Italian Floridians in South Florida: An Oral History Collection in the New New Land

This article discusses a new concept, new new land, and the role of material culture as an identity marker. The research is based on ethnographic data (Italian American Oral History Collection). The new new land is a space in which Italians who relocated to South Florida experienced a different migration from the late nineteenth and early twentieth centuries. Methodologically, excerpts from interviews are used to document the Italian Floridian experience in South Florida and pursue answers to such questions: Why did Italian Americans choose the Sunshine State as their new home? What meaning do Italian Americans give to this new new land? What happens to Italianita when one moves to a different area? In the new new land, Italian Floridians experience a symbolic idea of Italianita in their ongoing journey for which more research will reveal hitherto undocumented aspects of this vibrant group.