Kissing someone twice on each cheek is proper in Italian culture. For the 14 native Italians visiting Cranston for a wedding, there has been a lot of kissing going on.

One of their own, 28-year-old Paolo Corpolongo, was born and raised in Itri Latina, Italy, where he met his now 25-year-old wife Marlaina Mancini. Mancini was visiting Italy for an exchange program organized by Cranston High School West in 2005.

After meeting in Itri Latina during the two-week trip, Corpolongo’s decision to move to America for a college education developed into a devoted relationship with Mancini, ultimately leading to their marriage on Friday, Aug. 24. The couple is expecting their first child in January of 2013.

Corpolongo’s decision wasn’t just for college. When faced with being apart, he and Mancini talked on the phone regularly to keep their relationship alive, but they both wanted more.

“Because of the six-hour time difference, I would be up late at night just talking to her for hours,” Corpolongo said. “Sometimes I would have class in the morning and wouldn’t sleep because I stayed up too late on the phone, but it was worth it.”

The male matriarch of the family, 82-year-old Peppino Corpolongo, rallied 14 family members and made the trip to Rhode Island for the wedding. They are staying at family members’ houses that live throughout Rhode Island, mostly in Johnston and Cranston.

Visiting the Ocean State is not unfamiliar to Peppino since he has been doing so since 1970. He has made a total of 15 trips, often teaming up with his oldest sister, Ida Soprano, 91, who resides in Cranston, to organize Italian feasts to bring together a family separated by two continents. These feasts consist of an abundance of food, from grilled chicken and roasted vegetables to, of course, pasta that everyone helps to cook.

Spoken in perfect Italian, translated by a relative, Peppino says he often comes to America for his sister and all of the family who immigrated from Itri Latina.

“I come to visit so often because I want to tie together all of the family,” he said through a translator. “Family is the most important thing.”

Among the family members visiting were 53-year-old twins Anna and Letizia Corpolongo, making it the third set of twins within the large family, with two sets residing in Rhode Island. In addition to these twins, Soprano’s mother gave birth to both triplets and twins, a year apart, but died shortly after birth due to complications. With the expectance of a grandchild, it will make it a total of four living generations within the Italian family.

With plenty of wine, authentic Italian olives raised by Peppino Corpolongo, and traditional Italian cuisine, the collection of people cooking and eating in the kitchen varied in ages from 19 to 91.

Sister of the groom, Giulia Corpolongo, has traveled to Rhode Island three times, including her current trip. She was only 4 years old during her first visit to America, and her recent visit in December for her brother’s college graduation brought back the memories of family togetherness.

Giulia has a basic understanding of the English language and is eager to learn more about this country. Taking American history courses at the University of Bologna, she hopes to break the record of visits set by her grandfather, especially since she will have a niece in Rhode Island. Giulia was anxious to return to Italy with the rest of her family on Wednesday but will miss her relatives in America.

“In Rhode Island, there are many different landscapes in a single state and I enjoy seeing the big Italian community,” she said. “My family believes in our values and although we make a lot of noise, we are a very generous bunch.”

Sustaining a long distance relationship is no easy task and according to Corpolongo, his family was extremely supportive of his decision to move to America for college and his future wife. Now gaining full citizenship through his marriage, Corpolongo hopes to raise his family in Rhode Island but plans on keeping his Italian heritage prominent within his household.

By being a full-time Italian and Spanish teacher at Warwick Vets, there is no language barrier for Mancini while conversing with her Italian in-laws. For the past seven years, Mancini has visited Itri Latina several times, before her husband officially moved over seas. Being separated for nearly four years brought them closer together and now their relationship has blossomed into a promising future for the next Corpolongo generation.