Swiss Abroad

Swiss winemakers find heavenly spot near Cape

This content was published on Jun 7, 2010 The last stretch of the drive to the vineyards of Jean-Claude Martin and Christoph Kaser is a reddish-brown dirt road. A gate with the South African flag – and a smaller Swiss one – indicates the entrance to the Creation Wines estate, a few kilometres inland from the quaint coastal town of Hermanus. It is…

Swiss Abroad

Swiss abroad told to make their voices heard

This content was published on Mar 14, 2010 For the past few months Swiss citizens living in Britain have been encouraged to express their thoughts on the title of the forum, “What does Switzerland do for the Swiss abroad – could it do more?” The three most pressing topics discussed at the weekend by the Federation of Swiss Societies in Britain (FOSSUK) and…

Demographics

Australia

This content was published on May 4, 2009 Discover how Victoria's gold rush drew thousands of immigrants seeking fortune and a new life. Learn more about their journeys and outcomes.

Argentina

This content was published on May 4, 2009 This is a short summary of the story of Ticinese migrations to Argentina. More information is available on the Italian version of this special (see links). The flow of migrants was encouraged by the government in Buenos Aires, whose policy was to attract European immigrants to colonise and develop the country’s vast hinterland. Because of…

London and its Swiss-Italian flair

This content was published on Mar 30, 2009 During a recent trip to Switzerland, the current Lord Mayor, Louise Hyams, exhibited the chain worn by Sir John Gatti, whose great uncle, Carlo Gatti, left his icy mark on the British capital. The title accorded Gatti was in part recognition of the importance to London of his family, who started out very humbly only…

Swiss Abroad

“There is always a longing to return home”

This content was published on Mar 29, 2009 In an interview with swissinfo, historian Giorgio Cheda explains what drove about one in five Swiss Italians overseas in the 19th and early 20th centuries. Cheda is the author of comprehensive volumes on the migrations to California and Victoria, which include countless letters sent home by emigrants. The full interview can be found in swissinfo’s…

Swiss Abroad

“Had I known that California was a wilderness”

This content was published on Jan 7, 2009 That is because Cavalli, a native of the Ticino village, Verscio, was a writer by trade as editor of the San Francisco-based, Italian-language newspaper, L’Elvezia. In this extract from an account published in 1890, Cavalli describes an encounter with a group of immigrants travelling by train to California. Into the West I spent the 30…

Swiss Abroad

“I have made a very bad calculation”

This content was published on Jan 6, 2009 In this autobiographical letter he wrote as an old man in 1905, he reflects on the trials and tribulations of attempting to make a life for himself in the New World. There is more than a hint of bitterness in his writing. Unlike the two letters reprinted in the Journey into the Unknown section, Pozzi…

Swiss Abroad

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