Until I was eight, I thought spaghetti was the main food group. I thought everyone in the world had at least seven relatives named Tony, Louie and Joe. I was sure that frantic gesturing with hands was crucial to making a point.

Undoubtedly, my life has been enriched by Italian culture. I love Sunday dinners, lively conversations and holiday traditions. Time has only deepened my respect for my Italian heritage. I would love to live in a country where no one is subject to life without health benefits, stabilizing laws that make it almost impossible to lose a job or a home, and an education that embodies listening and lifelong learning. I would be honored to be a citizen of Italy - a nation of beauty and hospitality.

Italy’s embrace of the past beckons me. Italy has impacted culture across Europe through movements like the Renaissance. It has faced countless hardships, from the Black Death in 1384 to extreme Fascism in the mid-1900s, and has emerged with unparalleled advances in art, literature, fashion, music, theater, and cuisine.

Italians genuinely appreciate their ancestors’ accomplishments. They have learned to make progress while still preserving history. As an Italian citizen, I would take advantage of the endless opportunities to celebrate this rich past. I would visit the Coliseum in Rome, ride a gondola in Venice, admire Michelangelo’s Sistine Chapel, attend operas, and enjoy meals of “the best food the world has to offer.” I would love nothing more than to walk the same streets, speak the same language, and fall asleep under the same stars as men like Fibonacci, Galileo, Verdi, da Vinci, and my great-grandfather.

In Italy, people never fail to put family ahead of money and work. Family is honored, conversation is enjoyed, and food is appreciated. There is a general belief in quality over quantity. Time seems to move at a slower pace. The most important goal is not to find success but simply to live a good life. Italians are proud to be Italians. I am no exception. I am in fervent awe of the country where simplicity joins sophistication and happiness is always a kiss on each cheek away.