Insights from Italy: Il mio Cognome é Saccato (Part I)

The Brothers Saccato and their families. My grandfather, Lorenzo, is the second from the right on the bottom row with the young boy in his lap. My second cousin, Giovanni, is the young boy standing on the left. He is the only one in the picture still alive. Narzole, Italy. Circa 1950. (Picture and diagrams thanks to Giovanni and Daniela Saccato.)

My grandparents emigrated from Italy in the early 1900s along with thousands of other Italians during one of the more poverty stricken times in that country's history. My grandfather, Lorenzo, was one of four sons from the Cuneo and Bra area of the Piedmonte region near the French border.

As the story goes from my second cousin, Giovanni Saccato, Lorenzo one day decided he was going to America. He went and came back, and, as the story goes from an interview with my grandmother by my first cousin, Maryann Molinari, "At the age of seventeen, my grandmother met my grandfather at a restaurant where she was working putting oil on wine bottle corks....One half hour after he met her he asked her to join him and travel to the United States....He gave her four days to make a decision and left his watch 'to show he meant business.' ....Lorenzo and Giovannina met on April 3, 1920, were married on the 26th of April and left for the United States on the 18th of June that same year."

The remaining Brothers Saccato, as they are affectionately known, stayed in the region and raised their families amidst the richness of an Italian culture and a voluptious growing region nestled below the Alps.

But Lorenzo and Giovannina ventured together to America and eventually settled in northern California, giving birth to a daughter, Margaret, and a son, my father, Mario.

Appreciation of my Italian heritage was rekindled, fostered and deepened as we wended our way through the north of Italy towards my family roots.

Immersed in a virtual mono-culture of Italians. Seeing so many people who looked like they could be relatives was comforting. Spanish Steps, Rome, Italy. December 15, 2019.

One of the things I love most about international travel is immersion into a new and different culture. But when we landed at Rome Fiumicino airport, I wasn't prepared to see so many people who looked just like me and my Italian family and friends. Startled, I simultaneously felt immediately at home, but with a growing curiosity: I can see I am them, but who are they?? And how do I, an Italian-American, fit in?

I was raised in a Catholic Italian family, but immersed in the American culture. Growing up, I didn't spend too much time distinguishing what was my Italian heritage and what was the American culture, except those things we either made fun of about our culture or those things for which we proudly puffed up our chests. As the trip unfolded, though, I discovered more and more what was inherently from my Italian culture and what was the Americanized version of that. It was a sweet realization to see and experience on a societal scale what was such a deep part of my nature. The familial kindness and tenderness, the sincerity of spiritual/religious practice, and the food! The food!

From enjoying room temperature aqua frizante (sparkling water) with a meal to being presented a simple bottle of olive oil and vinegar when ordering an insalata mista (mixed green salad), I could see where my habits and choices stemmed on a magnified scale. It was very endearing. A new appreciation of my Italian heritage was fostered and deepened as we wended our way through the north of Italy towards my family roots. Being at this age and stage in my life seems to have created an important place in my heart for the cultural and familial influence.

The Saccato Gas Station and Cabins. Lorenzo Saccato is near the pumps and my father, Mario Saccato, is standing on the sideboard of the truck. Cotati, California. Circa 1932.

The pioneering spirit of my grandparents landed them in the Sonoma County region in 1928, where they spent the rest of their lives. In the entrepreneurial spirit of the day, they ran many businesses together, including a hotel, bar and gas station in Cotati. My father and virtually all my siblings adopted this same spirit, rarely working for others and many times working with each other. Did this stem from the pioneering spirit of my grandfather or the fact that during this time in history, more people were soloprenuers making a living as best they could?



(To be continued...)

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JoAnn Saccato, MA, is a certified teacher with the Mindfulness Training Institute, life coach, author and consultant. She is the author of Companioning the Sacred Journey: A Guide to Creating a Compassionate Container for Your Spiritual Practice and Mindful and Intentional Living: A Path to Peace Clarity and Freedom.

Mindfulness is an umbrella term used for a large body of popular health and wellness practices based on purposefully bringing a curious, kind and non-judgmental attention to moment by moment experience. It is a scientifically proven approach that helps reduce stress and stress-related illnesses, increase focus and attention, decrease incidences of and relapses with depression, reduce anxiety, reduce relapses in addiction, and aids in sleep and digestive disorders. It has also been shown to increase well being, life satisfaction and happiness, as well as improved social relationships.

You can reach JoAnn at [email protected]. To follow her visit: www.MindfulAndIntentionalLiving.com