NORWICH – Norwich will be one of the way points in the journey of a former London Times journalist tracing the emigration of a people from a small group of islands off the Sicilian coast to the far-off corners of the world.
Margaret Allen, a former financial writer and Op-Ed page editor for the London Times, will be visiting Norwich this weekend to speak with members of the local Italian-American community that trace their heritage to the Aeolian Islands.
Those interested in meeting Allen, and sharing stories and pictures from their families’ past, are invited to attend a covered dish supper in her honor at 5 p.m. on Saturday at the St. Bartholomew’s Msgr. Guy Festa Parish Center on East Main Street. Allen’s presentation will begin at 6 p.m., following the dinner. She will also be available following 9.a.m. Mass on Sunday morning at the Parish Center.
JoAnn Testani, the church’s historian, has helped organize the visit. She said she expects Allen to be welcomed with open arms during her stay.
“Everyone is anxious to tell their story,” said Testani, who has been working to get the word out among Italian-Americans in the community. According to the historian, the events have been planned so that Allen will be able to reach as many of those community members as possible.
Allen described her interest in the Aeolian Islands as a “love affair” which began with her first visit to the island of Lipari during a holiday in Sicily.
Over the years, she has returned to the islands numerous times and now spends nearly six months out of the year there. In that time, she has become well acquainted with the local community, many of which have family in the U.S. or Australia.
“People started moving out in large numbers in the late 18th century,” reported Allen. This Aeolian Diaspora, as it is sometimes referred, spread families around the world. Some of the first emigrants made their way to Argentina, “presumably because Spanish provided fewer difficulties in speaking than English,” she explained. Others found their way to the US and Australia.
