The story of the Zaccardelli's quest for the American dream is one fortified with generations of demonstrated persistence and determination. Ilvio Zaccardelli is one of five brothers born in the small village of Goriano Sicoli in southern Abruzzo. He and the rest of his siblings followed the lead of their uncle, Guglielmo Zaccardelli, who came to the United States shortly after World War II. He sent portions of his paycheck back to the family in Goriano Sicoli until they had enough saved for passage by boat to their new home in America. They arrived with just the clothes on their backs and young Ilvio marveled at this incredible new world.

The family found their way to Cleveland (from New York) because they had heard about an abundance of jobs there. Ilvio, who was 11 at the time, spoke only Italian when he first arrived, but totally immersed himself into the culture. He wanted to be American and he worked hard to learn the language from an early age.

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Source: http://www.lagazzettaitaliana.com