Collections Online

Oral history recording with Anna-Maria Woodford. 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 7 of 7 (AV 11502 - 11508)

00:00 Anna Maria talks about her other jobs in London. She also talks about socialising in clubs, in a particular Italian cafe in Kings Road. She recalls some Italian people saying that she was ‘sold to the British’ and being protected by the English Cavalry who Anna Maria and her friends mixed with in London. She found that the difference in culture was appealing to other people, in Wales it was a little less open minded. She recalls her different jobs and the social life in London with other Italian people; on Kings Road for example. She settled well in London and felt safe there. She recalls language problems she had; misunderstandings like mistaking chicken for kitchen. Anna Maria learnt English in Italy primarily.

06:58 They left London to move to Penarth where her husband’s family were from. Her mother stayed for six months with Anna Maria. She didn’t like Penarth and didn’t speak the language, however, she was very independent. People noticed that Anna Maria was Italian immediately and she became tired of being introduced as ‘the Italian’. Her mother in law very much appreciated the Italian side of her heritage. Anna Maria had left her heritage behind her until she moved to Wales when she became involved with the Italian community. She talks about Italian friends she has in Wales who she enjoys talking to about Italy. She says that her husband has been very supportive and that she feels at home wherever he is. She would meet people through the church or at dances.

18:30 Anna Maria is told that her house seems ‘Italian’ to other people. At one point when she was younger her daughter felt ashamed of her mother’s accent, she didn’t like the fact that she was different from her friends’ mothers. Anna Maria notes that when she was young she would feel similarly ashamed of her parents being from Sardinia. She now, however, embraces it. Anna Maria has experienced problems at times but is still proud of her heritage. Her granddaughter has an Italian pen friend through a school project. She talks about a lot of the Italian community not being integrated in the Welsh community; she feels that perhaps they need that link and are happy because of it.

23.00 Anna Maria wanted to learn Welsh and embraces the Welsh culture, comparing British culture to Italian culture. She talks in more detail about the Sardinian culture which she considers very rich- she found out that bagpipes come from Sardinia. She feels that there is an affinity between the Welsh and Italian, particularly Sardinian, people. Anna Maria’s family are an English/Welsh mix with partly Italian, however, Maria thinks she considers herself as British.

30.30 In Wales Anna Maria says she is considered as ‘eccentric’. She continues to talk about the Sardinian culture and compares the dancing to Morris dancing. At one point she worked for Fiat in London where her Italian was very useful. She fell in love with the English language and that is why she emigrated.