Welcome to the

Mangiagalli Family Website

In May 1881, a group of Italians arrived in Knysna, South Africa, having travelled via Britain from various towns in Italy to set up a silk farming industry.

Among them were Angelo Mangiagalli and Giuditta Fardini. Angelo was 20 years old and had left his family in Milan. Giuditta who was 17 years old, had travelled with her siblings and parents, Pietro and Anna, who were silkworm farmers.

Angelo and Giuditta were married on 10 May 1881 only days after setting foot on the land which was to be their new home.

Angelo was forced to work in the woodcutting industry, as the silkworm farming failed due to the fact that there were no mulberry forests as had been promised by the British Government.

Their first child Louisa Margaret, was born in October 1883 in Gouna, Knysna, where they had settled. After spending 14 years in Gouna, they moved their family to Cape Town and settled in the suburb of Parow. They lived in the same house until their deaths, Angelo on 20 January 1921 and Giuditta on 12 June 1946.

They had 10 children. Their sons were Giuseppe, Umberto, Pietro (who died at 9 months), Petro Angelo and Albert Ernest. Their daughters were Louisa, Anna, Vittoria, Angelina and Rosa Josepha (who died in infancy).

Angelo longed to visit Italy again but never did. Very little is known about his life in Italy, other than he was born on 13 October 1860 in the Milan area, and his parents were Giuseppe and Luvicia.