The Brown Hands Behind Italy's Famed Hospitality

Words by Humayra Rabab

Welcome to the Brown History Newsletter. If you’re enjoying this labor of love, please do consider becoming a paid subscriber. Your contribution would help pay the writers and illustrators and support this weekly publication. If you like to submit a writing piece, please send me a pitch by email at brownhistory1947@gmail.com.

Don’t forget to check out our SHOP and our Podcast

This rare vintage poster was for Lata Mangeshkar's historic 1974 concert at London's most iconic venue, the Royal Albert Hall. In 1974, Lata became the first Indian to perform live at the prestigious venue with a series of three sold-out concerts within a single week. It was also her first performance outside India.

---

What is "South Asia", really?

How South Asian Doctors Saved The NHS

---

---

The Brown Hands Behind Italy's Famed Hospitality

A waiter in Italy

Italy consistently ranks among the world's most coveted luxury tourism destinations. Tourists from across the globe arrive expecting world-class hospitality, fine cuisine, and impeccable service. From Rome's bustling trattorias to Venice’s elegant hotels and Milan’s fashion-conscious cafes, the allure of Italian hospitality is carefully curated and globally admired. Yet beneath this polished façade lies a quieter, more uncomfortable truth: much of what makes Italian hospitality iconic depends on the invisible labour of South Asian with majority Bangladeshi migrants—critical to the industry but rarely afforded dignity.

The influx of Bangladeshi migrants into Italy—notably significant over the past two decades—has led to their marked visibility in urban landscapes. Visible, yet seldom respected. Italy is now home to Europe’s second-largest Bangladeshi community after Britain, with over 150,000 individuals predominantly concentrated in major urban and tourist centres. Their presence in Italy is far from incidental; it directly aligns with the Italian economy’s demand for cheap, and flexible labour.

Italy’s job market itself is notoriously rigid, characterized by limited opportunities even for Italian nationals. However, for Bangladeshi migrants, these structural constraints are compounded by systemic racial and cultural prejudices. Despite fluency in Italian, migrants from Bangladesh are often perceived through stereotypes shaped by earlier waves of irregular migration. As one migrant explained, the majority of the first generation of Bangladeshi migrants arrived without documentation or work permits, shaping a lasting, negative perception that persists even as most migrants today enter Italy legally.