"Growing Up Italian" is the critically acclaimed prologue from the national TV special "OUR CONTRIBUTIONS: The Italians In America". A powerfully moving film focused on the rich history of Italian-Americans.
i love watching this, it brings back so many memories. My parents came from Italy in 1956, I was born in 68 and we grew up this way. Every dinner was a 3 course meal with something fresh baked for desert. First time I ate dinner at a friends house, we had pasta. When done the pasta, I asked where is the rest of the food but they just had pasta. We would have followed it with a steak or roast and homemade sausage and peppers. We had a huge garden, always fresh salad from June till basically November and if lucky, December. My dad had a science of putting the leaves on and off the endive and radicchio to maintain the plant. People now would get some expensive indoor green house. Not Italians, give them some good dirt and they will make the best tomatoes, lettuce and beans. We had fruit trees as well and in the fall, every weekend we were canning. I don't know how my mom did it but every morning she got up, put her apron on and took care of the house all day. I never appreciated back then but now I do and my friends always tell me now how they loved coming to my house back then as we always had something good to eat or my dad would bring out the gallon of homemade wine. Good memories that I hold dearly forever.
Born in 1959 and i tell you they were the best of times....Family was truly everything you could possibly imagine....all about your uncles and aunts and especially our Grand Parents....I would go back to them days in a flash...Ohh how i miss them days and how i miss my Grandparents...and what's so sad is that our families slowly leaving us also the culture is vanishing with them, the way of thinking and the Values of true family love.
Both sets of grandparents came over on the boat...half were Italians, the other half were Irish. I am so lucky having been born into two great heritages. Growing up in Astoria, Queens, NYC, I went through everything described in this wonderful video. My maternal grandpa always reminded me that, "Your last name is Irish, but your mother's name is Italian." Hopefully, I will never forget that. Hey! That reminds me. It's Thursday, so I'd better start simmering the sauce now. :-)
As an Australian / Italian born of Italian immigrants who arrived in Australia in the early 50's ...I feel I can safely say that this recount of the days gone by growing up in an Italian culture within an English speaking country was almost identical in Australia. And I would say it shares a lot of similarities with other immigrant groups ..particularly those from Southern European countries. I am now in my early fifties and as I watch and witness my parents ageing and their generation passing away I become very melancholic. I can only hope that we pass on the the memories as eloquently as has been done in this doco... and hopefully a little bit of "Italian" will remain in my future great and great/great children !!!!!!
Here in Newcastle, NSW, Italians were, are & probably ALWAYS WILL BE the #1 friendliest (and fearless) of our town's immigrants. I was amazed at their "open home" policy in our street. Over +90% of "Italian Authentic" restaurants & cafes are owned & run here now by Asians who point & yell at us in their own language! I was born in 1979.
Aw... this American-Italian is now choked up and teary-eyed, in a good way :) This video is so right on! We *are* different, to say the least. Buon Natale
I'm an Italian American, and so proud to be. My grandparents raised my older brother, youmger sister and I. Myself being the middle. God , was I blessed. Not only to be the middle child, have an older brother and younger sister by exactly 11 months apart. Almost to the day, but to have MY GRANDPARENTS. My , mamma and my pappa . Everything from, Sunday dinners, to having our garden, which we cared for and tilled with the manure. Fresh Tomatoes, La manda, zucchini the size of a yard stick. Grapevines, and fig trees. A wine cellar, with homemade wine! Can't by that in a liquor store! Homemade bread, that my mamma made me delivere on my bike every Saturday and Sunday! No money exchanged. The monetary value was pride, and Love! I will always cherish what I had, and what was! I may not be blessed now, who knows. I will say, I was blessed and for that alone , makes me A BLESSED MAN! I love you Mamma and Pappy! Thank you, and God Bless for the vid ! Grazie. 👍🇮🇪
@@milkywaystarmoon Think you better either adjust your phone or TV color settings or buy new glasses. Green, White and Red is what I posted! Green, White and Orange is the Irish flag.
@@samsunggalaxy459 man the Irish flag is this 🇮🇪 (the one you posted)and THIS is the ITALIAN flag 🇮🇹. Don't put it on me and go to check your eyes. I know what my flag look like
I'm so proud to be an American Italian. Looking at this video brings me back to my younger years. I have so great memories of my family and neighborhood friends. Thanks for such a wonderful video.
What I love about this is we have movies of my family when I was a kid that look EXACTLY like the ones in this video. The clothes, the kids, grandpa pouring the wine, the food, the EyeGlasses! Probably in the basement too! So many people around the table. We had a good life! Miss my Nana . She used to bake- the bread and the Italian cookies and the pizza gaina! And always tomatoes, eggplant & peppers in the garden!!
This is my story also. Thank you for sharing. Proud to be Italian American. A part of me died the days my grandparents departed & life has never been the same. And I know what you mean when you say your children got cheated out of the life/childhood you had. I know that feeling all too much but I will also say that I was one lucky little girl to be brought up in an Italian family. ❤
Both sets of my grandparents came from Sicily. My dad came to America to New York at the age of 3 in 1906. He moved with his parents to California in the 30s. After his parents passed away, he married in 1941 to my mom( another Italian). I was born 2 1/2 years after my sister in 1945. I was a first-generation Italian American. I always loved my Italian heritage. This story is so authentic, with all the cooking, gardens, and families. I love every part of it. I never knew my dad's folks. I never knew my mom's dad. My mom's mother, my grandma, died when I was 5. SHHHHH ! I CAN HEAR THE MEATBALLS SIZZLING IN THE SKILLET ! 💙💙💙🇮🇹🇮🇹🇮🇹🇮🇹🇮🇹🇮🇹🇮🇹
Born in 1999 in Chicago . My ancestors are from Southern Italy and Lithuania. I never knew my Mediterranean ancestors , and like he says, I somehow still feel the Italian heritage. Because my fathers family is so close in a way that is different from so many others, we make large dinners , pasta, bread, rice. Even some of the Lithuanian dishes, although I was never fond of them that much. It feels so much like the culture everybody has told stories about for years. My uncles are crazy men , my aunts are tough bitches, and my dad is like The Godfather . He has seen unthinkable things and yet he teaches me to do it the right way . He teaches me discipline and respect. And I’ve always felt it . And I hope to pass it onto my kids. This video really hit home
Heck i was born in 79, first generation, my dad came here in the 60's my in 72 after they got married. We did everything described in this video, I remember it all: Made homemade sausage Homemade wine (Red and White) Homemade Ravioli's pasta's and lasagnas Big Family get togethers at least 6 times a year.. This is a great video and I will never forget where my family came from because if it wasn't for my Grandparents and my parents I wouldn't be who I am today.
My children never met my parents or grandparents. Their dad took a Ancestry DNA kit test finding he has another son. The same test found his great aunt of the father he never met. His Mexican born mother refused to tell who his father was and now at 50 years old, with our two kids over 21 there is a chance he could meet his father. His father is Italian American. Your story hits our family very hard. Our daughter is the family genealogist.
My family should have never sold the flat in Chicago 😭 wish we all lived together and kept the family tradition/culture alive. The lonliness of convenience. The lonliness of America. The individualist society has torn us apart. God bless our souls.
I love this narrative. So beautifully told with a tender nostalgia. When I sing opera, I feel a wonderful connection with the magic of Italian culture and all its facets, the melody, the food, the art, the language. God bless you for this video.
This is all so true. My parents moved to Rochester, N.Y. from Italy in the late 60's. I was born shortly after, my brother and sisters are 16-20 years older than me. My high school friend would tease me because she said that every time she asked what I was having for lunch/diner I would respond "meat and peas and macaroni". :D My mother used to bake bread avery week, and my father used to make wine in the basement. We would go pick tomatoes to make homemade sauce, and once a year our attic floor would be covered with tomatoes while they ripened. Other times sausages would be hung to dry in the attic. I have so many good memories. The only thing I actually missed were my grandparent. My paternal grandparents died young. As for the other pair, they lived in Italy, so I only saw them a few times (on our trips to Italy). I always missed not growing up with grandparents.
Oh how wonderful were the days when people had self & outward respect. Morals, dignity, always willing to help one another. They may not have had much but always willing to share. Where 5 ate, 10 were told to pull out a chair & join in "salute, mangia" God, family, honesty plus hard work built the America's. Great memories, zio would break out the accordian as we tangoed the night away with the smell of pizza & espresso in the air. Thank you Lord for such beautiful people, the Italians & all the wonderful immigrants who contributed. 🙏🥰👍
Acadian American....With a wonderful history.. My kids are American n American.Growing up Italian was great. Things have change but not for the better.
American Italians and American Jewish, both lived similar lifestyles and seemed very similar to me. An American friend once told me, Yiddisher mummas and Italian mummas, the same thing he said.
Very nice...Notice no paper plates back in the day...Real dishes and cups...love this...No air brushed photos....The real deal in this clip...all equal....ty
This video could have been our home video. Though at that time there wasn't anything except cameras without sound. Not long ago my aunt had taken all the pictures she could find, had them put on a dvd. Such fun to watch us as we ate, played and just plain enjoyed good life. My grandma was from Polermo Italy, my grandpa St. Agnes, Sicily. They met married and moved to America. Soon to follow were 15 children. I so enjoyed the large gatherings. Spaghetti, meatballs neckbones cooking on the stove.
Thank you goombadi.....well thats how we pronounced it in Sicilian. Anyway thanks, it brought back so many sweet memories of my grampa and grammas house in Detroit....
It's cool to see how us Italians always stick to their roots, even though they're 2nd or 3rd generation born in some other country. No matter where they're from, they always feel Italian. Cool vid btw, Loggia hits the nail about the subject!
This could easily have been my narrative. Ive often felt that my kids missed out on something special, but as they get older and talk of their childhood, they seem to reflect on their own version of childhood memories and traditions with the same nostalgic longing. I suspect they too will one day think their kids were missing out on something special based on their memories. I guess it all stems from the family table. If eat and celebrate life at the family table, new traditions and memories will be born. Not the same, but none the less, it will happen.
She is right! We don't eat meatballs with pasta! We eat pasta and, then, meatballs. We eat "Pasta al ragù", though... which is pasta in red sauce with meat, but (much) smaller than meatballs.
Yes it was the same in my house your wife is right, pasta was the first course, the meats like meatballs and sausage was a course of its own, followed by what ever was cooked like chicken or lamb,with vegetables, the salad was last it helped with digestive, followed by nuts and fruit, dessert was about a hour later and that was some kind of pastry, which we only had for Sunday, or when we had guests, dinner was over when the espresso was served. My family in Italy still have Sunday dinner the same way.
@cabagool amen to that, i'm 3rd generation italian but mixed with french from my dad's side and everytime my cousins and i get together we honour our italian heritage by cooking italian, playing bocce ball and a bunch of other things in honour of our grandfather who came here as a young boy from northern italy :)
La famiglia. This is the basis of everything. My parents went to Switzerland and was born there but my wife and myself are raising them with these values. .....E values
Being a 100% Italian - being a first/second generation Italian-American in a very thickly Italianed borough of NY, I can say that this is strictly his reality. My father spoke no English until he was nine years old, and his mother never spoke any English. My other set of grandparents spoke nothing but Italian to one another; and, as an Aficionado of the Italian renaissance...to this day, a lover of my Italian heritage, and virtually all things Italian (the mob, notwithstanding - but they're Sicilian anyway, so they really don't factor in) I can tell you that my family in its entirety were Americans first, and as for me, if ever we went to war with Italy, sorry, my fellow paisans, my guns are aimed at Italy (But hide the Sistine Chapel, The Statue of David, and the Pieta, please; and most of the women, except for the fat ones.)
At roughly the 40 second mark the guy says We were Italians, everyone else the Irish, the Polish, the Jewish, they were American. Well what about the Greeks? Those guys (Greeks) are even more hard core than the Italians in that like the Italians they are very much into their own culture, food, etc .... but they also held on to their language and to this day visit Greece almost yearly if the funds are there. So what's the Italian American view about Greek Americans? Is that old saying true about Una Fatsa Una Ratsa?
Most americans of european descent call themselves white. However, the italian americans will call themselves "italian." I used to wonder why. Now, I understand.
The problem is dialect you guys are nit picking I’ve seen Northern Italians not understand a word a southern Italian has said and vise versa. Its like trying to understand someone from Alabama who uses slang and has a horrible southern drawl. My point is by the time they get over here things will be said differently… Don’t get me started on Sauce Vs Gravy
