Italian Grandma Insists on Sweet Act Whenever Anyone Visits the House

It's safe to say nobody leaves this grandma's house with an empty stomach, as seen in a viral TikTok video.

The video that Lara Severino, 25, shared on Instagram (@laraseverinoo) shows her grandma or nonna—in Italian—Lina Sierchio, 82, making an espresso before heading into the living room to offer a man who had come to fix her television a piece of homemade cake.

Severino, a content creator, told Newsweek: "To put it simply, nonnas find the most joy when they are cooking for those they love."

The clip, captioned: "Everyone needs an Italian nonna," has racked up over 647,000 views.

The on-screen text explains: "My nonna is so Italian, she has to feed everyone including the man who has come to fix her TV."

Severino, a content creator from Sydney, Australia, praises her grandma for continuing to cook sweet treats and Italian classics like pizza and pasta from scratch.

The National Archives of Australia documents indicate that Italian migration peaked in the 1950s, ending a trend that spanned the late 19th and early 20th centuries. Similarly, in the United States, Italian immigration surged until 1920. By that time, more than 4 million Italians had arrived in the U.S., making up over 10 percent of the country's foreign-born population, as reported by the Library of Congress.

Severino said: "Having an Italian nonna is the best thing ever if you love food like me.

"Nothing comes close to her cooking and the fact that she is 82 and still cooks every meal for herself every day is so incredible to me."

Not everyone has the pleasure of eating fresh Italian food prepared by family members. But there are plenty of restaurants to choose from in America; according to industry research firm IBISWorld, there were 49,773 Italian restaurants in 2023.

At the time of writing, the video has received more than 67,000 likes since it was posted on April 25, along with almost 150 comments.

One user said: "I'm destined to be an Italian nonna. I love feeding people."

"It's a universal grandma thing I think," said another.

A third commenter said: "She's a treasure! Cherish that cutie pie."

"All grandmothers are the same. Italians, Albanians, Greeks, Turkish etc. they are the most caring people," said a fourth user.

It seems elderly women aren't just keen to feed friends, family and strangers but animals too. Newsweek has previously shared an article about a grandma who made it her mission to feed a wild deer.

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Correction 05/18/24, 9:18 a.m. ET: The spelling of Lina Sierchio's surname was amended.