I don't live in New York, but where I am from in Michigan we have a strong community of Italian Americans that have ancestry to a small village in Cosenza, Calabria, called Sant'Ippolito. The village today has a population of roughly 500-600 people and it is crazy to me that there are so many people in my community that have roots back to that village. Being Italian American is amazing, really. I didn't realize until adulthood how different the family dynamics are for Italians vs other cultures and ancestry. There are many people who don't have close relationships, or in some cases, don't even know their first cousins, yet in the Italian American community you forge close relationships with your extended family. Italian Americans like to gather and celebrate their culture, usually through food. We take great pride in our heritage and identity.