Italy
The photos collected in our digital exhibition showcase the life stories of young individuals who have moved to Italy from diverse corners of the world. Among these narratives are accounts of second-generation migrants, who were born in Italy and intimately convey the experiences inherited from their parents.
The stories address three main questions:
– The significance of the photo in their personal journey, highlighting the challenges they or their families encountered during their move to Italy, as well as their achievements or milestones since migrating.
– Their feelings about discussing their homeland with family members.
– Their aspirations to either return to their native country to live or visit.
We’ve preserved the authentic language and style of the stories to ensure their genuine representation.
– This photo represents to me a bridge between my past and my future. It is a view of the lake near Tirana, a place that reminds me of Sundays spent with friends and the laughter that echoed through the hills. When I had to leave Albania to study medicine, that lake became a symbol of my determination and hope. Moving to a new country alone was a huge challenge. I had to deal with loneliness, the difficulty of integrating into a different culture, and the hard work involved in studying medicine, especially in a language that is not my native tongue. However, I am proud to say that I am now a resident, and every day I get closer to my dream of becoming a full-fledged doctor. This achievement is not only a personal success, but it is also a way to honor my roots and the support I have always received from my family.
– When I talk about my homeland with my relatives, I am overwhelmed with memories. I remember the streets where I played as a child, the festivals, and the smell of my grandmother’s food.
– These conversations fill my heart with nostalgia and love for my homeland.
For fortina I return to Albania often, but not as much as I would like.
– This photo of Krusevo forest. It makes me think of home, times with friends. Studying economics in hard English, but I go ahead and learn. I am proud of this.
– When I talk about Macedonia with family, I miss it so much. I miss the parties, the games, grandma. Always I think about these things.
– I want to go back to Macedonia to visit but no to stay. is poor
– This is tavë kosi. it’s the party dish. I am here alone but with my brother and cousins. We do it sometimes and it feels like home.
– Discussing my home country with relatives makes me very how do you say… emotional. I miss the traditions, the landscapes, and especially the feeling of belonging that I left behind in Albania.
– I don’t. Visiting it yes living there I don’t know
– This is albania memory for me. i miss it
– Speaking of Albania, I feel sad. I miss it.
– I would like to go back to Albania, maybe to live or just to visit.
– This is Karachi market. It is simply amazing
– When I talk about Pakistan with my family, it make me happy and sad.
– I remember our culture and people, but I also feel far away.
– THIS IS PAKISTAN
– When talk about Pakistan, is hard. miss it.
– I want go back Pakistan, but not easy.
– This picture is HOME TO ME!!!
– I work here,it is hard but i’m proud talking about Bangladesh with family everyday. I miss the festivals and people.
– I don’t know, maybe. visit yes
This is my city.
– I’m black and proud talking about Cameroun make me miss more.
– Just to visit
– Apollonia is our roots. We are Illyrian. I feel proud, I study economics and support myself by working. When I come home I am proud.
– Talking about Albania with my relatives, I feel wistful.
– I would like to visit it and why not even live there.
This is to make coffee our own. I feel at home
– When I talk about Albania, I miss it a lot. I like to remember.
– I want to come back, maybe to live, or just to see.
– Changing countries and lifestyle is very difficult and marks you so much, especially when you don’t speak or speak little of the language of the new country.
– I am actually studying in Albania, my dad’s country. I got closer to my roots and this would be something I would really like to do. It would also be nice to visit Poland
– In this picture you can see my cat in Moldova who is no longer there, he represents me not only because I like cats but because he was always there that even if he was missing for some time he would come back unlike my father.
– Starting from the beginning the biggest sacrifice was made by my mother, who thanks to her and my new Italian father whom she married after divorcing my biological father who had problems with alcohol. She brought my sister and I to Italy to a country with different language, culture, lifestyle. Where I learned the language, made friends and became attached to this new way of life.
– To live no, because apart from the capital it is a poor country where I don’t see a future where I can settle down. To visit yes because despite the poverty I have good memories of my childhood, of the place where I was born.
– Yes, a compass
– This object is a gift that my mother gave me and that her father had given her, knowing that she would want to travel so much. My grandfather died before he knew my mom was coming here. So she gave it to me, as a wish for traveling.
– My parents do not have a good relationship with Senegal. My father was in politics and had a lot of probelimi because of that. That is also why he and my mother came here. And before that to Germany and Belgium. They don’t like to talk about Senegal, my father says the president now is as corrupt as all the others.
– I was only there once, many years ago. Then they wouldn’t take me
No
– Yes to visit
– Yes to visit
– I don’t have a picture because small I don’t have a picture however I was happy.
– Because I was staying with my parents
– To visit him
– Yes they are pictures of money from India They are the rupees (my country’s currency) that I kept in my pocket during the trip that brought me to Italy and are now my good luck charm.
– When we came to Italy my father and I left family in India to come and work here. We were alone, I looked after the house and he worked at important gentlemen’s. Now he is a caregiver and he also brought mother and my little sisters here. Now we all work and have a small but good house. I finished school and now I want to do aesthetic
– India I miss but I like living here because I can be a freer girl, go to school and I don’t have to get married young or have children
– My grandmother’s earring – My grandmother (mother’s mother) was very important to me. We left India in 2018 and Grandma passed away while we were staying here. She was like another mom to me. Now I always carry her earring with me so I feel her very close
– Yes I would like to come back because I don’t fit in so well here because I always work with my parents and I don’t do school.
– Yes, and this object is a pad with letters inside. This small pad is filled with letters written by people very dear to me. – At the beginning of my journey, it reminded me how much I was loved and how many people supported me, even though they were physically distant. When my mother and I arrived in Italy, the Covid-19 pandemic broke out, making our integration into Italian society much more difficult. The lockdown forced us to stay at home, without work or school. The lack of work led us to severe economic hardship. When the restrictions eased, we looked for homes everywhere, but often encountered prejudice. With the introduction of the law that granted residence permits to workers, my mother and then also I had the opportunity to obtain one. After three years, I was finally able to receive a residence permit, which meant for me the chance to return to my home country and see my loved ones again after a long time. Now, after more than four years, I can say that our goal of having a better life has been achieved.
– There is no doubt that every time I return to visit, I feel full of joy and belonging. I try to do this as often as possible, because that is where I truly feel at home. At the same time, I harbor a desire to be able to return to live there, considering the remarkable progress the country has made in the meantime.
– I would like to return to my home country to visit it. Currently I do not intend to go there to live there permanently
–
Yes ,This winter I went to Morocco (my home country ) and visited the Hassan II Mosque . Built at the behest of King Hassan II and inaugurated in 1993, it is by size the largest mosque in Morocco and among the largest in the world.
– I chose this image not only because it represents a historical/artistic monument ,but also a cultural one being a country with a Muslim majority ;So I think it is the most suitable one to symbolically represent my origins. Having emigrated at a very young age, the concept of emigration has always accompanied me, especially at school. Like everyone else, I didn’t know the language, but thanks to the help of teachers and a lot of commitment and will, I managed in a few months to learn the Italian language. For me this is already a great personal success that has led me to who I am today, now that I am integrated to the maximum, my “final challenge” is to enjoy the rights that have been granted to me and show everyone that despite having a different nationality both politically and humanly, we are equal without distinction.
– I have a desire to return to my country of origin to visit it
No. Nothing
– Now my home country (Ecuador) is going through quite a serious period, a state of alert so I would go there to visit my family members, but not to live there again.
– They are my school notebooks.
– It was very important for my parents to send me to school, especially because I was born in Italy and they wanted me to do everything like Italian children. They didn’t finish school and they always had a bad life in China because of political issues-that’s why they came to Italy. For them to come here and know that I could grow up as an Italian was a pride.
– I would love to. I have never been there however that is also a little bit my home. I’m a little afraid to go though, but mostly I don’t want to displease Mom and Dad or make them suffer
– Domenico Modugno dvd.
– My father when he came to Italy bought a dvd of Domenico Modugno and listened to it all the time, my brothers and I grew up with his songs.
For my father his songs are like the soundtracks of that period of his life having accompanied him throughout.
– I have no desire to go and live there but one of my wishes is to be able to visit it all.
– Nene Tereza Airport, Tirana, ALB.
– The airport marks the border between the past and the future, a place filled with mixed emotions. It was here that I said goodbye to my old life, with all its roots and emotional ties, to embark on a journey to unknown territory. The moment of departure was a whirlwind of feelings, between excitement about new adventures and anxiety about the uncertainty of tomorrow. In the airport, tears took center stage, both for me and my parents. It was a poignant moment when emotions overflowed freely. The tears represented a mixture of sadness for saying goodbye to beloved people and places, but also hope for the opportunities that awaited us in the new country. Looking at my parents, who sacrificed so much to ensure a better future for us, I felt deep gratitude, but also a sense of responsibility. Despite the pain of separation and the fear of the uncertain future, we faced that moment with determination and courage. Our tears were a sign of the family bond and love, but also of the inner strength that would help us overcome the challenges ahead. And so, with hearts heavy but filled with hope, we crossed that threshold, ready to face a new chapter in our lives.
The personal challenges I faced during my immigration seem insignificant in the face of my parents’ determination. It was especially difficult to see two people over 50 years old adapt to a new life just to secure a better future for their children. Looking for work, learning a new language, trying to make friends – these are challenges we faced together. All these challenges caused feelings of isolation and nostalgia for what we left behind.
However, despite these difficulties, we showed extraordinary strength in trying to adapt and build a new life in a completely different environment. We faced challenges with courage, finding ways to overcome obstacles and integrate into the new community.
– Returning to my home country always brings up mixed feelings for me because during my absence, things have changed. I am not sure if I would like to settle there again, but one thing is certain: I don’t think I will ever find the same happiness elsewhere as I did in my home country. I will continue to visit my home country and never stop, because even though I am not sure if I want to live there again, I feel a strong need to reconnect with my roots and the places that helped shape who I am.
– For the first three months of the war (03/04/2022-06/03/2022), I went to Poland without my parents and relatives with a suitcase. The day before the trip, my best friend’s mother gave me her place in the Polish school shelter, and after exactly 7 hours of assembly, my father drove me to the children’s meeting place through military checkpoints. I remember how we drove – 30 children from 11 to 17 years old and discussed that the war would continue for a maximum of 2-3 weeks, while three adults driving with us pasted the inscription “Children” on the windows, then everyone did this in the hope that the Russian soldiers would see these inscriptions and not shoot at these buses (as we later learned, this helped almost no one).
– This photo was taken on 03/27/2023. When it has been just over a year since the beginning of the war in Ukraine and 10 months since I returned to Ukraine.
During a school trip with my classmates, near the “heart of Ukraine.” It was an architectural structure whose center imitated vibrations and around which stood pillars with the names of all the cities of Ukraine. I am standing next to a pillar with the inscription of my city. Then I felt in my place and believed that despite the war, I could make plans in my home country. My brother has a severe degree of disability, so my parents did not dare to leave our home. However, my aunt convinced my father to visit Italy for at least 2 weeks and try to find a suitable place to live. And so it happened, 2 days of travel, 2 weeks of searching for housing, the second year of the war and I was abroad again. Of course this time I took the move more slowly because I had to concentrate on helping my parents and making a new home, I also understand the reasons for this decision, since we cannot say for sure how much longer the last war will last, but I still cannot abandon my responsibilities to understand, support and honestly answer the question “What do I want?”
– most likely after the war ends I will return to Ukraine, or perhaps after years of living here when I am too attached to this place, I will compromise with my conscience and help my homeland from abroad
– Yes.
– The sacrifice that migrant parents make by going to an unfamiliar place, not knowing the language or what’s coming to them, just to ensure a better future for their children.
– Not to live there, but visiting I do every year.
No
– I only talk to my mother and her family
– Only to visit him
– Yes, it is my first Italian vocabulary.
– Gift of lordship who lived near the first house in Italy. She was a teacher. It was difficult for me to learn Italian. I knew French but Italian is different. More complicated for me. That vocabiulary reminds me of the kindness of the people who welcomed me. I visited it once but it was bad.
– I would like to have an Italian wife so my children would be Italian and a little bit of Cameroon
– Yes this is a musical instrument from Senegal, it is called a kora. – This was the only thing my father brought with him from Senegal. And when I was a child he would play it at night before I went to sleep. I’ve been to Senegal a lot. – Now I haven’t gone since before the pandemic because it had become a little complicated. I have all my grandparents there who are still alive.
– I am sending you my diary. – I write it every night. I bought it in the market in my town the one time I went back there. For me, writing the diary is like taking pictures of thoughts. When I touch the cover, however, I get homesick for Senegal. I am lucky though because my mom my dad and grandma are here with me and I have everything I need. My family came here very poor, but now we work in the markets, selling clothes. Things are a little bit better. I am getting my diploma. I would like to be a secretary and comrpare a nice house.
– I have been to Senegal four times, always with my grandmother because my parents were working. I didn’t feel free, though.
– This is a photo of my city.
– I miss my city very much because my parents are there. I came here with an uncle and cousins to study and find a better future.
– I only talk about Senegal with my big cousin because we think that when we make some money we will be able to go back and buy a house for my uncles and my parents to live all together. My uncle doesn’t talk to me, he suffers too much.
– Yes, I do not want to get married here in Italy.
– Yes, this is my lucky pen.
– It’s not an expensive pen but I always keep it in my backpack or purse. I’ve signed all the important things with it and I never leave it behind; in fact, it stays in my wallet. It was given to me by the lady where I worked for the first time.
– I arrived in Italy when I was just born. You could say I was born here. My father died a few years ago and I help my mother and my siblings. My mom found another man, also Nigerian, and they got married. We consider ourselves Italian by now, we think about Nigeria only during important festivals and then we wear traditional clothes or when we celebrate Ramadan like in the past few days.
– Yes, because my father is buried in a cemetery in Nigeria.
– Yes, it’s a traditional Nigerian dress.
– I have many clothes that come from my country, I can’t always wear them at school or when I go out because they would make fun of me. However, once I wore it to a wedding and everyone complimented me and I was very happy. Many are clothes from my mom that she brought when she came to Italy. I wear them also to please her.
– My dad deals in Nigerian products, clothes, shoes, bags. So every six months he goes to Nigeria with some relatives to pick up the merchandise. We are doing well economically. I can’t always go there because the tickets are expensive. The last time was last year and my mom was there too. They miss it, but in Italy, we are doing well, we have a good life and a nice house, outside the city. They respect us and care about us. My cousin married a guy from Taranto!
– As I said, I go back often. But I don’t think I would live there again. I am more Italian than Nigerian.
– yes, a matryoshka
– Yes it is this matryoshka from my paternal grandmother, who is Russian. She gave it to me when I was born. She died many years ago in Russia, but I keep it with me because it tells her story and the story of her family
– My parents went back to live in Belarus because they never got along well here. I, on the other hand, now feel a little bit Italian
– No, because now Belarus is not a free country and may go to war very soon. I don’t want this for me
– yes
– Is a Quran from my father. I am not very Muslim, but my father and mother are. They are now in Senegal but I stayed in Italy and work in negosio. However, that book for me represents my parents.
– My father always said that going outside was to come back to Senegal with a good position. I don’t believe much in that. He wants me to go back there but I am now half Italian and I want to become a citizen
– No, just to find my parents
– Up
– They are my mother’s shoes when she married. She had a white dress like they use in Italy, she was beautiful. The pictures stayed in Senegal, though. She and my father were fidans when they came here and got married in Italy. For my mother they are a sign of a new life beginning. She gave them to me as a good luck charm.
– My parents never went back to Senegal because my father had a fight with his whole family. So in my house talking about Senegal puts a little sadness
– YES a lot, but to go I want to put money aside myself, because my father would not give it to me
– Yes, a doll
– This is a toy (doll) that a lady gave me when I was in the hospital here in Italy to keep me quiet. it is all ruined however for me it was very beautiful because toys in Senegal are not so beautiful and there are no Barbies, only dolls made out of rags or cloth
– My parents are very close to Senegal and they come back once in a while when there is money. My grandparents are all alive but they did not want to come to Italy. There are many friends here and a brother of my mom’s and we keep traditions with them. They have welcomed us well here; Taranto is beautiful. Only the heart is somewhere else. My parents suffer a lot, I suffer less, because I was born here.
– Yes a lot, my sister and I haven’t gone since before the pandemic
– Yes, a traditional skirt
– is the only dress I have as a memento of my country and you use it on holidays. Before me it was my mother’s.
– My parents have always taught me tradition and they are happy when I dress like a Senegalese. In fact, they get angry when I dress too much like a Westerner because they think I will lose my roots
– Not much, I would be afraid, it is not a safe place for a girl