La creatività e l’ingegno italiano in America Latina tra la seconda metà del XIX e la prima metà del XX secolo

Every country in the world is characterized by a strong presence of Italian culture. Surely the food, music and use of some vocabulary outline the Italianness of the place. However, the artistic and architectural culture has certainly contributed to continuously regenerating the value of Italy abroad and all this thanks to many Italians who over the centuries have emigrated and distinguished themselves for specific skills. Among the most coveted destinations, Latin America has certainly been an important achievement where many professionalisms have stood out. This contribution intends to bring the reader closer to reflecting on the value of emigration, the opportunity that it has determined and the affirmation of so many professionalisms that otherwise would not have stood out. The analysis is aimed at describing and illustrating a general situation of the emigration of Italian artists, architects and engineers to Latin America between the middle of the 19th century and the first half of the 20th century. A first part of this contribution analyzes the complex Italian historical situation that has led to this migration phenomenon, already very strong since medieval times towards central and northern Europe. The discovery of the New Continent certainly defined the new migratory routes that never stopped. The second part of this article covers some of the professionals that have distinguished themselves in Latin America for both projects and academic engagement. So after so many years it is very interesting to discover the value of Italian creativity and ingenuity abroad also in order to better appreciate the meaning and the opportunity for growth that this phenomenon has allowed people as well as those who countries that received and hosted them.