A Suitcase Full of Dreams
2020 - 73 mins (HD)

By Gabriele and Patrizia maccarinelli, Alberto Engeli
Directed, camera, editing and colorist: Alberto Engeli
Writer: Gabriele Maccarinelli

This documentary, aired by RSI - Swiss-Italian Television on November 2020, underlines the history, in some ways extraordinary, of three families from Valle Maggia - Switzerland. The Riccioli, Lafranchi and Martinelli families, who emigrated to California between 1850 and 1920. These families are directly related to the Maccarinelli family on their mother's side and the co-author of the documentary wanted to deepen their stories. Thus emerges a portrait of three different stories of emigration. The Riccioli family left following a serious event linked to Ticino (talian speaking part of Switzerland) politics in the mid-nineteenth century. For the Lafranchi family, on the other hand, it was a personal decision. In the case of the Martinelli family, it was linked to economic necessity. Through the interviews of some historians of Marin County, where many Ticinesi settled, we have an interesting cross-section of the many emigrants from Ticino and their insertion into California society. Among the significant aspects of the Ticinesi in California is their contact with their land of origin. An attachment that remains even among the new generations. In this sense, Pro Ticino has been and remains a fundamental point for maintaining these important relations.

Click here for the italian version