GENOA, Italy — In parts of this historic Italian port city, the signs of Bangladesh are hard to miss.
Bangladeshi-owned restaurants and shops line the streets, while Bengali-speaking workers serve customers, cook meals and manage businesses. For many Bangladeshis from Shariatpur's Naria upazila, Genoa has become a second home.
The community's growth over the past four decades is closely linked to migration networks built by families and villagers who arrived in Italy before them.
One such story is that of the Dhali family from Purba Nandan Shah village in Gharisar Union of Naria.
It began with Lutfur Rahman Dhali, who travelled to Italy in 1982.
A journey that opened doors for others
Dhali initially settled in Rome. After establishing himself in Italy, he began helping relatives and people from his home area navigate the difficult process of migration, according to family members.
He helped them find accommodation and work and connected newcomers with people who could assist them, they said.
Although Lutfur Rahman died in 2010, the network he helped build continued to grow.
His brother Fazlur Rahman Dhali also spent nearly 29 years in Italy. According to the family, he helped around 50 people from Naria come to Italy and assisted many of them in finding jobs.
The experience reflects a pattern commonly associated with chain migration, where people who establish themselves abroad help relatives and acquaintances follow the same route.
Four brothers, 19 restaurants
The family's presence in Genoa has since expanded into business.
Fazlur Rahman's four sons — Sujon, Sabuj, Sajib and Rajib Dhali — now operate 19 restaurants in the city, according to the family. They are also involved in the hotel business.
The family says the businesses employ around 200 Bangladeshis.
“Uncle created a path for us. Many people later came through that path,” Sujon Dhali said. “Now our generation is not only expanding our businesses but also creating employment opportunities for other Bangladeshis.”
Bangladeshi workers are employed in different roles, including cooking, serving and management.
Nearly 100 Dhalis in Genoa
The family estimates that nearly 100 members of the wider Dhali family now live in Genoa.
Some are involved in business, while others work in restaurants, hotels and other service-sector jobs.
Their presence is the result of a migration process spanning more than four decades, with members of successive generations joining relatives already established in Italy.
The Dhali family is part of a broader Bangladeshi community in Genoa, which includes migrants from several parts of Bangladesh.
Many people from Naria and neighbouring areas have also settled in Rome, Milan and other Italian cities.
Sujon Dhali estimates that more than 1,000 people from greater Naria and surrounding areas are now living in different parts of Italy.
There is no comprehensive official data available to independently verify the figure, and it should therefore be treated as a community estimate.
Remittances and investment back home
For many migrants, the benefits of working in Italy extend beyond their lives abroad.
Bangladeshis living in Genoa said earnings from Italy have been used to build homes, buy land, pay for children's education and invest in businesses in Bangladesh.
The flow of money has also contributed to changes in the economic landscape of their home communities.
Members of the Dhali family estimate that their businesses and other income-generating activities in Italy generate around €1.2 million in economic activity annually.
However, there is no independently verified breakdown of the figure or data showing how much is remitted to Bangladesh or invested there.
From the port city of Columbus to a new home for Bangladeshis
Genoa has a long association with maritime history. The city is widely regarded as the birthplace of Christopher Columbus, the explorer whose voyages across the Atlantic changed the course of world history.
Centuries later, migrants from Bangladesh have arrived in the same city for a very different reason — to find work, build businesses and improve their families' prospects.
For the Dhali family, the journey began with one man in 1982.
His decision to migrate was followed by the arrival of his brother, then the next generation and other relatives and acquaintances.
Today, the family is not only part of Genoa's Bangladeshi community but also among those providing jobs to fellow migrants.
What started as one person's search for a better life has, over four decades, grown into a wider network connecting Naria with Genoa — linking families, businesses and communities across two countries. :::
This version keeps the human-interest angle of The Daily Star's feature reporting, while toning down unverified claims and making the attribution clearer.
