Zia Patrizia Character Analysis in Looking for Alibrandi

Zia Patrizia is Nonna’s younger sister and Josie’s great-aunt. She and her husband, Zio Ricardo, are regular fixtures at family functions. Zia Patrizia immigrated to Australia a little more than a year after Nonna and Nonno did, and she arrived in the country pregnant with her first child. Patrizia and Nonna were extremely close as young women, and their relationship continues to be close into their old age. Zia Patrizia also knew and liked Marcus Sandford—he delivered one of her babies—though she doesn’t know or even seem to suspect that Nonna was sexually involved with him.

Zia Patrizia Character Timeline in Looking for Alibrandi

The timeline below shows where the character Zia Patrizia appears in Looking for Alibrandi. The colored dots and icons indicate which themes are associated with that appearance.

Identity, Freedom, and Coming of Age Theme Icon

Nonna says that one day, she came home and found her little sister Patrizia on her doorstep—married to Josie’s Zio Ricardo and six months pregnant. Josie says she’s always... (full context)

...backyard, processing tomatoes to make spaghetti sauce. She and Robert call it “Wog Day.” Zia Patrizia reminds Josie that they’ve been doing this for more than 40 years. She sits next... (full context)

Nonna and Zia Patrizia theatrically tell the story of Nonna going to speak to the army to ask them... (full context)

Zia Patrizia says that Marcus loved her “little Roberto,” and Robert asks if that’s the one who... (full context)

...why Mama never talks about Nonno. Mama admits that she used to pray that Zia Patrizia and Zio Ricardo were her parents, even though she’s always known that Nonna loves her.... (full context)

...Nonno does. Nonna admits that she did see Marcus again after Roberto died. After Zia Patrizia and Zio Ricardo moved to Sydney, Nonno took a faraway job so they could afford... (full context)

Josie listens to Nonna talk about moving to Sydney to be near Zia Patrizia, and then moving to Leichhardt. In the 1950s, Australia was changing with all its new... (full context)

...happened: Josie is at Nonna’s with about 10 other family members. Josie’s cousins and Zia Patrizia argue and joke about when Nonna and Nonno must’ve conceived Mama. Nonna would’ve gotten pregnant... (full context)