Testimonies

We participated in Back to the Roots Tour, since it offered everything that my family and I had always wanted to do. Visit the birthplace of my parents, walking through the streets where they grew up, seeing the school they attended as young kids, walking into the church we had heard so much about when we were young, was like been part of their lives before they immigrated to America. Listening to the tales of local elders about the emigrants gave us a deeper and more authentic sense of our own identity. It is an experience I recommend to anyone who wants to rediscover a sense of belonging, beyond geographical borders.

I am an Italian American of second generation and my family and I had traveled to Italy often. This time around we decided to do something more than just discover another beautiful part of this country that we deeply love. A friend of mine put me in touch with Laias & Partners and what happened next was such an incredible experience for my family and mostly my three teenage children.

We arrived in this small town and were taken to the Mayor’s office that welcomed us and gave us a tour of the municipality and archives. He presented us with my mother’s birth certificated that we never had and I so much cared about. Later on we met with the parish of the church who had gathered some local people that had been my parents old classmates and some relatives. The Mass for my mother (who had passed a few months back) was the most emotional part of this journey.

We were not only honoring her memory, we were revisiting the place in which she grew up and was so dear to her heart. Words can not express how how beautiful and emotional the Mass was and how much it warmed my hearts.

At the end of the day, after joining us for a traditional lunch, the Mayor presented my family with a unique poster of the town with all the iconic places that we visited and represented my mother’s life. I know it took months for all these to be organized but what we took with us after this visit was enormous. So much love, appreciation, pride and mostly the commitment to stay connected to that town that already had become part of our lives as well.

I initially approached my Italian roots out of academic curiosity. But what I experienced in Italy thanks to Laias & Partners exceeded all my expectations. Finding my great-great-grandfather's birth certificate, speaking with municipal archivists, and discovering that my surname is still present in the area made me feel part of a larger story. I am now deepening my study of the Italian language and culture with the goal of returning and collaborating with local organizations on the topic of migrant memory.

When I set foot in the small town in the province of Salerno where my great-grandfather was born, I realized that the names on the street signs were the same ones I read in the records of my Italian-American students. The history I teach in the classroom came to life among those stone streets. I was able to show my students how family history is intertwined with collective history, and how important it is to know where we come from.