Author: gigisimeone

Having reached an age where I am among the first to receive a coronavirus vaccine, and often find myself getting a senior discount without even asking, I am sensitive to how older people are treated and portrayed. (Hearing older people being called "cute," although meant as a compliment, is like fingernails on a blackboard to … Continue reading 125. Elders

Every few years, my parents would bundle into the car and drive all the way to the Avon Theater in Providence, Rhode Island, the nearest art cinema. Why? Sophia and Marcello, naturally. No need for last names. The charm of these actors, Sophia Loren and Marcello Mastroianni, both individually and in tandem, makes every one … Continue reading 124. Sophia

In my household, the word tucci means male genitalia. It's not a cute word that one of our kids used as babies or anything like that. It's actually named for the actor Stanley Tucci, who made a big impression on us when we saw him in 2003 in Frankie and Johnny in the Claire de … Continue reading 123. Tucci

I just finished Jane Christmas' book Incontinent on the Continent: My Mother, Her Walker, and Our Grand Tour of Italy. Ms. Christmas, a Canadian writer of physical and spiritual "journey memoirs," decided to take a six-week jaunt through Italy with her elderly mother, with the not-so-hidden agenda of settling long-held scores and growing closer. Both … Continue reading 122. Travels with Mama

I always have angels from Naples at the top of the tree On December 14, 1984, my father, a nearly daily correspondent, tells me that he had spent the morning writing a letter to his nephew Giacomo in Rome. Even though he spent his first nineteen years in Italy, he writes, "It is so hard … Continue reading 121. Christmas in the pandemia

It appears to be unknowable. If you Google "How many types of pasta are there in Italy?" you will get answers ranging from 67 to thousands. I would be inclined to put my money on the thousands, as every town seems to have its own specialties -- by size, shape, ingredients, and preparation -- not … Continue reading 119. Pasta Gigi

She watched the sun rise over the Tuscan landscape and she wept. It was the last day of her first journey to Italy, and she simply did not want to leave.  She and her husband had traveled widely, but somehow,  the spirit of this place grabbed hold of her. Several years and many journeys later, … Continue reading 118. Solo in Salento

I come from a very Catholic corner of Massachusetts. There were not many Italians, but there was a good representation of people of Portuguese, Irish and French Canadian descent. My very small town had a separate Catholic church for each of these ethnic groups, plus another one besides. In the small neighboring city of Fall … Continue reading 117. San Francesco d’Assisi

I have always felt I had the best father in the world. I know, of course, that many people are lucky enough to feel the same way about their own fathers. But no one has ever said that about my grandfather. My grandfather, the only grandparent I've ever known, had a bit of a reputation … Continue reading 116. Grandpa