It the end-of-millennium and 150 years after the extraordinary "Californian Gold Rush," which in the 19th century changed California and the other states of America, we would like to reveal the stories of the many Italians who took part in this fundamental moment in the history of North America.

Those Italians who lived the "Gold Rush" brought their own culture along with them into the states, thus contributing to the making of the modern Californian life-style and culture.

The strong will to have a new life, starting with nothing, and the desire to find their own “dimension,” allowed the first Italians reaching the mythical "Far West" to create an Italo-American community, which is now fully integrated into the socio-economic and cultural life of America.

The history of the “American West" would be incomplete if it did not take into account the story of the Italians, whose role was particularly important in the formation of the Northern Californian counties in the "Mother Lode,” the heartland of the Gold Country.