MMATTEI.COM - The Autobiography of Marino Mattei

This is the recounting and the diary of my life - Marino Mattei

24.

We left Gromignana on April 15, 1961 at around 5:00 in the afternoon. We went to Coreglia [presumably to Pietro and Libia's home] and stayed there until approximately 11:00 in the evening. We then left for Genova. Magri drove [see parts 22 and 23] and Libia and Rossana [Libia's daughter] accompanied us.

The trip was terrible. There were 6 of us in a small car and Rossana got car sick which caused us to stop every 5 minutes. But, as God wanted it, we finally arrived at the port of Genova. We were met there by Armando, Luana and both of Armando's parents [see part 22] who came specifically from Alba to say goodbye to us. We had a small breakfast and shipped off our trunks after which we began approaching the ship. At around 11:00 in the morning we boarded and by noon, on the same day, the ship pulled out of the port of Genova - April 16, 1961.

Our passage ticket for the voyage

It was an unforgettable day; a day filled with many worries and fears concerning what lay ahead for us and what our fate would be. Soon after boarding we were seated in the dining area and served lunch. The food was very good. Following the meal they showed us to our cabin and the day passed quickly. We arrived in Naples on the next morning. We disembarked and went for a walk through town but we did not venture too far because our morale was very low. The ship pulled out of the port on that same evening and it did not make another stop until it arrived in New York.

The ocean was fairly calm. It was somewhat agitated for only two days of our journey but, being on such a large ship, we did not notice any disturbance. All of our meals were very good and everything would have gone well had it not been for Maurizio who we could not control [I was 5 years old at the time]. He had become crazy and we were incapable of holding him down. He ran away from us and we could not catch him. Many of the other passengers tried to help us. It was very dangerous because he could have jumped off the bridge and drowned in the ocean and he would never have been found.

As God willed it, on the morning of April 25 we arrived in New York. We disembarked at around 10:00 and we were immediately met by Remo's wife [Remo was sponsoring us - see part 21] and their son, Michael. We soon found our trunks and passed through customs without difficulty. Remo's wife forwarded the trunks on to Cleveland after which we decided to take a taxi ride around New York. The situation was awkward because Remo's wife didn't speak Italian so she did not understand us and we did not understand her. However, we did our best to communicate to one another.

Our passport photographs, 1961

We had lunch at around noon in a beautiful restaurant - carpets everywhere, very luxurious - and ate well even though we were not accustomed to American food. After our meal we again took a ride around the city because the train for Cleveland was not leaving until midnight. However, there was still quite a while before our departure and we didn't know how to pass the time - especially with Maurizio who was still unmanageable. Remo's wife decided to take us to visit Davina's daughter [a woman from Gromignana]. We stayed there for dinner and Maurizio threw the whole house into chaos but Davina's daughter and her husband were very kind. They spoke Italian which made the time pass more easily.

By about 10:00 we returned to the station and at midnight we finally left for Cleveland. The train traveled all night, arriving at 2:00 on the following day. We were extremely tired. Remo was there to pick us up and he took us to his daughter's house. She had prepared lunch and, after having presented her family, we sat down to eat. At this same time people began arriving to greet us. The day again passed quickly. It was soon time to go to bed and, although the house was not very big, we arranged ourselves as best we could.

Breakfast was ready as soon as we awoke in the morning. This was to be a day filled with activity. Everyone came to greet us - Lello and his whole family, Corado, Vittoria, Tuto and many others [most of these people are friends and family who were fellow émigrés from Gromignana]. On the following day, Miche and Marina [Marina was my mother's aunt on her father's side. My mother's father died when she was very young. It is said that he was lost at sea on a trip to Australia.] came from Cincinnati and they [presumably, Remo's family] had organized a great dinner party which was attended by many people, including Lello, Ciarla and their two daughters as well as Iacopa [my mother's aunt - see part 21]. On the following day Vittoria also gave a party that was attended by many people. This too was a wonderful day. In the evening Marina and Miche went back to Cincinnati and this is when the problems of our life in America began.

Before leaving Italy Remo's wife wrote to assure us not to worry because there would be a job waiting for me as soon as I arrived. They told us they had a large house with a place for Maurizio to play and everything would be all right. Unfortunately, things changed when we got here. A job was not waiting for me because in 1961 there was a great deal of unemployment and work was hard to find. This was particularly true in my case since I was unable to write or speak the language. The days passed and our worries increased. We could not stay much longer in Remo's house and I had to find work. Remo was very understanding but his wife ... [he leaves this sentence unfinished]. Also, when Remo got paid, that being on Fridays, they did the grocery shopping for the whole week. By Monday the money was already gone and there was not enough food left over. This was not important for myself and Marta but Maurizio needed to eat; particularly because he was always getting sick during this time.