How I found out that I’m not a real Italian at all
And how national identity is just a conventional construct
As I mentioned in my introductory article, I was born 28 years ago in a small town in Northern Italy, which is about 96.64 km from Milan (60.05 miles). Both my parents and my grandparents, on both sides, were born in the same place. As a result, I learned not only Italian but also the local dialect, and I have always identified myself as a Northern Italian. However, the mysterious origin of my mother has always intrigued me. Although she and her parents were born in the same town, her surname has a particular history. From what I have learned over the years by questioning her relatives, it seems that her surname is the Italianized version of a German name that was assimilated in the fourteenth century. Her ancestors essentially became Italians (gradually forgetting German to replace it entirely with the Italian language) after arriving from Germany in Central Italy, and then moved up the peninsula and settled in the territory where I was born.
Last year, I was particularly intrigued by the matter, so I decided to take a DNA test to discover my ethnic origins and verify the story I had been told about my mother’s background. My fair complexion and blonde hair had always made me curious about the story’s validity. My enthusiasm must have…
