![]() ![]() The staples of the household are well known to many Italian-Americans (or anyone who enjoys and appreciates traditional Southern Italian cuisine). None more important than the food that they ate and their deep Catholic faith. Her mother’s family, in particular, maintained a number of family traditions and customs from the old country. At home they spoke Neapolitan dialect and had a simple but wonderful life (her words, not mine). Nonna’s mother, Antonietta Meglio, came from the village of San Lupo, also near Benevento, with her mother, father, maternal grandmother and two sisters.Īntonio and Antonietta met in New Haven, were married and had five children, my nonna being number four. The courage and fortitude are nearly impossible to comprehend. Leaving your family, homeland and life as a teenager never to return. His mother, father, sister and other relatives remained in Italy, and he never saw them again for the rest of his life. Her father, Antonio Fuggi, came from the village of Vitulano, near Benevento, by himself at the age of 15. She was born in 1922 in New Haven, CT to recent Italian immigrant parents. I’d like to tell you about my grandma Gloria, who I called nonna, and perhaps some of her story will resonate with you, regardless of your ethnic background or family history. As the oldest grandchild in an Italian-American family, I had a special bond with my grandparents and, given that we lived less than a mile from them, I spent a lot of time at their house growing up. She was one of my favorite people on earth. ![]() I have also been thinking a lot about family traditions because last year I said goodbye to my paternal grandmother, Gloria Fuggi Votto, just a few weeks shy of her 98 th birthday. In these days of never-ending technology, busy schedules, long work hours, countless activities (at least before the pandemic) and more recently a period of home quarantine, I find that family traditions mean more to me than ever. FAMILY TRADITIONS WITHSTAND THE TEST OF TIME ![]()
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