An Interview with Dr. Dominic Rizzo

by Rosie Schuermann

Dr. Dominic Rizzo’s Italian American journey began when he was just seven months old
when his family immigrated to the United States. HIs father’s family owned a multi-generational
battery business in Italy that went out of business and sparked their move to the United States.
Initially his family lived briefly in New York before moving to Cincinnati, OH. His grandfather had
friends in the fruit and vegetable business in the area.

Growing up, he visited his family in Calabria annually and continued this streak for 34
years. Now most of his family are not in this town anymore. He has cousins on the Amalfi coast,
in Naples, Florence, and Milan. He hopes that in a few years, when his children are a bit older,
that they will be able to visit Italy every summer as he did as a boy.
He fondly remembers the sense of community that experienced in Italy. Even when he and
friends biked into neighboring towns, he was safe. He described how if you were acting up as a
child the grandmothers of the neighborhood would reprimand you before feeding you and calling
your mother. The people were proud of their culture and always took care of one another.
Riding your bike around Florence as a kid was never unsafe or worrisome. While the
neighborhoods in Cincinnati were not as protective of one another, he said he generally felt
safety in the United States as well. The real difference was in how Italians protect one another.
His son has a traditional family name. Dr. Rizzo also has a name that has been passed
down through generations. This has been done very intentionally as he is proud of his heritage
and wants to instill that pride in his children. His daughter is the first girl in eight generations.
The stereotype of Italian Americans preferring boy children is certainly not applicable here as
his daughter is cherished and was very wanted.

Dr. Rizzo’s father speaks with his children in Italian and they both try to introduce their
culture to them. COVID-19 travel restrictions, and the young age of his children have made
visiting with them something that will happen later rather than now. He explained that Italy is not
fitted well for children, and he is unsure that his kids are old enough to appreciate their heritage
in this way. He does, however, instill pride in his children’s culture and plan to continue their
education as they age.

Similarly, in his Catholic Church community, everyone was treated as family. There were
constant gatherings and celebrations. He had many aunts, uncles and cousins through the local
Italian American community. They would protect each other, and all adults took on familial roles
to the children. This strength in family love is a part of the Italian culture that was especially
significant to his identity and Italian American experience. In his upbringing family was always
the most important thing. He described how difficult the COVID-19 pandemic was for his family
in Italy and all Italians. Seeing one another and showing love through shared meals and
physical affection is so central to their lives. He knew some people snuck out during the
quarantine to visit family. Even if seeing each other meant they could get sick or die, they
wanted to be together.

He described food as a central part of the community, culture, and family. The recipe for
his family’s red sauce has been passed down from generation to generation for over 300 years.
He discussed how it took two years for his grandmother to share her recipe rolodex with his
German mother. He speculates this was a combination of his grandmother being a bit too
prideful and having lived through the Second World War. It was difficult for her to accept that her
son had married a German. When she did give her the recipes, this action was like “handing
over the holy grail.” He describes these recipes as cherished, celebrated, and highly protected.
In the end they grew very close. No family or community event ever occurred without fresh,
homemade food. In joyful and sorrowful moments, homemade food was a source of comfort and
connection. Food ensues the whole soul and culture.

He was never pressured to become a physician or lawyer. His family wanted him to do
something he was passionate about rather than simply focus on salary. He would always have
his community to support him if his dreams did not come true. This perspective on careers is
one of the main differences he sees between the two cultures. He said that in America people
live to work. In Italy they work to live. In the United States there is a huge culture of working
hard and making a name for yourself that has been passed through generations. It is not that
family is not important, but work is a large part of your cultural identity and contribution. There
are many sacrifices of your personal life due to this practice. In Italy there are long breaks within
the workday to go home and eat with your family. Work is a necessary part of life but it is not
your first priority in the way that it is in the United States. He says this more relaxed lifestyle
always leaves him feeling less stressed after visiting Italy. In typical American fashion, it took
him a while to let himself take these breaks and vacations, but he wants to continue to visit. He
hopes that when his children are older, he can take them on more trips to connect with their
culture. He described generations losing elements of their culture and heritage as a natural
process. In his words you must work to keep traditions alive. You must choose to pass your
heritage and keep the traditions from disappearing. There are elements of both countries that he
loves and misses when away from them.

His family wanted to assimilate to American culture as quickly as possible. While he did
grow up learning Italian, they did not speak it constantly at home. He picked up the language
throughout his upbringing, especially through his church community, but does not consider
himself fluent. His grandfather was adamant about Americanizing. Dr. Rizzo wishes they had
used the language more frequently in his childhood and said many of the second or third
generation Italians he knows will learn Italian even if they were never taught it growing up. Dr.
Rizzo expressed how he was fortunate enough to never face discrimination for his Italian
heritage, however knowing the history and being Italian American gave him perspective on the
way different people are treated. Hearing Dr. Rizzo’s story as a first generation Italian immigrant
allowed me to better understand the Italian American experience and how Italian practices have
merged with the American experience.