gypsies

[jolynn]

hello all, could anyone tell me if there where a large population of gypsies in italia between 1880 and 1900, if so what was their history, where they absorbed into society or did they move on throughout europe, what was the connection between gypsy and romany. thankyou all kind regards john

[JamesBianco]

There are still many Gypsies in Europe, I have encountered them (in multitudes) in Rome, Palermo, Madrid, Palma di Mallorca, Barcelona, and Naples. They can be both pestering and dangerous, traveling in groups and have nearly perfected the art of pick pocketing and outright theft.

In Rome, 2005 my friend was attacked by a group of them, all women. They rubbed his back and put their hands inside his jacketand even untucked his shirt. They didn't bother me for some reason (maybe because I am tall and very ethnic looking, not so turisty) and I had to pull them off him, yelling at them in Italian as best as I could to leave him alone.

Let me tell you how scary that was!!

In Monreale, Sicily I mistakingly put down my wallet to pay for something. Within a moment, some gypsy girls had entered the store and were heading for it. My friend picked it up and handed it to me, the girls then turned and left.

From what I understand (from my gram) Gypsies/Roma's were quite plentiful even in the USA before WWII.

[jolynn]

hello james, thankyou for that but i am trying to find out what it was like some hundred years ago, was it as it is now or was they refugees then, take care john

[suanj]

the gypsies in Italy, as in other european country, it are the nomad peoples that don't working and don't want to work; it are 2 types of nomad gypsies: Slavs and Indo-Europeans... both pestering and dangerous.. and is no a racisme this, is the truth... in my town the gypsies are a community established with houses and no more nomads.. sometime it arrrive also the nomads... always problems in the town.. but of the established gypsies, the new generation, thanks for a good work of a good priest, well they working and it have a normal life, but only the new generations, the parents again they lived with traditions... they guide the cars without patent, without necessary assurance, without to respect the normal rules of civil life... but the new generation always thank to this priest, they wish and they make a normal life and they working...
I don't know because the gypsies wish to live so, as enemy of civil peoples, but it is so....
suanj

[JamesBianco]

Exactly Suanj, that was my experience with them as well!

Jolyn, this article is pretty interesting:

http://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Roma_people

[suanj]

no connection between gypsy and romany( you means Romans? or Rumanians? my reply is abt the Romans..) suanj

[JamesBianco]

I think we are all talking about these people:

The Roma (singular Rom; sometimes Rroma, Rrom) or Romanies are an ethnic group living in many communities all over the world. The Roma are among the best known ethnic groups that appear in literature and folklore, and are often referred to as gypsies or gipsies, a term that is based on a mistaken belief of an origin in Egypt[31]. The Roma are still thought of as wandering nomads, but most Roma today live settled in permanent housing.[32] This widely dispersed ethnic group lives across the world not only near their historic heartland in Southern and Eastern Europe, but also Western Asia, Latin America, the United States and the Middle East.

[jolynn]

hello suanj, i am trying to see if things have changed over a period of time, my first visit to italia was in 1966 when a child and i dont remember any problems then, this was to capri and naples, i am still trying to find out what is the romany connection, how are you, i have had a busy day chasing family roots, take good care, kind regards john

[jolynn]

thanks james, that makes things clear, i am mainly taking about romanies, the true romany as all but disappeared in britian and i wondered if it was the same in italy, thanks again best regards john

[suanj]

I think we are all talking about these people:

The Roma (singular Rom; sometimes Rroma, Rrom) or Romanies are an ethnic group living in many communities all over the world. The Roma are among the best known ethnic groups that appear in literature and folklore, and are often referred to as gypsies or gipsies, a term that is based on a mistaken belief of an origin in Egypt[31]. The Roma are still thought of as wandering nomads, but most Roma today live settled in permanent housing.[32] This widely dispersed ethnic group lives across the world not only near their historic heartland in Southern and Eastern Europe, but also Western Asia, Latin America, the United States and the Middle East.

ahhhhhhhhhhhh... you means what we call the ROM, well are always gypsies, Rom it is the name with this gypsies are called in their language( rom people)... so slavs or indo-europeans, the gypsies say in their language that they are ROM peoples.... suanj

[jolynn]

hello suanj, yes that is right, it is the romanies i am talking about, they where persecuted in their homeland, like the jews and many where killed, they dispersed throughout europe and i have a freind who is a vetenary surgeon who is descended from the romanies and is trying to research her ancestry, thanks for your help kind regards john

[Lee123]

thanks james, that makes things clear, i am mainly taking about romanies, the true romany as all but disappeared in britian and i wondered if it was the same in italy, thanks again best regards john

John the romany in the UK haven't gone anywhere they are still here,there blood might be a litte watered down, but they are still here, i've roma/ romany ancesters and relatives, i've travelled the country with them top to bottom.

The roma in Italy come in various groups, you have the Jenisch [indigenous germanic nomads with a little roma blood, usualy sinti] who live up in the north and travel Germany and other German speaking countrys, you have the manusch, and sinti they have been settled in Italy for years then you have various new comers from eastern europe, the kaldesrash ect,they give the otheres a very bad name with there theiving etc, but you can't blame them they come from imo backward countrys, where only the fittest survive.

[jolynn]

hello lee, that is very informative and also very interesting, thanks again for that, regards, john

[Lee123]

John you will find big communities of Italian gypsys in America north and south, especialy Argentin, they migrated to Australia as well mainly Melbourne....

[jolynn]

hello lee, i find this very interesting, what we in england call gypsies is sometimes differant to what other people call gypsies, in my un educated mind i always thought gypsies were from eastern europe and was once a proud nation who were badly persecuted like the jews and driven from their lands, thus left to roam, please enlighten me, kind regards john