Today, 37 percent of men age thirty have never lived away from home

[JustAnotherGen]

44. Keewl

My fiance is actually from Acri - a bit up the mountain - about an hour away from Cosenza.

With the sky high rents - and even property costs - AND the high unemployment rate - it's just not easy to move out like we do in the U.S.


(Totally teasing you here) - he says the Northern Italians are the 'old fashioned' ones. The Calabrese men are the ones who have rough hands and strong backs!

Coming from the U.S. and living in the North East - but having a father from the deep South . . . I love the tit for tat and back and forth between the Northern and Southern Italians. And don't even get me started on the snotty comments about Sicilians. They crack me up when I'm there.

Now he lived here as a child (The Bronx) from about 1973 to 1981 - then the family went back to Acri (dad was an engineer first on WTC then other buildings). They moved into a sort of cross roads of Italians, Blacks, and South Americans (at that time). It was unusual that his mom worked outside of the home - but there were very few Calabrese families in the neighborhood at the time. In his town that he hails from, women have always had businesses/worked. So his mom brought her dress making/bridal business to the U.S. for a few years.

Within the first hour of meeting her she asked me if I knew how to change the oil in my car. She was pleased that I can do that and change a tire. She then told me quite proudly that her sons can keep a home and her daughters can make a living and that's important to be independent. Eh? Very progressive and forward thinking family though.