Adnkronos The foreign ministry has launched a series of six podcasts that explore the phenomenon of emigration from Italy that began in the late 19th-century and continues in new forms in the present day, the ministry said in a statement on Friday.
The first podcast, ‘Emigration, an Italian story’, available on the ministry’s website, charts the mass exodus of 14 million Italians who between 1871 and 1914 were driven by poverty to emigrate, mainly to North and South America.
The podcast begins with the voice of Pope Francis describing his return on 19 November last year to his ancestors’ hometown of Asti in Italy’s northwest Piedmont region, which his father and grandparents left in 1929 to begin a new life in Argentina after a sea voyage from Genova.
‘Emigration, an Italian story’ delves into what led so many Italians to emigrate from their homelands, the and most sought-after destinations, where real Italian communities took root.
The series also looks at how the exodus from Italy of young people evolved and its current forms, causes and consequences.
The foreign ministry’s general directorate for Italians abroad and migration policies teamed up with Italy’s 9Colonne news agency to make the podcast series – which is currently available in Italian – the statement noted.
