Italian Christmas Panettone

Panettone is a delectable sweet Italian bread usually shaped in a circular loaf that originated Milan.  This tasty treat is typically enjoyed at Christmastime and gained national popularity in Italy after World War II when it was manufactured in large quantities and sold at an affordable price.  Many Italian immigrants who left Italy brought their love of panettone with them abroad.  As a result, panettone is now being enjoyed in many countries around the world.

In early January 2013, I arrived in Rome, Italy at my cousin Giuseppe “Pepino” Tedesco’s home to find the largest pile of panettone I’d ever seen.  At least 25 packages of panettone in various flavors were neatly stacked and festively wrapped.  “Looks like we’ll be eating panettone until March again this year,” he said in Italian.  The sight of all this panettone triggered fond memories from my own Italian-American childhood.  My grandparents always receive panettone from Italian friends during the holidays, but nowhere near as many loaves as Pepino.

Italians seem to give panettone like we Americans send Christmas cards – same sentiment, but slightly more delicious.  In Italy (and among many Italian families abroad), giving the gift of holiday panettone can be interpreted as a gesture of friendship, love, appreciating, and so much more.

It is no surprise that Pepino receives oodles of panettone each year.  He is completely selfless and goes out of his way to help his family and friends with whatever they need.  He is always thinking of others before himself.  I always feel welcomed and loved from the moment I enter Pepino’s home.  He greets me with a big smile, open arms, a kiss on each cheek, and an “Oye, Maria! Come va?”  Time then disappears as we begin enjoying family time together and many hours of socializing and eating delicious Italian food.  And of course, at the end of the meal we enjoy a few slices of panettone with our espresso.  Heaven on earth.

In addition to being the recipient of record amounts of holiday panettone, Pepino is also a natural genealogist and keeper of many family stories that have long been forgotten by others.  As the most senior member of the Tedesco family in Italy, he is also a patriarch.  His love for his hometown of San Pietro a Maida, Calabria, Italy is indisputable.  He lives in Rome now, but he is 1000% Calabrian to anyone who asks.  When I took my first genealogical research trip to San Pietro a Maida, Pepino was right there with me.  He was standing beside me as I conducted genealogical research in the parish church so he could see the records of our ancestors for himself.  He often tells relatives and friends that I am looking for our earliest ancestor – “Adam Tedesco.”  As in, the Biblical first man, Adam.  Pepino’s faith in me as an Italian genealogist certainly keeps me motivated!

I look forward to chatting with Pepino on Christmas Day to see how he’s doing, hear the latest family gossip, and, of course, to ask him how many loaves of panettone he received this year.  If this year is anything like past years, he will need some time to count all the panettone before returning to the phone.

Best wishes for a very Happy Holiday Season from ORIGINS ITALY!  A special thank you to each client, friend, and family member that has made 2013 a fantastic year.  Thank you all!

-Mary M. Tedesco, ORIGINS ITALY.