Proud and vibrant, men in immaculate suits with sashes across their chests, women and children in traditional costume, they gather on the streets of Ancoats. The picture below was taken in 1955 and the occasion was an annual parade.
But black ribbons are also worn by the group. The reason is that earlier that year, Marco Rea, the President of the Manchester Italian Association had died. On the front row of the photograph in the centre are two little sisters - Marco's granddaughters, Lorraine and Anna.
"Some say he was the best President we ever had. When he died there were there were three hearses to carry his coffin and all the flowers and 17 cars in the cortege that arrived at St Patrick's RC Church in Collyhurst - and the middle doors, not the side door, were opened for his arrival - which had never been done before."
"I used to go and do the factories in and around Derby Street - that was all my round. Me, my dad, Gerrard, and brother, Peter, did all these areas. When I finished my round my brother would do the night beat. All the other Marco Rea vans went up Wythenshawe." Back in their homeland, almost every city and village had a patron saint and a special day to celebrate them. So, when the Italians took part in their first Whit Friday Procession in 1890 in Manchester it must have seemed like home from home.
In 1987 Lorraine and her sister Anna, opened Roma deli in Whitefield. It has grown from a tiny little shop and café to a bustling restaurant famed for its rustic and authentic Italian food and friendly staff who span three generations of the family.
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