Intervista con Alice D'Appolonia

Alice D’Appolonia was born in Codroipo, Italy on April 4th, 1909 and grew up on her family farm. When Alice was 19 or 20 years old, Alice met her future husband Santo Pasqualini while he was in Italy and looking to for a wife. Within two months of meeting one another, Santo was on his way back to Canada with his bride. The couple settled in Vancouver in September of 1933. Alice and Santo opened their business, Paris Bakery, in Vancouver. Together they had two children, Lino and Lina. On June 10th, 1940, two detectives knocked on the door and accused Santo of being a fascist. Santo was arrested and taken to the Canadian Immigration Building in Vancouver with many other Italian Canadian men. Following his arrest, Alice and her children did not know what had happened to Santo for two days. They later found out that Santo was taken to the internment camp in Kananaskis. While Alice was not arrested, she had to report monthly to the Royal Canadian Mounted Police (RCMP) in Vancouver. In her husband's absence, Alice lost the bakery and had difficulty making ends meet. She became seriously ill and her children had to go away while she was in the hospital. The doctors, believing Alice was close to death, requested that Santo be released in order to see her. This request was granted. Despite the difficulties she faced, Alice recounts fond memories of her family and her life in Canada.