Dad enjoyed teaching a variety of different things to my brother and I. He felt that he had learned many lessons during his life and did not want them to be lost, but rather passed on to the next generation.
He taught me Italian proverbs and expressions of speech, most of which you will not find in books. One of the reasons I understand Italian culture so well today is because of what Dad passed on to me. He also would quote Latin proverbs and historical events that related to Roman and Italian history.
His war stories were the best: They were all real live events that took place while he was in the military.
During the time he was a POW in the US he made friends with his American prison wardens that never forgot him, and both they as well as their children, they came to visit him in Rome many times decades later – honoring him each time with appreciation and compliments.
If anything was important for me to learn in life Dad was sure to share that lesson with me. Even when he had made mistakes, he would use them to make sure I did not do the same thing in life.