“Il bar più a sud d’Europa isole escluse.”
Bicycle Diaries Siciliano Bill Giovinazzo Bicycle Diaries Siciliano Bill Giovinazzo

“Il bar più a sud d’Europa isole escluse.”

We were barely on the road when we stopped at an abandoned farmhouse. The farm had been made into a museum. Apparently, someone who had found some Roman mosaics and were chipping away pieces destroying them and obscuring the story these treasures told. As I understand it, someone had started farming here when they discovered what was under the ground. It reminds me of something a friend once told me. According to him, there is so very much history in the ground that every construction project uncovers something from the past.

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Siracusa
Bicycle Diaries Siciliano Bill Giovinazzo Bicycle Diaries Siciliano Bill Giovinazzo

Siracusa

oday was our first full day in Syracuse Sicily. As I had noted yesterday, I am very excited to be here. This morning, much to the chagrin of my son, we got a bright an early start. There is just too much to see in this wonderful place in just one short day. So, after a quick Italian breakfast, we were on our way. I should note that the breakfasts here are quite different.

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The Road to Noto
Bicycle Diaries Siciliano Bill Giovinazzo Bicycle Diaries Siciliano Bill Giovinazzo

The Road to Noto

What a great day!! It is our first day of riding and it has reminded me of why I love these trips so much. We left Syracuse this morning headed south-west toward the town of Noto. It was a short 34 miles, which I guess is a great way to start the trip. We don’t want to attempt anything too intense and the terrain was relatively flat, very little elevation gain. The sky was overcast as we began our travels making for a cool start to the day.

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Who is your Favorite Guitarist?
Culture Bill Giovinazzo Culture Bill Giovinazzo

Who is your Favorite Guitarist?

If I were to ask you to name a great guitarist, who would you name? If you are from my generation, you might say Clapton or Hendrix. If you are old school, you might go with B.B. King or Les Paul. If, however, you are really old school, and I am talking 18th century old school, you’re going with Mauro Giuliani – no known relation to that other Giuliani.

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An Italian-American Christmas
Culture Bill Giovinazzo Culture Bill Giovinazzo

An Italian-American Christmas

Several years back, an evangelical Christian co-worker was complaining about the secularization of Christmas. “Jesus is the reason for the season,” he declared, literally raising his arm, pointing to the heavens above. “What does Christmas mean to you? Is it a holiday or an holyday?” he asked, almost daring me to answer incorrectly, or at least what he thought was incorrect.

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The Feast of Seven Fishes, Why It is Important
Culture Bill Giovinazzo Culture Bill Giovinazzo

The Feast of Seven Fishes, Why It is Important

For many Italian-Americans, the high point of Christmas is the Christmas Eve Feast of Seven Fishes. This custom, however, has a special added significance for me personally. It was my father’s last meal. On Christmas Eve 1977, after enjoying the traditional meal my mother had prepared, my father went to bed where he fell into a wakeless sleep. Since then, the Feast of the Seven Fishes was more than part of my Italian-American heritage, but a remembrance of my father.

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Befana & the Epiphany
Culture Bill Giovinazzo Culture Bill Giovinazzo

Befana & the Epiphany

I love being Italian, well technically Italian-American. There are so many things about our cultural inheritance that enrich our lives. The food. The traditions. The music. From pasta fazool to Verdi’s La Traviata, I love it all. One of these traditions is the observance of the Epiphany and Befana. Growing up in the United States, the Epiphany passed without notice, with no mention of Befana.

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Love Italian Style
Culture Bill Giovinazzo Culture Bill Giovinazzo

Love Italian Style

It’s Valentine’s Day!! A day of chocolates, flowers, romantic dinners, and sexy lingerie. It is estimated that the average man will spend $300 to $400 on wooing his true love, or at least his current love. While I don’t want to appear as a Valentine’s Day cynic, I can’t help but feel that all this Valentine’s Day furor is more the result of effective marking than heartfelt expressions of devotion.

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Italians, The First Latins!!
Culture Bill Giovinazzo Culture Bill Giovinazzo

Italians, The First Latins!!

Several years back I was having dinner with a group of people. At one point during the meal, a woman at the table began to rant against Latins. The Latins this. The Latins that. All manner of shortcomings were ascribed to Latins. Clearing my throat, I noted that I was a Latin. “You’re not Latin! You’re Italian,” she snapped.

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Are Italian-Americans Italian?
Culture Bill Giovinazzo Culture Bill Giovinazzo

Are Italian-Americans Italian?

Are Italian-Americans Italian? People keep telling me we aren’t. When I say I am Italian, Italian-Italians, those born in Italy, look at me with suspicion and scoff. American Uber-patriots chide me, telling me that I am American. In their minds, to associate myself the culture of my forbears is close to treason. With so many people telling me that I am not Italian, I cannot help but wonder if Italian-Americans are Italian.

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Being Italian American During a Covid Christmas
Culture Bill Giovinazzo Culture Bill Giovinazzo

Being Italian American During a Covid Christmas

I am not sure how to start this post, how to do something other than contributing to the happy-happy-joy-joy holiday messages with which we have all been inundated over the past few weeks. However, I do have something to say as I reflect on this time of year and its relation to my cultural heritage, especially in light of the Covid pandemic.

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Bicycle Diaries Siciliano
Bicycle Diaries Siciliano Bill Giovinazzo Bicycle Diaries Siciliano Bill Giovinazzo

Bicycle Diaries Siciliano

I have some interesting news for my friends, family, and followers, over the next few weeks to promote my award-winning book, Italianità: The Essence of Being Italian and Italian-American, I will be touring Italy. We will begin with a bike tour along the southern coast of Sicily, the home of my maternal ancestors, followed by a visit to the Amalfi coast, and concluding in the Eternal City, Rome.

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