Dances with Luigi: A Grandson's Search for His Italian Roots

by Paul Paolicelli

Book Overview

In this spirited memoir, veteran TV journalist Paul Paolicelli does what many of us can only dream of--he picks up and moves to a foreign country in an attempt to trace his ancestral roots. With the help of Luigi, his guide and companion, he travels through Italy--Rome, Gamberale, Matera, Miglionico, Alessandria, even Mussolini's hometown of Predappio--and discovers the tragic legacy of the Second World War that is still affecting the Old Country...

• Format: Paperback
• Language: English
• ISBN: 0312283806
• ISBN13: 9780312283803
• Release Date: November 2001
• Publisher: St. Martins Press-3PL
• Length: 320 Pages
• Weight: 0.65 lbs.
• Dimensions: 1.0" x 5.5" x 8.4"

Customer Reviews

Color for your family tree

For those of you who are under 40, never knew your great grand parents and have have built a family tree that traces your roots back to Italy,this is a especially helpful in understanding your ancestors beyond their years of birth, marriage, and death. I have read several books on immigration and Italian Americans and this is by far the most personal; with many examples of things such as why second or third generation Italians never learned the Italian language, why our ancestors left Italy, why so many were illiterate, intermarriage in the small towns, etc. There is literally a lesson in almost every chapter that makes me feel closer to my ancestors that I never even met. I am getting more copies for my relatives.

BRAVA BRAVA BRAVA

It amazes me that some of the reviews were critical. I wonder if any of the critics have attempted to write a book and have been published.First, I envy Paul that he had the guts to set out on the adventure that would change his life. Don't we all wish we could do that.I started to read this book and couldn't put it down; I read it in one day. It is a travel book, a mystery book, a history book and an Italian philosophy book all rolled into one.Join the author on his quest to understand his Italian heritage and discover fascinating characters who help him find the true meaning of life. His relatives who came to America are wonderful too, especially Uncle Al. It's true what they say "There's something about Italians!"My relatives and friends are getting copies for Christmas presents.To Paul Paolicelli "Grazie, ti voglio bene."Gloria Valentino

Dances with Luigi, really, dance along with Paolo!

I am an Italophile with southern italian roots. This book grabbed me by the throat. I couldn't put it down. He trudged through the northern Italian stereotypes of southerners, but then colorfully decribed wonderful, vital people, as he finds friends, countrymen, and then, finally family in the Southern Italian towns that his ancestors left so many years before. His story describes a combination of hard work, diligence and good fortune. A great read for anyone trying to find their roots, or who is interested in things Italian.

Sharing the Legacy

Even for someone who usually does not like non-fiction, this book is a treasure. Mr. Paolicelli combines the flavor of both Rome and Southern Italy with the elements of a mystery, finding one's roots. For anyone who has shared the experience of growing up Italian-American or anyone who is in the process of growing up as an Italian-American now, this book will provide a wonderful link to your background. For those of any nationality it is a charming, warm look at the quest for links to one's heritage. I plan on giving a copy of this book to both my sons and my sister so they can share with me the knowledge this book gave me and the pride it reawakened

A Super Read. It Sings!

"Dances with Luigi" is a super read. It sings. It transported me to Rome--into the coffee bar in a side street, to a jazz club after hours, along the ancient stones of the Appian Way. It took me up into the Abruzzii mountains whose medieval villages hid ageless secrets. And most of all, it told me a heart warming story of an American's discovery of his family's past.