Silenzio!

Recently, I had the unfortunate opportunity to attend an Italian wake for one of my assistant’s family members. She’s Italian and her remaining family in Italy flew in for the funeral.

Still new to the area and the interesting culture surrounding Italians in Chicago (ahem!), I didn’t know what to expect. I knew everything would be Catholic and in Italian, but my knowledge of Italian wakes ended there. I sort of expected mobsters in pale pastel suits to storm in, twirling their tommy guns around their thumbs.

I scanned the lobby and saw a sign that said “Silenzio.” Even with my limited Italian vocabulary (I know the important words…for wine, ice cream, and the Pope), I knew “silenzio” means “silence.”

So I walked into the beautifully-decorated funeral parlor and luckily, I spotted one of my co-workers. She was walking around, looking lost. I went up to her and befuddled, she said, “I think we’re in the wrong place. I don’t know who the Silenzio family is!”

I couldn’t help but chuckle…and at least there were no obvious mobsters to report!