Growing Up in New York's Italian South Village

by Vivolo, Tony

• ISBN13: 9781935359470
• ISBN10: 1935359479
• Format: Paperback
• Copyright: 2010-09-30
• Publisher: Book Pub Network

Summary

Tony Vivolo brings alive the world of his boyhood. Cured meats and ripened cheeses in the shops assault your senses and let you know exactly where you've landed. Boisterous nonstop chatter of family and friends fills the cramped apartment and reminds you where you'll always find welcome.Vivolo touches a chord with us all as he opens his heart and reveals the deep connection among those who formed his neighborhood, Surrounded by relatives and friends whose bonds would remain for life, he experienced what we all yearn for, both for ourselves and our children- unconditional love, support through good times and bad, opportunities to stretch in a simple life with limited means, Vivolo shows what we too often forget in our rush to do it all - that what matters most, what we remember always, what truly enriches our lives happens in the moments shared with those we love. Step into Vivolo's Italian South Village and recapture the joy in simple pleasures.

Author Biography

This evocative memoir captures life in the South Village during the 1950s, when this vibrant neighborhood was filled with close-knit Italian families. Tony Vivolo describes growing up on Sullivan Street: a world of stickball games and going to school at Saint Anthony's; generations of families living together; dinners of ravioli and lasagna, with baked calamari on Christmas Eve; grandparents speaking Italian dialects; wooden casks of vino rosso secreted in the tenement cellars; pushcarts lining the streets; gardens of tomatoes and basil growing on fire escapes. Growing Up in New York's Italian South Village vividly recalls a remarkable time and place.

Table of Contents

Acknowledgments	p. vii
Introduction	p. ix
Willie ôThe Cap'sö Store	p. 5
My Mother's Parents	p. 13
My Father's Parents	p. 25
Aunt Rosie	p. 39
Uncle Jimmy	p. 51
Uncle Joe	p. 59
Sports in the Neighborhood	p. 67
Spaldeen	p. 83
Social Athletic Clubs (SACs)	p. 89
Aunt Helen, the ôHead Auntö	p. 97
Uncle Albert	p. 111
Cousin Jamesie	p. 115
Cousins Gloria and Rita	p. 121
Accordion Cousins	p. 125
Cousin Rosemary	p. 127
Mom	p. 133
Dad	p. 159
Epilogue	p. 185
About the Author	p. 187
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