Felice Lepori veniva da Tesserete, allora solo un villaggio oggi comune di Capriasca, vicino a Lugano. Si imbarcò da Genova alla volta del Sud America, assieme ai suoi figli Luigi, Pietro e Nabor. A Rio de Janeiro se lo portò via la febbre gialla. Orfani di padre e di patria, i tre figli giunsero a Buenos Aires. Ma il destino di Luigi era ancora più a Sud.
Nel 1895 venne ingaggiato da una ditta che stava costruendo un lussuoso palazzo in stile francese, nella Patagonia cilena. Si trasferì a Punta Arenas, una delle città più meridionali del mondo, sullo stretto di Magellano. Serviva un manovale esperto nello stuccare soffitti e colonne con il gesso. Da allora, la famiglia Lepori vive lì.
I ticinesi del Cile (2) - I Lepori di Tesserete
Eduardo, nipote di Luigi, oggi è un affermato odontoiatra. Durante la guerra del Beagle fu di stanza in Antartide, come ufficiale medico. Oggi continua a tener vive le tradizioni culinarie ticinesi a casa sua e nel locale Circolo svizzero. Ne è stato presidente per anni, unico rappresentante del Ticino, in mezzo a una maggioranza di discendenti da friborghesi.
Gilberto Mastromatteo
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