L'Italo-Americano

THURSDAY, OCTOBER 29, 2020 www.italoamericano.org 16 L'Italo-Americano W hat does i t m e a n t o b e Italian- A m e r i - cans? How does our family heritage affect our culture and who we are? In occasion of this year's Italian Heritage Month, L'Italo-Americano had the pleasure of discussing about it with Guglielmo Botter. Architect and artist, he was born in Treviso, but he is Italian-American by family, training and choice. B o t t e r h a s a v e r y s t r o n g b o n d w i t h t h e U S w h e r e , s i n c e 2 0 1 2 , h e h a s b e e n spending a few months every year to be with his family. In the US, he also works suc- cessfully and has received numerous awards. He has, however, the same connec- tion with Italy, where he still resides. He wrote a book, L y ù , u n ' A m e r i c a n a a Treviso, which isn't simply his Italian-American moth- er's biography, but a cross- s e c t i o n o f I t a l i a n a n d American life, a continuous face-to-face with emigration, with the ideas of departure and return, with traveling, c u l t u r a l c h a n g e s a n d t h e clash between Italian and American society. October is the month d e d i c a t e d t o I t a l i a n Heritage. In your opin- ion, what does it mean culturally? What does it m e a n t o b e I t a l i a n - American today and do you find differences with w h a t i t c o u l d h a v e meant in the past? My mother Lyù was born on Independence Day 1936, in Cadore. Her grandfather Francesco had left the Alps to settle in Pennsylvania, where he spent an unhappy youth working in the sombre c o a l m i n e s a r o u n d Pittsburgh. He was 16 when he crossed the ocean to find a better job and a better life: after 8 long years of hard- ships and pain, he finally became an American citizen i n 1 9 0 0 . T h a t ' s w h e n h e a s k e d t o r e u n i t e w i t h h i s fiancée Maria, who joined him in the States, where they got married on Christmas Day of the same year. Soon, two daughters arrived: one of them Inez, was to become Lyù's mother. This is why m y m o t h e r w a s b o r n American, on Italian soil. O u r t i e s w i t h t h e Fatherland are difficult to sever and in my maternal f a m i l y e v e r y o n e , w i t h o u t exception, confirmed it by marrying other Italians. I must say that being Italian- American is a huge privilege b e c a u s e w e a r e s o m e h o w both witnesses and keepers of both cultures: starting with Francesco who, with a pair of broken shoes and a lot of good will, opened up the way to all of us and to a better future in the US, the "land of opportunities." Being Italians in America today is different: our ances- tors' struggles, their tenacity in gaining the trust of people a r o u n d t h e m , w h o o f t e n t r e a t e d t h e m w i t h s c o r n , allow us — the new Italians of today — to be welcomed w i t h r e s p e c t a n d t o b e appreciated also for all that our forefathers did for the economic and cultural devel- opment of America. And for her discovery! W e o f t e n t a l k a b o u t I t a l i a n - A m e r i c a n s i n American society. Your m o t h e r , o n t h e o t h e r hand, went the "oppo- site way:" how did she e x p e r i e n c e b e i n g American in Italy? Did s h e f e e l I t a l i a n a t a l l , even a little? M y m o t h e r , b o r n a n American in Italy, lived in Cadore until the age of 9. B e c a u s e o f t h e S e c o n d World War, the family had t o r e m a i n i n I t a l y a n d transatlantic connections with the US were re-estab- l i s h e d o n l y i n D e c e m b e r 1945. Willy, Lyù's father, didn't immediately get per- mission to go back to the US, because American authori- ties still considered Italians as enemies and wanted to make sure that war crimi- nals wouldn't hide among travelers. While waiting for the necessary documents, the family thought to send l i t t l e L y ù w i t h g r a n d m a Maria to Avonmore, near P i t t s b u r g h , w h e r e t h e Fumei family had a home a n d , f o r m a n y y e a r s , h a d The Botter family: five generations of Italian Americans BARBARA MINAFRA managed the local General Store. And so, Lyù took her first boat trip, on a demilita- rized ship that was used to carry American troops to Europe for the invasion; on board, she took care of her old grandma, who was also deaf. A memorable experi- ence, of which she gave a v i v i d r e c o l l e c t i o n f o r t h e book. In high school, Lyù shone for her artistic quali- t i e s a n d o b t a i n e d a f u l l scholarship to Penn State University, which she how- ever refused, to enroll in the more prestigious Fine Arts Academy of Venice. A t 1 8 , s h e c r o s s e d t h e ocean again, this time on b o a r d o f t h e m u c h m o r e comfortable Saturnia, a true jewel of the Italian merchant navy. There, her beauty did- n ' t g o u n n o t i c e d n e i t h e r a m o n g t h e s a i l o r s , n o r among the elegant Italian navy officers. At the opening ceremony of the academic year in Venice, my parents met and it was love at first sight. They were both very g o o d a r t i s t s . L y ù s t i l l remembered Italian, but her A m e r i c a n a c c e n t a n d h e r beauty made her particularly attractive in an environment w h e r e B e a u t y , i n a l l i t s forms, was always appreciat- ed, and it wasn't easy for my father to win her heart. W i t h o u t a d o u b t , L y ù c a r e d a l o t a b o u t h e r American roots and educa- tion, because it gave her a sort of advantage on other Italian young women, who seemed to belong to another era. She came from a much more modern and dynamic world, considered distant and mostly unknown to the v a s t m a j o r i t y o f I t a l i a n s . Moreover, Italy still bore the marks of the war, and recon- s t r u c t i o n w a s s t i l l i n f u l l swing. She was blond, easy- going, confident on her high heels: she was l'Americana for everyone and she embod- ied a world and life many longed for. LIFE PEOPLE PLACES HERITAGE Continued to page 18 A young Lyù, in all beauty (Photo courtesy of Guglielmo Botter)

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