La Campagna
On retrieval of some clarity during the COVID-19 pandemic and seeing the effects it was having on Italy, I sought through photos of my family’s archive to help ease some stress and remember better times. On discovery, I came across an image of my great grandmother who was sitting next to a vase. One that looked familiar, however, I was unsure why. Throughout discussion with my nonna (grandmother) I discovered the vase had been broken.
This series is a project that explores the importance of archival material in helping to keep culture alive within families who are across the other side of the world from one another. In an interview with my nonni (grandparents) the importance and significance of something like this vase was found and the particular importance behind how in their generation, culture was kept afloat in a world desperate to assimilate immigrants to Australia.
Throughout and within this exploration I realised there was a more profound reason why this project was important to me. Not because the vase was beautiful or because I wanted to know more information about my nonni life but simply because I am longing to fill a feeling of nostalgia and grief. A feeling of pain and loss that soon I may lose my ties to Italy and my family if I do not bring back to life this archive and release the archive to a permanent structure.
Photograph of dad and me at my family’s Campagna in Fabrizia (2007).
This 30-minute interview with my nonni shares their experiences migrating to Australia.
Nonna and my Grande Rosaria in the early 90’s on their second visit to see family since moving to Australia in the 60’s. Pictured is a bottle of homemade wine.
Photograph of Zio Pippino cooking in the campagna, what seems to be capsicums (2007).
Nonna with Grande Rosaria and Grande Salvatore at an Italian restaurant in Calabria. Nonna gave the restaurant a 10 out of 10.
The second photo is of nonna with her parents at her childhood home in the early 90s.
Photograph of the vineyard in 2007.
Nonno and Nonna on their visit to their families in the late 90s. They are with nonnas sister in law zia Pina.
Photograph of Giannina at the campagna. (2007)
Nonno with his father-in-law at the Campagna. (2000’s)
Above is a photo of the front of my nonna’s childhood home in Fabrizia.
Photos were sent by the family to Nonna and Nonno while they were back in Australia. (Estimated date around ’90s) They are holding my Nonna’s nieces and mum’s cousins Gianina and Anna.
My Grande Rosaria and Grande Salvatore in the 2000’s once Salvetore was getting sick. The image on the left is the celebration of his birthday, Nonna baked her papa a cake.
When Nonno and Nonna were overseas in the early 2000s her mother gave her a copy of her parent’s will. It states their children’s names and dates of birth. Salvatore Maiolo 21-10-1914 (Papa) Maria Rosaria Cirillo 20-01-1917 (Mama) Vincenzo Maiolo 06-12-41 (First born) Nazarena Maiolo 21-07-1944 (Second) Antonio Maiolo 12-04-1949 (Third) Damiano Maiolo 06-04-1952 (Fourth) Lucia Maiolo 15-06-1955 (Fifth) Giussepe Maiolo and Raffaela (Lina) 08-03-1958 (Sixth and Seventh twins).
Francesco Maiolo was the first born in 1939, however, was not included in the will as he took his own life.
Photos sent by family to nonna and nonno in the early 2000’s.
My grande Rosaria next to the vase she gave to nonna during
one of their visits (2007).
