Lina Iacobucci
Age when this tile was made: 11
Where did you live when you made this tile?19 Park Ave
Where else have you lived in Somerville?None
Where do you live now?Medford, Ma
Do you consider Somerville your hometown? Yes
What is your earliest Somerville memory?There must have been about 40 kids in the neighborhood. We would play hide-n-seek or Relievio. It would take us half the night to get through one round! And then going to my dad's store (Tony's) to say Hi and grab a Richie's slush. As we got older we moved from the neighborhood to Powder House Park to cause mischief.
How would you describe Somerville in the 1980s?I moved to Italy for a few years in the mid 80's and I couldn't wait to return. It felt great because I considered Somerville home. We were a little bit older but still enjoyed hanging around thr neighborhood because (besides the Davis Sq. T station) Somerville had not yet changed so very much.
How would you describe Somerville today?Definitely eclectic. A little bit trendy. Awefully expensive real estate. But I still love the Davis square area. My parents still live there and when I visit them it feels comfortable and familiar. I notice how much it has changed but those changes don't erase the great memories I have.
How has Somerville changed?It certainly has. Davis Sq. has been cleaned up nicely and offers so much more than it did. I understand that this change affects different people in different ways but I appreciate that Davis can still offer my parents familiar places to go and also allow me to enjoy some of the newer aspects of the area.
Younger folks would not believe what Davis Sq. looked like when we were kids. The train ran above ground, the theatre showed one film, no flowers, very few stores, multi-family homes in need of repair,etc. But a lot of families, lots of kids and there was a sense of safety in the neighborhood. I am sad that many of us could not afford to continue living in Somerville due to its gentrification but it will always be home to me.
