“Where to begin… my love affair with Italy began over 50 years… to be precise May 1970.

I am the only son of two incredible parents from the township of Schiavi di Abruzzo in Abruzzo, central Italy.
My father Ugo Ninni and mother Livia Bottone – both from Schiavi centre migrated to Australia (Sydney) in the mid to end 1950’s.

It was there mission to instill into me all that they left behind … totally succeeded Before having me in the mid 60’s … they had the foresight and intelligence to get established first … then wonderful me arrives … I am Angelo Luigi Ninni. So then … my love for Italy started May 1970 … my first trip to Italy – Schiavi di Abruzzo and beyond … a mere child with a hunger to see all that was different from my reality at the time. I can still remember that very first time in Schiavi – it felt as if i was floating above the clounds, Schiavi is 1168 meters high … it was wonderful.

A deep connection with Italy

It was of primary importance that I be instilled with a sense of family—especially as an only child. Since that first trip, my love for Italy has deepened, and consequently, my life has been a back-and-forth between the two countries, Australia and Italy. My parents sent me back home to Italy every school holiday (our summer holidays), which was winter in Italy. My Christmases were wonderfully white with snow, while my friends in Sydney melted in the heat… I was lucky! I finally felt like I belonged somewhere—I don’t know if it’s a syndrome for those born to immigrant parents—but I couldn’t find that sense of belonging in Australia, even though it was/is home. But as soon as I set foot in Italy, a weight lifted from my shoulders. Everything just seems to fall into place; I am complete in Italy!

It’s easy for me to explain why I’ve never shed a tear departing from Sydney, yet the same cannot be said when I leave Italy. Between 1970 and 2025, I have journeyed to Italy every single year, sometimes twice or even more, accumulating over 100 trips. It truly feels like my second home—or perhaps, in truth, my primary and sole home!

Now, as an adult, going onto my mid-age stage of life … having lost both parents in Australia, and, having brought both of them home to Schiavi di Abruzzo with all the difficulties that comes with it … I thank my parents for this dual life of mine … and fully realize that I am an Italian in the true sense, not merely an Italo-Australian that comes to Italy on holidays … And, Schiavi is me, from that fist time 55years ago to now, having built one of my home in this little town high above the clouds …

Thank You … always yours Angelo, known as Angeletto.”