ISTITUTO MONDO ITALIANO - Centro di cultura italiana — Local services in Regent Square

I recently participated in the Autobiographical Writing Workshop. The workshop did not disappoint. I found new meaningful personal connections and ways to reconnect to my own Italian self.

The writing itself helped me reconnect to parts of my life that were still alive but mainly in my subconscious. Thinking and writing about my Italian past helped me get in touch with what I was before I became American. Somehow, I wrote the most about the “good stuff”, those memories that are dear to me and draw me back to Italy every year and, now that I’m retired, to spend more and more time in Italy.

But talking with my peers in the workshop also reminded me of why I moved to the U.S. more than forty years ago - the feeling that in Italy there was too much cynicism and little hope in the future. What would my life have looked like if I stayed in Italy? Would I have been able to grow professionally, to get advanced degrees that allowed me to become financially independent within a few years?

Talking and writing about all of this is what made the workshop’s experience invaluable, Listening to the other participants’ stories gave me a new perspective on how Americans of Italian descent experienced their Italianess as Americans of first and second generation.

Rita is a skilled facilitator and enriched the experience with songs that made us think and gave us an opportunity to look at the emigrant experience in new ways. I loved the songs! One suggestions for the next series of workshops: find a way to improve the audio when listening to the songs. I had to listen to them on my own as most times it was very hard to understand the lyrics and hearing the music. If that is not possible, then send the link to the song together with the lyrics ahead of time and ask the participant to listen to them on their own prior to the meeting.

Viviana’s presence was always felt. She coordinated and was a prompt problem solver. She also contributed to our discussion at times even though she was not technically a participant. I valued her...

I purchased pasta/ravioli making lessons for my husband’s birthday. He wasn’t sure what to think before we went but he absolutely loved the class and started making his own dough at home. Can’t stop him now! The dough is very easy to make and you also learn how to make a 15 minute delicious sauce. The classes are small and intimate so you can ask questions and see what is being done by the instructor. You also work with the people you came with and don’t have to work with strangers. The atmosphere is warm and it is nice getting to know the other pasta makers but comforting to know you can work with your own friends and family. Viviana was our instructor and she is friendly, funny and helpful. Great instructor from Rome (Roma) that made Pittsburgh her second home. There are also hundreds of gifts in the room from different parts of Italy that you buy. They range from pictures, to soap to jewelry. Really a great find and quite the gem in the city. There are also other classes where you can make Italian desserts and fresh ricotta as well as gnocchi....

My two children and I took the pasta making class here yesterday morning. It was very organized, the steps were simple and easy to remember for a novice like myself. The pasta came out deliciously. Viviana was funny and she tried to engage us by asking trivia questions related to Italy. I was impressed that she decorated the pasta dish after it was cooked and served it in a beautiful tableware along with changing the tablecloth after pasta making, and before eating. The whole experience was well thought through and enjoyable. She cooked everyone’s pasta, so it was a lot of food, and I think most people ate a lot. I was very happy that my son, 10, really enjoyed it. He is young but he likes to cook. He makes salad dressing from scratch for us and he makes key lime pies at home. I ordered all the equipments needed for him to make pasta at home after the class. I foresee that we’ll only eat fresh pasta at home from now on.

I definitely would recommend this class to anyone who is interested in...