Una familia encuentra puerto seguro en el valle

In Argentina, Natalio Scotto Lavina lived the good life.Along with three siblings he owned a swank hotel in Buenos Aires, a large parking lot and a night club.
 
Life was good ? at least from the outside looking in. But day and night Natalio would worry, furrows would form on his brow, his long fingers would clench.
 
Were they going to kidnap his wife, his precious girls or his brothers' families? "For the past 10 years crime has become bad in Buenos Aires. About four or five years ago it became very, very bad," Natalio said. "It's the people wanting money for drugs, the poor people. Buenos Aires used to be so safe." Natalio and his wife, Silvana, often visited their cousin Tommy Scotto Lavina, who had come to Stuarts Draft from Argentina and opened a restaurant 16 years ago.
 
The Scotto Lavinas fell in love with the Valley and expressed an interest in relocating. Tommy Scotto Lavina spoke with Natalio and Silvana about opening a restaurant in Staunton. "In a way we kind of help each other," said Tommy Scotto Lavina, the owner of Scotto's Italian Restaurant and Pizzeria in Waynesboro, as well as Scotto's Trattoria in Stuarts Draft. "I am very grateful that they are here." When Natalio's family returned home from their last visit to the United States, crime had escalated, as had the family's fears. They decided to leave their beloved Buenos Aires, and relocate to Fishersville.
 
The family already possessed a tourist visa. They applied for and obtained an investment visa, after much paperwork and legal fees. Finally, just a few months ago, they received their green cards. "I moved with a six-month-old, but I didn't care," said Silvana. "We just wanted to raise our family in a safe place."
 
Italian roots, love for Argentina
 
Although both Natalio and Silvana were raised in Argentina, their families had immigrated from Italy ? his from Naples, hers from Sicily. "Many Europeans came to Argentina after World War II, they were German, Jewish, French, Spanish and Italian. It's a wonderful, exciting city, like your New York City. There's an average 85 percent European," Natalio said, his hands accentuating his animated speech.
 
Natalio's parents met in Buenos Aires and were married there. They were happy to escape war-torn Italy. They raised their son to speak Italian, but Spanish became his primary tongue. Silvana's mother is from Sicily, but her step-father, who raised her, grew up in Spain. Although she can understand Italian, she considers herself Argentinean.
 
Language barriers
 
Like their parents, the Scotto Lavinas have come to a new country, speaking only Italian and Spanish. "We are learning," Natalio said, his strong arms moved in long sweeps as he spoke, showing his rock-solid determination.
 
"I understand 50 - 60 percent now. I use my gestures. We get along." For Silvana, it is more difficult. Back home, this spirited, black-haired beauty had had maids, nannies and family around. She and her mother, Rita, who still resides in Argentina, speak every day ? often three times a day, Silvana joked. "I miss my family so much," Silvana said. "I miss the festivals, the city, the fun." Silvana also misses being able to express herself clearly. Although she has made many friends, when shopping or communicating to doctors, she takes her 12-year-old daughter along.
 
"Everybody in the area is so generous, so sweet," Silvana explained. "But sometimes it is helpful to have Caterina along." Caterina moved to the United States knowing about 10 English words, but now she is fluent in both languages. The Scotto Lavinas' other two daughters, Magali, 9 and Penelope, 4, also are bilingual.
 
Tomato sauce
 
Along with the vibrant night life, the poignant odors of roasted garlic and chili, the rat-tat-tat of street traffic and the overall excitement of big-city life, both Silvana and Natalio miss their family customs, especially their tomato sauce family extravaganzas. "Each year we would have all of our relatives over and make jars and jars of tomato sauce," Silvana said, her high cheekbones accentuating her smile. "We began at 7 a.m. and it would last until midnight."
 
Caterina remembers washing the tomatoes and handing them to her grandma. "It was so much fun," she said, as the memories swept across her angelic face. By the end of the night, the family had 300 jars of tomato sauce lining their basement walls. Aunts, uncles, cousins and grandparents all joined in on the fun. They sang songs, told stories, peeled tomatoes and lovingly stirred vats and vats of mouth-watering sauce. "Before you closed the lid, you must add a little bit of olive oil and fresh basil. So when you opened the jar....ummmm....magnificent," Natalio said, his amber eyes gleaming.
 
Casa di Scotto's: Italian Restaurant & Pizzeria
 
Natalio makes tomato sauce and pizza dough every day at his restaurant in Staunton. "The secret to the sauce is in the cooking," Natalio said. "It's important in how long it cooks. Not as much acid and we NEVER use sugar!" Natalio works seven days a week ? opening the restaurant at 11 a.m. and closing after 11 p.m. He makes most of the dishes from scratch, using his cousin Tommy's recipes and "my mom's ? she was an amazing cook!" "Natalio is working more hours in Staunton then he worked in Argentina," Silvana explained. "But it's more stable here. Less pressure. A different economy." Natalio smiled, "I love this restaurant and Staunton. I have some time in the afternoon. I can pick the girls up from school. Spend time with them. I love my girls. I am very protective of my girls."
 
Love of the Valley
 
The move to Fishersville from Buenos Aires was welcomed, but also difficult. Along with not speaking English, there were differences in employment policies, political systems and holiday traditions. "At first it was hard for me, not because of the place, but because of the differences in culture," Silvana said.
 
It was a matter of familiarity. "People are very nice here. They're very polite and helpful." Although the family lives in Fishersville, they adore Staunton, especially Natalio. "Everything is exploding with business," said Natalio. He sees the expanding market, the opportunities for growth and the sense of history. But he is most excited by the Stonewall Jackson Hotel and Convention Center and the preservation of downtown.
 
Food, holidays and traditions
 
"I used to miss the food," Silvana said. Now she visits Orlando or Miami and stocks up. She's also become acquainted with American cuisine. But she still misses the city ? its heartbeat. "Buenos Aires was alive," she said. "You'd go to the restaurant at 11 or 12 (midnight) and you wouldn't finish until 5 or 6 in the morning." Magali, 9, could care less about the city, she just misses Santa.
 
"I remember when I was little I hugged Santa," Magali said. According to Silvana, in Argentina, Santa comes about midnight on Christmas Eve and the family celebrates the occasion with an extravagant party. "Now Santa comes in the morning," Magali said, trying hard to hide her disappointment.
 
Dreams for their bambinos
 
Magali moved when she was 6. She believes that anything is possible in America. Her vibrant smile, unabashed curiosity and family's love provide her with a strong foundation from which to pursue her dreams. "I love art, drawing, cutting paper into dolls and doll clothes," Magali said. Like her mother, who is adept at drawing, ceramics and interior design, Magali loves beauty and sees it in nature, in food and much to her mom's chagrin, in her new socks, which she cuts up into sock-puppets, drawing faces and clothing. Although she loves art, Magali also loves animals, especially her white Pikachu. "Maybe I'll be a veterinarian, or a dentist," Magali said. Caterina wishes to be a lawyer. She exudes intelligence, confidence and charm. She often helps her father translate to employees, rings up customers' orders and wrangles 4-year-old Penelope. "Back home the professionals are driving taxis," Silvana said. "It is better to be a businessman there. But here it is different." Both Silvana and Natalio are excited about their children's dreams, but most of all they are thankful. "I don't have to worry when I take them to the mall here. I don't have to grab their hands and pray for their lives," said Silvana, who recently came back from a visit to Argentina. "It is safe here. I am thankful."