Growing Up Italian American .. and DisFunction is A Key Element

I will start my post off by saying, I love that I grew up Italian American, have Italian parents, and know the value of culture, family, love, support and yes this may shock many of you, but I will also add disfunction. This may be the first time I ever wrote anything about this topic and quite frankly to keep the blog real, if you tell me you've experienced no disfunction in an Italian American family then I'm gonna have to call you out and say you're full of it. I am sure many families not just Italians go through this, but I have to say as Italians or Italian American everything is magnified x10!!!

As Italian Americans we grow up with people in our families speaking loudly, arguing, and maybe even getting more animated than the norm. Now a days, this is considered bad behavior or grounds for analysis. To you and me as Italian Americans, we may not know any different and think it's normal. Along with the arguing is something called family dynamics, yes you know what I mean.. it's all about making sure you give certain people the right amount of respect and interacting with some family who you may not get along with, but you do for the sake of the family.

I love my family very much, but I think we all reserve the right to be who need to be as individuals, I don't always agree with my parents or siblings but in the end or when we need each other most YOU can best your ass we are there for each other. I always say blood is thicker than water... and this is true. So, without our disfunction we would be boring, and that very disfunction is also the element that keeps our family strong. I embrace the disfunction.. and sometimes have to laugh, because at times you think do other people's families go through this madness like us.. or is it just us??? I'm finding we all have our madness somewhere, but LOVE and family are everything. Can you relate?

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Rick Steves Travels To: Rome, Italy: The Ancient Forum

You know what they say, 'when in Rome, do as the Romans do.' If you've never been to Rome, your missing one of the most historical and educational trips of a lifetime. To be in Rome is to be in the middle of history. The structures, streets, architecture leave you in awe and all the while you're standing in modern day Rome. Watch this tour with travel guru Rick Steves as he ventures into historic and new Rome.

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Happy Mother's Day to my Italian Mother....

Here is a picture of my mother, Francesca. This picture was taken in Reggio Calabria,Italy while we were there visiting on vacation. It's difficult to sum up what a mother means to a person or how they've positively affected you. Don't get me wrong my mother drives me nuts too.. LOL but --I love my mother and thank her for not letting me forget who I am.. Happy Mother's Day Ma!


Photo: Copyright of ItalianAmericanGirl.com - Italian American Girl 2012 - You must ask permission for reuse. Tweet

Keeping Italian Traditions in an Italian American Life....

It's been a while since my last post, but I had to sit down right now and write about this..because lately it's been weighing on me heavily. In previous posts, I've talked about the struggle in maintaining our Italian cultural traditions in our everyday Italian American lives, but I feel as the days goes on and I become busier with projects and just keeping up those important traditions seem to be taking a back seat.

So you may ask, 'what are those traditions?' and quite honestly I would say not all Italians or Italian Americans have the same traditions, but one thing is very consistent and that's maintaining a strong family connection. When we are all so busy with our daily lives, it does become a challenge to spend that time together, or respect your holidays like Easter, but it seems reality of life in America dictates. For example, my brother was so upset about the fact that he had to work on Easter, his job has certain days assigned to holidays.. so it was hard for him to take that day as a holiday. Of course, my family we were certainly sad not to see him for the day, but we understood he had a commitment to work.

When discussing traditional Italian families, it's pretty customary that we take care of each other in some form or another, whether it's just being there for someone or actually doing a physical favor. If any of my family members call me and says 'I need help with....' -- you can bet your ass I will be there for them. I usually get strange looks from people when I tell them how much I did for my sister, mother, father or brothers and likewise if I share a story about how my brother went above and beyond for me, because I know the American mentality is really everyone kind of does their own thing and family members talk to each here and there. Well, we know that's not the case with the Italian American family. We talk to each other all the time and try to see each other as much as possible.

I was having a conversation with friends the other day, they happen to be Italian American, I

was talking about that new show on TLC, "Mama's Boys of the Bronx." Of course as we know many reality shows are exaggerated and larger than life and usually with a negative stereotype on the Italian American. I asked my two friends, "do you think this show is exaggeration or reality?" They having grown up and lived in the Bronx said something to the effect, that's it's real but somewhat glorified.. of which I agreed. Look, we would all be lying if we said our Italian mothers don't do everything for us and treat their sons like kings. I know my mother does, if my brothers are around, my mother starts cooking and serves everything up just to make sure they've eaten and are happy. But with that, my mother takes great pride and happiness in making her sons happy and making sure she spoils them. To her she shows a part of her love this way. So, if you're not exposed or educated on these traditions in the Italian American family you might watch that show and say 'wow, these guys live at home with their moms and their mothers spoil them..' I say yes and no.

Not all Italian American men live like the guys on the show. Of course, there are limits to what's normal and not, but I'm talking about the factor that most Italian women take pride in spoiling and taking care of their children. I would probably do the same, it's a learned behavior - a part of my culture. Even till this day, if I have lunch with my father, I cook lunch and I serve it...or if my brothers come over.. I do the same.. I cook and serve the food, which most people wouldn't think true of me, but I am old school and love doing that for people I love. It gives me happiness to know I did something that my family appreciates.

Where do these traditions fit into our daily American lives? Will we maintain those traditions like our Italian mothers did?

Photo Credit: TLC

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Buona Pasqua A Tutti - Happy Easter!

Happy Easter everyone, hope you all have an amazing day filled with family and love.

Love-

Margaret

Italian American Girl

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"Salt of Life" - Set to Premiere in New York: A Film by Italian writer-director-actor Gianni Di Gregorio

Another great film by Italian writer, director, and actor Gianni Di Gregorio, set to premiere here in the states with the first of many premieres in New York City. A film full of comedy, life lessons and reality and if you're Italian or even part..this film will have you laughing. Loved it.- Watch the trailer.

To learn more about this film: visit the film site -

http://www.zeitgeistfilms.com/thesaltoflife/about.html

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Italian Superstar JOVANOTTI Announces First Round of 2012 US Concert Dates

North American Label Association with ATO Records

Italy's best-selling singer, songwriter and rapper Jovanotti ( http://soleluna.com/ ) announces his first round of 2012 US concert dates and new North American label association with ATO Records. As Italy's ambassador to the global music scene, in 2011 the superstar Tuscan made the first-ever appearance by a new generation Italian language artist at a major US rock festival, performing at Bonnaroo on a stage curated by Gogol Bordello's Eugene Hütz. Jovanotti's scorching set in the Tennessee heat was unanimously lauded by American music fans, industry and critics, marking the artist as one of the discoveries of the storied event's 10th anniversary edition.

Jovanotti spent the rest of 2011 reaffirming his position as Italy's number one artist where his 12th studio album Ora (Now) debuted atop the the charts, going on to sell over 500,000 copies, accompanied by over 50 sold-out arena and stadium dates.

Slated for Spring 2012, Jovanotti continues a string of firsts with his debut album for ATO Records, ( http://atorecords.com/ ) the noted artist-focused label home to a diverse roster of acts including Rodrigo Y Gabriela and Primus. The career retrospective will feature new material for the American market and is being produced by Ian Brennan (Tinariwen). In March Jovanotti sets the stage offering a preview of what's to come in 2012 with a coast to coast swing of club shows in select cities with his transatlantic band.

Kicking off on March 10, Jovanotti will make his long-awaited Miami debut at the city's newest hotspot Grand Central. Well-known as a pop-star throughout Latin America in the 1990's, an appearance at Colombian mega-star Juanes' 2009's Paz Sin Fronteras concert in Havana, Cuba sparked a re-discovery of the Jovanotti throughout the region. It also revealed a connection between the artist and the new generation of Latin-Alternative acts including Bomba Estereo, Los Amigos Invisibles and Ana Tijoux, who grew up on Jovanotti's music and now shared the stage with him on recent US shows. In the first half of 2012 recorded collaborations between Jovanotti and Paz Sin Fronteras founders Juanes and Spanish superstar Miguel Bosé will be released worldwide.

On March 12th and 13th, Jovanotti returns to his adopted home town of New York City offering a pair of intimate club shows at Brooklyn's Music Hall of Williamsburg and Manhattan's Bowery Ballroom. Before his own downtown headline show on March 13, Jovanotti will head uptown to make a 1 song guest appearance with TV On The Radio at Carnegie Hall, as part ofThe Music of The Rolling Stones' Hot Rocks 1964-1971 concert line-up. This will be Jovanotti's debut performance on the prestigious Carnegie stage.

From March 14 through 16th, Jovanotti heads to Austin, Texas and the SXSW Music Festival, where he is expected to be reunited with musical friends and collaborators such as Michael Franti, among others. Jovanotti closes his Stateside sweep on March 17 in Los Angeles at the historic El Rey Theatre. Summer festival dates to be announced.

Saturday | March 10, 2012 | 8pm: Miami, FL
GRAND CENTRAL
697 N Miami AV (Downtown)
Tickets: $30
http://www.grandcentralmiami.com/upcoming-events7/396-jovanotti-performing-live

Monday | March 12, 2012 | 9pm (Doors 8pm): Brooklyn, NY -- SOLD OUT
MUSIC HALL OF WILLIAMSBURG
66 North 6th St
Tickets: $25
http://www.musichallofwilliamsburg.com/event/81379/

Tuesday | March 13, 2012 | 9pm (Doors 8pm): New York, NY
BOWERY BALLROOM
Support: Chicha Libre
6 Delancey St
Tickets: $25
http://www.boweryballroom.com/event/87027

Wednesday - Friday | March 14 – 16, 2012 | TBA: Austin, TX
SXSW MUSIC FESTIVAL
http://sxsw.com/music

Saturday | March 17, 2012 | 9pm (Doors 8pm): Los Angeles, CA
EL REY THEATRE
5515 Wilshire Blvd.
Tickets: $25
http://goldenvoice.com/shows/details/?id=34663

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