Two Centuries to Freedom: The True Story of One Family's Two-Century Migration from Lucca, Italy, to New Mexico and Other American States (Hardcover)

In 1910, teenagers Julio and Amerigo Menicucci were among the early twentieth century wave of Italians from the Lucca Province who migrated to the United States. As adults, they established their homes and their families in Albuquerque, New Mexico. The story begins in the late 1700s in Lucca, Italy, at the foothills of the Apennines, where the Menicucci family had lived for many generations. Their saga reveals new history. Learn how an Italian started the city's first Gas War and how another mentored Pete Domenici into politics. Or how an Italian woman rose in a 1960s male-dominated society to create the first facility for severely handicapped children. Learn how the New Mexico Porcini from the Jemez Mountains are stewed, Lucca style. This book provides an in-depth, comprehensive view of the phenomenon of early 20th-century Italian immigration as seen through the eyes of the Menicucci family and contains over a hundred historical photos, maps and diagrams. Dozens of detailed personal stories range from glory to despair. There are hundreds of new historical details about the Italian immigration experience in Michigan, Illinois, California, Nevada, Idaho, Montana, and New Mexico. The book mentions almost every Italian family in Albuquerque between 1900 and 1950. The work is based on official records, published reports, and first-hand accounts. The fascinating struggles of this single destitute family from Lucca, Italy to realize the American dream are related in the context of history. This book was a Finalist in the History, Multicultural and Nonfiction-General categories in the NMwriters 2025 New Mexico Book Awards.