Dall'Italia All'Australia - SS Regina d'Italia

Dall'Italia All'Australia (From Italy to Australia) - Impressions of the voyage of the SS Regina d'Italia is a silent film from 1924 by Angelo Drovetti that has been shown at Italian Cultural Festivals around Australia.

The film is the impressions of the voyage of the SS Regina d'Italia towards the Orient and the Far-South, August-October 1924. It showcases the panoramic views witnessed by Italian, Yugoslav, Greek, Arabic and Jewish migrants as they stood atop the deck of the old steamer during their seven-week world odyssey from the Italian port of Genoa to Australia, by way of the Suez Canal in Egypt.

I haven't seen the film so why the interest?

In 1924 my adventurous grandfather (Nonno) sailed from Italy to Australia all by himself on that very ship. Nono used to tell my brother and I stories about traveling to Australia for the first time (he later returned to Italy, married my grandmother and convinced her to migrate to Australia). I remember stories about him singing with a band he and his friends formed aboard the ship and that his mother has sewn the money for his return voyage into the lining of his jacket.

This film is of great interest to my family (My brother is trying to hunt down a copy) and I think we would all be surprised if Nonno's handsome face didn't make at least one or two appearances on the screen. I already know I will cry when that happens.

Nonno was very photogenic and a great singer - talents that he didn't pass on to me - with an adventurous soul for seeing new places, which I did inherit.

It's one thing for me to pick up and move country, but quite different when getting there means sailing on a boat for seven weeks, and when contacting your family is not as simple or frequent as telephoning and emailing.

Bravo Nonno, Bravo!