For Hatshepsut81:

Yes, Corti is definitely Italian. You are very astute; my husband is Czech. We have been married 35 years. We're both members of the Sons of Italy, and they've made him an honorary Italian. : )

It was quite an experience for me going to Italy alone at 18. I had never been outside the U.S. prior to that. My uncle and his family lived in government housing just outside of Rome. He was a general in the Italian air force. I had bodyguards everywhere I went because of the probability of kidnapping an American with an uncle so high up in the military. That was not something one tends to forget.

My mother was Sicilian and my father was born in Ponza. His father's family came from Florence.

When I was in Italy, I visited Rome, of course, Anzio, Ponza, and some other small towns that I cannot recall. I even got to see a soccer match. Obviously it was either Roma or Lazio. However, my team is AC Milan.

On Ponza, I stayed about 4 days. It was tremendous feeling of coming home the minute I stepped off the boat. It's strange, I know. But I can't explain it any other way. I got to see where my father lived, and where his parent's store was. It was quite personal. Unfortunately, I haven't been able to return. The last I was there was in 1970.

Thank you for your comments and questions.