Living museum

Celebrations for the 150 years of Italian immigration to Brazil began on February 21, 2024.
This date was established by the Brazilian Parliament, taking as a reference the event of the landing in Vitória on that day in 1874 of approximately 380 Italians who left Genoa on board the steamer Sofia. It is an important anniversary that highlights the strong bond of closeness between the two countries and the important contribution that the Italian community has given over the years to the formation of modern Brazilian society.

In Sao Paulo, the Consulate General of Italy organized an evening at the Immigration Museum which is located inside the ancient Hospedaria de Immigrantes, the first port of call for more than a million Italians who arrived here in search of fortune.
We at the Arsenale della Speranza, the "living museum" that keeps alive this hospitality chain that began more than a century ago, were also invited, not only as guests... We were asked to create a short show on this theme, with the small group of guests participating in the theater workshop. By retracing the footsteps of the first Italians to arrive in Brazil, we thrilled the public and made known the most recent history of this house, which has never stopped seeing men pass through its walls in search of a better future. Yesterday Italians, Japanese... Today men who come from the streets and from vulnerable situations.

We thank you for this opportunity to make known the beauty that still inhabits this house today and for the satisfaction we saw on the faces of our "actors", protagonists of this evening.

The Sermig Fraternity in Brazil
NP March 2024