The Archive

The Italian Scottish Oral Narrative Archive

Welcome to The Italian Scottish Oral Narrative Archive, a digital archive dedicated to the promotion and dissemination of oral life narratives on the Scottish diaspora from the Comino Valley. This archive is the result of Giuseppe Vitale's PhD project, "Voices of the Scottish diaspora from the Comino Valley: Narrating, Preserving, and Sharing Identity and Memories". Giuseppe, who also curates this website, completed the study as a PhD candidate in "Linguistic, Terminological and Intercultural Studies" at Parthenope University of Naples, supervised by Professor Raffaella Antinucci. The project was made possible through a municipal doctoral scholarship, in partnership with the local governments of Picinisco and San Donato Valcomino. This partnership is part of the Italian National Strategy for Inner Areas (SNAI), a policy aimed at preventing demographic and economic decline and promoting the unique historical, cultural, and environmental heritage of these areas. The archive brings together fifteen oral narratives from three generations of the Italian Scottish community. Gathered in Edinburgh, Glasgow, and Picinisco from March to September 2025, these stories are based on the narrators' unique, first-hand memories. They offer a powerful reflection on family histories of migration, adaptation, identity, belonging, and the enduring desire to reconnect with their Comino Valley roots. Let's explore the cultural connections between Italy and Scotland to honour the past and inspire the future.

Discover the archive here