It started, as many of these stories do, with a list of names: A 1907 passenger manifest [1] from Genoa to Ellis Island, New York. I was in the process of searching for traces of my great-great-grandfather, Luigi Giannini, whose life had been cut short by tuberulosis and whom his descendants knew little about. Alongside him on this passenger list were six other passengers whose names I didn’t recognise: Amabile Menchini, Agostino and Massimina Fabbri, Giuseppa Fabbri, and her daughters Giovanna, Rita, and Rosa.
At first, these were just names on a page. I wasn’t sure if they were friends, distant relatives, or complete strangers, but I could see that they all originated in Bagni di Lucca with two very similar destinations: 136 Portage Avenue and 336 Portage Avenue, both listed as destination addresses in Winnipeg, Manitoba in Canada. Luigi and Amabile were headed to one address; the others to the other. It felt significant – but I didn’t yet understand how.
Following the principles of FAN club research—looking at Friends, Associates, and Neighbors—I started to ask questions. Who were these people? Why were they all heading to Winnipeg? And what were the chances that Luigi was traveling with them purely by coincidence? Bit by bit, what began as a search for one man became an attempt to untangle a web of kinship, migration, and return; a web that reached from Bagni di Lucca to the streets of early 20th-century Winnipeg.
As I started to dig, the names began to take on context. I discovered that Agostino Fabbri was a confectioner, already working in Winnipeg as early as February 1903[2]. He wasn’t a new arrival; he had been crossing the Atlantic back and forth between Bagni di Lucca and Canada multiple times. More specifically, I’ve identified at least five separate trans-Atlantic crossings in the records[1,3,4,5,6]. He was a businessman who travelled between Bagni di Lucca to Winnipeg.
In 1907, Agostino was now returning with his wife Massimina, and his extended family—including Giuseppa, the wife of his brother Ulisse Fabbri, and their three daughters, Giovanna, Rosa and Rita. The group was clearly reuniting with Ulisse, who was already in Canada and, specifically, in Winnipeg[7]. This wasn’t simply immigration—it was a strategic return, part of a broader transatlantic pattern I was about to uncover.
But Agostino and Ulisse weren’t the first Fabbris to arrive in Canada. That distinction went to their older brother, Ludovico Fabbri, who in 1900 traveled to Winnipeg by way of Montreal with his sons, Iacopo and Bartolomeo, and his brother Ulisse, and their travel companion Celio Landi, all of them from San Cassiano di Controne[8].
See the family relationships here
So, by the time Luigi arrived in Winnipeg in 1907, a 20-year-old man with $10 in his pocket, he was stepping into a pre-existing network—a network rooted in family ties, with the Fabbri family at its center.
Two Portage Addresses: Home and Work?
The two addresses on the 1907 passenger manifest—136 and 336 Portage Avenue—reflected different functions. Based on census and directory records, 136 Portage was a residence where Ulisse and Giuseppa Fabbri lived with their three daughters. Meanwhile, 336 Portage was associated with a confectionery or delicatessen—one of the Fabbris’ early ventures in Winnipeg[9].
This dual-address arrangement suggests a coordinated return, a family reunion, and potentially a division of labor: home on one end of the street, business on the other. And it hints that Luigi and Amabile weren’t tagging along—they were being invited to join the venture.
A Shift in the Network
By 1909, the network begins to shift. That year, Ulisse and Giuseppa’s fourth daughter, Giacobina, was born in Wentworth, Ontario, suggesting that Ulisse and his family had left Winnipeg in search of new opportunities[10]. On the birth record, Ulisse was listed as a restaurant keeper. By the 1921 census, he appears in Hamilton, Ontario, working as a statue maker[11] – a trade common among Italian immigrants, particularly those from Bagni di Lucca (read about Nieri & Bernardi, a Montreal-based business with Bagni di Lucca roots here). Ulisse’s departure from Winnipeg marked a notable divergence in both geography and occupation, leaving the city’s Italian business landscape increasingly in the hands of the younger generation.
The Next Generation: From Deli to Hotel
In the early 1910s, that next generation was coming into its own. Iacopo and Bartolomeo Fabbri—the sons of the first Fabbri to arrive (Lodovico Fabbri) and the younger nephews of Ulisse and Agostino—were increasingly active in the family business, stepping into more visible roles after years of working alongside their uncles. But in July 1912, tragedy struck. Agostino Fabbri died of tuberculosis in Winnipeg[12,13], a loss that undoubtedly shook the family and left the younger Fabbri nephews to carry forward the entrepreneurial vision on their own. By mid-1913, with their uncles no longer involved, the younger Fabbri brothers—Iacopo and Bartolomeo—took the reins. They transitioned away from the delicatessen business and are listed as hotel proprietors at 261 Jarvis Avenue, an address that would now serve as the center of the Fabbri family’s operations in Winnipeg[14], marking a new phase in the family’s business story.
“The Italian, like the Irishman, is a bundle of contradictions. He is hot-headed and quick-tempered; yet he is good-natured, kind, obliging; he is gay, fun-loving, light-hearted: yet he takes the every-day duties of life as seriously as he takes religion; he is generous and yet will deny himself the necessities of life to save money. Hot-blooded, volatile, when compared with the Anglo-Saxon, artistic in temperament, industrious, easily influenced for good or bad, the Italian immigrant is an interesting addition to our population.”
-The Manitoba Free Press, January 18, 1913
While the Fabbri bothers’ work shifted from deli to hotel, they remained deeply embedded in Winnipeg’s Italian immigrant experience. Decades later, in recollections from Italians who arrived in Winnipeg from the 1920s to the 1950s, a welcoming deli and restaurant across from the CPR station was often mentioned; a place where newcomers were greeted in their own language, helped to find taxis or relatives, and even used the address to receive mail from home[15]. That storefront, warmly remembered by generations of immigrants, was none other than the Fabbri family establishment – a familiar anchor and a first point of contact on Canadian soil. In one published account, Giovanni Fabbri – the younger brother to Iacopo and Bartolomeo – was credited with coming to the rescue of confused new arrivals at the train station, offering food, conversation, and a familiar language.
This shift seems to mark the second phase of the Fabbri entrepreneurial story in Canada: a younger generation establishing their own independent mark in the city.
Selection of newspaper notices and advertisements related to the Fabbri family from Winnipeg-based newspapers from 1903-1917. Click on the photos for captions.
Lives Cut Short
Just months before Agostino’s death, in March 1912, Luigi Giannini had returned home to Bagni di Lucca to marry my great-great-grandmother, Maria Marta Bastiani[16]. After the news of Agostino Fabbri’s death in July, Luigi decided to make the journey back to Canada in August—this time arriving via Montreal, possibly to reconnect with other families from San Cassiano (e.g., the Nieri family, also from San Cassiano) or to begin a different leg of his journey before returning to Winnipeg[17]. But sometime between his return in 1912 and 1914, Luigi fell ill – also with tuberculosis.
In response to this turn of events, his young wife, Maria Marta, made the extraordinary journey across the Atlantic —alone—to retrieve her husband in March of 1914[18]. Her ship’s manifest lists her destination as “her husband Luigi Giannini, 261 Jarvis Avenue”: the address of the Fabbri brothers’ hotel (see below). Luigi was likely staying with his cousins as his health declined, surrounded by the support network that had welcomed him to Canada back in 1907.
While Luigi made it back safely to Bagni di Lucca he never recovered and died in November of 1916, just 30 years old[19]. Bartolomeo Fabbri, his cousin, close friend, colleague, and logistical support for Luigi in Winnipeg from 1907 and 1912, had died in January of the same year, likely also of tuberculosis, at the age of 31[20,21]
Conclusion
What began as a search for one man’s story became an entry point into a broader network of movement and migration. Following Luigi Giannini’s trail revealed more than just his path—it mapped a family’s evolving presence in a growing immigrant city, shaped by both opportunity and loss. These connections, once just names on a page, now form part of a clearer picture—one that continues to develop as I follow the documents, patterns, and people who linked Bagni di Lucca to Portage Avenue.
See the full timeline here
Ludovico Fabbri, his sons Iacopo and Bartolomeo, his brother Ulisse, and companion Celio Landi arrive in Canada from San Cassiano di Controne. These are the first members of the Fabbri family in Winnipeg, Canada.
1900
Ludovico Fabbri, his sons Iacopo and Bartolomeo, his brother Ulisse, and companion Celio Landi arrive in Canada from San Cassiano di Controne. These are the first members of the Fabbri family in Winnipeg, Canada.
1903
Luigi Giannini travels from Bagni di Lucca to Winnipeg via New York. On the same ship: Amabile Menchini, Agostino and Massimina Fabbri, Giuseppa Fabbri, and her daughters Giovanna, Rosa, and Rita. Their destinations: 136 & 336 Portage Avenue, Winnipeg (Fabbri residence and confectionery).
1907 (March)
Giacobina Fabbri is born in Wentworth, Ontario, indicating Ulisse and Giuseppa have separated from the Winnipeg group and moved east. Ulisse is now a restaurant keeper.
1909
Luigi Giannini returns to Italy to marry Maria Marta Bastiani in Bagni di Lucca.
1912 (March)
Agostino Fabbri dies of tuberculosis in Winnipeg. This marks the end of the first wave of Fabbris’ leadership in the business.
1912 (July)
Luigi Giannini returns to Canada, this time via Montreal, Quebec.
1912 (August)
Iacopo and Bartolomeo Fabbri become hotel proprietors at 261 Jarvis Avenue, transitioning the business away from confectionery.
1913
Maria Marta Bastiani travels alone to Canada to retrieve her ill husband. Her ship’s manifest lists destination: 261 Jarvis Avenue, indicating Luigi is staying with the Fabbris.
1914 (March)
Luigi Giannini and Maria Marta arrive home just in time for their first, and only, child (Iacopa) to be born in Cembroni, San Cassiano.
1914 (December)
Bartolomeo Fabbri dies in Winnipeg, likely also of tuberculosis, age 31.
1916 (January)
Luigi Giannini dies in Cembroni, San Cassiano di Controne, age 30.
1916 (November)
Bibliography
1. The National Archives in Washington, DC; Washington, DC, USA; Passenger and Crew Lists of Vessels Arriving at New York, New York, 1897-1957; Microfilm Serial or NAID: T715; RG Title: Records of the Immigration and Naturalization Service, 1787-2004; RG: 85. Passenger list (1907) for Agostino and Massimina Fabbri, Giuseppina, Giovanna, Rita and Rosa Fabbri, Amabile Menchini and Luigi Giannini. Available from: https://www.ancestry.ca/search/collections/7488/records/4012195545?tid=&pid=&queryId=4f98f09c-6c65-4c3d-bf0b-436b426e6ccc&_phsrc=BQY1&_phstart=successSource
2. “Notice”, Morning Telegram (Winnipeg, Greater Winnipeg, Manitoba, Canada), February 28 and March 13, 1903. University of Manitoba Libraries. Available from: https://rb.gy/sfcnwx
3. The National Archives in Washington, DC; Washington, DC, USA; Passenger and Crew Lists of Vessels Arriving at New York, New York, 1897-1957; Microfilm Serial or NAID: T715; RG Title: Records of the Immigration and Naturalization Service, 1787-2004; RG: 85. Passenger list (1898) for Agostino Fabbri. Available from: https://www.ancestry.ca/search/collections/7488/records/4018963824?tid=&pid=&queryId=1a2373f3-04b7-49ae-a771-61f8b67ddc15&_phsrc=wEp4&_phstart=successSource
4. The National Archives in Washington, DC; Washington, DC, USA; Passenger and Crew Lists of Vessels Arriving at New York, New York, 1897-1957; Microfilm Serial or NAID: T715; RG Title: Records of the Immigration and Naturalization Service, 1787-2004; RG: 85. Passenger list (1905) for Agostino, Massimina, and Carolina Fabbri. Available from: https://www.ancestry.ca/search/collections/7488/records/4041817905?tid=&pid=&queryId=1a2373f3-04b7-49ae-a771-61f8b67ddc15&_phsrc=wEp4&_phstart=successSource
5. The National Archives in Washington, DC; Washington, DC, USA; Passenger and Crew Lists of Vessels Arriving at New York, New York, 1897-1957; Microfilm Serial or NAID: T715; RG Title: Records of the Immigration and Naturalization Service, 1787-2004; RG: 85. Passenger list (1910) for Agostino Fabbri, Iacopo Fabbri and Mina Fabbri. Available from: https://www.ancestry.ca/search/collections/7488/records/4008142997?tid=&pid=&queryId=1a2373f3-04b7-49ae-a771-61f8b67ddc15&_phsrc=wEp4&_phstart=successSource
6. The National Archives in Washington, DC; Washington, DC, USA; Passenger and Crew Lists of Vessels Arriving at New York, New York, 1897-1957; Microfilm Serial or NAID: T715; RG Title: Records of the Immigration and Naturalization Service, 1787-2004; RG: 85. Passenger list (1911) for Agostino Fabbri. Available from: https://www.ancestry.ca/search/collections/7488/records/4008488127?tid=&pid=&queryId=1a2373f3-04b7-49ae-a771-61f8b67ddc15&_phsrc=wEp4&_phstart=successSource
7. The National Archives in Washington, DC; Washington, DC, USA; Manifests of Passengers Arriving At St. Albans, Vt, District Through Canadian Pacific and Atlantic Ports, 1895-1954; NAI: 4492490; Record Group: Records of the Immigration and Naturalization Service, 1787 – 2004; Record Group Number: 85; Series Number: M1464; Roll Number: 029. Passenger list (1906) for Ulisse Fabbri, Celio Landi, and Guelfo Giannini. Available from: https://www.ancestry.ca/search/collections/1075/records/58394?tid=&pid=&queryId=73093bb6-04cf-4a0b-8338-3c6bebcc0e7f&_phsrc=wEp7&_phstart=successSource
8. Passenger Lists, 1865–1935. Microfilm Publications T-479 to T-520, T-4689 to T-4874, T-14700 to T-14938, C-4511 to C-4542. Library and Archives Canada, n.d. RG 76-C. Department of Employment and Immigration fonds. Library and Archives Canada Ottawa, Ontario, Canada. Passenger list (1900) for Ulisse Fabbri, Celio Landi, Lodovico Fabbri, Iacopo Fabbri, Bartolomeo Fabbri. Available from: https://www.ancestry.ca/discoveryui-content/view/3368975:1263?tid=&pid=&queryId=c2ada765-e374-4fea-959b-1e6d0e2d5fe0&_phsrc=WHX5&_phstart=successSource
9. Henderson’s Winnipeg City Directory (1908), page 586. Available from: https://archive.org/details/P000921-3-9/P000921-3-9/page/586/mode/2up?q=fabbri
10. Archives of Ontario; Toronto, Ontario, Canada; Series: Delayed Registrations of Births and Stillbirths, “90” Series, 1869-1911, 1913; Reel:1; Record Group: Rg 80-2. Birth record (November 23, 1909) of Giacobina Fabbri. Available from: https://www.ancestry.ca/search/collections/8838/records/17282590?tid=&pid=&queryId=b82d0c0d-1f7f-4f73-9075-b7a27b886226&_phsrc=wEp10&_phstart=successSource
11. Reference Number: RG 31; Folder Number: 63; Census Place: Hamilton, Hamilton West, Ontario; Page Number: 24. 1921 Census for Fabbri family. Available from: https://www.ancestry.ca/discoveryui-content/view/794470:8991?ssrc=pt&tid=173337535&pid=372250376709
12. “In memory of August Fabbri. Died July 11, 1912, RIP”, St. Mary’s Cemetery, Winnipeg, Greater Winnipeg, Manitoba, Canada. FindAGrave. Available from: https://www.findagrave.com/memorial/174251385/august-fabbri
13. Civil record (death) for Bagni di Lucca, Lucca, Italy (1912) “Agostino Fabbri”, page 59, part 2, entry #11. Available from: https://www.familysearch.org/search/ark:/61903/3:1:3QSQ-G9W7-1LB5?view=explore&groupId=M9C7-62N
14. Henderson’s Winnipeg City Directory (1913), page 962. Available from: https://archive.org/details/P000921-3-14/P000921-3-14/page/962/mode/2up?q=fabbri
15. Carbone, Stanislao. (1998) Italians in Winnipeg: An Illustrated History. University of Manitoba Press. ISBN: 9780887550546
16. Civil record (marriage) for Bagni di Lucca, Lucca, Italy (1914) “Luigi Giannini & Maria Bastiani”, page 20, part 1, entry #19. Available from: https://www.familysearch.org/ark:/61903/3:1:3QS7-L9W7-1G29?i=19&cc=2043811&cat=836067&lang=en
17. Library and Archives Canada; Ottawa, ON, Canada; Passenger Lists, 1865-1935; Series: RG 76-C; Roll: T-4709. Passenger list (1912) for Luigi Giannini. Available from: https://www.ancestry.ca/search/collections/1263/records/1962849?tid=&pid=&queryId=6a22dd34-032c-41b6-b6b6-25b3c28b828e&_phsrc=wEp20&_phstart=successSource
18. The National Archives in Washington, DC; Washington, DC, USA; Passenger and Crew Lists of Vessels Arriving at New York, New York, 1897-1957; Microfilm Serial or NAID: T715; RG Title: Records of the Immigration and Naturalization Service, 1787-2004; RG: 85. Passenger list (1914) for Maria Bastiani / Giannini. Available from: https://www.ancestry.ca/search/collections/7488/records/4013228690?tid=&pid=&queryId=98ffe725-2fe0-4721-ac10-9d6c3ca6d7c5&_phsrc=wEp23&_phstart=successSource
19. Civil record (death) for Bagni di Lucca, Lucca, Italy (1916) “Luigi Giannini”, page 1885, part 1, entry #185. Available from: https://www.familysearch.org/ark:/61903/3:1:3QS7-89WW-MX?i=1884&cc=2043811&cat=836067&lang=en
20. Ancestry.com. Web: Manitoba, Death Index, 1871-1951 [database on-line]. Provo, UT, USA: Ancestry.com Operations, Inc., 2012. Death of Bartolomeo Fabbri. Available from: https://www.ancestry.ca/search/collections/70601/records/1292987?tid=&pid=&queryId=c23140e5-26c3-468e-b813-b9fbd2caaeab&_phsrc=yrG5&_phstart=successSource
21. “Bartolomeo Fabbri, 1885-1916, R.I.P, Ever Remembered”, St. Mary’s Cemetery, Winnipeg, Greater Winnipeg, Manitoba, Canada. FindAGrave. Available from: https://www.findagrave.com/memorial/174751262/bartolomeo-fabbri?_gl=1*1237p3w*_gcl_au*MTAwMDA4MDQ5MS4xNzQ4NTUyMzQz*_ga*NDU5ODIzODkxLjE3NDg1NTIzNDM.*_ga_4QT8FMEX30*c2M2YTRiZjRiLTI3YWUtNDRmYS1hZjVjLTY4M2NhYWQ3ODkzNSRvNSRnMSR0MTc0ODgwMjc1MCRqNTMkbDAkaDA.*_ga_QPQNV9XG1B*c2M2YTRiZjRiLTI3YWUtNDRmYS1hZjVjLTY4M2NhYWQ3ODkzNSRvNDkkZzEkdDE3NDg4MDI3NTAkajUzJGwwJGgw
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