The small, single-level, shotgun-style house was typical in the Bywater neighborhood of New Orleans. It was freshly painted and well-maintained. Its new occupants planted flowers by the front steps and in the back yard. They looked forward to starting a vegetable garden out back, a luxury after years of living in apartments. But, inside the […]
Tag: Southern Italy
35. Where Is Home?
When my wife and I married, we spent the first few months in the house that she had proudly bought for herself. She sold that house and we bought another one many miles away, closer to my younger sister and her family. We have been in this house now for nearly two decades. The other […]
33. For Love of Money – Part 2
This is a story about greed and how greed within a family can affect generations that come later. Let’s say that it happened in Southern Italy, in the family of “Domenico.” More precisely, the story begins with his mother’s family. Her grandparents owned several pieces of valuable farmland. As a result, they were able to […]
31. For Love of Money — Part 1
For many years the Italian postal system has offered savings bonds. I began buying them as a young man, when the lire was still our currency. I started with denominations of 250 thousand lire (about 125 euros) and worked my way up. When I had socked away cash from odd jobs and gifts, I’d go […]
28. The Village of Millionaires
There is a village nestled in the mountains of south central Italy that boasts some 30 recently-minted millionaires, thanks to a lottery jackpot. But this is no fairy tale. To understand how this came about it is important to understand how much Italians love to play the lottery. The Italian lottery system is more complicated […]
23. The Dream of a Shepherd
The late high-wire artist Karl Wallenda famously said, “Being on the tightrope is living. Everything else is waiting.” Instead of “waiting,” he could have said “dreaming.” There is such a big difference between dreaming and doing. Dreaming about doing something has its satisfactions. But dreaming is just simulation, without real-world experience. It’s a safety net […]
13. Our Mothers
Until almost the end of her life, my mother-in-law did not like me and did not accept me as part of the family. She thought of me as a good-for-nothing who married her daughter solely to exploit her. As if my wife would put up with fools and moochers! My wife always said that it […]
10. The North/South Divide
As an Italian national who lives outside of Italy, I am like an eagle in an aerie, able to watch what is happening throughout my homeland. And let me admit, right off the bat, that I am biased in favor of my beloved Southern Italy. I’m not the first to notice that one effect of […]
