Bridging cultures: Gino's journey to rediscover his Italian heritage

Growing up as a second-generation Italian American in the Greater Boston area, I knew I was Italian, but I never really focused on my heritage. As far as I was concerned, I was American. Being Italian was just a small part of my identity. Though three of my grandparents were born in Italy (in Calore di Mirabella and Mola di Bari), and the fourth was a first-generation Italian American who spoke Italian, I didn’t fully appreciate my heritage until I got older. And that’s why, despite being surrounded by Italian speakers—my grandparents, aunts, uncles, cousins, and even my parents—I never became fluent.

My family, however, is very much Italian in its own unique way. Every Sunday, we gather at my nonna’s house for dinner (actually my cousins and I are there all the time). And no matter how many people are there, she is always in the kitchen cooking for 50 people. For Christmas Eve, she prepares an array of seafood dishes like baccalà, shrimp, clams, calamari, and mussels while on Easter, she makes pizza chiena, a Neapolitan pie filled with cheese, salami, and eggs. And there are always her Nutella cookies for every occasion!

And we not only limit ourselves to eating all those delicious dishes. Every August, I help my grandma make homemade tomato sauce: she buys countless bushels of tomatoes, and we use her steel tomato press from Italy to make hundreds of jars of sauce for the year before storing them in her cantina. My nonno on my mother’s side also put me to “work” at a young age and taught me a lot about gardening: I’d climb ladders to pick cherries, use a power saw to trim fig tree branches, water the plants, dig up the soil, and more. 

Today, I look back and truly appreciate these experiences. However, it was only when I started taking Italian classes in high school that I realized how significant my Italian heritage is. I realized that not everyone grew up the same way and began to take pride in my family’s story and culture. And today, while my cousins and I often joke about our imperfect Italian, we’re still a bit upset with our Italian-speaking parents not teaching us both English and Italian. As much as we understand enough to get by, we accepted that we wouldn't ever be fluent in Italian. However, that mindset changed for me when I saw the Italianforawhile profile come across my Instagram feed.

When I saw one of their videos about the opportunity to study in Italy for up to a year, I thought it was too good to be true. But after following the page and researching the program, I was impressed by its structure and flexibility. It was a perfect fit. So I got involved by following their accounts on other platforms and attending webinars and soon, I decided Napoli was where I wanted to live and study. The city, with its proximity to my roots and its vibrant culture, resonated deeply with me.

Most of my family is from the Campania region, near Avellino, and they speak a dialect similar to Neapolitan. I still have many family members and friends there. My nonno is a huge Napoli fan, and we watch all the games on Sundays before dinner (I’m actually timing my stay to catch a game at the Maradona stadium). Napoli's beauty, coastal location, and proximity to Positano and Capri—two of my favorite places—make it ideal. Plus, I can eat pizza every day and visit family and friends on weekends!

The pride I feel visiting family in Italy is unparalleled. And while it sometimes feels like a different world, I know I was meant to be in it. The kindness, hospitality, and sense of belonging from family, friends, and even strangers are indescribable and traveling with my Italian-speaking cousins makes our trips more meaningful and authentic than the average tourist experience. However, not speaking fluently feels like missing out. And while each visit improves my Italian, I can only imagine the progress I'll make with Italianforawhile. By enrolling in their program, I really hope to bridge the gap between my Italian American identity and my ancestral roots, forging stronger family connections and preserving our heritage for future generations!