Calabria, Italy

Cunzia gazed into the lens of the camera knowing that very soon her eldest son was going to leave Italy and join her husband in Australia.

The foreign world of coal mining in America faded into a distant dream, almost forgotten. The countryside was where Andrea truly belonged.

Andrea Moschilla departed from Naples on a sea voyage to America to work in coal mines. He left his newlywed wife Cecilia Pedulla in Italy.

Sadly, within 3 months, bride and groom separated. Andrea returned to America to resume working in mines while Cecilia remained in Calabria.

On 4 March 1875, at 11:13 pm, in their home on via Flavia, Fortunata Fragomeni and Francesco Moschilla's son, Andrea, was born.

Born in 1877, Cecilia was a gentle and unique woman, shaped by the cultural norms of her era, with one exception - she could read and write.

Much like seeds drifting in the wind, the news of Andrea's return from America to marry Cecilia spread for kilometres across rural Siderno.

Andrea was not a miner. In Siderno he lived his life under an azure sky surrounded by wheat fields, fragrant citrus trees and olive groves.

Andrea Moschilla's voyage to America in the early 1900's was a puzzle. Missing pieces of evidence threatened to keep the story a mystery.

Family tree for Francesco Moschilla and Fortunata Fragomeni was compiled from oral history passed down from Girolomo Moschilla to his son.

Three Moschilla relatives linger on torn and stained paper - their ghostly images refusing to fade into oblivion.

As she walked down the church aisle, bride Cuncia could feel the two-lire coin her mother placed in her right shoe for good luck.

A reclining Japanese woman, wearing a kimono, found a welcoming place to rest in rural Siderno - on Cuncia and Sarvu's marital bed.

On Monday 15 May 1911, Peppe and Angela’s eighth surviving child, Cuncia, was born and like all previous births, it was a home-delivery.

The fleece of two sheep was needed to make this woollen blanket for the dowry of Cuncia's daughter, Girolama.

Artisans continue to handcraft the instrument using traditional techniques and materials sourced from nature.

She definitely wasn't beautiful but there was something special about her that demanded your attention whenever she walked by.

"Allivi sunnu pronti u si cogghinu." "The olives are ready for picking." Angela's observations determined the start of the harvest season.

After an untimely death, Angela and her mother were threatened with eviction from their home. A marriage to Peppe would solve this dilemma.

In 1945, Rosa was living in the town of Loci with husband, Pietro, and young daughters Marietta, Angelina and Teresa - when tragedy struck.