In this episode of The Italian American Podcast, we talk with Ray Guarini, founder of Italian Enclaves, about the memories he is creating to help preserve Italian American culture.

In the Stories Segment, we hear from one of our listeners, Joseph Blanda Pintacuda Sciame, who tells us an inspiring story about going back to his ancestral village — and the warm reception he received.

Episode Quote

“Tradition is not the worship of ashes, but the preservation of fire.” ― Gustav Mahler

Tweetables

• “When you are passionate about something, it just expands.” – Dolores Alfieri
• “Once you break the ice, people are very warm and welcoming.” – Ray Guarini
• “It’s a blessing to be able to do something that you love doing.” – Ray Guarini
• “A scrapbook of photographs can sometimes tell a story much better than any person could.” – Ray Guarini
• “The churches are the backbones of every community in Italy.” – Ray Guarini
• “It’s important to preserve the past, but it’s more important to keep our community alive today.” – Dolores Alfieri
• “We are creating a virtual space, which gives people the opportunity to go and see it themselves.” – Ray Guarini
• “The key to the future is to take and usher the new generations into the same traditions we grew up with.” – Ray Guarini
• “Always remember the traditions that keep us together.” – Dolores Alfieri

About our Guest…

Ray Guarini is a cultural preservationist. His current project is titled, “Italian Enclaves.” Through Italian Enclaves, Ray seeks to preserve vanishing Italian American neighborhoods throughout the country through photographs, stories, and other means of documentation. Guarini is currently expanding the project to include the distribution of high-quality, traditional Italian ingredients to help Italian Americans preserve their cooking heritage. Italian Enclaves started as a hobby for Guarini, but has now become a larger project that people are really enjoying.

Episode Sponsors

The National Italian American Foundation
The New Neighborhood – A Place for Italian Americans

Resources Mentioned

Italian Enclaves Facebook
Italian Enclaves Instagram
Italian Enclaves Store

Grazie Mille,

Anthony Fasano and Dolores Alfieri
Co-Hosts, The Italian American Podcast[podcast src=”https://html5-player.libsyn.com/embed/episode/id/5746655/height-orig/90/theme/custom/thumbnail/yes/direction/forward/height/90″ height=”90″ width=”100%” placement=”bottom” theme=”custom”]