Diodati

Our parents, Giovanni Diodati and Franceschina Derose were born in the small village of Sartano in Calabria, Italy. They married in 1945 after the war where dad was a cook, medic, and prisoner. Dad was recognized by the Italian government with a medal of honour. They had their first two children, Carlo and Venera in Sartano. Times were difficult in Italy. Dad wanted a better life for his family, so he immigrated to Canada in 1950.

After a year of hard work, he had saved enough money to bring his family to Toronto. Adjusting to a different culture, not knowing the language and with no support and little money was difficult but they worked hard to create a family home. From their house on Bellwoods Avenue, in the heart of Little Italy, they sponsored our uncles, aunties and other paesani from Sartano. There was always men staying with us until they had enough money to bring their families to Toronto. Within a few years, all our immediate family had settled nearby. Our Diodati family continued to grow with Fred arriving in 1952, Jim in 1954 and Joe in 1959. We did not have much money, but it was a happy time. There was always food on the table and our house was always full of family for Sunday lunch.

In the 60’s and 70’s we had a grocery store serving the Italian community and then moved to Malton where dad worked as a janitor before retiring. This house was also always full of family on Sundays with all the grandchildren. Giovanni died in 2003 at 83 and Franceschina at 81 in 2005. We are thankful for their sacrifices so that we could live the better life they wanted for us.