Dozens and Dozens of Cousins (in Italy)

Italians and their cousins, man. It's a serious thing.

I have 18 first cousins spread across the U.S. We aren't close. But I've come to find out that in Italy, being related is everything.

Here a Cousin, There a Cousin...

Whenever I meet someone new in Davoli, I know there's an 80% chance Fra is going to tell me that this person is a cousin. He will then go on to explain the intricate spiderweb that connects him to this person.

"Her grandfather and our great-uncle were cousins. So we're cousins!"

Sometimes the web is more complicated and I glaze over. It's become enough for me to know that they're related in some way, however distantly.

But Wait! There's More

We have a friend/maybe cousin named Giacinto (which means Hyacinth. I love this for him. He's a gentle farmer and, ladies, he's single! Contact me for details.). But...Fra doesn't call him "cousin," he calls him parente, which means relative.

So...not a cousin? Who knows?

Fra calls him parente more as a nickname, and I feel honored that, now that Giaci has gotten to know me, he calls me parente too! Because when you marry an Italian, you marry his whole family!

Where Having Cousins Pays Off

So what's the good of being related to practically everyone? Well, it comes in handy when you need a lawyer, a construction company, groceries, or just about anything else! We don't always get a discount for services from our cousins, but we know we can trust them to do good work for us.

It's also nice because I have built-in friends. Being an expat in Italy, it wasn't easy to make friends at first. And now that we've moved to Davoli, I'm looking for more friends. Fortunately, there are some great ladies in his family!

In the end, it doesn't matter to me how someone is related to Fra. It's just lovely to have people who care.