Follow@SARAHALICEOAKESWhere we’ve been
a couple of generations later, Australia.
Before that, who knows? At some stage
they had arrived in Italy and started to
identify as Italian.
The test was an interesting reminder
that for many of us the cultural practices
we embrace aren’t necessarily our own
but more a mash-up of the travels and
traditions of those before us. And when
it comes to Italy, it’s easy to imagine why
you’d happily switch allegiances.
With that in mind, I hope there’s
a little something for everyone in this
issue: the real Italians, the fake Italians,
the non-Italians and especially (with my
apologies) all of the Giugnis.
Ciao,Helen Anderson, travel editor;
Uluru, NT
Big sky, big desert, big rock. All the things
I love about Uluru came together during
a wander through the Field of Light. Even
better, the season has been extended to
31 March 2018. @handersonglobalBrooke Donaldson, deputy art
director; Waikiki, Honolulu
My friend Anya and I wanted to escape
winter and where better than Hawaii? We
spent two weeks in the sun, exploring
Oahu and enjoying cocktails on the beach.
Mai Tais ahoy. @brookedonaldsonMaggie Scardifield, staff writer;
northern NSW
My partner, Morgan, and I spent a few
days exploring Cabarita Beach. Our meal
at Fleet in Brunswick Heads, and two
nights at Halcyon House, was a fantastic
way to welcome spring. @mjscardiEMAIL [email protected] // FOLLOW @GOURMETTRAVELLER // ONLINE GOURMETTRAVELLER.COM.AUF
or Christmas last year
I destroyed my family’s Italian
heritage. My husband, Pete
Giugni, grew up in a family
that celebrated their Italian roots with
gusto. Roman history and architecture
were his father’s favoured topics of
conversation. Great Italian composers
echoed through the home, pasta was
prepared. Cumulatively, hours were spent
on the phone spelling out and correcting
the pronunciation of “Giugni”, and
when the first grandchildren arrived,
Pete’s eldest brother went big on Italian
names: Paulo, Luca and Hugo.
When December 25 rolled around
last year, I was excited to present Pete
with a DNA test. In exchange for a small
test tube of saliva, it promised to reveal
his exact genetic make-up. It took just
six weeks to deliver the results and crush
his family’s very fixed sense of identity.
How Italian was he? The survey said
about two per cent. What was he mostly?
Irish. About 80 per cent. The olive skin,
dark curly hair and Roman nose were
misleading – the Giugnis began as
potato rather than pasta folk.
It’s easy to trace the clan back to
Italy. The family tree places them in
Florence in the 17th and 18th centuries,
before they moved to Switzerland and,Bucatini
with prawn
fra diavolop 106
GOURMET TRAVELLER 17PHOTOGRAPHY ALANA LANDSBERRY (PORTRAIT)
Editor’s letter