AIFC Co-Chairs celebrate italian-american heritage month
Every October, Italian-American Heritage month commemorates the centuries-old friendship and important ties between the United States and Italy. The legacy of Italian immigrants in our country runs deep, the fruits of which have become staples in American culture and our daily lives. During the month of October, we should not only look back, but also forward to foster the economic, national security, environmental, and cultural bonds that inspire the connection between the United States and Italy. It is in our shared interest to work together, and we are confident in the continued relationship between our two great countries. This month, AIFC co-chairs Hon. Susan Molinari and Lucy Calautti are celebrating their heritage as Italian Americans by recalling moments spent traveling, sharing traditions, and cooking with their families.
“My Italian roots are in southern Italy, and I am so proud of the traditions passed down to me from my grandparents, who emigrated from that region.
Cooking meals for my close-knit family is such an important part of what makes me Italian. I love to prepare pasta in the southern Italian tradition with tomatoes, peppers, and olive oil.
Recently, my husband and I traveled to Calabria with our children and grandson to find my roots. We not only found our ancestral village in the Aspromonte mountains - we also found our long-lost family! I was thrilled to unite three generations of my Italian-American family with our family in Italia.
I hope to spend many future Italian Heritage months connecting my family to the home that made us who we are today.”
- Lucy Calautti, AIFC Co-chair
“My maternal grandmother, baptized Asunta Nacchio, was the third oldest in a family of ten. Her parents and two of her sisters migrated from Pagani, Italy to NYC. Shortly after landing in America, my grandmother was born.
They were a loud and joyful family who got together frequently, always around a meal. Their meals were simple and healthy. They couldn’t afford a lot of meat, so they relied on beans, lentils, fresh vegetables, and pasta. My grandmother was an amazing cook, even though we didn’t own measuring cups nor spoons. When I would watch her cook, she would explain, “you take a little oil, a dash of salt, some oregano...” It was all to taste - her taste - and she always got it right. How I loved coming home from school, with beautiful smells emanating from the kitchen as she prepared our dinner. It smelled like heaven; it smelled like love.
Pictured is Corpo Di Christo – the center of my family’s life in Pagani. We were privileged to visit the town this summer. The locals welcomed us with open arms. Sometimes, you can feel “family” generations back. The church contained a lot of information about my grandmother’s family. In the second picture, I am looking at the actual baptismal recordings of my two aunts, who were born in Pagani.”
- Hon. Susan Molinari, AIFC Co-chair
