Trentini Americani Project
From 2009 to 2018, more than 160 interviews were collected, mapping the migratory journey of Trentino communities that arrived in the United States as early as the mid-1800s.
These interviews, preserved in the archives of the Fondazione Museo Storico del Trentino - Trento, Italy- form the foundation of two distinct documentary projects: one focusing on the Northwest migration, completed in 2023, and another compiling all the collected testimonies, which is still in progress.
From 2009 to 2018, more than 160 interviews were collected, mapping the migratory journey of Trentino communities that arrived in the United States as early as the mid-1800s.
These interviews, preserved in the archives of the Fondazione Museo Storico del Trentino - Trento, Italy- form the foundation of two distinct documentary projects: one focusing on the Northwest migration, completed in 2023, and another compiling all the collected testimonies, which is still in progress.
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Trentini Americani:
from Wallace to Seattle, the community of the Northwest 2023 / 37min / Trentino, today one of the wealthiest regions in Italy, has a significant history of emigration. Over 400,000 Trentini have emigrated around the world, and a substantial portion of them settled in the United States.
In a small town in Idaho, once home to the country's largest silver mines, the memory of that emigration still lingers. Here, the Trentino community opened mines, operated saloons, hotels, and contributed to the development of the valley. More than a century later, the descendants of this community maintain a connection to Trentino, which remains a fundamental part of their identity and culture. |
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Trentini Americani / Recollections of a Journey
a film documentary project in progress // At the beginning of the 20th century 10,000 Trentini made their way to the United States. From 2009 until 2018 we traveled across the United States, meeting with families from New York to California and collecting over 160 interviews. The conclusion of this long oral history project is the production of a documentary that spans four generations and that tells the stories of the Trentini immigrants. |
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Trentini Americani / Stories of Emigration to the United States
A project supported by the Fondazione Museo storico del Trentino Trentini Americani is a series of ten documentaries about Trentino communities across the United States. The films are the result of a series of interview campaigns carried out by the Fondazione Museo storico del Trentino from 2008 to 2017, which gave voice to the immigrants who left Trentino, in northern Italy, and to the descendants who keep their memory alive today. The research focused on the areas where Trentino communities have been especially active: New York State, Illinois, Colorado, Pennsylvania, California, Utah, Wyoming, Massachusetts, Washington State, Montana, and Idaho. The interviews were made possible through meetings with the many Trentino communities and clubs across the country. Those interviewed shared their own migration experiences and those of their ancestors, revealing the different circumstances and personal reasons that led Trentini to settle in very different parts of the country. Depending on where they arrived, they took up very different kinds of work. Those who went to Wyoming spoke at length about the coal mines and the hard living conditions of Trentino miners, while those who settled in New York described a migration closely tied to the construction industry of the Big Apple. Each documentary focuses on a different community. Use the links below to watch the series. - Silverton, Ouray, Leadville - Colorado // 2012 / 15 min - Central City - Colorado // 2012 / 16 min. |
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