Abruzzi Reunion Interview (Part of the Italian American Oral History Project)

An unnamed female interviewer talked with a number of people at a reunion of the Quattro Abruzzi Society in Hurley, WI. The only named participants were Peter DeRubeis and someone with the surname Alfonso. The Quattro Abruzzi Society, which was founded in 1905 in Ironwood, was a mutual aid and fellowship society for people from the Abruzzo region of Italy and their children. By the time of the interview, the society had been gone for several decades, but it held annual reunions. The sound quality varies and is at times quite bad. There is often talking and singing in the background that drowns out the interview. Topics include the family backgrounds of the interviewees, why their families came to the United States, and their mining experiences in Italy, Asia Minor, North Africa, and the Upper Peninsula. They also discuss the Abruzzi Society's relationship with other Italian American organizations such as the Paisano Club. Other topics include different Italian dialects, and traditional food, games, and music.