MUSIC = MEMORIES
- Cristina
- Mar 24, 2017
- 4 min read
Music has always been my passion. I started singing when I was a little girl. For every holiday my family would make me stand on top of a chair or sometimes the table..lol...and start singing, and everyone around the table would give me a dollar!
Madrina Sylvia would teach me all Italian poems and I would recite them too!! I grew up speaking Italian. We speak Sicilian within my immediate family but I speak proper Italian with all other friends and family.
Papa Giacomo always had his record player! He loved opera...that isn't really my thing. I liked all the other records he would play, like Adrianno Celentano and Toto Cotugno. My mothers favorite singer was Mina.
I remember the songs like, "Soli" and "L'Italiano" and as a kid I learned the song "Mi scappa la pee pee"...LoL
Then, of course, he would play the instrumental songs so we could dance to the manzurka and then my grandparents would dance the waltz. Madrina Sylvia and Padrino Gianni love to dance! My mother loved to dance too!! It was a typical thing we would do every weekend...but in the summer it didn't matter what day it was...we hung out every night...all summer long...at Nonni's house. Those are my best memories as a kid!
Padrino Gianni plays the accordion. This is one of his favorite songs. He still plays it from time to time and Madrina Sylvia sings...I sing too...we have fun sitting around listening to him play while we sing and then we get up and dance too!!
This is something we do on a random Saturday night. This brings back memories of my childhood. I grew up listening to this music and watching my Godfather play his accordion. When he goes to Italy his old band gets together every night and they play while the rest of my cousins all eat, drink and dance all night long! That's the life! They really do know how to enjoy life! Sometimes you need to stop and enjoy the moments you have...memories last forever!
When I went to Sicily the first time, back in 1989, it was the best summer I had ever had! I met all of my cousins and we had a blast! I was there for a month! We visited everyone. I was greeted with open arms! Everyone invited us over and they cooked amazing home-made pasta and had "u bene di Dio" on the table! Everyone plays an instrument in my family so there was music everywhere I went! I always loved to sing so they would play and I sang...it was the best! I cried so hard when it was time to leave! I wanted to stay there because I loved it so much. The town has so much history. I loved the cobblestone streets and the old churches. The beaches were amazing...the water was so blue and it was calm. It was such a laid back lifestyle, not like the hustle and bustle here. I visited Caltagirone, Catatania, Siracusa, Ragusa, I walked up Mt. Etna...its a Volcano!! It was amazing. The one thing I remember distinctly was that Jasmine grew all along the path I was walking on and I could smell the sweet scent in the air! Jasmine is my favorite flower since then! I visited my cousins in Aidone, Enna and I remember seeing Mt. Etna from the window! Just amazing!
I remember the beautiful trees, fruits and flowers that surrounded me in campagna! They have prickly pears growing everywhere they are called Fico d'India. Another vivid memory was when I went to visit my Zia Giovanna, I walked outside and saw that she had tomatoes laid out in the sun because she was making her own sun dried tomatoes!! In the country you would see Pignoli trees and olive trees! The homes were very rustic but all had a splash of color from all the beautiful flowers that were planted all around. The houses in town all had small terraces that had beautiful, colorful flowers planted along with vines that came hanging down just above the narrow cobblestone streets below.
The town my family is from is known for La Scala di Santa Maria del Monte. It is an old 142 step staircase. Each step is decorated with a different ceramic pattern. Caltagirone is known for their pottery. The staircase dates back to 1608. They decorate the steps with gorgeous floral and luminaria designs. They celebrate the Patron Saint of Caltagirone, San Giacomo, on July 24 and 25th and create a beautiful design that goes from the top of the steps all the way to the bottom and they light it up at night in celebration of this special day! Surely a sight to see!
I want to go back and bring my children to see where our family comes from! I want them to meet all of their cousins and enjoy themselves like I did when I was a kid. I want them to explore their roots and appreciate where our family originated from and learn more about our culture. There is so much more to life and there is so much to explore! No matter where you are from you should always hold onto your roots!
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