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Luca Milani 1898
Luca Milani was born to parents Sofia and Enzo Milani in 1898. His parents owned a bakery, in southern Italy. They were very poor and struggled financially. He worked the majority of his childhood and never had time to truly be a kid. -
Luca Milani 1910
I have just turned twelve and it is my last year of schooling. I am expected to finish school and take over the family business. We are struggling even more now, I am afraid the bakery is slowly dying. -
Luca Milani 1914
War has broken out and I am fearful I will be drafted. Italy has remained neutral as of now. With Austria-Hungary being our enemy in the past I predict we will go to war with them. -
Luca Milani 1918
It is just before the holidays and the war is finally over! I avoided being drafted the whole time, I am so lucky. Millions of my people were forced to go to war. -
Luca Milani January 1919
It is the new year, but that sadly doesn’t mean a fresh start. Last year my mother passed away. Things have been extra hard we have never been financially stable. I want to escape this poor lifestyle. -
Luca Milani July 1919
I am over it, I have decided to leave for America! I am sad to leave my father and the bakery behind, but it will be what's best. A new life is waiting for me in the United States. -
Luca Milani December 1919
It is my last Christmas in Italy, and most likely the last one with my Father. I don’t understand how he can stand the fascist country. The government is controlling our everyday lives! -
Luca Milani June 1920
I packed all the belongings I could fit into my mother and father's two suitcases. All my life I have dreaded working at the bakery, I have always wished to be a journalist. I am feeling nervous, scared, and excited all at once. I leave from Palermo port tomorrow. -
Luca Milani July 1, 1920
I am a month into my trip and it feels incredibly long. With only two weeks left I am getting very nervous. Although, I am very hopeful I will no longer be living in poverty in America. -
Luca Milani July 7, 1920
It is a week closer to my arrival in the US. I cannot stop thinking about how I will go about becoming a journalist. I am thinking I may be able to get a job at the newspaper and work my way up to writing. -
Luca Milani July 14, 1920
It is the second week of July and we will arrive in Boston tomorrow! This trip has been some of the hardest weeks of my life. The living quarters on the ship are cramped and we have to share everything. -
Luca Milani July 15, 1920
Today is the day! We arrived in Boston a little over an hour ago. The environment in America is everything it’s made out to be. It seems as if life will be so much better here! -
Luca Milani August 30, 1920
I have been living in Boston for a little over a month. The transition has been hard, I got a job working on the docks. It is not what I had hoped but I needed money to get by. -
Luca Milani September 4, 1920
I am very tired of my job at the docks, it is very tiring work. I have started again to look for a job at the newspaper. I had always complained about working at the bakery for my father, it is better than this. I had no idea it would be this difficult to get started here. -
Luca Milani October 1920
Today working on the docs I met this beautiful woman who also came from Italy. I told her I could help her get started here. I really hope I can see her more often she is lovely. -
Luca Milani December 1920
I finally have gotten a job at the Boston Daily Globe newspaper. I am very excited, although it pays less than the docks it will be so much better. I also have started to see Maria, the girl I met at the docks. I have always wanted to have a family and I believe I will in the future.