L'Italo-Americano

L'Italo-Americano THURSDAY, DECEMBER 26, 2024 www.italoamericano.org 4 T here's a feeling in t h e a i r t h a t another year has f l o w n b y . T h e Christmas holi- days are slipping away as we turn the final page of the cal- e n d a r . A t o u c h o f r e g r e t lingers for the things we did- n't accomplish, mixed with hope that we'll make up for them next year—especially now, with just a handful of days left before 2025. In our minds and hearts, particu- larly after holidays that have either reunited families or k e p t t h e m a p a r t , w e t a k e stock: reflections and wish- es, pages to turn, chapters to close, ideas to nurture, and plans already in motion for t h e y e a r t o c o m e . W e a r e filled with expectations, yet equally eager to leave certain things behind. It's not so different from t h e f e e l i n g s o f t h o s e w h o once crossed the ocean in s e a r c h o f a b e t t e r l i f e . I n m a n y w a y s , w e ' r e n o t s o unlike those passengers set- ting out for La Merica, a l a n d o f p r o m i s e a n d n e w beginnings. Just as it was for them, today we stand at a threshold, reflecting on what we hope for and what has changed. It's that same feeling of transition you get at an airport, lingering by the baggage carousel—sus- p e n d e d f o r a m o m e n t between the journey that's ended and the plunge into the chaos of the city that awaits. The emotions are timeless, unchanged from then to now. We are all in t h a t i n - b e t w e e n s p a c e , straddling the past we carry with us and the future we're about to enter. We watch the conveyor belt spin steadily, our anx- ious eyes fixed on the suit- case that holds a piece of the life we've just left behind. It offers a sense of comfort— something familiar to cling to before we take those first steps forward. But the exit is not the destination; it's just the start of a new adventure. Already, we are changing. New experiences are leaving their mark, reshaping who we are and drawing the out- l i n e s o f t h e l i f e t o c o m e . They will shift our perspec- t i v e s , o u r p r i o r i t i e s , a n d how we see the world. When those earlier trav- elers stepped off the great ships that had carried them far from their familiar vil- lages—whether perched in the cool Apennine moun- tains or nestled by the fra- grant waves of the sea—they had little time to process the g r u e l i n g v o y a g e i n t h i r d c l a s s . T h e i r j o u r n e y h a d ended, yet a new one had a l r e a d y b e g u n . T h e N e w World, with its harsh, alien language that disoriented them and filled them with uncertainty and loneliness, had already swept them up, t r a n s f o r m i n g t h e m c o m - pletely. There was a before and an after, and they, like u s , s t o o d i n t h e m i d d l e . Even those who never made that crossing, who aren't descended from those jour- neys, feel something similar at this time of year. We all find ourselves in a space of transition, caught between two worlds: the one we leave b e h i n d a n d t h e o n e t h a t a w a i t s u s . F r o m a g r a y , undefined present, we move toward a future full of color. If we look back at the cov- ers of L'Italo-Americano f r o m t h e p a s t t w e l v e months, we can see this con- s t a n t i n t e r p l a y : p a s t a n d present, Italy and America, transformation and change. It's a journey, a passage, a metamorphosis—where our dual Italo-American souls blend together, like sand in an hourglass. T h r o u g h o u t t h e y e a r , w e ' v e c e l e b r a t e d f i g u r e s who, crossing both time and o u r i m a g i n a t i o n s , h a v e e m b o d i e d t h i s l i f e l i v e d between two worlds. Two of these stand out—Martin S c o r s e s e a n d S o p h i a Loren—each of whom we r e c e n t l y f e a t u r e d o n o u r front page. Their long artis- t i c c a r e e r s h a v e b e e n defined by a constant bal- ance between Italy and the United States, their identi- ties rooted in both places. In February, we turned o u r a t t e n t i o n t o S a i n t Frances Cabrini, patron saint of immigrants and the first American saint—she obtained US citizenship in 1913—despite having been born in Sant'Angelo Lodi- g i a n o , L o m b a r d y . W h e n presenting Alejandro Mon- teverde's biographical film, set for release in March, we reflected on the resilience that accompanied the hopes and hardships of Italians s e e k i n g a b e t t e r l i f e i n A m e r i c a . S a i n t C a b r i n i played a crucial role in the growth of the Italian com- munity in the United States, d e d i c a t i n g h e r s e l f t o improving the living condi- tions of early Italian Ameri- cans. She worked tirelessly between these two worlds, driven by the hope of creat- 2024: a journey through heritage, evolution, and the everlasting spirit of hope BARBARA MINAFRA NEWS & FEATURES TOP STORIES PEOPLE EVENTS CONTINUED TO PAGE 6 A radiant Sophia Loren was on our cover last month (Photo: Jaguarps/Dreamstime); Above, astronaut Walter Villadei, whom we covered in March (Photo: NASA, Axiom Space and Italian Air Force)

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