The American tour operator Grand Circle Travel, which organizes cruises in Europe, has selected the Emigrant Museum of the University of the Republic of San Marino for a series of guided tours that will potentially bring over 200 tourists to San Marino. The first of 14 scheduled tours for 2017 took place last Thursday, January 26, when nine Americans left Ravenna, where their cruise ship was docked, for San Marino. They met with Patrizia Di Luca, director of the Museum's Emigration Research Center. Di Luca accompanied them on a 90-minute tour, which included viewing original documents, objects belonging to migrants, and period photographs, with a particular focus on those who emigrated from San Marino to the United States.
Each tour can accommodate a maximum of 16 tourists. The initiative will be expanded to include, starting in February, firsthand accounts from some of San Marino's migrants who have returned to the Republic.
"We were pleased to accept Grand Circle Travel's request and are delighted that American citizens visiting Italy are choosing to learn about San Marino and the history of San Marino emigration," explains Di Luca. "Visitors listen with great interest to the stories of our fellow citizens who left for the United States in the past. These stories involve departures from Italian ports, the 'calls' required to obtain authorization to enter the US, and the 'chains' of friends and family that were created as a result. The respect that tourists show for the hard work and dedication of our emigrants is truly moving."
