Letters From Italy: A Transatlantic Love Story - 9781733075039

Letters From Italy is narrative nonfiction of a love story about my immigrant Italian parents. My mother and father were always storytellers. Framed by letters written from the 1930s to the 1950s, I recount the experiences of my parents who emigrated from southern Italy to New York City. Beginning with the Fascist regime of Benito Mussolini, Letters From Italy describes the political and social conditions that led to World War II. Nicoletta Di Bitetto was raised in an upper-middle-class family in the province of Bari. Nicoletta was orphaned at a young age, and her position in life changed dramatically. Her family struggled to make ends meet after the war, and her dreams of higher education were dashed. Orazio Dell'Olio was born into a poor family split between Italy and the United States. Half of his siblings grew up in New York, while he and three siblings remained in Italy. His dream of joining his family didn't come to pass until he was twenty years old. Tales of their childhood in a little town on the Puglian coast beget images of a fishing village, families from different socio-economic classes, and of love born out of chance. Their romance began in 1950 when my uncle sent a photograph of his new fiancé to his parents in New York City. Orazio spotted an attractive young woman in the photo. What ensued was two years of correspondence that eventually led to their first encounter in the town of Bisceglie, Bari. Italian immigrants during the postwar years through to the present day-family desperate to assimilate into American society while maintaining their strong cultural heritage. Navigating the tumultuous 1960s to the new millennium, Orazio and Nicoletta raise four children and caring for aging parents. Each hurdle cemented their bond of love.Oral history corroborated through research and the discovery of the letters written long ago, Letters from Italy is a family saga, and dreams coming true. It is a love story that leaves a lasting legacy-a true picture of an American immigrant experience.

• | Author: Mario Dell'Olio
• | Publisher: Mario Dell'Olio
• | Publication Date: Apr 05, 2023
• | Number of Pages: 351 pages
• | Language: English
• | Binding: Paperback
• | ISBN-10: 1733075038
• | ISBN-13: 9781733075039