Letters from the Past

It is my pleasure to include in this project some letters exchanged in the 1950s-1960s between members of the family of Annie and Susan Settevendemie. Part of the family was in Ohio, part was in Abruzzo, Italy (Pratola Peligna), but they maintained a strong and affectionate connection over the years.

We make these letters available (with the permission of Annie and Susan Settevendemie) because they provide meaningful historical information regarding living conditions in Central/Southern Italy at the time, and because they show what was it like to book a flight to Italy in the mid-1950s. The letters are written by Rocchetta Pizzoferrato, Domenico Mondazzi (both in Pratola Peligna), and Salvatore Presutti (Mingo Junction, Ohio).

The letters are in Italian, and I provided an English translation. Thank you again to Annie and Susan Settevendemie for allowing us to make these letters available as part of the Italian Americans in Ohio Oral History Project.