Pizza and pasta is sold by every Tom, Dick and Harry these days to varying quality. 

But I bet you didn’t know when an Italian husband and wife arrived in Western Victoria fresh out of some of the finest restaurants in London their first lunch experience was some tinned salmon on top of a limp lettuce leaf.  

In that moment, staring down at their sad, lifeless meal, the wheels began to turn on bringing Italian dinning to the west of Victoria.  

Over 50 years later, I sit in the warmth of Campana’s Fine Wine & Deli on Armstrong Street and am overtaken by aromas of Italy.

The smell of rich, Italian coffee, the rich waftings of artisanal cheeses and cured meats, takes me too a place I never expected.

Sitting across from me is Cesare ‘Chez’ Dichiera, president of the Ballarat Italian Association (BIA), enjoying a cappuccino.

There was only one real question, where to begin?

Arriving in Australia in 1956 at the age of eight, Cesare was raised on a fruit block in Birdwoodton, just west of Mildura. Up until around ten years ago he went by Chez, a nickname given to him by an English teacher.

“I guess I was just afraid that people couldn’t pronounce it and that it would make me the subject of attention,” he said.

He moved to Ballarat in 1969 to study engineering at the Ballarat School of Mines (now Federation University) and was completely unaware of the dense Italian history within the city.

“When I moved here I was just a young hippy looking to do engineering and Ballarat was just another cold place.

“I just enjoyed the life here – Ballarat was just another big country town to me.”

In 1972 he met a girl Evie at a Ballarat Rowing Club dance who soon became his wife.

Over the next 40 years he worked throughout Ballarat, blissfully unaware of the Italian roots within his community.

In 2002 after being introduced to then treasurer of the BIA Charlie Tarquinio, Cesare was convinced to join the board. Two years later, he was president.

Now BIA is commemorating their ancestral history with a new book, ‘La Nostra Storia’ which translates to our history.

“I had the initial idea for the book four years ago. It took two years to iron out a lot of the details before we approached Jan McGuinness.” 

Ms McGuinness has authored the book, interviewing 53 people en route to creating the over 200 page publication.

“We wanted to reach back to the 1800s when the first Italians arrived to mine for gold at Eureka but obviously they’re not around to have a chat.”

When looking at influential Italian figures throughout Ballarat’s history, Raffaello Carboni’s name sits high on the list. 

The fiery miner was the sole author of The Eureka Stockade, the only eye witness account of the event in Australian history.

Only days prior to the incident Carboni called on all miners “irrespective of nationality, religion or colour to salute the Southern Cross as a refuge of all the oppressed from all countries on earth.”

A lesser known name whose influence is seen by thousands of people every day is that of Henery Richard Caselli.

After coming to Australia in 1854 Caselli spent many years as a naval architect before enjoying moderate success in the gold fields.

He was witness to the Eureka Rebellion, but eventually returned to architecture in 1858.

His folio of work reads like map of significant Ballarat locations: Ballarat City Fire Station, Mitchell’s Building (Myer department store) and Ballarat College along with the United Presbyterian, Saint Alipius Catholic and Saint James Anglican churches.

Moving into the 1890s, the Bongiorno family began its migration into Australia, led by Giovanni (Jack).

Once in Ballarat, the four Bongiorno brothers had an immediate effect on the economy, opening businesses up and down Sturt Street.

There was G. Bongiorno & Co., Fishmongers at 334 Sturt Street which was likely owned by Jack’s brother Giuseppe. S. Bongiorno’s, Fruiterer, owned and operated by Jack’s cousin Salvatore, was at 409 Sturt Street, which neighbored on Jack’s own business G. Bongiorno’s Alexandra Fruit Palace.

In 1916 The Courier described the fruit palace as “a refreshing change from the prevailing stagnation caused by the war.”

Fast-forward to the 1950s, four more brothers would go on to leave their indelible mark on the city. 

The Campana brothers, Carlo, Pietro, Marino, and Livio, paved their way to successful concreting businesses in Ballarat and Ararat.

Business was thriving such they could not keep up with all the work coming in, leading them to hire more staff, some of which would eventually leave and found their own concreting businesses.

However their success did not come without some challenges.

During a job in Colac, due to their poor English and inexperience reading plans, they dramatically under-quoted for a job, leaving them with no other option than to work seven straight days just to break even.

Their blunder did however lead to a three-year contract with the Ballarat City and Shire Council for 25,000 square feet of concreting worth £13,000. That’s roughly equivalent to over $400,000 now.

The Carli family also arrived in Ballarat during the 1950’s, with Emilio entrenching himself and the Carli name within the community.

He first got a job at a factory because he raised his hand when asked if anyone knew how to speak English and Italian despite not knowing what the question was. He had a relentless work ethic which he instilled in his five children.

Sons Stefan and Ric went on to open and operate Carli Engineering Pty Ltd where their playground inventions and designs put smiles of the faces of children throughout Ballarat.

Emilio was also a founding member of the BIA, residing as president from 1975 to 1977 and again from 1979 to 1982.

When you think of Italian eating, few influenced the Ballarat culture like Charlie Tarquinio and Luigi Bazzani.

Mr Tarquinio was responsible for opening Ballarat’s first pizza shop, Eureka Pizza, in 1972. This acted as the catalyst for Italian eateries to open up all throughout the city.

Originally coming to Australia with the intentions of being a hairdresser, he worked at a barber shop for two years. While this wasn’t always the best way to pay the bills, it gave him exposure to a wide range of people.

While Tarquinio’s fare was reasonably accessible, Bazzani’s fine dining was something people had never experienced.

Called “the godfather of civil eating, drinking and hospitality of Victoria’s goldfields region” by The Age Good Food Guide, the experience Bazzani provided to his customers was something people from around Australia would flock to. 

Whether it be food, architecture or infrastructure, the Italian community has left an undeniable imprint on this city.

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