Invitation to attend the dinner celebrating the 145th anniversary of the foundation of the Unione Ticinese, Swiss Embassy, London 9 February 2019.

By 1874 when the Unione Ticinese was founded, Ticinese immigrants, particularly those from the Blenio and Lenentina vallies, were already in the habit of meeting regularly on Sundays, usually in the Electric Hall in Denmark Street near Tottenham Court Road in the heart of London. They were mainly waiters, chefs and the owners of small and medium-sized café-restaurants, who got together in their free time to meet their compatriots to chat about home and talk about their experiences abroad.

We read in the Society’s minutes that on Suday 8 February, after the last dance of the evening, the text of the act of foundation of the society was read out. It had been formulated four months earlier by a committee appointed for the purpose. and led by Roberto Vanini. It was unanimously approved.

We should also remember that 12 September 1915 marked the foundation of the Pro Ticino Centrale, representing sections formed in Basel, Zurich, Berne, Fribourg, Lausann, Biel and La Chaux-de-Fond On 6 June 1938, a historic date, the Unione Ticinese di Londra was formally admitted as an autonomous member of the Pro Ticino Centrale, with full recognition of its then constitution and organisation. The people responsible for this were the then president of the Unione Ticinese, Giuseppe Eusebio and Dr Felice Gianini, president of Pro Ticino Centrale, who had made a special trip to London.

This 9 February 2019, after no less than 145 years and with great pride, we want to celebrate the birth of our society with all of you, remembering with gratitude our predecessors who, through the creation of the Unione Ticinese, still enable us nowadays to meet together with friends near and far. Long live the Unione Ticinese de Londra ! Long live Pro Ticino!

Visit the Unione Ticinese Londra website for more information.

"Ticino" is being “discovered” by people far and wide. An article on Corippo was published in the New York Times in August and the London Times carried an article on not so well known areas in Ticino in the same month. The journalists may not have got all their facts quite right, at least they were taking an interest in less well known parts of Ticino. You can read the articles here:

New York Times article - Saving Corippo

New York Times - Europe's Summer Secret