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representing a “ microcosm ” of 1960s Italy will not appeal to everyone . The committee of younger members have been working to use the space in more diverse ways , recently launching the Italian Language Bar .
Sophia Smith Galer , 30 , came up with the idea to encourage people to speak Italian together . Outside of Casa Italiana , Sophia is a journalist specialising in language who has contributed to The Guardian , Vice and the BBC . Sophia suggests her own experience studying languages at university sparked the idea of the language lab . But the idea was not just designed for Italian natives . “ There are lots of people who are not Italian but they speak it well because they ’ ve studied it [ and ] people who are children or grandchildren of Italian migrants who didn ’ t grow up speaking it .”
Sophia belongs to this latter group of younger people with Italian heritage who do not speak the language . While Sophia has started to learn Italian later in life , she is keen to create a space where other people can do the same . “ There are lots of feelings of linguistic shame for someone who didn ’ t grow up speaking the language because you have people saying , ‘ What do you mean you don ’ t speak Italian ? Isn ’ t your mum Italian , your dad , your nonna ?’ Is that going to persuade you to learn the language ? No .”
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Source : Charlotte Stead |
Source : Eve Massey |
“ I won ’ t say it ’ s family but it is familiar – and people have a desire for that .” Although new events are diversifying Casa Italiana ’ s demographic , the committee is working on getting all generations interacting with each other . “ Up until now , that hasn ’ t been able to happen so much ,” Francesca admits . But she stresses the committee does not want to take the essence of Casa Italiana away . “ Change is always difficult but we don ’ t want to change things that much . It ’ s about visibility and [ creating ] more opportunities .”
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Source : Eve Massey |
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“ You didn ’ t necessarily shout about being Italian back then . The club was probably a much more pivotal and important focal point for Italians because it was a safe space , where you could go and be Italian without being sneered at .” |
Isabella , 30 , is Francesca ’ s sister but part of the same demographic as Sophia rediscovering her Italian identity . For Isabella , being part of the committee has allowed her to help protect Casa Italiana ’ s future . “[ The club ] needs saving in multiple ways : financially it needs saving , but also [ it needs ] saving to make sure it ’ s passed onto the next generation . I don ’ t think there are many community spaces around , especially in London .” |
The ‘ youth committee ’ have brought a fresh perspective : ideas in the works include film nights , briscola tournaments and communal cooking sessions . For Massimo , the development of the club is key to its survival – new , younger committee members are bringing a buzz to the place . “[ It is ] massively energising from my point of view . It ’ s taken years off me !” |
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