well as her parents in law spoke Italian, and she loved serving ice cream in the shop and trying to speak a few words of English; coming straight from school it was a new experience for her. She talks about food, and remembers going to Lena Stores in Brewer Street in Soho to buy pasta and parmesan cheese. She says when she knew she was coming to Wales she thought she was going to ‘heaven’. She packed the clothes that she had and all the war brides came on a train full of English troops. They then met other Italian war brides in Villach in Austria and the atmosphere was one of anticipation. When she arrived in London her husband wasn’t at the station, so she was taken with other girls to a hotel where they would be picked up.

00:10:40 Dora didn’t like Wrexham when she first arrived; the food and the weather were so different. As she had studied English at school, and working in Marubbi’s cafe, she learnt the language quickly. She talks about the cafe’s long opening hours, as well as selling ice cream on a Sunday afternoon. It was hard work along with bringing up children as well, but she thoroughly enjoyed it. She describes the people as welcoming, and talks about the customers who would come in. One lady would read the tea leaves in the cup. Marubbi’s was noted for its ice cream. She describes how the ice cream was made every night and remembers the queue across the street.

00:20:30 Dora now sees a couple of Italians regularly, she often meets others at funerals. She explains always being able to tell an Italian, even in airports, by their presentation. Dora goes back o Italy twice a year; she feels at home in her hometown and was in Italy for two or three years continually to look after her mother when she was ill. People there still see her as ‘Molfetese’ and are welcoming, as are the people in Wrexham. Her children learnt Italian through their grandparents, her daughter has picked it up since going back to Italy. They are fond of their Italian heritage and love going back. She says if she didn’t have so much family here then she would stay in Italy but family values are very important to her and generally in the Italian culture. She says it can be a good thing and a bad thing, here there is more freedom and people do things more independently. She talks of the Italian attitude to women, which has changed a lot since she left Italy. Her children see themselves as half Welsh, half Italian.