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Graglia
Graia
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The
village of Graglia is located along the stream bearing the same name
on an almost totally mountainous area. The agricultural-artisan
class economy was not sufficient for the population. From a 1755
report, the village counted 2200 souls producing white mais, oats
and mostly chestnuts., while stock-raising was not sufficient to
all. Contrary to other Biellesi villages, Graglia did not have many
looms. But super-intendent Blanciotti wrote that “at
least a fifth of the inhabitants older then 10 left the place for at
least 8 months of the year to go to Piedmont, Savoy, Modena and
Romagna areas to work as bricklayers and pavers.” |
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Going
back in time, we can find the presence of construction workers from
the Biellese area well documented. A 1907 decree by Carlo Emanuele I
of Savoy gave permission to expatriate to the skilled workers of
Valle Cervo, a permisssion that in less then a century was
considered valid for all Biellesi. 12 men from Graglia appeared in
the construction workers list used to build the fortification of
Vercelli in 1673, and 16 bricklayers in 1751. At the beginning of
1800 with the Napoleonic great public works, the pavers from Graglia
started to move and descend the Alps from March to November.
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IIn
1873 Graglia did not have yet important industries “but the
inhabitants are partial to the arts and many work as artists,
bricklayers, carpenters and especially pavers who emigrate in the
good season. The first pavers in Udine (Friuli region) were from
this village, and many married there”. By being absent during the
summer season, the celebrations were concentrated in the winter
months, Saint Julius (January) and carnival time were the last
gatherings before departure and the return in winter saw the
celebration of the Immaculate Conception (eight December) initiating
the Christmas festivities.
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The
preferred destination of the Gragliesi bricklayers and pavers were
France and Switzerland, while the departures for America were few.
This migratory seasonal pattern was continued until the start of the
first World War. In a census of 1901, from 3025 inhabitants more
then 200 were absent temporarily in other places of the country and
275 abroad, while in 1911 they increased to 299 in other parts of
the country and 126 abroad.
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In
1926 Graglia opened two wool factories employing 27 workers, while
other villages of Valle Elvo, Sordevolo and Occhieppo Superiore,
employed almost 11.500 wool workers. After 1946 some started to
emigrate again, but with more factories and mechanical workshops in
the nearby villages, Graglia was described in a 1963 guide as a
village with an industrial character. The Graglia’s pavers
represented one of the many specializations of construction works
present in the Biellese area. A type of emigration different from
the traumatic and desperate one in other areas of Italy, a type of
emigration allowing our emigrants to travel along “paved” roads,
scattered with success.
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The biographical
cards of Graglia’s emigrants are 395, 14.8% of the inhabitants in
1911. From this we find that 65.7% emigrated to France, 15.2% to
Switzerland, 7% to other parts of Europe, 5.8% to South America,
2.9& to Africa, 1.7% to the United States, 1.4% to Asia and 0.3%
to Australia. The family names more frequent are Borrione,
Perratone, Rama, Ferrero e Garzena, Destefanis, Maffeo e Buzzo,
Anselmetti, Astrua e Cantone, Gastaldi e Campra. The
oldest emigrants known are a doctor from 1622 and a priest from 1660
emigrated to France in Aix-en-Provence and a singer born in 1720
emigrated to Brazil.
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