Indo Italian
Encyclopedia
Although Italy
and India
have maintained important relations since ancient times, significant Indian migration to Italy is a recent phenomenon. Many Indians began immigrating to Italy since the early 1990s, when the Italian government offered amnesty to illegal migrants following a worker shortage, and the numbers have been growing progressively since. Today Indians in Italy number 120,000 (ISTAT - 2011)
Most came from the Punjab
and tend to work on dairy farms and in agriculture. Others have become businesspeople and have become active in the restaurant and retail fields associated with Italy's large tourism industry. About half of the total Indian migrant population in Italy live in the agricultural areas of the central and northern regions of the country, especially in the areas around Rome
and Milan
.
Most Indians have integrated successfully into Italian life, and local authorities and people are impressed with their contributions to the local economy. They have been found to be generally very industrious, hard working, and law-abiding.
Most Indians have retained their religious practices namely Hinduism and Sikhism. There are numerous temples and gurdwara
s as well as ISKCON centres.
Italy
Italy , officially the Italian Republic languages]] under the European Charter for Regional or Minority Languages. In each of these, Italy's official name is as follows:;;;;;;;;), is a unitary parliamentary republic in South-Central Europe. To the north it borders France, Switzerland, Austria and...
and India
India
India , officially the Republic of India , is a country in South Asia. It is the seventh-largest country by geographical area, the second-most populous country with over 1.2 billion people, and the most populous democracy in the world...
have maintained important relations since ancient times, significant Indian migration to Italy is a recent phenomenon. Many Indians began immigrating to Italy since the early 1990s, when the Italian government offered amnesty to illegal migrants following a worker shortage, and the numbers have been growing progressively since. Today Indians in Italy number 120,000 (ISTAT - 2011)
Most came from the Punjab
Punjab (India)
Punjab ) is a state in the northwest of the Republic of India, forming part of the larger Punjab region. The state is bordered by the Indian states of Himachal Pradesh to the east, Haryana to the south and southeast and Rajasthan to the southwest as well as the Pakistani province of Punjab to the...
and tend to work on dairy farms and in agriculture. Others have become businesspeople and have become active in the restaurant and retail fields associated with Italy's large tourism industry. About half of the total Indian migrant population in Italy live in the agricultural areas of the central and northern regions of the country, especially in the areas around Rome
Rome
Rome is the capital of Italy and the country's largest and most populated city and comune, with over 2.7 million residents in . The city is located in the central-western portion of the Italian Peninsula, on the Tiber River within the Lazio region of Italy.Rome's history spans two and a half...
and Milan
Milan
Milan is the second-largest city in Italy and the capital city of the region of Lombardy and of the province of Milan. The city proper has a population of about 1.3 million, while its urban area, roughly coinciding with its administrative province and the bordering Province of Monza and Brianza ,...
.
Most Indians have integrated successfully into Italian life, and local authorities and people are impressed with their contributions to the local economy. They have been found to be generally very industrious, hard working, and law-abiding.
Most Indians have retained their religious practices namely Hinduism and Sikhism. There are numerous temples and gurdwara
Gurdwara
A Gurdwara , meaning the Gateway to the Guru, is the place of worship for Sikhs, the followers of Sikhism. A Gurdwara can be identified from a distance by tall flagpoles bearing the Nishan Sahib ....
s as well as ISKCON centres.