01
THE SERIES
A 12-episode Limited Television Series
In the decades preceding WWII, hundreds of thousands of Italians
flocked to our shores in hopes of starting new lives in a land that
promised freedom and opportunity. They emigrated through the
Great Hall of Ellis Island, in the shadow of the Statue of Liberty,
and spilled out into the streets of New York City and beyond in
anticipation of a kind of renaissance.
Based on the novel of the same name written by Joseph Orazi, L’America follows the journeys of three families who board the Santa Ana in 1915 through the port of Palermo. For thirteen
days, they share brutal passage in steerage. But the voyage is only
the beginning of their trials. Eventually, they settle in New York City, Cleveland, and Monterey, California. Immigration in the early twentieth century was complicated at best. But assimilation proved an even more greater challenge. The confused and frightened Italian in America is embodied in the lives of Giuseppe Mosca, Aldo Grimaldi, and Paolo LaChimia, as they make their way in a world in conflict with their heritage.
02
THE FAMILIES
Three families, One yourney
THE MOSCA FAMILY: Giuseppe Mosca has always been able to provide for his growing family in Serra San Bruno, Calabria. A talented tailor, even in a small village, he could offer his wife, Marianna, 2 sons and a daughter, bountiful tables and finely-stitched clothes.
In recent years, however, Calabria has epitomized the
economic deterioration of the Italian landscape. Meat is
scarce, and clothes have become threadbare.
Reluctantly, he accepts the money an aunt offers from the sale of her donkey as passage for him and his son on a steamship to America. They set off, promising to send the money for Marianna and the children he leaves behind.
The path from rag and bone man to successful
tailor and NYC radio station owner is interrupted by personal
and political conflict.
THE GRIMALDI FAMILY: In Naples, the Grimaldi family, once wealthy and influential,
has not escaped the ravages of a failing economic and political climate. Aldo, a mason who parlayed his artistry and determination into a thriving construction company, is coming to terms with the fact that he, his pregnant wife, Cristina and young son, to avoid the criminal influence of the Camorra, must make their way to America…to Ohio…
where his uncle has promised a ground-floor opportunity
for stonecutters. Before leaving, he commits a crime that will follow him across the Atlantic. Cristina strongly objects to the decision to emigrate and makes sure he knows it on a regular basis. His strong work ethic and talent
eventually, pay off as Grimaldi Construction establishes
their place in Cleveland city development.
THE LACHIMIA FAMILY: Palermo, Sicily, is being reshaped by economic devastation. During the day, the sun beats mercilessly on those who work the fields and mountainsides for less and less harvest. At night, the streets are filled with beggars and thieves. Paolo LaChimia, a streetwise 16 -year old, has learned to work the underbelly of the city to survive. When it suits him, he earns the occasional legitimate lira, mending nets (a skill he inherited from his deceased father) at the docks.
Periodically, he beds down with a family who may take pity on the orphan. More often than not, he leaves before sunrise, his pockets heavy with their “pity.” Eventually, he ends up over his head with the Mafia and stows away on a steamer bound for New York City. While at first he relishes the tutoring he receives from the Black Hand in New York, he quickly realizes he cannot live up to all of his mentor’s expectations, and he escapes to Monterey to join his uncle in the sardine fishing business, eventually befriending Joe DiMaggio, whose parents emigrated from Sicily to join other Italian sardine fishermen in Monterey.
03
THE FACTS
It's not just their story, it's your story too
From 1880 to 1924, more than four million Italians emigrated to the United States, in hopes of starting new lives in a land that promised freedom and opportunity. The majority of them were fleeing grinding rural poverty in Southern Italy and Sicily.
After their arrival in the United States, they were processed through the Great Hall of Ellis Island, in the shadow of the Statue of Liberty, and spilled out into the streets of New York City and beyond.