Publication - i-ItalyNY - 2014-06
Transcription
Publication - i-ItalyNY - 2014-06
ee Fr ue Iss All Things Italian in New York Year 3, Issue 7-8 September-October 2015 $ 4.50 Watch us on i-Italy | TV web TV: go to www.i-ItalyTV.com Apple Tv: download our iPhone app and connect to your TV Cover art: John DeSantis NYC LIFE - Channel 25: Saturdays 11:30pm & Sundays 1:00PM in the NYC metropolitan area on all cable operators and on the airto your TV Italian Creativity Celebrating 50 Years of Science and Technology; New York World’s Fair 1965 – Expo Milano 2015. Insert NEW! The 2015 Events Calendar sponsored by the Italian Heritage & Culture Committee of New York. A special issue dedicated to A Different Italy, Diverse Italians Anthony Julian Tamburri, Fred Kuwornu, Jaqueline Greves Monda, Jerry Krase, Paul Moses, John Viola, Maria Bartiromo, Peter Vallone Sr. Events Italy in New York: Culture, Art, and Special Events Dining Out & In Sicilian Magic in the Big Apple. Restaurants, pizzerias, and more Ideas Living Italian in New York: Fashion, Design, Books & Music Tourism Baroque Sicily. When History and Art Join Forces — and Win P 101 Contents staff&info ee Fr ue Iss All Things Italian in New York Year 3, Issue 7-8 September-October 2015 $ 4.50 ➜20 Watch us on i-Italy | TV WEB TV: go to www.i-ItalyTv.com APPlE TV: download our iPhone app and connect to your Tv Cover art: John DeSantis NYC lIFE - Channel 25: Saturdays 11:30PM & Sundays 1:00PM in the NYC metropolitan area on all cable operators and on the airto your Tv Focus Italian Creativity Celebrating 50 Years of Science and Technology; New York World’s Fair 1965 – Expo Milano 2015. Insert NEW! The 2015 Events Calendar ponsored by the Italian Heritage & Culture Committee of New York. A special issue dedicated to A DIFFERENT ITALY, DIvERSE ITALIANS Anthony Julian Tamburri, Fred Kuwornu, Jaqueline Greves Monda, Jerry Krase, Paul Moses, John Viola, Maria Bartiromo, Peter Vallone Sr. Events Italy in New York: Culture, Art, and Special Events Dining Out & In Sicilian Magic in the Big Apple. Restaurants, pizzerias, and more Ideas Living Italian in New York: Fashion, Design, Books & Music Tourism Baroque Sicily. When History and Art Join Forces — and Win i~Italy NY www.i-ItalyNY.com A magazine about all things Italian in New York City Year 3 - Issue 7-8 September-October 2015 Editor in Chief Letizia Airos [email protected] Project Manager Ottorino Cappelli [email protected] ➜05 For advertising contact: Italian Media Corporation [email protected] Main Offices New York 28 W 44th Street New York, NY, 10036 Tel. (917) 521-2035 Rome Via Montebello 37 00185 Roma Tel. (366) 747.8348 ➜22 ■ by ■ by Letizia Airos ➜06 Introducing a Different Italy ➜08 ➜26 ■ by Alitalia Looks to the Future Anthony Julian Tamburri ➜10 ➜29 ■ by Mila Tenaglia Giorgio Morandi at CIMA The Poetics of an Italian Modernist ■ by Mila Tenaglia Jaqueline Graves Monda: Living (with an) Italian in New York City ■ by Jerry Krase ■ by Paul Moses ➜16 John Viola: The Mission of Being Italian in a Global World ■ by Ottorino Cappelli Mondo Nutella: Spreading a Piece of Italy Throughout the World Francine Segan ➜85 A lemonade and a larger project One Sip Is All It Takes To Go To Portofino ■ by Honey 101 M.T. The Italian American Cancer Foundation Turns 35 ■ by A.C. al Specirt e s n I The 2015 IHCC Events Calendar Sponsored by the Italian Heritage and Culture Committee of New York, Inc. Dino Borri ➜87 How to Prepare Fusilli sfiziosi al miele ■ by Rosanna Di Michele ➜88 A favorite dish... Caciocavallo all’Argentiera ■ by Michele Scicolone ... Paired with the right wine Nero d’Avola ■ by ➜35 R. C. ➜86 ■ by ➜33 ➜14 ■ by ➜82 ■ by Letizia Airos The Unfortunate Pilgrim R. C. ➜32 The Light of Southern Italy ➜11 ➜81 ■ by ➜31 George DeStefano Bringing Italy to your family table A book by Gigi Padavani The Trauma of Painting ■ by Dining In ■ by Everything Italian in NYC Alberto Burri at the Guggenheim Fred Kuwornu: The Right to Be Italian Daily Calendar September-November 2015 No Compromise on Quality to Achieve Success Events The Message of a ‘Migrant Pope’ in the Americas Gennaro Matino ➜45-75 Lavazza Turns 120 ➜09 ■ by Official Events and Proclamations ➜25 La musica parla italiano — Music Speaks Italian Rethinking our Labels ➜44 Francine Segan by Maria Teresa Cometto The Fortunate Pilgrim www.i-Italy.org Lucia Pasqualini Editorial ➜15 Copies printed this month: 50,000 ■ by Peter Vallone: Not Just Italians — Italian Americans! Staff & Contributors Natasha Lardera, Bianca Soria, Mila Tenaglia (editorial coordination); Michele Scicolone and Charles Scicolone (food & wine editors); Rosanna Di Michele (chef); Mila Tenaglia (events); Stefano Celsi (fashion); Judith Harris, Maria Rita Latto, Virginia di Falco (Italy correspondents); Stefano Albertini, Dino Borri, Enzo Capua, George DeStefano, Dominique Fernandez, Fred Gardaphe, Jerry Krase, Gennaro Matino, Lucia Pasqualini, Fred Plotkin, Francine Segan, Anthony Julian Tamburri (columnists & contributors); Matteo Banfo, Giacomo Lampariello, Mattia Minasi, (TV & multimedia team); Roberta Cutillo, Claudia Sbuttoni (interns); Will Schutt (translation); Robert Oppedisano (editorial supervision); Alberto Sepe (web & mobile); Darrell Fusaro (cartoonist); Lilith Mazzocchi, Antonella Villa (layout); Andrée Brick (design). Maria Bartiromo: Caring For Your Roots Charles Scicolone A Message from the IHCC President/Chairperson ■ by Joseph Sciame ➜37 A Brief History of the Italian Heritage and Culture Month in New York Continued ➜ www.i-ItalyNY.com | September-October 2015 | i-Italy ny | 3 i-Italy|NY ➜ Contents Dining Out Eating Italian in the Big Apple ➜90 Neighborhood by Neighborhood Il Vicoletto: Italian Way of Life @ Union Square ■ by L. A. ➜91-93 Dining Out Special Bookshelf: Italian Reads & Listens Sicilian Magic in NYC ■ by Gero Salamone ➜94 ➜100 Two Authentic Pizzerias in Manhattan A conversation with Ruth Ben-Ghiat Neapolitan Pizza: A Life Passion ■ by L. A. Ideas Empire Cinema: Italy’s Skeleton in the Closet ■ by Style: Fashion, Design & More ➜96 A conversation with Dan Meis Designing Stadio della Roma: A Glorious Mix of Past, Present, and Future ■ by Mila Tenaglia ➜98-99 Personal Shopper Branding and Rebranding Made in Italy ■ by Stefano Celsi Stefano Albertini ➜102 Renato D’Agostin’s Frecce Tricolori Acrobatic Colors in the Venice Sky ■ by N.L. Are you going to Italy soon? ➜105 Exploring the famous Italian island Baroque Sicily. When History and Art Join Forces — and Win ■ by Dominique Fernandez ➜110 What to eat when you get there ➜102-103 Suggested Readings ■ by Tourism Three Sicilian Gourmet Treasures ■ by Ambra McCoy B.S. ➜103 Italian Jazz Mr Sax(ophone) ■ by Enzo Capua Where To Find Us Government and Educational Institutions: Consulate General of Italy (690, Park Ave) ● Italian Cultural Institute (686 Park Ave) ● Italian Trade Commission (33 E 67th St) ● Italian Government Tourist Board (630 5th Ave) ● Scuola d’Italia G. Marconi (12 E 96th St) ● John D. Calandra Italian American Institute, CUNY (25 W 43rd St) ● Casa Italiana Zerilli Marimò, NYU (24 W 12th St) ● Inserra Chair, Montclair State University (1 Normal Ave Montclair, NJ) ● Italian American Committee on Education (18 E 41st St) ● Collina Italiana (1556 3rd Ave) ● Bookstores, Showrooms & Galleries: Rizzoli Bookstore (31 W 57th St) ● Poltrona Frau (141 Wooster St) ● Cassina (151 Wooster St) ● Cappellini (152 Wooster St) ● Alessi (130 Greene St) ● Casa del Bianco (866 Lexington Ave) ● Pratesi (892 Madison Ave) ● Monnalisa (1088 Madison Ave) ● Scavolini (429 W Broadway), Guzzini (60 Madison Ave) ● Bosi Contemporary (48 Orchard St) ● Boffi Soho (31 ½ Greene St) ● CIMA - Center for Italian Modern Art (421 Broome St) ● Gourmet Stores: Eataly New York (200 5th Ave) ● Di Palo (200 Grand St) ● Citarella (2135 Broadway; 1313 Third Ave; 424 Avenue of the Americas) ● Agata & Valentina (1505 1st Ave; 64 University Pl.) ● Morton Williams Supermarkets (908 2nd Ave; 311 E 23rd St; 1565 1st Ave) ● A.L.C. Italian Grocery (8613 3rd Ave, Brooklyn) ● Arthur Avenue Market (2344 Arthur Ave, Bronx) ● Jerry’s Gourmet (410 South Dean St, Englewood, NJ) ● Giovanni Rana Pastificio e Cucina (75 9th Ave) ● La Panineria (1 W 8th St) Restaurants, Pizzerias & Wine Bars: Acqua Santa (556 Griggs Ave, Brooklyn) ● Addeo & Sons (2372 Hughes Ave, Bronx) ● Alloro (307 E 77th St) ● Azalea (224 W 51 St) ● Ballarò Café (77 2nd Ave) ● Borgatti’s (632 E 187th St, Bronx) ● Bruno Bakery (506 LaGuardia Place) ● Cacio e Vino (80 2nd Ave) ● Crave It (545 6th Ave) ● Epistrophi Cafe (200 Mott St) ● Fabbrica (40 N 6th St, Brooklyn) ● Felice 83 (1593 1st Ave) ● Felice 64 (1166 1st Ave) ● Forcella (485 Lorimer St, Brooklyn) ● In Vino Veritas (1375 1st Ave) ● Kestè (271 Bleecker St) ● L’Arte del Gelato (Chelsea Market, 75 9th Ave) ● Le Cirque (151 E 58th St) ● The Leopard at des Artistes (1 W 67th St) ● Madonia Brothers (2348 Arthur Ave, Bronx) ● Osteria del Principe (27 E 23rd St) ● Osteria del Circo (120 W 55th St) ● Raffaello Kosher Pizza (37 W 46th St) ● Pastai (186 9th Ave) ● Piccolo Fiore (230 E 44th St) ● Pizzetteria Brunetti (626 Hudson St)● Paola’s Restaurant (1295 Madison Ave) ● Il Posto Accanto & Il Bagatto To Go (190 E 2nd St) ● Quartino bottega organica (11 Bleecker St) ● Ribalta (48 E 12th St) ● Risotteria Melotti (309 E 5th St) ● Salumeria Rosi Parmacotto (283 Amsterdam Ave) ● San Matteo (1739 2nd Ave) ● SD26 (19 E 26th St) ● Sirio (795 5th Ave) ● Stella 34 Trattoria at Macy’s (151 W 34th) ● Tarallucci e Vino (163 1st Ave; 475 Columbus Ave; 15 E 18th St) ● Club Tiro a Segno (77 MacDougal St) ● Tramonti (364 W 46th St) ● Trattoria Cinque (363 Greenwich St) ● Trattoria L’incontro (21-76 31st St, Astoria) ● Via Quadronno (25 E 73rd St) ● Villabate Alba (7001 18th Ave, Brooklyn) ● Vivoli Gelateria at Macy’s ● (151 W 34th St) ● Zero Otto Nove (15 W 21 St) ● Zibetto (1385 6th Ave) ● Zio (17 W 19th St). To be added to our distribution network write to [email protected] 4 | i-Italy ny | September-October 2015 | www.i-ItalyNY.com www.i-Italy.org i-Italy|NY ➜ Editorial Editorial What’s hiding behind the bend? ➔ Letizia Airos The road is a child running up ahead of me and hiding behind a bend – perhaps he’s waiting to surprise me when I get there. — Pascal D’Angelo, Mezzoggiorno Pascal D’Angelo was a shepherd and poet from Abruzzo. An autodidact, he immigrated to the US in 1910 and was fascinated by the dynamism of his adopted country, despite the occasional hardship he encountered there. His simple yet eloquent verse was published in various American journals, and the fresh air of discovery that permeated his work seems a fitting way to greet autumn in New York. Although our cover pays tribute to Italian discoveries of another kind—to major Italian contributions to science and technology—an immigrant’s voyage is a similarly courageous excursion into the unknown, one that also requires invention, so we feel justified in introducing this issue of i-ItalyNY with our shepherd poet. ●●●● This special issue features an insert by the Italian Heritage & Culture Committee presenting all of the Italian and Italian-American events happening in this city of immigrants during the fall. And because Italy and Italians are so poorly represented by current stereotypes, we have dedicated this issue to differences and diversity by entitling it “A Different Italy, Diverse Italians.” ●●●● The “Different Italy” described in Maria Teresa Cometto’s cover story is a country that goes beyond i-Italy’s Fiat 500 designed by Massimo Vignelli (Milano 1931 - New York City 2014) fashion, art and good cooking, a country that gave birth to some of the most important scientific and technological innovations of the last fifty years. The stories of “diverse Italians” that you will find in the following pages speak to a concept of Italianness that transcends ethnic labels and “hyphenated” identities, as reflected upon by Anthony Tamburri. Gennaro Matino talks about the best-known hyphenated Italian, the Italian-Argentine Pope who, in recent weeks, has borne his message of peace and social equality to the Americas. We also introduce you to Afro-Italian director Fred Kuwornu, a noted champion of dual citizenship in Italy, and Jaqueline Greeves Monda, a sophisticated Jamaican whose marriage to one of New York’s noted Italian intellectuals has led to her “Italianization.” And two multi-hyphenated college professors—a Slavic Sicilian American and a German Jewish Italian American—travel to uncover the Italian side of their respective ancestries, with differing fortunes. We then profile three very different but equally successful Italian Americans. John Viola, the youngest president in the history of the National Italian American Foundation, talks about the organization’s 40th anniversary and how he intends to transform NIAF into a global ambassador of Italianness in the world. Lucia Pasqualini continues her column on Italian-American mentors and role models, this time discussing how anchorwoman Maria Bartiromo helped her understand her own family’s history. And Peter Vallone, the good old guy of Italian-American politics in New York, talks about his Sicilian origins and how he served as NYC Council Speaker for roughly twenty years. Finally we attend to some of Italy’s “adopted” citizens—or “Italici,” as Piero Bassetti would define them. They include American architect Dan Meis, who is currently at work on the new soccer stadium in Rome; Italian studies professor Ruth Ben-Ghiat, who talks with Stefano Albertini about her latest book Empire Cinema; and French writer Dominique Fernandez—member of the Académie française, awardwinning Pasolini scholar and author of several important essays about Italy— who takes us on a unique tour of Baroque Sicily. ●●●● Sicily and its particular relationship to difference and diversity is in fact the subject of much of this issue. Previously the region from which Italians emigrated, Sicily now finds itself on the receiving end of immigrants coming into Italy. Here, you’ll also discover a Sicily that is home to art—not just beaches and beachcombers—and get a taste of its cuisine at New York’s best Sicilian restaurants. ●●●● Through this issue of i-ItalyNY we hope to show you that Italy’s true capital goes by the name “diversity.” Not only is its history a continuous overlapping of cultures, but a steady stream of emigrants has carried that cultural patrimony around the world, opening it up to further transformations. And today’s Italianness is the result of this long, complex process. So, even if you’re staying in NY this fall, let yourself wander with us—with our magazine and our television show, website and social media—in search of Italianness. Wander like the shepherd poet. What’s hidden behind that bend? You’ll be surprised to find out when you get there. ( [email protected]) Like us on Facebook www.facebook.com/iitaly www.i-Italy.org www.i-ItalyNY.com | September-October 2015 | i-Italy ny | 5 ●● SPECIAL ISSUE: A DIFFERENT ITALY, DIVERSE ITALIANS Introducing a Different Italy Coinciding with the 50th anniversary of the New York debut of the first personal computer — the mythic P101 created by Olivetti and featured at the 1965 World’s Fair —, this year the Italian Culture Month in the Big Apple celebrates “Italian Creativity” in science and technology by Maria Teresa Cometto* ●● Fashion, art and good cooking. There’s a reason Italy has earned so many admirers of its cultural patrimony. Yet few people know that some of the most important technological innovations of the last fifty years originated in the Bel Paese. True, Italians are “a population of poets, artists, heroes, saints and explorers,” but they’re also inventors and makers, people who translate brilliant ideas into products that can improve our lives. For example, did you know that the first personal computer wasn’t created in Steve Jobs’ garage, but ten years earlier in a villa in Pisa? The people who envisioned a “desktop” computer, one that was “attractive to look at and touch,” as opposed to the giant computer of the 1950s, were a group of “crazy” young people, “a motley crew of designers” from Olivetti, the company then famous for manufacturing mechanical typewriters. In 1964, the crew put the finishing touches on the Programma 101, or P101, which hit the international market a year later in New York, during the World’s Fair of 1965, just 50 years ago. The computer was greeted enthusiastically. NASA purchased it and put it to use for the Apollo mission to the moon in 1969, and, after copying the design, Hewlett-Packard was later slapped with a fine for patent violation. Coinciding with the 50th anniversary of P101’s New York debut, this year the theme of the Italian Culture Month in the Big Apple – thanks to the Italian Heritage and Culture Committee of New York and its president Joseph Sciame – happens to be “Italian Creativity: Celebrating 50 Years of Science and Technology; New York World’s Fair 1965 – Expo Milano 2015.” “Make in Italy” The true story of Italy’s historical contributions to global technology is 6 | i-Italy ny | September-October 2015 | www.i-ItalyNY.com narrated by “Make in Italy,” an exhibition sponsored and curated by the non-profit foundation Make In Italy CDB – chaired by Carlo de Benedetti, Massimo Banzi and Riccardo Luna. The exhibit, which premiered in Rome as part of the European Maker Faire last year and is now on display in Milan, held simultaneously at the Expo in the Telecom Italia Pavilion and the Museum of Science and Technology. “ And – who knows – this international debut may just mark the prelude to a trip to New York and maybe to Silicon Valley… Speaking of Silicon Valley you should know that an Italian was behind the creation of Intel’s first microchip in 1971. “The computer on a chip” had the computational capacity of a genius and took up just a couple of square millimeters. After months of solitary work on the project, the inventor, Vicenza-native Federico Faggin, was so proud of his achievement that he put his initials on the first microchip series, the www.i-Italy.org Italy’s historical contributions to global technology is narrated by “Make in Italy,” an exhibition that has traveled from Rome’s European Maker Faire to Milan’s Expo. An international debut that may just mark the prelude to a trip to New York and to Silicon Valley Intel 4004. “When I finished it, I liked its overall view,” Faggin recalls. “It almost seemed like a work of art, an abstract painting, so I signed it.” Leave it to an Italian to think of a chip as a painting! Today, collectors of vintage electronics pony up thousands of dollars on eBay to purchase the historic chip, a model of which is on display at the “Make in Italy” exhibit. Above: a room of the Make in Italy exhibit. To the right: the Miss Sissi lamp, made by FLOS with 100% biodegradable plastic produced by the Bolognese company Bio-On. Below: Isspresso, the first “outer space” espresso machine by Agrotec and Lavazza. Bottom: Technogym’s Plurima. Opposite page. Above: Intel 4004, the first microchip designed by Federico Faggin in 1971; below, Olivetti’s first personal computer, Programma 101 Beyond Leonardo Hi Tech Italian Creativity Another truly global icon in the “maker” industry, from Silicon Valley to Asia, is Arduino, a hardware and software system that comes on a blue board about the size of a credit card and provides an easy way to create new devices. If you connect it to a PC and a 3-D printer, it can also produce prototypes in the blink of an eye. Simply put, Arduino is at the heart of the movement currently revolutionizing manufacturing. It was made in Ivrea, Piedmont, by Massimo Banzi and three of his friends and colleagues at the Interaction Design Institute. Besides being on display at “Make in Italy,” Arduino was acquired by the Museum of Modern Art in November 2014, thanks to its elegant look and its role in innovative design. Speaking of design, the exhibit also includes the mythic Miss Sissi lamp, designed for FLOS by Philippe Starck. But there’s something special about this particular model: it’s made of “clean” plastic produced by Bio-On, a Bolognese company founded by Marco Astorri and Guy Cicognani. Armed with just a Mac connected to the Internet, the two “do-it-yourself scientists” discovered the recipe for transforming www.i-Italy.org refuse from sugar factories into a hard, resistant plastic, like Moplen except it’s 100% biodegradable in water in just ten days. The material is now sold worldwide and is listed on the stock exchange. There are also those who have combined high technology with fine Italian cuisine. While training astronauts from the European space agency, David Avino, founder of the aerospace engineering company Argotec, had the idea to liven things up on board by replacing the usual hardtack with gourmet meals. He also wound up creating the first “outer space” espresso machine. With the help of Lavazza, Avino conducted experiments on liquids in zero gravity and extreme pressure conditions. Italian astronaut Samantha Cristoforetti, aka AstroSamantha, tasted the first espresso in outer space on May 3, 2015. The coffee maker, called Isspresso, is another great addition to Make in Italy. But there are many more objects in the exhibit – from Olympic Games supplier Technogym’s “gym-in-a-machine” to the first carbon fiber eyeglasses designed by Italia-Independent to Carlo Ratti’s “smart bikes.” And they all have one thing in common: Italian creativity, which didn’t end with Leonardo da Vinci, but continues to combine style, good taste, technological innovation and a passion for business. ●● * Journalist and writer Maria Teresa Cometto is a US contributor to the Italian daily ”Corriere della Sera” and a co-author of Tech and the City. The making of New York’s startup community (with Alessandro Piol). www.i-ItalyNY.com | September-October 2015 | i-Italy ny | 7 ●● ITALIAN, ITALIAN AMERICAN, AMERICAN, AND SOME NOTIONS OF WHITENESS Rethinking our Labels Being of southern European origins, we know that historically we have not always been considered white by Anthony Julian Tamburri ●● If when talking about our identity we also approach the notion of whiteness and all that it pertains, we find ourselves on a most slippery slope. This is not to say that we should not broach such subject matter. On the contrary, being of southern European origins, we know that historically we have not always been considered white, and as a result, those of the great migration who hailed from below the “Linea Spezia” were in fact placed into a nonwhite category for a period of time. Hence, our obligation to negotiate said slippery slope seems thus inevitable; it is an obligation for both the scholar and the community leader. The risk of such a discussion is to fall into a trap of flat, superficial analysis and thereby not consider the complexities of neither ethnicity nor “whiteness” as we know both concepts today; as a result, one may not recognize the multi-strata characteristic of any “white” ethnic group and therefore present an incomplete portrait of the group at hand. In order to avoid this, we must force ourselves to let go of some of our traditional historic-thematic perspectives that rein still among certain dominant culturalists, or within what are now nicely bleached, “white” ethnic communities. We need to open up conversations regarding all aspects of our communities. A European ethnic group’s essentialist identification with “whiteness” may indeed prove counter-productive. Such identification may suffocate, indeed eliminate, the possibility of diverse characterizations of one’s ethnicity. Especially if internal, such ethnicity would figure as an homogenous group of people who identify with mainstream (read, WASP), when, instead, we know very well that intra-ethnic tensions do indeed exist precisely because these groups prove not homogenous, and various occasions have provoked animated, internal dialogue in recent years. Further still, identification with WASPdom may very well lead to an exclusively “celebratory packaging of the past [which] often forgets … histories of oppression and intimidation,” as one What we thus need to do is to dismantle those longheld notions of “whiteness” and its power to aggregate various groups into one vast cluster of, in our case, seemingly assimilated southern Europeans 8 | i-Italy ny | September-October 2015 | www.i-ItalyNY.com critic stated (Anagnostou 2009, 11). Such tensions were and continue to be evident in a number of European ethnicities. We see this in the various two-flagged, double-national hymned celebratory galas and other such events that, if not negotiated accordingly, may cause said ethnicity to stagnate; for it is by now common acceptance that ethnicity does indeed evolve to some degree from one generation to the next. If we do not recognize as much, then the consequence is that hegemonic past myths persist, and ethnic divisions — internal and external — arise. What I am discussing here is self-management of one’s ethnicity, as I have already done elsewhere (Tamburri 1991, 2014). As we know, the southern European has the option — indeed, the privilege — to identify as an Italian in one situation and as an American (read, white) in another. This is, in fact, the privilege of the “white ethnic,” which is also the conundrum of those who engage in any sort of ethnic discourse, be that discourse academic or more broadly public. The combination of and/ or the shifting to and fro between “Italian” and “American” have, on occasion, excluded from its identification some arbitrarily undesirable historic components that may actually continue to co-buttress said ethnicity — something that is characteristic of a certain component of the Italian community in the States. In eschewing said past histories, we can readily get caught up in a situation of diachronic amnesia for which any lack of knowledge of our ancestors’ trials and tribulations during the proverbial fourdecade period of 1880-1924 adumbrates such past challenges. As a consequence, we may fall into a state of synchronicity for which current phenomena rein and all connections to the past are lost precisely because, as a result of socio-economic progress and all that it may signify to those www.i-Italy.org “moving on up,” we erroneously adopt the assumption that southern European immigrants and their progeny have assimilated into mainstream America. What we have witnessed elsewhere, instead, is that such assumptions often prove false. What we also know from some scholars is that “ethnicity is a process of inter-reference between two or more cultural traditions” (Fischer, 195) — i.e., different ethnic cultures — and, I would add, between two or more generations of the same ethnic group. The consequence of such amnesia may, in fact, be an inability to recognize affinities between the above-mentioned trials and tribulations of our ancestors and our migrant ethnics today, all of which may result in a willynilly insensitivity toward current day immigration to the United States. What we thus need to do is to dismantle those long-held notions of “whiteness” and its power to aggregate various groups into one vast cluster of, in our case, seemingly assimilated southern Europeans. We need to destabilize “white ethnicity as a bounded category” with the specific goal of “affirm[ing] commonalities and confirm[ing] differences” in order to promote, in the end, “a network of scholarly entanglements instead of isolated nodes of inquiry” (Anagnostou 2013, 122). “Whiteness” surely remains within the conversation of ethnic discourse, but it undergoes, along the way, a series of interrogations and analyses that eventually underscore its malleability of signification. ●● The Message of a ‘Migrant Pope’ in the Americas by Gennaro Matino* We can’t become men without engaging our fellow man. That seems to be the slogan of Pope Francis’ trip to the United States, during which he will become the first pope in history to speak before Congress in Washington, D.C., before appearing at the United Nations in New York and the World Meeting of Families in Philadelphia. The Pope has come from the other side of the world to visit “his own” world, the Americas, which in just a few centuries has changed the fate of the planet and imposed its “style” on distant nations and ancient customs. It’s a continent predominantly composed of émigrés – a fact attested to by Francis’ own origins as the descendant of an Italian immigrant family in Argentina –, full of surprises, teeming with contradictions and blighted by inequality. Traveling from north to south, one witnesses a lightning-quick shift from economic power to economic marginalization, from the promise of development to hopeless scarcity. “Lightning-quick” could also describe the way the Pope took up the cause of the poor on his trip to Ecuador, Bolivia and Paraguay this past summer; prophetically acknowledged the world’s new sense of solidarity with Cuba; and persuasively argued for the protection of all creation in the United States. “Let us protect Christ in our lives so that we can protect others,” said Pope Francis, “so that we can protect www.i-Italy.org creation!” He also retraced what has been the essence of his preaching with renewed vigor. “Being a protector, however, is not something that involves Christians alone; it also has a prior dimension which is simply human, involving everyone. It means protecting all creation, the beauty of the created world, as the Book of Genesis tells us and as Saint Francis of Assisi showed us. It means respecting each of God’s creatures and respecting the environment in which we live. It means protecting people, showing loving concern for each and every person, especially children, the elderly, those in need, who are often the last we think about.” Protecting creation. In other words, not just protecting individual lifestyles but building a community of brotherly love. Such protection, he continued, “requires kindness, requires tenderness.” We can’t become men without engaging our fellow man. And yet we prefer to hide; going it alone is our daily bread. By vying for the world’s supplies, nations risk waging war. “The urgent challenge to protect our common home,” said the Pope, “includes a concern to bring the whole human family together to seek a sustainable and integral development, for we know that things can change. I offer an urgent appeal then for a new dialogue about how we are shaping the future of our planet. The environmental challenge we are facing, and its human roots, concern and affect us Works Cited Georgios Anagnostou. Contours of White Ethnicity: Popular Ethnography and the Making of Usable Pasts in Greek America. The Ohio University Press, 2009. —— . “White Ethnicity: A Reappraisal,” Italian American Review 3.2 (2013): 99–128. Michael M. J. Fischer. “Ethnicity and the Postmodern Arts of Memory,” in Writing Culture: The Poetics and Politics of Ethnography. James Clifford and George E. Marcus, eds. University of California Press, 1986. Anthony Julian Tamburri. Re-reading Italian Americana: Generalities and Specificities on Literature and Criticism. Fairleigh Dickinson University Press, 2014. 3-25. ——. To Hyphenate or not to Hyphenate: the Italian/American Writer: Or, An Other American? Guernica Editions, 1991. all.” When forced to talk to one another, in our differences we discover demons, fears that hound us and disturb our peace. And if we have to engage one another, if we’re really compelled to, then we tend to prefer engaging with our doubles, mirror images of ourselves, those who won’t talk back, whose existence we recognize precisely because it does not conflict with our own. Our fear of confrontation leaves us few options and what options it does, are destructive: we choose to either run away from or attack and annihilate the other. We live together, work together, walk side by side down the same chaotic roads, yet we remain cut-off, irremediably alone. And yet it is imperative we reach out to one another. There’s a beautiful Midrash passage (Ecclesiastes Rabbah 7:13) in which God says to Adam: “Now all that I have created, I created for your benefit. Be careful that you do not ruin and destroy my world; for if you destroy it, there is no one to repair it after you.” Our fear of losing possessions generates more suffering and anxiety than the pleasure we derive from possessing them in the first place. It’s clear that calls like Pope Francis’ in New York, to be rid of possessions, are really a re-proposal of the proper use of our earthly goods. They do not threaten the idea of property. Instead they affirm the principle of sharing, “the duty to limit power in such a way that man, making use of it, can remain a man.” We can’t become men without engaging our fellow man. Harmonious existence is only produced by people through dialogue, understanding and confronting the perils of diversity, only through the agony and toil of the common word. There’s no doubt we are at risk of going out of existence. And we can’t make mankind without talking. * Gennaro Matino teaches Theology and History of Christianity in Naples, where he runs the parish of SS. Trinità. He has written several books and collaborates extensively with both traditional and new media. www.i-ItalyNY.com | September-October 2015 | i-Italy ny | 9 ●● DIVERSE ITALIANS | FRED KUWORNU The Right To Be Italian Afro-Italian filmmaker Fred Kuwornu explores the challenges of ethnic diversity in Italy. by George DeStefano ●● Fred Kuworno is an Italian filmmaker whose work examines the complexities of racial, ethnic, and national identity. His first film, “Inside Buffalo” (2010) was a documentary about the 92nd Infantry Division, known as the “Buffalo Soldiers,” an all-black combat unit that fought in Italy during World War II. Kuwornu made the film after working with Spike Lee on “Miracle at St. Anna,” Lee’s 2008 feature film about the 92nd division. Two years later, Kuwornu provoked controversy in Italy, and some much-needed public discussion, with “18 Ius Soli: The Right to be Italian,” a critique of Italian citizenship law based on Ius Sanguinis. Under the Italian law, Italy-born children of immigrants do not automatically qualify for citizenship. They must instead request it when they reach 18 years of age, and no later than their nineteenth birthday. That leaves them in a legal limbo, and they often experience unequal treatment despite their Italian birth and residency. “18 Ius Soli: The Right to Be Italian” won the Best Documentary award at the Black Berlin International Cinema Festival, and Kuwornu has screened it at the Pentagon, the Library of Congress, and at film festivals. Born in Bologna to an Italian Jewish mother and a Ghanaian father, Fred Kuwornu last year moved from Italy to Brooklyn, which he calls “the beating heart of artistic and creative New York.” He is doing postproduction work on “Blaxploitalian,” a film about black actors in Italian cinema, while also developing a new documentary about the Neapolitan musician James Senese, whose father was a black American soldier stationed in Naples during World War II. i-Italy recently spoke with Kuwornu about his experiences as a biracial Italian and the challenges of being an ethnic/racial minority in today’s Italy. ‘Afroitaliani’ and ‘Afroitalici’ “In my documentaries and when I speak at conferences, I talk a lot about being African and Italian,” he says. “It is a hybrid identity Fred Kuwornu with Chirlane McCray de Blasio that I’m trying to understand more and more as Fred Kuwornu and therefore as an individual who is Afro-Italian.” The director says he wants to explore not only the “Afroitaliano” identity of Italianborn people of African descent, but also what he calls “Afro-Italico,” an appellation for someone of mixed Italian and black backgrounds, whether the “Italian” side is from Italy, the US, or Canada, and the “African” side from the US, the Caribbean, or Brazil. “There are many more ‘Afroitalici’ in the world than ‘Afroitaliani,’” he says. “18 Ius Soli” has stimulated discussion about citizenship for the Italian-born children of immigrants. But Kuwornu says, “The only thing that has changed, one might say, is that perhaps the children of immigrants are now much better informed than before about this problem.” He says that the citizenship law is “absurd” because Italy has always been a multiethnic country, going back to the Roman Empire. “Italy’s a great country,” he says. “But sometimes it forgets that its great cultural, artistic, and scientific wealth really is due to the mix of genes – biological and cultural – that has passed through our land in two thousand years. Perhaps our mistake has been to not historicize this and teach it, starting with elementary school.” The challenge of diversity Kuwornu says that in today’s Italy, racial 10 | i-Italy ny | September-October 2015 | www.i-ItalyNY.com Italy is a great country. But sometimes it forgets that its great cultural, artistic, and scientific wealth really is due to the mix of genes – biological and cultural – that has passed through our land in two thousand years. Perhaps our mistake has been to not historicize this and teach it, starting with elementary school. and ethnic prejudice is worse than when he was growing up. “It’s very challenging to be a member of an ethnic minority in Italy today,” he adds. “Perhaps the only thing more difficult is being a Muslim.” “I grew up in the late ‘70s, when there were few Afro-Italians in Italy. In Bologna then, www.i-Italy.org there were maybe five or six mixed-race kids – I don’t think there were any who were fully black. I never had any problems with racism in school because the teacher would have punished any misbehavior. I don’t want to suggest that there wasn’t any racism, but in that period from the ‘60s to the ‘80s, any instances of bullying, racism, or bad behavior were punished.” He does suspect, however, that his nonItalian surname may have cost him jobs; after he earned his degree in political science, he applied for positions but never received a response. “Perhaps my foreign last name on my resume created some problems,” he remarks. As a visitor to the US, and now as a New York resident, Kuwornu has spoken to Italian Americans at such organizations as the Calandra Institute and Casa Italiana Zerilli-Marimò in New York, and on college campuses. Some, he says, have reacted negatively because they cannot conceive of Italians as anything but white. Some seemed shocked that someone who looks like him speaks and gestures as an Italian. “Perhaps there’s some envy there because so many Italian Americans don’t speak our language any more,” he says. But some do understand that “Italy has become a multiethnic society.” The African Americans who have seen his films have reacted very positively, he says. They too are surprised that “in Italy today there is a black community that is beginning to produce a culture and history that may affect the field of black studies.” About music and identity Kuwornu is now seeking funding for his forthcoming documentary about James Senese, an Afro-Italian saxophonist and bandleader who has been a prominent figure on Naples’ music scene since the ‘70s. “The film will be about music and identity: what it meant to be AfricanItalian in the 1950s, ‘60s, and ‘70s,” he says. Besides Senese, Kuwornu has interviewed actor-director John Turturro for the film; Turturro’s documentary, “Passione,” about Neapolitan music, featured Senese. Kuwornu also plans to interview New York Mayor Bill de Blasio, who is of Campanian descent, and de Blasio’s son, Dante, whose mother is African American. Dante de Blasio, he says, “could be a New York version of James Senese.” Kuwornu sees identity not as a fixed destination but as a process, and a journey. “Our identities need not always come from our roots,” he observes. “Even more so, they should be connected to where we are and where we want to go. Identity shouldn’t imprison but instead should be a foundation, so that people can be free to dream what they want to become.” ●● www.i-Italy.org ●● DIVERSE ITALIANS | JAQUELINE GRAVES MONDA Living (with an) Italian in NYC Blending Jamaican and Italian cultures through hospitality, food, and ... “free” speech by Letizia Airos ●● What does italianità (or “Italian-ness”) mean to a non-native? How do you explain it? There are certainly abstract stereotypes associated with italianità. We say, for example, that Italians are kind, friendly, beautiful and passionate. We say they know a thing or two about love and having a good time. Then there are those images that immediately call Italy to mind: Ferrari and Prada, Venice and Florence, the Trevi Fountain and Mount Vesuvius, pizza and pasta. There are also, we know, negative stereotypes. Italians are often considered loud, quarrelsome and hotheaded. And some people still stress the “M-word”… But I wanted to try to tackle the concept head-on, not dwell on the usual stereotypes. Why not talk to a non-native who lives with an Italian, I thought. What does “living Italian” mean for a non-Italian? Better yet: What’s it like to live with an Italian, in an Italian context, even outside of Italy? I decided to seek help from a couple that is beloved by this city, not the transient New York gossip variety, but one with a firm foothold in the city’s cultural milieu, one with ties to literature, film, art. So I decided to pay a visit to Jacqueline Graves, a Jamaican, and her husband Antonio Monda, an Italian writer, film studies professor at NYU and acting director of the Festa del Cinema in Rome. In New York Jacqueline and Antonio play an active role, often side by side, in various cultural institutions, including, to name a few, the Morgan Library, NYU’s Casa Italiana Zerilli-Marimò, the Tribeca Film Festival, Lincoln Center and MoMA. Yet they are also widely known for hosting Italian and American writers, journalists, actors, critics and artists at their home on the Upper East Side. Their house is a “laboratory of ideas,” as Antonio himself calls it, where people gather round the dining room table. Who better than Jacqueline Graves Monda to guide us on this tour of italianità, of family, food, a sense of religion and the virtues of hospitality. Not to mention the vice/virtue of talk, talk, talk – never ending and all consuming. Jaqueline Graves Monda in Capri www.i-ItalyNY.com | September-October 2015 | i-Italy ny | 11 A lot in common Let’s start with how they met. In New York, through friends. It was 1985. Antonio was scouting a location for a documentary. Jacqueline was in the city with family. She didn’t know much about Italy then, but, like a lot of people, she did know about its art, music and opera. They immediately warmed to one another. He didn’t speak much English then. “I learned Italian first, starting from scratch,” she says, smiling, “thanks to a full immersion with his family in Italy. He was away at the time!” Beautiful, sunny, Jacqueline’s personal – though with-it – fashion sense enhances her Jamaican features. Her native land shines through in an unpremeditated, gentle way. It’s easy to understand how she enchanted the young Italian. But what do they have in common? “That’s too easy,” she offers, not batting an eye. “Respect for tradition, for family, for real values, for hospitality.” And then there’s religion, even if the road was a bit circuitous. “My family is Protestant and Protestantism is a lot more rigid than Catholicism,” says Jacqueline. “One of my aunts married an Anglican priest who later became bishop of the capital of Jamaica. I went to a religious school. I became a Catholic with Antonio, because I think it’s very important to raise children in the same faith.” And yet another factor in their marriage is their shared interest in culture, music, literature and art: “I come from a very cultured family. I grew up around books. My grandfather read ancient Greek. Classical music was in the air…” Hospitality as a way of life But the couple’s real – perhaps fatal – area of agreement is in their ability to “host parties,” a mainstay of their life in New York. “Italians are similar to Jamaicans. Thanks to my grandparents and mother, I was used to keeping our doors open to people from around the world. I remember my grandmother’s beautiful garden parties, the tables topped with seasonal fruit. When Antonio brought me to Calabria for the first time, I found the very same thing. Even if I didn’t speak Italian at the time.” As the New York Times has reported, luminaries like Philip Roth, Robert De Niro, Martin Scorsese and Zadie Smith flock to the Monda household. Paying them a visit is a special experience. But making such big names “feel at home” can’t be easy. Or can it? “I’m myself,” Jacqueline confesses, “hosting all kinds of people comes naturally to me.” Indeed, this splendid lady of the house attends to both her kitchen and her guests with great ease. On occasion, you might even catch a glimpse of Antonio’s mother by the stove. And so, as our talk drifts toward kitchen matters, I discover the secret to ItalianJamaican hospitality: food. Jacqueline’s food has become famous for its seamless blend of Italian-Jamaican cultures and is the subject of a forthcoming book. Jaqueline and Antonio in Italy Blending cultures through food “Yes, a cookbook done my way. I make a note of what I like around. I always find the right ingredients to strike a good balance, and slowly but surely I’ve created my own type of cooking. But I don’t call it ‘fusion’ – I hate that!” But where does this passion for cooking come from? “You’ll laugh. I must admit that as a girl I didn’t know how to cook. I lived with my mother, who was a good cook, so I didn’t have to. Then everyone in my Italian family started asking me, ‘What? You really don’t know how to cook?’ Antonio’s family placed a lot of importance on the subject. So I slowly began to cook. My mother-in-law Marilù and my sister-in-law Elvira were a fabulous help.” As an Italian, I might have guessed. But cooking for Italians must be grueling for someone not Italian. “In fact for many years I was afraid to cook pasta for Italians!” Jaqueline recalls, “That’s not the case today. Everyone asks me to cook pasta now. I like to invent. The flavors I create are based on memories. Much of my cooking is inspired by my memories of the time I spent with my grandmother. After that it’s easy. I try to make dishes with a few, simple products. Now it’s easier to find quality ingredients. When I began cooking back in ’94, you couldn’t even find decent basil in New York.” NYC makes it easier And her family? What is it like to raise children in a bicultural family? The couple has three kids, and their house has that unmistakable family feel. Jacqueline couldn’t be more straightforward on this matter: “New York is the best place to raise children with two different cultural backgrounds. Our children go to Italy every summer and have always heard Italian spoken. In New York, they’re 12 | i-Italy ny | September-October 2015 | www.i-ItalyNY.com The Italians talk all the time! About everything, a lot. Especially about politics. That’s not how it worked in my world. My grandfather would say, ‘Don’t talk about religion or politics with anyone.’ Think of the difference! But, now that you ask, I realize that I love this way of talking freely. I love the way you Italians have of freely expressing yourselves close to my mother and other relatives of mine. They have experienced my culture, even if we haven’t been to Jamaica often. There are many Jamaican events here: concerts, folk dances, shows. We always go. New York is a special city. It let’s you remain who you are. It’s the essence of hospitality.” Italianness is — talking freely I try, fiendishly, to provoke her a little. “What can’t you stand about Italians?” “You’re going to get me in trouble…” she laughs. “The Italians talk all the time! About everything, a lot. Especially about politics. That’s not how it worked in my world. My grandfather would say, ‘Don’t talk about religion or politics with anyone.’ Think of the difference! I remember how astonished I was those first few years. And my mother was perplexed. She didn’t understand the language and was hearing all this talk, talk, talk…But, now that you ask, I realize that I love this way of talking freely. My mother says I’ve changed. She doesn’t recognize me anymore. But I love the way you Italians have of freely expressing yourselves.” And when does Jacqueline feel most Italian? “Maybe when talking with my daughter Caterina. She really is Italian. She always wants to speak Italian and speaks so quickly that sometimes on the phone I can’t even understand her!” One last question. Getting back to Antonio, what’s your secret? How do you live so happily together? “By working every day with a constant need for one another. You have to take as well as give. And be generous…” ●● www.i-Italy.org More CUNY Award Winners! SEAN THATCHER Barry Goldwater Scholarship 2015 College of Staten Island CARLA SPENSIERI Fulbright English Teaching Assistant Grant 2015 Hunter and Queens Colleges CUNY students are winning the most prestigious highly competitive awards in the nation. In the past five years, they have won 81 National Science Foundation Graduate Research Fellowships, 79 Fulbright Awards for research and teaching English abroad, and 12 Barry Goldwater Scholarships for outstanding undergraduates who intend to pursue research careers in mathematics, the natural sciences or engineering. And two CUNY doctoral candidates captured prestigious prizes that are rarely awarded to students — a Pulitzer Prize and a Guggenheim Fellowship, both for poetry. Providing quality, accessible education has been CUNY’s mission since 1847, a commitment that is a source of enormous pride, as are these students. — James B. Milliken Chancellor Join the winners’ circle! For more information about The City University of New York visit cuny.edu/welcome www.i-Italy.org www.i-ItalyNY.com | September-October 2015 | i-Italy ny | 13 ●● DIVERSE ITALIANS | JERRY KRASE The Unfortunate Pilgrim A Slavic Sicilian American recalls his trip to his ancestral village and finds that in the final analysis, “You can’t get there from here.” by Jerry Krase ●● Every October, or “Italian Heritage and Culture Month” as it known in La Grande Mela, I have mixed feelings. Few count me as Italian American despite treasuring my mysterious patrimony, including the fact that all Italians are anarchists until they are in charge. Despite having been a Founder of the American Italian Coalition of Organizations, and President of the American Italian Historical Association, I never apply for anything with “Italian” or “Italian American” in the title. As to “only real Italians need apply” I’ve had too many bad experiences. For example, when I was Director of the Brooklyn College Center for Italian American Studies (1975-1984) several “real” Italian American professors complained that a “non-Italian” held the post. My research on Italian American college students helped establish the Distinguished Professorship of Italian American Studies. However, when someone mistakenly nominated me for the post, I received a call from a prominent Italian American starting with “How dare you….” My identity problem has a long history. When I started dating my wife Suzanne Nicoletti in 1958, her parents wanted to know my “nationality.” As I didn’t know I looked through some family papers and discovered that my mother’s maiden name was “Cangelosi.” When I asked her why never told us she was Italian she replied, “We’re not,” explaining that her mother said they were “Sicilian.” I thought this was a positive, so I told Suzanne the “good news,” which for her un-Sicilian parents was rather bad. Most of her relatives still think I’m Irish because most of the “mixed marriages” they know of are Irish-Italian. Three decades later, I got a PSC/CUNY grant to do “Photographic Research in Southern Italy.” Suzanne’s relatives encouraged us to visit their hometown in Laurino, Province of Salerno. A borrowed Italian Auto Club road The disappearing road to Laurino (Photo by Jerry Krase) map showed a direct route from Potenza to Laurino on an ominously colored Strada Provinciale (county road) 11e and 11f. As I drove I asked pedestrians along the way “È questa strada per Laurino?” But the responses were incomprehensible: “Si, ma bla, bla, bla, bla.” (“Is this the road to Laurino? Yes, but blah, blah, blah, blah”). The road morphed from two paved lanes, to two unpaved lanes, to one unimproved lane where we encountered goats and herders. After several hours of breath-taking views and backbreaking bumps the roadway improved and we entered Laurino. We asked people for the residence of la famiglia De Gregorio and were energetically pointed the way to a three-story stuccoed building situated on a steep incline where we knocked on the door. The small, yet three-generation, extended family was just finishing dinner. When we explained who we were, they treated us like lost, royal, relatives. The table was quickly re-set and after we finished eating and drinking we were invited to stay longer (even a few days). We thanked them for their kind invitation but explained we were on our way to meet people in Sorrento and needed to make up for the time lost in the mountains. The men took us to a bar and introduced to neighbors and friends. There were some tears when we left and we felt as though we were leaving “home”, but understood our real home was in Brooklyn. Back in “The States,” I decided to explore the “conversation” I had with people along Strada 14 | i-Italy ny | September-October 2015 | www.i-ItalyNY.com To be American is to be uprooted, if not rootless, in the sense of having roots elsewhere, and our journey in search of our imaginary Italian home made that clear. provinciale 11 to Laurino. I sent the e-mail message below to some of my academic Italian friends. Their responses reveal a great deal about authentic Italian bontà: Amici/e I need help with a translation of phrase from English into Italian for a paper I am writing about my own, and my wife Suzanne’s, search for our roots in Italy. It regards traveling to a remote village in Campania (Italy) and asking people along the way whether this was the road to the town. The question I asked, perhaps incorrectly, was: “E’ questa la strada per Laurino?” The answer in Italian was (credo): “Yes, but you can’t get there from here.”; “Yes, but you can’t get there this way.”; or “Yes, but the road turns into a goat path” (which it did). Grazie tante, Mino Cangelosi Krase. www.i-Italy.org These were the replies: 1. “Sì, ma non ci arriva da quì; Sì, ma non è questa la strada; Sì, ma la strada diventa una strada da capre.” Hope to see you soon. All the best Mino Vianello. 2. Traduzione: “E’ questa la strada per Laurino? Sì, ma non ci si arriva da qui. La strada diventa una mulattiera (mule trail).” Saluti, Maddalena Tirabassi. 3. “Sì, ma non ci si arriva da qui; Sì, ma la strada va a finire in un sentiero (but I would not know how to translate ‘goat path.’)” Best, Cristina Allemann-Ghionda. 4. Dear Jerry: My translation: “Sì, ma non ci si arriva da qui; Sì, ma non ci si arriva da questa parte; “Sì, ma la strada diventa una mulattiera.” Best, Stefano Luconi. 5. Jerry, I am on my way to Venice for a MA thesis discussion where I acted as cosupervisor. “Si, ma non puoi/può andarci da qui...” Will get back to you soon again, best! Paolo Ruspini. 6. The most Italianate response, which I gratefully received from my Italian colleagues was as follows: Jerry: the question “E’ questa la strada per Laurino?” is perfect, in Italian. The problem is that, encountering a “native” in Italy, the native — only to be kind — tends to reply to the question as if it were: “Is this the one best way to Laurino?”; so that the reply is: “Ok, this way is good, inasmuch as it goes to Laurino; the best way, however, is ...” In fact, replying: “No, it’s wrong, the good way is another one” the native could have felt uneasy, since the reply would be a bit rude. Anyway: your question was classical; I also would have used the same linguistic form; and I would have had the same reaction. Bye. Leonardo Cannavo. I replied to Leonard, thusly: grazie tante, ma come si dice in italiano le frase? How would you say it in Italian? And can I quote you in my paper? I think your understanding of the situation is perfect. La tua comprensione della situazione è perfetta! To which he wrote: Ok, sorry, I didn’t get the point. The easiest translations for the three phrases is as follows: “Yes, but you can’t get there from here” = “Sì, ma da qui non ci può arrivare.” “Yes, but you can’t get there this way” = “Sì, ma da questa strada non ci può arrivare.” “Yes, but the road turns into a goat path” = “Sì, ma la strada diventa un sentiero per capre.” If you quote me in a paper of yours, it will be an honor; you need not ask for permission. Most unfortunately, few methodologists (and consider that I feel uneasy wearing the hat of a methodologist) refuse to consider the cultural and psychosocial frames of their job. Speech interaction is both amusing and revealing. Bye. L. www.i-Italy.org As a child, I had attended a few Italian “football” weddings, and as an adult I went to a rather unsatisfying Cangelosi reunion, more like a picnic, in Garfield, New Jersey. I hoped the Cangelosi clan gathering would be like the Sicilian wedding scene from the Godfather, Part II. For people like me expectations or “demands” for authentic experiences can’t be met because we never experienced them. We move through the scenes but have never been, and will never be, part of them. To be American is to be uprooted, if not rootless, in the sense of having roots elsewhere, and our journey in search of our imaginary Italian home made that clear. In searching for my roots I became an unfortunate pilgrim, because in the final analysis “You can’t get there from here.” ●● ●● DIVERSE ITALIANS | PAUL MOSES The Fortunate Pilgrim A German Jewish Italian American travels to his ancestral villages and feels the pull by Paul Moses* This June, I deepened the ties to my Italian heritage by traveling for the first time to the villages in Calabria and Basilicata where my mother’s parents were born. I never met either of my grandparents, who married in 1909 at St. Patrick’s Old Cathedral on Mott Street and lived on the next block down. Both died before I was born, but in some ways, I met them by seeing the small towns where they grew up. My grandmother, Rachela Martoccia (shortened to Martocci), was especially vague for me as she had died the year after giving birth to my mother in Manhattan. But to see her lovely hilltop village of Laurenzana in the Basilicata region, to meet the people, to kneel at the local shrines and to taste the food specific to the area all helped me to better understand her and my Italian ancestry. A castle that served Emperor Frederick II in the thirteenth century presides from Laurenzana’s rocky pinnacle. Nearby is an 800-year-old church where the remains of the holy Franciscan friar Blessed Egidio are venerated. The narrow, winding streets on the hill below, the stone buildings and rounded towers date to medieval times. The Martoccia family, I discovered, lived in a valley far below these heights and worshiped in a little chapel on the town’s outskirts. I now understood one of the stories about my grandmother: how much she enjoyed going up to the ancient castle when she was a girl. Cerasi, my grandfather Christopher Moscato’s hometown, is up in the clouds in Calabria’s Aspromonte mountains. Driving there was a little frightening because I was so tempted to peek at the breathtaking Laurenzana (Basilicata) views while negotiating hairpin turns. Seeing Cerasi made me appreciate a story I heard about how my grandfather would leave home as a youth to work in the fields with a bit of bread, cheese and a chestnut in his pocket. It would have been a very long walk through those steep, pine-forested hills to arrive at any fields. And I was amazed that someone who came from such isolated rural splendor could manage to raise six children in Mott Street’s crowded slums. The people were very hospitable when I met them on June 13 after Mass for the Feast of St. Anthony, Cerasi’s patron saint. I was invited in for espresso and cookies, and shown the Moscatos’ one-time home and the communal wood-fired hearth where bread is baked—a particular favorite for me because, perhaps not coincidentally, I am an avid bread baker. While just a handful live there nowadays, quite a few people with roots in Cerasi return to the old family homes on weekends or for vacation and a celebration of St. Anthony in August, demonstrating the ancestral magnetism of the villages that dot Italy’s mountain regions. Now I’ve felt that pull, too. * A professor at Brooklyn College/CUNY, Paul Moses is the author of An Unlikely Union: The Love-Hate Story of New York’s Irish and Italians. www.i-ItalyNY.com | September-October 2015 | i-Italy ny | 15 ●● DIVERSE ITALIANS | JOHN M. VIOLA The Mission of Being Italian in a Global World The youngest president in the history of the National Italian American Foundation explains what it means to feel “both fully American and fully Italian” today by Ottorino Cappelli ●● Though nowadays he resides in Washington D.C., John M. Viola tirelessly commutes to New York City to visit his girlfriend Nicole Di Bona. He is still a regular at the local feasts of the “Madonna della Neve” and “Giglio” in his native Brooklyn. And, at 31, he is the youngest president in the fourdecade history of the National Italian American Foundation. John traces all of his ancestry to Southern Italy. His paternal ancestors emigrated from the Vallo di Diano, Campania, today a UNESCO World Heritage Site. His maternal grandparents hail from Puglia (Palo del Colle) and Sicily (Palermo). John’s father Vincent, himself a native Brooklynite who became a successful businessman, has been a vicechairman of NIAF and a well-known philanthropist who, among other things, played a crucial role in the NIAF relief efforts in the aftermath of the Abruzzo earthquakes in 2009. Family origins and a strong paternal role model must have been an important influence for someone who, as John says, feels “both fully American and fully Italian and a mix of the two.” President Viola holds a dual degree in Sociology and Anthropology from Fordham University, and made an early career in community leadership and development in Brooklyn. He also has experience founding and managing international and domestic programs. But leading NIAF is definitely his most challenging initiative to date, and John tackles it head-on. An exponent of a new generation of Italian Americans for whom being Italian is “a state of mind,” he envisages redefining NIAF’s mission by transforming it into a global institution, a John Viola (left) with actor, comedian and singer Joe Piscopo worldwide ambassador of the “Italy” brand. As John puts it: “We represent an important addition to the global promotion of Italy.” His innermost dream is to help Italian Americans shed their previous “colonial” identity as captive buyers of Italian products, and instead engage them “as Italians, as people who are an integral part of ‘being Italian’ in today’s globalized world.” As NIAF prepares to celebrate its 40th Anniversary this coming October, i-Italy sat down with John Viola not only to revisit the organization’s past achievements but to explore more deeply this project of Global Italian-ness that he feels is so important “in a world where geography means so much less than it ever has, and a person can be of two shared identities.” NIAF was established in 1975. Who were the main founders and how did they come together? It’s hard to identify NIAF’s founders. There is a list of names attached to the first meetings in 1975. There’s our first Chairman, Jeno Paolucci, or our second, Frank Stella. There are names of families whom we all recognize—politicians, 16 | i-Italy ny | September-October 2015 | www.i-ItalyNY.com professors, priests, and community activists. NIAF was started by a collective of Italian American men and women who saw that there could be more for our community than just fraternal organizations. There needed to be some central voice in the nation’s capital that could advocate for access where other groups couldn’t. NIAF really came together to fill a need in our community: the need for an institutional presence at a different level, not so much grass roots but pioneering. What would you say have been the major steps of NIAF’s development and its major achievements over the past 40 years? That would hardly fit in a short answer! I think our foundation has really done incredible work first of all in breaking into the halls of power here in Washington. If you look at where our community was in 1975 and where we are today, it’s a different story. Today we have two of nine Supreme Court Justices, a Speaker of the House, Italian Americans in major Cabinet positions, and an incredibly healthy, active, and diverse www.i-Italy.org My selfidentifying with my Italian side has defined who I am. I feel as though I fully pertain to both cultures, and I think that’s okay in a modern context. Frankly, that’s also the future of our community and an organization like ours; a global context of being Italian American membership in the Italian American Congressional Delegation; members of both parties who rally around their heritage. All of that has been a big part of NIAF’s work. In terms of our educational mission, we have given tens of millions of dollars in scholarships and grants throughout the United States and Italy. We’ve been a major part of the leadership around saving the AP Italian Language Exam. We also mustered and directed resources, in a first of its kind public-private partnership, for earthquake relief in L’Aquila. I could go on, but needless to say I’m proud of all this organization has accomplished in 40 years. With actor and director John Turturro www.i-Italy.org Talking at an NIAF meeting. To his left, John Calvelli At one point in its history, NIAF was perceived as an “elitist” organization, sort of removed from “the real people” in the Italian American community, especially from young people. How come? I can understand how NIAF earned that reputation. Sometimes there’s a certain pomposity that comes with trying to show the world an organization that is serious about its work, and perhaps over the years we’ve gotten a little too comfortable in that position. But I don’t really think of us as removed from real people. I like to think of us as built from real people. The truth of the matter is, there’s a fine line between being elitist and being preeminent, and we strive every day to be preeminent: in what we do, in how we answer the needs of our Italian American community, in making courageous decisions, and in being made up of people who are self-selected, unique and, in a certain sense, elite. Not financially elite, but elite in their commitment to their Italian American heritage and to serving their Italian American community. The word elite should be used carefully. It should not be taken to mean those who have the most, but those who care the most, who are the most active, and who want to make a difference. In this sense, yes, we do want to be the elite of the community. I think as fully engaged and integrated Americans, we should be bilingual. And our second language should certainly be the tongue of our mother country. That way, when we go to Italy, we are not going out of a sense of nostalgia or because we have a vowel at the end of our last names. We are going as active and full participants www.i-ItalyNY.com | September-October 2015 | i-Italy ny | 17 What does it mean for you, a young professional in his 30s, to be an Italian American? And what relationship do you have with your “Italian side” and today’s Italy? What being Italian American means to me is a lot different than what it meant for my parents and my grandparents. For me, being an Italian American means I get to enter a global world with a shared identity. I get to feel both fully American and fully Italian and a mix of the two. Even before I took this job, which requires my spending a lot of my time in Italy and participating in Italian society, I was there a lot. My family has always been back and forth. And my self-identifying with my Italian side has defined who I am. It’s hard to explain, but I feel as though I fully pertain to both cultures, and I think that’s okay in a modern context. I think in a global world where geography means so much less than it ever has, a person can be of two shared identities. Frankly, that’s also the future of our community and an organization like ours; a global context of being Italian American. What’s the difference between an Italian Italian (even one living abroad) and an Italian American? Traditionally these two communities have had some difficulties in talking to each other, in understanding each other. Why? What can be done to foster their mutual understanding? I think there are a lot of differences between the two communities but I also think they are quickly disappearing. Like I said, nowadays what you identify as is self-selective. People can get on the Internet and see any place in any corner of the world and have every opportunity to access as much information about that place and its culture as they want. You could live in the middle of New Jersey and feel Italian. Sure, you have to go and participate, but all of the resources are there. I think a major difficulty the two communities have in communicating is literally talking to each other. The language is a big divide. Italy has focused on improving the number of English language speakers and I think it is imperative that our community make the effort to take back the Italian language. People don’t want to talk about it, but we gave it up under a lot of anxiety and under the dark cloud of Second World War. The numbers drop drastically during and after that struggle. I think it’s time we said, as fully engaged and integrated Americans, it’s okay for us to be productively bilingual. And our second language should certainly be the tongue of our mother country. That way, when we go to Italy, we are not going out of a sense of nostalgia or because we have a vowel at the end of our last Above: meeting Pope Francis in Rome. Below, clockwise: enjoying spaghetti with chef David Greco, owner of Mike’s Deli on Arthur Avenue in the Bronx; having a ‘pizza al metro’ in Vico Equense (Italy); supporting Italy during the UEFA Euro Cup 2008 with brothers Michael and Travis. names. We are going as active and full participants. Tell us about the upcoming anniversary. It will be a little different this time. What’s in store? The 40th Anniversary is going to be by far the most exciting event we’ve put on in a long time. I think it’s fair to say that over the 40 years of this Gala Weekend, people’s expectations have changed and the younger generation is not looking for a head table and a veal chop. Now, we want to make sure that our event is accessible to everyone. We want to put forth something that’s dynamic and multifaceted. We want to hold events throughout the weekend for those who are passionate about their Italianness: chances for people to meet, network, and celebrate the feeling of being amongst their own. Ultimately we want our Gala dinner to be one of the premiere events on the social calendar in the nation’s capital—again. This year’s going to be incredibly different from anything you’ve seen in the past, and I don’t want to spoil all of the surprises we have in store, because there are many, but I will say that if you’ve been to our Gala every year for the past 39, this is going to be 18 | i-Italy ny | September-October 2015 | www.i-ItalyNY.com unlike anything you’ve ever experienced. I’d hesitate to leave the table for long if you don’t want to miss something really special. I suppose you could say this is our take on the Italian Oscars. ●● John Viola on i-Italy | TV Scan the QR code and watch the video on your smarthphone. www.i-Italy.org www.i-Italy.org www.i-ItalyNY.com | September-October 2015 | i-Italy ny | 19 ●● DIVERSE ITALIANS | MY MENTORS 3. MARIA BARTIROMO Caring For One’s Roots Lucia Pasqualini Photo by Iwona Adamczyck When I first met Maria Bartiromo I did not know who she was, and I could not imagine how much she would influence my life. by Lucia Pasqualini ●● In September 2010, I had just arrived in New York and was exploring the city. One Saturday afternoon, I entered the huge Barnes and Nobles bookstore on 86th Street, where I was struck by the cover of a book by Maria Bartiromo. That was the first time I heard of Maria. A few weeks later, I was invited to attend my first Columbus Day Gala Dinner, where, it turned out, Maria Bartiromo was the Grand Marshal of the Columbus Day Parade. My memory of that night is still very clear; Maria’s speech touched my heart profoundly. My grandfather Pietro had been born in Philadelphia in 1916, and I realized that, up until that moment, I had no vivid understanding of his experience. Maria’s words allowed me to envision the story of my grandparents and millions of other Italians who immigrated to the United States over the centuries. For the very first time, I grasped the true essence of a country founded on immigration. Maria’s words elegantly illustrated the pride she took in being American and Italian. The Maria Bartiromo. Photo by Riccardo Chioni speech was very emotional. That was the first of many events to come during which I had the opportunity to see Maria. She has always actively participated in the Italian-American community, and her involvement extends to the Columbus Citizens Foundation and the National Italian American Foundation (NIAF). I first spoke to Maria on March 2011, during President of the Republic Giorgio Napolitano’s visit to New York on the occasion of the 150th Anniversary of the Unification of Italy. I was in charge of organizing the visit, and Maria was the Master of Ceremonies at a special gala in honor of the President. She also held a beautiful interview with him. When the organizers traveled ahead to New York, they requested a meeting with Maria. She arrived very punctually at the St. Regis Hotel; the organizers, on the other hand, were delayed. Maria patiently waited for the arrival of the Italian delegation by conversing with us. I was struck by her smile and attitude. She must have been very busy, yet she never once looked annoyed. That was the first lesson I learned 20 | i-Italy ny | September-October 2015 | www.i-ItalyNY.com from Maria: the importance of paying any commitment—and one’s interlocutors—the proper respect. After President Napolitano’s visit, my relationship with Maria became very cordial. We often attended the same events, meeting again at the Scuola d’Italia Gala in March 2012. After the event, I received an email from her. I was impressed. Not only had she beaten me to the punch, her email conveyed my exact feelings. Like all excellent journalists, Maria is naturally curious. She has that special gift of understanding people at a glance, of seeing the person behind the title. After receiving her email, I had the pleasure and privilege of getting to know her more intimately, and the more I talked to her, the more I was fascinated by her extraordinary charisma. Her presence alone makes her stand out. When she enters a room, you cannot help but be drawn to her light. Her modesty and humility come naturally, as is usually the case with someone at ease with herself. Later, I read her book The 10 Laws of Enduring Success and suddenly realized the reasons www.i-Italy.org Maria’s speech at the 2010 Columbus Day Gala Dinner — my first — touched my heart profoundly. My grandfather Pietro had been born in Philadelphia in 1916, and I realized that, up until that moment, I had no vivid understanding of his experience. Maria’s words allowed me to envision the story of my grandparents and millions of other Italians who immigrated to the United States over the centuries. For the very first time, I grasped the true essence of a country founded on immigration as she elegantly illustrated the pride she took in being American and Italian. Maria Bartiromo and Lucia Pasqualini at the New York Stock Exchange. Above, from left to right: John Viola, Leon Panetta, Maria Bartiromo and Joe Piscopo. for my fascination. Each chapter revealed another facet of her inner beauty. The book is a collection of the lessons she has learned in her life, both from personal and professional experience. It captures the essence of a person who is passionate about what she does and has always had the courage to risk choosing her own path, a path based on her strong ethical convictions and the vision she has of herself; a person who continuously and humbly strives to be a better human being; a person of profound integrity; a person who has always had a sense of what she wants to achieve and how to do the right thing. For Maria, doing the right thing means taking care of other people; giving back to the community; setting an example in your personal life as well as the life you lead as a member of society. Maria has been Master of Ceremonies for the Columbus Day Celebrations for many years now, and no matter what, she has never failed to fulfill that duty, a sign of her gratitude to the community and the pride she takes in her Italian-American roots. The gala has also been a moment to gather her family together. I have always loved seeing her surrounded by her beautiful family. It speaks volumes about her character. Maria’s book is still on my bedside table, and I love flipping through it whenever I’m in need of guidance. Thanks to her book, I discovered who I am and what I want to be. Maria has been and still is a role model and www.i-Italy.org a great source of inspiration. Her example and the lessons I learned from her own personal experiences have taught me a lot about the importance of mentorship. She taught me that mentors do, in fact, exist, and it depends on each of us to be able to seize upon the secret of their success. Maria’s approach toward life reminds me of something my mother used to tell me when I was a child: “Surround yourself with people better than you and treat them well.” Clearly, she was encouraging me to look for mentors who could help me become a better person. I feel extremely grateful that Maria is part of my life and blessed for her friendship. Grazie Maria! ●● www.i-ItalyNY.com | September-October 2015 | i-Italy ny | 21 ●● DIVERSE ITALIANS | PETER VALLONE Your dad was a famous judge, and you went into politics. How did your ItalianAmerican background influence your choice to go into politics? Part of his speech, and part of my speech today, is the importance of voting, because these are the people that carry on our tradition of freedom. He spent a lot of time making sure everybody registered. To people who ask what difference is my one vote going to make, I say, “Well, I won the second-most powerful office of the city of New York by one vote. If you hadn’t voted, I might have lost. So don’t say one vote is not important – it certainly is.” Peter Vallone on i-Italy | TV Francine Segan meets Peter Vallone. Scan the QR code to watch the interview on your smarthphone. Not Just Italians — Italian Americans! Lawyer and politician Peter Vallone, Speaker of the New York City Council for almost two decades, chats about his immigrant family, his Sicilian roots, and his political career. “There is something special about being an American of Italian descent,” he says. “The Americans of Italian descent here have no idea how lucky they are! by Francine Segan ●● Peter Vallone is a former New York City councilman who represented Astoria, Queens, for twenty-seven years. He was Democratic Majority Leader of the New York City Council from 1986 to 2001. Peter ran for governor of New York in 1998 and for Mayor in 2001. He currently practices law, teaches political science and is the author of the biography Learning to Govern: My Life in New York Politics from Hell Gate to City Hall. Peter, your dad came to America from Sicily when he was two. He had a huge family. They settled here in New York City, just like everybody else did, back at the turn of the century. As he grew up, and the whole family kept sticking together, he realized that there was something special about being an American of Italian descent. He spent his whole life preaching and living that. My father would hold meetings wherever Italians gathered. He would say, “Remember where you are. You are not just Italians, you are Americans of Italian descent! You’re in the greatest country in the world! You don’t have a loyalty to Mussolini! You have a loyalty to God, because that is what this country is based on! So, take pride in being an American. ” Then he would recite the Declaration of Independence in Italian and in English. 22 | i-Italy ny | September-October 2015 | www.i-ItalyNY.com You just took your entire family to Sicily. Tell us about that. Yes, we just came back. I wanted them to see where my father was born. I have a rather large family, twenty-eight of us with eight grandchildren, aged six through thirty. You mean to say twenty-eight of you traveled together? How did you do that? We had our own bus. They just loved it! The little one said, “Why would anybody leave?” They left because of the dictatorship, because of the lack of job opportunities. Wherever we went in Sicily – and we went to a lot of places – people would say, “What a wonderful family. So much love. We used to be like that. We don’t know what happened.” What I think happened is that there’s no work in Italy, so young people have to go to Germany, to the United States, to wherever there are jobs. The Americans of Italian descent here have no idea how lucky they are! They can bring everybody together for dinner on Sundays like my family still does. Who cooks? We usually take turns. My wife is a wonderful cook. She learned from her mother who learned from her mother. It’s very difficult for us, because there are so many Italian-American restaurants throughout the city, but we get the best Italian food right at home. Thank you for chatting a bit about your Italian heritage and your wonderful trip. It’s been delightful. It’s wonderful to be here. What you’re doing – spreading the truth about how great it is to be an American of Italian descent – is wonderful. ●● www.i-Italy.org ITALIAN CULTURE AT HOME IN NEW YORK LA CULTURA ITALIANA A NEW YORK ITALIAN CULTURE AT HOME IN NEW YORK LA CULTURA ITALIANA A NEW YORK 24 West 12th Street, New York, NY, 10011 www.CasaItalianaNYU.org 24 West 12th Street _SERVIZI.indd 11 www.casaitalianaNYU.org 1/22/13 1:58 AM The largest university-wide research institute in the Americas dedicated to the study of the Italian American experience Queens College City University of N ew Y ork 25 West 43rd Street New York, NY, 10036 http://qcpages.qc.edu/calandra The John D. Calandra Italian American Institute is the most renowned academic institution, outside Italy, studying the Italian diaspora. It facilitates extensive academic research, counseling services, demographic studies, student internships, study abroad curricula, and public programming from seminars to television and online media. These key points of the institute’s mission serve as the foundation for all of its endeavors. In recent years the institute has produced significant new scholarship in these areas of Italian American studies, and established initiatives in the U.S., Calabria, and Umbria, as well as ongoing partnerships with faculty and researchers from other universities in Italy. As a result, the institute is situated at the forefront of Italian diaspora studies. LA MUSICA PARLA ITALIANO Music Speaks Italian ●● The fifteenth installment of “Settimana della Lingua Italiana nel Mondo” will take place this year from October 19th to the 24th. The major international event promotes the notion that Italian is an important language of classic and contemporary culture. Started in 2001 by an arrangement between the Ministry of Foreign Affairs and the Accademia della Crusca, and under the esteemed patronage of the President of the Republic, the event has grown each year to involve Italy’s entire cultural and diplomatic network as well as other associations and institutions around the world. Each year a number of conferences, exhibits, shows, and talks are organized around a particular theme. This year’s theme is “L’italiano della musica, musica dell’italiano.” To celebrate the event, at the behest of the Ministry of Foreign Affairs’ Direzione per gli italiani all’estero e le politiche migratorie i-Italy and ANFE (the National Association of Emigrant Families) have collaborated on the promotional video “La musica parla Italiano – Music speaks Italian,” which will be available on the Internet, social networks and TV. STAY TUNED FOR OUR VIDEO IN OCTOBER Realizzato con il sostegno del Ministero degli Affari Esteri e della Cooperazione Internazionale – Direzione Generale per gli Italiani all’Estero e le Politiche Migratorie www.i-Italy.org www.i-ItalyNY.com | September-October 2015 | i-Italy ny | 25 ●● SPONSORED CONTENT Alitalia Looks to the Future UNVEILING A NEW BRAND, NEW LIVERY AND NEW PRODUCTS ●● Style, passion and love for life: all elements that have become the inspiration for our brand redesign. The key to our renovation is in the belief that Italy has a unique place in the hearts of the world. Our goal is to recreate an on board experience which reflects the Italian style, hospitality, passion and creativity for all guests. Through a careful and thoughtful design approach, we have updated our aircraft livery, preserving its most recognizable elements while revealing a more stylish, more sophisticated and more luxurious look. The tail has maintained the traditional ‘A’, our iconic mark recognized all over the world, but has added a more detailed and bold design. An elegant soft white fuselage adds style and sophistication and the allusion of speed is created by a refined series of white lines leading towards the stabilizer. The new inflight experience places considerable emphasis on greater customer choice, innovation, quality, and above all, more personal control over how guests relax, dine and are entertained on board. CONTEMPORARY NEW CABIN INTERIOR AND WIFI TECHNOLOGY Beginning in June 2015 interior renovations across our entire long haul fleet are scheduled to be completed by mid 2016 On board, our guests will be welcomed in completely renovated cabins, featuring leading luxury Italian brands and upgraded services to elevate the travel experience. We are also introducing WiFi connectivity on our long haul aircraft providing our guests with access to the internet and the option to always be connected. 26 | i-Italy ny | September-October 2015 | www.i-ItalyNY.com www.i-Italy.org BUSINESS CLASS: COMFORT ITALIAN STYLE The best of Italian design to offer our guests maximum comfort and a sophisticated travel experience UPGRADED SERVICES IN PREMIUM ECONOMY AND ECONOMY CLASS Service in our Premium Economy and Economy class cabins will also be upgraded with stylish new cabin interior designs and new amenities to provide a renewed guest experience. www.i-Italy.org In our Business Class cabin on intercontinental routes, upgraded services include new Poltrona Frau leather seats that convert to true flat beds and leading Italian brands such as Frette bedding, Ferragamo amenity kits and Richard Ginori tableware offering our guests maximum comfort and a sophisticated travel experience. “Dine-Anytime,” giving our guests the choice to dine at their preferred time, and Bedtime turndown service are among the new services that will be introduced to enhance even further the on board experience. All Alitalia A330 and B777 aircrafts operating out of New York-JFK to Milan and Rome will offer the upgraded and new services upon completion of the renovations. The enhanced services will be also available from Boston and Miami to Rome, and on the seasonal Los Angeles and Chicago flights to Rome, which operate between May and October. In Premium Economy, our guests enjoy dedicated check-in and priority boarding, increased baggage allowance, welcome beverage with Prosecco, Frette amenity kits and plush blanket and cotton pillow. New elements of the improved meal service feature our signature ‘Digestif’ service offered after the main meal serving limoncello and our Italian favorite espresso. The new “Spuntino” menu features a selection of hot snacks. In Economy, in celebrating a proud tradition of food, we put great effort in enriching the meal service with a focus on traditional Italian favorites, such as the “mid-flight spuntino” (snack) service, coffee and cappuccino, and warm Italian bakery products. Additional service upgrades include greater IFE content, Inflight connectivity (for a charge) and warm fleece blanket from luxury Italian brand Frette. www.i-ItalyNY.com | September-October 2015 | i-Italy ny | 27 www.eatalyny.com CHEF’S KITCHEN September 8th, 6:30 PM - 8:00 PM Get to Know Gnocchi - $100 September 10th, 6:30 PM - 8:00 PM Pasta 101 - $100 September 12th, 2:00 PM - 3:30 PM Cooking with Five Ingredients or Less - $100 September 14th, 6:30 PM - 8:00 PM Meatless Monday in Sardegna - $100 September 23rd, 6:30 PM - 8:00 PM In the Kitchen with Dale Talde - Cookbook Included! - $130 September 26th, 7:00 PM - 8:30 PM Sunday Suppers - $100 September 28th, 6:30 PM - 8:00 PM My Kitchen Year with Ruth Reichl - Cookbook Included! - $130 October 8th, 6:30 PM - 8:00 PM Cooking with Nancy & Sara Jenkins - $110 October 10th, 2:00 PM - 3:30 PM Italian Comfort Food - $100 October 12th, 6:30 PM - 8:00 PM Meatless Monday in Campania - $100 October 14th, 6:30 PM - 8:00 PM Fall Harvest in Toscana - $100 October 17th, 2:00 PM - 3:30 PM Pasta 101 - $100 October 17th, 2:00 PM - 3:30 PM Pasta 101 - $100 October 24th, 2:00 PM - 3:30 PM A Sauce for Each Dish - $100 October 24th, 7:00 PM - 8:30 PM Sunday Suppers - $100 October 27th, 6:30 PM - 8:00 PM Get to Know Gnocchi - $100 IDENTITÀ GOLOSE September 30th, 12:00 PM - 1:00 PM Seminar with Andrea Migliaccio & Tony Mantuano - $125 September 30th, 6:00 PM - 7:00 PM Seminar with Moreno Cedroni & Mario Batali - $125 October 1st, 12:00 PM - 1:00 PM Seminar with Massimo Bottura & Michael White - $125 October 1st, 7:00 PM - 10:00 PM Dinner with Massimo Bottura, Andrea Migliaccio, Moreno Cedroni & Ugo Alciati - $190 October 2nd, 12:00 PM - 1:00 PM Seminar with Carlo Cracco & Jonathan Benno - $125 October 2nd, 5:00 PM - 6:00 PM Seminar with Ugo Alciati & Marc Vetri - $125 October 2nd, 7:00 PM - 10:00 PM Dinner with Carlo Cracco, Davide Scabin, Mark Ladner & Vito Mollica- $190 October 3rd, 12:00 PM - 1:00 PM Seminar with Davide Scabin & Fortunato Nicotra - $125 October 3rd, 5:00 PM - 6:00 PM Seminar with Vito Mollica & Rita Sodi - $125 28 | i-Italy ny | September-October 2015 | www.i-ItalyNY.com CHEF’S TABLE September 3rd, 7:00 PM - 9:00 PM A 4-Course Dinner with Chef Einat Admony - $135 September 4th, 7:00 PM - 9:00 PM A 4-Course Dinner Featuring the Food & Wine of Puglia - $125 September 5th, 7:00 PM - 9:00 PM Celebrating Eataly’s Greatest Hits - $125 September 19th, 7:00 PM - 9:00 PM A 4-Course Dinner Featuring the Food & Wine of Sardegna - $125 September 25th, 7:00 PM - 9:00 PM A 4-Course Dinner Featuring the Food & Wine of Napoli - $160 October 15th, 7:00 PM - 9:00 PM A 4-Course Dinner with Chris Fischer - Cookbook Included - $150 October 17th, 7:00 PM - 9:00 PM A 4-Course Fall Harvest Feast - $125 October 22nd, 7:00 PM - 9:00 PM A 4-Course Dinner with Chef Marc Murphy - $135 This is only a selectionof the events at La Scuola di Eataly. For more info visit our website: http://www.eataly.com/nyc-school www.i-Italy.org legend This is only a selection of the forthcoming Italian events in New York. For the full calendar point and shoot with your smartphone, or go to www.i-italy.org Conferences & Seminars Book Presentation Arts & Exhibits Cinema & Theatre Music & Concerts Events Food & Wine Fashion & Design ●● A RETROSPECTIVE AT THE GUGGENHEIM FROM OCTOBER 9 TO JANUARY 6, 2016 Alberto Burri: The Trauma of Painting Rosso gobbo (Red Hunchback), 1953 Acrylic, fabric, and Vinavil on canvas; metal rod on verso, 56.5 x 85 cm Private collection, Rome. © Fondazione Palazzo Albizzini Collezione Burri, Città di Castello/2015 Artists Rights Society (ARS), New York/SIAE, Rome/SIAE, Rome. A hundred years after Alberto Burri’s birth and 35 years since his last American exhibition, the Guggenheim Museum of New York pays homage to one of the most influential artists in the 20th century art with a major retrospective. www.i-Italy.org by Mila Tenaglia ●● The Guggenheim’s comprehensive retrospective is the first U.S. exhibit dedicated to Italian artist Alberto Burri (1915-1995) in over 35 years. The Umbrian maestro arguably made the largest Italian contribution to the international art scene of the postwar period. +100 works on display After two years of intense work and under the guidance of Emily Braun and Megan Fontanella, the Guggenheim has put together a remarkable exhibition that presents American audiences with a nuanced, sometimes contradictory portrait of Burri. Many of the one hundredplus works on display, his monochrome paintings made from the 1950s to the 1990s, have never left Italy before. Coming a generation after Lucio Fontana, Burri was a doctor in the Italian army during its campaign in Africa, where he was imprisoned and sent to a prisoner-of-war camp in Texas, an experience that made a profound impact on his artistic output and worldview. www.i-ItalyNY.com | September-October 2015 | i-Italy ny | 29 Events Burri would go on to create experimental works with unconventional materials like iron, wood, plastic and tar. Understanding Alberto Burri’s art isn’t easy. His unusual and innovative way of painting with an array of materials went beyond the confines of pictorial and classical art, confines which, given his Umbrian roots, nevertheless deeply influenced his work. Milestones The Guggenheim retrospective seeks to highlight his poetic investigation of the object-image, which would inspire the NeoDada movement, Processual Art and Arte Povera. Burri’s “extra-pictorial” materials were taken from real life to created works like “Gobbi” (hunchbacks), “Catrami” (tars) and the famous series of “Sacchi” (sacks), which incorporated lacerated jute bags. Like all great innovations, Burri’s method of cutting and sewing materials to create artistic masterpieces caused shockwaves and scandals. Still today these works remain milestones in the artistic landscape of the second half of the 20th century. Several of the paintings adorning the Guggenheim’s luminous, dizzying spiral ramp, including “Grande Bianco” (1952) and “Grande Bianco” (1956) come from the private collections of the Fondazione Albizzini Collezione Burri, founded by Burri in 1978. Ferro SP (Iron SP), 1961. Iron and oil on wood, 130 x 200 cm. Galleria nazionale d’arte moderna e contemporanea, Rome © 2014 Artists Rights Society (ARS), New York/SIAE, Rome. Photo: Antonio Idini, Soprintendenza alla Galleria nazionale d’arte moderna e contemporanea, Courtesy Ministero per i Beni e le Attività Culturali. The retrospective follows a timeline that emphasizes the artist’s connection to American minimalism, which had an impact on his later works. There will also be a series of public events to celebrate the exhibition, with theater performances, screenings of neorealist cinema and dance performances. The latter will include a 1973 ballet choreographed by Burri’s wife, the American ballerina Minsa Graig. Sponsored by Lavazza The museum’s success would not have been possible without the support of Lavazza, a brand leader in the coffee industry, which recently celebrated its 120th anniversary. Lavazza has been actively involved in other initiatives tied to the Guggenheim. Ennio Ranaboldo, the CEO of Lavazza USA, explained that “the partnership with the Guggenheim is part of the broader conversation that we entertain with New York City, our hometown, its denizens and visitors from all over the planet. It’s not just a matter of supporting a major cultural institution, but, as a company and as a brand, contributing to a certain idea about a good, stimulating life in the city. That idea includes outstanding art – such as is certainly going to be the case with the Alberto Burri show – and great coffee!” ●● Italy on the go: on cable, on the air, on the Web & on your iphone. That’s right. You can catch us Saturdays at 11:30 pm & Sundays at 1 pm on NYCTV Channel 25 (Time Warner – Verizon FiOS – RCN – Comcast – DirecTV & on air) or Channel 22 (Cablevision). And if you miss an episode, you can still download our free iphone app from iTunes and connect to any HD television with your Apple TV device. Got it? Buona visione! 30 | i-Italy ny | September-October 2015 | www.i-ItalyNY.com www.i-Italy.org Events ●● RARELY SEEN WORKS ON VIEW AT CIMA FROM OCTOBER 9 TO JUNE 25, 2016 Giorgio Morandi at CIMA: The Poetics of an Italian Modernist After mounting exhibitions of the work of Fortunato Depero and Medardo Rosso, the Center for Italian Modern Art is dedicating its third annual installation to Giorgio Morandi (1890-1964), the illustrious painter and etcher from Bologna. Morandi’s simple yet technically adroit still-lifes and landscapes made him a central figure in 20th century art. by Mila Tenaglia ●● Over fifty works, several of which have not been seen in the US in decades, will be on display at CIMA’s retrospective dedicated to modernist Giorgio Morandi, including paintings, etchings and drawings, giving viewers the opportunity to admire the light and rigor of Morandi’s art. Among the most important works is his rare oil-on-canvas selfportrait, Autoritratto, 1930, which was last displayed in the U.S. 40 years ago. The painting denotes the artist’s increasing interest in abstraction and materiality over representation. Major public and private international collections in Italy were fundamental to launching the show, including Collezione Mattioli, Museo di Arte Moderna e Contemporanea di Trento e Rovereto, Fondo Ambiente Italiano and MAMbo (Museo d’Arte Moderna di Bologna). The 1930s and the 1960s “You won’t find a biographical-anthological www.i-Italy.org Giorgio Morandi, Self-portrait, 1930. Oil on canvans, 62 x 53 cm. Private collection show at CIMA,” explains CIMA’s founder and president Laura Mattioli. “There will be a focus on the period of the 1930s, which, though unknown abroad, anticipates the most important evolutions in the painter’s art. And, for contrast, next to that period we’ll be placing his very last works from the 1960s.” The curatorial choice attempts to highlight the most countercultural, contemporary aspects of Giorgio Morandi’s activity and the formative role the latter had on minimalist and conceptual art of the postwar period. “In the 1930s, Morandi mainly used a dark palette, enlivened by a few, violent chromatic contrasts and a thick mixture of colors in which traces of the paintbrush are clearly visible,” says Mattioli. “In the last three years of his life, on the other hand, the artist uses very soft and luminous colors, which he applied with transparent, almost liquid but still visible strokes. They would appear to be two contradictory pictorial styles, but in reality both form part of a single, cohesive discourse on painting.” Morandi in the U.S. Like the other artists shown at CIMA, Giorgio Morandi had ties to New York and its inhabitants. During the 1920s he had the good fortune to regularly exhibit his etchings in Pittsburgh, which brought him notoriety in the US during the postwar period. Despite keeping his distance from the world of salons and his love of solitude, Morandi directly influenced many artists, particularly minimalists and conceptualists. His watercolors, geometric boxes and flowers expressed an anguished and lyrical look at reality that captivated intellectuals and artists, like Agnes Martin, who, Mattioli explains, “saw one of the Bolognese master’s watercolors acquired by a friend of hers at the 1959 Venice Biennial.” “I believe that giving a more international reading of an artist erroneously considered ‘provincial’ because he didn’t travel much - and almost exclusively within Italy - is important for the art history of the world,” says Mattioli. “I think that Morandi is still only partially understood in the US and generally, both in Italy and abroad. For a long time his work was exclusively interpreted as the continuation of the highest tradition of Italian painting, which was Roberto Longhi’s reading of him. It’s no coincidence that in the last decade many exhibitions on Morandi – including the one in New York at the Metropolitan Museum – were curated by Dr. Maria Cristina Bandera, director of the Longhi Foundation and niece of Longhi’s student, Mina Gregori.” To broaden our interpretation of the Bolognese maestro, CIMA has invited artists to speak to the public about the works on display, and thus bring to light the modernity and rigor of one of the greatest exponents of 20th-century Italian painting. ●● www.i-ItalyNY.com | September-October 2015 | i-Italy ny | 31 Events ●●AT THE ITALIAN CULTURAL INSTITUTE The Light of Southern Italy Paintings from the 19thCentury Neapolitan School on show from October 8th to November 5th. by M. T. ●● A carefully selected exhibition curated by Marco Bertoli, The Light of Southern Italy highlights artists from across Italy’s southern regions including Abruzzo, Molise, Campania, Puglia, Basilicata, Calabria, and Sicilia. Mastering light and chromatic effects, these painters created landscapes, seascapes, genre scenes, and portraits of great beauty. The intensity of the Mediterranean light in these images accompanies the viewer throughougt the Pompeii excavations, the grandeur of Vesuvius, the rugged coastline, and the humble allure of the local people. “This remarkable exhibition showcases 27 Italian artists with 34 paintings ranging in subjects from seascapes and Filippo Palizzi, Gli Scavi di Pompei landscapes, to large-scale figural scenes of everyday life, and compelling portraits to name a few,” says curator Marco Bertoli. “All of the paintings come from important private collections. And while some have been exhibited before, others are being presented to the public for the first time.” The Light of Southern Italy is the first exhibition bringing together Italian artists from the 19th century and specifically from the Naples school. Why focus on this period? “Despite the fact that it is not well known in the United States,” the curator explains, “this is an extremely productive, diverse, and beautiful period of Italian artistic production—and we are eager to celebrate it!” Pleased to be in partnership with the Italian Cultural Institute of New York in this endeavor, Marco Bertoli feels confident that the public will be excited and intrigued to learn more about this portion of Italy’s artistic heritage, particularly as it focuses on the southern regions, which are often overlooked in favor of art from the northern part of the country. “American viewers, who are for the most part unfamiliar with the artistic production of southern Italy, will love to see its beauty and value, especially the many Italian Americans who have ancestral ties to this area and to this particular period—which marks the beginning of the great wave of Southern Italian emigration.” ●● This exhibition received generous support from Eataly; IFIM S.p.A., Milan; Santa Lucia Natural Spring Water; Gtech; IMA S.p.A, Bologna; and Luxury Living New York. 32 | i-Italy ny | September-October 2015 | www.i-ItalyNY.com Liuzzo & Associates is dedicated to securing nonimmigrant working visas and status, U.S. permanent compliance residence, programs, corporate citizenship, naturalization, and expatriation matters for its clients. As a firm whose practice is exclusively focused on U.S. Immigration and Naturalization law, we successfully represent all foreign individuals and corporate entities. From artists to multinational corporate executives, Liuzzo & Associates assists its clients in determining the most appropriate and efficient strategy to meet their objectives. Given the prominence of immigration issues in today’s political climate, recent arrivals to the U.S. are in need of reliable and comprehensive advice upon which to base their future plans. Liuzzo & Associates is i d e a l l y p o si t i o n e d a t t h e f o r e f r o n t o f immigration regulatory changes, keeping pace with evolving laws as well as our clients’ expectations. One Penn Plaza, Suite 2016 • New York, NY 10119 Tel: 212.736.2100 • Fax: 212.736.2159 [email protected] • www.liuzzolaw.com www.i-Italy.org Events THE ITALIAN AMERICAN CANCER FOUNDATION TURNS 35 IACF’s Annual Benefit Dinner & Auction On the eve of the November 10th Benefit at the Mandarin Oriental, we spoke to Cristina Aibino, Executive Director of the AmericanItalian Cancer Foundation. We discussed the importance of collaborative research between Italy and the US regarding breast cancer, a very significant and pressing topic in the lives of many. by A. C. This year the benefit is celebrating its 35th anniversary. You’ve been putting so much effort into research for so long – what do all these years of hard work mean to you? These 35 years represent the consolidation of our fight against cancer. We have given over 419 scholarships to young Italian researchers who have come to the US to contribute to excellent research projects and we have offered over 90,000 screening tests to New York residents to guard against cancer. Our programs allow us to invest in research and in the American community in which we reside. We’re proud of the results we’ve achieved over the last 35 years and look forward to the next 35 years. The American-Italian Cancer Foundation supports cancer research, a very sensitive topic of great importance. What is the difference between the manner in which research is conducted and work is carried out in the US as opposed to Italy? The technical and scientific preparation of Italian researchers ranks among the best in the world. With this solid background, the recipients of our scholarships www.i-Italy.org Founded in 1980, the AmericanItalian Cancer Foundation (AICF) is a New York-based 501(c)(3) non-profit organization that supports cancer research, education, and control, emphasizing the outstanding resources of Italy and the United States, recognizing world-class scientific excellence in medicine, and serving economically disadvantaged, medically underserved New York City women through breast cancer screening, outreach, and education. have ample opportunity for professional development. In the US, Italian researchers will have access to exceptional laboratories, international research teams, and both financial and creative freedom to develop research projects. During the benefit, prizes will be given to two worldrenowned scientists: Fredrick W. Alt. and Carlos L. Arteaga. What are the criteria for being selected for these prestigious awards? Our Prize for Scientific Excellence in Medicine is awarded annually to two doctors who have made significant contributions to the field of oncology, one in research and the other in applied medicine. Frederick W. Alt is the Director of the Program in Cellular and Molecular Medicine at Boston Children’s Hospital and a Professor of Pediatrics and Genetics at Harvard Medical School. Carlos T. Arteaga is the Clinical Research Director of the Breast Cancer Research Program, Professor of Cancer Biology, and Professor of Medicine at Vanderbilt University. They were chosen by our Scientific Advisory Board, a group of select Italian and American doctors who have collaborated with us for many years to further our work in the field of oncology. The chairs of the charity gala will be Laudomia Pucci, CEO of Pucci, and Alessandro Castellano, CEO of SACE. Lamberto Andreotti, Chairman of the Board of Bristol-Myers Squibb, will receive the Alessandro di Montezemolo Lifetime Achievement Award. Why did you choose these specific honorees? The honorees of our annual gala are professionals who have distinguished themselves via exceptional accomplishments in Italy and around the world. What projects are you working on at the moment? We are working on promoting the Foundation via a new website and a social networking effort to raise public awareness of our programs. We want to give a voice to our fellows, tell their stories, and follow them until the end of our scholarships so that others can travel the same road in the future. With regards to our screening against breast cancer, we are constantly searching for centers in the region in order to expand our screening and admit more women into our clinics. www.i-ItalyNY.com | September-October 2015 | i-Italy ny | 33 34 | i-Italy ny | September-October 2015 | www.i-ItalyNY.com www.i-Italy.org 2015 IHCC Events Calendar COMPILED BY THE ITALIAN HERITAGE AND CULTURE COMMITTEE – NY, INC. You are enthusiastically and wholeheartedly invited to join us in this celebration to partake of, and participate in, as many activities listed in the calendar of events as you are able. With all of us, the members of the Italian Heritage and Culture Committee, NY, Inc., a Board second to none in its enthusiasm and grace of life as “Italophiles,” I encourage you to celebrate our rich heritage! A Message from the President/Chairperson Dear Friends: Welcome to the 39th annual celebration of Italian Heritage and Culture Month. This year the Board of Directors of the Italian Heritage and Culture Committee, New York, Inc. has selected as its theme: Italian Creativity: Celebrating 50 Years of Science and Technology; New York World’s Fair 1965 – Expo Milano 2015. The IHCC-NY, Inc. recognizes, EXPO Milano 2015, the worldwide celebration in Italy by saluting the various programs that will be sponsored, especially in the month of October 2015, a positive representation of all that occured and is occurring in Italy and presented to the world. That gift has been hundreds of years of inventions and research that have brought about some of the most creative outcomes in the fields of science and technology. We enjoy those benefits today! We join with all Italian Americans in celebrating this special year. We are confident that the various organizations that historically recognize Italian Americans during the month of October will especially think about the important contributions to our heritage and culture that have been made by Italian Americans and women in science and technology professions over the last 50 years. At this time, I thank all who have suggested and prepared the final work towards the various posters, bookmarks, pamphlets, and solicitation of programs for the booklet/insert of activities for the year 2015, all of which can be found as well on our web site. Our publications are provided through the generosity of benefactors, among which are the Columbus Citizens Foundation, the Office of the Consulate General of Italy in New York and many other individuals and contributors. During these challenging economic times, we are most appreciative of the response by those individuals who generously have contributed to the development of our materials, and as well, to the overwhelming largesse by our sponsors whose ads are included within. For without their financial support, we might not have been able to produce such a comprehensive view of all the many activities for Italian Heritage and Culture Month, 2015. You are enthusiastically and wholeheartedly invited to join us in this celebration to partake of, and participate in, as many activities listed in the calendar of events as you are able. With all of us, the members of the Italian Heritage and Culture Committee, NY, Inc., a Board second to none in its enthusiasm and grace of life as “Italophiles,” I encourage you to celebrate our rich heritage! Grazie a tutti e buon proseguimento! Cav. Uff. Joseph Sciame President/Chairperson Mese della Cultura Italiana Italian Heritage and Culture Committee of New York, Inc. www.italyculturemonth.org [email protected] 212.642.2027 www.i-Italy.org www.i-ItalyNY.com | September-October 2015 | i-Italy ny | 35 36 | i-Italy ny | September-October 2015 | www.i-ItalyNY.com www.i-Italy.org Events ➜ Calendar ●● SPONSORED BY THE ITALIAN HERITAGE AND CULTURE COMMITTEE – NY, INC. A Brief History of Italian Heritage and Culture Month in New York More than three and one half decades of special events, concerts, exhibits, lectures, and proclamations to celebrate and to better inform New York, the largest Italian city outside Italy, and other geographic areas throughout the United States and the world, of the important legacy of Italian and Italian American culture. N ew York’s Italian Heritage and Culture Month will celebrate its thirty-ninth anniversary this year, 2015. The Italian Heritage and Culture Committee of New York, Inc. (IHCC-NY, Inc.) has provided more than three and one half decades of special events, concerts, exhibits, lectures, and proclamations to better inform New York, the largest Italian city outside Italy, and other geographic areas throughout the United States and the world, of the important legacy of Italian and Italian American culture and to celebrate these significant contributions. In the spring of 1976 the Mayor of New York City Abraham Beame initiated the first “Italian Culture Week” from May 17 to 23 of that year. The idea was originally brought to the attention of Dr. Leo Bernardo, Director of the City Bureau of Foreign Languages of the Board of Education of the City of New York, and he was easily persuaded of the value and importance of the proposal, appointing Dr. Angelo Gimondo as project coordinator. Nine years later, in 1985, the festivities moved to October, to coincide with various Columbus Day www.i-Italy.org May 7, 2015: Mother Italy Statue Ceremony at Hunter College, CUNY, with IHCC-NY, Inc. Board Chair Cav. Joseph Sciame presenting to Honoree, Minister General Natalia Quintavalle. celebrations, and grew in duration to become “Italian Heritage and Culture Month.” As the years passed, the Governor of the State of New York and the President of the United States joined in acknowledging this significant annual celebration by issuing proclamations in recognition of the heritage and culture of Italians and Italian Americans. Dr. Gimondo (honored by the Italian Government on several occasions, including being granted the title of Gran Uff. in the Order of the Star of Solidarity) was the head of the corps of volunteers who annually coordinated the celebration of Italian heritage and culture in the five boroughs of New York. His whole-hearted enthusiasm for the project was matched by that of Rosamaria Riccio Pietanza, then-President of the Italian Teachers Association of New York, who, together with him, assembled educators and administrators with an interest in language and culture, many of whom remain involved with the IHCC-NY, Inc. In December 2006 Dr. Gimondo retired as founder and president of the IHCC-NY, Inc. after thirty years of outstanding leadership, leaving an important legacy that continues today. He presently serves on the board as a consultant and adviser. In January 2007, Cav. Uff. Joseph Sciame, Vice-President for Community Relations at St. John’s University, past president of the national Order Sons of Italy in America, and an IHCCNY, Inc. Board member for three decades, was elected President/ Chair of the Board of Directors. Under his leadership, the Board of Directors of the IHCC-NY, Inc. continues to be comprised of eminent representatives of New York’s Italian and Italian American community. Early on, the organizers conceived of the idea to dedicate each year’s celebration to a specific theme or personality from the history and culture of Italy and Italian Americans. Each year the Board of Directors www.i-ItalyNY.com | September-October 2015 | i-Italy ny | 37 Events ➜ Calendar Mission Statement Italian Heritage and Culture Committee of New York, Inc. The mission of the Italian Heritage and Culture Committee, New York, Inc. (IHCC-NY, Inc.) is to: •Heighten public awareness of Italian heritage and culture; •Coordinate sponsorship of programs that celebrate Italian heritage and culture; •Sponsor annually the Italian Heritage and Culture Month activities; •Promote the study of Italian language and culture among all ethnic groups; •Engender pride in Italian Americans regarding their own heritage; and •Encourage positive portrayals of Italian Americans in the media and with the general public. Vision Statement The Italian Heritage and Culture Committee of New York, Inc. will conduct, sponsor and/or participate in activities throughout the year, with special emphasis on the celebration of Italian Heritage and Culture Month. The vision of the IHCC-NY, Inc. is to be a dynamic organization in the Italian American community that will collaborate on and foster an appreciation of Italian and Italian American contributions to the world. The IHCC-NY, Inc. will: •Solicit funds to carry out its mission and fulfill its vision; •Network with Italian and Italian American resources to gain active individual and group participation; •Assist in promoting Italian heritage, culture, and language; and •Provide quality materials to educational, cultural groups and other entities. Programs The IHCC-NY, Inc. will encourage and/or sponsor programs at schools, colleges, civic entities, ethnic and other organizations so as to promote Italian heritage, culture and language; and foster positive recognition for the contributions of Italians and Americans of Italian descent to our society. Adopted 7-14-09 selects a new theme, commissions a poster, and publishes a Calendar of Events booklet. The themes represent some of Italian America’s many significant leaders, concepts, and historical highlights, and a list of them is included below. In addition to its efforts to promote heritage and culture, along with the annual Da Vinci Award ceremonies conferred upon distinguished Italian and Italian Americans, the IHCC-NY, Inc. has in recent years: • sponsored a concert in Washington Square Park in honor of the 100-year anniversary of the birth of Giuseppe Garibaldi; • organized a special anniversary gathering on the occasion of the 200th birthday of Antonio Meucci, inventor of the telephone; • mounted an international art exhibit from Palermo, Sicily, of works by Rosa Ponte Fucarino and partnered with the Institute of Classical Architecture and Classical America in the 500th Anniversary Celebration of Andrea Palladio; • supported the efforts of the Italian and Italian American community in promoting the cause of the Advanced Placement exam in Italian language in U.S. high schools; • saluted the lifetime achievements of the late Rocco Caporale, Ph.D., former Board Member; • hosted a special tribute to international playwright Dott. Cav. Mario Fratti for his play and movie Nine; • participated in the annual flag-raising ceremonies at Bowling Green, the site of the arrival of the first Italian to New York, Pietro Cesare Alberti. Commencing in 2010, the October flag-raising has been held at the “Mother Italy” statue at Hunter College, CUNY, NYC, followed by a traditional luncheon to celebrate Italian Heritage and Culture Month with the IHCC’s Board of Directors; • advocated for obtaining an official U.S. Congressional Resolution for the 150th Anniversary of the Unification of Italy; • welcomed in 2012 an international exhibit from Florence, Italy, honoring Amerigo Vespucci (the year’s theme for Italian Heritage and Culture Month); in October 2012 a bust statue of Vespucci by sculptor Greg Wyatt was unveiled for permanent display at the Organization of American States under the sponsorship of Ambassador Sebastiano Fulci; • celebrated Italian Heritage and Culture Month 2012 at the National Arts Club, with the participation of international singer Cristina Fontanelli; • co-sponsored in December 2012 the famed Presepio at the Staten Island campus of St. John’s University with the Casa Belvedere Foundation. The Presepio was a gift to the NY Fire Department by Italian officials of the Chamber of Commerce of Naples following the events of 9/11; and • hosted special ceremonies in March 2013 at the John D. Calandra Italian American Institute to inaugurate the “Poster Series” created by Artistic Director John Battista DeSantis in honor of 2013: Year of Italian Culture in the United States. Several weeks later Ambassador Claudio Bisogniero visited the site to view the posters during an unprecedented stop in New York City. The IHCC-NY, Inc.’s role in concert with the Office of the Consulate General, now led by Minister Natalia Quintavalle, as well as with the American Association of Teachers of Italian and the Italian American Committee on Education, has been strengthened over the years in more collaborative ways so as to achieve common goals in education, heritage, culture, language, diplomatic respect, and a better understanding of the Italianità that is so important to the legacy bequeathed to Italian Americans by their families. For many years the Consuls General of Italy have each fully supported the efforts of IHCC-NY, as has the Office of the Director of Istituto Italiano di Cultura di New York. Today, owing to the work of the April 19, 2015: AIAE Annual Luncheon Award Ceremony recognizes IHCC-NY, Inc. Board Member Cav. Joan Marchi Migliori. 38 | i-Italy ny | September-October 2015 | www.i-ItalyNY.com www.i-Italy.org Events ➜ Calendar Clockwise: #1: June 2, 2015: Italy Day at Italian Trade Commission. #2: May 7, 2015: Mother’s Day Weekend – at Mother Italy Statue Recognition Ceremony. Board of Directors join Minister Natalia Quintavalle. #3: May 7, 2015: Minister Natalia Quintavalle and Cav. Dr. Mary Ann Re at Mother’s Day Weekend Recognition at Mother Italy Statue. #4: October 10, 2014: Cav. Dr. Anthony Tamburri and Cav. Joseph Sciame, Board Chair, toast to Columbus Day Weekend 2014 following a Recognition Ceremony for Dr. Tamburri at the Mother Italy Statue. #5: October 10, 2014: Cav. Dr. Anthony Tamburri, honoree for Columbus Day Weekend 2014 addresses attendees at Mother Italy Statue. IHCC-NY, Inc., a multitude of programs and events are organized by cultural associations, community centers, libraries, schools, and university departments of Italian in the Greater New York metropolitan area to proudly celebrate October’s Italian Heritage and Culture Month. Moreover, in other places such as Illinois, Massachusetts, New Jersey, Rhode Island, Washington D.C., Wisconsin, and more, Italian Americans have followed the example of the IHCC-NY, Inc. and enhanced activities in their respective areas for the month of October. For the year 2015, the Board of www.i-Italy.org Directors of the IHCC-NY, Inc., joining with the theme advocated in Italy, determined that it be appropriate in its role to recognize Italian and Italian Americans, by celebrating the 2015: year of Italian Creativity: Celebrating 50 Years of Science and Technology; New York World’s Fair 1965 – Expo Milano 2015, acknowledging the achievements and great accomplishments of Italy and its gifts of science and technology to the world, and more specifically to the United States. In a true Italian spirit of enterprise, energy and enthusiasm, Italians and Italian Americans can be saluted and hailed in special ways. www.i-ItalyNY.com | September-October 2015 | i-Italy ny | 39 Events ➜ Calendar Indeed, the legacy lives on! During the course of the year 2014-15, the Board of Directors continued its tradition at the Mother Italy --Statue with its various recognitions, and for the October 2014 Columbus Day weekend saluted Board Member Distinguished Professor Cav. Anthony Julian Tamburri, Ph.D., Dean, Calandra Institute, for his lifetime professional, ethnic and cultural achievements, while over the 2015 Mother’s Day weekend, the Board recognized the work of Minister Natalia Quintavalle, Consul General of Italy to New York. What follows is a chronological listing representing the array of themes designated throughout more than three and one half decades to celebrate the Italian Heritage and Culture Month. 2015 Italian Creativity: Celebrating 50 years of Science and Technology. New York World’s Fair 1965-Expo Milano 2015 2014 Celebrating the Italian American Experience. Legends and Icons in Sports 2013 Year of Italian Culture in the United States 2012 Amerigo to America: Amerigo Vespucci 1452-1512 2011 150th Anniversary of the Unification of Italy 2010 Maria Montessori: An Internationally. Renowned Educator and Physician 2009 Galileo Galilei: Father of Modern Astronomy; Giuseppe Petrosino: Italian American Crime Fighter 1860-1909 2008 Andrea Palladio: Architect for the Ages 1508-1580; Antonio Meucci: The True Inventor of the Telephone 1808-2008 2007 Giuseppe Garibaldi: Eroe dei Due Mondi/Hero of Two Worlds 1807-2007 2006 Celebrating the Italian Genius: The Leonardo DaVinci Legacy 2005 Giuseppe Mazzini: The Political Idealist of the Italian Struggle for Independence 2004 Amerigo Vespucci 2003 Focus on Italian Opera 2002 Constantino Brumidi: Artist of the United States Capitol 2001 Giuseppe Verdi: A Tribute to Italy’s Patriotic Composer 2000 Italy in the Year 2000: Italian Heritage and Cultural Roots at the Threshold of the New Millennium Members of the Board Italian Heritage and Culture Committee of New York, Inc. Founding Chairman Gr. Uff. Angelo Gimondo, Ph.D. Honorary Chairpersons Minister Natalia Quintavalle Consul General of Italy Giorgio van Straten Director, Italian Cultural Institute of New York Angelo Vivolo President, Columbus Citizens Foundation Cav. di Gr. Cr. Hon. Dominic R. Massaro Justice, NYS Supreme Court Uff. Joseph V. Scelsa, Ed.D. President, Italian American Museum Cav. Anthony Julian Tamburri, Ph.D. Dean, John D. Calandra Italian American Institute, Queens College/CUNY Baronessa Mariuccia ZerilliMarimò Trustee, New York University Officers Uff. Joseph Sciame President and Chairman Maria C. Marinello, Esq. Vice President John Mustaro, P.E. Treasurer 1999 The Italians of New York: Five Centuries of Struggle and Achievement 1998 New York City at 100: Italian Americans Commemorate the Immigrant Experience (Patria e famiglia) 1997 The Voyages of Giovanni Cabotto: 500th Anniversary 1996 Italy and its Regions (L’Italia delle Regioni) 1995 Guglielmo Marconi: Centennial of the Radio 1994 Italian Americans in Law: From Beccaria to Scalia 1993 The Legacy of Italy’s Artistic and Cultural Contributions to the World 1992 Cristoforo Colombo 500th Anniversary: The Legacy Lives On 1991 Italian Americans: The Legacy of Cristoforo Colombo 1990 William Paca: Signer of the Declaration of Independence, Jurist, 3 times Governor of the State of Maryland 1989 Italians Reaching Out: Antonio Meucci, inventor of the Telephone; Mother Cabrini, Missionary of the Immigrants 40 | i-Italy ny | September-October 2015 | www.i-ItalyNY.com Committee Chairs Adam Stefanile Fundraising Rosa Casiello O’Day Marketing William Russo Membership Cav. Joan Marchi Migliori Programming Nancy J. Indelicato Public Relations Cav. Giuliana Ridolfi Cardillo Special Projects Legal Advisor Josephine Belli, Esq. Board of Directors Uff. George Altomare Claudia Massimo Berns Rosa Casiello O’Day Dott.ssa Antonella DeGennaro Joseph DiPietro Uff. Maria Fosco Cav. Prof. Mario Fratti Barbara Gerard, Ed.D. Uff. Mico Delianova Licastro Lucrezia Lindia Cav. Josephine A. Maietta Guy Palumbo Cav. Dott. Berardo Paradiso Cav. Mary Ann Re, Ph.D. 1988 Lorenzo Da Ponte/Academia 1987 Year of the U.S. Constitution: Mazzei and the Italian Contribution 1986 Year of Lady Liberty 1985 Building America 1984 Year of the Etruscans 1983 Italian Culture Week 1982 Italian Culture Week Board of Advisors Stephen R. Aiello, Ph.D. Stefano Albertini, Ph.D. Cav. Anthony Brusco Giuseppe Cirnigliaro, J.D. Rosanna Coscia Gaetano Cipolla, Ph.D. Frances Fusco Cav. Paul Patanè, Ph.D. Wanda Radetti Cav. Angelo Siciliano Artistic Director John Battista DeSantis Recognized Board Members and Friends * 2007 Helen and Jack Como 2008 Cav. Dott. Berardo Paradiso 2009 John De Santis 2010 Cav. Joan Migliori 2011 Nancy Indelicato 2012 John Mustaro 2013 Joseph Di Pietro 2014 Cav. Anthony Julian Tamburri, Ph.D. 2015 Elisabetta Calello * At Annual Flag Raising Ceremonies on Columbus Day Weekend 1981 1980 1979 1978 Italian Festival of the Arts Italian Culture Week Italian Culture Week Italian Week, Board of Education of New York 1977 Italian Culture Week 1976 Italian Culture Week 2015: Ceremony at Mother Italy Statue with La Scuola d’Italia Gugliemlo Marconi students singing the National Anthems. www.i-Italy.org Events ➜ Calendar Acknowledgments & Financial Supporters We wish to express our deep gratitude to: Minister Natalia Quintavalle, Consul General of Italy to New York, for her generous, collaborative support regarding the work of the IHCC-NY, Inc. including the use of the Italian Cultural Institute for meetings and conducting our administrative operations; Cav. Anthony Julian Tamburri, Ph.D., Distinguished Professor and Dean of the John D. Calandra Italian American Institute, Queens College of The City University of New York and IHCC-NY, Inc. Honorary Board Member, and his staff for their technical assistance and use of the Institute’s facilities in the preparation of the calendar of events, specifically: Marianna Prestigiacomo, Lisa Cicchetti, Sian Gibby, Carmine Pizzirusso, Olga Pappas and Rosaria Musco; Cav. Joan Marchi Migliori, Board Member IHCC-NY, Inc. and Program Chair, for the singular coordination of all aspects of the collection and review of proposed programs prior to the printing of the calendar of events. John Battista De Santis, Vice President of Webb Communications, Inc. and IHCC-NY, Inc., Artistic Director and Board Member, for generously donating the art work and design for the theme, and graphic services for the various publications and website www. italyculturemonth.org; Nancy Indelicato, Board Member IHCC-NY, Inc., for developing the bookmark, and for assembling the respective bibliography and assisting with media relations for this year’s theme; Frank J. Sciame Jr. CEO and Chairman, Sciame Construction LLC www.i-Italy.org Uff. George Altomare, UFT and IHCC-NY, Inc. Board Member, for facilitating the distribution of posters and bookmarks to the New York City Public Schools; Lucrezia Lindia, IHCC-NY, Inc. Board Member, for her work on the annual Essay Contest, and financial contribution for the essay awards; Ottorino Cappelli, Ph.D., Project Manager and Cav. Letizia Airos, Editor in Chief, i-Italy New York for facilitating the new fabrication format for the 2014 IHCC-NY, Inc. program booklet; Gr. Uff. Angelo Gimondo, Ph.D., IHCC-NY, Inc. Founding Chairman, for his ongoing guidance and encouragement since 1976 to the present; And Uff. Joseph Sciame, current president/chair, for his willingness to lead this important cultural activity on behalf of the Board of Directors of the Italian Heritage and Culture Committee-NY, Inc. We wish to express our deep gratitude to the financial supporters of the Italian Heritage and Culture Committee of New York, Inc., who either personally, or inkind or through their respective personal and professional associations, have assisted: Primary Benefactors The Columbus Citizens Foundation, Inc. Angelo Vivolo, President The John D. Calandra Italian American Institute, Queens College/CUNY Cav. Anthony Julian Tamburri, Ph.D., Dean Minister Natalia Quintavalle Consul General of Italy in New York Italian Language of InterCultural Alliance (ILICA) Cav. Vincenzo Marra, Founder and President St. John’s University Uff. Joseph Sciame, Vice President for Community Relations John DeSantis, Vice President Webb Communications, Inc. Graphic Artist Grand Patrons Cav. Vivian Cardia Italian Cultural Center, St. John’s University Uff. Joseph Sciame, Chairman La Scuola d’Italia Gugliemo Marconi Maria Palandra, Ph.D., Rector NYS OSIA, Grand Lodge Foundation Carolyn Reres, President Patron Angels Association of Cavaliere of the Republic of Italy Cav. Dr. Thomas S. Bellavia, President Cellini Charitable Foundation Inc. Alfonso Squillante, President Giuseppe Cirnigliaro, J.D., President Militello Val Catania Society, Inc. Coccia Foundation Elisa Coccia, President Farmingdale State College Horticulture Semester in Florence, Florence University of the Arts UFCW Local 1500, Bruce W. Both, President Cav. Uff. Joseph Sciame Maria and Cav. Anthony Julian Tamburri, Ph.D. Westchester Italian Cultural Center David A. Pope, Director Contributors Uff. George Altomare Senator Tony Avella, NY State Senate Claudia Berns Cav. Prof. Mario Fratti Anthony V. Gazzara Barbara Gerard, Ed.D. Virginia M. Giovinco Senator Martin J. Golden, Friends of Marty Golden Anthony Leone Cav. Josephine A. Maietta, AIAE President Comm. Aldo Mancusi, Enrico Caruso Museum Foundation Cav. Joan Marchi Migliori Cav. Mary Ann Re, Ph.D. Patricia and Martin Sandler Santina Spadaro Hon. Peter F. Vallone, Former Speaker, NYC Council Friends Virginia P. Andriola Nicolina R. Astorina Anthony V. Calenda Sarah DeMott, Ph.D. Candidate, NYU Faith J. Felix Jaqueline Gagliano Jean M. Gagliardo Daniela Gioseffi Catherine C. Greco Carmine Piscareta, Mr. Carmine International Hair Salon Patricia Leuzzi Polak Gilbert R. Scalone Jr., MD. Frank T. Strafaci, Esq. Sponsors In Kind Garibaldi Meucci Museum, Stephanie Lundegard, Administrator Prof. Francesco and Lucrezia Lindia Maria C. Marinello, Esq National Organization of Italian American Women, Maria Tamburri, Chair Wanda S. Radetti, Tasteful Croation Journeys Uff. Joseph V. Scelsa, Ed.D., President of the Italian American Museum Giovanna Auriemma, Co-hosts Francesca & Antonio Pisano, “Souvenir D’Italia” www.wrhu.org. Radio Hofstra 88.7FM, Sat. 10:00 am Tony Pasquale, “Ciao Tony” Radio ICN www.incradio.com Mon & Fri, 1:30 to 2:30 pm and Sat. 10 to 11:30 am Attilio Carbone “Melodie Italiane” Radio1240 am, Sunday 4:00-5:00 pm www.i-ItalyNY.com | September-October 2015 | i-Italy ny | 41 Events ➜ Calendar Participating Schools Elementary through Secondary Bocce Tournament September/October. Day of Week: Tuesday/Thursday 2:25–4:00 pm New Italian Club students will learn to play Bocce. Veteran Italian Club students will compete in 4 person teams. Sponsored by TMLA Italian Club. The Mary Louis Academy 176-21 Wexford Terrace, Jamaica Estates, NY. Admission: free; members only. Contact: Mr. Maurantonio 718 - 297-2120 [email protected] Healthy Cooking - The Benefit of a Mediterranean Diet October. Day of Week: Tuesday 2:45-4:00 pm Students will learn to make pasta from scratch using pure all natural ingredients. In addition, the benefits of a Mediterranean Diet and its elements will be discussed. Sponsored by TMLA Italian Club. The Mary Louis Academy 176-21 Wexford Terrace, Jamaica Estates, NY. Admission: free; members only. Contact: Mr. Maurantonio 718 - 297-2120 [email protected] Cultural Harmony Celebration October. Day of Week: Friday 3:30-5:30 pm Italian Club participates in a multicultural celebration. The Italian Club sets out an Italian food table for tastings, the Tarantella is demonstrated, and members perform Italian songs. Sponsored by TMLA Italian Club. The Mary Louis Academy 176-21 Wexford Terrace, Jamaica Estates, NY. Admission: $7; open to the public. Contact: Mr. Maurantonio 718 - 297-2120 [email protected] Italian Heritage and Culture Month Trivia Contest October 1 - October 31 - Daily Announcements 8:10-8:30 am Each school day in the morning announcements students will be given an Italian Heritage and Culture Month related Trivia question. Each homeroom is to keep track of the questions and research their answers. At the end of the month each homeroom must submit their answers via the school computer system. The homeroom with the most correct answers will receive a basket of Italian goodies for all to share. Sponsored by TMLA Italian Club. The Mary Louis Academy 176-21 Wexford Terrace, Jamaica Estates, N.Y. 11432. Admission: free; members only. Contact: Mr. Maurantonio 718 - 297-2120 [email protected] Robbins Lane Elementary School - Syosset Dates and programs will be announced. Second, Third and Fourth Graders will celebrate the Italian Heritage and Culture Month with a variety of cultural activities the whole month of October 2015. The students will also view several power point programs dedicated to the Milano Expo 2015. Robbins Lane School 157 Robbins Lane, Syosset Admission: for students only. Thea C. Pallos, Principal 516-364-5804. Contact: Cav. Josephine A. Maietta [email protected] Robbins Lane Elementary School - Syosset Throughout the month of October (Dates and programs will be announced.) Integrated learning activities will highlight and honor the contributions of Italian Americans. There will be a 42 | i-Italy ny | September-October 2015 | www.i-ItalyNY.com particular emphasis on the celebration of 50 years of science and technology. Robbins Lane School 157 Robbins Lane, Syosset Admission: for students only. Thea C. Pallos, Principal 516-364-5804. Contact: Cav. Josephine A. Maietta [email protected] Italian Explorers and their Discoveries October 1 - 26 Second, Third and Fourth graders will view a documentary about famous Italian explorers. Robbins Lane School 157 Robbins Lane, Syosset Admission: for students only. Thea C. Pallos, Principal 516-364-5804. Contact: Cav. Josephine A. Maietta [email protected] Amerigo Vespucci and his Accomplishments October 1 - 26 Second, third and fourth graders will learn about the life of Amerigo Vespucci and his accomplishments. Students will develop a project to display in the hallways. Robbins Lane School 157 Robbins Lane, Syosset Admission: for students only. Thea C. Pallos, Principal 516-364-5804. Contact: Cav. Josephine A. Maietta [email protected] Lecture on Italian Explorers: Colombo, Vespucci, Caboto and Verrazzano October 1 - 15 Fourth graders will research and give oral presentations on an explorer of their choice. Robbins Lane School 157 Robbins Lane, Syosset Admission: for students only. Thea C. Pallos, Principal 516-364-5804. Contact: Cav. Josephine A. Maietta [email protected] Cristoforo Colombo, Queen Isabella & Amerigo Vespucci October 12 Colombo, Queen Isabella & Vespucci will greet the students as they arrive to school. Robbins Lane School 157 Robbins Lane, Syosset Admission: for students only Thea C. Pallos, Principal 516-364-5804. Contact: Cav. Josephine A. Maietta [email protected] Lecture on Italian American Inventors October 12 - 30 Fourth graders will research and give oral presentations on famous Italian Inventors and their inventions. Robbins Lane School 157 Robbins Lane, Syosset Admission: for students only. Thea C. Pallos, Principal 516-364-5804. Contact: Cav. Josephine A. Maietta [email protected] Lecture on Social Classes in Rome October 1 - 10 Fifth graders studying Latin will research and give oral presentations on the Roman Society. Robbins Lane School 157 Robbins Lane, Syosset Admission: for students only Thea C. Pallos, Principal 516364-5804. Contact: Celeste Tracy at:[email protected] Photo Exhibit October 1-30 Fifth graders studying Latin will display, in the school library, photos taken around the City of New York of Roman monuments, Latin words written on buildings. Robbins Lane School 181 Cold Spring Rd., Syosset Admission: for students only Thea C. Pallos, Principal 516-364-5804. Contact: Celeste Tracy at jmaiettaaiae@ aol.com www.i-Italy.org The Columbus CiTizens FoundaTion Proudly PresenTs.... The 71ST annual Columbus day CelebraTion iTinerary Thursday, oCTober 8Th ItalIan HerItage CelebratIon GraCie mansion saTurday, oCTober 10Th annual gala WaldorF-asToria monday, oCTober 12Th Columbus Day mass sT. PaTriCk’s CaThedral monday, oCTober 12Th Columbus Day ParaDe FiFTh avenue From 47Th To 72nd sTreeT www.ColumbusCitizensFD.org @ColumbusCtzns Events ➜ Calendar Official Events and Proclamations BROOKLYN MANHATTAN QUEENS Oct 8 Oct 8 Oct 20 Brooklyn Borough President Italian Heritage and Culture Month Proclamation Ceremony New York City Mayor’s Italian Heritage and Culture Reception Queens Borough President Melinda Katz’s Italian Heritage and Culture Ceremony Time: TBA Brooklyn Borough Hall, 209 Joralemon Street, Brooklyn ● The Honorable Eric L. Adams will host a proclamation ceremony in honor of Italian Heritage and Culture Month. Sponsored by Brooklyn Borough President Eric L. Adams. Admission: invitation only. BRONX Oct 8 Bronx Borough President Italian American Heritage and Culture Month Celebration 12:00 – 3:00 pm Location: TBA ● Reception honoring Italian-American leaders contributing to the growth of the Bronx. The reception will include entertainment with “cultural music” and Italian cuisine. Dignitaries such as the Consul General of Italy in New York, as well as elected officials from throughout the Borough and City who wish to acknowledge the growing importance of New York’s Italian-American population, will join residents and leaders in the salute. Sponsored by Bronx Borough President, Hon. Ruben Diaz, Jr. Admission: free; space is limited; RSVP is required. Contact: Sonia Malave-Negron 718-590-3989; fax: 718590-3537 ([email protected]). Time: TBA Gracie Mansion ● Mayor Bill De Blasio welcomes members of the New York City community to Gracie Mansion for a reception celebrating Italian Heritage and Culture Month. Sponsored by the Office of the Mayor and the Columbus Citizens Foundation. Admission: By Invitation Only Oct 22 New York State Comptroller Thomas P. Di Napoli’s Salute to Italian Heritage and Culture Month St. John’s University, Astor Place, Manhattan ● New York State Comptroller Thomas P. Di Napoli will host his annual celebration of Italian heritage and culture. Join Comptroller Di Napoli as he honors members of the Italian American community for their service and commitment to the preservation of Italian heritage and culture. Sponsored by State Comptroller Thomas P. DiNapoli. Oct 23 New York City Comptroller Scott M. Stringer Italian Community Breakfast Time: TBA By Invitation Only, ● New York City Comptroller, Hon. Scott M. Stringer, will host a breakfast for Italian American Community Leaders to Celebrate Italian Heritage and Culture Month. 44 | i-Italy ny | September-October 2015 | www.i-ItalyNY.com 7:00 pm St. John’s University Marillac Terrace, 8000 Utopia Parkway, Queens, NY ● An annual tribute to the year’s theme to celebrate “The Year 2015: Italian Culture in the United States.” The Hon. Melinda Katz presents awards to distinguished individuals in the Borough of Queens. Sponsored by the Office of the Borough President and coordinated by the Italian Heritage and Culture Month Committee of Queens. Contact: Uff. Joseph Sciame 718-9901941 or 718-990-5892 ([email protected]). STATEN ISLAND Oct 10 Staten Island Borough President James P. Oddo and Historical Richmond Town Celebrates Italian Heritage and Culture Month with Festival Rome Through Richmond Town 12:00 – 5:00 pm Historic Richmond Hill Town, 441 Clark Avenue, Staten Island, New York 10306 ● “Last year’s event was a resounding success, and we hope to build on that success to make this year’s festival even better,” said Borough President James P. Oddo. “Our goal is to provide Staten Islanders with a celebration of the contributions made by those of Italian descent. The event will be informative, educational, and a whole lot of fun.” Ed Wiseman, Coordinator of the event, added: “What an honor it is to work with Borough Hall and local leaders on this spectacular event. It’s a thrill to see all the smiles, on faces from people ages eight to 80, enjoying a quintessential part of the American experience. It’s simply meraviglioso!” Sponsored by Staten Island Borough President James P. Oddo. Admission: Free and open to the public. Contact: (718) 351-1611. For more information, go to www.historicrichmondtown.org. WESTCHESTER Oct 5 Westchester County Proclamation Ceremony in Honor of Italian Heritage and Culture Month 7:30 pm - Ceremony and Reception Antonio Meucci Lodge #215, OSIA, 279 Maple Avenue, White Plains, NY ● Presentation and Proclamation by the Honorable Robert Astorino, Westchester County Executive. With Special Recognition of Outstanding Students and Teachers of the Italian Language in Westchester. The Theme of the Celebration is: “Italian Creativity: Celebrating 50 years of Science and Technology, New York World’s Fair 1965-Expo Milano 2015.” Business attire. Sponsored by the Westchester Coalition of Italian-American Organizations. Contact: Prof. Carlo Sclafani 914-433-6073 ([email protected] – WestchesterCIAO@gmail. com). Oct 19 Westchester County Proclamation Ceremony 6:00 pm - Ceremony 800 Michaelian Office Building Eighth Floor Legislative Chambers and Rotunda, 148 Martine Avenue, White Plains, NY ● In honor of Italian Heritage and Culture Month October 2015 “Italian Creativity: Celebrating 50 years of Science and Technology New York World’s Fair 1965-Expo Milano 2015” with Special Recognition of Outstanding Students and Teachers Of the Italian Language in Westchester. Business attire. Sponsored by the Westchester County Board of Legislators, Through Chairperson Michael Kaplowitz, and Westchester Coalition of Italian American Organizations. Contact: Prof. Carlo Sclafani 914-433-6073. ([email protected] – [email protected]). www.i-Italy.org Events ➜ Calendar dailycalendar Sep 1 - Jan 8 Reframing Italian America: Historical Photographs and Immigrant Representations 9:00am-5:00pm (Monday-Friday) John D. Calandra Italian American Institute, Queens College/CUNY, 25 West 43rd Street, Manhattan ◗ qc.edu/calandra ● This exhibit features 23 photographs depicting Italian immigrant life in the United States from 1900-1930, presumably part of a previous exhibition. This is an opportunity to discover, interpret, and enjoy these fragi le and obscure visual documents that offer a glimpse of how Italian immigrants refashioned themselves in the process of transforming America. Sponsored by John D. Calandra Italian American Institute. Admission: free; open to the public. Contact: 212-642-2094 ([email protected]). Sep 1 - Oct 31 Dom Quartuccio, A Retropective 1939 - Present: Little Italy’s Photographer 12:00 – 6:00 pm Italian American Museum, 155 Mulberry Street, Manhattan ◗ ItalianAmericanMuseum.org ● Dom Quartuccio was born and raised in “Little Italy”, at an early age with a camera bought for him by his older brother. He started to take pictures and win prizes which lead to a very successful career as a photographer spanning seven decades. The exhibition traces his body of work. Sponsored by Italian American Museum. Admission: free; open to the public. Contact: Dr. Joseph Scelsa 212-965-9000; Fax: 347-810-1028 ([email protected]). Sep 1 - 29 HappenChance: World War II Photographs, Italian Campaign, 1942 1945 www.i-Italy.org 10:00 am – 4:00 pm Italian Cultural Institute of New York, 686 Park Avenue ◗ iicnewyork.esteri.it/IIC_Newyork ● An exhibition of photographs by Alfonso Carrara (1922-2012). Carrara, an Italian-American architect-artistpoet-photographer, documented the exhausted, disoriented populations and war-ravaged architecture of Italy’s small towns and villages during the Allied northward advance through the countryside in 1944 1945. Admission: free; open to the public. Contact: Fabio Troisi 212 8794242 ([email protected]). Sep 1 - 29 19th Century Neapolitan School 10:00 am – 4:00 pm Italian Cultural Institute of New York, 686 Park Avenue ◗ iicnewyork.esteri.it/IIC_Newyork ● A year after the exhibition dedicated to the “Macchiaioli,” the ICI presents the first retrospective dedicated to the nineteenth century Neapolitan “school”: 28 of the most representative works of southern painting, from landscape views of the gulf to the realism of the end of the century. Admission: free; open to the public. Contact: Fabio Troisi 212 8794242 ([email protected]). Through Oct 31 Art Exhibit by Annette Marten 1:00 – 5:00 pm (Wednesday - Saturday) Garibaldi-Meucci Museum, 420 Tompkins Avenue, Staten Island ◗ garibaldimeuccimuseum.org ● Garibaldi-Meucci Museum is hosting an art exhibit with paintings by Annette Marten, a local Staten Island artist. In 2004 when the tsunami caused major devastation, Annette’s watercolor print Bridging the Gap raised $2,000 from private donations towards the tsunami relief fund. Sponsored by Garibaldi-Meucci Museum. Admission: $10/$5 for members; open to the public. Contact: Carol Berardi 718-442-1608 ([email protected]). Borough Contact Persons Posters, Bookmarks and Calendar of Events may be acquired by contacting the following persons: Bronx Frances Fusco and Danielle Youmeni Enrico Fermi Cultural Center, Belmont Branch of the New York Public Library 610 East 186th Street, Bronx, NY 10458 (718) 933-6410 Patricia Filomena UFT Bronx Borough Office 2500 Halsey Street Bronx, NY 10461 (718) 379-6200 Brooklyn John Capuano UFT Brooklyn Borough Office 335 Adams Street Brooklyn, NY 11201 (718) 852-4900 Manhattan James Morgan Istituto Italiano di Cultura 686 Park Avenue New York, NY 10021 (212) 879-4242 Olga Pappas John D. Calandra Italian American Institute 25 West 43rd Street, 17th floor New York, NY 10036 (212) 642-2094 Nancy J. Indelicato 310 West 106th Street New York, NY 10025 (212) 662-8264 Uff. George Altomare UFT Headquarters 50 Broadway, 10th Floor New York, NY 10004 (212) 598-7771 Queens Uff. Joseph Sciame Vice President for Community Relations St. John’s University, Administration Building, Newman Hall, Room 155 8000 Utopia Parkway Queens, NY 11439 (718) 990-1486/1941 Mary Vaccaro UFT Queens Borough Office 97-77 Queens Boulevard, 5th Floor Rego Park, NY 11374 (718) 275-4400 Angie Markham Federation of the Italian American Organizations of Queens, Inc. 29-21 21st Avenue Astoria, NY 11105 (718) 204-2444 Staten Island Stephanie Lundegard, Administrator Garibaldi-Meucci Museum 420 Tompkins Avenue Staten Island, NY 10305 (718) 442-1608 Debra Penny UFT Staten Island Borough Office 4456 Amboy Road Staten Island, NY 10312 (718) 605-1400 Long Island Cav. Josephine A. Maietta AIAE, AATI-LI, IACE, NIAF, IHCCNY, Inc. Robbins Lane Elementary School 157 Robbins Lane Syosset, NY 11791 (516) 364-5804 Westchester David A. Pope Executive Director Westchester Italian Cultural Center Generoso Pope Place Tuckahoe, NY 10707 (914) 771-8700 New Jersey Cav. Mary Ann Re, Ph.D. Director Coccia Institute for the Italian Experience in America One Normal Avenue Dickson Hall, Suite 171 Montclair, NJ 07043 (973) 655-4038 Sep 10 Wine Tasting: Wines of Veneto. Featuring Tenuta Santa Maria alle Pieve www.i-ItalyNY.com | September-October 2015 | i-Italy ny | 45 Events ➜ Calendar 6:30 pm Westchester Italian Cultural Center, One Generoso Pope Place, Tuckahoe, NY ◗ wiccny.org ● Be dazzled by one of the oldest Italian wine making families: the Bertani family. Centuries of expertise, deep ties to the land, and a passion for innovation which sustains the family philosophy have all been translated into the creation of a series of world-class wines that are highly regarded for their unique personality and character. The event will feature a virtual tour of the Estate, a tasting of six wines and paired appetizers, and a risotto cooking demonstration and tasting by chef, Mario Di Chiara. Location: Kitchen – Early registration is recommended and seating is limited. Admission: Members: $60; Non-Members: $75. Contact: Patrizia Calce 914-771-8700 ext. 109 ([email protected]) Author Talk with Dr. Cynthia Gueli, Author of Lipstick Brigade Sep 4: 7:00 pm NIAF building, 1860 19th Street NW, Washington, DC ◗ noiaw.org ● Lipstick Brigade tells the inspiring story of Washington’s World War II “Government Girls,” recruited from every corner of the nation to staff the offices of America’s central command post, transforming the usually sedate capital city into a rollicking boomtown filled with young, adventurous, single women. A conversation and reception with the book’s author, Italian American, Cindy Gueli. Advance ticket purchase required. Sponsored by National Organization of Italian American Women, Greater Washing DC Region. Admission: Members $10; Non-members $20. Contact: visit noiaw.org or call Beth Connolly 212-642-2003. Sep 10 - 20 Artifacts of San Gennaro public. Contact: Dr. Joseph V. Scelsa 212-965-9000; Fax: 347-8101028 (info@ ItalianAmericanMuseum.org). San Gennaro: Video Screening 12:00 – 7:00 pm Italian American Museum, 155 Mulberry Street, Manhattan ◗ ItalianAmericanMuseum.org 12:00 – 7:00 pm Italian American Museum, 155 Mulberry Street, Manhattan ◗ ItalianAmericanMuseum.org ● Exhibit of artifacts of past San Gennaro Feasts include vendor permits, San Gennaro medals, photographs of first committee members, posters, first Queen of San Gennaro, original plate block for poster, prayer cards and street scenes. Admission: free; open to the ● Continuous screening of 20 minute video of the life and significance of the Feast of San Gennaro, including the “Miracle” of Liquefaction during the 89th annual feast in Little Italy. Sponsored by Italian American Museum.Admission: free; open to the 46 | i-Italy ny | September-October 2015 | www.i-ItalyNY.com public. Contact: Dr. Joseph V. Scelsa 212-965-9000; Fax: 347-8101028 ([email protected]). Sep 12 Mario Lanza Society Fall Luncheon 1:00 pm Patsy’s Restaurant, 236 West 56th Street, Manhattan ● Celebrate the great voice and career of Mario Lanza with good food, music and those interested in the beloved tenor. Activities include updates by Bill Ronanye, Society President, a live performance by an upcoming young opera singer, highlights from Mario Lanza’s performances and our usual “Name the Tenor Quiz” by Opera Educator Lou Barrella. The cost includes a 3 course meal. Sponsored by The Mario Lanza Society of New York. Admission: $75; $65 for Members; open to the public. Contact: Bill Ronanye 718-338-8662 (wjronayne@ optonline.net). 5:45 pm Italian American Writers Association Reading Series www.i-Italy.org Events ➜ Calendar Sep 15 Mario Lanza: The Man and His Music 7:00 pm Italian Cultural Foundation at Casa Belvedere, 79 Howard Avenue, Staten Island ◗ www.casa-belvedere.org ● A one hour audiovisual presentation on the life and career of the legendary tenor from Philadelphia by noted Lanza authority Bill Ronayne. The presentation includes rare early private recordings and radio appearances, a photo slide show, clips from all 7 films plus a rare live appearance on British television. Sponsored by The Italian Cultural Foundation at Casa Belvedere. Admission: $25 donation per person includes refreshments; open to the public. Contact: Marian Rodi 718-273-7660 (info@ casa-belvedere.org). Benvenuto Presidente Welcome Mr. President 2:00 pm Westchester Italian Cultural Center, One Generoso Pope Place, Tuckahoe, NY ◗ wiccny.org ● In a small mountain village, lives a naive fisherman with the famous name of Giuseppe Garibaldi. One day, due to a political mistake, he is elected President of Italy, and taken out of his quiet and bucolic life. Giuseppe’s joyful optimism, his humanity and his disarming honesty will confront political corruption, conspiracies, and institutional bureaucracy. Directed by Riccardo Milan. Registration is required.Admission: Members free; Non-Members $15. Contact: Patrizia Calce 914-7718700 ext. 109 ([email protected]). Sep 16 Thinking and Imagination by Federico Vercellone 6:00 pm Italian Cultural Institute of New York, 686 Park Avenue ◗ iicnewyork.esteri.it/IIC_Newyork ● Presentat ion of t he recent ly Cornelia Street Café, 29 Cornelia Street, Manhattan ◗ iawa.net ● Featuring authors Nancy Caronia and Edvige Giunta. The Italian American www.i-Italy.org Writers Association will celebrate its 25th Anniversary in 2016. Since 1991, IAWA has given voice to writers through its literary series every second Saturday of the months. Readings begin with an Open Mic. Sponsored by IAWA. Admission: $8 includes complimentary drink; open to the public. Contact: Maria Lisella 718-777-1178 ([email protected]). Visit the IHCC website with your smartphone www.i-ItalyNY.com | September-October 2015 | i-Italy ny | 47 Events ➜ Calendar translated volume Pensare per immagini (Bruno Mondadori, 2010) by Italian philosopher Federico Vercellone. Admission: free. Contact: [email protected]. Digital Humanities in Authorea: New Spaces for Publishing on a Shared Free Platform 5:30 pm Montclair State University, Schmitt Hall 104, 1 Norman Avenue, Montclair, NJ ◗ montclair.edu ● Meeting with co-founder of the start-up Authorea, Alberto Pepe, a young astrophysicist turned entrepreneur, originally from Apulia, Italy. Pepe will illustrate this Galileo-Galilei inspired project and explain how its shared platform has the potential to change the face of data sharing among scholars all around the word by allowing them to collaboratively write rich data-driven manuscripts on the web. Please Note: RSVP required. Sponsored by The Inserra Chair in Italian and Italian American Studies at Montclair State University. Admission: free; open to the public. Contact: Dr. Teresa Fiore 973-655-7292 ([email protected]). . “An Evening in Lazio” Celebrating the Calandra Institute with Dean Anthony Tamburri 7:00 pm Piccolo Fiore Ristorante, 230 East 44th Street (between 2nd and 3rd Avenues), Manhattan ◗ www.qc.edu/calandra ● Lazio is a region of central Italy bordered by the Tyrrhenian Sea, traversed by the waters of the Tiber River, and characterized by hills and mountains where it slopes down to the coast. It is the cradle of occidental civilization and Christian culture, a place of lakes and legends, of thermal spas and history, of ancient roads and verdant hills. Its capital is Rome, Italy’s largest and most beloved city. Featuring stand up comedian Regina DeCicco. Calandra’s Dean Anthony Julian Tamburri will host. Sponsored by the John D. Calandra Italian American Institute, Queens College/CUNY. Admission: Premium Seating $100; Dean’s Table $200 (limited seating). (Includes one glass of wine, tax, and gratuity) A portion of the evening’s proceeds will benefit the Calandra Institute. For reser vations please 48 | i-Italy ny | September-October 2015 | www.i-ItalyNY.com www.i-Italy.org Events ➜ Calendar call 212- 6 42-209 4. email to : [email protected] or visit the website: www.qc.edu/calandra. Sep 17 Learning Our History Ourselves: Author Talk with Maria Laurino 5:30 pm Location: Manhattan, TBD ◗ noiaw.org ● In The Italian Americans: A History, Maria Laurino’s richly researched, beautifully designed and illustrated companion book to the muchanticipated PBS series that aired in February 2015, Laurino strips away stereotypes and nostalgia to tell the complicated, centuries-long story of the true Italian-American experience. Join the Greater New York Region for a conversation with Laurino over espresso and dolce. Sponsored by National Organization of Italian American Women. Admission: Advance ticket purchase required. Contact: visit noiaw.org or call Beth Connolly 212-642-2003. Writers Read Series. Mary Jo Bona reads from I Stop Waiting for You (Bordighera Press, 2014); Louisa Calio reads from Journey to the Heart Waters (Legas, 2014); George Guida reads from The Sleeping Gulf (Bordighera Press, 2015 6:00 pm John D. Calandra Italian American Institute, Queens College/CUNY, 25 West 43rd Street, Manhattan ◗ qc.edu/calandra ● This event features three poets coming together to read from their latest works. Maria Mazziotti Gillan has called Mary Jo Bona’s I Stop Waiting for You “An immensely moving meditation on grief for the twin brother who dies from AIDS. [T]he ghosts of her other dead and lost populate this book as well. Those losses are balanced out by her poems that explore her Italian-American heritage and her love poems.” Of Journey to the Heart Waters, Harvard scholar Henry Louis Gates Jr., writes: “Louisa Calio’s poetry is a veritable chiaroscuro of images in black and white, woven together with a profound passion for the lyrical.” Elisabetta Marino calls Calio “a real healer,” adding, “This is a journey www.i-Italy.org www.i-ItalyNY.com | September-October 2015 | i-Italy ny | 49 Events ➜ Calendar among cultures, America, Italy and Africa.” Writing about The Sleeping Gulf, Pui Ying Wong said, “Generous, always engaging, Guida’s poems open Italy and the world to us,” and Maria Terrone adds, “Imagine Jonathan Swift with an Italian American sensibility that’s George Guida.” Sponsored by John D. Calandra Italian American Institute, Queens College/CUNY. Admission: free; open to the public RSVP by calling 212- 642-2094. Please note that seating is limited, and we cannot reserve seats. For further information, see our website at www. qc.edu/calandra. Special Presentation: How Italian Are You? The New Italian American Identity 6:30 pm Westchester Italian Cultural Center, One Generoso Pope Place, Tuckahoe, NY ◗ wiccny.org ● Through the understanding of factors that influence Italian American identity, and the ways in which they affect individual daily lives, Dr. Rosemary Serra will analyze the self-representation of Italian Americans and the self-perception of representations suggested by others of the Italian American community. She will also reflect on the meaning that Italian heritage has in the daily lives of younger generations and how it affects their values, behaviors, attitudes, beliefs, and image of Italy and the Italian. Dr. Serra is a leading research sociologist from the University of Trieste, and is the author of a groundbreaking and very relevant research that investigates the status of Italian American identity within the greater New York area. With the participation of young Italian professionals who will be sharing their experiences. Must register in advance and prepay. Admission: Members $15; Non-Members $25. Contact: Patrizia Calce 914-771-8700 ext. 109 (pcalce@ wiccny.org). Sep 18 Book Presentation: The Fat Man Arpeggios by Pellegrino D’Acierno and Lucio Pozzi 6:00 pm Casa Italiana Zerilli-Marimò (NYU), 24 West 12th Street ◗ casaitaliananyu.org 50 | i-Italy ny | September-October 2015 | www.i-ItalyNY.com www.i-Italy.org Events ➜ Calendar ● Program subject to change. Please visit www.casaitaliananyu.org. All events are free and open to the public. Seating is on a first-come-first-serve basis. Sponsored by Casa Italiana Zerilli-Marimò, New York University. 24 West 12th Street (between 5th and 6th Avenues), Manhattan. Contact: Kostja Kostic 212-998-8739. Sep 19 Book Presentation and Signing 2:00 pm Garibaldi-Meucci Museum, 420 Tompkins Avenue, Staten Island ◗ garibaldimeuccimuseum.org ● Author Dr. David Mercaldo will present his latest book The Other Italians. The book is an historical view of a major component of the Italian and Italian American culture dealing with the historical legacy of the Roman Catholic Church and its new millennia transitions. Dr. Mercaldo has authored several books, which include The Ferry and La Famiglia. Sponsored by Garibaldi-Meucci Museum. Admission: $10; $5 for members; open to the public. Contact: Carol Berardi 718-442-1608. Sep 20 Caruso and the Evolution of Recorded Sound 2:00 pm The Enrico Caruso Museum of America, 1942 East 19th Street, Brooklyn ◗ enricocarusomuseum.com ● Caruso recordings and the history of recorded music, music boxes and records. Sponsored by the Enrico Caruso Museum of America. Admission: free; open to the public. Contact: Comm. Aldo Mancusi 718-368-3993 ([email protected]). Presenting Le Marche Region 2:00 pm Garibaldi-Meucci Museum, 420 Tompkins Avenue, Staten Island ◗ garibaldimeuccimuseum.org ● A promotional presentation on “Le Marche Region of Italy” and sponsored by the regional Department of Culture. Dr. Mauro Peroni, who gives lectures on Italian identity, will present the geographical, cultural and social uniqueness of the regions along with a screening of a documentary on www.i-Italy.org www.i-ItalyNY.com | September-October 2015 | i-Italy ny | 51 Events ➜ Calendar the historical and artistic heritage. You will be able to sample a tasting of local products (wine and food). Sponsored by Garibaldi- Meucci Museum. Admission: $10; $5 for members; open to the public. Contact: Carol Berardi 718-442-1608 ([email protected]). Sep 21 Italian Language Classes Begin at the Garibaldi-Meucci Museum Garibaldi-Meucci Museum, 420 Tompkins Avenue, Staten Island ◗ garibaldimeuccimuseum.org ● Italian Language Classes begin the week of September 21. Day and Evening Classes range from Beginners to Advanced. This is a 12 week course. Call the Museum at 718-4421608 or visit our website at www. garibaldimeuccimuseum.org for further information. Sponsored by GaribaldiMeucci Museum. Admission: $165; $150 for members; open to the public. Contact: Carol Berardi 718-442-1608 ([email protected]). Sep 24 Michele Civetta Retrospective 6:00 pm Italian Cultural Institute, 686 Park Avenue ◗ iicnewyork.esteri.it/IIC_Newyork ● The Italian-American director and video-artist Michele Civetta celebrates with the Italian Cultural Institute 20 years of career, both in the United States and Italy, featuring several clips of his films and videos, from the early beginnings to his most recent works. Admission: free; open to the public. Contact: Fabio. Troisi ([email protected]). . Dr. Joseph Tromba Lecture Series Event. Book Presentation: Filippo Tommaso Marinetti: The Artist and His Politics with author, Ernest Ialongo 11:30 am Stony Brook University’s Center for Italian Studies, in the Frank Melville Memorial Library, Room E4340, 100 Nicholls Road, Stony Brook, NY ◗ stonybrook.edu ● In his exploration of the politics of Marinetti as the creator and leader of the transformative Futurist art movement emerging in early 20thcentury Italy, Ialongo traces the political evolution of this one-time radical to the fervent Fascist he ultimately became. Sponsored by Center for Italian Studies, Stony Brook University. Admission: free; open to the public. Contact: Jo Fusco 631-6327444; Fax. 631-632-7421 (josephine. [email protected]. 52 | i-Italy ny | September-October 2015 | www.i-ItalyNY.com Special Presentation: The Father of the Italian Language: Dante 6:30 pm Westchester Italian Cultural Center, One Generoso Pope Place, Tuckahoe, NY ◗ wiccny.org ● Dante Alighieri has provided guidance and nourishment to major poets all through the ages. William Butler Yeats called Dante the “chief imagination for all of Christendom,” and T.S. Elliot elevated him to only one other poet in the modern world, William Shakespeare. Professor Lou Leonini will explore the life and history of Dante Alighieri, explaining why the Florentine poet is called the “Father of the Italian language” and why Dante’s Divine Comedy is considered the greatest literary masterpiece in the Italian language, and after more than www.i-Italy.org Events ➜ Calendar Sep 25-27 Traditional Italian Folk Music Camp for Mandolin and Guitar 12:00 pm Cape Cod Mandolin Camp, East Sandwich Beach, Cape Cod, Massachussetts ◗ nemandolins.com/CCMC.html ● The camp will take place on Cape Cod i n one of America’s most beautiful resorts: East Sandwich Beach, Massachusetts. John La Barbera’s workshop will present historical, technical information and some of the repertoire based on his first and foremost comprehensive mandolin books Traditional Southern Italian Mandolin and Fiddle Tunes and Italian Folk Music for Mandolin (Mel Bay Publications). Sponsored by Admission: open to the public. Contact: August Waters 917-488-3692 ([email protected]). Sep 26 Bus Trip to the Tenement Museum and Eataly Bus departs 8:30 am from Victory Blvd (WWII War Memorial Rink) near Clove Road, Staten Island ◗ garibaldimeuccimuseum.org ● The Garibaldi-Meucci Museum will host a “Hard Times Tour” of the Tenement Museum in Manhattan. Afterwards, a visit to Eataly for shopping and dining on your own. Call several weeks ahead for reservations for dining at their famous eateries. Sponsored by Garibaldi Meucci Museum. Admission: $65; open to the public. Contact: Carol Berardi 718-442-1608 ([email protected]). Sons 650 years still continues to astonish generations of readers. Must register in advance and prepay. Admission: Members $15: Non-Members $25. Contact: Patrizia Calce 914-771-8700 ext. 109 ([email protected]). Visit the IHCC website with your smartphone www.i-Italy.org Sep 25 Festa della Vendemmia / Wine Contest and Dinner Dance 6:30 pm The Kensico Italian American Society, Heydorn Hall, Hawthorne Reformed Church, 65 Broadway, Hawthorne, NY ● Wines made by the Societ y’s members are judged and 1st, 2nd, and 3rd prizes are awarded. Wines and grapes will be featured as well as the techniques of winemaking. Italian food is served. Musical enter tainment. Sponsored by The Kensico Italian American Society. Admission: $25; $35 for non-members; open to the public. Contact: Flavia 914-769-8120. Lecture Series Enchanting Venice: Venice’s Favorite 10:30 am Westchester Italian Cultural Center, One Generoso Pope Place, Tuckahoe, NY ◗ wiccny.org ● Marco Polo, Casanova, and Vivaldi are some of Venice’s favorite sons. Toni McKeen will provide some new insights into the travels of Marco Polo and how he became so famous. The story of the legendary Casanova and his adventurous life will be discussed, as well as the life and influence that Vivaldi had on the music world of Venice and beyond. www.i-ItalyNY.com | September-October 2015 | i-Italy ny | 53 Events ➜ Calendar Must register in advance and prepay. Admission: Members $15; Non-Members $25. Contact: Patrizia Calce 914771-8700 ext. 109 ([email protected]). St. Rocco’s Bakery: Meet and Greet 1:30 - 3:30 pm (rain date October 3) St. Rocco’s Bakery, 4 Saint Rocco Place, Glen Cove, NY ◗ noiaw.org ● NOIAW’s Long Island Network season kick-off event features a delicious luncheon on the patio of the renowned St. Rocco’s Bakery, including choice of panini, beverage, dessert, and coffee. Catch up with current members and meet new faces! Sponsored by National Organization of Italian American Women. Admission: Members $25; Non-members $35 (advance ticket purchase required). Contact: visit: noiaw.org or call Beth Connolly 212-642-2003. Let’s Cook Together! Cooking Classes for Children: Tortina alle Mele - Apple Cake 2:00 pm Westchester Italian Cultural Center, One Generoso Pope Place, Tuckahoe, NY ◗ wiccny.org ● The secret of this recipe is the love with which it is prepared. A traditional Sicilian recipe from Palermo, fast and easy to make to sweeten your mornings! Appropriate for all ages. Each class is 1 ½ to 2 hours long. Space is limited, early registration is suggested. Must Register in advance and prepay. Admission: Children’s Fee: Members $30, Non-Members $40; Parent & Child Fee: Members $45, Non-Members $55; each additional person: Members $30, NonMembers $40. Contact: Patrizia Calce 914-771-8700 ext. 109 (pcalce@ wiccny.org). Sep 26-27 Festa d’Italia / Motori d’Italia 1:00 am – 7:00 pm The Italian Cultural Foundation at Casa Belvedere, 79 Howard Avenue, Staten Island ◗ casa-belvedere.org ● Annual Weekend Italian Festival & Car Show. Two days of fun for the whole family and an incredible showcase of some of the most recognized Italian performance and luxury autos. Festa D’Italia will feature continuous music and entertainment by some of today’s young new talent as well as seasoned performers singing traditional Italian and American favorites. During the festivities there will also be Italian specialty foods and pastries, wine tasting, exhibits, culinary dem- 54 | i-Italy ny | September-October 2015 | www.i-ItalyNY.com onstrations, games, rides, crafts, silent auction, raffles and more. Sponsored by The Italian Cultural Foundation at Casa Belvedere. Admission: $10 per person, per day; Children under 12 free; open to the public. Contact: Marian Rodi 718-273-7660 ([email protected]). Sep 27 Howard Beach Columbus Day Parade Time TBA Howard Beach Columbus Day www.i-Italy.org Events ➜ Ongoing will rally at Stony Brook University campus. Owners of Italian vehicles interested in participating in this display, please contact Center for Italian Studies, 631-632-7444 or josephine. [email protected]. Sponsored by Center for Italian Studies, Stony Brook University. Stony Brook University campus on the lawn adjacent to the Graduate Physics Building and directly across from the Sports Complex off John S. Toll Drive. Admission: free; open to the public. Contact: Jo Fusco 631-632-7444; Fax 631-632-7421 ([email protected]). The Italian Heritage and Culture Committee of the Bronx and Westchester presents its Il Leone di San Marco Awards at the 36th Annual Awards Luncheon 12:00 - 3:00 pm ● For further information, contact Ms. Patricia Santangelo, President, by email at: [email protected]. Davenport Club, New Rochelle, NY. Learning Our History Ourselves: Author Talk with Maria Laurino 4:00 pm Location: Staten Island TBD ◗ noiaw.org ● In The Italian Americans: A History, Maria Laurino’s richly researched, beautifully designed and illustrated companion book to the much-anticipated PBS series that aired in February 2015, Laurino strips away stereotypes and nostalgia to tell the complicated, centuries-long story of the true ItalianAmerican experience. Join the Greater New York Region for a conversation with Laurino over espresso and dolce. Sponsored by National Organization of Italian American Women. Admission: Advance ticket purchase required. Contact: visit noiaw.org or call Beth Connolly 212-642-2003. Sep 28 Foundation Inc., 101-42 99th Street, Ozone Park, NY ● Grand Marshal: Msgr. Jamie J. Gigantello. Sponsored by Howard Beach Columbus Day Foundation Inc. 101-42 99th Street, Ozone Park, N.Y. 11416 Tel:718-641-3469 ([email protected]). www.i-Italy.org Center for Italian Studies, Stony Brook University Robert D. Cess Concorso d’Eleganza. X Annual Celebration of Italian Vehicle Excellence and Beauty 10:00 am – 1:00 pm Center for Italian Studies, Stony Brook University, 100 Nicolls Road, Stony Brook, NY ◗ stonybrook.edu ●A display of “art forms on wheels” as a means of illustrating one form of Italian culture. Display vehicles Annual CUNY Faculty and Staff Reception for Italian Heritage and Culture Month 6:00 pm John D. Calandra Italian American Institute, Queens College/CUNY, 25 West 43rd Street, Manhattan ◗ qc.edu/calandra www.i-ItalyNY.com | September-October 2015 | i-Italy ny | 55 Events ➜ Calendar ● CUNY-wide, co-sponsored by ILICAItalian Language Inter Cultural Alliance. Featuring an ILICA Conversation: “How do Cultural Differences Play into Global Networking?” Refreshments will be served. Contact: DChirico@ york.cuny.edu, 718-262-2687. Sep 29 Built with Faith: Italian American Imagination and Catholic Material Culture in New York Cit y 6:00 pm Leonard Library, 81 Devoe Street, at Leonard Street, Williamsburg, Brooklyn ◗ bklynlibrary.org ● Folklorist Dr. Joseph Sciorra of the Calandra Institute will present his recent book Built with Faith: Italian American Imagination and Catholic Material Culture in New York City, a 35-year ethnographic study documenting how artistry and religious practices shape the city. Sponsored by Leonard Librar y. Admission: free; open to the public. Contact: David Camara 718-486-3365 ([email protected]). The Untold Story of Luigi Del Bianco and Mount Rushmore 7:00 pm The Italian Cultural Foundation at Casa Belvedere, 79 Howard Avenue, Staten Island ◗ casa-belvedere.org ● Presentation by Douglas J. Gladstone, author of the critically acclaimed book, Carving a Niche for Himself; The Untold Story of Luigi Del Bianco and Mount Rushmore. An immigrant from the Italian Province of Pordenone, Del Bianco died on January 20, 1969 of accelerated silicosis, which he got from never having worn a mask while working as the chief carver of the Mount Rushmore National Memorial from 1933 through 1940. Tasked with giving the four presidential faces their “refinement of expression” by no less than Rushmore sculptor and designer Gutzon Borglum, whose own letters in the Manuscript Division of the Library of Congress clearly attests to his importance, Del Bianco is specifically referred to as the chief car ver in one of these letters, dated July 30, 1935. Come hear the story of a great Ital- ian American immigrant was the chief carver on what is arguably the most iconic landmark in this country. Sponsored by Admission: $20 donation per person; open to the public. Contact: Marian Rodi 718-273-7660 (info @ casa-belvedere.org). 56 | i-Italy ny | September-October 2015 | www.i-ItalyNY.com Sep 30 La Divina Malattia 6:00 pm Italian Cultural Institute, 686 Park Avenue, Manhattan ◗ iicnewyork.esteri.it/IIC_Newyork ● Renowned Italian director Dario D’A mbrosi ( Teat ro Patolog ico ) presents, for the first time, La Divina Malattia, a theatrical piece inspired by Dante’s Divine Comedy. Admission: free; open to the public. Contact: donatella.baldini@ esteri.it www.i-Italy.org Events ➜ Calendar def ying journey to the U.S.A. to attempt to achieve the American Dream, hard labors to become a Phi Beta Kappa student and chemical engineer inventor of soft-light. We follow Daniela’s undaunted activism through abuse by the KKK to a near death in childbirth, and striving to become an award-winning author of NY City where she meets and is praised by famous authors Carl Sagan, George Plimpton, Grace Paley, Allen Ginsberg, Gov. Mar io Cuomo and U.S. vice presidential candidate Geraldine Ferraro. We see her achieving an American Book Award and Lifetime Achievement Award in Poetry, as well as t h roug h de cade s of t enac iou s activism and finally to her work in climate justice for the future of her g randchildren. The f ilm, cover ing years of recent Amer ican history, has a conclusion that warms the heart and inspires others to “light a candle rather than curse the darkness.” More information and film clips at: http://www.AuthorandActivist.com. Admission : $10 Summer Discount Tickets Now Online at : w w w. /ig g.me /p /aut hor-a nda c t i v i s t- c l i m at e -j u s t i c e - d o c udrama. Sep 30 - Oct 1 Orlando: Furiosamente Rotolando 6:00 pm The Italian Academy for Advanced Studies in America, 1161 Amsterdam Avenue Manhattan ◗ italianacademy.columbia.edu Author and Activist: Climate Justice Docu-Drama Previews 7:00 - 9:00 pm Maya Deren Theatre: Anthology Film Archives, 32 Second Avenue (East 2nd Street), Manhattan www.i-Italy.org ◗ www.anthologyfilmarchives.org ● Author and Activist: The Daniela Gioseff i Story por trays a life-aff ir ming str uggle to make ar t of civil rights, democratic equality and climate justice. Produced and directed by A nton Evangelista, the docu-drama tells of the cre- ative life of a multi-media artist, inspired by a tenacious immigrant father, to become an author who dares to integrate Deep South television in Selma during the era of the “Freedom Riders.” It shows Daniela’s fat her’s immigrant struggle after his death- ● Episodes from Ludovico Ariosto’s Orlando Furioso performed by Enrico Messina. (IN ITALIAN LANGUAGE). Sponsored by Reg ione P ug l ia : Teatro Pubblico Pugliese: Unione Europea: Fondo per lo Sviluppo e la Coesione: Department of Italian, Columbia University: Italian Academy for Advanced Studies in America. Admission: free; open to the public Contact: Allison Jeffrey 2128542306 ([email protected]). Visit the IHCC website with your smartphone www.i-ItalyNY.com | September-October 2015 | i-Italy ny | 57 Events ➜ Calendar Oct 1 - 3 Office of the President Borough of Queens City of New York Crossing the Line 2015 7:30 pm New York Live Arts, 219 West 19th Street (between Seventh and Eighth Avenues), Manhattan ● Alessandro Sciarroni: Folk-s will you still love me tomorrow? (New York Premiere). Co-presented with New York Live Arts. Six dancers enter the stage and perform in hypnotic unison in this debut of Italian performance maker Alessandro Sciarroni. Precise, rhythmically pounding feet and a pair of lederhosen are the only recognizable relics of a centuries old Bavarian folk dance that is reduced here to its most elemental form. Working between dance, performance art, and anthropological ritual, Sciarroni deploys the body in all its sweaty physicality to push the limits of human potential in this visceral, mesmerizing piece. Sponsored by Italian Cultural Institute and French Institute Alliance Francaise (FIAF). Admission: free: open to the public. Contact: Fabio Troisi 212-8794242 ([email protected]). Oct 1 - 31 “How to Create, Produce, Promote, and Profit from Positive, Permanent Portrayals of Ethnicity, Race, Gender, and Religion in American Mass MediaEntertainment, News, and Advertising” Greeting: Whereas: Whereas: Whereas: Whereas: Whereas: Italian history and traditions are a unique source of pride to Italian Americans, who have made tremendous contributions of their own to our great borough, city, state, and nation; and Italians and Italian-Americans have pioneered innovations in industry, design, and creativity toward improving the lives of all humankind; and to celebrate these accomplishments, the Italian Heritage & Culture Committee of New York (IHCC-NY) has selected as its 2015 theme: “Italian Creativity: Celebrating Fifty Years of Science and Technology; New York World’s Fair 1965 – Expo Milano 2015”; and Queens enjoys a distinct legacy as host of both the 1939/40 and 1964/65 World’s Fairs, historic events that took place in Flushing Meadows-Corona Park. We commend EXPO Milano for continuing the tradition by naming its exposition “Feeding the Planet; Energy for Life” and by showcasing advances in science and technology; and I salute Joseph Sciame, President and Chair of the IHCC-NY for coordinating a month of events together with the Italian Consulate, government leaders, and community organizations, highlighting the importance of Italian American discoveries to the past, present, and future that we share. Now, therefore, I, Melinda Katz, president of the Borough of Queens in the City of New York, do hereby proclaim the month of October as Italian Heritage & Culture Month in Queens, in grateful recognition of the many accomplishments and contributions of Italian Americans to the World’s Borough, to the City and State of New York, and to the United States of America. Done at Queens Borough Hall, Kew Gardens, in the City of New York, on this first day of October in the year two thousand and fifteen. Day of Week: seven days. Time: to be scheduled. Morelli Art Museum & Design Studio ◗ MorelliART.com/National ◗ braveheartsandminds.com/serious ● American Mass Media expert and internationally-recognized artist, author, and educator, Patrick Morelli, gives an entertaining, illuminating, and inspiring presentation that illustrates and describes the nature of mass media and the present status of one’s ethnicity, race, gender, and religion in the popular media hierarchy of American heroes and villains. He then shares and explains realistic, workable, time-proven techniques, methods, and directions on how to create, produce, promote, and profit from Positive, Permanent Portrayals of Ethnicity, Race, Gender, and Re- Melinda Katz President of the Borough of Queens ligion in American Mass Media-Entertainment, News, and Advertising. View Morelli’s visual arts and literary websites: Visual Arts Website: www. MorelliART.com-National Monuments to Dr. King, the victims of the September 11th attacks, and the prestigious “La Bellissima America” sculpture. Literary Website: www.braveheartsandminds.com-serious and comic novels portraying Italians and Italian American male and female main characters as heroic, intelligent, socially and politically-prominent, and deeply human professional people, 58 | i-Italy ny | September-October 2015 | www.i-ItalyNY.com and fathers and mothers, and dare one add, “sophisticated” in the best sense of the word--perhaps, the first time such characters have been featured in the history of American literature and, hopefully, one day soon in Hollywood movies and television dramas. Available on-line in hard cover or Ebook format. Sponsored by Morelli Art Museum & Design Studio. Interested individuals contact Patrick to schedule a presentation. New York City and Albany. Admission: free; open to the public. Contact: Patrick Morelli ([email protected]). Oct 1 The Philip V. Cannistraro Seminar Series in Italian American Studies. An Unlikely Union: The Love-Hate Story of New York’s Irish and Italians, Paul Moses, Brooklyn College, CUNY 6:00 pm John D. Calandra Italian American Institute, Queens College/CUNY, www.i-Italy.org Events ➜ Calendar ica will be held at Russo’s on the Bay in Howard Beach, Queens. This year’s honorees include: Minister Natalia Quintavale, Consul General of Italy in New York; Commissioner, New York Police Department, William Bratton; Angelo Vivolo, President, Columbus Citizens Foundation, and Philip Foglia, Deputy Inspector General, NYS. Sponsored by Lt. Det. Joseph Petrosino Association in America, Inc. Admission: $150; open to the public. Contact: Robert Fonti 631-626-4256 (vjmco@ hotmail.com). Adventures in Italian Opera 6:30 pm Casa Italiana Zerilli-Marimò (NYU), 24 West 12th Street ◗ casaitaliananyu.org ● Guest TBA. Program subject to change. Please visit www.casaitaliananyu.org. All events are free and open to the public. Seating is on a first-come-first-serve basis. Sponsored by Casa Italiana ZerilliMarimò, New York University. Contact: Kostja Kostic 212-998-8739. Oct 2 Sixth Annual Italian Flag Raising Ceremony 12:30 pm ● In celebration of Italian-American Heritage Month in New Jersey. One Bergen County Plaza, Piazza Hackensack, NJ. Calabria guerriera e ribelle - Calabria, warrior and rebel 6:00 pm John D. Calandra Italian American Institute, Queens College/CUNY, 25 West 43rd Street, Manhattan ◗ qc.edu/calandra 25 West 43rd Street, Manhattan ◗ qc.edu/calandra ● Starting in the nineteenth century, Irish Americans and Italian Americans found themselves at odds: in the Catholic Church, on the waterfront, at construction sites, and in the streets. But after World War II the two communities made peace, via intermarriage on a large scale. In his book An Unlikely Union: The Love-Hate Story of New York’s Irish and Italians (New York University Press, 2015), veteran New York City journalist Paul Moses unfolds www.i-Italy.org this story of how two of America’s largest ethnic groups learned to live with each other in the wake of decades of animosity. Illustrative examples include: the love affair between radical labor organizers Elizabeth Gurley Flynn and Carlo Tresca; hero detective Joseph Petrosino’s struggle to be accepted in the Irishrun NYPD; and Frank Sinatra’s competition with Bing Crosby to be the country’s top male vocalist. With this engaging history, Moses demonstrates that Americans are able to absorb and be transformed by social change and conflict. Sponsored by John D. Calandra Italian American Institute, Queens College/CUNY. Admission: free; open to the public. RSVP by calling 212- 642-2094. Please note that seating is limited, and unable to reserve seats. 2015 Petrosino Annual Gala 6:30 pm Russo’s on the Bay, Crossbay Blvd., Howard Beach, Queens, NY ● The annual gala for the Lt. Det. Joseph Petrosino Association in Amer- ● Presentation of book by author Giampiero Mele. A cliché has it that in Calabria history is always in transit. Spartacus and Hannibal had gone to Calabria not to pass through but to recruit warriors and to organize. Julia, daughter of Augustus, which can be considered the Lady Diana of 2000 years ago, was confined to Reggio Calabria and died there because of Emperor Toberio, her ex-husband. In this book several Calabria lovers or travelers express their feelings for this Region that has much history and beauty yet to be discovered. Sponsored by: Coni-Italian National Olympic Comiitee USA; The John D. Calandra www.i-ItalyNY.com | September-October 2015 | i-Italy ny | 59 Events ➜ Calendar Italian American Institute, Queens College/CUNY; Italian Heritage and Culture Committee of NY, Inc. Admission: free; open to the public. Contact: Mico Delianova LIcastro 631-566-0257. Music: A Night of Romantic Italian Opera 7:00 pm Westchester Italian Cultural Center, One Generoso Pope Place, Tuckahoe, NY ◗ wiccny.org ● Come and be swept off your feet with a sampling of some of the most cherished Italian romantic arias. Join us for an evening of music and love, presented by the talented artists of New York City-based Amore Opera. Meet the artist at a reception following the concert. This program has been made possible by the collaboration of the Scarsdale Women’s Club and it will take place at the Scarsdale Women’s Club, located at 37 Drake Road in Scarsdale. Must register in advance and prepay. To register, call the Westchester Italian Cultural Center at 914-771-8700. Admission: $45; Payment by cash or check only. Contact: Patrizia Calce 914-771-8700 ext. 109 ([email protected]). A Haunted Evening at the Museum 7:30 pm Garibaldi-Meucci Museum, 420 Tompkins Avenue, Staten Island ◗ garibaldimeuccimuseum.org ● A Haunted Evening Tour at the Gar ibaldi-Meucci Museum conducted by Brian Cano of “Haunted Collector” and Chris Mancuso from “Scared.” They will present what is known as a “Paranormal 10l,” an introduction to the Museum and grounds tour. A presentation of their time there and activity witnessed and a small investigation therein. Sponsored by Gar ibaldi-Meucci Museum. Admission: $50; open to the public. Contact: Carol Berardi 718-442-1608 ([email protected]). Howard Beach Columbus Day Foundation 10th Annual Gala Dinner Dance and Nicky Guida of 2 – 2 Entertainment. Sponsored by Howard Beach Columbus Day Foundation Inc. Admission: $135; RSVP by September 25th. Contact: 718-641-3469. Oct 2-3 & 16-17 Performances in Color 7:00 pm Russo’s on the Bay, Crossbay Blvd., Howard Beach, Queens, NY 8:00 pm Our Lady of Pompeii Theater, 238 Bleecker Street (Carmine Street), Manhattan ● Honoring Msgr. Jamie J. Gigantello, Rocco DiRico and Salvatore J. Armao. Featuring Angelo Venuto and DJs Jack LaSala of Satisfaction Guaranteed ● A variety of performing arts as a spontaneous inspiration to a painting to be auctioned at the end of the show. Sponsored by Italytime. Admission: 60 | i-Italy ny | September-October 2015 | www.i-ItalyNY.com $25; open to the public. Contact: Maureen Gonzalez 212-860-2983 ([email protected]). Oct 3 The Legacy of the Roman Empire 2:00 pm Garibaldi-Meucci Museum, 420 Tompkins Avenue, Staten Island ◗ garibaldimeuccimuseum.org ● Professor Lou Leonini will give a talk on the Roman Empire. Professor Leonini has had a long association with Italian and Italian-American history and culture. His specialty is Italian Studies, and teaches and lectures regularly at the Garibaldi-Meucci Museum and other organizations within the tri state area. Admission: $10; $5 for members; open to the public. Contact: Carol Berardi 718-442-1608 ([email protected]). Oct 4 Italian Heritage Day 10:00 am - 3:00 pm Senator John Heinz History Center, 1212 Smallman Street; Pittsburgh, PA ◗ heinzhistorycenter.org ● Tu e la tua famiglia are cordially invited to commemorate your Italianità at the History Center with a full day www.i-Italy.org Events ➜ Calendar code: IHCM for discount. Contact: Arthur Kenney 646-756-5393 ([email protected]). Embroidered Stories: Interpreting Women’s Domestic Needlework from the Italian Diaspora 2:00 pm American Labor Museum/Botto House, 83 Norwood Street, Haledon, NJ ● Editors Edvige Giunta and Joseph Sciorra present an interdisciplinary collection of creative work and scholarly essays about embroidery, crochet, and sewing, and Italian immigration. The book’s transnational perspective includes memoir, poetry, and visual art about Italian immigrants and their descendants in Argentina, Australia, Canada, and United States. Sponsored by American Labor Museum/Botto House National Landmark. Admission: free; open to the public. Contact: Angelica Santomauro 973-595-7953 ([email protected]). “Regina Pops” Concert 3:00 pm Our Lady of Perpetual Help School Auditorium, 5902 6th Avenue, Brooklyn ◗ reginaopera.org ● Regina Opera soloists will present a 2-hour concert of well-known opera and Broadway selections and Italian songs. Sponsored by Regina Opera Company. Admission: $15; open to the public. Contact: Fran Garber 718-2592772 ([email protected]). Oct 6 of interactive activities designed with K-12 students in mind. In honor of Italian Heritage Month, local community groups and museum staff will facilitate educational activities on every floor of the museum. Activities are conceived in a manner that will allow all members of the family to work together to learn about Italian American history and culture. Intergenerational participation is encouraged, so bring tua madre, tuo padre, tua nonna, tuo nonno, tua zia, tuo zio, e tutti i tuoi fratelli, sorelle e cugini. Besides fun family activities, Italian Heritage Day will also feature an Italian American bazaar in the Mueller Center with vendors, live entertainment, and information tables about local Italian groups. www.i-Italy.org Learn how you can celebrate your Italian heritage all year round! Sponsored by Senator John Heinz History Center/Mascaro Construction. Admission: regular museum admission for adults, free for children 17 & under; open to the public. Contact: Melissa E. Marinaro, Curator, Italian American Program 412-454-6426 (memarinaro@ heinzhistorycenter.org). 12th Annual Italian Heritage Festival of Gloucester County 11:00 am - 5:00 pm River Winds Community Center, 1000 River Winds Drive West, Deptford, NJ ● Micheal Castaldo will sing classic Italian songs, American hit songs sung in Italian, and chart topping original songs from his 6 CDs. Sponsored by Gloucester County Italian Heritage Foundation and the New York City Olive Oil Cooperative. Admission: free; open to the public. Contact: Charlotte Jayne 631-2566515 ([email protected]). EURO CLASSIC 12:30 pm Madison Square Garden, Manhattan ● Basketball game between EA7 Olimpia Milano vs. Maccabi Electra Tel Aviv. Sponsored by Euro League Basketball. Admission: Call Box Office at 212-645-6080 and use promo The American Foundation of Savoy Orders. The Thirteenth Annual Savoy History Lecture, Reception and Dinner 6:00 pm (lecture) 7:00 pm (reception) 8:00 pm (optional dinner) The Knickerbocker Club, 2 East 62nd Street, Manhattan ● Savoy Lecture Series Chairman, Gr. Uff. Marco Grassi introduces the lecture “Exploring Giuseppe Verdi’s Enduring Legacy: Italy’s Risorgimento, Unification under the House of Savoy, and Beyond” by August Ventura. $175.00 per person (Lecture, Reception & Dinner). $125.00 per person (Lecture and Reception). www.i-ItalyNY.com | September-October 2015 | i-Italy ny | 61 Events ➜ Calendar Contact: 212‐972‐1100, Ext. 245; Fax: 212‐983‐5271 ([email protected]; www.savoia.org). Bogliasco Foundation Yearly Presentation LA SCUOLA D’ITALIA GUGLIELMO MARCONI www.lascuoladitalia.org Fall Open House Events Lower School 10/7/15 Upper School 10/8/15 To register or for further information, please visit: www.lascuoladitalia.org As the only Italian bilingual and bicultural school (PreK-12) in North America, deeply rooted in the European classical tradition, La Scuola d’Italia offers a strong foundation in liberal arts, mathematics, and science as well as an indepth study and appreciation of American, European, and Italian civilization and culture. Its curriculum fosters intellectual stimulation and personal growth and is open to innovation and to new technologies. Students receive a thorough multicultural and multidisciplinary education, developing the international understanding and openness needed to become productive and ethical participants in the ever more integrated world we live in. The curriculum in two languages is challenging so as to permit students at the end of the Liceo to reach high levels of bilingualism. A variety of opportunities for expression in the fields of art, drama, and music complement this rigorous program. Knowledge of Italian is not a prerequisite for admission to Pre-K through 6th grade. To best serve our international student population, La Scuola d’Italia maintains a policy of rolling admissions. 62 | i-Italy ny | September-October 2015 | www.i-ItalyNY.com 6:00 pm Casa Italiana Zerilli-Marimò (NYU), 24 West 12th Street, Manhattan ◗ casaitaliananyu.org ● Program subject to change. Please visit our website. All events are free and open to the public. Seating is on a first-come-first-serve basis. Sponsored by Casa Italiana ZerilliMarimò, New York University. Contact: Kostja Kostic 212-998-8739. Oct 7 Geography of Shame - A Fictionalized Memoir 12:20 - 1:10 pm College of Staten Island, Campus Center Building 1C, 2800 Victory Blvd, Staten Island ◗ csi.cuny.edu ● Professor Maryann Feola from the English Department of CSI/CUNY tells an interwoven story of the mythological and historical challenges characteristic of southern Italy, a haunting some emigrants unwittingly carried when they crossed the Atlantic that was inherited by future generations. Sponsored by Center for International Service/ College of Staten Island, CUNY. Admission: free; open to the public Contact: Winnie Brophy 718-9822100 ([email protected]). “From The Echoes of Mulberry Street to the Italian Folk Revival of the 1970s” 6:10 pm Columbia University Italian Department, 116th Street and Broadway, Manhattan ◗ italianacademy.columbia.edu ● Presented by John La Barbera, highlights the vast repertoire of Italian immigrant music composed and published in New York City in the early 20th century, as well as recounting the Italian folk music revival in Italy during the 1970s and the exchange between Italian and Italian American musicians. Sponsored by Columbia University Italian Department. Admission: open to the public. Contact: Dr. JoAnn Cavallo ([email protected]). Emanuele Arciuli, “Five Versions of Darkness” 7:00 pm The Italian Academy for Advanced Studies in America, 1161 Amsterdam Avenue (south of 118th Street), Manhattan ◗ italianacademy.columbia.edu ● A recital of works on piano by Busoni, Crumb, Faur, Liszt, and Schumann, performed by Emanuele Arciuli. Sponsored by The Italian Academy for Advanced Studies in America. Admission: free; open to the public. Contact: Allison Jeffrey 212-854-2306 ([email protected]). Oct 8 Young Professionals Networking Event 6:00 - 8:00 pm Location: Manhattan TBD ● Join us for a Young Professionals networking reception. Connect with other Italian American young professionals in the city and bond over shared heritage! Sponsored by Greater New York Region, NOIAW. Admission: Advance ticket purchase required. Contact: visit noiaw.org or call Beth Connolly 212-642-2003. Exhibit: Abruzzo and Molise, Yesterday and Today. Opening ceremony 6:30 pm Westchester Italian Cultural Center, One Generoso Pope Place, Tuckahoe, NY ◗ wiccny.org ● The exhibit Abruzzo and Molise, Yesterday and Today represents a journey through the regions of Abruzzo and Molise, a single combined region until 1963. Located at the bottom of the Apennine Mountains, only a few hours from the Eternal City and still predominantly untouched by tourism, these highlands offer natural beauty and unique wildlife. From the breathtaking ancient hilltop villages, home to Italy’s oldest national park, to Neolithic caves, Roman ruins and the best beaches in the country. The people of these regions have been shepherds since the Bronze Age, and only in the last half-century has their way of like begun to transform. The region has slowly regained economic www.i-Italy.org Events ➜ Calendar growth, despite being hit by the devastating earthquake of 2009, when over 300 people died, and 65,000 were left homeless. The exhibit highlights the region’s natural resources, ancient history, culture and traditions. Through ancillary programs we will highlight not only the social history of memories and traditions, but also their craftsmanship, literature, and, of course, their culinary excellence! The exhibit will be open to the public until November 20. For a detailed list of programs and events associated with this exhibit please visit website wiccny.org. Contact: Patrizia Calce 914-771-8700 ext. 109 ([email protected]). A Tribute to Frank Sinatra 7:30 pm Cellini Lodge #2206, OSIA, Marcus Christ Hall, Jericho Turnpike and New Hyde Park Road, New Hyde Park ● A celebration of his songs and music to acknowledge his 100th Birthday. Collation to follow. Sponsored by Cellini Lodge #2206, OSIA. Admission: free; open to the public. Contact: Jean Gagliardo 516-935-05084 (Jgagliardo1@ optimum.net). Oct 8 - 31 A New Play by Mario Fratti 8:00 pm (Thursday, Friday, Saturday);3:00 pm (Sunday) Theater for the New City, 1st Avenue, Manhattan ● Contact: Mario Fratti 212-582-6697. Oct 9 Raising the Italian and American Flags in Honor of Italian Creativity: Celebrating 50 Years of Science and Technology; New York World’s Fair 1965 – Expo Milano 2015 12:00 pm Mother Italy, Sculpture located at Poses Park, East 68th Street, between Lexington and 3rd Avenues, Manhattan ◗ csi.cuny.edu ● Uff. Joseph Sciame, President, Italian Heritage and Culture Committee of New York, Inc. will officiate at the ceremony to honor “Italian Creativity: Celebrating 50 Years of Science and Technology; New York World’s www.i-Italy.org Fair 1965 – Expo Milano 2015” at the “Mother Italy” statue by Giuseppe Massari. Attending dignitaries will include Minister Natalia Quintavalle. Sponsored by the Italian Heritage and Culture Committee of New York, Inc., the John D. Calandra Italian American Institute, Queens College/CUNY, and Hunter College/CUNY. Special Honoree: TBA. Luncheon: TBA. Contact: Joan Migliori 212-642-2094 ([email protected]). Abruzzo & Molise in Tavola & PreDinner Jazz Concert 6:00 (Concert); 7:00 (Dinner ) Westchester Italian Cultural Center, One Generoso Pope Place, Tuckahoe, NY ◗ wiccny.org ● Tradition can be found on the table as unique flavor created by the meeting of two regions, Abruzzo and Molise. Unique dishes and flavors are the expression of a peasant and pastoral culture that have become current in through the hospitality and love of tradition of the people of Abruzzo and Molise. The evening will start at 6:00 pm with a live concert entitled Naples in My Heart, a musical journey through the blending of Classical Neapolitan Song Tradition and American Jazz Traditions, presented by Luca Santaniello and his Jazz Band Quartet. A celebration of authentic food of Abruzzo & Molise, five courses sit down dinner featuring fine products & wines from participating sponsors, exquisitely prepared by Rosanna Cooking. About Luca Santaniello: Originally from Campobasso, Italy, Luca Santaniello is a drummer, composer, and educator living in New York City. His proficiency in many different musical situations and settings and his strong versatility on the drums have earned him wholehearted praise in the United States, Europe, and South America. He entered the international scene by performing with some of the great masters of jazz, such as Joe Lovano, Ron Carter, Lee Konitz, Benny Golson, Roy Hargrove and Joe Locke. “His talent makes him very unique – especially to the jazz world, where Luca Santaniello has proven his high commitment to the music.” Hot House Jazz Magazine NYC, Gwen Clavier. About Rosanna Cooking: Rosanna Di Michele is a native of Abruzzo, who loves to share her passion for Abruzzo’s typical cuisine: ancient skills passed from generation to generation and not taught in any school. Rosanna grew up in the kitchen, helping her parents R E N EW IN G P O S IL L IP O • R E N EW IN G O UR FA IT H RE NE WI NG P OSI L L I P O . RE NE WI NG OUR FA I T H Vivian Cardia and the entire Board of Directors of The Foundation for the Pontifical Institute of Theology at Posillipo Salute the Italian Heritage & Culture Committee of New York as they celebrate ITALIAN CREATIVITY Working to restore and renew the Seminary and Institute at Posillipo RESTORE • RENEW • REVITALIZE PONTIFICAL INSTITUTE OF THEOLOGY The mission of The Foundation for the Pontifical Institute of Theology at Posillipo (“The Posillipo Foundation”) is to support the restoration and renewal of the Institute’s buildings and programs. The Institute includes a seminary in which 100 men are currently in formation for priesthood and a graduate program in theology for 350 other individuals including lay people and religious. The Pontifical Institute of Theology at Posillipo was entrusted by Pope Pius X in 1910 to the Society of Jesus. Alumni of the Institute include Cardinals, Bishops, and theologians. Its impact is profound, global, and enduring. For more information: [email protected] www.seminarioposillipo.it www.posillipofoundation.org (under construction) YouTube: Pontifical Institute of Theology at Posillipo www.i-ItalyNY.com | September-October 2015 | i-Italy ny | 63 Events ➜ Calendar with their family-owned restaurant. Her affinity for cooking continued as she refined her skills and became a private chef and an ambassador of Abruzzo’s culinary traditions and distinctive products. Admission: Members $60; Non Members $75. Contact: Patrizia Calce 914-771-8700 ext. 109 (pcalce@ wiccny.org). East Hanover Italian American Columbus Day Dinner T E L E V I S I O N F O R T H E ITALIAN AMERIC AN E X P E R I E N C E presents the 9th Annual ITALIAN HERITAGE & CULTURE MONTH Special Episodes 2015 October 8, 15, 22, 29 9 am, 3 pm, 9 pm CUNY TV FOUR ONE-HOUR EPISODES ITALICS regular monthly program airs October 28! cuny.tv/show/italics I TA L I C S I S H O S T E D B Y Anthony Tamburri, Executive Producer Lucia Grillo, Producer East Hanover Manor, 16 Eagle Rock A venue, East Hanover, NJ ● Micheal Castaldo will be honored as the EHIAC Music Achievement Award Recipient for his outstanding performances, arranging and composing talents for keeping the Italian language alive and in the forefront of entertainment and the arts. Sponsored by East Hanover Italian American Club. Admission: $100. Contact: William Agnellino 973 -884-3525. Oct 9 - Jan 6 Alberto Burri: The Trauma of Painting Solomon R. Guggenheim Museum, 1071 Fifth Avenue (at 89th Street) Manhattan ◗ guggenheim.org ● This major retrospective exhibition, the first in the United States in more than 35 years and the most comprehensive ever mounted, showcases the pioneering work of Italian artist Alberto Burri (1915; 1995). Exploring the beauty and complexity of Burri’s process-based works, the exhibition positions the artist as a central and singular protagonist of post-World War II art. Sponsored by Italian Cultural Institute. Contact: Fabio Troisi ([email protected]). Oct 10 Columbus Day Festival at Historic Richmond Town 12:00 - 5:00 pm Historic Richmond Hill Town, 441 Clark Avenue, Staten Island, New York 10306 ◗ historicrichmondtown.org ItalicsTV @ItalicsTV youtube.com/ItalicsTV 64 | i-Italy ny | September-October 2015 | www.i-ItalyNY.com ● “Last year’s event was a resounding success, and we hope to build on that success to make this year’s festival even better,” said BP Oddo. “Our goal is to provide Staten Islanders with a celebration of the contributions made by those of Italian descent. The event will be informative, educational, and a whole lot of fun.” Ed Wiseman, Coordinator of the event, added: What an honor it is to work with Borough Hall and local leaders on this spectacular event. It’s a thrill to see all the smiles, on faces from people ages eight to 80, enjoying a quintessential part of the American experience. It’s simply meraviglioso!” For more information, go to http://www.historicrichmondtown.org. 38th Annual Queens Columbus Day Parade 11:00 am Assembling at Kaufman Studios, 34-11 36th Street, Astoria, NY ● Marches down Steinway Street to 30th Avenue and ends on Astoria Blvd. and the newly renamed Street Cav. Vincent Iannece Street. Cav. Iannece was the co-founder and driving force in reinstating this parade. Sponsored by Federation of Italian American Organizations of Queens, Inc. Admission: free; open to the public. Contact: Angie Markham 718-204-2444; Fax 718204-9145 ([email protected]). Italian Cultural Film: Passione 3:00 pm Italian Club of Westchester Community College, Gateway Bldg, Davis Theatre (Parking Lot 1) 75 Grasslands Road, Valhalla, NY ◗ sunywcc.edu ● John Turturro directed and also stars in this movie along with Max Casella and Angela Luce. The rich musical culture of Naples comes to life on the screen in this musicalthemed documentary; beginning with tunes written in the year 1200 and journeying straight through to the 21st century. Passione reveals how artists have used song to explore every subject from sexuality to protest, in a lively series of short musically driven vignettes. Sponsored by the Italian Club of Westchester Community College. Admission: free; open to the public. Contact: Prof. Frank Maddalena 914-606-6794 (frank.maddalena@ sunywcc.edu). Download the i-Italy App www.i-Italy.org Events ➜ Calendar Special Presentation: Abruzzesi nel Mondo: Mario = & Goffredo Palmerini 4:00 pm Westchester Italian Cultural Center, One Generoso Pope Place, Tuckahoe, NY ◗ wiccny.org ● Internationally acclaimed playwright and drama critic Mario Fratti and award-winning journalist Goffredo Palmerini will recount their lifetime experiences in their native town, L’Aquila, capital of Abruzzo. A Live performance by two professional actresses of Fratti’s award winning play Nine will follow. Prof. Mario Fratti is an internationally acclaimed playwright and theater critic. He is best known for his musical Nine, which in its original production in 1982 won the O’Neill Award, the Richard Rodgers Award, two Outer Critics Circle Awards, eight Drama Desk Awards, and five Tony Awards. In its 2003 revival, Nine, won three Outer Critics Circle Awards and two Tony Awards. Acclaimed journalist and author Goffredo Palmerini was born in L’Aquila, where he worked for over 30 years at the City Hall as Consigliere Comunale and Administrator. He writes for several papers and magazines, both local and international. In 2008, he won the XXXI Premio Internazionale Emigrazione as journalist and International Prize “Guerriero di Capestrano” for his contribution to the circulation of the Abruzzese culture in the world. Must register in advance and prepay. Admission: Members $15; Non-Members $25. Contact: Patrizia Calce 914-771-8700 ext. 109 (pcalce@ wiccny.org). Italian American Writers Association Reading Series 5:30 pm Sidewalk Café, 94 Avenue A & 6th Street, Manhattan ◗ iawa.net ● Maria Mazziotti Gillan has authored more than 20 poetry collections, is the Founder/Executive Director of the Poetry Center at Passaic County Community College in Paterson, NJ and editor of the Paterson Literary Review and recipient of the 2014 George Garrett Award for Outstanding Community Service in Literature from AWP (Association of Writers and Writing Programs), while poet and translator Michael www.i-Italy.org Palma has published translations of nine modern and contemporary Italian poets; his terza rima translation of Dante’s work, Inferno: A New Verse Translation has won high praise. The Italian American Association will celebrate its 25th Anniversary in 2016. Since 1991, IAWA has given voice to writers through its literary series every second Saturday of the months. Readings begin with an Open Mic. Sponsored by IAWA. Admission: $8 includes complimentary drink; open to the public. Contact: Maria Lisella 718-777-1178 ([email protected]). JOHN D. C A LA NDRA ITA LIA N A MERIC A N INSTIT UT E Oct 11 East Hanover Italian American Club Columbus Day Parade 11 :00 am Ridgedale Avenue, East Hanover, NJ ● Cheer Micbeal Castaldo on, as the Grand Marshall for the 2015 Columbus Day Parade in East Hanover, New Jersey. Sponsored by East Hanover Italian American Club. Parade will be held along Ridgedale A venue, East Hanover, NJ Admission: free; open to the public. Contact: William Agnellino 973-884-3525. Annual Columbus Dinner Dance 2:00 pm The Stone Manor 101, 101 Saw Mill River Road, Hawthorne, NY ● Honorees: Retired Judge Francis Nicolai and the Honorable Carl Fulgenzi, Supervisor, Town of Mount Pleasant, NY. Sponsored by The Kensico Italian American Society. Admission: $95; open to the public. Contact: Flavia 914-769-8120. Oct 13 Center for Italian Studies, Stony Brook University Richard Nasti Lecture Series Event 2:30 pm Stony Brook University, Harriman Hall, Room 137, 100 Nicolls Road, Stony Brook, NY ● Lecture Presentation by Alessandro Del Ponte (Political Science, Stony Brook University) on the topic: The Challenges of the Economic Crisis in Italy and the EU: The Role of European Identity. Sponsored by Center for Ital- The Italian American Review, a biannual, peerreviewed journal of the John D. Calandra Italian American Institute, publishes scholarly articles about the history and culture of Italian Americans, as well as other aspects of the Italian diaspora. The journal embraces a wide range of professional concerns and theoretical orientations in the social sciences and cultural studies. SUBSCRIPTION RATES $15 Student/Senior • $20 Individual • $$40 Institution • $$50 Int’l Airmail To subscribe online go to qc.edu/calandra. Under the publications menu, click on Italian American Review and scroll down to the subscribe button to make a secure PayPal purchase by credit card. Or mail a note along with your check or money order made payable to “Queens College/Calandra Italian American Institute” to: Italian American Review Subscriptions John D. Calandra Italian American Institute 25 West 43rd Street, 17th floor New York, NY 10036 For more information, or if you are interested in submitting an article for consideration, go to qc.edu/calandra. Under the publications menu, click on Italian American Review. www.i-ItalyNY.com | September-October 2015 | i-Italy ny | 65 Events ➜ Calendar ian Studies, Stony Brook University. Admission: free; open to the public. Contact Person: Jo Fusco 631-632-7444; Fax 631-632-7421 (josephine.fusco@ stonybrook.edu). Proudly supports Italian Heritage & Culture Committee of New York, Inc. 39th Anniversary of Italian Heritage and Culture Month Elda Coccia, Founder Elisa Coccia, President Symposium: The Italian Diaspora in North America 6:00 pm John D. Calandra Italian American Institute, Queens College/CUNY, 25 West 43rd Street, Manhattan ◗ qc.edu/calandra ● This symposium will revisit aspects of the Italian diaspora in North America in its numerous manifestations: anthropological, cultural, aesthetic, and so on. Speakers will include the president of the University of Calabria, Gino Crisci, other members of UniCal’s faculty and administration, and scholars from the Calandra Institute and other CUNY campuses. Moderated by Anthony Julian Tamburri, Dean. Sponsored by the University of Calabria and the John D. Calandra Italian American Institute, Queens College/CUNY. Admission: free; open to the public. Contact: 212-642-2094. Ladyvette Cabaret Musical Performance 6:00 pm Casa Italiana Zerilli-Marimò (NYU), 24 West 12th Street, Manhattan ◗ casaitaliananyu.org ● Program subject to change. Please visit our website. All events are free and open to the public. Seating is on a first-come-first-serve basis. Sponsored by Casa Italiana Zerilli-Marimò, New York University. Contact: Kostja Kostic 212-998-8739. Italy’s Earliest Settlers 7:00 pm The Italian Cultural Foundation at Casa Belvedere, 79 Howard Avenue, Staten Island ◗ casa-belvedere.org 66 | i-Italy ny | September-October 2015 | www.i-ItalyNY.com ● The Roman Empire was one of the greatest civilizations in history. It began in Rome in 753 BC., at the height of its power it controlled over two million square miles stretching from the Rhine River to Egypt and from Britain to Asia Minor. Professor Louis Leonini will discuss the rise and fall of the world’s first superpower, focusing on momentous turning points that shaped Roman history. It is an interesting story on who were the earliest settlers on the Italian penin- sula, where did they come from and what was their legacy? Phoenicians, Etruscans, and Greeks - What did they contribute to the early development of Ancient Rome? Sponsored by The Italian Cultural Foundation at Casa Belvedere. Admission: $25 donation per person includes refreshments; open to the public. Contact: Marian Rodi 718273-7660 ([email protected]). Oct 14 Book Presentation: L’uomo che ascoltava le 500, by Francesco Paolo Tanzj 2:00 pm Westchester Italian Cultural Center, One Generoso Pope Place, Tuckahoe, NY ◗ wiccny.org ● L’uomo che ascoltava le 500 is a presentation of 13 unpublished short stories. Based on autobiographic episodes, the stories and events are narrated with different asymmetrical rhythms: dramatic, contemplative, thoughtful, ironic. The result is a text with a strong existentialist nature, describing a man in his authenticity, in his desire for liberation, but also tangled in his despair. The entire collection closes with the author expressing his personal considerations (in some cases controversy) on creative writing in general and the conditions of contemporary Italian literature. Francesco Paolo Tanzj lives in Agnone, Molise, where, for many years, he has been promoting the Readings of Contemporary Poetry. He published the novel Un paradiso triste (A sad paradise) in 2007, and five poetry books: Aggregazioni (1974), Oltre (1995), Grande Orchestra Jazz (1996), Per dove non sono stato mai (2002), Oltre i confini - Beyond Boundaries (2008). The latter was co-written with the English poet Jessica d’Este, with translation English-Italian. His latest publication in 2012 is the anthology L’oceano ingordo dei pensieri. Admission: Suggested donation $10; registration is required. Contact: Patrizia Calce 914-771-8700 ext. 109 (pcalce@ wiccny.org). AdDRESSing Style: Scott Schuman (the Sartorialist) 6:00 pm Casa Italiana Zerilli-Marimò (NYU), 24 West 12th Street, Manhattan ◗ casaitaliananyu.org www.i-Italy.org Events ➜ Calendar ● Program subject to change. Please visit our website. All events are free and open to the public. Seating is on a first-come-first-serve basis. Sponsored by Casa Italiana Zerilli-Marimò, New York University. Contact: Kostja Kostic 212-998-8739. Oct 14 - Nov 18 AIAE Networking Luncheon 7:00 pm (Wednesday evenings ) The Garibaldi-Meucci Museum, 420 Tompkins Avenue, Staten Island ◗ GaribaldiMeucciMuseum.org ● This 6-week class will elicit an appreciation for both seasoned opera lovers and new-comers alike, exciting the appetites of all those who especially love Italian Opera. You will hear recorded musical excerpts by some of the world’s greatest singers, follow libretti, see live video performances and gain insights into the minds and souls of the composers whose works still affect us today. Join us for an experience of intellectual stimulation and musical pleasure. Sponsored by GaribaldiMucci Museum. Admission: $125; $110 for members; open to the public. Contact: Carol Berardi 718-442-1608 (info@ garibaldimeuccimuseum.org). Oct 15 Congressman Vito Marcantonio: Champion of Immigrant Rights 2:00 pm Hostos Community College, 500 Grand Concourse, C-391, Bronx ● Vito Marcantonio served as a congressman for East Harlem from 1934—50. During, this time he forged a powerful alliance between the Italian and Puerto Rican communities. His advocacy for immigrant rights was a central part of his leadership for a progressive political agenda. Presenter: Professor Gerald Myers. Entertainment/ Refreshments. Sponsored by the Italian American Council at CUNY, Office of Compliance and Diversity and SDEM of Hostos Community College. Admission: free; open to the public. Contact: Sue Miceli 718-518-4244 ([email protected]). Italian Woman Trailblazers Wine Tasting www.i-Italy.org 6:00 pm Location: Manhattan TBD ◗ noiaw.org ● Join us for an innovative guided wine tasting and networking event. We’ll taste fabulous wines produced only by Italian women winemakers and learn about the exceptional women who created them. Sponsored by Greater New York Region, NOIAW. Admission: advance ticket purchase required Contact: visit noiaw.org or call Beth Connolly 212-642-2003. “The MILANO of Giuseppe Verdi” - A Lecture & DVD Presentation by Lou Barrella 6:30 pm Italian American Museum, 155 Mulberry Street, Manhattan ◗ ItalianAmericanMuseum.org ● The city of Milan was an important location during the life of Giuseppe Verdi, however not without its contradictions. The Conservatory of Music which bears his name denied him entry as a young student. After five early opera premieres, he shunned La Scala for 36 years. Yet, Casa Ricordi, the famous publishing house, did much to encourage and promote Verdi’s works; and the composer’s greatest work, the Casa di Riposo, continues to exist as a home for retired musicians. As we celebrate Expo Milano 2015, these and other places like the Grand Hotel will be explored, all accompanied by the music of the opera world’s Grand Maestro! Sponsored by Italian American Museum. Admission: Suggested contribution $10; open to the public. Contact: Dr. Joseph Scelsa 212-965-9000 ([email protected]). With sincerest appreciation for all those who contribute to an admirable representation of ith sincerest appreciation Italians in America in all forms for all those who contribute to of life throughout the USA! an admirable representation of Italians in America in all forms of life throughout the USA! W Maria and anthony taMburri Maria and anthony taMburri Celebrating our Heritage Through Education & Cultural Philanthropy Oct 16 Independent Movie: C’era una volta la terra 6:30 pm Westchester Italian Cultural Center, One Generoso Pope Place, Tuckahoe, NY ◗ wiccny.org ● Screening of the documentary C’era una volta la terra, directed by Ilaria Jovine and Roberto Mariotti. A journey into the Molise region inspired by the stories of the renowned “molisano” writer Francesco Jovine. The love for his land is the focus of this documentary that will pass through the cities 2-‐-‐ 2015 Italian Creativity: Celebrating 50 Years of Science and Technology (1965-2015) President Cav. Uff. Dr. Thomas S. Bellavia 288 Boulevard, Hasbrouck Heights, NJ 07604 www.i-ItalyNY.com | September-October 2015 | i-Italy ny | 67 Events ➜ Calendar A HORTICULTURE SEMESTER IN FLORENCE Immerse yourself in Italian horticulture in Florence, A HORTICULTURE SEMESTER IN FLORENCE Italy. Study sustainable green environments, the Immerse yourself in Italian horticulture inculture Florence, Ahistory HORTICULTURE SEMESTER INthe FLORENCE of the Italian garden, and of A HORTICULTURE SEMESTER IN FLORENCE Italy. Study sustainable green environments, the grapes and wine production. Immerse yourself in Italian horticulture Florence, history of the Italian garden, and thein culture of Immerse yourself in Italian horticulture in Florence, Italy. Study sustainable green environments, the Intern and grapes participate in design practices in nature and wine production. Italy. Study sustainable green environments, the A HORTICULTURE SEMESTER FLORENCE history of thein Italian garden, the culture of while living the center of and theIN Renaissance. history of the Italian garden, and the culture of Intern and grapes participate design practices in nature and in wine production. Immerse yourself in Italian horticulture in Florence, grapes and wine production. while living in the center of the Renaissance. Italy.and Study sustainable green environments, the Intern participate in design practices in nature Intern and in designand practices in nature history ofparticipate theinItalian garden, the culture of while living the center of the Renaissance. while living in the center the Renaissance. grapes and wineof production. Intern and participate in design practices in nature while living in the center of the Renaissance. Visit www.farmingdale.edu/florence-horticulture Email [email protected] for more info! Visit www.farmingdale.edu/florence-horticulture Proudly presented by Farmingdale State College Email [email protected] for more info! in partnership with Florence University of the Arts Visit www.farmingdale.edu/florence-horticulture Proudly presented by Farmingdale State College Visit www.farmingdale.edu/florence-horticulture Email [email protected] for more info! in partnership with Florence University of the Arts Email [email protected] for more info! Proudly presented by Farmingdale State College Proudly presented by Farmingdale State College in partnership with Florence University of the Arts Visit www.farmingdale.edu/florence-horticulture in partnership with Florence University of the Arts Email [email protected] for more info! Proudly presented by Farmingdale State College in partnership with Florence University of the Arts Cellini Lodge Cellini Lodge No. 2206 No. 2206 Sponsored by the Sponsored the Cellini Charitableby Foundation ----------------------------------------Cellini Charitable Foundation ----------------------------------------ORDER SONS OF ITALY IN AMERICA ORDER ITALY IN A MERICA NewSONS HydeOFPark, New York New Hyde Park, New York ALFONSO SQUILLANTE ALFONSO SQUILLANTE President President 68 | i-Italy ny | September-October 2015 | www.i-ItalyNY.com of Venafro, Isernia, Pescolanciano, Agnone, Termoli, Larino, Guardialfiera, Casacalenda, Campobasso and Bojano. The goal is to represent the beauty, the rich history and traditions of the region, combining the images with the writing of Jovine. With the special participation of the governor of the Molise region, Paolo Di Laura Frattura. In Italian with English subtitle. Light reception will follow. Must register in advanced and prepay. Admission: Members $15; Non-Members $25. Contact: Patrizia Calce 914-7718700 ext. 109 ([email protected]). Oct 17 Harvest Art Festival 12:00 - 5:00 pm The Garibaldi-Meucci Museum, 420 Tompkins Avenue, Staten Island ◗ GaribaldiMeucciMuseum.org ● The Garibaldi-Meucci Museum will hold its first outdoor Art Festival. Artists and Crafters will present their works for sale. Artists wishing to participate should contact the Museum. A five foot space costs $50, 10 feet $75 and $100 for 15 feet. All artisans and musicians should call the museum at 718442-1608 for further information. Sponsored by Garibaldi- Meucci Museum. Admission: $5; open to the public. Contact: Carol Berardi 718-442-1608 (info@ garibaldimeuccimuseum.org). Lecture Series: Enchanting Venice - Murano: The History and Art of Glass Making and Its Famous Mosaics 10:30 am Westchester Italian Cultural Center, One Generoso Pope Place, Tuckahoe, NY ◗ wiccny.org ● The history of glass-making in Venice is almost as old as the city itself. The Island of Murano, just a 10 minute boat ride off the coast of Venice, is home to this world famous glass. Here for over 700 years, master craftsmen have honed their glass making skills, passing down this tradition from generation to generation. Toni McKeen will illustrate various types and uses of beautiful decorative glass, analyzing the magnificent splendor of Murano’s palaces and Veneto-Byzantine style churches, some with mosaics and ornamental motifs designed in the 12th century. Must register in advance and prepay. Admission: Mem- bers $15, Non-Members $25. Contact: Patrizia Calce 914-771-8700 ext. 109 ([email protected]). Let’s Cook Together! Cooking Classes for Children: Biscotti Caserecci - Homemade Cookies 2:00 pm Westchester Italian Cultural Center, One Generoso Pope Place, Tuckahoe, NY ◗ wiccny.org ● These homemade cookies without butter and without milk are delicious Sicilian biscuits from Catania. Easy to prepare, ideal to be milk dipped, these biscotti are great breakfast treats. Appropriate for all ages. Each class is 1 ½ to 2 hours long. Space is limited, early registration is suggested. Must register in advance and prepay. Admission: Children’s Fee: Members $30; NonMembers $40; Parent & Child Fee: Members $45, Non-Members $55; each additional person: Members $30, Non-Members $40. Contact: Patrizia Calce 914-771-8700 ext. 109 ([email protected]). Oct 18 Italian Musical and Comedy Show 3:00 pm Italian Club of Westchester Community College, 75 Grasslands Road, Valhalla, NY ◗ sunywcc.edu ● Enjoy the mesmerizing golden voice of Moreno Fruzetti, a professional Italian American singer who was awarded The Ambassador of Italian Music to America. Floyd Vivino will entertain you with his very unique Italian American humor. Sponsored by Italian Club of Westchester Community College. Hankin Academic Arts Building (Parking Lots 2 or 4). Admission: $20 Members; $25 for Non-Members; open to the public. Contact: Prof. Frank Maddalena 914-606-6794 ([email protected]). Oct 19 Friends of FAI Yearly Presentation 6:30 pm Casa Italiana Zerilli-Marimò (NYU), 24 West 12th Street, Manhattan ◗ casaitaliananyu.org www.i-Italy.org Events ➜ Calendar ● Program subject to change. Please visit our website. All events are free and open to the public. Seating is on a first-come-first-serve basis. Sponsored by Casa Italiana Zerilli-Marimò, New York University.Contact: Kostja Kostic 212-998-8739. Oct 20 Demonstration: “Italian Pasta Making” 12:00 - 2:00 pm York College, CUNY, 9420 Guy R. Brewer Boulevard, Jamaica, NY ◗ york.cuny.edu ● Contact: [email protected], 718-262-2462. Milano: A City of Paradox for Giuseppe Verdi 7:00 pm The Italian Cultural Foundation at Casa Belvedere, 79 Howard Avenue, Staten Island ◗ casa-belvedere.org ● A Lecture & DVD Presentation by Lou Barrella. The city of Milan was an important location during the life of Giuseppe Verdi, however not without its contradictions. The great Conservatory of Music which bears his name is the same world renowned school that denied him entry as a young student. The celebrated La Scala Opera House, which premiered five of his early operas, was shunned for 36 years by the internationally known composer until later in life due to artistic differences. Casa Ricordi, the famous Milanese publishing house, did much to encourage and promote Verdi’s works, but more importantly forged a lifelong, personal friendship with him. Sponsored by The Italian Cultural Foundation at Casa Belvedere. Admission: $25 per person includes refreshments; open to the public. Contact: Marian Rodi 718-273-7660 (info@ casa-belvedere.org). Oct 21 NCC 27th Annual Italian Heritage Day Program 9:00 am – 12:15 pm Nassau Community College, CCB Building 252-253, 1 Education Drive, Garden City, NY ● Theme: “The Italian Contributions to the United States from Food to Science.” Focus on Italian contributions www.i-Italy.org in the realm of food, especially Slow Food movement and science and technology - the latter originating during World War II and currently conducting important research on hypersonic speed in U.S. Session 1. 9:30 - 10:45 am: Slow Food Movement. Session 2. 11:00 am - 12:15 pm: Italian Technology in the United States. Sponsored by Nassau Community College. Admission: free; open to the public. Contact: Dr. Salvatore LaGumina 516-572-7422 (sallagumina@ yahoo.com). Lecture: “The Artistic Gems of the Uffizi Gallery” 11:15 am Italian Club of Westchester Community College, Gateway Bldg, Davis Theatre (Parking Lot 1) 75 Grasslands Road, Valhalla, NY ◗ sunywcc.edu ● Speaker: Cherise Gordon. Discover the artistic gems housed in the Uffizi Gallery in Florence. We will decode the symbolism in works such as Botticelli’s “Primavera” making the work much more understandable. As we discuss the aesthetic components of the art, much more glorious detail will be put into focus. This will be a fantastic artistic cultural voyage of one of the oldest and most prestigious art institutions in the world. Sponsored by Italian Club of Westchester Community College. Admission: free; open to the public. Contact: Prof. Frank Maddalena 914-606-6794 (frank.maddalena@ sunywcc.edu). Leonardo da Vinci Award Recipients The Leonardo da Vinci Award, by the Italian Heritage and Culture Committee of New York, Inc., is the highest recognition given to a distinguished individual who has demonstrated exemplary contributions to the Italian American community by the Italian Heritage and Culture. Prior Recipients to 2015: Anthony S. Fauci, M.D. Director of NIAID Prof. Joseph Tusani Herbert H. Lehman College, The City University of New York Guilio Terzi di Sant’Agata Terzi Minister of Foreign Affairs, Italy Gr. Uff. Matilda Raffa Cuomo Founder of Mentoring USA Michael Massimino, Ph.D. Astronaut Comm. Louis Tallarini, President Columbus Citizens Foundation Gr. Uff. Angelo Gimondo, Ph.D. Founder and President IHCC-NY, Inc., 1976-2006 Baronessa Mariuccia ZerilliMarimò Board of Trustees New York University Robert B. Cattell Past Chairman and CEO KeySpan Corporation Comm. Senator John J. Marchi New York State Senate Michael Capasso General Director DiCapo Opera Theatre A. Bartlett Giamatti, Ph.D. President, Yale University Dr. Edward J. Mortola President Emeritus Pace University Professor Robert R. Alfano Director, The City University of New York Center for Advanced Technology Cav. Anthony Brusco Senior Vice President Applied Graphics Technology Cav. Professor Mario Fratti Tony Award winning Playwright of Nine 2015 Leonardo da Vinci Award Recipient To Be Announced In October 2015 Il Giornalino Workshop 12:15 pm Queens College, 6530 Kissena Blvd., Flushing, NY ◗ qc.cuny.edu ● All college and high school students studying Italian are invited to participate in the 12th annual edition of Il Giornalino. Information on submission will be provided. Sponsored by Calandra Italian American Institute. Admission: free; open to the public. Contact: Joseph Grosso 718-997-5769 ( joseph.grosso @ qc.cuny.edu). Concert: Alessandra Garosi 6:00 pm Casa Italiana Zerilli-Marimò (NYU), 24 West 12th Street, Manhattan ◗ casaitaliananyu.org ● P rog ram subjec t to change. Please visit our website. All events are free and open to the public. Seating is on a f irst-come-f irstser ve basis. Sponsored by Casa Italiana Zerilli-Marimò, New York University. Contact: Kostja Kostic 212-998-8739. Pasta From Scratch - A Cooking Class at Sur La Table 6:30 pm Sur La Table, 1468 Northern Blvd, Manhasset, NY ◗ noiaw.org ● Lear n to make per fect pasta from scratch in this fun cooking class led by a professional chef at Sur La Table. We’ll prepare three types of pasta and three savor y sauces, then enjoy full portions of each dish with red wine. Sponsored by National Organization of Italian American Women, Long Island Network. Admission: Members $75; Non-members $ 85 Advance ticket purchase required. Contact: visit noiaw.org or call Beth Connolly 212-642-2003. Tra Storia e Tradizione: “The Mysteries of Campobasso and the ‘Nducciata” 6:30 pm Westchester Italian Cultural Center, One Generoso Pope Place, Tuckahoe, NY ◗ wiccny.org ● Lear n about the ancient and spectacular t radit ion of La n’ducciata and La Sagra dei Misteri di Campobasso, or Festival of Mysteries of Campobasso, which is considered one of the most significant www.i-ItalyNY.com | September-October 2015 | i-Italy ny | 69 Events ➜ Calendar Participating Colleges and Universities Activities listed in Calendar of Events Borough of Manhattan Community College/CUNY+ College of Staten Island/ CUNY Montclair State University Nassau Community College New York University Columbia University Queens College/CUNY Farmingdale State College St. John’s University Hofstra University Stony Brook/SUNY Hostos Community College/ CUNY Westchester Community College/SUNY Hunter College/CUNY York College/CUNY traditions in the histor y of the Molise region and represents the connection between past, present and future. Understand the historical value of the Mysteries is also to understand a city’s existence and beginning. Presented by Marilyn Ann Verna, Ed.D. Must register in advance and prepay. Admission: Members $15; Non-Members $25. Contact: Patrizia Calce 914-7718700 ext. 109 ([email protected]). Symposium: Alberto Burri at the Guggenheim 8:00 pm The Italian Academy, 1161 Amsterdam Avenue (south of 118th Street); Manhattan ◗ italianacademy.columbia.edu ● Concurrent with the Guggenheim Museum’s retrospective, and Alberto Burri: The Trauma of Painting, the symposium will address the exhibit itself as well as Burri’s work in the context of postwar and contemporary art. Panel: Ernest Ialongo (Hostos Community College, CUNY); Emily Braun (Hunter College and the Graduate Center, CUNY); Howard Singerman (Hunter College, CUNY); Ruth Ben-Ghiat (NYU); Noa Steimatsky (University of Chicago). Sponsored by The Italian Academy for Advanced Studies in America and the Seminar in Modern Italian Studies. Admission: free; open to the public. Contact: Allison Jeffrey 212-854-2306 ([email protected]). Oct 22 International Prize Gradiva 2015 for Italian Poetry 4:00 pm Stony Brook University, Center for International Studies, Melville Library, Room E-4340 ◗ stonybrook.edu ● This event is to celebrate the third International Poetry Prize, devoted to contemporary Italian poetry. President: Luigi Fontanella. Members of the International Jury: Alessandro Carrera, Milo De Angelis, Luigi Fontanella, Irene Marchegiani, Sylvia Morandina, Elio Pecora. Sponsored by Gradiva International Poetry Society, Inc. Admission: free; open to the public. Contact: Luigi Fontanella 631-476-6678 ([email protected]). Book Presentation: Tomorrow-Land: The 1964-65 World’s Fair and the Transformation of America, by Joseph Tirella 6:00 pm John D. Calandra Italian American Institute, Queens College/CUNY, 25 West 43rd Street, Manhattan ◗ qc.edu/calandra ● Queens College alumnus and English Major Joseph Tirella creates a portrait of Flushing Meadows and its fairgrounds that had little to do with the turmoil of the 70 | i-Italy ny | September-October 2015 | www.i-ItalyNY.com city around it. Tomorrow-Land examines how the World’s Fair was a 1960s flashpoint in politics, pop culture, technology, urban plann ing , civ il r ig ht s, and v iolent crime. The book is now available in paperback edition. Sponsored by the University of Calabria and the John D. Calandra Italian American Institute, Queens College / CUNY. Admission: free; open to the public. Contact: 212-642-2094. Wine Tasting: An Introduction to Italian Wines 6:30 pm Westchester Italian Cultural Center, One Generoso Pope Place, Tuckahoe, NY ◗ wiccny.org ● Gary Grunner and Bob Lipinski, the authors of Italian Wine Notes and Italian Wine and Cheese Made Simple, w ill take you t hroug h Italy’s 20 regions and their great w ines. You’ll leave lov ing each region, and a true expert on their wines. Each wine will be accompanied by paired appetizer. Location: Dining Hall - Early registration is recommended; seating is limited. Must Register in advance and prepay. Admission: Members: $ 60 ; Non-Members: $75. Contact: Patrizia Calce 914-771-8700 ext. 109 ([email protected]). The Boys from Eighth and Carpenter 6:30 pm Italian American Museum, 155 Mulberry Street, Manhattan ◗ ItalianAmericanMuseum.org ● Book reading and presentation by Tom Mendicino, author of The Boys from Eight and Carpenter (Kensington, September 2015) follows the Gagliano brothers from inseparable children to vastly different yet indelibly lined middleaged men as they change over decades in Philadelphia. Sponsored by Italian American Museum. Admission: free; open to the public Contact: Dr. Joseph V. Scelsa 212965-9000; Fax: 347-810-1028 ([email protected]). Visit the IHCC website with your smartphone Oct 23 Teaching Italian Symposium – Workshop: Meeting VIII – Imparando giocando: Games and Play in the Foreign Language Classroom 8:30 am – 4:00 pm Montclair State University, University Hall Conference Center (7th floor), One Normal Avenue, Montclair, NJ ● Eighth in a series of all-day professional development programs for teachers of Italian, at all levels, consisting of a keynote presentation, panel discussion and four intensive workshops (two hours each). An annual signature collaboration between the Coccia Institute for the Italian Experience in America and the Department of Spanish and Italian at Montclair State University. Sponsored by the Coccia Institute, the Department of Spanish and Italian, and the Inserra Chair in Italian and Italian American Studies at Montclair State University. Please join our dynamic and experienced specialists in instructional methodolog y in foreign language: Professors Julie Sykes (University of Oregon); Anthony Mollica (Brock University (Canada); Tom Means (Borough of Manhattan Community College / CUNY); and Nicola McGill (Far Hills Country Day School). Symposium Chair: Prof. Enza Antenos (Montclair State University). Participants will be awarded seven professional credits. The Coccia-Inserra Award for Excellence and Innovation in the Teaching of Italian (K-12) will be presented on this occasion. Admission: $50 registration fee for teachers; $25 fee for graduate students and student teachers Contact: Cav. Mary Ann Re, Ph.D., Director 973655-4038; fax: 973-655-4284 (rem@ mail.montclair.edu). Oct 24 Tra Storia e Tradizione: “Le Campane di Agnone & The Marinelli Foundry” 12:00 noon Westchester Italian Cultural Center, One Generoso Pope Place, Tuckahoe, NY ◗ wiccny.org www.i-Italy.org Events ➜ Calendar ● A presentation by a representative of the renowned Marinelli Foundry about the history and traditions of clay sculpting, accompanied by the live demonstration by Ettore Marinelli. Campane Marinelli foundry, considered to be the oldest foundry in the world, is located in Agnone, a small Italian town of 5,200 inhabitants in the province of Isernia in Molise. Campane Marinelli foundry has a very long history, beginning with making a bell around the year one thousand and since then their work has been a long sequence of success and honors. One of the greatest honors that the foundry can boast is the possibility to use the Papal Arm Coast in their production; Pope Pio XI granted the privilege to the foundry in 1924. Don’t miss this fascinating event, a program for the entire family. Must register and prepay. Admission: Members $15, Non-Members $25. Contact: Patrizia Calce 914-7718700 ext. 109 ([email protected]). Milano: A City of Paradox for Giuseppe Verdi 2:00 pm The Garibaldi-Meucci Museum, 420 Tompkins Avenue, Staten Island ◗ GaribaldiMeucciMuseum.org ● A Lecture and DVD presentation by Lou Barella. The city of Milan was an important location during the life of Giuseppe Verdi, however not without its contradictions. The great Conservatory of Music which bears his name is the same world renowned school that denied him entry as a young student. Celebrate Expo Milano 2015. Great places, like, La Scala Opera House and the Grand Hotel, will be explored, accompanied by the Grand Maestro. Sponsored by Garibaldi-Meucci Museum. Admission: $10; $5 for members; open to the public. Contact: Stephanie Lundegard 718-442-1608 ([email protected]). Le Marche 6:30 pm Italian American Museum, 155 Mulberry Street, Manhattan ◗ ItalianAmericanMuseum.org ● Professor Mauro Peroni, Ph.D. will lecture and screen a 40-minute documentary (with English subtitles) on the regional, historical and artistic heritage including a tasting of local products. Sponsored by the Region of Le Marche Department of Culture. Admission: free; open to the public. Contact: Dr. Joseph V. Scelsa 212-9659000; Fax: 347-8101028 ([email protected]). www.i-Italy.org Oct 25 Festa San Vincenzo Martire di Craco 10:00 am The Shrine Church of the Most Precious Blood, 113 Baxter St, Manhattan ◗ thecracosociety.org ● Feast day Mass celebrated at The Shrine Church of the Most Precious Blood. Sponsored by The Craco Society. Admission: free; open to the public. Contact: Frederick Spero 774-269-6611. Oct 26 Tastefully Italian: Italian Landscapes and Food 10:00 am – 5:00 pm Borough of Manhattan Community College, 199 Chambers Street, Manhattan ◗ bmcc.cuny.edu ● Experts will speak about Italian landscapes and Italian food; Italian and Italian-American music will be played live; Italian poetry will be read by an Italian actor. Admission: free; open to the public. Contact: Tom Means 212-220-8000 x5275 ([email protected]). Pier Mattia Tommasino, The Stomach of the World: Petrarch, Muhammad, and Mediterranean Studies 4:00 pm The Italian Academy, 1161 Amsterdam Avenue (south of 118th Street), Manhattan ◗ italianacademy.columbia.edu ● The Italy at Columbia series invites prominent Columbia University professors to open one of their regularly scheduled classes to the public, bringing students and the community together in the Academy building. Professor Tommasino will lecture on topics related to his class, “Dazzling Italy: Braudel & Critics.” Sponsored by The Italian Academy for Advanced Studies in America. Contact: Allison Jeffrey 212854-2306 ([email protected]). York College, CUNY, Faculty Staff Dining Room, 9420 Guy R. Brewer Boulevard, Jamaica, NY ◗ york.cuny.edu ● York College Annual Faculty and Staff Reception for Italian Heritage and Culture Month. Refreshments will be served. Contact: DChirico@ york.cuny.edu, 718-262-2687. The Philip V. Cannistraro Seminar Series in Italian American Studies. Immigrants against the State: Yiddish and Italian Anarchism in America. Kenyon Zimmer, University of Texas at Arlington 6:00 pm John D. Calandra Italian American Institute, Queens College/CUNY, 25 West 43rd Street, Manhattan ◗ qc.edu/calandra ● From the 1880s through the 1940s, tens of thousands of firstand second-generation immigrants embraced the anarchist cause after arriving on American shores. In Immigrants against the State: Yiddish and Italian Anarchism in America (University of Illinois Press, 2015), Kenyon Zimmer explores why these migrants turned to anarchism and how their adoption of its ideology shaped their identities, experiences, and actions. Zimmer focuses on Italians and Eastern European Jews in San Francisco, New York City, and Paterson, New Jersey. Tracing the movement’s changing fortunes from the pre–World War I era through the Spanish Civil War, Zimmer argues that anarchists severed all attachments to their nations of origin but also resisted assimilation into their host society. Their radical cosmopolitan outlook and identity embraced diversity, extending solidarity across national, ethnic, and racial divides. Sponsored by John D. Calandra Italian American Institute, Queens College/CUNY. Admission: free; open to the public. RSVP by calling 212- 6422094. Please note that seating is limited, and unable to reserve seats. For further information, see our website at www.qc.edu/calandra. 35th Anniversary Kickoff Reception York College Annual Faculty and Staff Reception for Italian Heritage and Culture Month 6:30 pm Il Bastardo, 191 Seventh Avenue, Manhattan ◗ noiaw.org 5:00 pm ● NOIAW invites you to join us in kicking off our 35th Anniversary year with members and friends at a dinner reception. Sponsored by Greater New York Region, NOIAW. Admission: Members $125; Nonmembers $150 ; Advance ticket purchase required by October 20. Contact: visit noiaw.org or call Beth Connolly 212-642-2003 for tickets and sponsorship information. Oct 27 Primo Levi, The Friend 6:30 Italian Cultural Institute, 686 Park Avenue, Manhattan ◗ iicnewyork.esteri.it/IIC_Newyork ● Book Presentation: Primo Levi, The Friend, ( CPL Edit ions, 2015) English version of Bianca Guidetti Ser ra’s limmud commemorat ing world famous Italian writer Primo Levi.Admission: free; open to the public. Contact: [email protected]. Presentation: “Italian Kitchen Tools and Machinery from the Rustic Rigagnocchi to the Alessi Designs” 12:00 - 2:00 pm York College, CUNY, 9420 Guy R. Brewer Boulevard, Jamaica, NY ◗ york.cuny.edu ● Contact: [email protected], 718-262-2462. Italian Contributions in Science & Technology over the Centuries 7:00 pm The Italian Cultural Foundation at Casa Belvedere, 79 Howard Avenue, Staten Island ◗ casa-belvedere.org ● In keeping with the theme of Italian Heritage & Culture Month 2015, Professor Louis Leonini takes a close look at Italian contributions in the areas of science and technology over the centuries. Who were the Italians and what did they do to help make our world what it is today? Join us at Casa Belvedere and find out! Sponsored by The Italian Cultural Foundation at Casa Belvedere. Admission: $25 donation per person includes refreshments; open to the public. Contact: Marian Rodi 718-273-7660 ([email protected]). www.i-ItalyNY.com | September-October 2015 | i-Italy ny | 71 Events ➜ Calendar Italian Language Resources An array of learning opportunities are available to foster Italian language acquisition for toddlers, children, teens and adults. The following organizations are offering classes from basic to advanced level skills: AIAE (Association of Italian American Educators) Hofstra University 321 New Academic Building, Hempstead, NY 11549 www.aiae.net Casa Belvedere, The Italian Cultural Foundation, Inc. 79 Howard Avenue, Grymes Hill, NY 10301. Tel: (718) 273-7660 Fax: (718) 273-0020 www.casa-belvedere.org ([email protected]) Center for Italian Studies Stony Brook University 100 Nicolls Road, Stony Brook, NY 11794. Tel: (631) 632-7444, Fax: (631) 632-7421 www.italianstudies.org ([email protected]) Dorothea’s House Casa di Cultura Italiana 120 John Street, Princeton, NJ 08542. Tel: (908) 359-1564 www.dorotheashouse.org ([email protected]) Oct 28 Lecture: “The Palio of Siena” 11:15 am Italian Club of Westchester Community College, Gateway Bldg, Davis Theatre (Parking Lot 1) 75 Grasslands Road, Valhalla, NY ◗ sunywcc.org ● Speaker: Prof. Francesco Lindia. Discover the beauty of Siena and important facts about this fabulous city, its history, art and the unique event that takes place annually called Il Palio di Siena. Sponsored by Italian Club of Westchester Community College. Admission: free; open to the public. Contact: Prof. Frank Maddalena 914-606-6794 (frank. [email protected]). Symposium: Crisscrossing Cultural Borders: Reciprocal Influences among African Americans and Italian Americans Garibaldi-Meucci Museum Order Sons of Italy in America 420 Tompkins Avenue, Staten Island, NY 10305. Tel: (718) 442-1608 Fax: (718) 442-8635 www.GaribaldiMeucciMuseum.org. ([email protected]) Italian American Committee on Education (IACE) 686 Park Ave LL New York, NY 10021. Tel: (212) 772-8755 Fax: (212) 772-8756 www.iacelanguage.org ([email protected]) Westchester Italian Cultural Center Generoso Pope Place, Tuckahoe, NY 10707. Tel: (914) 771-8700 Fax: (914) 771-5900 www.wiccny.org ([email protected]) Collina Italiana 1556 Third Avenue @ 87th Street, Suite 603, New York, NY 10128 Tel (212) 427-7770 ([email protected]) 1:30 pm John Jay College, CUNY, 524 West 59th Street, Moot Court, Manhattan ◗ jjay.cuny.edu ● The speakers for this symposium will discuss the cross-cultural dialogues and debates that have and continue to take place between the African-American and ItalianAmerican communities in the United States. Sponsored by John Jay College and the John D. Calandra Italian American Institute. Admission: free; open to the public. Contact: Janet Rubel 212-237-8500 ( jrubel@ jjay.cuny.edu). Study Italian in Perugia, Italy 12:15 pm Queens College, 6530 Kissena Blvd., Flushing, NY ◗ qc.cuny.edu ● Study Italian in one of the most beautiful medieval cities in Italy. The six credit program is given in June or July. Attend this informational meeting to learn more about 72 | i-Italy ny | September-October 2015 | www.i-ItalyNY.com the most affordable study abroad program to Italy for college students. Sponsored by the John D. Calandra Italian American Institute. Queens College.Admission: free; open to the public. Contact: Joseph Grosso 718-997-5769 ( [email protected]). Emanuele Torquati, Nordic Ballads 7:00 pm The Italian Academy, 1161 Amsterdam Avenue (south of 118th Street), Manhattan ◗ italianacademy.columbia.edu ● A recital of works on piano by Brahms, Grieg, Saariaho, and Zemlinsky, perfor med by Emanuele Torquati. Sponsored by The Italian Academy for Advanced Studies in America.Admission: free; open to the public. Contact: Allison Jeffrey 212-854-2306 (aj211@ columbia.edu). Oct 29 Italian Immigrants in California - Film & Commentary and Finding the Mother Lode: Italian Immigrants in California 2:00 pm Farmingdale State College; SUNY, Farmingdale State College Roosevelt Hall Little Theatre 2350 Broadhollow Road (off Route 110), Farmingdale, NY ◗ farmingdale.edu ● Producers: Gianfranco Norelli and Suma Kurien. The best-known images of Italian immigrants in the United States are those of the Italian enclaves in the urban centers of the East Coast and the Midwest, of hard lives in the face of discriminat ion t hat somet imes t ur ned violent. The Italian immigrants to California had a very different history of opportunities and an acceptance they did not find elsewhere. This film for the first time tells that story (www.findingthemotherlode. com). Sponsored by Farmingdale State College; SUNY. Admission: free: open to the public. Contact: Beverly Kahn 631-420-2396 ([email protected]). Book Presentation: A Short History of the Italian Renaissance by Virginia Cox 6:00 pm Casa Italiana Zerilli-Marimò (NYU), 24 West 12th Street, Manhattan ◗ casaitaliananyu.org ●Program subject to change. Please visit our website. All events are free and open to the public. Seating is on a first-come-first-serve basis. Sponsored by Casa Italiana ZerilliMarimò, New York University. Contact: Kostja Kostic 212-998-8739. Oct 30 Independent Movies: Men of the Cloth 6:30 pm Westchester Italian Cultural Center, One Generoso Pope Place, Tuckahoe, NY ◗ wiccny.org ● Men Of The Cloth is an inspiring portrait of Nino Corvato, Checchino Fonticoli and Joe Centofanti, three Italian master tailors who confront the decline of the apprentice system as they navigate their challenging roles in the twilight of their career. Checchino Fonticoli was the master tailor at Brioni, the high-end clothing company based In the Abruzzo region where he had done a traditional apprenticeship as a boy. Brioni brought these traditionally trained tailors with Old World skills together, and employed them in an American-inspired serial production process. The factory also supported the entire town of Penne, Italy and the surrounding area in Abruzzo – which might otherwise be abandoned as residents emigrated to the cities and abroad for work. In English. Light reception will follow. Must register and prepay.Admission: Members $15, Non-Members $25. Contact: Patrizia Calce 914-7718700 ext. 109 ([email protected]). Celebrating Italian Heritage and Culture Month 7:00 pm The Kensico Italian American Society, Heydorn Hall (Hawthorne Reformed Church), 65 Broadway, Hawthorne, NY ● Italian regional foods will be served and regional musical entertainment will be provided. Highlighting poetry by Italian poets. A presentation of a comical nature will also be part of the celebration. Sponsored by The Kensico Italian www.i-Italy.org Events ➜ Calendar American Society. Admission: $25; non-members $35; open to the public.Contact: Flavia 914-769-8120. Oct 31 Symposium: Michael Parenti’s Wating for Yesterday 2:00 pm Vito Marcantonio Forum, Mulberry Street Public Library, 10 Jersey Street NYC between Lafayette and Mulberry Streets ● Michael Parenti, a prolific and eloquent spokesperson for the American Left, was born and raised in Italian Harlem, which has been described as America’s largest and most Italian Little Italy. His memoir, Waiting for Yesterday recounts his poignant and sympathetic impressions of a place and time he has grown increasingly fond. Specifically, his memoir shows how his multigenerational Italian American family and community nurtured in him a commitment to those left out of the American Dream. Sponsored by Vito Marcantonio Forum. Admission: free; open to the public. Contact: Luis Romero 718-499-5446 ([email protected]). Italian Creativity: Celebrating Science and Technolog October/November Monday, Thursday, Friday 11:00 am – 1:00 pm; Saturday, Sunday 12:00 – 3:00 pm American Italian Heritage Museum, 1227 Central Avenue, Albany, NY ◗ Americanitalianmuseum.org ● In our special exhibit room we will carry out the theme. We also use the theme on the cover of our bi-monthly newsletter (October/ November 2015 issue). The exhibit will include art, photos and artifacts. Sponsored by American Italian Heritage Museum. Admission: $5; Seniors $4; Children and Members free. Contact: Prof. Philip DiNovo 518-435-1979 ([email protected]). Presentation: ARIA (Association to Reunite Italian Americans) – sponsored lecture November TBA 12:15 – 1:30 pm Queens College, CUNY, 65-30 Kissena Blvd, Flushing, NY www.i-Italy.org ● Please contact co-chairs for exact program to be held in November during free hour related to the Italian American experience. Refreshments will be served. Sponsored by ARIA (Association to Reunite Italian Americans) at Queens College. Admission: free; open to the public. Contact: Alexandra de Luise 718997-3748 or Pierre Tribaudi 718-9973079 ([email protected] - pierre. [email protected]). Nov 1 “Gotta Sing” Concerti 3:00 pm Our Lady of Perpetual Help School Auditorium, 5902 6th Avenue, Brooklyn ◗ reginaopera.org ● Regina Opera soloists will sing your favorite operas and popular selections in several languages. Sponsored by Regina Opera Company. Admission: $15; open to the public Contact: Fran Garber 718-259-2772 ([email protected]). Nov 2 Documentary: The Ashes of Pasolini 6:00 pm Italian Cultural Institute, 686 Park Avenue, Manhattan ◗ iicnewyork.esteri.it/IIC_Newyork ● On the occasion of the fortieth anniversar y of Pier Paolo Pasolini’s death, the Italian Cultural Institute presents a talk with Norman MacAfee, translator of the first English version of Le Ceneri di Gramsci(Gramsci’s Ashes) and Alfredo Jaar, director of the documentary The Ashes of Pasolini, which will be screened following the conference. Admission: free; open to the public. Contact: donatella.baldini@ esteri.it. Theatre Performance: Homage to Pasolini, Performed by KIT 6:00 pm Casa Italiana Zerilli-Marimò (NYU), 24 West 12th Street, Manhattan ◗ casaitaliananyu.org ● Program subject to change. Please visit our website. All events are free and open to the public. Seating is on a first-come-first-serve basis. Sponsored by Casa Italiana ZerilliMarimò, New York University. Contact: Kostja Kostic 212-998-8739. Nov 3 Cooking Class Nov 6 Italian Language Inter-Cultural Alliance (ILICA) Annual Conference and Reception 6:00 pm Casa Belvedere, 77 Howard Ave, Staten Island ◗ noiaw.org 4:00 - 7:00 pm John Jay College, CUNY, 524 West 59th Street, Moot Court, Manhattan ◗ ilica.org ● Enjoy a delicious cooking class and meal with NOIAW’s Staten Island Network! Sponsored by Greater New York Region, Staten Island Network, NOIAW. Admission: Advance ticket purchase required. Contact: visit noiaw.org or call Beth Connolly 212-642-2003. ● Topic: “Similarities and Synergies” Co-sponsored by the John D. Calandra Italian American Institute and John Jay College. Contact: [email protected], 718-262-2687. Nov 4 Nov 6-8 New Literature from Europe Festival Tra Storia e Tradizione: Abruzzo Forte e Gentile. Discover the beauty and hidden treasures of the Abruzzo region. Presented by Professor Giuseppe Spedaliere 6:30 pm Westchester Italian Cultural Center, One Generoso Pope Place, Tuckahoe, NY ◗ wiccny.org ● In Italy’s long and narrow peninsula, dense with cities and great monuments, Abruzzo and Molise stand out for their unspoiled natural beauty and wilderness. Praising four national and regional parks, Abruzzo has one-third of its land reserved for nature. With an economy that has been traditionally pastoral, ancient crafts such as pottery and ceramics, gold, wood, and iron-working, weaving and lace-making have developed. Come discover the history and traditions of the region that has been home of sophisticated and passionate poets, such as Ovid and Gabriele D’Annunzio, as well as its greatest modern philosopher Benedetto Croce. Must register in advance and prepay. Admission: Members $15, Non-Members $25. Contact: Patrizia Calce 914-771-8700 ext. 109 (pcalce@ wiccny.org). Download the i-Italy App TBA Italian Cultural Institute, 686 Park Avenue, Manhattan ◗ iicnewyork.esteri.it/IIC_Newyork ● The New Literature from Europe Festival is an annual celebration of writing from across the European continent. Featuring readings and discussions between leading and emerging literary voices from Europe, and some of America’s foremost writers and critics, the Festival celebrates important new European literature in translation. With the participation of renowned Italian writer Niccolo Ammaniti. Admission: free; open to the public. Contact: Donatella Baldini (donatella. [email protected]). Nov 7 Italian Welfare League’s Autumn in New York Luncheon 11:30 am Metropolitan Club, 1 East 60th Street, Manhattan ◗ italianwelfareleague.org ● Annual luncheon gala includes silent and live auctions, a raff le and presentations of awards to honorees. This year the Leag ue celebrates its 95th anniversar y. The event benefits “I Nostri Bambini” – a grant program for children of Italian-American heritage with special needs. Sponsored by Italian Welfare League. Admission: $285; open to the public. Contact: Patty Maniace 212-861-8480 ; Fax 646398-7428 ([email protected]). www.i-ItalyNY.com | September-October 2015 | i-Italy ny | 73 Events ➜ Calendar CONGRATULATIONS & BEST WISHES New York Grand Lodge Foundation, Inc. Order Sons of Italy in America Garibaldi-Meucci Museum Luncheon 12:00 – 5:00 pm LiGreci’s Staaten, 697 Forest Avenue, Staten Island ◗ garibaldimeuccimuseum.org ● Garibaldi-Meucci Museum hosts its annual luncheon, honoring Joseph Rondinelli, Luigi Squllante, AnnaMaria Gentile and Christine Cea. Please call the Museum for further information. Sponsored by Garibaldi-Meucci Museum. Admission: $70; open to the public. Contact: Carol Berardi 718-442-1608 ([email protected]). Italian Language Inter-Cultural Alliance (ILICA) Annual CE* (Gala) 6:00 – 11:00 pm Queens Museum, New York City Building, Flushing Meadows, Corona, NY ◗ ilica.org BOARD OF DIRECTORS Carolyn Reres Foundation President Joseph DiTrapani Anthony D’Angelis Robert Ferrito John Fratta Biagio Isgro Thomas Lupo Michele Ment Anthony Naccarato Nancy DiFiore Quinn Joseph Sciame James Spatafora Arthur Spera Luigi Squllante Robert Vaccarello Michael A. Santo, Esq., General Counsel 2101 Bellmore Avenue Bellmore, New York 11710-5605 1 (800) 322-OSIA (6742) Fax: (516) 221-OSIA (6742) www.nysosia.org 74 | i-Italy ny | September-October 2015 | www.i-ItalyNY.com ● Annual Gala of the Italian Language Inter-Cultural Alliance. Contact: [email protected], 718-2622687. Nov 8 Boot Camp: Introduction to Italian 1:00 – 2:30 pm Location: TBA ◗ noiaw.org ● Can’t get beyond Ciao and Arrivederci? Here is your chance to brush up on your Italian skills. Whether you’re planning a trip to Italy or just to your local deli, it’s never a bad time to learn a new language! Sponsored by Greater New York Region, NOIAW. Admission: Advance ticket purchase required. Contact: visit noiaw.org or call Beth Connolly 212-642-2003. Some Notes on Italian Dialects 2:00 pm The Garibaldi-Meucci Museum, 420 Tompkins Avenue, Staten Island ◗ garibaldimeuccimuseum.org ● Christina Tortora, Professor at the College of Staten Island, CUNY, and author will speak on the Italian language and how it is widely regarded as the heritage language of Italian Americans. She will discuss the historical linguistic reality of Italy, a nation of hundreds of languages, despite the fact that nationhood promotes one particular dialect as the national standard language. This talk will facilitate a discussion of Italian dialect diversity from a scientific perspective. Sponsored by Garibaldi-Meucci Museum. Admission: $10; $5 for members; open to the public. Contact: Stephanie Lundegard 718-442-1608. Nov 10 Afternoon Film: FIORILE 2:00 pm Westchester Italian Cultural Center, One Generoso Pope Place, Tuckahoe, NY ◗ wiccny.org ● While travelling to visit their grandfather Massimo, two children are told the story of the Benedetti’s curse, which has affected the family for over two centuries. For the past two hundred years, the Benedetti’s family has accumulated wealth and prosperity, becoming corrupt and hated by their former friends. Massimo Benedetti is the last family member directly affected by the curse, will the curse die with him, or will the innocent young ones be forced to carry it into the next generation? Directed by Paolo Taviani, Vittorio Taviani. Registration is required. Admission: Members free, Non-Members $15. Contact: Patrizia Calce 914-771-8700 ext. 109 (pcalce@ wiccny.org). Nov 11 Filippo Tommaso Marinetti: The Artist and His Politics 6:00 pm Italian Cultural Institute, 686 Park Avenue, Manhattan ◗ iicnewyork.esteri.it/IIC_Newyork ● Book presentation: Filippo Tommaso Marinetti: The Artist and His Politics by Ernest Jalongo; with the participation of Professor Ruth Ben-Ghiat (NYU) and Professor Anthony Julian Tamburri (CUNY). Admission: free; open to the public. Contact: Donatella Baldini ([email protected]). Visit the IHCC website with your smartphone www.i-Italy.org Events ➜ Calendar Nov 12 - 14 Three-Day International Conference: The Idea of the Mediterranean. To Explore What the Mediterranean Region Represented in the Age of Progress and. What it May Represent in the Era of Geopolitical Realliances and Globalization Thursday, November 12 (4:00 - 6:00 pm) Friday, November 13 (8:30 am – 5:00 pm) Saturday, November 14 (8:30 am – 5:00 pm) Stony Brook University, Center for Italian Studies, Stony Brook University, Wang Center, Lecture Hall 2, 100 Nicolls Road, Stony Brook, NY ◗ stonybrook.edu attempts to explain why the Barese in the area cornered the market. Notice, we said “attempts” as we are not sure if it will ever be discovered why. The documentary shows clips of old icemen on horse and wagons, those alive today explain the business as well as clips of Rockland Lake where the original ice was cut. In English. Light reception will follow. Must register in advanced and prepay. Admission: Members $15, Non-Members $25. Contact: Patrizia Calce 914-771-8700 ext. 109 (pcalce@ wiccny.org). Nov 17 Save Venice: “Venice, Tenochtitlan, and the Construction of Global Empire” by Daniel Savoy (Manhattan College) ● A conference to recognize the value and uniqueness of the Mediterranean basin as a region having an original identifiable culture, capable of connecting many other fragmented cultures. United Nations’ diplomats from different countries of the Mediterranean area, and prominent scholars and experts in Mediterranean Studies and Affairs discuss the Mediterranean from historical, cultural, artistic, and political perspectives. Visit the Center for Italian Studies web page www.stonybrook.edu/italianstudies) or contact the Center for additional information and a more detailed program of the event’s proceedings. Sponsored by Stony Brook University, Center for Italian Studies. Admission: All Conference Proceedings are free; open to the public. Contact: Jo Fusco 631-632-7444; Fax 631-632-7421 (josephine.fusco@ stonybrook.edu). 6:30 pm Casa Italiana Zerilli-Marimò (NYU), 24 West 12th Street, Manhattan ◗ casaitaliananyu.org Nov 14 ● Refreshments, Reception Preview Screening, Talk. Author and Activist: The Daniela Gioseffi Story portrays a life-affirming struggle to make art of civil rights, democratic equality and climate justice. Produced and directed by Anton Evangelista, the docu-drama tells of the creative life of a multi-media artist, inspired by a tenacious immigrant father, to become an author who dares to integrate Deep South television in Selma during the era of the “Freedom Riders.” It shows Daniela’s father’s immigrant struggle after his death-defying journey to the U.S.A. to attempt to achieve the American Dream, hard labors to become a Phi Independent Movies: The Icemen 3:00 pm Westchester Italian Cultural Center, One Generoso Pope Place, Tuckahoe, NY ◗ wiccny.org ● Produced by Carlo Magaletti with the assistance and financial support, in part, by the United Pugliesi Federation and the Society of Maria SS del Buoncammino di Altamura. Premiere screening of the documentary The Iceman w hich analyzes the beginnings of the ice industry and www.i-Italy.org With grateful appreciation to all those who contribute to the Annual Celebration of Italian Heritage and Culture Month ● Program subject to change. Please visit our website. All events are free and open to the public. Seating is on a first-come-first-serve basis. Sponsored by Casa Italiana ZerilliMarimò, New York University. Contact: Kostja Kostic 212-998-8739. Nov 18 Author and Activist: The Daniela Gioseffi Story 6:30 pm John D. Calandra Italian American Institute, Queens College/CUNY, 25 West 43rd Street, Manhattan ◗ qc.edu/calandra Uff. Joseph Sciame President / Chair IHCC-NY, Inc. Complimenti!! GIUSEPPE CIRNIGLIARO, J.D. IHCC-‐NY, Inc., Advisory Board Member President mmmmmmm Militello Val Catania Society, Inc. Beta Kappa student and chemical engineer inventor of soft-light. We follow Daniela’s undaunted activism through abuse by the KKK to a near death in childbirth, and striving to become an award-winning author of NY City where she meets and is praised by famous authors Carl Sagan, George Plimpton, Grace Paley, Allen Ginsberg, Gov. Mario Cuomo and U.S. vice presidential candidate Geraldine Ferraro. We see her achieving an American Book Award and Lifetime Achievement Award in Poetry, as well as through decades of tenacious activism and finally to her work in climate justice for the future of her grandchildren. The film, covering years of recent American history, has a conclusion that warms the heart and inspires others to “light a candle rather than curse the darkness.” More information and film clips at: http://www. AuthorandActivist.com. Sponsored by The John D. Calandra Italian American Institute, Queens College/ CUNY.Admission: free; open to the public. Contact: 212-642-2094. www.i-ItalyNY.com | September-October 2015 | i-Italy ny | 75 Events ➜ Calendar Italian and Italian American Institutions in New York MANHATTAN Consulate General of Italy in New York consnewyork.esteri.it 690 Park Avenue New York, NY 10021 (212) 439-8600 (info.newyork@ esteri.it) Istituto Italiano di Cultura iicnewyork.org 686 Park Avenue New York, NY 10021 (212) 879-4242 (segr@italcultny. org) Italian-American Women’s Center, Inc. P.O. Box 656724 Fresh Meadows, NY 11365 718-805-1833 (iawcinc@yahoo. com). Contact: Jacqueline Gagliano: jbgagliano14@yahoo. com Italian Trade Commission italtrade.com 33 East 67th Street New York, NY 10065 (212) 848-0300 (newyork@ newyork.ice.it) Italy-America Chamber of Commerce italchamber.org 730 Fifth Avenue, Suite 600 New York, NY 10065 (212) 459-0044 ([email protected]) Italian Government Tourist Board italiantourism.com 630 Fifth Avenue New York, NY 10065 (212) 245-5618 Casa Italiana Zerilli-Marimò, New York University casaitaliananyu.org 24 West 12th Street New York, NY 10011 (212) 998-8739 (casa.italiana@ nyu.edu) Columbus Citizens Foundation columbuscitizensfd.org 8 East 69th Street New York, NY 10021 (212) 249-9923 ([email protected]) Italian American Committee on Education iacelanguage.org 686 Park Avenue, LL New York, NY 10021 Tel: (212) 772-8755 (info@ iacelanguage.org) Italian American Museum ItalianAmericanMuseum.org 155 Mulberry Street New York, NY 10013 (212) 965-9000 ([email protected]) Italian Welfare League ItalianwelfareLeague.org 8 East 69th Street New York, NY 10021 (212) 861-8480 i-Italy (Italian/American Digital Project) i-italy.org 25 West 43rd Street, 17th floor New York, NY 10036 (212) 642-2094 (editors@i-italy. org) John D. Calandra Italian American Institute, Queens College/CUNY qc.edu/calandra 25 West 43rd Street, 17th Floor New York, NY 10036 (212) 642-2094 (calandra@ qc.edu) National Organization of Italian American Women (NOIAW) noiaw.org 25 West 43rd Street, 10th Floor New York, NY 10036 (212) 642-2003 (noiaw@noiaw. org) 76 | i-Italy ny | September-October 2015 | www.i-ItalyNY.com The Italian Academy for Advanced Studies in America at Columbia University italianacademy.columbia.edu Casa Italiana, 1161 Amsterdam Avenue, New York, NY 10027 (212) 854-2306 itacademy@ columbia.edu BRONX Enrico Fermi Cultural Center, Belmont Branch of the New York Public Library arthuravenuebronx.com/enrico_ fermi.htm 610 East 186th Street, Bronx, NY 10458. (718) 933-6410 BROOKLYN Enrico Caruso Museum of America EnricoCarusoMuseum.com 1942 East 19th Street Brooklyn, NY 11229 (718) 368-3993 ([email protected]) Federation of Italian-American Organizations of Brooklyn, Ltd. (FIAO) fiaobrooklyn.org 7403 – 18th Avenue Brooklyn, NY 11204 (718) 259-2828 ([email protected]) QUEENS Italian Language Inter-Cultural Alliance (ILICA) ilica.org 27-28 Thompson Avenue, Suite 441, Long Island City, NY 11101 (718) 392-2020 Fax: (718) 3922020 ([email protected]) Federation of Italian American Organization of Queens, Inc. (FIAO) italianfederation.com 29-21 21 AveNUE, Astoria, NY 11105. (718) 204-2444 (Fiao@ juno.com) Howard Beach Columbus Day Foundation, Inc. howardbeachcolumbusday.com 101-42 99th Street, Ozone Park, NY 11416. (718) 641-3469 ([email protected]) STATEN ISLAND Casa Belvedere, The Italian Cultural Foundation, Inc. casa-belvedere.org 79 Howard Avenue Staten Island, NY 10301 (718) 273-7660; Fax: (718) 2730020 ([email protected]) Garibaldi-Meucci Museum, Order Sons of Italy in America GaribaldiMeucciMuseum.org 420 Tompkins Avenue Staten Island, NY 10305 (718) 442-1608 Fax: 718) 442-8635 ([email protected]) NASSAU Grand Lodge of New York, Order Sons of Italy in America www.nysosia.org 2101 Bellmore Avenue Bellmore, NY 11710 (516) 785-4623; Fax: 785-6742 WESTCHESTER Westchester Italian Cultural Center wiccny.org Generoso Pope Place Tuckahoe, NY 10707 (914) 771-8700 ; Fax: (914) 7715900 ([email protected]) NEW JERSEY Coccia Institute for the Italian Experience in America chss.montclair.edu/cocciainstitute One Normal Avenue Dickson Hall, Suite 171 Montclair, NJ 07043 (973) 655-4038; Fax: (973-6554050. www.i-Italy.org Events ➜ Calendar Sciame is pleased to join the Italian Heritage & Culture Committee of NY in celebrating Italian Creativity: Celebrating 50 Years of Science and Technology; New York World’s Fair 1965 - Expo Milano 2015 14 Wall Street, 2nd Floor, New York, NY 10005 212.232.2200 | www.sciame.com www.i-Italy.org www.i-ItalyNY.com | September-October 2015 | i-Italy ny | 77 S CI T FO U N ENS COLU BU IZ M N DATIO MISSION STATEMENT In recognition of the significant contributions made to the development and preservation of the United States, its institutions and ideals by those of Italian ancestry, The Columbus Citizens Foundation, through its members, is dedicated to the promotion and support of cultural, educational and social activities, engendering interest and a greater appreciation for the historical accomplishments and individual achievements attributable to Italian heritage. We firmly commit to raise, collect and receive funds, to enable fundraising and distribute financial aid for charitable and educational purposes through sponsored programs and events, especially for the education of children in need, and pledge to extend ourselves in perpetuating the philanthropic work which has been synonymous with our Foundation. COLUMBUS CITIZENS FOUNDATION, INC. 8 East 69th Street, New York, New York 10021-4906 Phone: (212) 249-9923 | Fax: (212) 737-4413 | www.columbuscitizensfd.org 78 | i-Italy ny | September-October 2015 | www.i-ItalyNY.com www.i-Italy.org history, culture, passion come to Naples you will fall in love forever www.comune.napoli.it www.vivere.napoli.it Dining In taking italy to your family table ●● serving authentic Italian coffee from Turin to outer space Lavazza 120: No Compromise on Quality to Achieve Success A family-owned Italian coffee company founded in Turin in 1895, Lavazza owes its success to the innovative genius of founder Luigi Lavazza and to the legacy he left behind. Shortly after the company’s 120th anniversary, celebrated, among other events and initiatives, with a gala in New York, we decided to focus on the company itself and what makes it an exemplary Italian business: both open to innovation and tied to tradition. The Lavazza Bar at the 120th Anniversary gala by R. C. A tradition of experimentation and innovation ●● Over a century ago, Luigi Lavazza moved from the countryside to the city of Turin in Northern Italy. There he opened the first store of what would later become Lavazza, the international company we know today, relying solely on his passion for coffee and his willingness to work hard. During a trip to Brazil, the patriarch discovered all there is to know about coffee: he learned about the properties of its different varieties and started to investigate how they could be successfully combined, mixing varieties into blends to create new flavors. Such blends form the www.i-Italy.org coffee we consume today. Luigi was the first to focus on producing specific blends to meet the demand and tastes of customers, which meant that he also worked tirelessly to find better ways of producing new blends. As his shop turned into a business – initially operating in the region of Turin before expanding throughout Italy – Luigi and his family worked on improving every aspect of the Lavazza coffee experience. For instance, around 1927 Lavazza started to sell coffee in pergamin, a two-layered paper pack that helped maintain the coffee’s fragrance. These continual small innovations helped Lavazza to expand, slowly but surely, even during hard times in Europe. The company not only survived both World Wars, it thrived. In the immediate aftermath of World War II, once again able to import coffee, Lavazza made a series of marketing decisions, highly innovative at the time, that propelled it toward unprecedented nationwide success. From Turin to Italy, from Italy to America By the 1950s Italy was already familiar with a series of TV advertisements known as “Paradiso Lavazza,” a series that continues to this day and usually features appearances from some of the most prominent figures of Italian television. Lavazza has in fact never ceased to devote the utmost care and attention to crafting popular ads. “We’ve been working on an international TV campaign: sixty seconds that will air also here in America,” explains Francesca Lavazza, great-granddaughter of Luigi and the company’s Corporate Image Director. “For the first time on TV, the ad will tell the story of Luigi Lavazza, my great grandfather, from the invention of the blend to today.” After having secured a special place in the hearts of Italians, Lavazza has in fact moved on to attracting a wider international clientele. This approach is being undertaken with particular focus on American consumers. The timing couldn’t be better; for the last few years the interest in quality coffee in the United States has been growing, particularly in New York, where new coffee shops keep sprouting up on every corner. www.i-ItalyNY.com | September-October 2015 | i-Italy ny | 81 Dining In ➜ Taking Italy to your family table Quality coffee: anytime, anywhere Instead of resting on its laurels, Lavazza isn’t afraid to keep on working. In fact, it’s speeding things up. The company understands that, though it might have been profitable to expand incrementally in the past, times change. In a bid to keep up with – and even anticipate – current demands, Lavazza has taken its biggest leap yet: past the Earth’s atmosphere and out into space. About a year ago, a Lavazza coffee machine able to endure space travel and operate in outer space was sent to the International Space Station. The ingenious marketing strategy was clearly appreciated by quite a few astronauts, and speaks volumes about the company’s core idea: that good coffee should be savored by everyone, anytime, anywhere. ●● Lavazza 120 on i-Italy | TV Scan the QR code to watch this interview on your smartphone Francesca Lavazza, Ennio Ranaboldo and Giuseppe Lavazza Fred Plotkin at the Lavazza 120 gala ●● Nutella, 50 Years of Innovation Mondo Nutella: Spreading a Piece of Italy Throughout the World Responding to increasing demand for the Italian delicacy in the US, Mondo Nutella (Nutella World)— Gigi Padovani’s insightful book about Europe’s favorite spread— has finally been translated into English. by Francine Segan ●● Lately, Nutella is starting to make its way from the breakfast (and snack) nooks of Europeans, who have been enjoying this delicious cocoa and hazelnut spread for over 50 years now, to the hearts (and tummies) of Americans. Padovani begins his informative and highly enjoyable book Mondo Nutella on a humorous note. The book’s first chapter, “Napoleon’s Fault,” traces the origin of Nutella back to the shortage of cocoa in continental Europe that the emperor caused by blocking trade with Britain. As a result, Italian chocolate-makers decided to mix the declining supply of cocoa with hazelnut and created what is known in Turin as “giandujot.” 82 | i-Italy ny | September-October 2015 | www.i-ItalyNY.com A European delicacy “Made in Italy” Thanks to the marketing genius of Michele Ferrero, this delicious and (for its time) innovative product derived from the more solid giandujot that literally “spread” throughout Europe beginning in the 1960s. Michele Ferrero proved his genius right off the bat, renaming the product his father Pietro www.i-Italy.org Dining In ➜ Taking Italy to your family table Michele Ferrero proved his genius right off the bat, renaming the product his father Pietro created in a pastry shop in Alba, Northern Italy. The product was originally called “Supercrema.” Ferrero combined the word “nut” with the suffix “-ella,” giving the name a more “Latin” flavor. created in a pastry shop in Alba, Northern Italy. The product was originally called “Supercrema.” Ferrero combined the word “nut,” whose root comes from German, one of the most widely used languages in Europe, with the suffix “-ella,” giving the name a more “Latin” flavor. He also placed great emphasis on the quality of the products used to make Nutella and other goods attached to the Ferrero brand, which is a common selling point for successful Italian products. As a result, sales went up and Nutella became a staple product, beloved by children – and their parents – all over Europe. www.i-Italy.org Gigi Padavani and Francine Segan on i-Italy | TV Nutella and Pop Culture As Padovani explains in his book, much of Nutella’s success derives from its association with famous figures – in fact, the book has an entire section dedicated to the social significance of Nutella, including its string of advertisements featuring prominent Italians and foreigners. Thanks to such ingenious marketing, the product became an integral part of Italian, French and German society. Its presence in popular culture is astounding. From TV ads to websites to social media outlets, Nutella is found everywhere. Even more striking, as well as extremely effective, is the unsolicited celebration of the product by influential figures, including politicians, actors, musicians and athletes. Reflecting their genuine love for Nutella, people often mention it on social media platforms like Twitter or Facebook. And sometimes those people just happen to be Lady Gaga, who made casual mention of her fondness for the spread while tweeting about the success of her new album. Official or not, the wealth of online publicity has certainly played a huge role Scan the QR code to watch this interview on your smartphone in the recent diffusion of the delicious spread on this side of the Atlantic. The land of peanut butter may not lack for spreads, nevertheless it has enthusiastically welcomed Nutella into its supermarkets, restaurants and kitchens. Credit for its popularity is also due to initiatives like Eataly’s Nutella Bar in New York, where the creamy chocolaty spread is served with Italian favorites like gelato, fruit, pastries, and other European staples like crepes and waffles. ●● www.i-ItalyNY.com | September-October 2015 | i-Italy ny | 83 84 | i-Italy ny | September-October 2015 | www.i-ItalyNY.com www.i-Italy.org Dining In ➜ Taking Italy to your family table ●● A LEMONADE AND THE LARGER PROJECT BEHIND IT One Sip Is All It Takes To Go To Portofino The intensity of Tigullio lemons in a bottle awakens the aromas of the Ligurian Coast. by R. C. ●● You can be whisked away to Liguria simply by tasting a lemon-flavored soft drink. Don’t believe us? Close your eyes and take a sip of Limonata Niasca Portofino. Your nose immediately picks up the intense scent of lemons from the Gulf of Tigullio on the Ligurian Riviera. Concentrate and you’ll also catch the subtle notes of elderflower. Take another sip and feel the fresh breeze off the gulf where they grow. Admire its pearly white color, its thousands of sweet, sparkling bubbles. There’s no doubt about it: you’ve landed in Portofino. Behind the fresh taste of this unbelievable drink lies a story that’s just as refreshing. www.i-Italy.org Niasca Portofino on i-Italy | TV Scan the QR code to watch the interview on your smarthphone. “Just three years ago,” says Simona Mussini, a representative of Niasca Portofino, “a group of young people got together. We wanted to do something different in a place where luxury reigns supreme and nobody wants to get his hands dirty. So we purchased some fields and restored them. We worked hard and always with the utmost respect for nature,” she adds. “We don’t use fertilizers or poisons.” The group combines its respect for nature with a similarly deep respect for hard work. Farmers in the area have been enlisted as partners and collaborators. “What’s cool is that now farmers bring us lemons even though we don’t ask for them,” says Mussini. “They demonstrate the kind of pride we take in a product made through hard work. Indeed, to work the land you need to bend down – and that’s tough.’’ We met Mussini at Summer Fancy Food in New York, where she described her Tigullio limonata with an equal measure of pride. “This type of lemon is much sweeter compared to the lemons from Southern Italy. Our beverage is all natural. We use Tigullio lemons, brown sugar and elderflower. This last ingredient adds a splash of fun.’’ The drink is just one component of Niasca Portofino’s larger project. Founded by a group of residents and frequent visitors, the company seeks to resuscitate local traditions, rehabilitate the abandoned countryside, restore spaces that have long been uninhabited, and make Portofino a vibrant place twelve months a year—not just during the summer. And of course, by introducing the world to Portofino and its local products, the company also hopes to see an uptick in tourism. The project’s ambassadors are three highly driven youthful partners. ‘’Our success comes from the heart,” says Mussini. “It stems from an idea we developed over the years. In the end, we’ve got this amazing product. We want to show people that Italy is strong, and that if you have an idea and put effort into it, you can really create something good.’’ Think globally, act locally, and Limonata Niasca Portofino will make a splash in the US. ●● www.i-ItalyNY.com | September-October 2015 | i-Italy ny | 85 Dining In ➜ Taking Italy to your family table ●● the secrets of a catchall product Honey 101 Miele — a sweetener, a condiment and a preservative; an ingredient for wines, cosmetics, and medicines; even artisans have exploited its properties. Learn a little history of honey and the different ways to classify it. scientific research would be used to designate monofloral honeys, thanks to the first Melissopalynology studies, which identified and quantified how many pollen grains were left in a honey and could testify to each barrel’s provenance. Classifications based on how the honey is treated include, first and foremost, honeycomb honey, which is obtained when an apiculturist does not separate honey from a loom (that explains why it also contains wax). Honeycomb honey is the easiest kind of honey to collect. There is also filtered honey, which has been separated from the wax using filters, and honey obtained by spinning or pressing looms. Types of honey based on their use include table honey, made for direct consumption as a natural sweetener in drinks or for cooking, and industrial honey. The freshness and storage time of industrial honey is measured by its level of HMF (hydroxymethylfurfural). by Dino Borri ●● Since ancient times, honey has served different purposes. It has been used as a sweetener, condiment and preservative. Honey has also been added to fish, beans, focaccia, fruit jam and syrups. As a preservative, it has been used with apples, quinces and pears. The upper echelons of society once raised their children on a mixture of milk and honey. And fermented honey was used to produce mead, a drink popular up through the Middle Ages. (Another popular drink was honeyed wine, made with the best vintages, like Falerno and Massico.) Honey has supplied us with everything from cosmetics (aromatic oils, perfumes) to medicine (as an antiseptic, cicatrizant and purgative). Even artisans have exploited its properties: they have been known to soak precious stones in honey to heighten their shine, and fabrics to bring out their color. Over centuries, honey has remained a catchall product. It sweetens sour food—and not only the palates of rich; one Renaissance document mentions “peasants” who spread honey on leeks—and adds flavor to “country dishes,” like beans, red and white meat, and fruit preserves. Honey vs. Sugar The sugar industry began to expand in 1800, and between 1850 and 1950 production increased 20 fold. In the first half of the 19th century, honey and sugar cost the same in England, which was the principal exporter of cane sugar at the time. Meanwhile in Northern Italy honey was cheaper than sugar as late as 1860. But the demand for sugar grew, forcing manufacturers to find an alternative to cane sugar, which they did with the discovery of sugar beets. As manufacturers began mass-producing sugar, the honey industry mobilized and “modernized,” perfecting methods for producing an increasingly purer product. In fact, in the first half of the 1900s, people began to pay greater attention to the provenance of honeys, and what had long been chatter turned into a real commercial enterprise. But it wasn’t until the 1970s that 86 | i-Italy ny | September-October 2015 | www.i-ItalyNY.com honeydew honey produced by bees that transform a sugary substance made from the excretions of an insect called Hemiptera. Honeydew honey is known for its absence or near absence of crystallization due to its high percentage of fructose. Royal Jelly A particularly nutritious and healthy kind of honey, royal jelly is secreted from worker bees’ hypopharyngeal glands and used by bees to feed larvae (for up to three days) and the queen bee (for her entire life). That is why it is considered a “noble” source of nutrition. In the field of apiculture, it is regarded as one of the most highly esteemed products. Honey—let me count the ways! Honey was later classified by its place of origin, by how it was collected and treated, or by what it was to be used for. The main distinctions regarding its place of origin are honeys obtained by the flower’s nectar, which can be distinguished by monofloral honey (i.e., honey collected by bees from a single botanical species) and multifloral honey, which comes from different botanical species. There is also the more flavorful Propolis, or Bee Glue This substance is obtained by collecting various bees on the bud and cortex of different species of plants, including poplars, spruce pines, spruce firs, pines, plum trees, oaks, elms, willows, horse chestnuts and ash trees, among others. It contains aromatic essences, essential oils like terpenes and various other elements. Propolis is a popular substance used to make alternative medicine, candy and alcohol solutions to treat soar throats and oral infections. ●● www.i-Italy.org Dining In ➜ Taking Italy to your family table Where to find THEM Italian Honey Eataly Given its unique geography, Italy has a wide variety of honey species, from artico-alpine species in the north to tropical species in the south. The mountain ranges near the coast provide for many different kinds of species given the area’s climactic diversity. ◗ www.eatalny.com 200 5th Avenue Apiculturists have identified six areas by species: ● Alpine: rhodendron, raspberry, myrtle, spruce (for producing honeydew) and wildflowers. ● Appenine and pre-Alps: acacia (Robinia pseudoacacia), sainfoin, various types of clover, chestnut. ● Hills: foraging and oleaginous cultivation (rapeseed, sunflower), chestnut. ● Plains: fruits, medicinal herbs, sunflowers. ● Tyrrhenian Coast: heather, strawberry, myrtle, rosemary. ● Interior and South: fruits, thyme, eucalyptus, myrtle, strawberry, carob. DiPalo’s 200 Grand St. (at Mott St.) ◗ www.dipaloselects.com Citarella How to Prepare 2135 Broadway 1313 Third Avenue 424 Ave of the Americas ◗ www.citarella.com Fusilli sfiziosi al miele by Rosanna Di Michele Agata & Valentina 1505 First Avenue 64 University Place SERVES 4 PEOPLE ◗www.agatavalentina.com ¾ pound Fusilli n 5 ounces Gorgonzola n 5 ounces Robiola n 1 ounce Pistachios n 2 Tablespoons of honey n 1 Small onion n 2 Tablespoons of Extra Virgin Olive Oil n Fresh mint n Salt, as desired n INSTRUCTIONS ● Heat oil in a pan ● Finely slice the onion, add to oil and simmer lightly ● Bring water to a boil, add salt and cook the fusilli until al dente ● Reserve 1 cup of cooking liquid ● Cut the Gorgonzola and Robiola into small chunks and add them to the onion ● Pour the cup of cooking liquid to melt the cheese ● Crush pistachio and add to pan ● Mix in fusilli and let cook for a minute ● Plate the dish ● Add honey and sprinkle a little fresh mint on top Chef’s note: because gorgonzola is rich in flavor, do not add too much salt to the pasta. Morton Williams 908 2nd Avenue 311 East 23rd Street 1565 1st Avenue ◗www.mortonwilliams.com Jerry’sGourmet 410 South Dean Street Englewood, NJ ◗www.jerryshomemade.com www.rosannacooking.it www.i-Italy.org www.i-ItalyNY.com | September-October 2015 | i-Italy ny | 87 Dining In ➜ Taking Italy to your family table A favorite dish... by Michele Scicolone Sicilan Style Cheese Caciocavallo all’Argentiera ● According to an old story, a Sicilian silversmith who Follow Michele found himself in financial on i-Italy.org difficulties created this recipe, which has become a classic. Trying to keep his poverty a secret from his nosy neighbors, Serve the baked he combined l Serves 4 cheese with a caciocavallo, a n 8 ounces caciocavallo or green salad, typical Southern provolone cheese, cut into crisp Sicilian Italian cheese, bread and a 1/2-inch thick slices n 1 with seasonings tablespoon olive oil n 2 bottle of hearty usually associred wine, large garlic cloves, thinly such as Nero ated with meat sliced n 2 tablespoons white d’Avola. It’s that he could no wine vinegar n 1/2 teaspoon ideal as an aplonger afford. dried oregano The fragrant petizer or quick aroma of the cheese sizzling meatless meal. with the olive oil, garlic, In a large heavy skillet, heat vinegar, and oregano was the oil over medium heat. Add enough to deceive them into the garlic and cook until just thinking that nothing was beginning to turn golden, 1 to amiss. 2 minutes. Place the cheese Caciocavallo is typically made slices in a single layer on top of from cows’ milk. Like mozthe garlic. Raise the heat and add the vinegar. zarella, it is a stretched curd Cook 1 to 2 minutes or until the cheese, but unlike mozzacheese just begins to melt. rella it is aged until it is firm With a metal spatula, quickly and tangy. The name cacioturn the slices and sprinkle cavallo means “horse cheese” with the oregano. which probably derives from Cook briefly until the cheese is the way the cheese was slightly softened and bubbling formed into teardrop shapes around the edges. that were bound in pairs to Transfer to a serving dish and a pole and suspended as if serve hot with Sicilian bread. over the back of a horse. For more about cooking, go to www.MicheleScicolone.com 88 | i-Italy ny | September-October 2015 | www.i-ItalyNY.com ... Paired with the right wine by Charles Scicolone A Great Sicilian Wine Nero d’Avola l find it in NYC Heights Chateau: Wine Shop 123 Atlantic Ave., Brooklyn (718) 330- 0963 n In Vino Veritas 1375 First Ave., Manhattan (212) 288- 0100 n Follow Charles on i-Italy.org ● Nero d’Avola is an indigenous grape variety of Sicily named after the small town of Avola in the southeast in the province of Siracusa. The name means “black of Avola.” Nero d’Avola is sometimes referred to by the name Calabrese (or ‘from Calabria’) but this probably derives from the corruption of a Greek-based Siracusan dialect name. This is not the only explanation of how this confusion of names came about, but one thing is clear and that is that this grape has never been important in Calabria. Nero d’Avola is the most important and most planted red grape variety grown in Sicily. Because it is so popular, Nero d’Avola is cultivated in other parts of the island and thrives in the hot, dry climate. The training system for the vines is usually the espalier (trellis) method though some producers are moving away from this system. To make wine, Nero d’Avola frequently is blended with other native grape varieties such as Nerello Mascalese, Frappato and Perricone or with international grapes such as Cabernet Sauvignon, Merlot and Syrah. It may be possible that Syrah and Nero d’Avola come from a common ancestor but this has yet to be proven. Wines made from Nero d’Avola can be drunk young when vinified and aged in stainless steel. These wines will have fresh red fruit aromas and flavors with a hint of spice. In the hands of some producers when the wine is aged in wood, it can be made into a wine with a lot of body and aging potential and have hints of raspberries, prunes and a touch of leather. Because of this range of styles, the prices range from $10 to $40 a bottle. Depending on the way it is made, Nero d’Avola goes well with salumi, red meats, and cheeses. For more about wine, go to charlesscicolone.wordpress.com. www.i-Italy.org From Italy with love! Authentically Yours, Francesco Cirio 1856 Coliseum - Rom a C e iri o th of It a i s t h e s p o n s o r ti o n li a n C h efs F e d era Come in www.cirio1856.com Francesco Cirio was the canned vegetable industry pioneer, starting back in 1856. Nowadays his Cirio brand is loved throughout Italy along with 70 countries all over the world. With top quality produce from a huge farmers Cooperative, Cirio products are controlled from “seeds to table”. The exquisite taste of our juiciest Italian tomatoes is created with care and expertise, by processing them in just 24 hours. We bring true italian flair to your cooking: taste the difference! Find us on Facebook Facebook.com/CirioUK Follow us on Twitter @CirioUK Dining Out Restaurants+Pizzerias+Wine Bars ●● EATING ITALIAN NEIGHBORHOOD BY NEIGHBORHOOD Italian Way of Life @ Union Square Take a break and check out this new establishment in Union Square serving lunch, dinner, snacks, coffee and cocktails. The service may be quick but the place is still authentically Italian. by L.A. ●● There’s a special new corner in Union Square serving up the best in Italian food, and its name captures small town life in the old country. Al Vicoletto, roughly translated, means “in the back alley,” but it’s difficult to describe the significance of the word vicoletto in Italian. Vicoletti, or small vicoli, suggests an Italian way of life, a place where you can kick back, stop by for a few minutes, grab a snack, catch up with a friend, or savor a coffee while perusing the newspaper before resuming the frenetic New York rhythm we all live by. In its Manhattan incarnation, says partner Alberto Tartari, “Al Vicoletto is located between two major avenues and really is a little alcove couched between the city’s buildings.” Casual, modern, Italian Tartari has two other successful establishments in Manhattan, Baretto and Melograno. But Al Vicoletto, given its location and a few special projects in the works, has a personality all its own. “It’s a casual café and wine bar,” says Tartari, “with a modern Italian kitchen serving simple and healthy dishes made with quality ingredients and a wine list that includes excellent, hard-tofind wines. Our aim is to have a selection of quality wines that aren’t as well known outside of Italy and a full bar with top-shelf Al Vicoletto 9 E 17th St (212) 620-6166 www.alvicolettonyc.com % liquor.” And in Al Vicoletto’s case, reasonable prices don’t mean lower quality. “Having glutenfree products and dishes is also a priority,” adds Tartari. But that’s not all. The spare, elegantly furnished establishment also has an outdoor space that resembles one of those small courtyards that catch you by surprise while traversing the vicoletti in Italy. It’s a small but endearing space, at once romantic and relaxing in the typically Italian way the establishment promises. So what exactly is Al Vicoletto? A restaurant? A café? A place to meet friends for breakfast? Or lunch? Or dinner? Actually 90 | i-Italy ny | September-October 2015 | www.i-ItalyNY.com it’s all of this, and more. “It’s also a market,” says Tartari.” “Our shelves are stocked with hard-to-find, quality products that represent the best in Italian gourmet cooking, which starts with small and mid-sized companies.” Right. Typical of Italy’s borghi and vicoletti. The ‘Jerry Factor’ Another partner is Jerry Turci, owner of Jerry’s Homemade (pay a visit to his delicious allItalian gourmet store just off the Washington Bridge in New Jersey, where you’ll find great food, a stunning selection of wines and a sweet, homey atmosphere). A casual café and wine bar with a modern Italian kitchen serving simple and healthy dishes made with quality ingredients and a wine list that includes excellent, hard-to-find wines. Jerry’s experience as an importer and retailer guarantees that all of the shelves here at Vicoletto are brimming with recherché Italian brands. For example? According to Tartari, “Thanks to Jerry, even a simple breakfast transports you to Italy. It’s as if you were in an Italian home or at the bar before going to work. Customers can taste traditional packaged sweets impossible to find elsewhere in New York, as well as biscotti and fresh croissants made by a bakery we trust.” Anything else? “We’re working on a weekend brunch special featuring live music. We’ve also got several other events in mind,” says Tartari, who can’t seem to contain himself. But there’s a reason for every item he lists off; his goal is to introduce Manhattan to select, quality Italian goods. (And, of course, make Al Vicoletto a New York staple.) “We’re trying to meet our clients’ demands while also embodying the best Italian traditions.” Well then, let us be the first to say, “Benvenuto, Al Vicoletto!” ●● www.i-Italy.org Dining Out ➜ Restaurants+Pizzerias+Wine Bars Dining Dining Out Out Special Special Sicilian Magic in the Big Apple by Gero Salamone The French poet Guy de Maupassant called Sicily “the land of oranges, of blooming ground, whose air in the spring is a fragrance,” An island with timeless appeal, where one becomes enchanted with its numerous cities: the capital Palermo, the charming Taormina, or the historic Ragusa Ibla. A region that over the years has received an influx of different cultures: Greek, Arabic, Norman, Spanish, and other civilizations of the Mediterranean. The popularity of Sicilian cooking makes it easy to experience its distinctive flavors in restaurants scattered across New York. Listed below are some that offer traditional Sicilian cuisine often with innovative touches that make it even more relevant in the new millennium. ince of Agrigento. As an appetizer, try the panu cunsatu (warm bread with olive oil), which you could follow up with delicious ragù, meatballs, or tagliatelle with rabbit sauce. Before leaving, be sure to try the sfinci, a Sicilian doughnut stuffed with ricotta or orange and vanilla cream. Restivo Ristorante 209 7th Avenue (212) 366-4133 ◗ restivorestaurant.com % cuisine classic atmosphere friendly price $$ A taverna in the town square of Marzamemi, Sicily (photo by Stefano La Rosa, flickr.com | Creative Commons) Upper East Side East Village Italianissimo Ristorante % 307 East 84th Street (212) 212-628-8603 ◗italianissimoristorante-hub.com % cuisine innovative atmosphere romantic price $$$ ● The name of the restaurant says it all. Italianissimo (or “very Italian”) Ristorante offers a wide variety of Sicilian specialties. Start with an appetizer of homemade bread, pesto, and olives and sip on excellent wine produced in Sicily. If you want a typical Sicilian first course, there is no doubt about what to choose: the fettucine alla siciliana with eggplant, tomato sauce, and fresh mozzarella. Finally, why not end the meal with a superb pistachio ice cream? www.i-Italy.org Cacio e Vino 80 2nd Avenue (212) 228- 3269 ◗ www.cacioevino.com cuisine authentic sicilian atmosphere friendly price $$$ ● Cacio e Vino, in the heart of the East Village, was conceived by owner Giusto Priola, who found inspiration in the words of Goethe: “Italy without Sicily leaves no image in the soul.” (“L’Italia senza la Sicilia non lascia nello spirito immagine alcuna.”) The restaurant is made even more charming by the paintings hung on the brick walls that evoke the beautiful land of Sicily. The extensive menu consists of several dishes that recall the flavors of Sicily. To start, try an appetizer with caponata (fried vegetables seasoned with a sweet and sour sauce) and panelle (fritters made from chickpea flour), followed by a pasta with tuna, capers, olives, and tomatoes. You can also opt for a plate of grilled fish with octopus, tuna, squid, shrimp, and clams, all seasoned with oregano. Before leaving the restaurant enveloped in the perfume of Sicily, you must try the cassata siciliana (sweetened ricotta, sponge cake, marizpan, and candied fruit). Chelsea Bar Eolo 190 7th Avenue (646) 225-6606 ◗eolonewyork.com % cuisine innovative atmosphere elegant price $S$ ● In the lively neighborhood of Chelsea, you will find the wine bar, Bar Eolo, which also offers an extensive menu of Sicilian food. At the head of the restaurant is chef Melissa, whose love for Sicilian cooking was passed down to her by her Sicilian grandmother from Sant’Anna, in the prov- ● Mix together rigatoni, tomato sauce, eggplant, capers, and ricotta and you get the “Restivo Rigatoni.” A culinary specialty that takes its name from the restaurant located in Chelsea and run by the Restivo family. You should definitely try the fresh mozzarella with tomatoes and basil. It’s a small room with less than 50 seats, which makes it an intimate environment suitable for a work lunch or a candlelight dinner. Soho Piccola Cucina Osteria 196 Spring Street (646) 478-7488 ◗piccolacucinaenotecanyc.com % cuisine innovative atmosphere cozy price $$ ● The success of Piccola Cucina Osteria is tied to the creativity of chef Philip Guardione, a true Sicilian, who in a short time has been able to bring the flavors of authentic Sicilian food to the Big Apple. An intimate and welcoming location in which you can enjoy exquisite dishes. Start with a caponata of swordfish prepared in the style of Palermo or sardines alla beccafico with fennel and oranges. A plate of spaghetti with squid ink sauce is a sure bet as well. www.i-ItalyNY.com | September-October 2015 | i-Italy ny | 91 Dining Out ➜ Restaurants+Pizzerias+Wine Bars Flatiron District Zio Ristorante 17 West 19th Street (212) 352-1700 ◗ zio-nyc.com % cuisine innovative atmosphere elegant price $$$ ● At a short distance from the elegant Flatiron building, you’ll find Zio Ristorante, a cool place that introduces Mediterranean cooking with hints of innovation thanks to the creativity of chefs Max Convertini and Robero Manfe. You’ll get authentic and fresh products served by a friendly and hospitable staff. Start your meal with an appetizer made of eggplant, smoked mozzarella, sauce and arugula, and later, enjoy a flavorful tuna steak with fennel, caponata, and stuffed zucchini flowers. Want dessert? Get the cheesecake with ricotta, blueberries, and chocolate! traditional Italian neighborhood, the restaurant is run by a family from the province of Palermo that, for years, has been committed to offering Sicilian food and spreading the knowledge of Sicily’s culinary art. Once you enter Forno Siciliano, your eyes are immediately drawn to a series of Sicilian icons, like the famous Sicilian cart or the large, colorful wall paintings depicting scenes of the island in all its beauty. Popular dishes include the delicious penne alla siciliana with tomato in Brooklyn and you hear Frank Sinatra in the distance, or smell freshly baked warm bread, then you are near a Sicilian restaurant as special as its owner, Francesco Buffa. The restaurant is Ferdinando’s Focacceria, named after Francesco’s father-inlaw , who devoted his life to teaching his family the art of Sicilian cooking. Opened in 1904 in the heart of what was once Brooklyn’s Little Italy, the place has remained much the same, giving it a touch of retro “Made in Da Nico Ristorante 164 Mulberry Street (212) 352-1700 ◗ danicoristorante.com % Forno Siciliano 43-19 Ditmars Blvd (718) 267-0790 ◗ fornosicilianoastoria.com % cuisine traditional atmosphere rustic price $$ ● Forno Siciliano is a piece of Sicily a short distance from chaotic Manhattan where one can savor delectable Sicilian cuisine. Located in Astoria, a 209 4th Avenue (347) 223-4176 ◗ bellagioianyc.com % cuisine authentic atmosphere rustic price $$$ Brooklyn Gravesend cuisine classic atmosphere casual price $$ Queens Astoria Bella Gioia ● Bella Gioia is the ideal place to recover your energy after jogging in Park Slope with a wonderful Sicilian dish prepared by the chef and owner, Nico. His passion for cooking was inspired and fostered by his parents and grandparents in Sicily. Your meal would be incomplete without a plate of fresh pasta with sardines and wild fennel or orecchiette with tomato sauce, eggplant, and Parmesan cheese. For those who desire a lighter meal, there is a tasty orange and fennel salad. your lunch or dinner with a delicious pistachio gelato, a digestive walk through the historic streets of this once Italian neighborhood provides the perfect end to a delicious time at Bella Gioia. Little Italy ● Like eggplant Parmesan? Da Nico is the perfect place to try a superb version along with other specialties, like traditional minestrone soup of mixed vegetables or spaghetti with tomato sauce and meatballs. The chicken with mushrooms and Marsala wine is also worth a try. This homely place in Little Italy is waiting for you to stop by and spend a pleasant part of your day in the company of Nico’s excellent cooking. Brooklyn Park Slope Joe’s of Avenue U 287 Avenue U (718) 449-9285 ◗ http://joesofavenueu.com % cuisine atmosphere price Caponata: A most typical Sicilian dish sauce, ricotta and eggplant, or the veal boscaiolo with mushrooms, pancetta, and Marsala sauce. This meal can be concluded with a great homemade tiramisù. Brooklyn Cobble Hill Ferdinando’s Focacceria 151 Union Street (718) 855-1545 % cuisine authentic sicilian atmosphere old-fashioned price $$ ● If you find yourself walking along Columbia Street near the waterfront 92 | i-Italy ny | September-October 2015 | www.i-ItalyNY.com Sicily.” You can choose from different specialties like antipasto rustico (rustic appetizers) with a sun-dried tomato base, grilled eggplant, and caponata accompanied by warm bread. Or even arancini, rice balls full of meat and topped with ricotta and tomato sauce. But the signature dish is Palermo’s vastedde, a mix of spleen, ricotta, and grated caciocavallo cheese on a seeded Sicilian bun that will make your mouth water. To finish, fabulous cannoli with ricotta. Download our iPhone app traditional casual $$ ● If you are looking for a place to eat excellent Sicilian food, then Joe’s of Avenue U is for you. A very welcoming tavola calda restaurant that embodies the best of sicilianità (or “Sicilian-ness”): with symbols and images of the island that will make you forget you’re in New York. A glance behind the counter will uncover delicious dishes such as lasagna with meatballs and linguine ai frutti di mare (with mussels, clams, cherry tomatoes, garlic), which you could order along with an octopus salad. Try the stuffed artichoke and the meatballs seasoned with walnuts, raisins, and pine nuts. If you’re craving something more substantial, you can try the involtini: breaded veal cutlets rolled with cheese and bacon, and pair it with a nice glass of homemade red wine. www.i-Italy.org Dining Out ➜ Restaurants+Pizzerias+Wine Bars Brooklyn Bensonhurst Staten Island Enoteca Maria 27 Hyatt Street (718) 447-2777 ◗ www.enotecamaria.com Il Colosseo % 7704 18th Avenue (718) 234-3663 % cuisine authentic atmosphere casual price $$$ cuisine classic atmosphere family price $$$ ● Although named after the famous monument in the center of Rome, Il Colosseo — located at the heart of Cristoforo Colombo Boulevard — is a Sicilian-owned family restaurant. Always busy, it sports a large woodburning oven used to churn out delicious pizzas. Il Colosseo offers a variety of Italian specialties including, obviously, a few signature Sicilian dishes. We suggest getting a plate of pasta with olive pesto and ricotta. If you love fish, the grilled octopus is highly recommended. For dessert, do not hesitate to order the panettone with almonds, especially around Christmas. Good Italian wine values by the glass. ● Enjoy the ferry ride to Staten Island and admire the sunset on your way to a very special place: l’Enoteca di Maria. Only a five-minute walk from the ferry terminal, this small restaurant allows you to enjoy traditional cooking just like your nonna used to make. What’s even better is that there is a different Italian grandmother in the kitchen each day of the week. Each cook comes from a different part of Italy and prepares specialties from her own region. Nonna Nina, of Sicilian origin, will amaze you with her lasagna or her pasta with grilled eggplant. And what about trying a typical Sicilian aromatic ragù with rabbit meat? SPONSORED CONTENT “Sapori della nostra terra” “Quality means excellence, especially in food”: that’s what young Italian-American Giovanni Patti understood from his father after Italy - Sicily spending years learning how to create a successful business, one of the few Sicilian companies to consistently attend New York’s “Summer Fancy Food.” For roughly 5 years Patti has been importing traditional Sicilian products into the US, particularly into New York. The company he works, “Sapori della Nostra Terra,” acts as an ambassador to Sicily’s culinary tradition in the Big Apple. A few of his most famous products include crunchy cannoli wafers filled with Sicilian sheep’s milk ricotta, exquisite arancine and chickpea fritters. Not to mention their delectable cassata (Sicilian sponge cake made with fruit, ricotta and marzipan). Patti’s winning brand has brought the authenticity of Sicily’s small producers under one big tent. Contact Giovanni Patti: [email protected] | % (347) 440-7351 Getting to... 150,000 on Facebook (almost there:) i-Italy Rocks! www.facebook.com/iitaly www.i-Italy.org www.i-ItalyNY.com | September-October 2015 | i-Italy ny | 93 Dining Out ➜ Restaurants+Pizzerias+Wine Bars ●● KESTÈ & DON ANTONIO. TWO AUTHENTIC PIZZERIAS IN MANHATTAN Neapolitan Pizza: A Life Passion Roberto and Giorgia Caporuscio with mentor Antonio Starita are out to conquer the US of A. Don Antonio 309 W 50th St % (646) 719-1043 ◗ donantoniopizza.com by L. A. ●● Three generations join forces to champion authentic Neapolitan pizza. We’re referring to an increasingly well-known trio in the gourmet world: mother-and-father team Roberto and Giorgia Caporuscio and their mentor Don Antonio Astarita, whose Pizzeria Starita on via Materdei, one of the oldest pizzerias in Naples, has been in his family for three generations. Not only is the pizza special, but watching how they work together, never straying from the path of classic cooking, is pure Naples. Roberto & Giorgia After a period working in the cheese industry (about which he knows every little detail), Roberto shifted his attention to the pizzaiolo metier. He trained with some of the most talented pizza-makers before relocating to the United States, where he has opened several popular pizzerias, most recently in New York. In 2009, he opened Kesté Pizza & Vino and in 2012, with his old friend Antonio Starita, he opened Don Antonio by Starita. With his daughter Georgia he has created a significant generational link. Like many young Italians, Georgia came to New York in 2010 to study English. One day, her father asked her to give pizza-making a shot. “Why don’t you try to play with the dough,” he asked her, “see how we make it?” What began as a lark quickly turned serious. Under the guidance of Don Antonio, she became a rising star in the field, earning the Classical Pizza Champion title tradition, although we have made some innovations as far as flavor is concerned,” says Starnita, adding, “The pizza has retained its classic identity as a full and tasty meal. It has to remain rooted in popular Neapolitan cuisine.” His student is no slouch either. Two styles, same guarantee in 2013 for her Montanara Starita. “I love pizza because it’s so simple but so particular. It’s so difficult to make yet so easy at the same time,” Georgia tells us. “Everyone eats pizza - rich people, poor people, young and old. Everyone.” Enters Don Antonio Starita is third-generation pizza royalty. His family’s pizzeria in Naples was featured in Vittorio De Sica’s film L’Oro di Napoli, in which Sofia Loren and 94 | i-Italy ny | September-October 2015 | www.i-ItalyNY.com Giacomo Furia play a couple of pizzaioli who crank out fried pizza on credit—“eat today, pay tomorrow.” Starita has even served pizza to Pope John Paul II. His “Pizza del Papa” is one of the best-known pizzas in the world. Don’t tell this writer such recognitions count for nothing. Starita knows everything there is to know about dough. In Naples they say he has tomato sauce coursing through his veins. “Over all these years, we have never strayed from Kesté Pizza & Vino 271 Bleecker St (212) 243-1500◗ %kestepizzeria.com Currently, Caporuscio is US President of the Association of Neapolitan Pizza Makers. Just try asking him to substitute something on his bewilderingly large pizza menu. “I’d rather lose a client,” he says. “Our pizzas are the product of a long tradition. They don’t change.” Two pizzerias, two styles, same guarantee: real Neapolitan pizza. Kesté (meaning “this is it” in Neapolitan) is located in the heart of Greenwich Village. It was the first authentic Neapolitan pizzeria in New York and sparked the Big Apple’s love for “real” pizza. Farther uptown is Don Antonio by Starita. The joint has genuine Neapolitan décor and a cocktail list with an Italian twist. We recommend the Bellini. It’s a treat. You can expect the best of Naples’ best from both pizzerias: doughy delights including red pizzas, white pizzas, fried pizzas, gluten-free pizzas, stuffed pizzas, calzones, and much more. If that weren’t enough, the wood-fired oven is custom-built from volcanic soil and stone. i-Italy recommends returning frequently and trying everything. But for starters, don’t miss “La Montanara Starita.” In our opinion, it’s the dish that drives home the point: innovation is best achieved through tradition. What’s for dessert, you ask? Indulge in “La Pizza o gli Angioletti alla Nutella” (small ‘angels’ with Nutella). You have to taste it to believe it. ●● www.i-Italy.org A DYNASTY IS BORN The father-daughter team of Roberto and Giorgia Caporuscio have won Best Pizza in New York an unprecedented 6 times between their two, New York-based pizzerias, Keste Pizza and Vino and Don Antonio by Starita. kestepizzeria.com donantoniopizza.com Ideas ❱❱ Style FASHION, DESIGN & MORE ●● A CONVERSATION WITH ARCHITECT DAN MEIS Photos: Courtesy of Meis Architects Stadio della Roma: A Glorious Mix of Past, Present, and Future Stadium Curva Sud Entry. Raised up on a plaza to accommodate 2 levels of parking, the grand stairs make for a dramatic entry to the stadium and surrounding activity. Situated prominently facing the primary pedestrian pathways is the Curva Sud entrance, flanked on either side by main general admission and VIP entries. The challenge of designing a new home for A.S. Roma, one of the most renowned soccer teams in Italian history, has fallen to American architect Dan Meis. The real estate investment should increase the value of Rome’s southern district Tor di Valle. fusing tradition and a futuristic vision, is ready for construction. The one and only Stadio della Roma will be built in Rome’s Tor di Valle district. In architect Dan Meis’ words, “I was surprised to learn that there was such a large available site at Tor di Valle. While not in the center of Rome, it is almost halfway between the airport and the city on the main highway.” by Mila Tenaglia Sports, Entertainment, and Architecture ●● If you’re interested in Italian soccer and love the eternal city, you now have yet another reason to pack your bags for Rome. A brand new architectural project, expertly Dan Meis is a renowned American architect with over 30 years of experience under his belt. He is known as one of the best architects in the world, specializing in sports & Dan Meis entertainment. His works have 96 | i-Italy ny | September-October 2015 | www.i-ItalyNY.com been on display in Europe, the Middle East and, naturally, the United States. He owns studios in Los Angeles and New York that serve many locations around the world. Raised in a small city in Colorado, Meis quickly became enthralled with the world of sports. He was also equally attracted to the physical look of stadiums, the symbolism attached to them and the way spectators get swept up in a game. “I was taken by how passionate people are about stadiums and the teams who occupy them. I love working around the world and having the opportunity to engage in the culture and passion of local fans.” The idea is to transform this area into an entirely new sports, entertainment, shopping, and business district. A new attraction in a city with some of the world’s most famous attractions. The stadium is envisioned to set a new bar for state of the art, not just in Italy but globally. www.i-Italy.org Ideas ➜ Style Dan Meis It would be impossible to design a stadium in Rome without thinking about the powerfully iconic presence of the Colosseum. We knew that a new stadium would draw comparison so we wanted to make a respectful reference to it but in a very contemporary way. From the Colosseum to the Stadium When looking at designs for the stadium it is hard not to note its resemblance to the Colosseum, the most important Roman amphitheater and the symbol of Rome itself. As Meis puts it, “It would be impossible to design a stadium in Rome without thinking about the powerfully iconic presence of the Colosseum. We knew that a new stadium would draw comparison so we wanted to make a respectful reference to it but in a very contemporary way. Our solution was to ‘wrap’ a modern steel and glass stadium with a floating stone scrim of Travertine that would be loosely based on the rhythms and fenestration of the Colosseum. The travertine would be quarried from the very same mountains that provided the stone for the Colosseum. In the end we hope we have created something very contemporary but that fits comfortably with the iconic monuments of Rome.” Transformative Architecture “I have been traveling to Tuscany on vacations with my family every year for the last twenty,” says Meis. “So I know Italy and Rome very well.” But the cultural research he conducted while working out designs for Stadio della Roma is not simply the byproduct of his passion for all things Italian; he is also interested in Italian fans, whom he admits cannot be easily placed into a convenient socio-political box. “Football fans are far more passionate and knowledgeable about their sport than any other,” he says. “Americans do not completely understand this yet, but it is changing. I am quite Stadium Interior Bowl View of the pitch from Suite level, looking toward the south end. The Curva Sud stands alone as its own seating deck, a nearly continuous wall of fans to intimidate opposing teams. On non-game days the Curva Sud also serves as a 15,000 seat venue for smaller concerts and other performances and events. sure this type of soccer will be as popular in the U.S. as the NFL someday.” Tor di Valle may feel peripheral now, but thanks to the Stadio, it should soon become both a sporting hub and an artistic and cultural center operational seven days a week. “The idea is to transform this area into an entirely new sports, entertainment, shopping, and business district,” says Meis. “A new attraction in a city with some of the world’s most famous attractions. The stadium is envisioned to set a new bar for what’s state-of-the-art, not just in Italy but globally.” Stadio della Roma should be ready for the 2018 season and we’re hopeful it will pay proper homage to “I Giallorossi” (The YellowReds) and the city of Rome. ●● Stadium Exterior Plaza. Intended to evoke one of Rome’s most beloved and iconic landmarks, the Colosseum, the design incorporates an ultra-modern, steel and glass stadium, wrapped in a stone “scrim”. This scrim, a floating stone screen that envelops the stadium is a dynamic contemporary interpretation of the stone arches of the famous arena. A translucent canopy protects the entire seating bowl from the elements. www.i-Italy.org www.i-ItalyNY.com | September-October 2015 | i-Italy ny | 97 Ideas ➜ Style Personal Shopper Branding and rebranding made in Italy by Stefano Celsi 2015 was the year of the iconic ‘80s designer logo comeback, We saw American designers like Calvin Klein or DKNY back in fashion in a major way. There’s nothing better than Italian powerhouses like Moschino and Valentino to take center stage. Since Valentino Garavani retired in 2008, the brand has lived a glowing second life, maintaining their classic, remarkable signature style, like Rosso Valentino. The irreverent and controversial brand is remixing new trends with classic Moschino must haves like denim luxury and its leather accessories. . ❝1❞ Extraordinary Knitwear Ada ◗ adadivincenzo.com ● Italians aren’t all about vintage and old glam; they’ve also been known to encouraging new designers of note. Like Ada di Vincenzo, who grew up surrounded by artists and, after graduating from the prestigious Politecinco di Moda in Milan, moved first to London then to New York where she had unique experiences working for some of the world’s best magazines and fashion houses. Ada since decided to launch her own brand. With fall on the way, there’s nothing better than a quality Italian-made knit to keep you warm, like the one pictured below from this new upcoming Italian designer. It’s another madein-Italy musthave. 2❞ ❝ Urban Femme Fatale Moschino ◗ moschino.com 1 ● Only a year ago Jeremy Scott took his enfant terrible street style to Milan’s Moschino headquarters. This year’s fall/winter collection is made for the rough and tough urban woman who likes to play with denim couture and gold-andleather goods. If it’s hard to miss the giant Moschino logo on the goods, then it’s impossible to miss the bright, aggressive colors of the clothes. 98 | i-Italy ny | September-October 2015 | www.i-ItalyNY.com 2 www.i-Italy.org Ideas ➜ Style 3 ❝3❞ Italian gentleman Etro ◗ etro.com/en_us/ ● Veronica Etro defined her fall collection with two words: “Controlled Maximalism.” “[I] mixed a lot of different materials in each piece, creating a textural 3-D quality,” she said. The beautiful suits are tailored for the contemporary man who’s not afraid to add sensibility and new materials to his wardrobe, honoring this Italian house’s extraordinarily rich tradition. Bauletto Forever Luxurious, Feminine, Original Prada ● Miuccia Prada is the ultimate fash- ion icon. This year the legendary brand – first established in Milan in 1913 – has remixed and revisited a classic. It’s called the Prada Inside bag and it’s the main bag being launched for the 2015 fall/winter collection with its très feminine pastel colors. The main feature of the Inside bag is its “bag-inside-the-bag” lined with Napa leather. The bags themselves are made with leather, snake and crocodile skin. . ◗ www.prada.com ❝4❞ Romantic Flower Power Valentino ◗ www.valentino.com 3 4 ● Rome-based Valentino designers Maria Grazia Chiuri and Pier Paolo Piccioli are often inspired by their Italian heritage. This collection’s muses are none other than Sandro Botticelli’s La primavera and pop artist Giosetta Fioroni. These oversized dresses with romantic prints and a dash of boho chic are remarkable. ❝5❞ Style on your shoulder Valentino ◗ valentino.com 3 ● This season, backpacks have become a statement. This ’90’s fashion revival is not just a passing fashion mood, it seems to have caught up and keep expanding. In our fastpaced world, we have to carry our life around with us, making it hard to be stylish and practical. Good thing Italians are brilliant matchmakers. And this Valentino backpack is a match made in heaven: luxurious details like butterfly prints married with high quality Italian material. We think it’s a must—don’t you agree? 5 www.i-Italy.org www.i-ItalyNY.com | September-October 2015 | i-Italy ny | 99 Ideas ❱❱ Bookshelf italIAN readS AND listenS ●● A CONVERSATION WITH RUTH BEN-GHIAT Italy’s Skeleton in the Closet New York University Professor of Italian Studies and History Ruth Ben-Ghiat discusses her new book Italian Fascism’s Empire Cinema. This interview aired on our TV show and is now available online. by Stefano albertini ●● I have heard people refer to “colonial cinema” but there is no other book that mentions “empire cinema.” Why did you choose that term as the title of your book? Because I wanted to bring attention to the dramatic period from the invasion of Ethiopia in 1935 until the fall of the empire, a period marked by the militarization of society and propaganda. The state supported cinema and spawned this body of work. So I wanted to set it apart from the colonial cinema of the pre-empire period. Was Mussolini very interested in cinema? Did he have direct control over the directors? At the beginning of the regime Mussolini was not interested in entertainment movies. He founded the “Istituto Luce” for documentaries and newsreels. Gradually, he realized that this was a mistake. Was the popularity of foreign films an object of concern to Mussolini? And could this be why he supported the production of empire cinema? Ruth Ben-Ghiat on i-Italy | TV Scan the QR code to watch this interview on your smartphone Italian Fascism’s Empire Cinema Ruth Ben-Ghiat Indiana University Press ➤ pages 420 ➤ $ 35 Well, Italians didn’t really want to see Italian films as much as American or even French ones. So, after the invasion of Ethiopia, the Fascist state reorganized the cultural bureaucracy, founded Cinecittà, and gave Istituto Luce a new home to combat American cinema. They took distribution away from American studios. And, in retaliation, American films withdrew from the Italian market. This had a rather ambivalent reception: some worried about not having enough Italian production. 100 | i-Italy ny | September-October 2015 | www.i-ItalyNY.com Your book states that 91% of Italian entertainment at that time consisted in going to see movies. So not being able to produce enough was a legitimate concern. But eventually, during WWII, Italian cinema backed by the state became very successful and was one of the best selling across the axis block. But they had to get rid of American films from Italian screens to achieve that. In your book you also mention that there are other examples of empire cinema. What would you say is specifically Italian? There is a lot of foreign influence in these fascist propaganda films. But there are certain things that make them more Italian, like the fact that women are seldom on screen, even when there is a love interest. The focus is on male bonding, the “military ethos.” Then there are films about emigration, the great drama of early 20th-century Italy, the loss of millions of Italians abroad. Declaring itself an empire gave Italians a chance to leave Brooklyn and Buenos Aires, and come home, not to Italy, where there was no work, but to the colonies. Which of these films was more surprising or challenging to you? I would say the two films shot in Somalia, about which nothing is written. One, by Romolo Marcellini, featured real soldiers and very few actors. The other, called Giungla Nera, starred a French actor who made both the Italian and the French versions of the film and a Somali woman. These films are a mix of documentary and fiction with subplots of love and war. www.i-Italy.org Ideas ➜ Bookshelf After the invasion of Ethiopia in October 1935, the state reorganized the cultural bureaucracy, founded Cinecittà, and gave Istituto Luce a new home to combat American cinema. They took distribution away from American studios. And, in retaliation, American films withdrew from the Italian market You underline the fact that in empire movies the line between documentary and feature films is blurred. One of the things I argue in my book is that empire films became a site for experimentation. Because you have to show the colonies, you want to convince people that Italy is making them flourish. So there was a lot of emphasis on getting direct footage, sure, but also on emphasizing the glory of the Italian military by showing real soldiers. Two generations of important Italian directors worked on these films, including people like Genini, Alessandrini and Cameroni, and also Fellini, Rossellini and Antonioni. But afterward these films were not remembered. Very rarely did directors speak about them, and this cinema was put into the closet. Finding the material for this book was not easy. For instance, I realized that one of the four storylines of a 1942’s Benghazi had been removed by the Christian Democrats after the war because it featured a prostitute. So I wrote to the archivists at the Museo Nazionale di Torino, and they heroically managed to find a copy of the complete film. ●● www.i-Italy.org Among the many examples of Italian empire cinema there are films about emigration, the great drama of early 20thcentury Italy, the loss of millions of Italians abroad. Declaring itself an empire gave Italians a chance to leave Brooklyn and Buenos Aires, and come home, not to Italy, where there was no work, but to the colonies. And this did happen, to a certain extent. www.i-ItalyNY.com | September-October 2015 | i-Italy ny | 101 Ideas ➜ Bookshelf A Season in Florida Emanuele Pettener Bordighera Press ➤ pages 154 ➤ $ 14.00 BOOK ● A Season In Florida is Emanuele Pettener’s debut book of fiction in English. Prolific in Italian with three novels, he now offers a North American audience some of his delightfully funny, yet sober, short fiction, which nicely complements his previously published novels. Emanuele Pettener teaches Italian language and literature at Florida Atlantic University; he has published numerous articles and short stories in Italy and in the United States. A Rose Is A Rose Is A Rose Luca Bracali Mondadori ➤ pages 132 ➤ $ 22.00 BOOK ● In Luca Bracali’s most recent book of photographs, he explores the deeper beauty hidden within the flower petals as he captures several different varieties of flora. Beautiful enough on their own, these photographs, when presented in succession, create a comprehensive collection of nature’s simple elegance – a collection Bracali should feel proud of. Bracali photographed the majority of his work in the Barni’s Nurseries, a family-owned nursery founded in 1882, in Pistoia, Italy. He completed most of his work between 2011 and 2012. Frecce Tricolori Acrobatic Colors in the Venice Sky Frecce Renato D’Agostin Automatic Books ➤ pages 132 ➤ $ 29 ● Frecce collects the first work in color by the Italian photographer Renato D’Agostin. Frecce Tricolori (literally “Tricolored Arrows”), or the 313th Gruppo Addestramento Acrobatico, is the aerobatic demonstration team of the Italian air force. Every year in Jesolo Lido, a seaside resort near Venice, Frecce Tricolori entertain thousands of people with colorful and eye-catching stunts. Photographer Renato D’Agostin attended the show in August 2014 and created a series of photographs depicting the acrobatic movements of the aircrafts, their dense traces of smoke, an admiring audience, and, most of all, the sky painted in green, white and red. Last March Mc2gallery (Milan) presented a selection of prints from Frecce by Renato D’Agostin in occasion of Pulse New York Contemporary Art Fair. Renato D’Agostin was born in 1983. He started his career in photography in Venice, Italy in 2001. The atmosphere of city life nourished his curiosity to capture life situations with the camera. For this, in 2002, he journeys through the capitals of Western Europe. After a period in Milan where he worked with the production studio Maison Sabbatini, he moved overseas exploring photography in New York. In the dynamic city life he had the chance to meet photographer Ralph Gibson and later on become his assistance. In 2007, he presented Metropolis at the Leica Gallery in New York. Other exhibitions followed in The United States, Europe and Asia in the years after. His works have been published in numerous books and some of his prints have in the years become part of public collections such as The Library of Congress and The Phillips Collection in Washington DC, as well as the Center for Creative Photography in Arizona and the Maison Europeenne de la Photographie in Paris among others. The Hollow Heart Viola Di Grado, Translated by Antony Shugaar Europa Editions ➤ pages 176 ➤ $ 16.00 BOOK ● The Hollow Heart tells the story of what follows a suicide. Di Grado brings a vision of life after life. She writes of the emotions of the dead—their incredible longing and the sense of loss that plagues them. Di Grado’s story 102 | i-Italy ny | September-October 2015 | www.i-ItalyNY.com will both frighten and enlighten. Di Grado stunned with her debut novel 70% Acrylic 30% Wool portraying an unusual love story and she is likely to find great success with her newest, inventive novel. Dream Pools Nico Maria Filigheddu and Giovanni Maria Filigheddu Skira ➤ pages 184 ➤ $ 68.00 BOOK ● T h i s book transports readers to the breathtaking Emerald Coast of Sardinia. The focus is on the swimming pools that have become a fundamental aspect of vacation homes on the island. The pools range from those that are geometrically shaped or free formed and are found in a variety of settings along the Emerald Coast. All the pools, even those that look as if they are part of nature, are examples of incredible man-made architecture. Gelato Messina: The Recipes Nick Palumbo Hardie Grant Press ➤ pages 320 ➤ $ 29.95 BOOK ● N i c k Palumbo’s new gelato cookbook will inspire those looking to create their own cool, Italian treat with basic recipes using fresh ingredients. Readers will be surprised to see recipes with non-traditional yogurt and dairy bases. In addition to the gelato recipes themselves, Palumbo provides a helpful “basics” section that will help any gelato amateur make the classic Italian treat in their own home. With recipes to help any home cook create gelato like the professionals, accompanied by beautiful photographs, Palumbo is sure to delight any gelato aficionado with this book! Download our iPhone app www.i-Italy.org Ideas ➜ Bookshelf Leonardo: 1452-1519 Edited by Pietro C. Marani and Maria Teresa Fiorio Skira ➤ pages 350 ➤ $ 60.00 BOOK ● Editors P i e t ro M a ra n i and Maria Teresa Fiorio created a catalog of Leonardo da Vinci’s entire works for the occasion of the Milan Expo 2015. This edition uses twelve sections to illustrate fundamental themes of Leonardo’s artistic and scientific career. The final two sections concentrate on his famous masterpiece, the Mona Lisa, and how his influence continues into this modern time. It also contrasts Leonardo’s works with those of his predecessors for readers to fully grasp his contribution to not only to the history of art, but also to science and technology. A Walk in Roberto Bolle: Voyage Into Beauty eral guest artists. It’s so rich and varied that it can serve as a complete playlist on its own and appeal to an even wider audience. Sanremo, Grande Amore Il Volo Columbia/Sony ➤ $ 16.99 music ● This trio of young Italian singers, Piero Barone, Ignazio Boschetto, and Gianluca Ginobile, whose original blend of opera and pop has gained international recognition in the past few years, came out with a new EP on the occasion of their participation in the 2015 Sanremo Music Festival. It includes six covers of some of the best songs from past Sanremo Festival editions, all adapted and rearranged, and one new original song, “Grande Amore,” with which they won this edition of the Festival. Roberto Bolle, Photographed by Luciano Romano & Fabrizio Ferri Rizzoli ➤ pages 160 ➤ $ 65.00 D’Amore BOOK ● This book showcases Roberto Bolle in some of Italy’s most iconic locations. Bolle, principal dancer of the American Ballet Theatre and guest artist at La Scala and the Royal Ballet, has become a great cultural ambassador of Italy to the world. His compelling performances have drawn a wider audience to the ballet. In this edition Bolle is shot in beautiful poses all across the country at famed locations such as St. Mark’s Square, Venice. ● A collection of some of the greatest songs by the renowned Italian singer/songwriter, Claudio Baglioni. This album features thirty tracks by the Roman musician and singer, including iconic ones like “Questo Piccolo Grande Amore.” The essence of over forty years’ worth of successful songs is encompassed in this two disc CD, whose leading theme is love. Lorenzo 2015 CC Jovanotti Universal Music $ 32.00 MUSIC ● The latest and thirteenth album by one of the very few – if not the only – Italian pop star figure, Jovanotti (real name: Lorenzo Cherubini) includes thirty new songs, various genres ranging from rock - what he was originally known for - to pop, EDM, and even rap, and features sev- www.i-Italy.org ITALIAN JAZZ Mr Sax (ophone) Claudio Baglioni Columbia/Sony ➤ $ 27.59 Parole in Circolo Marco Mengoni Sony Music ➤ $ 22.99 music ● A major figure of Italian pop since he won XFactor Italy in 2009, Marco Mengoni has now released his third album, which includes his new hit single “Guerriero”(Warrior), an emotional song about vulnerability and the power of love. His sweet, melancholy songs touch upon issues that are both personal and universal, such as the importance of image over essence in the music business and society at large. by Enzo Capua I n 1841 a Belgian musician based in Paris decided to invent a musical instrument which would possess a fuller, more vibrant sound than the bass clarinet he usually played. The musician was Adolphe Sax, and the instrument he patented in 1846 would from then on be named the “Saxophone.” Sax could never have imagined the success his instrument would have during the following decades, nor its eventual status as the symbol of a genre of music that did not even exist during his time: jazz. What makes the sound of the saxophone so indispensable in jazz bands? One answer stands out above the rest: its sound most closely resembles the human voice. The trumpet, the clarinet, the flute, and other wind instruments also possess some of this resemblance, but the saxophone has something much more. Maybe it’s the softness, or the lightness, or the sensuality of its sound. Or maybe it’s the sound of grittiness and ruggedness that more accurately encompasses all the diverse forms the human soul can take, be they more feminine or masculine in nature. These sensations can be experienced even by those who are not musically inclined. There is nothing more human, is there? This tells us a lot about the defining features of jazz, a genre which brightly resonates with our everyday lives, even if we do not always recognize it. This is a viewpoint – my own viewpoint – that could possibly merit further analysis, though perhaps this view is the overarching theme of my articles here at i-Italy. At least I hope that this is the case! There are in fact several types of saxophone differing from one another in timbre and range. Four types are normally used in jazz: soprano, alto, tenor, and baritone. Each of these has been personified by great musicians, several of them geniuses of their time, who have elevated the quality of their respective sound categories. They moved us, excited us, and in some instances made us cry, smile, or dream. Their music touched us. I would like to recall the names of some of the artists who morphed the sound of their instruments into unforgettable tunes; tenor saxophonists Coleman Hawkins and Lester Young, altoists Charlie Parker and Paul Desmond, soprano artists Sidney Bechet, John Coltrane, and Steve Lacy, and baritone masters Gerry Mulligan and Serge Chaloff. Many other prominent saxophonists exist, of course, but the marks left by these legends in the history of jazz are truly unforgettable. And the Italians? We have many in both the past and present! Tenor players Max Ionata and Francesco Bearzetti, altoists Francesco Cafiso and Rosario Giuliani, sopranos Stefano Di Battista and Emanuele Cisi and baritones Carlo Actis Dato and Beppe Scardino. In no way do these Italian saxophonists dwarf their American counterparts. Their musical language, filled with emotions and hues, represents the spirit that constitutes humankind’s most noble trait. In this respect, Italians are definitely second to none. www.i-ItalyNY.com | September-October 2015 | i-Italy ny | 103 Travel to Sicily with Loc’appart Unique, authentic, and charming accommodations, from an apartment in Palermo to an agriturismo in Ragusa. Check out these confidential places, carefully selected by Loc’appart, the rental specialist in Italy since 1996. Get off you $50 r with thnext stay ec SICILY ode 50 * Verona Puglia Turin Amalfi Coast Rome Umbria Florence Tuscany Naples Venice Sicily Photo © zlikovec - fotolia.com www.locappart.com – 1 866 975 2299 …and Paris * Offer is valid for a minimum 3-night stay in Sicily, in an accommodation proposed by Loc’appart. One offer per household, valid until March 30, 2016 and can not be combined with other promotions. 104 | i-Italy ny | September-October 2015 | www.i-ItalyNY.com www.i-Italy.org Tourism ❱❱ Sicily Are you going to Italy SOON? ●● A DIFFERENT WAY TO EXPLORE THE MOST FAMOUS OF THE ITALIAN ISLANDS Baroque Sicily. When History and Art Join Forces — and Win With so many possible ways to visit Sicily, we decided to take you for a tour of Sicilian cities in search of baroque treasures. by Dominique Fernandez * Four baroque corners in Palermo Known throughout the world for its rowdy vitality, Palermo is also renowned for its marvelous baroque architecture. It’s the perfect place to start our trip, focusing on four corners all of which will surely take your breath away. The first sports marmi mischi (colored or inlaid marble): a sumptuous local specialty that bears witness to the wealth and politics of a few eighteenthcentury polychrome churches that never cease to amaze. One of the most beautiful is the Chiesa del Gesù, set in the heart of a working class neighborhood and laden with marble inlays of every color, numerous putti, scantily clad figures, angels, peacocks, winged dogs and griffins clinging to pillars in an lively blend of realism and fantasy. Behind the altar, in the recesses of the choir, the sculptor Vitagliano recreated scenes from the Old Testament taken from the story of David. The statues are set against a backdrop of yellow and blue inlay and depict three workaday commoners – a miller, a vintner and a man www.i-Italy.org Entrance of the port of Messina, place of the mythical strait of Charybdis and Scylla Sicily, a fascinating island that possesses two millennia of history, an incredibly deep blue sea and stunning mountain views, is home to a few major places of interest to visitors seeking one thing in common: baroque architecture. delivering bread – who stand in sharp contrast to the church’s theatrical pomp, naturalist motifs in a lyrical setting. Palermo. Cocchieri church, Madonna dell’Itria Palazzo Gangi, our second baroque corner, was made famous by Visconti in his movie Il Gattopardo (The Leopard). A remnant of Palermo’s old aristocracy, Palazzo Gangi is the only family house of its kind in such good condition, thanks to the ingenious work of the current owner, a woman from Lyons who married Prince Gangi. The princess offers private tours of the adjoining halls she has restored bit by bit, wall hanging by wall hanging, trinket by trinket – repairing, gluing, scrubbing and polishing with admirable earnestness and self-sacrifice. Rare cabinets, chandeliers teeming with branches, armchairs with gnarled feet and intricate lace adorn every room without a care for how much it once cost – or will cost in the future. The ballroom and adjoining hall of mirrors are among the most beautiful antique remnants of a class that has all but disappeared. What impeccable taste! What unpretentious beauty! * French writer of novels, essays and travel books. In 1982 he won the Prix Goncourt for his novel about Pier Paolo Pasolini and in 2007 he was elected a member of the Académie française. He taught in Naples at the French Institute, then Italian literature at the University of Haute-Bretagne at Rennes. www.i-ItalyNY.com | September-October 2015 | i-Italy ny | 105 Tourism ➜ Sicily On the third corner we find the three oratories decorated by Giacomo Serpotta, a stucco worker about whom little is known. In fact, his talents never made it off the island. Besides his work on the Santo Spirito Monastery in Agrigento, Serpotta exclusively operated in Palermo, where he was born in 1656 and died in 1732. His body, buried in the basement of the Chiesa di San Matteo, disappeared when the cemetery was removed. Until recently, there had been no mention of his work. For two and a half centuries, he was forgotten, confirming how little Sicilians care to boast of their reputation. Or should their silence be attributed to indifference? Contempt? Distaste for attention? Sicilians, you might say, prefer to stay in the shadows, where their talents may remain intact, intangible, sacred, like a diamond in the depths of a mine. Indeed inside Serpotta’s three oratories you will discover the work of a sculptor of striking imagination and skill, whose medium was not marble or bronze but stucco. The artist’s specialty was a snake or lizard (serpiotta) that he would sometimes carve into the corner of his statues. Serpotta’s world is entirely white, and you’re not immediately aware of it, given that the first oratory he worked on, the Rosario in San Domenico, houses massive paintings by van Dyck, Pietro Novelli and other famous artists, which are embedded in the walls and above the altar. In the next chapel Serpotta decorated, Santa Zita, a flurry of white shapes fills the space. You see nothing but white – life-size female Virtues and playful putti frolicking about like acrobats, skipping, swaying, playing with their mouths and genitals, among garlands of roses, bunches of fruit, and war trophies. But this child-like space can’t muffle the noise of war: the Battle of Lepanto is rendered in admirable detail in a large panel above the entrance and between two older boys—one, holding his head high and staring insolently, symbolizes the victor; the other, in a turban, the defeated Turks. The twelve alcoves along the walls reveal the mysteries of Sicilians, you might say, prefer to stay in the shadows, where their talents may remain intact, intangible, sacred, like a diamond in the depths of a mine the Rosary. These miniature theaters were fashioned with exquisite precision and poetry. Serpotta may have never set foot off the island, but his deep understanding of perspective makes you wonder if his basreliefs were borrowed from Donatello. Shapes gradually recede, creating a sense of depth. The last oratory is in San Lorenzo, adjacent to the church of San Francesco d’Assisi, and introduces a new kind of human next to the serious Virtues and whimsical babies, several naked adolescents stretched out or prone in poses redolent of Michelangelo’s Ignudi or those by Carracci in the Palazzo Farnese in Rome. The total absence of adult men among dozens of figures is novel and mysterious; it’s a world of white with only women and children. When Serpotta was fourteen years old, his father was sent to the galleys and died a slave. Does the color white, combined with the absence of virile characters, suggest a boy who has erased his father from his mind? Or is it a post-mortem homage to the idealized criminal according to the Sicilian code of omertà? Our fourth and last corner lies at the opposite of this relatively sober style. It is represented by the over-the-top baroque of Bagheria, a small town about ten miles from Palermo. Here, the Prince of Palagonia topped the wall surrounding his villa with extravagant “monsters” that would startle Goethe, one of the first visitors to see them. Dwarfs riding lions, hunchbacks donning large wigs, dragons with donkey ears, bird-women, fish-men, and oversized heads on contorted bodies. If you attribute them to the wild imaginings of the mentally insane, then you 106 | i-Italy ny | September-October 2015 | www.i-ItalyNY.com Palermo. Piazza Armerina, alley of the old town. www.i-Italy.org Tourism ➜ Sicily Palermo. Oratory Santa Cita. Stucco of Giacomo Serpotta “Sicilitude” is a permanent state of anxiety. What has best represented Sicily since the end of antiquity are not the columns you see on the temples, the tiered seats in the theaters or the grandeur of the ruins, but rather art that express a lust for life, the direct result of a tragic and turbulent history and the constant threat of violence from the earth and below the earth – the island’s erratic earthquakes and volcanic eruptions. www.i-Italy.org Noto. Oval nave of Santa Chiara church www.i-ItalyNY.com | September-October 2015 | i-Italy ny | 107 Tourism ➜ Sicily fail to grasp the Mediterranean mindset. Like a Pirandello character, the “mad” prince was fully aware of what he was doing. Humor and ridicule were to blame, not mental illness. Indeed, chances are he commissioned these statues to tarnish the image of a Sicily forever bound by the cult of restraint and reason. Bagheria’s brand of baroque is merely an exaggeration of a quintessential island trait: a tendency to defy Greek clichés and impatiently dispel a myth that had reduced the island to a subject of academic investigation. On the contrary, what has best represented Sicily since the end of antiquity are not the columns you see on the temples, the tiered seats in the theaters or the grandeur of the ruins, but rather art that express a lust for life, the direct result of a tragic and turbulent history and the constant threat of violence from the earth and below the earth – the island’s erratic earthquakes and volcanic eruptions. “Sicilitude” is a permanent state of anxiety. Mount Etna beckons. Lava, basalt, blackened prisms, black lava flows, heaps of carbonized ash, clouds of black smoke, random craters formed by ice melt: the world as it was, a telluric jumble. It’s not uncommon to emerge from the slag heaps and see a shrub suddenly burst into flames, reclaimed by the fire underneath the surface. How can you maintain your composure or your bourgeois lifestyle when you can’t even trust the earth your house stands on? It’s as if the notion of saving for the future, planning ahead, meeting obligations and building a career did not exist in Sicily. What’s the point when at any minute it could all go up in smoke? Catania The provinces of Catania, Ragusa and Syracuse were devastated by the 1693 earthquake. Catania was almost entirely rebuilt out of Etna’s lava and rock, which explains the city’s strange black hue. A rational urban plan was drawn up. Streets were designed to intersect at right angles (or almost) and, unlike the labyrinth that is Palermo, hold very few surprises. The austere After the devastating earthquake of 1693, many southern Sicilian towns were reconstructed. Since baroque was the fashion of the day the area was rebuilt in what what we now refer to as Sicilian baroque, which is quite different from Roman or even Palermitan baroque. A less sumptuous, more country, more earthy baroque. No marble or gold but a soft, golden-colored stone ingeniously dispensed. monuments are baroque, which was the style of the day. Around 1730, the city’s authorities called on the architect Giovanni Battista Vaccarini, a native of Catania who trained in Rome. He brought the noble and grand Roman style to Sicily and extinguished any local imagination. His greatest works are the city hall and the facade of the cathedral in Catania’s Piazza del Duomo. There is something about them that is regular and cold, a curious blend of puritanism and the baroque, further underscored by the juxtaposition of white stone and black lava. Catania is home to less officious but infinitely more delightful places and monuments. Near the port, the facade of Palazzo Biscari is laden with herms, putti and copious floral decorations. Inside the palace, the ballroom, which has an uneven, arched ceiling decorated with stucco and painted with extravagant volutes, is punctuated by an oval opening that draws the eye to a cupola with an allegoric fresco. The Via dei Crociferi is “short but infinitely beautiful,” according to writer Vitaliano Brancati. Covered in gates and chains, San Giuliano, San Francesco 108 | i-Italy ny | September-October 2015 | www.i-ItalyNY.com Syracuse. Front of the Duomo (cathedral) Modica. Lateral portal of San Giorgio church www.i-Italy.org Tourism ➜ Sicily Surrounded by water, Ortygia – the former heart of Syracuse, a white oasis in the sea, a kind of lagoon – is the most beautiful city in Sicily. All of the island’s history can be read in the cathedral, originally a Greek temple dedicated to the goddess Athena Syracuse. Statue of Santa Lucia carried in procession in the cathedral. www.i-Italy.org Borgia, San Benedetto and the other churches lining this street evoke a past where devotion, intrigue and gluttony (the pastries and ice cream in Catania are divine!) come together powerfully and harmoniously. There are also sumptuous railings on the balcony overhanging the splendid doorway on the facade of Palazzo Valle. The railings were enlarged to accommodate women’s panniered dresses (fashion in Sicily was still dictated by Spanish pomp and circumstance). Too opulent and exuberant for Rome, the curves and countercurves of the palace’s gallery make it one of the most beautiful balconies in all of Sicily. Lastly, the gigantic proportions and abundance of diamond shaped bossages, caryatids, putti and floral patterns swallowing up the windows and balconies of the monastery and church of San Nicolò are as ostentatious as any monastery in Mexico. Southeast Sicily The southeastern towns of Noto, Modica, Ragusa, and Scicli were also destroyed in 1693. Noto, razed to the ground, was reconstructed at a new site several miles away, marking the beginning of the area’s reconstruction. Since baroque was the fashion of the day – though no one knew it as such – the area was rebuilt in the baroque style. As a result, the group of towns that were rebuilt exemplifies what we now refer to as Sicilian baroque, which is quite different from Roman or even Palermitan baroque. A less sumptuous, more country, more earthy baroque. No marble or gold but a soft, golden-colored stone ingeniously dispensed. The architect Rosario Gagliardi (like Serpotta, an unknown) used the slope of the land to form the facades of the Chiesa di San Giorgio in Modica, the Chiesa di San Giorgio in Ragusa, and openair theaters that used the sun as a spotlight. Noto, or Netum, was built from the ground up. It is the most successfully reconstructed city and the most spectacular surprise in all of Sicily. Built into the side of a hill, the city boasts a main street flanked by honey-hued limestone religious buildings all facing the same direction. The first is the conventional Chiesa di San Francesco, which sits atop an immense staircase with three landings. Then there is the cathedral, whose staircase is equally monumental. A bit farther along, Rosario Gagliardi’s Chiesa di San Domenico has a convex facade with two orders and columns. The portal has a broken pediment and a semicircular crown between two broken half-pediments. The street runs east to west and, in the late afternoon, the sun illuminates the gold limestone and accentuates the churches’ angles, creating a lyrical, solar parade unlike anything else you’ll see in Europe. It is, however, pointless to go inside these churches. Contrary to what you’d find in Palermo, their interiors are bare, cold, unexciting. They are all about the profane pleasure of the spectacle, not somber devotion. The decor created by the curves and counter curves, ceremonious staircases, added archways, pilasters and capitals of these facades would seem extravagant if it were not for the soft and sensual color of the stone. As for Noto’s Villadorata princes, their only claim to fame is the over ornate anthropomorphic and zoomorphic corbels found under the six balconies of their palace. Syracuse Finally we arrive in Syracuse. Surrounded by water, Ortygia – the former heart of the city, a white oasis in the sea, a kind of lagoon – is the most beautiful city in Sicily. The island’s history can be read in the cathedral. In the beginning, it was a Greek temple dedicated to the goddess Athena. When it was transformed into a Christian basilica, the powerful Doric columns were integrated into the new structure and are still visible from both inside and out. In 1728, a superb baroque facade was added by Palermo architect Andrea Palma. A facade with two orders is joined by opulent volutes and adorned with columns and statues ingeniously detached from the wall, which create a sense of depth. The miracle is how these three styles are reunited so vibrantly and harmoniously. In front of this impressive aggregate building is a white piazza paved in white flagstones and flanked by white palaces and coffee shops where you can order white almond milk, the nectar of the gods. (The best almond milk is served at Minerva, a bar to the left of the cathedral.) At the back of the piazza, in the small ultra baroque church of Santa Lucia, with its pot-bellied iron balconies, hangs the Burial of Saint Lucy, Caravaggio’s famous work painted in Syracuse. The two giant gravediggers in the foreground create a perfectly baroque disproportion in this powerful, tragic scene. ●● www.i-ItalyNY.com | September-October 2015 | i-Italy ny | 109 Tourism ➜ Sicily ●● WHAT TO EAT WHEN YOU GET THERE Three Sicilian Gourmet Treasures A unique experience of the senses will set your mind traveling back to the past. by Ambra McCoy ●● Cultural identity and the mingling of different races mark Sicily both present and past. After generations of intermingling, the island has become the center of the Mediterranean diet, combining a heritage built on customs, rituals, hospitality, production techniques and, obviously, recipes. Sicilian gastronomy is inextricably linked to the presence of Siculians, Phoenicians, Byzantines, Greeks, Romans, Carthaginians, Arabs, the French, the Spanish, and many, many others. Several of its most famous dishes are the product of this historical medley of peoples and ethnicities. Here are just some of the dishes you must try should you find yourself traveling to Sicily. Cassata The origins of this worldrenowned dessert stretch back to Arab rule between the 9th and 11th centuries, which saw the introduction of cane sugar, lemons, bitter orange, citron, mandarins and almonds. Combined with sheep’s-milk ricotta—a traditional local product—these new foodstuffs gave rise to the first cassata. Originally, cassata was made with stuffed pastry dough and baked in an oven. During the Norman period, pastry dough was replaced with a dough made with almond flour and sugar. Rather than baked, it was served cold. The Spanish later introduced chocolate from their colonies in South America. The Baroque era added the final touch: candied fruit. Today you can find several variations of cassata, with pistachios, pine nuts, cinnamon, maraschino cherries or orange blossom water. Around Palermo, you can still find baked cassata. Cannolo The name refers to the river canes around which the dough used to be rolled. There are those who contend that the name goes back to Cicero, who was the Quaestor of Lilybaeum (now Marsala) from 76 to 75 B.C., but what appears indisputable is that the dessert was first created in the town of Caltanissetta. For some people, cannolo was invented by nuns living in a cloistered convent, who began with the ancient Roman recipe later developed by the Arabs. For others, it was invented by a group of women in a harem run by a local Arab, and its characteristic shape is a vaguely phallic symbol. Whatever the case, the dessert owes its fame to the pastry shops in Palermo and Messina, who are also responsible for the dark cream filling variation, made with ricotta and chocolate. The traditional white stuffing is made with sifted and sugared sheep’s-milk ricotta. Candied fruit or chocolate can be added later. Finally, the dessert is dusted with powdered sugar. Cannolo Cassata Caponata Scattered throughout the Mediterranean, this traditional vegetable dish in a sweet-andsour sauce is today generally served as a side dish or appetizer. However, it was originally an entrée served with bread. The basic ingredients are eggplant, green or white olives, onions, celery, capers, tomatoes, oil, salt, vinegar and sugar. One popular theory suggests the word ‘caponata’ comes from ‘capone,’ the name in some parts of Sicily for mahi-mahi, a type of fish consumed by the aristocracy in a sweet-and-sour sauce. Unable to afford such an expensive fish, the masses substituted it with the more reasonably priced eggplant. And that is the recipe that has come down to us today. Immigration is to thank for caponata’s global fame. At the end of the 19th century, an old canning 110 | i-Italy ny | September-October 2015 | www.i-ItalyNY.com Caponata industry family from Palermo began producing caponata on an industrial scale, conserving it in handmade tin cans and shipping it abroad, primarily to the United States, where Sicilian immigrants were hankering for the taste of home. Some variations call for basil and toasted pine nuts and almonds, but if you’re traveling between Messina, Catania, Agrigento and Palermo, you can taste various versions of the dish. Each variation is linked to the history and tradition of its respective city. ●● www.i-Italy.org THINK OUTSIDE T H E B OT T L E a truste ami ran Pair this dish with Colavita Pinot Noir di Pavia FIND THIS AND OTHER INNOVATIVE RECIPES USING OUR EXTRA VIRGIN OLIVE OIL ON COLAVITA.COM facebook.com/ColavitaOliveOil pinterest.com/ColavitaEvoo youtube.com/ColavitaOliveOil a truste ami ran @ColavitaEVOO Global trade and export can be complicated. We make it easier. 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