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I am not an Italian. I am a proud, patriotic American. I was born and raised in the United States, I look at the world from an American perspective, and I am a product of American culture, in particular its pop culture. Admittedly, my lifestyle, my belief system, both politically and religiously, my taste in movies, TV shows, music, food, clothes, and so on... were all shaped by American mass culture, that is pop culture, than any customs and traditions my parents and grandparents had. Sure, we ate pasta on the Holidays along with traditional "American" foods (see my articles "Thanksgiving, Italian-American Style" and "Ideas On How To Celebrate An Italian American Christmas" here), sure, my older relatives would speak a foreign language when they didn't want me and my siblings to know what they were talking about, -in this case the language was Italian, - and yes, our last names ended in vowels as compared to my "fellow" White American classmates who had names like Smith, Brown, and Johnson. We had our own religious traditions too, but they weren't really anything ethnic, just Catholic customs that most other Catholics shared. So why is the focus of this website specifically Italian history and culture in California? Why do I even care about it?
Though I came from a thoroughly de-raciated, very stereotypical assimilated White American background with few vestiges of Italian culture, I attended culturally and racially diverse schools. In these schools both on the playground and in a classroom setting as part of a study course, I was forced to reckon with my racial and cultural background. Not satisfied with just being "White," and therefore no different from the Smiths and Johnsons, when I finally recognized my family's Italian background, no matter how faded it now was, I not only became proud of it, but I wanted to know more about it....
Being forced to think about my family's history and race got me researching both. I always knew we were of Italian descent, but I never recognized the significance of that, and it was never a major part of my everyday life. I was only around anything that could be called "Italian" when I was around my grandparents, and even that wasn't a lot. Everything else about Italians I only knew from Hollywood, and Hollywood hasn't always been kind to us. As I learned about the history of Italian immigrants in the United States in general, living in California as I was, I started focusing more on that region of the country regarding them, and after doing so, I became very angry.
Angry because I was cheated! So much rich history, fascinating stories and customs, that wasn't taught in schools. The largest mass lynching in American history wasn't in my school text books, for example. And everything we were told about Italians- the Roman Empire, the Italian renaissance, so on... I looked at as an outsider... I never knew that we were learning about my very own ancestors. Unlike my black, Hispanic and Asian friends who have whole chapters dedicated to their heritages in America and can identify with the characters in those chapters by the very fact that they are identified as Hispanic, Black and Asian. But no one ever called me "Italian" or "Italian American." Why is an American with black skin called "African American" even though they were never in Africa and may know nothing about African culture? But when I call myself "Italian American" or "European American" I get laughed at?
But I digress.... the point is I fell in love with my family's Italian history and customs, even if we don't practice them much if at all anymore, and dedicated my life to preserving, celebrating, and promoting them. I no longer call myself "Italian," or "Italian-American," or even "American-Italian." Because my everyday lifestyle does not reflect anything "Italian," but was formed and created by American pop culture. I AM AN AMERICAN. Who has a love for history and culture, for learning about other nations and cultures, so why not start with the nation and culture of my ancestors, Italy? I am an American.... of Italian descent thanks to my ancestors, and an American who loves all things Italian (but second to my love of America.) And this website and blog focuses on Italians in California because I happen to live in that American state.
They are here! Click here to download your picture with Santa, for FREE, from the 2022 Little Italy Tree Lighting & Christmas Village.
Ho Ho Ho… Can you hear those jingle bells? This year SANTA IS BACK for our annual Little Italy Tree Lighting and Christmas Village on Saturday, December 3rd from 4:00pm-8:00pm!
Transforming into a winter wonderland with Christmas twinkle lights down all the streets, our beautiful urban neighborhood will be adorned with 10-foot tall nutcrackers and kinetic tree holiday displays on street corners, Christmas songs and more. Family, friends, and neighbors are invited to come together to experience true holiday joy at this family-friendly event and enjoy the neighborhood’s festive décor—including two Christmas trees, Joshua Hubert’s Aurora tree at Piazza Basilone and the permanent 25-foot tree at Piazza della Famiglia, seasonal vendors, live music and entertainment, holiday treats, a traditional Italian tree lighting ceremony, and this year SANTA IS BACK to grant everyone’s Christmas wishes!
You can also enjoy... read more here.
Sunday, September 24
The first South San Francisco Festa Italiana 2023 will take place on Sunday, September 24, 2023 at Orange Memorial Park from 11 am to 5 pm.
Orange Memorial Park
1 West Orange Avenue South San Francisco, CA 94080The first South San Francisco Festa Italiana 2023 will take place on Sunday, September 24, 2023 at Orange Memorial Park from 11 am to 5 pm. The event will showcase South San Francisco and Italian history and culture. It is a FREE, FUN FAMILY EVENT.
Attendees will be treated to on-stage entertainment performances and the Italian cultural dance troop, the Tarantella. Attendees can sip Tuscan wines, “Manga” Italian cuisine, view cultural displays, and stroll amongst Italian exotic vehicles and cars from yesteryear.
South San Francisco Mayor Flor Nicolas and Italy’s Consul General Sergio Strozzi will address the crowd to highlight the day’s events. Guests can also choose to participate in a Bocce Ball Tournament (prior sign-ups are required) and enjoy the Festa’s Family Fun Kid’s Zone with face painting, story reading and much more! Youngsters can also participate in the SSF Youth Soccer Goal Challenge!
...The Festa is a presentation of a partnership between the City of South San Francisco, the Italian American Citizens Club of South San Francisco, and the California Law Enforcement Columbia Association with contributions from several brother and sister Italian organizations throughout the area. It is an opportunity to showcase, celebrate and share the rich Italian history and culture of the peninsula.
South San Francisco has a rich Italian history, and the city has evolved from “The Industrial City” to a biotech hub while not shedding its original identity. It has become a diverse make-up of cultural communities that love to share their history. This will be the first Festa Italiana for South San Francisco and the only such event on the peninsula.
Today about 25 million Brazilians of Italian descent influence daily life everywhere. Like Brazilian pizza and wine. Sao Paulo’s famed soccer club ‘Palmeiras’ was founded by Italian-Brazilians. And even that traditional Brazilian ‘goodbye’ tchao has that Italian flair.
Famous Brazilians like singer Marisa Monte, Brazilian American actress Morena Baccarin (The Endgame, NBC), and Chicago Bears field goal kicker Cairo Santos all have Italian roots.
More Italian descendants live in Brazil than in any other county outside of Italy. That’s why Sao Paulo’s ‘Italian Immigrants Day’ on February 21st is always a special occasion. " Read more here.
Argentina
According to "Italians & La Dolce Vita in Argentina" on WanderArgentina.com, "With several waves of immigrants arriving from the boot-shaped nation since Argentina won independence from Spain, it seems every second person here has an Italian surname, and of those who don’t, most will have an uncle or a grandmother hailing from Genoa, Sicily, Friuli or thereabouts.
An estimated 30 million Argentines out of the population of 45 million have at least one Italian ancestor. Visitors will notice the family resemblance as they try to avoid the flailing arms of an animated conversation on any of the narrow sidewalks of downtown Buenos Aires.
These Italian descendants refer to themselves proudly as ‘tanos,’ Lunfardo slang for Italians.
Even Argentina’s beloved Pope Frances’ father was from Italy and he grew up speaking Italian.
Argentina may have been colonized by the Spanish originally, but it is fair to say that the Italians had an equal, if not even greater influence, over many areas of Argentine life, such as politics, food, fashion and language.." Read more here.
And according to Italian-Argentinean culture: that’s amore! on SouthAmericaWineGuide.com, "There’s no other South American country that is quite so… Italian. Clorrie Yeomans explores the Italian connection in Argentina, and discovers how Italian culture has influenced the language, cuisine and customs of Argentina.
"If you have been to Argentina, then you might have wondered, ‘Why do Argentineans eat so much pizza and pasta?’ Or ‘Why are there so many Argentinean words which don’t exist in standard Spanish?’ Argentina is commonly considered to be the most European country in Latin America, due to mass immigration during the late 19th and 20th century. However, there is a common preconception that Argentinean culture is primarily influenced by Spanish culture. In reality, if you visit Argentina, then you will notice that there is a huge Italian influence which has enriched their national identity." Read more here.
Mexico and the American Southwest
Fr. Eusebio Kino Statue in Tijuana
Fr. Eusebio Kino statue in Tucson, AZ
As said above, many of the explorers, missionaries, and colonizers of the Americas were of Italian descent, though they worked under the flags of other nations, most notably France and Spain. One was Fr Eusebio Kino, a priest born in modern day Trentino-Alto-Adige that set up missions across northern Mexico and what is now Arizona. He is famous for defending the Indigenous peoples from being enslaved in the Spanish mines. There are statues of Fr. Kino in Washington, DC, Tucson, Arizona, and Tijuana, Mexico. Not to mention in other parts of Mexico and back in Italy itself. You can learn more about Fr. Eusebio Kino in the following links:
In California, there were Italians in Los Angeles even when it was a Spanish colony. Like Giovanni Battista Leandri who owned Rancho Los Coyotes in present-day Buena Park, and the neighboring Rancho Cañada de la Habra, and married Maria Francesca Uribe, the daughter of a prominent Californio family. (The Californios were Spanish-speaking people of Latin American ancestry who were born in California during the era of Mexican and Spanish rule. During this era, Italians and Mexicans intermarried more frequently than any other group, according to the Italian American Museum of Los Angeles at IAMLA.org and at their permanent online exhibit here.) Leandri changed his name to Juan Leandry to better fit in among the Californios.
Pepino and The Mexican Revolution
To be continued....
I talians immigrated to almost all parts of the world, the UK, the USA, Canada, Australia, Latin America, and the North Pole. Wait...what?...