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Oral history recording with Antonietta Morris. 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 2 of 2 (AV 11446-11447)

00:00:18 The family always had Italian food in the house. They ate together and their parents spoke to them in Italian. Both her parents spoke dialect; they would speak in Italian dialect the children responded in English. That dialect was her first language; she was in a coma and when she came out that was the only language she could speak. She has fond and vivid memories of going back to visit Italy; she felt as if she was going home despite feeling at home in Wales as well, though when she was growing up she did experience some prejudice as a child.

00:08:01 Antonietta recalls being seen as very Italian in Wales and British in Italy- not Welsh. She talks of the community in America again. Her father also got homesick for Wales. At Christmas there was always a get together at Les Servini’s house. They didn’t go out to socialise but many people came round to their house. Moreover, their social life didn’t revolve around alcohol.

00:17:20 Antonietta talks in more detail about the killing of the pig; every part was used. She recalls the community spirit at festival time; each person contributed in some way. In agriculture, everything was in preparation for the winter; things would be dried, jarred, ready for the winter- almost like a factory line.

00:23:36 Antonietta’s son feels the Italian influence, he was brought up a lot by his grandmother. She talks about bread making; take it to the oven in the centre of the village where the baker would put it in the oven for them, and mentions other food that was made from scratch. Nothing was wasted, her mother would always make things. Antonietta could see herself moving to Italy; she says she feels drawn there yet she loves Wales and has her son here.