Innocent Heart, Laughter and Tears is a captivating account of the life of Maria Marzia Maiello and her family. Born in 1920, she was raised in the small Italian town of Santa Nicola La Strada, twenty miles north of Naples. Maria learned early that family was the only true wealth, and hard work was at the core of life. When she wasn’t roaming the flowered meadows or playing with her playmates, Maria’s days were devoted to school, embroidery classes, and helping feed the farm workers. Steeped in local folklore, her evenings were filled with stories of spirits and werewolves, witches and wayward saints. At ten years of age, Maria fled her adored native Italy with her mother and brothers, to spare the children the rising tide of Fascism. They left their loved ones behind to find freedom in the United States, and to fulfill Maria’s fondest dream of finally meeting her father in America. Here are Maria Marzia’s treasured memories of family, friends, and neighbors, and her tales of the way life once was lived in Southern Italy. They are told in her own words, lovingly recorded and transcribed by her daughter. Coupled with irreplaceable family photographs and a detailed genealogy, they form the precious legacy of a life dedicated to family, and represent a rare oral history of Italian town culture.
Available from Baker & Taylor, Ingram, Partners/West
Published by Lost Coast Press
ISBN 1-882897-51-X · Casebound · B&W Photos and Illustrations · 5.5 X 8.5 · 192 Pages
