What does it mean to be Italian (Un Rital)?

I’ ll never forget when I was very young, someone asked me if I was French, I said
yes, my Father quickly said, Oh No Battista, you are Italian, don’t ever forget that !
My Grand Mother (La mamma) gave me the best gift of my life, she took me to Italy where I experienced my true Italian culture. The feelings of Love and sharing of families I’d never meet before, how lucky to be born an Italian.
Growing up in a predominately Italian neighborhood in France really kept my roots alive.
All my friends were Italian/Sicilian or at least latin and mad about Food.

Our Home was always filled with family and friends. Saturday night my Aunts & Uncles would start arriving carrying there cakes, salami, liquors, pasta, wine and breads. My Dad would set up his famous Poker table, they would eat Sausage at Midnight, coffee, coffee & more coffee with Grappa of course, they played cards til 3 or 4 AM. I remember my Uncle Al & Aunt Marie leaving and going to 4:00 AM Mass.

Sunday, I awoke to the smells of My Mum Rabbit stew cooking……
Did my Mother ever sleep? She was still in the Kitchen where I saw her the night before. Family would stop-in all day eating my Mothers delicious food. She could feed an Army in minutes. My Mom shared her life Loving Food

Being Italian means you’ll never grow old, your culture keeps you young at heart.

Our Dancing, Singing, visiting our families all around the Country, for Weddings, Retirements and Funerals. Watching our new Italian Generation grow, I Love Being Italian

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Jacques, My son.. Dark hair, Olive skin and an italian temper all ready !

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

Here are their collective thoughts about what it means to be Italian.

• People stick to their word. La parole é sagra (the word is blood).
• People are generous
• Italian men are romantic.
• Hospitable with big hearts
• Stubborn and proud
• Not greedy
• Jealous
• Outgoing for others and not necessarily for each other
• The taste of food is important, lot of pride about how good the food is in Sicily- especially vegetables and fish. Buona forketta (good eating).
• People enjoy making things by hand
• There is a pride in taking care of the land that was passed down. They enjoy working the land. They pointed out that this is particularly true of Italians.
• Things here are changing because of progress
• A dowry for daughters is important, and mothers make things by hand for them. They crochet blankets and bedspreads. They particularly like to make something special by hand for first born grandchildren. (When talking to some younger people before this about dowries, they shared that it wasn’t important to them anymore and that they had asked their mothers not to make one for them).
• Parents are possessive of their children – mothers of daughters and fathers of sons.
• People are also possessive of their ideas.