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Valchiavenna (So) - Italy 1850-1930 ©Paolo Via

Valchiavenna is a small community in the province of Sondrio (Italy). Since the beginning of XVII century many members of this community were forced to go abroad in order to supplement their insufficient income from the land and balance their family budget. Some went to Napoli, some to Palermo; some settled in Northern Europe; even in Russia. But it is only from the middle of XIX century that quite a lot of people crossed the ocean in search of fortune: North and South America above all and, from the beginning of this century, Australia, too. We don't have too much information on this subject and what we could find in local Registries is poor and makes it difficult to draw a satisfactory picture of the migration from Valchiavenna. We found much more in family archives. These pages, therefore, are not going to be comprehensive: they are just meant as a simple introduction to a small part of our (maybe yours, too?) history. So, if you, by chance, came across this web site and in any way or for some reason feel involved in the history of our emigration (emigrant yourself or emigrants' offspring), please write to us back. We will be glad to hear from you and to listen to your story. Join us, in the Valchiavennese Emigrants' Virtual Community, on the Net. Contact us