There are many Italians who decide to move abroad to find better living conditions. But there are also Italians born abroad who decide to return to Italy. This is the story of Viviana, born and raised in Argentina, who decided to return to live in her family's country. Viviana founded a beautiful blog about the South American country together with many friends, vivilargentina.com. It is perhaps a way to miss less of what is in effect his home. But it is also a way to introduce Italians to that vast and wonderful land that in the past has welcomed so many people from the Bel Paese.
Why did you decide to create this website?
We wanted to introduce Italians to the country where we were born, but also to help those born in Argentina to know their Italian roots.
At the moment many young people are looking for work abroad, would you advise them to move to Argentina?
Argentina is a land of opportunity, especially for young people. But as in all Latin countries, the economy is fluctuating and the downside always exists.
Which parts of the country would you recommend to a tourist to visit?
Argentina has a vast territory and many different landscapes. It is worth visiting all of it. Depending on your tastes. From the Iguazu Falls, Salta and Jujuy with its breathtaking landscapes, Mendoza and San Luis, Córdoba, Patagonia among which San Carlos de Bariloche, San Martin de los Andes, Ushuaia, Peninsula de Valdez stand out. These are the most tourist destinations of all. But every remote corner has its own charm and it can still be said that it is a land to be discovered.
Can you think of a particular or funny anecdote about Italians in Argentina?
An anecdote I can tell is about my paternal grandmother. She arrived in Argentina in '48 and never wanted to speak the castellan. He said it was the Argentines who had to understand Italian. He died in 1980 without ever learning the new language. My father, on the other hand, was never able to pronounce the "j" which he replaced with the "c". So to say "caja" ...
In Argentina, a large part of the population has Italian origins. Some people told me they felt almost like home. Is this the same for you?
I state that I was born and raised in Argentina until I was 19. Every time I come back I feel a bit at home. Although after 34 years of living in Italy, my home is here. Argentina has the bad habit of making everyone who visits it feel nostalgic, for its colors, smells and above all for the feelings it transmits. An Italian friend of mine married to an Argentine has recently returned. After six months he told me: “My body is here, but I'm waiting for my soul to come back”. And it is so for many Italians. They feel at home in Argentina, as they felt at home once here in Italy.
What do you miss most about Italy when you are in Argentina?
After living in Argentina for six months between 2015 and 2016, I must say that I missed everything about Italy. Let's say that the opposite happened to me than to my mother. At the age of 19 she emigrated to Argentina, and after almost 60 years as an emigrant, she could no longer find herself comfortable in her homeland. His homeland had become Argentina. I will always have my country of birth in my heart and I will always feel nostalgia. But now here, Italy is my home.
