Italian Community
Sicily is a small island off the coast of Italy and close to the northern African country of Tunisia. Not actually a part of Italy until after World War I, Sicilian culture and language comprise of Arabic, Greek and Italian influences.
As the geographic centre of the Mediterranean, Sicilian history and culture has been influenced by Greeks, Romans, Arabs and Normans as well as French, Spanish and Italians.
In the 1950s, many people came from Sicily to begin new lives in the Lea Valley area of Hertfordshire. Many Sicilian men came to work in the Lea Valley nurseries due to staff shortages. Most of these men were obliged to pay a fee of around 200,000 lira (equivalent to 3000.00 Euros today) in exchange for a work permit that nursery owners could easily obtain free of charge from the Home Office.
The 1919 Aliens Restriction Act and the 1920 Aliens Order required that immigrants register with the police and that they provide proof of financial support. In order to gain a work permit, immigrants had to be vouched for by a UK resident and they had to remain in the same employment for four years before they could change jobs, otherwise they could find their permission to remain was annulled.
Sicilians migrated to the Lea Valley, leaving behind a life of poverty and constant struggles. They managed to save money quickly and in the late 1950s their wives and children joined them. Eventually they succeeded in buying their own homes and sending their children to school and further education. But it wasn't easy. The work involved the whole family unit and meant very long hours, every day of the week.
In the mid 1960s, many Sicilian families were able to buy glasshouses (large nursery greenhouses) due to a slump in the vegetable market economy and they became successful business owners through their sheer hard work.
Many second generation Sicilians went into their parents' business as cucumber growers in the Lea Valley and witnessed dramatic changes in both the production and consumption of their produce. In 1986, the oil crisis had an adverse effect on many owners and many had to shut down their businesses for good and return to Sicily. The market economy required a more efficient production system.
Today the Sicilian growers make up 70% of the cucumber producers in the Lea Valley. They have kept up their traditions by street parades that celebrate their saints such as St Paolino and St Antonio, which occur every year at Waltham Cross and Hoddesdon.
Emiliano Romagnoli is a region in Italy north of Rome. many people from this region came to London in the 1950s to work in the catering industry.
They established themselves running classic fish and chip shops and workmen's cafes.
By the 1960s, many Emilian Romagnoli were able to own their own restaurants with chains across the centre of London and were responsible for introducing Italian cuisine in England from spaghetti Bolognese in the early 1960s to ciabatta bread in the 1980s.
Information supplied by ACLI-ENAIP Oral History Project
