American Destiny Book Translated to Italian

Meet the Translator: Alessandra Rebecchi

Bridging Two Worlds Through American Destiny

Every great story has a journey, and sometimes, the journey continues long after the book is written.

For the Italian edition of American Destiny: A True Story of Family, Roots, and the Journey Between Two Worlds, that journey has brought together four women connected by language, education, family, and an extraordinary twist of fate.

Alessandra Rebecchi, a translator and educator from Bologna, Italy, is bringing American Destiny back to its Italian roots through her beautiful translation of the book.

A Translator Who Bridges Cultures

Based in Bologna, Italy, Alessandra has devoted much of her professional life to languages, education, and cross-cultural communication. She is a certified Court Interpreter and Sworn Translator, holds a degree in Modern Foreign Languages, and has achieved a C2 level of English proficiency.

Since 1991, Alessandra has also worked as an educator and is the author of textbooks, including ICT Next Generation. As a European CLIL Coach, she understands that language is much more than words, it is a way of connecting people, cultures, history, and memories.

That understanding was especially important in translating American Destiny, where the language of the story moves between American English, Italian, and the unique Barese dialect spoken by the Argenti family.

A Passion for the World Beyond Words

Alessandra's love of language extends naturally into her love of culture and food. She is the proud mother of a promising young photographer and has a special passion for traditional home cooking, bread-making, and food that creates memories and brings people together.

She also enjoys woodland walks and foraging for mushrooms, blueberries, and raspberries, often turning her discoveries into homemade jams for friends.

And perhaps not surprisingly for someone who spends her professional life moving between cultures, Alessandra has a special affection for the English-speaking world. She feels a personal connection to London and loves discovering the towns and villages of England and Scotland. Her interests include English-speaking culture, technology, swimming, and reading.

And Then Came Carmen…

The story of how Alessandra became the translator of American Destiny is almost a story within the story.

In Easter 2026, Carmen Cardetta traveled to New York City with her husband and two children, where she visited Marcella, Phyllis and their American family.

Carmen was born in Acquaviva delle Fonti, one of the very places woven into the story of American Destiny. She graduated in Law from the University of Bari and spent 25 years as a tenured primary school teacher. Today, she lives in Bologna with her husband and their two children.

When Carmen learned that American Destiny told the story of her own family, she immediately felt that the book needed to be translated into Italian.

And Carmen knew exactly who should do it.

“I know the perfect translator.”

That translator was her friend and fellow Bologna resident, Alessandra Rebecchi.

And the rest is history.

A Family Connection That Came Full Circle

Carmen's involvement has gone far beyond simply recommending a translator.

As a true great-granddaughter of Nonno Andrea Gentile, Carmen has a personal connection to the people and places portrayed in American Destiny. Her knowledge of the family’s heritage and the language of her hometown has been invaluable.

She has provided professional feedback and insight to Alessandra, particularly with the book's “Barese Wisdom” passages—the expressions, sayings, and dialect that carry the personality and spirit of the family's Apulian roots.

It is a remarkable circle:

A family story that began in Italy traveled to America, was remembered and written in America, and is now traveling home again through the Italian language.

From Bari to Bologna, and Back Again

For Marcella Luiso Flanagan and Phyllis Clare Orlowski, seeing American Destiny translated into Italian is especially meaningful.

The original story follows the Argenti family as they leave New York in 1948 and return to Italy after eighteen years away. Now, more than seven decades later, the story is making its own return journey.

From Bari and Acquaviva delle Fonti to New York, and now to Bologna, American Destiny continues to bridge two worlds.

The Italian translation is nearing completion. Soon, the Italian edition will be published by Balboa Press and made available through Amazon and Barnes & Noble.

And perhaps most fittingly, the journey home is being made possible by two women in Bologna: Alessandra, the translator who is giving the story a new voice, and Carmen, the descendant of the very family whose story is being told.

Some stories are meant to travel. And some stories, after traveling the world, are meant to come home.