Italian Scots

Italian Scots
Italo-scozzesi (Italian)
	Anton Muscatelli is the Principal of the University of Glasgow and one of the United Kingdom's top economists.
Total population
	No exact numbers but estimates range from 35,000 to 100,000
Regions with significant populations
	Throughout Scotland specifically Glasgow ·
Languages
	Scots; British English; Italian and Italian dialects;
Religion
	Christian: Mostly Roman Catholic
Related ethnic groups
	Italians, Italians in the United Kingdom, Welsh Italians, Scots, Genoese in Gibraltar, Italian Americans, Italian Australians, Italian Canadians, Italian New Zealanders, Italian South Africans

Italian Scots (Italian: italo-scozzesi) are Scots who are fully or partially of Italian descent, whose ancestors were Italians who emigrated to Scotland during the Italian diaspora, or Italian-born people in Scotland. This term can also refer to people of mixed Scottish and Italian ancestry. A recent Italian voter census estimated that there are 70,000 to 100,000 people in Scotland of Italian descent or Italian nationals, which is up to 1.9% of the overall Scottish population.

Latest available figures from the 2011 UK Census show there were 6,048 people born in Italy living in Scotland. This was up from 4,936 in 2001 and 3,947 recorded in 1991.^[2] In 2016, Ronnie Convery, secretary of the Italian Scotland charitable organisation and director of communications at the Archdiocese of Glasgow, asserted that a completely new dimension was being added to the Scots-Italians community. He said, “There has been a brand new migration over the past two years, and the biggest one we have seen in 100 years."^[2]

Migration to Scotland from Italy has been predominantly from the provinces of Lucca and Frosinone.^[3] Additional provinces with fairly significant emigration to Scotland include Isernia, La Spezia, Pistoia, Parma, Latina, Massa-Carrara and Pordenone. The Scottish Italian community settled mostly in the Glasgow area, most of whom are of Tuscan origin. The smaller Italian community in and around Edinburgh is predominantly of Lazian origin.^[4]

History

Arguably the first people from Italy to reach Scotland were the Romans in and around 40AD, although the modern nations of Italy and Scotland did not exist at the time, and the Roman Empire was a cosmopolitan institution, with some Roman Emperors from the Iberian Peninsula and North Africa. Still, at least some of the Romans in Scotland were probably from what is now Italy and their constructions in Scotland of the Antonine Wall and other, mostly military installations, provide some insight into the period. No Roman or Romano-Celtic identity appears to have existed in Scotland at this time and it was not until the end of the 19th century that any form of an Italian-Scots identity ever began to take shape.

Many Italian-Scots can trace their ancestry back to the 1890s, when their forefathers escaped drought, famine and poverty in their homeland for a better life in Scotland; yet it was not until World War I that a sizeable population of Italian-Scots—over 4,000^[5]—began to emerge, with Glasgow hosting the third largest community in the United Kingdom.^[5] Since then, there has been a steady flow of migration between the two countries.

Italy and the fascist involvement in World War II brought many hardships on Italians settled in Scotland - many families were separated as adult males were interned.^[6] The family members that were left behind were forced to cope with mistrust and discrimination. Of those imprisoned many men found themselves held in Northern Ireland and the Isle of Man. A number of others were employed in Orkney, at Scapa Flow, to construct a barrier against Nazi U-boats. These men additionally constructed the Chapel of Lambholm from scrap metal and junk.^[7] Nowadays, this Chapel is one of Orkney's most popular tourist attractions.

Today, Italian Scots can be found working in all manner of professions. However, a large proportion of the community have plied their trade in the catering industry, working in the chip shops, ice-cream parlours, pizzerias and restaurants across Scotland.

In Edinburgh,The Italo-Scottish Research Cluster (ISRC) aims to study Italian immigration in Scotland and promote relations between Scotland and Italy.^[8]

Notable Italian Scots

John Amabile, interior designer
Ronni Ancona, impressionist and actress
Angus Barbieri, holds the Guinness World Record for the longest recorded fast at 382 days.
Nicola Benedetti, violinist
George Biagi, Rugby Player
Romana D'Annunzio, television presenter
Junior Campbell, musician and composer
Gianni Capaldi, actor
Lewis Capaldi (b. 1996), singer-songwriter and second cousin, once removed of actor Peter Capaldi
Peter Capaldi (b. 1958), actor and director, best-known for Malcolm Tucker in The Thick of It and the Twelfth Doctor in Doctor Who
Emilio Coia, caricaturist
Jack Coia, architect
Paul Coia, television presenter
Angela Constance, Scottish National Party MSP
Mario Joseph Conti, emeritus Archbishop of Glasgow
Nina Conti, actor, comedian, and ventriloquist
Tom Conti, actor
Adrienne Corri, actress
Simon Danielli, rugby union player
Nick De Luca, rugby union player
Richard Demarco, art impresario
Sophia Dussek, musician
Paul di Giacomo, footballer
Linda Fabiani, Scottish National Party MSP, and former Minister for Culture
Charles Forte, hotelier
Rocco Forte, hotelier
Dario Franchitti, Racecar driver
Marino Franchitti, Racecar driver
Chris Fusaro, rugby player
Armando Iannucci, writer and satirist
Keira Lucchesi, actress
Lou Macari, footballer and football manager
Peter Marinello, footballer
Oscar Marzaroli, photographer
Dominic Matteo, footballer
Kirsty Mitchell, actress
Alberto Morrocco, artist
Giovanni Moscardini, footballer
Sir Anton Muscatelli, Principal and Vice-Chancellor
of the University of Glasgow
Daniela Nardini, actress
Paolo Nutini, singer-songwriter
Sir Eduardo Paolozzi, sculptor
Carmen Pieraccini, actress
Paul di Resta, Formula 1 racecar driver
David Rizzio, private secretary of Mary, Queen of Scots
Marcus Di Rollo, rugby player
Carla Romano, TV journalist
George Rossi, actor
Ricky Sbragia, footballer
Tom Sermanni, football coach
Rachel Sermanni, singer-songwriter
Sharleen Spiteri, singer-songwriter; guitarist; lead vocalist of the Scottish pop-rock band Texas
Ken Stott, actor
Philip Tartaglia, Archbishop of Glasgow
Margaret (Maggie) Zavaroni, singer ; seamstress
Alexander Trocchi, writer
Peter Vettese, musician
Charles Edward Stuart, Prince ^[9]
Lena Zavaroni, singer

In popular culture

American Cousins – A film about an Italian Scots family and their Mafia associated American cousins.
Strictly Sinatra
Comfort and Joy – A film about a war between rival Italian ice cream companies in Glasgow. The film is a spoof of American gangster movies.
Soft Top Hard Shoulder