Italian Brazilian - Prosperity

Prosperity

Historically, Italians have been divided into two groups in Brazil. Those in Southern Brazil lived in rural colonies, in contact mostly with other people of Italian descent. Italians living in Southeast Brazil on the other hand, the most populated region of the country, integrated into Brazilian society quite quickly.

After some years working in coffee plantations, some immigrants earned enough money to buy their own land and become farmers themselves. Others left the rural areas and moved to urban centres, mainly São Paulo, Campinas, São Carlos and Ribeirão Preto. A small minority became very rich in the process and attracted more Italian immigrants. In the early 20th century, São Paulo became known as the City of the Italians, because 31% of its inhabitants were of Italian nationality in 1900. The city of São Paulo had the second highest population of people with Italian ancestry in the world at this time, second only to Rome. In Campinas, street signs in Italian were common, a large commercial and services sector owned by Italian Brazilians developed, and more than 60% of the population had Italian surnames. Today, nearly 30% of the population of Belo Horizonte remains of Italian ancestry.

Italian immigrants were very important to the development of many of the big cities in Brazil, such as São Paulo, Porto Alegre, Curitiba and Belo Horizonte. Bad conditions in rural areas made thousands of Italians move to these big cities. Most of them became laborers and participated actively in the industrialization of Brazil in the early 20th century. Others became investors, bankers and industrialists, such as Count Matarazzo, whose family became the richest industrialists in São Paulo, with a holding of more than 200 industries and businesses. In Rio Grande do Sul, 42% of industrial companies have Italians roots.

Italians and their descendants were also quick to organize themselves and establish mutual aid societies (such as the Circolo Italiano), hospitals, schools (such as the Istituto Dante Alighieri, in São Paulo), labor unions, newspapers (such as La Fanciulla), magazines, radio stations and association football teams (such as Palestra Italia, later renamed to Portuguese Sociedade Esportiva Palmeiras in São Paulo, and Cruzeiro in Belo Horizonte during World War II).