The Hill Town American: Thanksgiving in Italy

This past weekend I celebrated Thanksgiving. I have been living here in Italy for a while now and have always celebrated it. All except for one year. The first time I celebrated Thanksgiving in Italy I was not living here permenantly. I was working for the University and we had a fall course with about ten students. The professor and I decided that it would be fun to have a celebration, not only for the students but also to show the locals what Thanksgiving was all about. That particular year my mom had come to visit Italy for the first time. She came with her sister and they brought suitcases full of goodies (goodies you can't readily find in Italy that are crucial for Thanksgiving). They brought evaporated milk for the pumpkin pies, vegetable shortening for the crusts, pecans for the pecan pies and cranberries, yams and marshmallows just to name a few. That year we cooked our three turkeys in one of the old wood burning ovens in Civita di Bagnoregio.

But this year was a lot like the years that followed my first Thanksgiving experience in Italy. I made my dishes, many with home grown ingredients, the Italian stuffing, mashed potatoes and fennel gratin, but the rest of the more traditional dishes came from ingredients bought well in advance from America.

I cooked my turkey in my tiny gas oven and managed to make a lovely dinner yet again this year in my tiny little kitchen. I love continuing this tradition because it is a part of who I am. I want my daughter to see a bit of what it means to be American too. I love getting out the fancy dishes and making yummy foods that remind me of home, and I am so fortunate to have wonderful people to share it with.

I am proud to say that this year we managed to have six nationalities at my Thanksgiving dinner. Italian, American, French, Dutch, German and New Zealand. I am so lucky to be able to celebrate this holiday, even if it isn't with my family, it is with my family of friends!