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culturally famiUar occupations of farming or business. Some time in the 1850s or early
1860s Vincenzo opened a hotel on the main road at Spring Creek (ref figure 10). His
premises, which previous owners had operated as a bakery, were modified to become
the Revival Hotel and store,^"^ the name possibly referring to Italy's stmggle for
unification ~ its so called Risorgimento (Revival) ~ then taking place. Vincenzo
would have foUowed these events with some interest, a symbol of the close emotional
bonds which existed between the Ticinesi and Italians.^*
Vincenzo transformed his hotel into a meeting place for miners, including the
Chinese fossickers who came to exchange their gold for food and drink. ^* He also, like
other Italian-speaking hoteUers previously mentioned, diversified the activities of the
Revival Hotel as a means of protecting his livelihood. Similar to the Italian bottega (a
general store in a country district catering more or less for the needs of the people in
the area and serving as a wine shop and eating-house), it sold liquor, food and a range
of grocery items. Like the bottega, it was sparsely furnished but provided a welcoming
atmosphere to its largely peasant clientele. In 1864 Vincenzo incorporated a bakery
into the business and planted around it an extensive vineyard. A painting of the
Revival Hotel, which bears the date 1855 (possibly in reference to its original
constmction) has been passed down through the generations of the Perini family to
become a treasured reUc of one of the granddaughters.^' The painting symbolises
Vincenzo's financial achievements as well as the status which he gained within his
community.
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