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A series of events – along with an official visit to London by members of both the State and Grand Councils of Ticino – marked the 150th birthday of the Unione Ticinese, one of the oldest Swiss clubs in the UK.
The delegation’s packed schedule included meetings with the Lord Mayor of the City of London, the Deputy Speaker of the House of Commons, and the Chair of the All-Party Parliamentary Group for Switzerland.
Alongside this, an event at the London Metropolitan Archives offered attendees the chance to look back at the history of the Unione Ticinese (UT) and get a glimpse of the future with performances and talks from emerging Swiss-Italian artists writing their own history in the UK.
The items on show at the Archives included the very first register of UT members from 1874 (including the entry for founder Stefano Gatti), an original ticket for a 1903 banquet held at London's Café Monico, and a diary entry from the leader of the UT’s choir describing their “finest hour” in 1960 performing at the Royal Festival Hall.
The Lord Mayor of the City of London, Michael Mainelli (centre) with the President of the Grand Council of the Canton of Ticino, Nadia Ghisolfi © FDFA
The culmination of the celebrations was a gala dinner held at the Embassy featuring food, music and wine from Ticino, along with toasts to the next 150 years of the Unione Ticinese.
Discover more about getting involved with the Unione Ticinese here and for Italian speakers, check out Swiss public broadcaster RSI’s news report on the anniversary too.
