Brazil is home to the world's largest community of Italians: approximately 30 million people, 15% of the population. Between the late 19th and mid-20th centuries, over a million and a half Italians crossed the Atlantic in search of fortune, bringing with them surnames, traditions, and an identity that still shines through in the country's most famous faces. Here are five you may not have known had Italian roots.
Ayrton Senna — Tuscany and Sicily in the Engine
One of the greatest Formula 1 drivers of all time had Italian blood on both sides of the family. His maternal great-grandparents, Raffaele and Maria Servilia Di Santoro, left Porcari, in the province of Lucca, for São Paulo in the 1880s. On his paternal side, his great-grandmother Giovanna Maria Magro was born in Siculiana, in the province of Agrigento, and landed in Brazil in 1894. Even his surname tells the story of his journey: the original "Sena" became "Senna" with the addition of an N at Brazilian customs. Today, Siculiana hosts a museum dedicated to his origins, and Ayrton—who spoke Italian, likely learned from his grandparents—remains the most powerful symbol of how Italian roots can flourish on the other side of the ocean.
Xuxa Meneghel — From Trentino to Brazilian TV
Maria da Graça Xuxa Meneghel was the undisputed queen of Brazilian television for decades: host, singer, actress, a phenomenon of unparalleled popularity. Her surname leaves no doubt as to its origin: Meneghel is typical of Imer, a small town in the Primiero Valley, in the province of Trento, from where her great-grandfather emigrated to Rio Grande do Sul in the late 19th century. Her connection to her roots hasn't remained just on paper: Xuxa obtained dual Italian citizenship and was officially welcomed by the mayor of Imer, the town where the Meneghel surname is still among the most common today.
Bruno Gagliasso — A Piedmontese surname in Rio de Janeiro
One of Brazilian TV's most beloved actors, the star of over twenty award-winning telenovelas, has a surname that hails from Piedmont. "Gagliasso" derives from the Piedmontese term "gajass" and is common in the area between Turin, Asti, and Cuneo. Bruno inherited it from his mother, Lucia, a renowned chef in Rio de Janeiro who learned to cook following her Italian family's traditions. Fate decreed that in 2010, Bruno played Berillo Rondelli, an Italian character, in the telenovela. Passion —a circle that closes between fiction and real origins.
José Altafini — The native par excellence
If there's one name that embodies the footballing bridge between Brazil and Italy, it's José Altafini. Born in Piracicaba in 1938 to Italian parents—his father was from Giacciano con Baruchella, in the Rovigo province, and his mother was from Caldonazzo, in Trentino—he won the 1958 World Cup wearing the green and gold of Brazil, before moving to Italy and becoming a legend with AC Milan, Napoli, and Juventus. He played in the 1962 World Cup wearing the blue jersey of the Italian national team. A relentless striker, he held the record for goals in a single European Cup for decades. One man, two national teams, three surnames in his heart (his, his father's, and his mother's): all Italian.
Jorginho — From Vicenza to the top of Europe
The most recent and perhaps most moving story. Jorge Luiz Frello Filho was born in Imbituba, in the state of Santa Catarina, in 1991. His great-great-grandfather, Giacomo Frello, left Santa Caterina di Lusiana Conco, a hilltop village in the province of Vicenza, to seek his fortune in Brazil. Generations later, that unbroken thread allowed Jorginho to obtain Italian citizenship by descent and move to Italy at just 15 years old. The rest is history: Verona, Napoli, Chelsea, Arsenal—and above all, the blue jersey with which he won the 2021 European Championship, a key figure. The great-grandson of an emigrant from Vicenza, lifting the European Cup with Italy: if this isn't the perfect tale of Italian roots around the world, it's close.
Italy doesn't end at its borders. It lives on in the surnames, stories, and triumphs of millions of descendants scattered around the world—and Brazil, with its 30 million descendants, is the most extraordinary proof of this.
