The United States and South America became the destinations of millions of Italians in the second half of the 1800s and early 1900s. Overloaded ships, precarious hygienic conditions, diseases, epidemics, food shortages were the cause of numerous deaths during the crossings. Among the many cases, we can mention the 52 who died of hunger on board the ships "Matteo Bruzzo" and "Carlo Raggio", which left Genoa in 1888 for Brazil, the 24 who died of asphyxiation who had embarked on the ship "Frisca" . Then we remember those who, in 1889, after having embarked on the ship "Remo" understood that the owner had sold twice as many tickets compared to the seats available, so much so that cholera exploded on board. The dead were thrown into the sea. The number of passengers dropped by 4 or 5 a day. The vessel was rejected in Brazilian ports where it sought rescue. Or the tragedy of the ship "Sirio" during which 500 emigrants died.