Despite what my last name, olive complexion and cannoli tattoo might tell you, I’m only about a quarter Italian. I know. I know!! It’s surprising because if anyone asks me my background, Italian is typically the first word out of my mouth. I very much claim my Italian-ness, as anyone with even a small percentage of Italian heritage tends to do. Heck, my mother is 0% Italian and believes herself to be an honorary member by marriage.
But how could anyone not want to be Italian!? The food! The culture! The art! The food! The beautiful people! The wine! The architecture! The cinema! The food! The fashion! The food! Oh… the food. (Again, I have a cannoli tattoo.)
My father is half Italian and half Irish (in true Jersey style.) His grandparents came over from Italy in the early 1900s settling in Paterson/Hackensack, NJ. Their wedding photo looks straight out of The Godfather but I promise we weren’t connected to any crime families. At least… I don’t think we were?
I haven’t previously considered learning Italian. Honestly, it never crossed my mind. My school district only offered foreign language in high school and you had two options; Spanish and French. I took three years of Spanish in high school and was Vice President of the Spanish Club. I also took a year in college. Can I speak Spanish after four years of study? Dónde está la biblioteca? And by that I mean no. No, I cannot. If only our school systems realized that offering language skills from a young age would be beneficial to everyone. But alas… America.
There have been moments when I have considered trying one of the apps to learn a language. Duolingo's social media presence alone wants me to be part of their insane world. (If they have not already, whoever runs that account deserves an award for their unhinged behavior.) But for some reason, I always considered learning French despite no French background and it being a language that is not likely to come in handy.
All of this brings me to a fellow Italian American Angela who decided herself it was time. Time to learn the language of our people! And I went in very excited to learn more than just the names of different pasta shapes and pastries.
Name: Angela Palladino
Occupation: Freelance Writer, Producer & Director
Hobby: Learning Italian
When did you start doing this hobby?
My first Italian class was in school when I was 14 but I started as a hobby in January 2020. (A pre-pandemic hobby!) It was my New Year’s resolution that year.
How often do you do it?
It really varies. There have been times I’ve been actively in classes at least twice a week. There are months where I’m on Duolingo or using my books every day. In early 2020, I took private lessons on Skype for a few months then I was doing Duolingo 2020-2021. In 2022, I took class at another school in person and have taken multiple classes there since.
Why do you think this hobby has stuck?
Beause I’m Italian genetically and ancestrally on both sides. My mom is half and my dad 100%. So there’s a cultural family link and because of that, it’s something I’ve been pursuing especially after I got into ancestry research. I also found out that I will qualify for an Italian passport. There’s a bunch of stuff you need including passing a fluency test. Dual citizenship!
Have you made friends or new connections doing this hobby?
Not really. I've met people but just acquaintances I know from classes.
What about this hobby brings you joy?
I really like languages in general. I find them interesting. I’m an etymology nerd. I like to know why words are the way they are. It’s like a puzzle! For instance, I find it interesting that finestra means window in Italian and the computer operating system Windows Finestra means windows windows.
Are there any hobbies you’ve wanted to try and never have?
So many! I used to have too many hobbies and had to cut down. I play guitar. I used to play harmonica. I used to surf, skateboard, rollerblade. I’ve had every hobby! I would like to try drums. And I would love to have a room of requirement so it could be a music room, painting studio, art studio, etc. There’s always the barrier of having all the stuff and space for some hobbies.
So, did I find my new hobby?
Did I enjoy the hobby? I really did! Angela had so many interesting facts and information on the quirks of the language such as the fact that certain letters don’t exist. Also, taking a little time to break down the words was fun and not what I expected going into our lesson. For example; the word cittadino means citizen. Citta means city and -ino is the suffix for small. So, cittadino is a small part of the city. Which we are! We’re small parts of a city! I figured we’d just go through a few basic phrases but I appreciated this since I can do Duolingo on my own time.
Would I do it again? After Angela and I met, I downloaded Duolingo to do a few days worth of Italian lessons in preparation for this post. I’ve been learning how to introduce myself and order in a cafe! (Un caffè con latte e zucchero, per favore.) And I actually think I might try to continue. While I do not expect to become fluent, and my pronunciation leaves something to be desired, I do plan to go to Italy one day and having a base knowledge of the language and the ability to communicate the basics, especially regarding food, would be really helpful.
Who might like to try? I think learning a language is great for pretty much everyone and I wish our country put a higher emphasis on learning one from a young age so we could all be at least bilingual. If you’re looking to learn a new language, try Italian or whichever language speaks to you. If you’re Italian, and want to get in touch with your background, learning the basics of this language is a great idea.
You can follow Angela on Instagram or check out her website to see her professional work.
If you have a hobby you would like to share with me (and the world) email me at chelseadallasfalato@substack.com