Borserio Giovanni from Villa di Tirano Italy to Australia

Borserio Family Home, Villa Di Tirano, Lombardy, Sondrio, Northern Italy

In 2000 Joan and Gary Hunt visited Villa di Tirano for the first time, as part of their nine overseas months vacation. At the time we had just completed a ten weeks stay in the small fishing village of Mytikas on the Ionian coast of Greece, and planned to set out for five months in England. After leaving Greece by ferry, and arriving in Italy, we backpacked around Europe for two weeks and during this excursion, we visited Villa di Tirano. At the time we knew little about Villa di Tirano, the village of Gary's Italian ancestors, the Borserio family. All we knew was that they lived in Villa Di Tirano in the mid-1800s. We had no idea where they lived, whether their house still existed and if any family members still resided in there. Nevertheless, it was a delightful experience to wander around Villa and to speculate on the life of Gary's great grandfather, Giovanni Borserio, living as a child with his family in the village and from where he migrated to Australia in 1864. Little did we know that in the next 16 years we would return to Villa di Tirano a further four times, meet up with Gary's third cousin, Giuliano Borserio (who still lives in Villa di Tirano), be shown the locations of the Borserio home (no longer owned by the family) and the family's summer pasture in the Swiss mountains still part owned by Giuliano and his sister.

After returning home to Ballarat from our 2000 sojourn to the continent and England we were made aware of Janice Orgnoni, an Australian (born in Perth) who married an Italian and with their children reside in Villa di Tirano. Janice's husband owns a local business and she runs the J&B Bed and Breakfast out of her large three storey home. We arranged to stay at her B&B and while there she kindly acted as an interpreter to explore local records which lead to us discovering third cousin Giuliano Borserio. Giuliano showed us the Borserio home which he and his sister had sold 19 years before. We found the house in disrepair and vacant. The photographs below are a record of our time there.

The Borserio house is on the left in Via Derada, Villa di Triano. (2006)

Via Derada: The narrow street leading up to the Borserio house on the far left.

(2006)

Gary and Giuliano sitting at the side of the former Borserio home.

(2006)

At the rear of the building, which is now vacant, resided another family.

(2006)

Giuliano Borserio, Janice Orgnoni and Joan Hunt.

(2006)

Rear view of the building in which the Borserios occupied the front and another family the rear.

(2006)

Neighbours came out to see and speak to the Australian visitors. Giuliano is standing in the forefront.

(2006)

Front view of the Borserio house. Giuliano Borserio and Joan Hunt.

(2006)

Giuliano Borserio, Gary Hunt, Joan Hunt

(2006)

In 2011/12 we resided in Southam, Warwickshire, England for fourteen months and during this period we returned to Villa di Tirano on two occasions. The first was in 2011 to introduce brother Andrew Hunt's partner. Lorna Bourke, to Tirano and Villa di Tirano and the former Borserio house. On this trip we discovered that the current owner of the house had commenced extensive modernisation of the building and while the renovation was incomplete it was on the market for sale. Following this visit with Lorna we returned again in 2012 with our son Stephen, his wife Felicity and their two children Georgia and Andy. Photos below:

The Borserio house on the far left in the process of being modernised (2011). Note 'For Sale' sign.

Joan inside part of the ground floor (2011)

Side view (2011)

Front view. The upstairs bedrooms, bathroom and balcony which overlooked the Italian Alps were extremely nice. (2011)

View from the second floor balcony over the top of neighbours' roofs to the base of the Swiss Alps on top of which is located the Borserio summer pasture property. (2011)

Joan, Stephen and Georgia Hunt (2012)

Andy and Felicity (nee Hall) Hunt (2012)

Felicity, Stephen, Georgia & Gary
Andy
(2012)

In April 2016 while in England for ten weeks Joan and Gary met up with Gary's cousin Joan Hatfield in Milano and together we travelled by train to Tirano. We spent five days in Tirano sightseeing, travelling up through the scenic Bernina Pass in the Swiss Alps to San Moritz, visited Villa di Tirano and the Borserio house (still being renovated) and by taxi found the Borserio summer pasture (photos of summer pasture in a posting below).

The Borserio house still under renovation and for sale. (2016)

Joan Hatfield standing on the steps that lead to the rear garden area. (2016)

Joan Hatfield taking in the delightful sights from the rear garden: Swiss Alps to the left and Italian Alps to the right of picture. (2016)

Joan Hunt and Joan Hatfield walking down Via Derada. (2016)

Joan Hunt and Joan Hatfield in Sant'Antonio where the Borserio family would have been members of the congregation. (2016)

Joan Hatfield lighting candles to the memory of her mother Kaye Hatfield, grand-daughter of Giovanni Borserio. (2016)

Sant'Antonio Church, 39 Via Sant'Antonio, Villa di Tirano (2016)

Driving to Villa di Tirano on the road from Tirano. Villa di Tirano on the left and
the Italian Alps ahead. (2016)

Ownership of summer pasture land by Villa di Tirano's families in the Italian Alps overlooking their village was traditional and the Borserio family was no exception. Joan and I visited the Borserio summer pasture in 2006 and 2016. In 2006 part of the original pasture remained in the hands of the Borserio family. On the first occasion, we were shown the property by Gary's cousin Giuliano Borserio, who with his sister were part owners. In 2016 the remains of the original hut were there but considerable deterioration had occurred since our visit in 2006. The pasture is located on a mountain top with the most wonderful 360-degree vista of the Italian and Swiss Alps. In 2016 Joan and I were accompanied by Gary's Australian cousin, Joan Hatfield, Balmain, Sydney and we were taken to the property by a local Tirano taxi driver. Since our 2006 visit, a couple of new houses had been erected on the property so we are uncertain whether Giuliano Borserio and his sister still own the part of the property on which the hut is situated.

Summer Pasture Photographs: