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I
was born into an Italian American home surrounded by Italian American
family and friends. Before my first birthday, my father was appointed to a
university teaching position in a nearby town. My family moved to the
picturesque, WASPY college town where I grew up.
Having
learned pride in my Italian heritage at home, I felt pity for classmates
who were not blessed with string ethnic roots. Many did not even know their
nationality. They ate ham and turkey on holidays – no ravioli!
Every
Sunday we drove back to my grandmother’s home for dinner. Roast chicken,
stuffed artichokes, tales of the old days, and lots of hugs always followed
the homemade pasta.
As
we became more involved in our new town, Sunday trips back home became less
frequent. Yet, we always made it for the holidays. My cousins and I lined
up elbow to elbow at the long tables in my grandmother’s basement,
splashing tomato sauce onto our new Christmas clothes. Eventually, I
married and moved across the state. My children rarely saw their
grandparents. I missed the comfort of abundant, nearby relatives.
At
the first opportunity, I moved my family back “home.” How good it felt
to again spend time with people who remembered eating fish on Christmas
Eve, huge family weddings, and the special love that goes into homemade
pasta.
And
so paesani, I have decided to make it my mission to help us all to
remember. My wife and I have mortgaged our home and cashed our retirement
savings to create F&L PRIMO, a magazine that celebrates the great gift
of our shared Italian American heritage – and to preserve it for our
children.
There
are over twenty five million Italian Americans in the United States today,
and, therefore, over twenty five million different definitions of what it
means to be Italian American. In each issue of F&L PRIMO we will
explore these distinct experiences. Through the trials and successes of the
famous, infamous, noble, and unknown, we will see reflections of our
parents, grandparents, and ourselves.
We
will explore the traditions that we loved and loathed as children. Paesani
who have not forgotten will teach us how to play bocce, dance
the tarantella, prepare a fig tree for the ravages of winter, and
make homemade wine.
We
will revel in the accomplishments of our fellow Italian Americans in the
arts (Costantino Brumidi, Henry Mancini, and Tina De Rosa), athletics (Joe
DiMaggio, Rocky Marciano, and Vince Lombardi), and entertainment (Frank
Capra, the great Italian crooners, and Anne Bancroft).
We
live all the sights, sounds, scents and soul of Italy in each issue as
best-selling author Barbara Grizzuti Harrison helps us to understand “The
Old Country” our ancestors spoke of with such emotion.
Of
course there will be food and wine in abundance…after all, we are Italian.
Francis L.DeFabo
The easiest way to get F&L Primo is by subscription. Prices
are as follows:
One Year - $24.95
Two Years - $44.90 (Save $5.00)
Three Years - $59.85 (Save $15.00)
choose one of the following options:
1) Subscribe - Pay now through our secure transaction center
2) If you are already a subscriber and you would like to Renew
- Pay now
through our secure transaction center
3) If you would like to subscribe or renew and pay later, please
click
here
4) If you would like to send Gift Subscribtions, please click
here
For any other information, please write to:
PRIMO Magazine
510 Washington Ave.
Suite 200
Carnegie, PA 15106
412.278.8300 (Phone)
412.429.3246 (fax)
www.primomagazine.com
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