By Matthew Mancini
As my surname suggests, I am a first-generation American on my father’s side. My father is Italian, and his family is from Monte San Giovanni—a small town in Lazio. Despite my father’s proficiency in the Italian language, he never taught my siblings or me the beautiful language. Thus, I took it upon myself to reconnect with my heritage and learn Italian in college. This semester, I took ITAL 1011: Italian Language and Culture Beginner, Intensive. Next semester, I am registered to take ITAL 1511: Italian Language and Culture Intermediate, Intensive (please find proof of registration below).
My Italian family traditions are of the utmost importance to me: cooking handmade gnocchi with my Nonna, playing “Asso Pigliatutto” with my uncle, and practicing speaking Italian with my father. My family and I have visited Italy twice. During our first trip, we stayed with extended family in Monte San Giovanni, traveling then to Rome, Florence, and Venice. During our second visit, we traveled around Southern Italy, Naples, and the Amalfi Coast. The natural beauty of the country is breathtaking, and the Italian people fill the nation with a charming vibrance.
Italian history, literature, and art have always fascinated me. So much so, this semester, I took a course (IDST 1491: Dante’s Afterlife in Popular Culture) on Dante Alighieri’s Commedia. Reading this masterpiece has deepened my appreciation for the beauty of Italian culture!
My love for Italy began when I moved to Rome for my junior and senior years of high school. I attended an international school, where the city became a classroom for learning about ancient Roman ruins, Baroque architecture, and Renaissance painters. There was history to be unearthed on every street corner. I loved learning by interacting with people, trying new foods, and practicing my Italian language skills every day. I also lived in Rome in the midst of the pandemic, and because the city was quiet with very few tourists, I got to know locals and visited museums without the crowds. Despite the difficulty the pandemic caused, Rome’s unique culture and atmosphere shone through. I recently returned to Rome, and it was nostalgic to be there as a tourist instead of a resident. I spent time going back to each of my favorite places—coffee bars, my high school, Isola Tiberina for a picnic by the river, and restaurants where my family had befriended the owners. Visiting Rome renewed my desire to live and work there in the future.
