Ceremony to recognise immigrants' contribution

THEY trekked across Europe in their thousands to escape the poverty, drought and hunger in their homeland and start a new life in Scotland.

Desperately poor, many made their way on foot, following roads and paths from the heart of Italy to the Channel ports.

On All Soul's Day yesterday, more than a century after the first waves of mass migration, Scots-Italians gathered to honour their forefathers and have their contribution to Scottish life officially recognised.

A civic reception on an unprecedented scale involving 650 Scots-Italians was held in Glasgow, home of the third largest Italian community in the UK. It was preceded by a celebratory Mass conducted by Mario Conti, the Archbishop of Glasgow, in St Andrew's Cathedral.

Italians first began settling in Scotland in large numbers in the 1880s when Italy's land could no longer feed its burgeoning population and people in rural Italy were forced to migrate to survive.

Today there are 10,000 Italian nationals registered at the Italian consulate in Edinburgh and at least 40,000 Scots of Italian descent.

Liz Cameron, lord provost of Glasgow, who is a fluent Italian speaker, paid tribute to the cultural, economic and social impact Italians have made since settling in Scotland.

Mrs Cameron said: ''I love Italy, the language, the food and most importantly the

people.

''However, the bond the Italian community has with Glasgow is much stronger and stretches over many years.''

She was joined by Arch-

bishop Conti and Dr Andrea Macchioni, the consul general of Italy in Edinburgh, at what was the largest gathering of the Scots-Italian community in a generation.

The foundations of Scotland's Italian immigrant population were largely laid by three groups in the 1880s: the figurinai from Lucca, the Ciociaria and the picinisci, both from the province of Frosinone.

The figuirina trace their origins back to the statuette makers of Lucca province and, more often than not, the town of Barga, from where a large proportion of Glasgow's Italian community comes.

On arrival in Scotland they became itinerant craftsmen and peddlers.

The Ciociaria came from a background of street entertaining and food selling and carved out careers in catering in Scotland, mostly in cafes, ice cream parlours and fish and chip shops.

The picinisci, who originally were associated with the arts, modelling and wig-making, were responsible for establishing hairdressing salons and barber shops.

In 1928 a college of Italian hairdressers was opened in Glasgow.

Between 1890 and 1914 Scotland's Italian community grew from 750 to 4500, but the flow was stemmed in 1905 when the Aliens Order was adopted into law, which although a reaction against the numbers of refugees arriving from eastern Europe, also had the effect of reducing the number of Italian immigrants. Nevertheless, firm roots had already been formed and in the early twentieth century Scotland's Italian community was flourishing.

In 1891 the Societa di Mutto Soccorso was set up to provide business loans for Italians. Glasgow had it's own Italian language newspaper in 1908, La Scozia, and the Societa Dante Alighieri, a cultural institute, was formed.

In just over a century Italians have deeply influenced Scottish life, from the hairstyles people wear to the food they eat.

A number of leading Scots-Italians, including Elish Angiolini QC, the solicitor-general for Scotland and Linda Fabiani MSP, attended the civic reception in Glasgow last night.

Dr Macchioni said: ''Italians in Scotland are one of the best examples of successful integration. There are groups in every town and city. This is because Italians and Scots have common traditions of hospitality, generosity and respect.''

RENOWNED scots-Italians

David Rizzio - Served as musician and counsellor to Mary, Queen of Scots, before he was murdered in 1556.

Charles Edward Stuart - Otherwise known as Bonnie Prince Charlie, he was born in Rome in 1720.

Lord Charles Forte - The hotelier and entrepreneur was born in 1908 in Monforte Casalaticco and built up his international hotel chain from the ice cream shop owned by his parents in Alloa.

Leopoldo Guiliano - Arrived in Scotland in the 1880s and by the turn of the twentieth century was the wealthiest Italian in the country, owning 60 cafes and shops.

Jonny Moscardini - Born in 1897 in Falkirk and injured fighting in the trenches on the Western Front. His parents, who owned a chip shop in Ayrshire, sent him to Italy to convalesce. Moscardini was chosen for the Italian national football side and scored seven goals in nine appearances.

Alberto Morrocco - Portrait painter, was born in Aberdeen in 1917.

Sir Eduardo Paolozzi - Abstract sculptor, born in Leith in 1924.

Peter Capaldi - Actor, writer and director from Glasgow. His short film entitled Franz Kafka's It's a Wonderful Life won a Bafta and an Oscar.

Dario Franchitti - Racing driver from Edinburgh, married to Holywood actress Ashley Judd.

Tom Conti - The Paisley-born actor has appeared in numerous television dramas and films, including Shirley Valentine.

Richard Demarco - Artist, actor, producer, director, lecturer, writer and co-founder of the Traverse Theatre in Edinburgh.

Daniela Nardini - An actress daughter of the famous Nardini's ice cream empire in Largs, she starred in the television drama This Life.