Leina'ala's Art

This past year has been a very busy and exciting time as I have been writing my second book which will be published soon!  The title is Tatone, the honorific name we called my great grandfather, Giuseppe Scinto, head of our family, born in Castelfranco in Miscano, Italy in 1860. The story centers around Giuseppe, what life was like in Castelfranco, and what were the events that led to so many Italians from the south to emigrate to America.

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It is a heart-rending story of the endless catastrophes of earthquakes, disease, pestilence, volcanic eruptions, wars, politics, and lack of medical care that caused so many deaths and ultimately starvation for many. The persistence of these poor Italian people to survive boggles the mind. It gives us a new perspective when we remember that our ancestors struggled to survive and had the determination to move lock, stock, and barrel to a new world.

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My favorite part of the book are the family stories passed down from generation to generation. In my family, I am the only one left who remembers them and I am the one who tells them to those that came after me. I am the bridge that connects the old and the new, and I realized that if I don't write it all down, that part of the Scinto family history will be lost forever. This book is a labor of love and my gift to my cousins who keep begging to hear the stories over and over and to my newfound cousins in the beautiful hilltop village of Castelfranco with whom I am becoming acquainted and who welcome me with open arms and hearts each time I visit. Molto grazie carissimi! Buongiorno a tutti! 

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