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Veronica Smith’s family moved from Italy to Cardiff in the 19th Century.  This tambourine belonged to Veronica’s grandmother, who played it with her husband to earn money as they travelled from Italy to Cardiff, walking over the Alps as they came.  Like many other Italian families they settled in Adamsdown.

Veronica Smith tells us: "My grandfather and my grandmother came over with other Italian families, they walked the Alps.  My family were all musical, my grandfather played the accordion, my grandmother played the tambourine.  They played nice music and people gave them money and it helped them get into England.  They got into England and most of the Italian people settled in Adamsdown because it was near the station and they opened a shop.  My auntie had a shop in James Street.  She had ice cream and cigarettes and my father Giuseppe Corsi, or Joe, helped her and then they opened shops in City Road, Cathedral Road and Cowbridge Road.  They used to make the ice cream, mixing it themselves, beautiful ice cream, they used to put the Ideal Milk in it and eggs.  My father used to make all the ice cream for the hospitals - it's good for the blood pressure."