The mayor of ‘the most Scottish town in Italy’ plans to forge even stronger ties with the country, after spending four days meeting with expats and politicians.
Around 40 per cent of the 10,000 inhabitants of Barga in north-east Tuscany can claim Scottish heritage and many more a connection, thanks to a wave of emigration in the late 19th and early 20th century.
With economic conditions in Italy difficult following unification, up to 800 Barghigiani left their homeland for Glasgow and the west coast, with many setting up gelaterias or chip shops.
Paolo Nutini, Nicola Benedetti and Ronnie Ancona are just some of the famous Scots names whose ancestors stayed but many went back to their roots – hence the medieval hilltop town boasting a classic red phonebox, a school teaching bagpipes and Highland dance and an annual ‘Scottish Week’.
A.S Barga, the local football team, play in a stadium named for Falkirk-born Giovanni ‘Johnny’ Moscardini, the only Scottish man ever to play for Italy. The striker fought for Italy in the First World War – where he lost the use of his arm – and went on to play for Barga and Lucchese before making his debut for the Azzurri in November 1921. He was the first oriundo (foreign born player) ever capped by the country and would bag seven goals in nine caps before returning to Scotland in 1925. He later set up a café in Prestwick, South Ayrshire, where he died in 1985 at the age of 88.
The football connections abide. Amateur side, Gatti Randagi (Stray Cats), play in green and white hoops in tribute to Celtic and Ange Postecoglou’s side are a big draw in the town. The Bar Paologas on via Guglielmo Marconi is run by Paolo Marchetti, whose family moved to Scotland when he was a year old. Having set up shop in Barga aged 19, his bar hosts Celtic fans from home and abroad every weekend.
Mayor Caterina Campani, along with a representative from Lucchesi nel Mondo - Barga is in the province of Lucca, the nearby walled city - had hoped to present a medal to Glasgow’s archbishop Mario Conti having awarded him it in 2020. However, the pandemic made international travel difficult and the archbishop passed away last month at the age of 88.
Honorary Italian consul Ronnie Convery said: “The purpose of the visit was to award the gold medal of the city of Lucca to archbishop Mario Conti but because of Covid and all sorts of problems he was never able to receive it in person.
“The visit was planned to bring the medal and award it to him in person but he died two weeks before the arrival so the programme had to be changed.
“There were two aims, one was to present the archbishop with the medal, the other was to make contact with the Scottish authorities to restart links between Barga and that region of Tuscany and Scotland after the forced stop caused by Covid.”
Other scheduled events went ahead as planned, including a meeting with Glasgow’s lord provost Jacqueline McLaren, who has been invited to visit Barga next year for the unveiling of a tribute to Barghigiani emigrants. Plans have also been drawn up for Scotland’s largest city to host a tribute to Lucca-born composer Giacomo Puccini to commemorate the 100th anniversary of his death in 2024, with Italian singers and musicians to travel and stage the event.
Barga newspaper Giornale di Barga also reported that a formal twinning with Glasgow could be in the pipeline but a spokesperson told The Herald: “Glasgow City Council has no plans to forge any further formal twinning agreements”.
The travelling party then met with the provosts of both East and South Ayrshire and members of the Italian diaspora for a meal at Cecchini’s in Ayr. The Cecchini family moved to the west coast from Barga and own restaurants both in Ayr and Ardrossan.
The delegation also paid a visit to Café Barga in Lennoxtown, where they were welcomed by a video message from Celtic which featured current first team players Jota and Matt O’Riley passing in front of the establishment.
Mayor Campani said: “These days in Scotland have been so wonderful, with so many people welcoming us with indescribable affection.
“Meetings with local institutions, so many of our citizens, hugs, and new projects to take forward. See you soon.”
A spokesperson for Glasgow City Council said: “Informal and friendly discussions were held with the Mayor of Barga about the possibility of pursuing projects of mutual interest, precisely like exploring the potential for Glasgow to host a Puccini Opera in.
“Both the Mayor and Lord Provost’s cordial talks about future collaborations, were set against a background of Glasgow’s proud and settled Italian community.”
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