Perhaps the enormity of the challenge to disseminate information about our heritage and culture is intimidating. We as members of the Ciullo family  will take up that challenge and do our best to explain all the myths and stories handed down by our ancestors.  We do not want to lose these old folk tales, because they are a part of our tradition, but we want to put them into perspective. They are what make us, as Italians, unique.

 

Some or our goals are to make our readers aware of our cultural traditions, customs, philosophies, sophistications and refinements. We also will research and explain our rich heritage, including our birthright, legacy and inheritance.

 

Our personal heritage stems from our roots in Italy.

 

How often have you met a new Italian American, and asked, what paese are your grandparents from? Many times whey will tell you that they do not know, or they will tell you near Naples, or Sicily, or somewhere in Northern Italy. What a shame. We should know what small paese near Naples, or where in Sicily our ancestors are from (Sicily is a large island, and there are many cultural differences). .

 

The bond of paesani is as strong as family ties. Perhaps that is so because the paesani depended on each other for survival.

 

The trend now is to start a family tree. We have word of mouth and hearsay, but we should record it for future generations. If you are fortunate to have your grandparents or parents that can give you information on your family, please write it down, or better yet tape it for your archives. If you need any help in starting your personal family heritage tree, please contact me at ciullop@aol.com  this is the first step in your Italian heritage.

 

Italy is the cultural center of the world, so we will include articles on travel to the places that draw millions to her shores. If you would like, we can also include some old traditional recipes.

 

We will welcome any and all suggestions from our members and we will try to fulfill our charge as members of the Ciullo family

 

Peter Ciullo