Much has been written on the topic of Italian emigration to America in the 19th and 20th centuries. The experiences of the Italians who immigrated as part of earlier mass migrations waves have been well documented, especially those of Italian men.

Yet, scholarly literature has paid significantly less attention to the experiences of Italian women, and they too are deserving of recognition. One woman’s journey, that of Rosa Camillo, is the classic representation of the 20th-century immigrant arriving in America from Italy for the first time.