Of course it will be impossible for most of you to attend this Exhibition, that is about 25 miles west of downtown Boston, so it is not merely offered for those who can conveniently attend such an event.

This is to also share with you what other Italian American communities are doing to preserve their History and Culture, and perhaps in some instances to suggest a source of information were you to want to duplicate such an event in your community.
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ENJOY A SLICE OF ITALIAN LIFE

Boston Dail News- Metro West Daily
By Claudia Torrens
Saturday, March 27, 2004

FRAMINGHAM -- Roseanne Thomas calls the Tripoli neighborhood of Framingham home. She was born there and has been living there all her life, at the house where the Framingham Bakery is located.

     Like many other Italian-Americans in town, Thomas stayed in Framingham because her parents decided to settle here. They arrived from Italy in 1923.

     Today, Thomas can see their pictures, touch the tools they used and remember their way of life at new exhibit organized by the Framingham Historical Society & Museum that explains the story of Framingham's Italian community.

     "Abbondanza! The Richness of Italian-American Life in Framingham" opened yesterday at the Edgell Memorial Library on Vernon Street. It shows how Italians immigrants arrived and thrived through their hard work and sense of entrepreneurship.

     "We have a great story to tell, not only because Italians represent a very large group of Framingham's residents but also because many older generations will be able to remember older days," said Tom Harris, director of the Framingham Historical Society & Museum. "Many people have shared their stories with us and that is what makes the exhibition interesting."

     About 45 Framingham residents offered pictures, documents and objects from their personal collections for the exhibit. Household items including cooking pans, a polenta machine, an iron to cook pizzelle cookies and a 1947 wood television are some of the displayed objects. A 1938 sewing machine from the "The Apron Company" and a telephone from a downtown local grocery reflect people's work.

     "Around 1880, there was a massive flow of Italians coming to Framingham. Many of them would come here temporarily but many others settled in the area because of working opportunities, like construction jobs," said Dana Dauterman, the curator of the exhibition. "Coming here meant abundance, 'abbondanza.'"

     The exhibition, which will run through Aug. 28, will have a slide presentation of more than 100 pictures of families, businesses, schools and fairs that portray Italian life in the area. Organizers hope to draw attention to the immigrant culture of the town by having visitors identify their ancestors in the pictures. Sound clips from interviews with Italian residents will also be heard throughout the exhibition.

     "What I remember of those times are families helping each other, always working very hard, but always helping each other," said Thomas, who in 1995 turned the bakery over to her sons.

     For Thomas, the Italian immigration of those days can be easily compared to today's great influx of Brazilians and Hispanics.

     "In those times the whole neighborhood was Italian. Today, many areas of town have a lot of Latin-American immigrants," said Thomas, 75. "They have more opportunities than we used to have and less translation problems, but they also came to look for better opportunities in this country, like we did."

     The exhibition will also have a hands-on component so children can explore the smells and ures of common Italian spices and pastas. On April 3, the library will conduct an Oral History Training Workshop for participants to learn how to conduct an oral history interview.

     In 1885, there were 94 immigrants who were born in Italy in Framingham. Twenty years later, 209 Italian-born immigrants lived in town and the number went up to 1,104 in 1915, when, according to Dauterman, Italians represented the largest group of foreign-born in town.

     The opening weekend for "Abbondanza!" will include a special program at the Columbus Club at (11 Fountain St. tomorrow where a panel of residents including Pearl Oliva and Louis Turchi will talk about the history of Tripoli, Waverley Street and the rest of Framingham's "Little Italy." The panel will start at 2 p.m. and admission to the event is free.

MetroWest Daily News - Local News Coverage
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