Mario Fiorio
(March 2003 -- Gilroy, CA)


From where did your family emigrate and when? Who emigrated (self, parents, grandparents) and what were their names?
My father Gaspare Fiorio came to America in 1921 from Rivoli,his home town, a suburb of Torino. He had spent five years in the army in WWI and three years working in France. My mother Maria Conti was born in Viali and raised in Cocconato, a well known town not far from the birthplace of Don Bosco (Castelnuovo). My father returned to Italy in 1928, met and married my mother. He returned to America with his bride in the fall of 1928.

Did they emigrate to another location before or after (Argentina, France, England, etc.)?
My father came to San Francisco in 1921 because he had a brother in the nursery business. We stayed there until 1933 when we moved to Gilroy, California.

Did they settle among other Piemontesi and were they members of a Piemontesi society (fraternal, mutual aid, etc.)?
There were many Piemontesi as well as Genovesi in the San Francisco area. When we moved to Gilroy there was a large population of Piemontesi and of course the culture, cuisine and language flourished and is still strong despite the passage of time.

Did your family return home to visit or to live after the initial emigration? Did they maintain contact with family back home?
My parents returned several times after WWII to visit and maintained a close contact with their families.

Do you identify yourself more as American, Italian or Piemontese?
I consider myself American of Piemontesi parents.

Have you visited your family's town(s) in Piemonte? What was your experience like?
My wife and I have visited Italy four times and our experiences have been just great. My wife's family are from Verona and our experiences there have been as great.

Do you belong to the Piemontesi nel Mondo, Famija Piemonteis or any other organization?
We belong to Piemontesi nel Mondo and are proud to be members. We also belong to the Italian Catholic Federation.