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I'm originally from Gloucester, Massachusetts, the town made famous in the movie "The Perfect Storm" and the Kipling book and Spencer Tracy movie "Captains Courageous". I've lived in Massachusetts all my life and currently live just outside of Boston. I work as a behavior specialist, supporting Individuals with Developmental Disabilities and behavior problems. My daughter and I have dual citizenship in the US and Italy, through Jure Sanguinis.

Basilica Papale di San Paolo fuori le Mura, Roma

My wife and I were married on July 8, 2006 (the day after my grandparent's anniversary). On July 9th we were sitting at the gate of Alitalia getting ready to spend the next 17 days in Italy for our honeymoon when we learned that Italy had just won the World Cup. We spent three days in Roma, my birthday was spend in Venizia , Como, La Spezia, an afternoon in Vernazza and another in Pisa, a night in Firenze, a night in Sorrento, an afternoon in Pompeii, Napoli, Vesuvio and Capri before our ferry ride to Palermo, Sicily with stops in Cefalu, an afternoon in Milazzo, my grandfather's town, then a night each in Messina and Catania, an afternoon in Marsala and Terrasini (my grandmother's town) and two days in Palermo. It was a whirlwind trip, and I feel extremely fortunate to have spent so much time there, seeing the history, experiencing the culture, eating the food, drinking the wine and feeling my connection of my ancestors. The feeling was overwhelming, and I carry it with me everyday. I hope my Italy pages capture some of the feeling and emotion that I experienced while I was there.

New York's Little Italy, Mulburry Street

Since I cannot be in Italy as often as I would like, the next best thing is to explore those places accessible to me that remind me of Italy. I am a member of the Sons of Italy in Waltham and the Dante Alighieri Society in Cambridge. Fortunately my hometown of Gloucester has a large Sicilian population with culturally rich stores, restaurants and festivities that I cherish and visit as often as possible. In Waltham, where my family and I live today there are several Italian stores and restaurants, including Salem on Moody Street, Il Capriccio, Domenic's, La Campania, Biaggio Ristorante, Ristorante Marcellino and The Chateau. When that's not enough I am but 12 miles from Boston's North End and an just under an hour from Providence, Rhode Island's Federal Hill. When I travel I also seek out if that town has a Little Italy and search for well reviewed Italian restaurants and stores. One of my favorite Italian neighborhoods is in Montreal and I love their outdoor market. Il Piatto della Nonna in Montreal is one of my favorite Italian restaurants anywhere, the owners are gracious hosts and the menu changes daily, depending on what Nonna wishes to cook. These are some of my favorite places to review here on VT. If you have any to share, please let me know!

Pouring a pint in Galway, Ireland

I always try to make the most of it when I travel. I love to mix my love of traveling with my enjoyment of craft beer. Before I travel I research the area's local breweries and brew pubs so that I might try the local beer. Often the only way to try these beers is to go to the source. I've met some wonderful people and tasted incredible beers through my travels. As a lover of craft beer I am extremely fortunate to live in an area with so many options. We have Watch City Brewery right here in Waltham, Cambridge Brewing Company not far, Harpoon Brewery and Boston Beer Company (which produces the Samuel Adams beers), The Sunset Grille in Brighton, which offers hundreds of amazing beers, The Publik House and Provisions in Brookline...so so many others. My hometown of Gloucester has it's own brewpub now, Cape Ann Brewing, with it's fishing and Gloucester themed beers and is extremely well respected for a newer brewery. Each October I travel to the Western part of the state and enjoy visiting The People's Pint in Greenfield and Berkshire Brewing Company. By far one of my favorite brewpubs is Dieu de Ciel in Montreal, which produces one of the greatest stouts in the world, Peche Mortal (mortal sin). Victory Brewing in Pennsylvania is another of my favorite places, it seems every beer they make is world class.

City Hall rises behind The Fort in Gloucester, MA

Growing up my family and I spent a lot of time in New Hampshire camping on the summer weekends. We stayed at a campground called Shawtown in Ossippe. When I got out on my own I gravitated towards Cape Cod and really enjoyed visiting there, especially alone to do some writing or to just smell the salty air. Now I really love getting back to Gloucester and visiting my family and really appreciating the town in a way I never could when I was living there as a young man.