Caffis Eidalaidd Cymru // The original Italian coffee shops

  • Cyhoeddwyd

O ddiwedd y 19G tan ganol yr 20G daeth miloedd o Eidalwyr i Gymru i agor caffis, parlyrau hufen iâ a siopau sglodion. Dyma gofnod, mewn lluniau, o'r bywyd a'r cymeriadau sy'n cadw'r traddodiad yn fyw yn ne Cymru.

From the late 19th century until the mid-20th century, thousands of Italians made their way to the bustling valleys of south Wales to open cafes, ice cream parlours and fish and chip shops. These photographs document some of the few that remain open today - a reminder of a proud legacy that refuses to die.

Disgrifiad o’r llun,

Fe agorwyd Station Cafe yn 1935 yn Nhreorci, Cwm Rhondda // Station Cafe, Treorchy in the Rhondda Valley was opened by Joe Balestrazzi in 1935.

Disgrifiad o’r llun,

Y mab, Domenico Balestrazzi, sy'n rhedeg Station Cafe erbyn hyn // Domenico Balestrazzi, or 'Dom', took the reins from his father Joe in 1965 and runs Station Cafe today.

Disgrifiad o’r llun,

Ymgolli yn newyddion y dydd yn Station Cafe // Catching up on the day's news at Station Cafe.

Disgrifiad o’r llun,

'British by birth, Welsh by the grace of God' - y neges balch ar y belt // 'British by birth, Welsh by the grace of God' - the proud message on the belt buckle.

Disgrifiad o’r llun,

Digon i blesio unrhyw ddant melys yng nghaffi Carpanini's yn Nhreorci // Carpanini's cafe in Treorchy continues the tradition of selling a combination of food, drink, cigarettes, sweets and ice cream.

Disgrifiad o’r llun,

Sefydlwyd y caffi gan Ernesto Carpanini yn 1947, ac mae'n cael ei redeg heddiw gan ei blant // The stunning decor in Carpanini's dates back to the 1960s. The cafe was opened by Ernesto Carpanini in 1947, and is now run by his children - Irene, Pietro, Gianmarco and Francesco.

Disgrifiad o’r llun,

Louis Conti yw'r ail genhedlaeth i redeg siop sglodion Conti's yn Nhonypandy // Louis Conti is from the second generation to run Conti's fish and chip shop in Tonypandy, Rhondda.

Disgrifiad o’r llun,

Y cegin gefn yn Conti's // The 'back-kitchen' at Conti's.

Disgrifiad o’r llun,

Parlwr hufen iâ Forte's ger Mwmbwls // Forte's Ice Cream parlour is nestled in the wonderful Limeslade Bay in Mumbles, Swansea.

Disgrifiad o’r llun,

Marcus Luporini yw rheolwr caffi Kardomah yn Abertawe // Marcus Luporini runs the Kardomah cafe in Swansea. The cafe was bombed during the war and re-opened in a new location in 1957.

Disgrifiad o’r llun,

Mae'r caffi gwreiddiol yn enwog gan fod Dylan Thomas yn un o'r cwsmeiriaid rheolaidd // Swansea's Kardomah was made famous by the 'Kardomah gang' who frequented the cafe - Dylan Thomas was a member.

Disgrifiad o’r llun,

Mae'r addurniadau'n dod o 1957, o'r cyfnod pan ail-agorwyd y caffi // The decor dates back to 1957, when the cafe was re-opened in its current location.

Disgrifiad o’r llun,

"Ges i fy magu yn ymweld â'r Kardomah" // "I was brought up visiting the Kardomah".

Disgrifiad o’r llun,

"Fi yw'r genhedlaeth olaf" - Stella Jenkins sy'n rhedeg siop losin Segadelli's yn Y Creunant, Cwm Dulais // "I am the last generation" - Stella Jenkins runs Segadelli's sweet shop in Crynant, Dulais Valley. Her father, Ernesto Segadelli, opened it in 1921.

Disgrifiad o’r llun,

Gyda'i dad, mae William Gambarini yn rhedeg caffi Prince's, Pontypridd // The future of Prince's Cafe, Pontypridd is in good hands. William Gambarini is from the third generation to run the cafe.

Disgrifiad o’r llun,

Fe agorwyd y caffi yn 1948 gan daid William, Dominic Gambarini a'i wraig Glenys // Prince's was opened in 1948 by Dominic Gambarini and his wife Glenys, and the original Art Deco has been preserved.

Disgrifiad o’r llun,

Mae'r 'hatch' hen ffasiwn rhwng y gegin a'r lle bwyd hefyd wedi ei gadw // The old fashioned 'hatch' between the kitchen and cafe has also been preserved.

Disgrifiad o’r llun,

Mae'r potyn dŵr poeth traddodiadol yn cael lle amlwg yng nghanol y caffi // The lavish copper pot was a feature of the old Italian cafes and takes centre stage at Prince's.

Disgrifiad o’r llun,

Mae ymweld â chaffi Prince's yn achlysur pwysig // A sense of occasion.

Mwy o orielau lluniau // More photo galleries on BBC Cymru Fyw: