• You have many relatives named either Joe or Mary, and you have at least one brother named Joe

• You grew up in a small house, but you still had two kitchens. (One was in the basement)

• When you were growing up, you had five cousins all living on the same street

• When you were growing up, you thought that all wine was red and that it only came in gallon jugs

• If someone in your family grows beyond 6’ 2”, it’s presumed that the mother had an affair

• There were more than 28 people in your wedding party

• Your grandfather had a fig tree

• You've always wanted a red Ferrari

• When you were growing up, you ate Sunday dinner at 2:00 p.m., and on Thanksgiving, your family’s first course was Ravioli

• Your big family gatherings were held in your garage

• Your favorite movie is the “Godfather”, your favorite television show is “The Sopranos”, and your favorite singers are (in order) Frank Sinatra, Dean Martin, Jerry Vale, and Louis Prima

• You own a Nat Nast shirt, just like the one Tony Soprano wears

• Connie Francis songs makes you cry

• At least five of your cousins are named after your grandfather

• A high school diploma and one year of community college has earned you the title of "professor" among your aunts

• At least one person in your family does a great impression of Don Corleone

• You have at least one sister or sister-in-law who went to Beauty School

• You’ve been hit with a spoon and/or you’ve been hit by a nun

• You feel strangely comfortable when you sit on plastic-covered furniture

• You know all the words to “That’s Amore”

• When you were growing up your father had a plastic statue of Jesus (the one with him pointing to his heart) on the dashboard of his car

• You’re wife or husband wears a tee shirt that says “Pray for me, I married an Italian.”

• You’ve been to the Vatican at least once

• For a short time while you were growing up, you wanted to be a priest or a nun

• When you were growing up, you thought Jesus was an Italian who lived in Israel

• You fight over whether it's called "sauce" or "gravy"

• Your mom's meatballs are the best!

If at least five of the above apply to you, congratulations!!! You’re Italian!

The video to the left was taken on my first trip to Italy in 1990 with my nephews Mark and Joe. We arrrived from Los Angeles after a 12 hour flight, rented a car, and drove to Pisa. We didn't sleep all night on the plane, and the drive from Rome to Pisa was exhausting.

Our first experience with Italian locals is documented at the beginning of this video.

Click on the "Play" button in the picture to start the video.

Click here to go back to my home page:

Italian Music Recommendation...

I've been to Italy four times, but the best Italian music I've heard is from Al Fabrizio and Hugo Wainzinger of HeartStrings Music, based in Mountain View, California.

My brother, Joe, heard Al playing in a San Jose mall. He bought one of Al and Hugo's albums and sent it to me. Since then, I've been enjoying their music, and I highly recommend their albums.

This is a picture of me, Al, and Hugo at my nephew Mark's wedding in October 2005. When Mark told me that he was getting married, I told my brother that he should get Al and Hugo to play at the wedding.

My favorite song is their rendition of "Summertime in Venice", from the movie "Summertime", starring Audrey Hepburn and Rossano Brazzi.

Their albums are available on Amazon.com and Cdbaby.com (search Fabrizio).