"On International Migrants Day, we want to remember all migrants, of any nationality and from any country, who today face the many problems, dangers, and difficulties associated with emigration. A special thought goes to the many minors who often pay a very high price in seeking better living conditions and a dignified future in other countries." These were the words of Patrizia Di Luca, head of the Emigration Research Center at the University of the Republic of San Marino, in anticipation of International Migrants Day on December 18, proclaimed by the United Nations General Assembly. The scholar, currently working on the initiatives to celebrate the twentieth anniversary of the inauguration of the San Marino Emigrant Museum in 2017, including the publication of a photographic volume, recalls that "from the second half of the 800th century until 1970, many San Marino men and women, out of economic necessity, left for neighboring Italy, France, Brazil, Africa, Argentina, Germany, Switzerland, the United States, and Belgium. In the countryside, in mines, in restaurants, in factories, and on construction sites," Di Luca continues, "San Marino men and women undertook tiring and arduous work, but, in every circumstance and in every place, they demonstrated professionalism and commitment. Emigration was also an experience of sharing and generosity, as the constant remittances sent home were essential to the support of the families who remained in San Marino. The contribution of the emigrants, however, was not only economic, and once they returned, those who had lived abroad they brought new skills and knowledge, positively influencing not only the economy but also the social and cultural life of the republic".
The director of the Center for Emigration Studies, which among its activities offers educational programs for schools in San Marino and Italy, also recalls that "San Marino citizens actively participated in the growth of the countries where they settled, seeing their professional skills recognized. Over time, subsequent generations were able to gradually choose their careers and became fully integrated into the civil societies of their emigration countries."
