"America is the land that gave me opportunity" - Angela Gigante

Here is a video from summer 2019 where we interviewed my grandparents...

Question:

What do you miss the most about Sicily when you are in New York?

Nonna:

"What do I miss? great question..I miss all of Sicily. My way of doing things, my family. But I have adapted and I cannot say anything bad about either place. This is my "Motherland" and I love it but New York gave me "opportunity". I was able to work, raise a family, grandkids. Thank you, I'm done! (LOL)

Nonno:

"I'm miss that as soon as we finished building our house, we left for America. and we can never lose the tradition of coming back to Castellammare. A Lot has changed, it has become more modern but here we are!

Cheers to that!

Question:

What word comes to mind when you think of Sicily?

Nonno:

For me, Sicily was "fun"! There was the owner of the "baglio", I would help him tend to the land. Then we would go to Mazzo Di Sciacca and we would drive the fresh water, and while I would drink, my teeth would freeze. It was really something special. Today everything is modern. Theres a ton of stores and restaurants, lots of bars and the people enjoy themselves. They come and go from the beach and the time passes.

Nonna:

"Are you done? For me what comes to mind is that Sicily is the most beautiful place in the world.

Nonno:

"Especially Scopello right?!

Nonna:

Scopello, Castellammare and all of it. My family is first and I hope to keep enjoying it with my kids, grandkids and great grandkids!

If Kiki doesn't love you, Nonna does!

Turn back time to Summer 2018 when Drake's "In My Feelings" was at the top of the charts and "The Kiki Challenge" was a thing! As we were enjoying a nice aperitivo before dinner al fresco one night, of course Drake's "In My Feelings" came on and my cousins and were trying to get nonna to do the "Kiki Challenge". And then it hit me, does it even matter if Kiki loves you? because does!

Does your nonna love you? Get your T Shirt here!

Padre Pio in Piazza Petrolo

As we know, Padre Pio is one of Italy's most beloved saints. My nonna is constantly praying to Padre Pio and there's an unspoken sense of calm knowing I have his blessing. In the year 2000, a group of Castellammarese formed the committee called "La Speranza" and they collected donations from the locals in order to purchase a statue of Padre Pio that now sits in Piazza Petrolo. The statue was commissioned to "Pantaleone Arte Sacre" of Palermo and hand chiseled using the technique of "lost wax". The satue sits upon a marble base donated by mayor Giuseppe Ancona, and on the base reads:

"Two things in the world will never be abandoned, the eye of God that will see you wherever you go and your mother's heart that will always follow you" - Padre Pio

If you are a devotee of Padre Pio, then you need this Padre Pio Armcandy from www.orianalamarca.com!