Includes bibliographical references (pages 259-263).

"In Under the Southern Sun: Stories of the Real Italy and the Americans It Created, journalist Paul Paolicelli takes us on a grand tour of the Southern Italy of most Italian-American immigrants, including Calabria, Basilicata, Puglia, Sicily, Abruzzo and Molise, and explores the concept of heritage and of going back to one's roots, the theory of a cultural subconscious, and most important, the idea of a Southern Italian "sensibility"--Where it comes from, how it has been cultivated and how it has been passed on from generation to generation.

Amidst the delightful blend of travelogue and journalism are wonderful stories about famous Southern Italian-Americans, most notably Frank Capra and Rudolph Valentino, who were forced to leave their homeland and to adjust, adapt and survive in America. Paolicelli tells the story of the only large concentration camp in Italy built and run by the Fascists during World War II and of the humanity of the Southerners who ran the place. He visits ancient seaside communities once dominated by castles and watchtowers and now bathed in tanning oil and tourists, muses over Matera - which is probably Europe's oldest and most unknown city - and culminates in a fascinating exploration of how one's familial memory can influence his or her internal value system."--Jacket.

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