RAI, Italy's main television station, is in Santa Catarina to record a documentary celebrating 150 years of Italian immigration to Brazil.
The production, which will be shown in March 2025, seeks to portray the stories, challenges and achievements of Italian families who crossed the ocean in search of a new future.
Laguna as a starting point
The journalist Francesca Navi, who leads the documentary's narrative, highlighted the importance of Laguna in the Italian colonization in Santa Catarina.
“There are many descendants of Italians here, especially in Santa Catarina, and Laguna is crucial as a link between the two worlds, between Italy and Brazil. The first Italian settlers arrived here. Anita Garibaldi also played an essential role in the opening of the Port of Genoa, symbolizing freedom and conquest, fundamental values in the history of Italian immigration,” said the journalist.
Filming at historical sites
The team RAI filmed in emblematic locations in Laguna/SC, such as the cinema and the Anita Garibaldi Museum. Former mayor and local historian, Adílcio Cadorin, was one of the interviewees and offered valuable insights into the city's historical role.
He recalled that, in addition to being a transit point, Laguna also welcomed families who were unable to continue to other regions due to the difficulties faced in Brazil.
“Laguna played an important role, so significant that some families decided to stay here. Many Italians who arrived were deceived, thinking they would find better conditions, but they found forests and scrubland. Without the resources to return to Italy, many ended up returning to Laguna,” explained Cadorin.
The legacy of Italian immigration
The documentary seeks to explore not only the initial difficulties faced by immigrants, but also the rich cultural contribution that Italian immigration brought to Brazil, especially to the state of Santa Catarina.
The RAI team will remain in Laguna for a few more days and will then head to other cities in the state before returning to Europe, where they will complete production of the documentary.
FOLLOW ITALIANISM
