Coming From

Today I jumped on the 10M red bus on Oxford Street, near Taylor Square - destination Leichhardt, known for being one of the epicenters of the Italian community in Sydney.

It takes a while to get there, and whilst the bus was negotiating its was through the lower end of the CBD and the soulless expanses of Paramatta Road I wondered whether it has been a good idea after all.

However, as the bus stopped in Norton Road I was pleased I had made the 30 minutes journey. This area is lovely, and full of nice Italian cafes and restaurants where one can have some nice Southern European grab whilst people watching. The community here has gone at length to recreate a true Italian feel but somehow managing avoiding being tacky. This area includes an Italian Bilingual School for children and an Italian Forum: a Mall-like complex built around a courtyard where the architecture and everything else resemble Northern Italian towns. Gelaterias, Pizzerias and all the other -rias you can think of can be found in the area.  Another thing that I noticed was the travel agent showing a massive 'Alitalia' logo - perhaps people here are the last on Earth that opt for the disgraced airline! :-)

The Norton Road itself is buzzing with a relaxed European feel to it and I must say the locals really look Italian. The soft May light only added to the feeling of serenity.

I sat down at the charming Belli Bar and read my book in the autumnal sun, whilst sipping a velvety cappuccino and eating a lovely panino (roast chicken, tomatoes and spicy caramelized onions). Bliss. There I also started thinking about immigrant communities.

One interesting thing I've noticed when I moved over here (but that also applies to other emigrants' communities elsewhere) is how strong the identity of the different communities/social groups that have established themselves here is. Italian seem to be more Italian than people that currently live in Italy, The Chinese community in Chinatown is very strong, Christians seem to be more Christian, sports fans more macho fanatic, etc etc.

Starting from scratch in a place far way from where we come from can accentuate that longing for belonging that people feel. This must have been even more so when the significant waves of immigration started after WWII, bringing numerous hopefuls who endured a arduous journey to start a new life here. Back then 'being Italian' was probably one of the most important points of reference and certainties they had, and it opened up doors and networks upon arrival. In a way, those people represent a snapshot of Italy from the day they left the country.

The question of identity is something that has always fascinated me. When I went to boarding school it felt like any Italian patriotism was zapped out of me and replaced with what we called International Understanding. This is the simple and banal discovery that it doesn't matter where we come from: people are just people and more or less we all have the same basic needs and the same aspirations.  These needs and these aspirations are then shaped by the environment that we live in.We all eat, all work, all love, all hate, go to the toilet. We all desire happiness.

I always thought that the story of Babel's tower always exemplified how men are similar, and that the biggest walls between them is communication. .This issue has become over the years less of a determinant, thanks to the introduction of lengua franca such as English, Spanish and no doubt Mandarin.

When I was 16 at school it was like I stopped being Italian and I just become someone who had lived in Italy and had been shaped to that date by that environment. If you add to that 11 years in the UK and a couple of years travelling the world the end result is a man that does not feel like he is from anywhere in particular but that shares and buys into a lot of elements from the different cultures he was exposed to. To this day I never fail to feel anachronistic when I go back home. The strange thing is that back home people regard me almost as a stranger, whilst abroad people think of me as an Italian - I tend not to identify with either judgement.

I am obviously not unique in this: as we live in a world when people live everywhere and have simple access to knowledge, strong displays of identity and traditions (whether religious, cultural etc) become more and more misaligned with the overall melting One World trends.

Some people regard globalization as the negative process through which we are losing ourselves - however history seems to suggest that this is just the next stage of a process that has been going on forever. An example I can think of is the way the Roman Empire merged together so many different traditions (geographical, religious, cultural, etc) and then went on to dissipate (including the total death of its language: Latin). We have lost so many traditions, languages and religions through history and the underlying reason behind this is people and cultures melting together (albeit forcefully in many cases). Technology and modern life have only accelerated this process to the point that we can see it unfolding within the same generation rather than across several decades.

It's funny though as how we 'melt together' and become closer, we also become more lonely. Simplistically put, an Italian that emigrates now won't probably go to Little Italy as the first point of call - he or she will be able to access the resources they need anyway. They will also be able to communicate and overall they might find that things generally work the same way than back home, if not better. However, as their options expand they also shrink because they do not have any longer access to the comforting reassurance of belonging to a specific community. Their story is not of much interest and it probably resembles the story of so many people before them.

Whilst the lack of traditions does not bother me that much, from another side it does feel like I am missing something - Identity is after all a great place to hide when you don't want to define yourself by yourself. Perhaps that is all it is : a place to hide - a fancy dress to wear for a party where other people in similar fancy dresses are going. The easy option.

Loneliness might be the ultimate price to pay for togetherness.

As I sipped my cappuccino in Norton Road in Sydney and once again I failed to feel at home among the Italian community I let these thoughts bounce around in the autumnal sunshine, as though wishing for some clarity that was not to come.