All Stories

In 1922, Antonio and Angelina Rebaudengo arrived in Calgary with their infant son, Mario, eager to begin a new life and join Antonio’s brother, Cesare. Both were from Piemonte— Antonio from Piozzo (Cuneo) and Angelina from Coassolo, Torinese. Antonio left Italy due to his opposition to Communism. They settled in Bridgeland until the 1930’s when they moved across the river to 324 5 Ave East where they lived for many decades. Angelina and Antonio In Calgary, Antonio worked for

Mary Theresa Prokopy (Gallelli) was born in 1916, the third child of Nick and Julia Gallelli, the only girl among four brothers. During the years when the Gallelli business was run from the family home, Mary assisted her mother in all office dealings , handling telephones, booking jobs, hiring employees, and assembling and dispensing payroll. Payroll was distributed from the house, and payday saw employees lined up and out the door at the Gallelli home. Mary & Peter After the

Italian women named their societies after Adelaide Bono Cairoli because she was celebrated as the “Mother of the Nation,” a powerful symbol of devotion and sacrifice during Italy’s struggle for unification. Adelaide Cairoli Image: Conrad ok / Wikimedia Commons / CC BY‑SA 4.04.0) The Risorgimento—literally “the resurgence”—was the long 19th‑century movement to unite Italy’s many independent states into a single country. It was driven by ideals of national unity, civic responsi

Guerrino Serani was born in Calgary, Alberta, on October 23, 1914. The family home was located at 412 2nd Avenue N.E., where he and his siblings were born. He attended St. Angela’s School from Grade 1 through Grade 9, just a block from the family residence. Peter and Catherine Serani in front of their house Although he briefly attended St. Mary’s Boys High School, he did not complete Grade 10. Throughout his life, he often spoke fondly of his years at St. Angel

Private Joseph Allasia served on the front lines of the First World War, helping care for wounded soldiers during some of Canada’s most defining battles. The First World War - The Canadian Expeditionary Force - Canadian Army Medical Corps, No. 8 Field Ambulance Joseph Allasia was born on August 14, 1886, in Turin, Italy. He immigrated to Canada and was working as a grocer when, on January 5, 1916, he enlisted with the Canadian Expeditionary Force, No. 8 Field Ambulance, part

The First World War • The Canadian Expeditionary Force, 4th Battalion, Canadian Mounted Rifles Pte. Bacino was born on May 16, 1883, in Italy. He worked as a miner and resided in Bellevue, Alberta. His brother, Joe Bacino, lived in Hadera, California. He enlisted in Calgary, Alberta, on December 10, 1917, and trained at Sarcee Camp with the 1st Depot Battalion, Alberta Regiment before proceeding overseas with the Canadian Expeditionary Force. Pte. Bacino embarked for Eng

Private William Enfante endured the brutal realities of gas warfare while serving Canada on the Western Front during the final year of the First World War. The First World War The Canadian Expeditionary Force, 31st Battalion Private William Enfante was born on 25 September 1891 in Venice, Italy, and later emigrated to Canada. On 31 August 1917, he enlisted in the Canadian Expeditionary Force at Calgary, Alberta, naming his mother, Mrs. Silas Enfante of Venice, Italy, as his n

Isa (Isotta) was born in 1915 in Calgary to parents Maria Iafolla and Guiseppie Buccini who had immigrated from Villalago, L'Aquila, Italy in 1912. She was the third of seven children, growing up in Bridgeland alongside many other first-generation Italian Canadians. Isa attended St. Angela’s School and later St. Mary’s High School. During World War II, Isa served in the Royal Canadian Air Force. After the war, she worked at the Unemployment Commission, but found the job unexc

Featured in the Calgary Herald in 1966, Julia Gallelli was recognized as the driving force behind the success of the Gallelli family and construction business. A devoted mother, hardworking matriarch, and strong supporter of her children, she helped guide the family from humble beginnings to one of Calgary’s respected construction firms while preserving strong Italian family values and traditions.

La Zia Per Tutt Cesira DiPaolo (née Iafolla) was born on May 9, 1900, in the mountain village of Villalago, L’Aquila, to Concetta Grossi and Alfonso Iafolla. Life in the family home was busy and demanding, shaped by the rhythms of rural life and the needs of a large household. As the fourth of seven children, Cesira quickly learned responsibility, often caring for her younger siblings while the older ones worked in the fields. From an early age, she became accustomed to helpin

Allan, born in 1939, was the youngest of five children of Agatino and Betha Cozzubbo. He began his dance career as a youngster and pupil of his cousin, Lillian Cozzubbo Coulson, and further studied with Dr. Ruth Carse of the Alberta Ballet. His advanced training took place in New York with well‑known teachers such as Luigi, Robert Joffre, Matt Mattox, Al Gilbert, and Leon Danielion. These studies enabled him to enter pupils for examinations in various syllabi and to choreogra

From humble beginnings in 1907 to a respected name in Western Canadian construction, the Gallelli story is built on hard work, innovation, and family values. One of the first automated machines used by Nick Gallelli The name GALLELLI first appeared in the Western Canadian construction industry in 1907. A pick, a shovel, a wheelbarrow, a cart, and two horses were the humble beginnings of a company that would eventually rank among the leaders in the industry. Together with his pa

The Calgary Separate School Board leased a one-room school from Mr. Rooney in Serani Estates and named it Bridgeland School. It served the many Catholic children who lived in the Bridgeland-Riverside area. It was the forerunner to St. Angela’s School, the fifth school to be opened by the Calgary Roman Catholic School District No. 1. The first teacher was Mrs. Julia Hector, who later served as principal until 1923. Student enrollment increased rapidly, and on April 14, 1915, a c

The first Church was established on the upper floor of the original St Angela’s school and was initially called St Angela’s as well. The space functioned as a Chapel and accommodated 225 people. In February 1924, the altar and furnishings of the abandoned Bankhead Church near Lake Minnewaska were moved to the Chapel. Basement Church circa 1916 Bishop Kidd lost little time in establishing the parish as soon as he had a Priest to supply it. On Sunday, September 13, 1925, he said

The Impact of the First World War and Postwar Calgary The First World War brought the first era of Italian immigration to an abrupt halt. There were approximately 85 Italians from Calgary and area who enlisted in the Canadian war effort, returned to Europe, or shifted into war‑related labour. When the war ended in 1918, Calgary— like much of the world—was changed. With the arrival of Antonio Milano as an official Consul of Italy in 1914, the Italians had a formal voice and a

Written in 1915, this letter reflects the concerns, loyalty, and growing frustrations of Calgary’s Italian community during the First World War, while calling for fairness and equal treatment within the city.

Born in Calgary in 1917, Bill attended St. Angela’s Elementary School and St. Marys’ Boys High School. He left school in 1934 to work in the family business, mainly on city and highway construction sites. In 1948, with the ever- increasing construction in Calgary, Bill and his brother Nado focused their work solely within the city. In 1951, Bill married Delores Stothers and moved into a very small apartment above the company’s garage at 630 Riverside Boulevard, sharing the sp

Giovanni Dipalo was born in 1865 and Rosaria Ciffarelli was born in 1869. They were married in 1889 and were from Altamura, Bari, Italy. Arriving in Calgary in 1908, they settled at 229 3 Ave E with their 2 sons, James (age 11) and Victor. Giovanni worked in construction, and one of the jobs he had was installing the iconic stone at the Banff Springs Hotel. After returning to Calgary from Banff, he went to work for the City at the streetcar barns, where he remained until hi

This section presents Italian Canadian men who enlisted in Calgary during the First World War and served within the Canadian Expeditionary Force in Canada. Many were assigned to the 1st Depot Battalion, Alberta Regiment and undertook their initial military training at Sarcee Camp, southwest of the city, a principal training and mobilization centre for recruits from across southern Alberta. Depot battalions functioned as regional intake, training, and reinforcement formations

Italian-Canadian recruits from southern Alberta trained at Sarcee Camp and were attached to the 1st Depot Battalion, Alberta Regiment before departing for England and reinforcing Canadian frontline battalions in France and Belgium during the First World War.