Reflections On Taking My Italian Nunna To Italy
Drinking some Prosecco on a food tour in Parma.
A little over a year ago, I began working on the most involved itinerary I had ever planned: a trip to take my grandmother to Italy to celebrate her 75th birthday.
The idea came to me one day in the spring of 2023, and I immediately began brainstorming how to pull it off. Initially I thought of doing two weeks in Israel, because her October 2020 church trip got canceled. Then I researched what 10 days in eastern Europe might look like, because neither of us had been there before. I contemplated Paris, Amsterdam, and several other destinations before landing on northern Italy, specifically Milan and Bologna.
To some, this might sound like a crazy idea. But for me, it made sense. I’ve been lucky enough to be raised in a family of forward-thinking, open-minded, and culturally-curious people. From what I can see, that all started with my grandparents, my Nunna and Papa. When my dad, aunt, and uncle were growing up, my grandparents opened their home to countless visitors and exchange students, and it was these connections that allowed my dad to organize a summer abroad for both me and my sister in high school. My grandparents took their family on a 30-day cross country trip in the 80s, which inspired the one my family took in 2013. When I graduated high school, Nunna and Papa gave me airline miles to go anywhere I wanted, which I used to visit Japan in February of 2020. My mom, who worked for my Nunna for 25 years, received airline miles as a benefit, and used them to travel with my dad every year. Seeing the world is something my grandparents value so much that they actively encourage and help their children to do it. This trip was a way to give a little of that back, and experience some of my Nunna’s Italian heritage together.
Sharing some Milanese risotto
Even though this was something I felt very sure about, there were still questions and concerns I had. The biggest one was, “is this too much for her?” My Nunna is only 48 years older than me, and quite active and fit for her age. But, she still was going to be 75 at the time we left, and planning a trip for someone of that age wasn’t something I had ever done before.
Nonetheless, I took to planning, booking, and writing the itinerary for our trip. When our departure day came, any concerns or nerves I had quickly melted away, and we embarked on a trip that would turn out to be one of the highlights of my life.
Travel has always been a way to connect with our roots, discover where we come from, and see the world through a different lens. For my Italian grandmother, my Nunna, this trip ended up being more than just a vacation–it was a journey back to her past, filled with history, love, and memories from her childhood.
On our second day in Milan, we went out to dinner with my Nunna’s cousin June, her daughter Jana, and her grandson Max. Nunna and June grew up together in Connecticut, but it had been years since they last saw each other. When June and her family arrived at the restaurant, it was like no time had passed at all. The reunion was heartwarming; with lots of laughter and many, many stories of their childhood and adult years. For my entire life, Nunna was the strong-willed matriarch of our family. But that day, I saw her as someone I’d never seen before. At that moment, she was just a girl.
Nunna and her cousin June
One of the highlights of our trip was a cooking lesson with a chef in Bologna, named Giacomo. Nunna has always been the heart of the kitchen, whipping up meals and traditional dishes with love. But to learn from a professional in the food capital of Italy was the most incredible experience. Giacomo and his wife Mia welcomed us warmly, and we spent hours learning traditional Italian dishes first hand, and drinking plenty of wine of course! We made pasta, Bolognese sauce, panna cotta, tiramisu, and more. Between Nunna’s decades of making her mother’s recipes and Giacomo’s expertise, I was treated to a masterclass in Italian cuisine.
The experience was not just about cooking; it was about connecting with our Italian roots, learning the secrets of traditional recipes, and most importantly, sharing those moments with someone I deeply love.
On our last day, we were back in Milan, and took a guided tour of Teatro Alla Scala, the world’s most famous opera house. This was the only thing my Nunna requested on our trip, and of course I wanted to make it happen!
Fun fact: Nunna and I grew up in the same home, 50 years apart! My great grandmother bought it in the 1940s, and my parents bought it from her in the 90s. When my Nunna was growing up, my great grandmother would clean every Saturday and blast opera music through the house while she did it; opera that was recorded at La Scala in Milan.
One of the first stops on the tour was to the box seats in the theater, and we got to see a few minutes of the Barber of Seville rehearsals. As we left the theater, I noticed that Nunna was crying. She said to me, “I grew up listening to opera from La Scala. My mom loved it, and I wish she could have been here to see this.” Walking through the grand hallways and ornate rooms triggered nostalgia and memories for her. Nunna already knew La Scala’s history, as well as most of the musicians our tour guide highlighted for us. Apparently, the opera world gossip was a big deal in the 50s and 60s… or at least it was for Italians.
This tour was something I never thought would become such a core memory for me, but it was so special to experience together with my Nunna. Only afterwards did I feel the emotional weight of the moment, as if her mother were there with us.
Nunna outside of Teatro Alla Scala
In addition to the big highlights, there were countless moments that you can’t put into words. Moments like the *clink* of two wine glasses, or stuttering through the Italian language, or trekking across Milan in the rain for gelato are so seemingly insignificant, but they were the heartbeat of our adventure. All of the little moments stitched our experience together, creating a tapestry of memories.
Taking my Nunna to Italy was more than just a trip; it was a journey through time, a celebration of our Italian heritage, and a chance to create new memories while honoring the old. It was a reminder of the importance of family, tradition, and the unbreakable bonds that tie us to our past. This trip brought us closer, not just as grandmother and granddaughter, but as two girls connected by the same roots and cherished memories.
At the Duomo in Milan