The joy of sharing Italy's heritage and culture is a dream come true for Antonietta Barbato and her husband Luigi.
Antonietta Barbato is a second-generation daughter of Italian immigrant parents. English was not spoken at home, and she was raised as if she was living in Italy, continuing the many traditions her parents and grandmother brought from the old country. While this caused her to struggle at first, she flourished in the end.
Antonietta is proud of her Italian heritage and culture. She and her husband Luigi, who was born in Italy, both instilled this pride in their children. She also wanted to share this with others in the community, so she helped found the "Sorelle d'Italia in America" in Southington in 2010, along with four other women. In 2018, as President of the organization, she started an Italian folkloristic dance group — 15 years later, with 100 members, the group is still going strong.
