Gaia Iacuzzi interviewed Luke Caliendo for IFL Inside, the official magazine of the Italian Football League. American wide receiver Luke Caliendo is discovering much more than football during his first season in Italy.
After playing college football at Maritime University in New York, the young athlete moved overseas to join the Frogs Legnano in the Italian Football League, turning what started as a sports opportunity into a personal journey connected to his Italian roots.
Caliendo grew up in New York in a strongly Italian American family with origins in Naples, Sicily, and Calabria. Sunday traditions revolved around pasta, meatballs, and watching New York Giants games together. Living in Italy has now given him the chance to reconnect directly with the culture his grandparents carried to the United States generations ago. He is also pursuing dual Italian citizenship through his grandfather’s family line.
The transition was not always easy. Caliendo admitted that his first weeks in Italy were challenging because of the language barrier and the experience of living far from home for the first time. Over time, however, he adapted to daily life, learned to cook some family recipes himself, and embraced Italian customs. One of the biggest surprises for him was the social atmosphere in Italy, where people spend more time talking and building relationships, even during everyday activities.
His teammates helped him settle into the new environment by introducing him to local traditions and places around Milan and Lake Como. According to Caliendo, many aspects of Italian daily life remind him of his grandparents and older relatives back in the United States, creating a strong sense of familiarity despite being thousands of miles from home.
Caliendo also believes American football can become an important cultural bridge between Italy and the United States. He explained that many Italians initially confuse football with rugby, but once they understand the complexity of the sport, interest quickly grows. At the same time, his experience helps Americans realize that football culture exists outside the United States as well, especially in countries like Italy where the game continues to expand.
