Chile celebrates 120 years of the arrival of the first Italian emigrants

(ANSA) - ROMA, 18 NOV - The Italian Cuisine in the World Week in Chile is being celebrated this year to coincide with the 120th anniversary of Capitán Pastene, the locality in the Araucanía Region, southern Chile, home to an Italian-Chilean community of around 2000 people, descendants of emigrants from Modena who arrived here in the early 20th century.
    Thanks to the collaboration of the Municipality of Lumaco and the Giuseppe Verdi Cultural Corporation of Capitán Pastene, with the support of the Italian Embassy in Chile, the Autonomous University of Chile and the Italian Cultural Institute of Santiago, a meeting is scheduled on 20 November to pay homage to the 120th anniversary of the arrival of the first Italian settlers in the locality we know today as Capitán Pastene. For the occasion, the reconstruction project of Casa Salvestrini, a historic house built between 1910 and 1920 for Ubaldo Salvestrini, one of the few wooden houses built at the beginning of the 20th century and still standing, will be presented.
    In 2009, Casa Salvestrini was declared a National Historic Monument by the Chilean government's Ministry of Education as a testimony to the migratory process that welcomed hundreds of Italians. But in May 2017, an arson attack completely destroyed the building.
    Finally, the exhibition '120 photographs for 120 years' will be inaugurated. At the end of the event, a tasting of typical Pastenine products will be offered.