“… and we cannot understand; all the way that God will lead us to that blessed promised land.”

Thousands poured through the gates of Ellis Island, hopes high, as they left behind years of misery and poverty. Most were farmers from the southern regions of Italy where the land was rugged, harsh and unfit for farming.

As they located mostly along America’s coastal areas, they united with family, or friends in Italian communes. Here they felt secure among their own, speaking their dialect, eating their food and free to practice their customs, without fear of ridicule.