Search for Southern Italian Roots - A Good Read | Dances with Luigi: A Grandson's Search for His Italian...

go for it | Dances with Luigi: A Grandson's Search for His Italian Roots | Paul E. Paolicelli

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	• Dances with Luigi: A Grandson's Search for His Italian Roots Paul E. Paolicelli St. Martin's Griffin, 2001 - 320 pages average customer review:based on 9 reviews view larger image
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highly recommended

Color for your family tree

For those of you who are under 40, never knew your great grand parents and have have built a family tree that traces your roots back to Italy,this is a especially helpful in understanding your ancestors beyond their years of birth, marriage, and death. I have read several books on immigration and Italian Americans and this is by far the most personal; with many examples of things such as why second or third generation Italians never learned the Italian language, why our ancestors left Italy, why so many were illiterate, intermarriage in the small towns, etc. There is literally a lesson in almost every chapter that makes me feel closer to my ancestors that I never even met. I am getting more copies for my relatives.

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Search for Southern Italian Roots - A Good Read

Dances with Luigi is a great novel for those who wish to trace their roots of from lineage of Southern Italian or Sicilian family heritage. The author's writing style is closer to that of a TV reporter then to the writings of an author. hIs character depiction of Luigi is strong. HIs adventures searching for his grandfather's roots form Rome to out -of-the way villages in Southern Italy take interesting twists and turns, especially when addressing concurrent themes of Mussollini and WWII. Some of the mini-stories hit the mark when family ties make sense, while other unrelated moments make the reader think that the novel could have been written with a lot less information. At any rate, the novel is intriguing for Italian-Americans to read.

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go for it

I am an avid reader always looking to match books with people I love. This book hit the exact right spot as a gift for an Italian-American friend. She is not a reader so getting her a book is risky. She called me to say she set her alarm early to get up early and read more of this book! She has now purchsed copies for all her side of the family, and contacted the author (he has something in the works)
Give it a try!

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Bravo Raggazo

I was happy to accompany Paul Paolicelli on his travels through Italy. His search for the man behind the title of "Grandfather" was evocatively and lyrically emotional, without being overly sentimental. Mr Paolicelli was steadfast in his desire not only to help his father, but to discover his family history, which had retained little connection with the family of his parents in their Southern Italian villages. His character depictions are exceptionally memorable; from Uncles, to the friends who accompany him on this journey, and finally, to his grandfather. This book is a warm read on a cold winter's day as it truly warms the heart.

Don't think however, that this is just a book about people. Mr Paolicelli masterfully intersperses his narrative with historical context, fabulous descriptions of the places he visits, and his friend Luigi keeps us entertained with his philosphy on life, love, laughter, facism and the Italian culture.

This book is about searching for what makes us all who we are...... our history and our roots. Like many of us who have begun a search to discover the family we never knew, there are many fascinating, sad, funny, but ultimately real characters that flow through our genes. Mr Paolicelli was lucky, that he could make this journey to the recent past and I for one was very happy to go along for the ride.

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A Wonderful Story

I "lived" the experience with Paul Paolicelli as I read this book. Always wanting to not just visit, but to live in the land of my ancestors, to experience the culture, the people, just to experience the life.

Mr. Paolicelli has to be richer for this experience.

I recommend it to all of Italian descent and to anyone wanting to experience the culture of your family, no matter what heritage.

In this spirited memoir, veteran TV journalist Paul Paolicelli does what many of us can only dream of--he picks up and moves to a foreign country in an attempt to trace his ancestral roots. With the help of Luigi, his guide and companion, he travels through Italy--Rome, Gamberale, Matera, Miglionico, Alessandria, even Mussolini's hometown of Predappio--and discovers the tragic legacy of the Second World War that is still affecting the Old Country. He visits ancient castles and village churches, samples superb Italian cuisine, haggles at the open air market at Porta Portese, enjoys and Alessandria siesta, and frequents "coffee bars", where beggars discuss politics with affluent Italian locals. He finds lost-lost cousins during the day and performs with an amateur jazz group during the night. Along the way, he discovers deeply moving stories about his family's past and learns answers to question that have plagued him since childhood.
More that just a spiritual account of one man's ancestral search, Dances With Luigi is also a stunning portrait of la bella Italia--both old and new--that is painted beautifully in all of its glamour, history, and contradiction.

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recommendations

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Slow Travel Rome and Lazio
Southern Italian Heritage