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Our Famiglia, and our Mission...
Mom is Lisa. Our son is Lucas, and I'm Dad, or Jerry.
We call ourselves "We Three" and our family motto is "Even Though", meaning we love each other no matter what...
Lisa is currently is a senior VP in the financial industry and is a fantastic pastry chef, amazing cook and a great Mom. Lisa started her working life as an editor in the travel publishing arena--writing articles for business travel venues and going on junkets to faraway places such as Hawaii or Switzerland and closer to home covering the opening of Epcot. She loves Billy Joel, James Taylor and Bonnie Raitt. Her Christmas cookies are legendary. Lisa collects odd shaped Italian pasta and berry bowls and dreams playing the violin. Her warmth and generosity is immeasurable. She is my best friend and the smartest person I know. I was a decent writer before she came into my life, but she's taught me how to become a even better.
Lucas is nearly 20 years old and has recently bought his first house (he has been saving for years) and is (almost) engaged to a beautiful lady. He has developed many skills far advanced for his age ever since he published his first newsletter in Kindergarten! He has even started to cook gourmet meals in his new home.
He is still attending Penn State college and working toward a a Masters degree in business and finance. He has been working since he was 16, and recently has moved up the ladder in a national drugstore chain, as manager of a store, while being trained to be a district manager. Retail marketing is his expertise. He is a graphic & web designer, marketing entrepreneur, budding architect, eBay store owner, National Honor Society member, and a fantastic writer. He spends his time taking drives in his vintage blue Miata convertible. He is growing into a socially aware, tech-minded and creative young man. He speaks a little Spanish, some Italian and I think he knows more French than me. We are incredibly proud of him.
He is still attending Penn State college and working toward a a Masters degree in business and finance. He has been working since he was 16, and recently has moved up the ladder in a national drugstore chain, as manager of a store, while being trained to be a district manager. Retail marketing is his expertise. He is a graphic & web designer, marketing entrepreneur, budding architect, eBay store owner, National Honor Society member, and a fantastic writer. He spends his time taking drives in his vintage blue Miata convertible. He is growing into a socially aware, tech-minded and creative young man. He speaks a little Spanish, some Italian and I think he knows more French than me. We are incredibly proud of him.
As for myself, I've been a commercial advertising photographer my whole life. I'm semi-retired (one never really retires from photography) and restoring our 1868 brick house in Bucks County, Pennsylvania. I've lived, worked and traveled in France back in the Seventies and speak French pas si bien... I've even been taken for a Frenchman a few times. (Great accent, poor with verb tenses). I'm also becoming a Pizza Maestro (pizzaiolo) in my own home kitchen and love to cook from scratch. A cookbook is certainly in our future. I recently rebuilt our vegetable garden beds to help grow 12 varieties of heirloom tomatoes. The history, traditions, culture, music, art and especially the cuisine are passions of mine and I'm always absorbing more and more each day. My latest project--which Ill be writing about soon--is designing and building our new kitchen.
We all learned some Italian before setting out on our own three-week Grand Voyage of Italy and enjoyed the amazing sights, sounds and tastes of Italy. As pazzo as Italy is, we all fell in love with its lifestyle, especially with my Dad's homeland in Puglia. The people there are so warm and welcoming and the sea is always close.. We we are already considering options for our next Voyages, but the options are many: A trip to Lisa's grandfather's birthplace in Corleone, Sicily? Spending a Christmas in Florence? Relaxing in Puglia, swimming in the Adriatic or finally meeting long, lost relatives in Molfetta?
Our experiences in Italy have already influenced our own lifestyle, cooking, wine choices, pizza-making and attitude toward life. Our Voyage is
not just about traveling to Italy. In this blog we delve into
the Italian persona, mystique, romance, art, lifestyle... and of course,
the food. You'll
make many discoveries on our pages: great stories, recipes, opinions,
laughs and insights for all to enjoy. We'll be continuing and evolving
this blog as time goes on with interesting unknown stories about Italy
and the Italian lifestyle
And if you've been wondering about our mascot, La Bocca della Verita (the Mouth of Truth), we chose him after visiting La Bocca in Rome. As the legend goes, anyone who isn't truthful while placing their hand in the Bocca's mouth will have it bitten off. We chose La Bocca to remind everyone of our promise to promote the Truths about Italy and its culture. No cultural stereotypes. No fake news. No hype. We will do our best to research our articles carefully and offer the best information possible.
Besides, I think he kind of resembles me.
Please join our Voyage... and infuse yourself with
La Bel Paese... even if you're right at home.
Buon Viaggio!
--Jerry Finzi
Besides, I think he kind of resembles me.
Please join our Voyage... and infuse yourself with
La Bel Paese... even if you're right at home.
Buon Viaggio!
--Jerry Finzi
We would love to hear from you...
Give us your feedback, ideas and suggestions - help us grow!
Also, if you write about Italy, we are always looking for Guest Voyagers' articles to post here on GVI. Subject ideas: recipes, profiles of Italian towns you've visited, movie reviews, Expats living in Italy, family histories, and of course photos of your own Voyages. We give credit and links as requested.
Also, if you write about Italy, we are always looking for Guest Voyagers' articles to post here on GVI. Subject ideas: recipes, profiles of Italian towns you've visited, movie reviews, Expats living in Italy, family histories, and of course photos of your own Voyages. We give credit and links as requested.
Advertisers/Product Reviews
If you would like to advertise your product or service on our site (with links to Facebook, Instagram and Twitter), please contact us. We can also write reviews/previews of your product or service. We offer linked image ads, (often placed within content-specific posts) or sidebar ads. We can write posts/reviews that appear within your requested page/category (unlimited time for publishing).
Demographics:
Currently, GVI averages 500,000 unique visitors yearly and over 1.2 million page views each year.
67% of users are from the United States - the balance users are from Canada, Australia, UK, Brazil and Italy.
53% mobile; 36% desktop; 11% tablet
Primary Language: English
Primary Age Group: 30-55
Gender: Male 55%, Female 45%
Over 80% of visitors have traveled to Italy at least once.
Over 92% of visitors are avid home cooks.
Users' Monthly Spending on Italian Products: $50/31% - $100/44% - $300/14% - $500/11%
Page View Growth: 43%+ in the last year
Email us for rates and more details.
Demographics:
Currently, GVI averages 500,000 unique visitors yearly and over 1.2 million page views each year.
67% of users are from the United States - the balance users are from Canada, Australia, UK, Brazil and Italy.
53% mobile; 36% desktop; 11% tablet
Primary Language: English
Primary Age Group: 30-55
Gender: Male 55%, Female 45%
Over 80% of visitors have traveled to Italy at least once.
Over 92% of visitors are avid home cooks.
Users' Monthly Spending on Italian Products: $50/31% - $100/44% - $300/14% - $500/11%
Page View Growth: 43%+ in the last year
Email us for rates and more details.
Testimonials
“Great scope and depth.” --S.M., New Orleans
“I'm a native Italian... your writings get amazingly
close to the real Italian life.” --S.D., Naples, Italy
close to the real Italian life.” --S.D., Naples, Italy
"Classiest Italian site on the Web!" --T.T., New York
“Great variety and very well done. Not the same old stuff.
You have a good eye for here and the old country.” --J.A., Boston
You have a good eye for here and the old country.” --J.A., Boston
