My father was a shoemaker and my mother was a housewife. In Italy, women stayed at home with the children, rather than find a job, or anything else. We had a small garden at home with some vegetables and she spent her days there with the plants. Most of the houses had a plot where they grew some plants to eat (sic). Do the Americans you met know Italian culture? People believe that Italy is all about pasta; pizza and mafia. There are many things about Italian culture that people don't know. After all, pizza isn't even famous in Verona! Americans don't know much about Italian culture, but they admire it. All right. How were you treated in the country? After sixty-one years spent in the United States and being an American citizen, I feel more part of America than of Italy. But it was hard at the beginning, I didn't know English and I didn't know how to communicate with people. Luckily I was surrounded by my family, we supported each other and managed to adapt to the country. For us Italians, family is important and can sometimes make a big difference. Do your sons and daughters speak Italian? My wife and I still speak Italian at times and have tried to teach the language to our son and daughter. I think language is important because it maintains traditions and helps to remember that they are Americans, but also