L'Italo-Americano

THURSDAY, OCTOBER 29, 2020 www.italoamericano.org 18 L'Italo-Americano L y ù r e p r e s e n t e d America for those who met her. A very special " A m e r i c a , " f a r a w a y , advanced, movie-like, p e r h a p s a l s o b e c a u s e y o u r m o t h e r — a p a i n t e r , a t h e a t e r a c t r e s s , p a r a c h u t i s t , stewardess and pilot of a i r p l a n e s , w a s e x c e p - t i o n a l l y " d i f f e r e n t . " What do you think she gave to Treviso's society and what influence did she have on those years' way of thinking? In Treviso, the American found a fertile environment to delve into Italian culture, reaching important personal achievements: her first exhi- bition was at the Galleria del L i b r a i o i n 1 9 5 7 , w i t h a n i n t r o d u c t i o n b y w r i t e r Giovanni Comisso. With her fine arts diploma safe in her p u r s e , s h e r e t u r n e d t o Avonmore, in Westmoreland County, where a new phase of her life awaited. Lyù was l e a r n i n g a l o t f r o m t h e unique and rare opportunity she was given, that of travel- i n g b e t w e e n I t a l y a n d America, embracing from both countries the values and traditions that were to stay with her for the rest of her life, and making of her an independent and special person. Lyù, for love, decided to follow the more tradi- tional path of becoming a mother and a wife, was s h e c h a n g e d b y t h e world she found in Italy, and how? Once she graduated, Lyù r e t u r n e d t o t h e U S , n o t before promising her fiancé she would have been back within a couple of years. It w o u l d t a k e s e v e n y e a r s before she finally managed to return to Treviso. They m a r r i e d o n t h e 1 2 t h o f S e p t e m b e r 1 9 6 4 , i n t h e Cappella degli Innocenti of the Santa Caterina church. Lyù left the US forever, and all the advantages such an advanced society could offer her, for love. Life in Italy was very different: Lyù was immediately caught in a sys- tem of values and traditions that clashed with the idea of " f r e e d o m " s o c o m m o n i n American society. She quit painting, acting and even working, to become a stay- at-home Italian wife, devot- ed to the care of her children and her home: back to the Middle Ages, she would usu- ally remark during the last years of her life. She lived in t w o d i f f e r e n t c o n t i n e n t s , appreciating their strengths, but also recognizing their weaknesses since the very beginning. Through your mother, you also tell the story of your family, which is in f a c t t h e s t o r y o f a n i m p o r t a n t m o m e n t i n t h e h i s t o r y o f I t a l i a n immigration to the US. My father's family is from Treviso, born and bred. It's a well-known and respected family, also in name of the many restoration projects and rescue efforts carried out to save the town's artistic p a t r i m o n y b y G i r o l a m o , Mario and Memi, my ances- tors. This great lineage of r e s t o r e r s d i e d w i t h m y father, because I chose a dif- ferent path and became an architect. The economic cri- sis of a few years ago forced me to close my studio, but at the same time it gave me the opportunity to develop my passion and talent for ink drawing, which I definitely inherited from the artistic side of my family. In 2012, I m y s e l f c r o s s e d t h e o c e a n with Paola and our daugh- t e r s , R e b e c c a a n d S o f i a M e l i s s a : I f o l l o w e d m y mother's path, that of her family. I moved to friendly Pittsburgh, where I began working as an artist. I felt the need to honor, with this book, the amazing adventure of my mother's ancestors: it's thanks to their tenacity and their courage I inherit- ed my American citizenship which, along with the artistic DNA of the Botter family, allows me to travel from one continent to the other, get- ting the best of both world for myself and my family. W h a t a b o u t y o u , G u g l i e l m o : y o u w e r e n u r t u r e d w i t h b o t h I t a l i a n a n d A m e r i c a n culture, how do you live your heritage? I'm lucky, because I've inherited art and courage. I love drawing and traveling. This mix brought me to visit and draw many American c i t i e s a n d t o e x h i b i t m y works in many a gallery, in Richmond and Norfolk VA, Pittsburgh, Harrisburg and Lancaster, PA, Washington D C , L e x i n g t o n , K Y , Columbus and Jasper, IN, and Cincinnati, OH. My ink drawings are reproduced on china, postcards, calendars, c a r d s a n d a r t p r i n t s . O f course, the cultural baggage I acquired in Italy helps me a lot in my relationship with the American public, who is always very interested and positive towards the Italian Heritage. W h a t ' s t h e c u l t u r a l i n h e r i t a n c e y o u w i l l leave to your daughters? Which heritage does the fifth generation of your Italian-American family hold within? I a m A m e r i c a - b o r n , although I've lived in Italy stably. I wanted my children to get their American citi- z e n s h i p , a s w e l l a s t h e Italian, so, after my mother passed away, whil e I was working on her biography, I started to gather all relevant documents. On the 14th of August 2012 we were called to the Office of Homeland S e c u r i t y i n P i t t s b u r g h , w h e r e R e b e c c a a n d S o f i a Melissa received their citi- z e n s h i p . E v e r y y e a r , w e divide our life between Italy and the US and I must say o u r d a u g h t e r s h a v e f u l l y embraced the American con- text, where they are plan- ning to set their future, with- o u t a b a n d o n i n g I t a l y , o f course. Every generation of my maternal family moved back and forth between the two continents, and I believe our love for the US and our c o n n e c t i o n w i t h t h e Fatherland will never disap- pear, even in the future. I l i k e t o t h i n k h o w m y y o u n g e r d a u g h t e r , S o f i a M e l i s s a , w a s b o r n o n t h e 17th of December 2006, on t h e s a m e d a y t h e f i r s t woman of our family, Maria C o m i s , a r r i v e d t o E l l i s Island, 106 years earlier. In occasion of her first transat- l a n t i c f l i g h t , m y e l d e s t Rebecca received from my m o t h e r t h e h o l y p i c t u r e Maria Comis had with her during all of her trips across the ocean. A girls-only fami- ly tradition! Lyù was one of the first women parachutist in the Veneto region (Photo courtesy of Guglielmo Botter) LIFE PEOPLE PLACES HERITAGE Continued from page 16

• Cover