As you already know,Samuel La Delfa, living inSydney, is thefirst winner of the MTW January Contest. He participated in behalf ofGrowing Up Italian-Australian, the Facebook page he cooperates with.

The FB page does not refer to a website, but to aseries of ironic booksbyVirginia Moschella.

But who’s Virginia?

Virginia is an Australian author with deep Italian roots.

Her grandparents, that she still calls ‘Nonni’, come from Sicily. They reflect the typical Nonni that most of Italians probably have, with a strong moral and pragmatic way of taking on life. Therefore, she grew up as Italian-Australian in the multicultural Australia of the 80s, gathering a good number of family tales.

What’s the Growing Up Italian-Australian book series?

This is where the idea comes from: collect, write and publish ‘the trials and tribulations of growing up Italian Australian’ – as Virginia itself says. All well-seasoned with irony and sense of humor!

At now she hasthree bookspublished:

Growing Up Italian Australian

A collection of funny childhood experiences, in balance between the archaic Sicilian traditions and contemporary Australian reality.

The Nonna Diaries

An entertaining comedy about the personal ‘wooden spoon philosophy’ that Nonna applies to rule her world and her peculiar point of view on life!

​I owe my life to spaghetti

The amusing sequel to the Nonna Diaries, with the introduction to Nonno’s adventures in his backyard.

Moreover:Christmas E-CookBook

A limited edition with Nonna’s Christmas recipes.

All the books are available on Amazon.com

Why do I like this page?

I find the idea is simply great. Virginia shares with the world her experience and troubles as a tribute to her family and roots. Furthermore, she deals in her light and funny style with a reality that has been, and still is, very actual: completely differentcultures meeting, contrasting and finally mixing into a new identity, that is aware of the past, but evolves towards the future.

South Tyrol, due to it’s dense and difficult history, faces this issue since 1918 (and probably even earlier). I feel thetopic very closeto my landandto nowadays European occurrencies, and will soon touch upon the matter from my point of view: food and taste integration in South Tyrolean culture.

Another point: Virginia is also biographer. Should you be willing tocapture your family and personal history in a book, in addition to your family album, she could be helpful.

Did you know?

My dad and my uncledid it in 2015! As a moving surprise to us all, theywrote togethera privatebook for my family, recalling and catching their Mantuan childhood memories.

I got really touched: these pages remind me of apart of my rootsand explain to me some of the distinctivefeatures of my nature and personality. In addition, the book records a rural lifestyle that doesn’t exist anymore and becomes aremembrance heritageI will be able to pass down to the future generations. I really wish every family could have a family memoir book!

Do you have one?Would you ever wish one?

Share with me your viewpoint!