Every kid waits for the moment when he or she breathe in the warm summer air and sigh as that final bell rings, signaling the start of their three months of freedom. One kid who looks forward to this moment, in particular, is Frank Nesci because once that final bell rings Nesci starts on his adventure. An adventure that will take him 4,600 miles away and overseas to a place he calls home.

For North Penn High School senior, Frank Nesci, Lansdale, Pennsylvania is more like a temporary home than anything. Although Nesci lives here most of the year, his real home is truly in Italy. Nesci was born in the southern part of Italy in the region of Calabria. He remained there until he was four years old and then moved to Lansdale in 2010. 

“My family decided to move here to get better jobs and be more successful. In Italy, the jobs and pay are okay, so we knew there were more opportunities here,” Nesci explained. 

Although his family moved here for the opportunities, they still take every chance they can get to go back to Italy. For Nesci this has been the most crucial thing when it comes to helping him stay connected to his roots. 

“I go back to Italy every summer because I obviously still have family there. Last summer though was probably the first summer where I actually made friends in Italy since I moved here so young,” Nesci shared. “Now that I have made friends there I feel reconnected again”. 

While Nesci has lived in Pennsylvania for some time now, this isn’t necessarily the case for everyone in his family. 

“Currently, my dad is going through the process of getting his green card so he can move here, to the United States. Since we moved here it has just been me, my mom, and my older brother and my dad visits whenever he has a chance,” Nesci explained. “My dad was a cop in Italy and he just retired so hopefully he gets his green card and can move here permanently. I have two older brothers so my oldest brother, Anthony, also lives in Italy right now. He wants to follow in my father’s footsteps so he is a cop right now, part of the Polizia”.  

Since Nesci lived in Italy for the first four years of his life, he came to the United States fluent in Italian and still is fluent today. 

“I am fluent in Italian and coming here at such a young age trying to learn a whole new language was very hard. I still can’t speak certain words because we don’t use those sounds in the Italian language,” Nesci shared. 

Growing up in the United States, there is always the chance of young foreigners becoming Americanized and losing their traditional values. For Nesci however, his mom made sure to never let this happen. One particular way she has kept her son familiar with their Italian values is through her cooking. 

“My family is amazing at cooking. Half of my family are chefs. Even my mom works a normal job but on the side, she is a cook. Every dinner is just like all sides of pasta, it’s the best. I love pasta and for us it’s healthy and it’s part of our lifestyle,” Nesci revealed. “We eat pasta every day. My mom also makes a great steak with mushrooms and onions”. 

While her cooking may be a way to uphold the typical Italian lifestyle for her son, Nesci’s mom makes it clear to leave the cooking to her. 

“My mom hates it when I go into the kitchen. She never lets me help. The only thing she lets me do is bake,” Nesci chuckled. 

Another Italian value that Nesci has maintained is the love for soccer. 

“Growing up I knew I wanted to play soccer because it runs in the family. I grew up watching my brothers play and learning from them and of course we are super competitive and I need to beat them,” Nesci said with a laugh. “In Italy, though there is a lot of soccer, it’s just part of the culture”. 

Nesci plays soccer not only for North Penn but also for a club team. He has thoroughly enjoyed his time getting to play soccer on both teams and even hopes to continue to play in college.

“I started playing soccer at the high school during my sophomore year. It was very challenging at the time but I still had a lot of fun. I would say it felt very competitive for my first time playing in high school, but I don’t mind the competitiveness because I think it helped me overcome myself,” Nesci shared. “I also play club soccer for PA Rush and I think I have grown so much there as a player. I am playing really well now and I have even started talking to college coaches. Right now I am really interested in playing soccer at Shippensburg University, but I am also talking to the coaches at West Chester, Elizabeth Town, and Desales”. 

Not only does Nesci love playing soccer, but watching soccer is important to him as well. Especially considering it brings his family together. 

“Half of my family is big AC Milan fans but I personally love Juventus even though they suck. And obviously being in Pennsylvania I also love the Union. Everyone here is a huge football fan though but for my family it’s soccer,” Nesci revealed. “Most days the Champions League is playing, so my dad, my brother, and I, always head straight for the TV to watch the Champions League. Just like American football, every time our team is playing we are glued to the TV”. 

Family time is important in Italian culture, so Nesci always values the time he gets to spend with his family, especially his brothers. While he does have a love-hate relationship with his brothers, Nesci feels that they are his biggest motivators in everything he does. 

“Of course my brothers and I, we fight all the time, but they push me to try the hardest I can in everything. Even in soccer and work, I see how hard they work and it drives me to work harder,” Nesci explained. “I am better than them at soccer of course, but whenever they do something better than me I know I need to work ten times harder”. 

As for the future, Nesci hopes to get his college degree in the United States for exercise science but ultimately wishes to move back to Italy post-graduation. 

“Ideally, I would like to do physical therapy for a major sports team just so I can stay in the sports environment. I definitely want to live in Italy post-graduation so my dream team to work for would be AC Milan,” Nesci revealed. 

As for now, until college graduation, Nesci will continue to spend all his summers in Italy and travel there when he can. However, he knows that wherever he ends up, Italy will always be his home and he will carry all of his Italian values with him for the rest of his life. 

“Honestly, I feel like I have Italy and I love it there so much that I don’t feel like I need to be anywhere else,” Nesci said with a smile.