I do genealogy,thus my interest in this book. I loved this.This gent does genealogy and goes back to Italy to see the ancestral town. It is a warm,rewarding journey for the author and the reader!!!!
If you are italian, or love family history or stories, you won't be disappointed! ( )

The author has published what is essentially a diary of his travels to Italy in search of his ancestors, and his grandfather in particular. He spent three years in and around Rome and his story is interesting in and of itself. Luigi is his in-country "guide" and occasional translator and the two of them interact as influenced by the search for records and places.

This is not a travelogue as such, nor does it spend a lot of time detailing scenery, although there are nice descriptions of both scenery and people. Overall, it is an easy read and interesting to people who may have encountered similar trips in search of ancestry. ( )

This memoir recounts the story of the author, Paul Paolicelli, and his 3-year journey in and around Italy in search of his Italian roots. He is an American with a rare opportunity to immerse himself in another culture for an extended period of time. The locals he encounters, including the endearing Luigi, are warm and down-to-earth. They have a love for life and culture that comes from living in smaller villages away from the larger metropolises.

I especially enjoyed reading about the author's struggle to learn Italian and how he rediscovered his love for playing the trumpet. It's a fun irony that he found a new love for jazz (an American tradition) in Italy (known for classicism). ( )

Very enjoyable story of a Pittsburgh based journalist setting out to Italy in search of his family roots and a birth certificate of his grandfather. The journey proves the adage that "The journey is more important than the destination". After arriving in Italy, he experiences some of the major differences between American culture and Italian culture, discovers and comes to grips with some shocking aspects of his family history and finally reaches the goal of his quest.

The travelogue portion of the story is quite interesting as Paolicelli often travels to places that are not on the usual tourist excursion in search of a record for his elusive grandfather. He explains the difference between the regional variations in Italian culture and explores some of their internal prejudices as well.

It was Paoliccelli's interactions with the local populace and his personal changes that I found most entertaining. Originally arriving as the typical American who expects everything to be taken care of , and taken care of NOW, he adapts to the native life style, the slower more stylized pace where things will happen, but first there are certain formalities and customs that must be observed.

Not only is the account of the author's searching for his roots entertaining, I enjoyed the way many aspects of our daily American style lives are compared and called into question. After reading this book, I found myself trying for a deeper appreciation of the smaller daily things that go on around us. Hopefully this account will have that effect on you as well. ( )