Italian Immigration Influence On Immigration

Throughout my childhood I was convinced gnocchi were its own food group. I was sure that frantic gesturing with hands were crucial to making a point. I use to believe that Bocce ball was a game played at every family gathering. Growing up, food and family always went hand in hand. I thought that everyone's family was like this. It has taken me a long time to realize that this is the Italian way of living. Being raised in an Italian family is incredibly close to what you see in the movies. Everyone is loud, screaming and laughing and there is always plenty of food and wine to go around. While the food is what entices my family to gather around the kitchen table every night, it is the combination of the food and conversations that keeps
Between 1915 and 1930, an estimated 13 million Italians migrated out of Italy, making Italy the scene of the largest voluntary emigration in recorded world history (Molar). They came to the United States in search of opportunities and a better life. My great grandparents became a part of the generations of immigrants who traveled to the United States. Yolanda and Sylvester Del Signore migrated from Teramo, a small city just outside of Rome, during the 1930’s. Their lives here were far from easy; language barriers, different lifestyles, and minimal job opportunities all presented significant challenges for them. My great grandfather passed away just months after I was born in 1994. I unfortunately did not get to meet him so I had to ask my father and aunt to get some answers about who he was. My father said “My Great grandfather Sylvester was an underwater welder in world war II” (Bodnar) something I did not know about him until asking. After the war he begin to work at a steel mill factory just outside of Pittsburgh. Steel mills was a common job for many Italian immigrants, between 1930 and 1940 approximately 20,000 Italians were employed in mills (Liberty of congress). My aunt told me “The was a very hard working man, if he wasn’t at work he was working on the hard on the farm that my grandparents had” (Stas). My great grandmother lived a healthy twenty-one years after her
These ideas that I have been taught throughout my life are not always the most useful, but certainly brings a uniqueness to my life. The culture I grew up around seems to always find a way into my daily life without thought or reason. I learned that family is honored, conversation is enjoyed, and food is always accompanying. My great grandmother has always said “the important goal is not to stress over success but simply to live a good life and from there, success will find its way” (Del Signore). This is a lesson I’ll never forget. Italians are proud to be Italians. I am no exception. In a society where many people have forgotten their heritage, I have taken great pride in my background and find it a joy to preserve and acknowledge my culture. Being Italian goes beyond the pasta dinners and bocce ball games. My Italian culture is what sets me apart from others. Who I am is the result of my culture as well as family and is something I try to live by and show every