Mosaico new final 11-26-05

Fall/Winter 2005
Dante Alighieri Society, Michigan Chapter
Message from the President
Firenze nell’immaginario di Dante
Two thousand and five has been a year
of transition for our Society. In addition
to the cultural events for adults, we have
introduced new activities for young
children. Our Education Committee has
worked hard this past year to expand our
classes for children and we are looking
forward to a successful 2006 in the area
of education. We have an energetic
group of new members who have contributed to making both the cultural and
education committees become more
vibrant. The cultural committee is also
cooperating with the Italian American
Cultural Society at its new location in
Clinton Township on various events at
the new center. We are all looking forward to a meaningful and long-lasting
relationship, building stronger bonds
between the DAS and the IACS. As you
can see, I am filling in for our past
President Tilde Pfaff who recently resigned. We all wish Tilde well in her
retirement and I invite you to come to
our next events so I may have the opportunity to meet you personally.
Il capolavoro di Dante Alighieri, la Divina Commedia, offre al lettore molti piani
di lettura:
.
- personale: la sua vita , la sua crisi, la sua espiazione ed il suo amore per Beatrice;
Liana Spalla
The Chapter needs volunteers to work
on all committees. Indicate which
committees you might be interested in
joining: Cultural, Directory, Education,
Finance & Development, Gruppo
Giovanile, Il Mosaico, Mailing,
Membership.
Please send your
interests to our new e-mail address: .
.
[email protected]
In this issue
Impressions of Dante
Abruzzo
Libri Libri Libri & Events
Member News & Events
2
3-9
10
10 - 11
- religioso: la critica alla Chiesa ed al Papa, la sua richiesta di una profonda riforma
morale del clero;
- politico: in essa viene esposta la sua teoria della divisione dei poteri tra
l'imperatore (leggi terrene) e il Papa ( leggi spirituali);
- come cronaca: racconti di luoghi, di figure storiche intrecciati a vicende di
personaggi a lui contemporanei;
Costretto per motivi politici dai suoi concittadini all'esilio Dante, fin dai primi
canti, esprime dolore, sarcasmo, amore e compianto per esser stato gettato "fuori
del suo dolce seno" della sua città natale, Firenze.
La polemica di Dante contro la sua città e i fiorentini si articola attraverso la turba
dei dannati che incontrerà nel suo viaggio nell'Inferno, i quali danno testimonianza
della corruzione pubblica e privata della Firenze del 1300, lacerata da intrighi e
vizi. La corruzione e le laceranti fazioni sono gli eventi preparatori al suo destino
di esule destino che però sarà la premessa per la sua crescita morale. Infatti dalla
polemica prettamente cittadina dell'Inferno, Dante si proietta verso una concezione
italiana ed europea nel Purgatorio e finalmente universale nel Paradiso. Dei
personaggi storici che parlano con Dante di Firenze, Cacciaguida, il suo antenato, è
quello che narra la realtà dell'antica Firenze "in pace, sobria e pudica" (Paradiso,
canti XV, XVI, XVII, XVIII) in contrasto alla realtà del tempo di Dante. La
seguente decadenza della città è dovuta al processo di alterazione delle sue
strutture urbane, politiche e morali e Dante, per voce del suo avo, incolpa anche la
Chiesa ed il papato ad avere contribuito al degrado per avidità e per perseguire il
potere temporale. La storia dell'uomo Dante si intreccia con la storia della sua città
e il grande disegno del poema si ricapitola in un affresco vivente avente come
sfondo Firenze.
Page 2
Fall/Winter 2005
Firenze nell’immaginario di Dante
Ancora oggi a Firenze si possono riscoprire luoghi familiari a Dante e percorrere itinerari legati alla FIORENZA del 1300.
* Casa di Dante, via Santa Margherita 1, dove nacque nel 1265 da Alighiero degli Alighieri e da Bella, famiglia di piccola
nobiltà.
* Battistero di San Giovanni, piazza S. Giovanni dove Dante fu battezzato.
* Chiesa di Santa Croce, piazza S. Croce dove Dante iniziò i suoi studi presso il convento dei frati francescani di Santa Croce.
* Chiesa di Santa Maria Novella, Piazza Santa Maria Novella, con gli affreschi di Nardo di Cione che illustrano il Giudizio
Universale (tra gli eletti è ritratto Dante), l'Inferno ed il Paradiso secondo gli schemi danteschi.
* Chiesa di Santa Maria Maggiore, vicolo di Santa Maria Maggiore, dove è sepolto Brunetto Latini
(Inferno, canto XV,vv.82-85).
.
* Palazzo dei Priori (Palazzo Vecchio), piazza della Signoria, dove Dante partecipò alle assemblee del Comune.
In Firenze, Dante was inspired to
write La Vita Nuova, his poignant ode to Beatrice, the love of
his life. The first stanza has long
been considered the most romantic poem ever put to paper, and a
tribute to Firenze as a haven for
lovers, reads:
To every captive soul and gentle lover into whose sight this
present rhyme may chance, that,
writing back, each may expound
its sense Greetings in Love, who
is their Lord, I offer.
Casa di Dante
Impressions of Dante
Nel mezzo del cammin di nostra vita
mi ritrovai per una selva oscura
ché la diritta via era smarrita.
Inferno, c.I, vv. 1-3.
These are words that cannot be translated,
and I will not try. They describe the
maelstrom that suddenly enveloped my life
and forced me to leave the country where my
forebears had lived for centuries and for
which many of them had offered their lives,
their fortunes and their sacred honor. The
country where I had learned the language that
the “Sommo Poeta” himself had helped forge
from the Latin of Rome - the language of
Ariosto, Tasso, Boccaccio, and, yes, ...and of
Manzoni;... The language that represents the
harmonious and humane spirit...
November, 2005 Piero Foà
La libertà morale, che Dante andava cercando per sè e per tutti gli uomini,
l'ideale di un mondo, nuovamente felice e abituato a virtù, possono
conquistarsi solo attraverso un duro sforzo di purificazione ascetica,
nell'umile ossequio ad una legge che non ammette compromessi e
debolezze. .
Wanda Bianchi (West Bloomfield)
"La prima terzina dell'Inferno ha una forza ed un'attualitá incredibili.
Ognuno di noi si trova a dover affrontare una serie infinita di problemi e
difficoltá quando si raggiunge "il mezzo del cammin di nostra vita". La
forza sta nel trovare una guida che ci dia la speranza e la volontá di
continuare, capendo meglio ció che è stato e per imparare dagli errori e
migliorare. Dante ha trovato Virgilio e Beatrice, speriamo anche noi di
trovare delle guide altrettanto valide in questo momento cosí "oscuro" della
nostra vita quotidiana e contemporanea".
Silvia Giorgini (Ann Arbor)
F a l l / W i n t e r 20 0 5
Page 3
Abruzzo
L’Aquila
Chieti
Pescara
Teramo
Abruzzo, (also known as Abruzzi) is a
region of south central Italy, formerly
a part of the Abruzzi e Molise region.
It borders Marche to the northwest,
Umbria to the west, Lazio to the south,
Molise to the southeast and the Adriatic Sea to the east. The region covers
10,794 km² and has a population of
about 1.3 million. The regional capital
is L'Aquila. The region is divided into
four provinces: L'Aquila, Chieti,
Teramo and Pescara, Abruzzo's main
economic center.
Dante Alighieri Society
Michigan Chapter
PO Box 2962
Southfield, MI 48037-2962
Board of Directors: Liana Spalla (Acting
President), Frank Romano (Recording
Sec.), Diana Manzo (Treasurer), Jerry
Rosenberg (Corresponding Sec.), Silvia
Calzoni Schultz, Luciana Coppola Galante,
Emma Edgar, Omar Mainero, and Paola
Morabito.
Provinces
Special Committees: Domenica Petrella
Il Mosaico: Editors, Lia Adelfi and Liana
Spalla.
Contributors to this issue:
W. and S. Bianchi, L. Galante, S. Giorgini,
A. MacSorley, P. Paolini and A. Tranchida.
All communications or items of 250 words
for publication should be sent to the PO
Box or via e-mail to:
.
[email protected]
Please submit material for the next issue by
January, 2006.
The next issue will highlight the region of
Emilia Romagna.
As a non-profit 501(c)(3) organization,
gifts and donations are tax deductible.
L'emblema della regione Abruzzo è
uno scudo sannitico diviso in tre campi
trasversali, rispettivamente bianco,
verde e azzurro, separati da barre
dorate. Questo era lo scudo di uno dei
popoli che costituirono la lega italica
nel 98 a.C. per ottenere gli stessi diritti
dei cittadini romani. La banda bianca
rappresenta le montagne innevate,
quella verde i boschi e le colline e
infine la banda azzurra il mare. In tal
modo lo stemma riflette la struttura
geografica della regione.
L’AQUILA
.
L´Aquila, a city in the central Italian
region of Abruzzi, lies at the foot of the
Maiella, a mountain that has been considered sacred since ancient times and,
not by coincidence, is dotted with tiny
churches and frescoed grottos in which
countless hermits on spiritual retreats
found refuge. Its territory is a mix of
rugged nature, rustic flavors and religious history that make this area an
exciting, highly enjoyable vacation
destination. Since the Middle Ages, the
walled city has been a powerful cultural center with its university, academy of fine arts, music conservatory
and the extensive Tommasi library. But
it is also one of the main pilgrimage
destinations. Tourists come here to see
the beautiful Basilica di Santa Maria di
Collemaggio with its ochre and pink
façade, consecrated by none other
F a l l / W i n t e r 20 0 5
than Pietro Angeleri, the priest who, in
this church, was crowned as Pope Celestine V in 1294. Dante Alighieri
remembers him in his masterpiece, The
Divine Comedy, as "the pope of the
great refusal" because, after only six
months of his pontificate he abandoned
the role, scandalized by the corruption
of the clergy. The saint's body rests
here, the symbol of purity and rebellion. In addition to the 99 churches,
there are the Renaissance palaces of
the Fortebraccio quarter, the 16th century castle on top of the hill that is
home to the national museum of
Abruzzo and a fountain with 99 cannelle (spouts) decorated with the same
number of historic heads representing
the noble families that took part in the
founding of the city. Apart from its
monuments, the Aquila area is also
enjoyable because of its wild natural
beauty, given its vicinity to the peaks
of Gran Sasso within the Parco
Nazionale d´Abruzzo, where ski slopes
alternate with natural reserves populated by bears, wolves, roe deer and
otters.
S. Maria di Collemaggio - 1290 CHIETI
There are many legends to the origin of
Chieti and one of them is that it was
founded by Achilles and named after
his mother Tetis. The ancient name of
Teate, meaning "forested hill", existed
in 1000 BC, when the town was the
capital of the Marrucini people, who in
the following centuries allied with the
Romans against Pyrrhus and Hannibal,
then joined the rebellion of the Samnites against Rome. Under the Roman
empire it was a municipium and many
monuments and buildings from that
period still remain.
Page 4
With the fall of the Roman empire the
town declined in importance, and was
destroyed in 801 AD by the Franks.
Later on it was included in the Duchy
of Spoleto, and was occupied in turn
by the Angevins, Aragonese and Austrians. The Angevin domination
marked a period of revival and in the
late 12th century Teate was made
capital of Abruzzo Citra, the area south
of the Pescara river. At that time,
Chieti also had the privilege of its own
mint, and there was a powerful
archbishopric.
It was however sacked and destroyed
by the Lombards in the 6th century
AD. In the Middle Ages two towns
rose on the opposite banks of the
Pescara river: Pescara to the south,
belonging to the province of Chieti,
and Castellammare Adriatico in the
north, included in the province of
Teramo. In 1927 the unified new town
became the capital of the newly formed
province of Pescara, and a renowned
seaside resort in the 1930's. Because of
its important strategic position as a
railway center and harbor, Pescara was
subject to heavy Allied bombings in
WWII that almost razed it to the
ground, killing thousands of people.
Downtown Chieti
PESCARA
Pescara is the largest Abruzzese city:
dynamic, active, wealthy, it is one of
the main commercial and tourist
centers along the Adriatic coast. The
sandy beaches extend for over 20
uninterrupted kilometers, and the
inland areas underwent a remarkable
development, so that presently there
exists one large urban area, including
other municipalities as Montesilavano,
Chieti, Francavilla, Città Sant'Angelo,
Spoltore, where over 400,000
inhabitants are concentrated (one third
of the whole Abruzzo population).
Pescara is also famous as the birth
place of Gabriele D'Annunzio, one of
the main Italian poets of the 20th
century. The name Piscaria appeared
in 12th century documents, and
probably referred to a small center
built after the period of invasions on
the place of the ancient Roman
Aternum, situated at the estuary of the
Aterno-Pescara river. Aternum was
first a port of the Marrucini and Peligni
people, and under Roman times
became the main port of the region.
Pescara
TERAMO
The Province of Teramo is the northernmost province of Abruzzo, at the
border of the Ascoli province along the
Adriatic sea. It is less than two hours
by car from Rome with which it is connected by a comfortable motorway
passing below the Gran Sasso through
a 10 km long tunnel. The territory offers a variety of scenery with its rugged
mountains of the Abruzzo Apennines
and valleys that taper gently into the
Adriatic Sea. The Teramo province
offers a wide range of tourist attractions. Along the coast there are beautiful seaside resorts like Alba Adriatica,
Giulianova, Roseto degli Abruzzi,
Pineto and Silvi Marina. Immediately
inland is the historical center of
Civitella del Tronto and up in the
mountains are the picturesque villages
of Castelli, celebrated majolica capital
of Abruzzi, Isola del Gran Sasso with
the sanctuary of St. Gabriel of the
Sorrowful Virgin, Pietracamela, Montorio, and the ski slopes of Prati di
Tivo.
F a l l / W i n t e r 20 0 5
Page 5
Artigianato - Cucina
Artigianato
Nonostante lo sviluppo industriale,
l’economia abruzzese conta ancora
molto sul tipico artigianato locale. Tra
le attività più rappresentative c’è la
ceramica, che ha il suo centro a
Castelli e la cui produzione, già nota
nel ‘400, si diffuse nel ‘600 grazie al
maestro Carlo Antonio Grue. La sua
particolarità è data dai vivaci colori che
caratterizzano i disegni tipici di
Castelli.
Troviamo,
inoltre,
la
lavorazione della pietra bianca calcarea
di Maiella ancora oggi eseguita da abili
scalpellini per realizzare sculture
particolarissime. Grande maestro in
quest’arte è stato Pietro Cascella. Nei
numerosi laboratori orafi, in cui si
tramandano
antiche
tradizioni,
vengono realizzati oggetti in argento,
oro e pietre preziose, esempi di
artigianato pregiato. Simbolo di
oreficeria in Abruzzo è la Presentosa,
ornamento femminile il cui nome fu
inventato da Gabriele D’Annunzio.
L’artigianato tessile ha, forse, le origini
più antiche. Le famose tarante, colorate
coperte di lana ancora prodotte a
Taranta Peligna, ne sono
la
testimonianza. Penne, invece, è famosa
per i suoi bellissimi arazzi, che
adornano prestigiosi palazzi italiani. I
paesi di Scanno e Pescocostanzo sono i
maggiori centri del merletto al
tombolo. Le origini contadine e
pastorizie degli abruzzesi hanno
favorito la loro abilità nella lavorazione
dei metalli per produrre utensili di uso
domestico. La conca in rame dagli
ampi manici è uno dei simboli della
regione e se ne producono ancora
insieme a tegami, bracieri, piatti e
oggetti decorativi. Con il ferro battuto,
caratteristico dei paesi di Guardiagrele
e Ortona, vengono realizzati moltissimi
oggetti di varie dimensioni come:
lampadari, cancelli, attrezzi per il
camino, mobili e soprammobili vari.
Prodotti tipici della lavorazione del
legno, faggio in particolare, sono il
‘ddu bbotte, sorta di piccola
fisarmonica suonata ancora nelle feste
paesane e le madie di Arischia,
mobiletti in cui si conservava il pane.
Dalla tradizione dell’allevamento,
invece, nasce la produzione di borse,
cappelli e cinture in cuoio, tipica della
provincia di Teramo, e quella di selle
e frustini, che da L’Aquila vengono
esportati in tutta Europa.
.
Accanto alle espressioni artigianali
citate, non si possono dimenticare i
confetti di Sulmona, realizzati ormai a
livello industriale ma noti in tutto il
mondo.
Il canto fluiva limpidamente
per la calma meridiana:
era una scaturigine selvatica e fresca
di note.
Fiore de line
lu line ca le fa lu fiore chiare;
le donne ci ji tesse lu panne fine.
Gabriele D’Annunzio 1882
La cucina
La cucina abruzzese è sempre stata
considerata povera e sobria e basata
prevalentemente su prodotti locali. Se è
vero che olio, verdure e cereali insieme
ai prodotti della pastorizia sono da
sempre gli elementi base della
gastronomia abruzzese, è anche vero
che da questi semplici elementi
l'Abruzzo ha saputo trarre delle
prelibatezze gastronomiche conosciute
ed apprezzate in tutto il mondo.
Trascurata a lungo da gastronomi e
buongustai, la cucina abruzzese è stata
giustamente rivalutata con la riscoperta
dei tipici sapori e dei prodotti
mediterranei. I ristoranti d’Abruzzo
sanno stupire proponendo le ricette più
semplici, che puntano tutto sulla
freschezza dei frutti della terra e del
mare, accostandole a preparazioni
raffinate e di antichissima origine.
Tartufi
L'Abruzzo è una delle regioni italiane
più ricche di tartufi; se ne contano
almeno 28 varietà. Il 15% della
produzione è dato dal tartufo bianco
della zona vastese, un terzo dal tartufo
nero aquilano e dal tartufo nero di
Teramano, mentre il tartufo Scorzone
d'estate copre il resto della produzione.
Zafferano
Tra le spezie lo zafferano è
sicuramente una delle più preziose e
quello coltivato nella piana di Navelli è
ritenuto il migliore al mondo per le sue
qualità. Molto apprezzato dai
gastronomi di tutto il mondo per il
sapore e l'aroma ha anche importanti
virtù medicinali. Lo zafferano si
ottiene dagli stimmi del fiore dello
zafferano - il Crocus Sativus - dal
caratteristico colore viola. Gli stimmi
hanno il caratteristico colore rosso che
determina le proprietà coloranti della
spezia.
Liquori e distillati alle erbe
Tra i distillati prodotti con le erbe delle
montagne d’Abruzzo il più noto è il
fortissimo (70 gradi) "Centerba" di
Tocco da Casauria, ai piedi della
Majella cui si affiancano la genzianella,
il nocino e il ratafià a base di amarene.
A Pescara si produce l’aurum, un
distillato di vini pregiati insaporito con
agrumi. Numerose le varietà di amaro
prodotte in ogni angolo della regione.
F a l l / W i n t e r 20 0 5
Page 6
Vini
Ambiente e Turismo
The National Park of Abruzzo
Altre parti d’Italia producono dei vini
più celebri. Nessuna regione, però, ha
fatto negli ultimi anni dei progressi
altrettanto importanti, in materia di
vino, di quelli dell’Abruzzo. A
testimoniarlo, oltre al crescente
interesse che incontrano i vini DOC
abruzzesi (bianchi, rossi e rosati) sui
mercati di tutta Europa, sono i
numerosi premi e riconoscimenti
internazionali raccolti negli ultimi anni
dai migliori produttori della regione. I
vitigni tradizionali dell’Abruzzo sono il
Trebbiano tra i bianchi, e il
Montepulciano tra i rossi. A essi, negli
ultimi anni, sono stati affiancati il
Sauvignon, lo Chardonnay,
l’Aglianico, il Sangiovese e il Pinot. Le
zone di produzione più importanti sono
la valle del Pescara tra Popoli e il
capoluogo e le colline di Teramo,
Pescara e Chieti. L’elenco dei vini
DOC della regione include il
Montepulciano d’Abruzzo (nelle
varietà rosso e cerasuolo) profumato e
dal sapore asciutto e robusto, il
Trebbiano d’Abruzzo asciutto e dal
delicato profumo, e il Controguerra, un
vino bianco fruttato prodotto nel
Teramano.
Musica Popolare
Dammillo e pigliatillo...nu vaso
piccerillo.... comm’a chesta vucchella.
(Give me one and take one from me, a
tiny little kiss/like this tiny mouth).
This delicate and tender love song is a
perfect manifestation of that fruitful
collaboration between Tosti and
D’Annunzio that blossomed over a
century ago in the fertile soils of the
Abruzzo region.
For more information on Tosti visit the
website:
http://aevo.homeunix.org/muvi/tostiano
Established by a Royal decree in 1923,
the National park of Abruzzo is the
oldest and most important one in Italy.
The area of 44,000 hectares, is the result
of several enlargements, which includes
22 towns in the provinces of L'Aquila,
Frosinone and Isernia. The Park is inhabited by bears, chamois, wolves and
deer. The symbol of the Park is the Marsican Brown Bear, which represented,
until recently, an endangered species. At
present, this danger seems to have been
averted, thanks to the punctual protection activity of the Park Board.
There are about 80 species of bears living both in the Park area and in the
nearby mountains. The Sangro is the
Park’s main river and has its sources in
the Park. The Melfa, the Giovenco and
the Volturno flow at the edges of the
protection area. In the Park or in its vicinity there are some interesting natural
lakes like Lake Vivo, Lake Pantaniello
Aeroporto Internazionale d’Abruzzo
Per lo scalo abruzzese il collegamento
con l’Europa è diventato più facile. Si
può volare da Pescara verso le
maggiori capitali europee con voli
studiati in coincidenza con quelli in
arrivo. Ma le novitá in arrivo
dall’aeroporto non finiscono qui. Dal
15 settembre, infatti, è
possibile
raggiungere anche le città di Parma e
Napoli. La proposta viene dalla Air
Emilia, piccola compagnia emiliana
che ha deciso di investire in Abruzzo
anche su spinta della ricca Camera di
commercio parmense, che provvederà
a coprire parte dei costi di partenza per
il volo Pescara-Parma. La tratta con
Napoli invece è stata accolta con molto
favore soprattutto dagli imprenditori
abruzzesi, che si sono fatti carico,
tramite le Camere di commercio di
Pescara e Chieti, di pagare circa il 50
per cento dei costi iniziali. E non
finisce qui: sembra non manchi molto
all’avvio di una tratta Pescara-Parigi e
di un volo che unisca il Medio
Adriatico con una grande città dell’Est
Europeo.
.
and Lake of Scanno and also some
artificial basins, among which are Lake
of Barrea and Lake of the Montagna
Spaccata. In spring and summer the
Park is covered with several colors.
The meadowlands are full of gentians,
violets, peonies and forget-me-nots and
the beech-woods are full of columbines
and Marsican irises. The pride of the
Park is the Cypripedium calceolus, a
kind of yellow and black orchid generally called Venus' little shoe or Our
Lady's Slipper.
Le origini del volo in Abruzzo
risalgono nientemeno che al 1868
quando a Chieti, in occasione dei
festeggiamenti del Santo Patrono, la
signorina V. Poitevin, venuta dalla
Francia a sostituire all’ultimo minuto il
pilota ufficiale, sale sulla città a bordo
di una mongolfiera.
In giro per
l’Europa cominciano ad organizzarsi i
primi spettacoli internazionali
d’aviazione. In Abruzzo ancora non
esiste il “campo d’aviazione”, il futuro
aeroporto d’Abruzzo. Per l’occasione
viene comunque approntato un
aerodromo nella zona della Pineta.
Spettacolo d’aviazione
Dal 31 luglio al 7 agosto 1910
Pescara—Aerodromo Pineta
F a l l / W i n t e r 20 0 5
Page 7
Memories of Abruzzo
“ABRUZZO
FORTE
E
GENTILE”
I now understand why my Neapolitan father
fell in love with Abruzzi and returned
yearly to this awe-inspiring region of Italy.
Abruzzi is not famous for any outstanding
historical significance like Lazio boasts
of Rome or Campania of Pompei or Toscana of Firenze. Yet, Abruzzi offers its
own history laced with hundreds of miles of
golden beaches and rich country side. In
between this mare e monti you will find a
region filled with time-honored tradition,
outstanding delicacies to savor and fullbodied, superb wines to complete the meal.
As a very young girl, I spent my summer
months in a city called Pescara, which is
located in the middle of Abruzzi along the
Adriatic Sea. The beach, the stelle marine
and the cavallucci marini were all I needed.
I remember my father touching these sea
creatures with his foot and me diving down
below to get them. We would dry them
on our sunny terrace and for weeks the
smell of fish would linger on our tables. We
would also love getting our nets and scraping the bottom of the sea for telline and
cannolicchi, local fish delicacies. At the
time, it didn't matter that the children I was
fishing and playing and building castles
with were children of my mom's childhood
friends, and that one day, my children
would be playing with their children. Now,
I realize the importance of tradition. Life is
funny. It's as though time in Pescara
seemed to stand still through the years. We
would meet again....never realizing....
never noticing... how quickly forty-years
passed. The years did indeed go by and as I
grew up my interests also changed. Once
my palate became more mature, my focus
progressed from my daily gelato at Camplone, to the true flavors of the Abruzzi
region. Camplone is right in the center of
Pescara. It's a family owned gelateria. As
little girls, my sister and I would go to get
un gelato da mille lire every afternoon.
Year after year we remained faithful to our
gelato (even when it was a gelato da tre
mila lire). The owners, Rinaldo and Anna
Camplone were dumbfounded how dedicated and methodical we were about our ice
cream selections.
We became great friends with the Camplones and to this day... the gelato da 2
euro is our favorite afternoon and evening
stop for my family. Abruzzi is renowned for
the closeness of its mare e monti. One can
swim in the Adriatic, walk the 115-square
mile national park or hike the massive Gran
Sasso, all in the span of a day. In fact, one
of Abruzzi's culinary favorites is a pasta
dish called pasta mare e monti. The maccheroni alla chitarra is dressed with fresh
picked funghi porcini (monti) and freshfished gamberetti (mare). Abruzzi is famous for its variety of pastas. Fara San
Martino is home to world-famous De
Cecco and Del Verde factories. Our vicino
di ombrellone on the beach was in fact one
of the De Cecco brothers. We did not know
at the time that his famous son was named
Satumino. To us, he was always Nino, our
good friend. Frequently Nino would take us
to the fattoria della pasta. I remember the
hundreds of boxes labeled with the names
of different European countries. I also asked
why the boxes to the USA were set aside.
He explained to me that the US regulations
required them to enrich their pasta with a
variety of vitamins. Whether it was the
cappuccino and cornetto in the morning for
breakfast or the arrosticini (grilled baby
lamb on skewers) and cocomero (succulent
watermelon) in the evening, Abruzzi captured my father’s heart as well as his palate.
Like my father, I yearn to go back every
summer. During our snowy winters in
Michigan, I catch myself daydreaming of
the long walks along the beach. I think I can
still name all the stabilimenti between
Pescara and Montesilvano where the
beaches here have been family owned for
decades. These families rent out ombrelloni
and sedie a sdraio year after year. We have
been faithful to our Lido Beach (which by
the way is also in the center of Pescara) for
over 30 years. I remember Fabio, the
owner’s son, running around in his diaper.
Today Fabio is married to Barbara has a
beautiful son, Francesco, and another baby
on the way. I love seeing these friends on
return visits. It seems as though we pick up
the conversation right where we left off the
previous year. It is so easy to fall in love
with Abruzzi. Between the mare e monti,
there are hundreds of small towns like
Scanno, Pescaseroli, Roccaraso, Sulmona,
Francavilla and Chieti, to name a few of
my personal favorites. Be careful if you go
though, because you may catch the same
bug that got my father and me… that of
having to go back year after year and never
being able to say good-bye, but rather saying arrivederci all’anno prossimo!
Luciana Coppola Galante
Scanno
Dell’Abruzzo ricordo le sue aspre
montagne, gli altipiani ed il silenzio
dei suoi parchi
nazionali così
ingentilito dai beni artistici-culturali.
Penso al mio piccolo paese, Gagliano
Aterno, dove il castello e l’ambiente
montano-agricolo dovrebbero essere
valorizzati di più e costituire un rifugio
sereno per gli abitanti delle città
caotiche, per l’estate e il fine
settimana. La gastronomia ed i prodotti
alimentari (vino, olio, confetti,
zafferano, salumi, formaggi, tartufi)
potrebbero costituire un percorso
turistico gastronomico importante.
L’Abruzzo ha una dimensione
demografica ed economica divisa in
una parte interna montana che
rappresenta una grande parte di paesi
che si spopolano ed invecchiano e
dall’altra un territorio più popolato con
una concentrazione urbana più intensa.
Il litorale abruzzese, bagnato dal mare
Adriatico, lambisce le sue coste verso
est, addolcendole e rendendole più
attraenti per il turismo balneare e punto
d’incontro naturale verso le coste
dalmate. L’Abruzzo è stato e sarà terra
fertile di spiriti illustri che della loro
origine comune hanno tratto forza e
volontà di progredire e di dare lustro
alla loro terra aspra ma orgogliosa.
Wanda & Sabatino Bianchi
F a l l / W i n t e r 20 0 5
Page 8
Abruzzesi famosi
Francesco Paolo Tosti
Composer 1846 - 1916
Gabriele D’Annunzio
Scrittore 1863 - 1938
Beginning in the 1880’s, in a sleepy
little town nestled on the Adriatic
Coast of Abruzzo, a wonderful flowering of Abruzzese Arts and Letters began to bloom. A young painter named
Francesco Paolo Michetti purchased a
former convent called Santa Maria del
Gesú to use as a summer residence.
This summer retreat soon became the
focal point for a number of Abruzzesi
artists, writers, and musicians. Included
were the sculptor Costantino Barbella
and the firebrand writer-poet Gabriele
D’Annunzio. One of the most successful members of this group was the
composer Francesco Paolo Tosti. He
was born in the Adriatic city of Ortona
in 1846 where he gained his first musical training and then completed his
studies at the Naples Music Conservatory. Tosti found his way to Rome and
began to make a name for himself as a
performer and singing instructor. He
made the acquaintance of Giuseppe
Verdi, who encouraged him and helped
him along in his career. After five
years in Rome he made his way to
London where he soon found favor as a
performer and as a music teacher to
Queen Victoria’s young children. He
also became good friends with the
Prince of Wales, the future Edward the
VII. It was during this period that he
began to compose songs and ballads
for the many musical evenings presented for the English Court. These
songs, written in English and Italian,
became very popular and Tosti’s fame
and fortune rapidly grew. However, his
new found fame did not keep him from
returning to his beloved Italy, and to
his native Abruzzo. He maintained a
home in Rome and it was there that he
met and became friends with the
painter Michetti. Tosti soon joined the
circle of artists that gathered each summer at Michetti’s little “convent” in
Francavilla al Mare. It was there in the
summer of 1880 that the much younger
and unknown Gabriele D’Annunzio
met the older and successful Tosti.
They immediately formed a friendship.
That lifelong artistic collaboration
Poeta e romanziere, è considerato uno
dei maggiori esponenti del
decadentismo italiano. L’esordio in
poesia è del 1889 con la raccolta
Primo Vere. Con Primo Vere vanno
ricordati anche il Canto Novo, il
Poema Paradisiaco, le Laudi ed il
Notturno. Come romanziere
D’Annunzio è conosciuto soprattutto
quale autore de Il Piacere, che propone
nel suo protagonista un esempio
estremamente calzante di eroe tardoromantico. Scrisse, inoltre,
L’Innocente, Le Vergini delle rocce ed
Il Fuoco. D’Annunzio fu anche autore
di opere teatrali, attività, questa, che si
collega alla sua relazione con la grande
attrice Eleonora Duse che fu anche la
principale interprete di alcune delle sue
opere più significative. Citiamo, a tal
proposito, La città morta, La Gioconda,
La Gloria e La Nave, scritte nel lasso
di tempo che va dal 1898 al 1908.
D’Annunzio aderì al fascismo e si
arruolò come volontario durante la
prima guerra mondiale, distinguendosi
per parecchie imprese (volo su Vienna
e la beffa di Buccari); nel 1921 fu
protagonista dell’occupazione di Fiume
in opposizione al
governo italiano
ed alla decisione
della Conferenza
della pace.
would only end with Tosti’s death in
1916. Of Tosti’s 360 songs, 34 of
them were set to words by D’Annunzio. Many of these songs gained immediate popularity and were sung
throughout the world. These short and
popular songs were well suited for the
new age of recorded music. Enrico
Caruso was an early champion of these
songs and recorded many of them.
These musical gems almost defy description as they are able to express a
wide range of emotions within a mere
2 or 3 minutes. They achieve their
emotional impact through a marriage
of soaring melodies with pure poetry.
Two quite different but equally marvelous examples of these mini masterpieces are: L’Alba Separa dalla Luce
l’Ombra (Dawn Separates the darkness
from the light) and ‘A Vuchella, (The
Little Mouth) a Neapolitan Song written in dialect. L’Alba Separa, is a part
of a four part song cycle called Quattro
Canzoni d’Amaranta. It describes a
lover who is struggling with longing
and desire. The object of his desire is
beyond his reach and he is driven almost to despair. Will the night and
death prevail? Or will the dawn arrive
bringing his love to him with the new
day? The words oscillate between despair and hope and the music captures
this inner struggle by sending a fluid
melodic line soaring over an edgy and
pulsating piano accompaniment. ‘A
Vucchella is a wonder of a song because it so perfectly expresses the simple beauty and tenderness found in
Neapolitan folksongs. Yet, surprisingly, both the words and the music
were produced not by natives of
Naples but by two thoroughly
Abruzzese artists!
.
Peter Paolini
.
Benedetto Croce
Historian -Humanist - Philosopher
1866 - 1952
Benedetto Croce was the leading Italian intellectual of the first ov the 20th
century and one of Europe’s best
known public figure by the 1940s. He
was born in Pescasseroli in the Abruzzi
region of Italy. He came from an influential and wealthy family and was
raised in a strict Catholic environment.
Around the age of 18, he turned away
from Catholicism and became an atheist and remained so for the rest of his
life. In 1883, an earthquake hit his
F a l l / W i n t e r 20 0 5
village, destroying
his home. His
mother, father, and only sister were all
killed, while he was buried for a long
time and barely survived. However,
after the incident, he inherited his family's fortune and was able to live the
rest of his life in relative leisure, enabling him to devote a great deal of time
to philosophy. As his fame increased,
many pushed him, against his wishes,
to go into politics. He was made Minister of Public Education, and later
moved to the Italian Senate, a life long
position. He was an open critic of Italy's participation in World War I,
feeling that it was a suicidal trade war.
Though this made him initially unpopular, his reputation was restored
after the war and he became a well
loved public figure and, even though
he openly opposed the Fascist party he
remained so until his death in 1952.
Non è vero, ma ci credo.
Benedetto Croce
DAS MEMBERS
Daniela Allega Fuciarelli
Lawyer & Jewelry Designer
Daniela Fuciarelli was born in
Sulmona, Italy, a city in the province
of L’Aquila, located in the Abruzzi
region. Even though she received a
Law degree, she has designed, since
she was a young girl, jewelry for her
friends and for herself all her life.
Her designs were handcrafted from a
famous Italian jewelry firm “Fibula
Roma” in Rome in Italy.
.
Daniela moved to Michigan in 1997
after her marriage to Bruno Fuciarelli.
Here in the U.S., her avocation has
become her vocation. Now she designs
one-of-a-kind jewelry full-time, and
works on community projects parttime. Daniela has a team of goldsmiths,
gem setters and carvers in Italy that
handcraft her designs. Although, such a
combination of attorney/jewelry
designer is unusual in the U.S., it
flows naturally out of an Italian
Page 9
Michele Cascella
Pittore 1892 - 1989
Nato ad Ortona a Mare nel 1892 in una
famiglia di artisti, apprende le diverse
tecniche artistiche sotto la guida del
padre che gli insegna a lavorare en
plain air e a "pittare l'aria". Nel 1907,
tiene, con il fratello Tommaso, la sua
prima mostra riproposta al Caffè
Ligure di Torino e alla Galerie Druer di
Parigi. Lavora "dal vero", adoperando
soprattutto il pastello.
Durante la prima guerra mondiale,
soldato, ritrae alcuni scenari di vita
militare al fronte ed un consistente
nucleo di queste prove è oggi
conservato al Museo del Risorgimento
e Raccolte storiche di Milano. Nel
d op ogu e r r a d e c id e d i f is s a r e
definitivamente la sua residenza a
Milano, esponendo nel 1924 per la
prima volta alla Biennale di Venezia,
ed allestendo l'anno successivo una
personale alla Galleria Pesaro di
Milano. Nel corso degli anni Trenta
Cascella tiene personali a Parigi,
tradition that celebrates the ideal self
that incorporates learning, civic duty,
courtesy and the ultimate expression of
creativity – the beautiful presentation
of self. Her creations are primarily
inspired by art and architecture, especially Roman antiquity and the Italian
middle ages, Renaissance and Baroque
periods. The arts thrived in Italy during
these periods. Alternately, Daniela
reaches into other cultures, such as
Russia or China, and at other times,
creates designs inspired by the jewels,
themselves. Some of her rings echo the
sinuosity of Baroque architecture,
while her pendants have the shape of
Gothic rose windows and glint with
sapphires, rubies and diamonds.
Daniela supports many charitable organizations and her goal is to raise
money for underprivileged individuals.
Daniela’s collections, in April 2005,
was exhibited at the Michigan Opera
Theatre during the performances of
Tosca. She designed “The Jewels of
Tosca” worn by the Soprano Ines
Salazar at the Michigan Opera Theatre for the Tosca 2005.
sue opere entrano a far parte del Musée
du Luxenhourg, del Jeu de Paume, del
Victoria and Albert Museum. Predilige
a questa data l'acquerello e le vedute di
città rappresentano i suoi soggetti
preferiti. Nell'immediato secondo
dopoguerra intensifica le esposizioni
all’estero: Buenos Aires, Montevideo
ed altri centri sudamericani conoscono
la sua opera, esposta per tutti gli anni
Cinquanta e Sessanta anche a Parigi,
mentre prendono corpo quei contatti
con gli Stati Uniti che costringono
l'artista, a partire dal 1959, ad alternare
soggiorni in terra californiana, a
periodi di permanenza in Europa.
Fiori, nature morte, campi di grano e di
papaveri, paesaggi abruzzesi e la tanto
amata Portofino sono i soggetti più
praticati in queste ultime stagioni,
contrassegnate anche da alcune
importanti mostre antologiche.
Muore a Milano nel 1989.
In Metro Detroit, Daniela exhibits her work
at her showroom and workshop: Architectural Gold, 16575 23 Mile Road, Macomb
Township, MI 48042, 586.786.6826.
Below: Daniela Fuciarelli, Liv Ullmann
and opera star Ines Salazar, who performed at the Fellini Awards ceremony,
June 2005. Liv Ullmann holds the Fellini
Award given to Ingmar Bergman this year.
Left is Daniela Fuciarelli, the jewelry
designer who created the jewels Ullmann
.
displays.
Photo courtesy of Daniela Allega Fuciarelli
F a l l / W i n t e r 20 0 5
Page 10
LIBRI
LIBRI
The AbruzzoTrilogy:
Bread and Wine, Fontamara, and
the Seed Beneath the Snow
by Ignazio Silone
The impoverished, desolate mountain
regions of the Abruzzo during Mussolini's reign provide the backdrop for the
three greatest novels by Ignazio Silone,
one of the twentieth century's most
important writers. In Fontamara,
Bread and Wine, and The Seed Beneath
the Snow - presented together for the
first time in English to mark the centenary of the author's birth - Silone
narrates the struggles of the cafoni, the
farmers and peasants of his native
Abruzzo, against poverty, natural disasters, and totalitarianism. The first
novel in the series, Fontamara, is a
political fable that portrays the bitter
trials of the villagers of Pescina as
they battle with landowners who
have appropriated their only source of
water. First published from his exile in
Zurich in 1933, and banned in his own
country, the novel was translated into
twenty languages and won Silone instant international literary family.
Silone's masterpiece, Bread and Wine,
introduces the semi-autobiographical
character Pietro Spina, an anti-Fascist
revolutionary who returns to his homeland after fifteen years in exile. He
seeks refuge among the Abruzzo
peasants by posing as the priest Don
Paolo Spada. Pietro's story continues
in The Seed Beneath the Snow, Silone's
personal favorite in the trilogy. Pietro
Spina flees again and, with the police
in close pursuit, is taken in by his
grandmother Donna Maria Vincenza.
Though comfortably settled in Italian
bourgeois society, she jeopardizes her
own life in order to protect him.
LIBRI
Usi e costumi abruzzesi
Antonio De Nino
Molti usi popolari che cominciano a
parere strani alla generalità, perché
scomparsi e rimasti soltanto nei piccoli
paesi e nelle città isolate, servono oggi
quale anello di congiunzione tra la
civiltà antica e la moderna. “Senza poi
la conoscenza degli altri usi, quelli più
comuni che non sono ancora
scomparsi, e grandi rivoluzioni non si
spiegheranno mai a dovere”. Cosi
inizia il De Nino nella sua prefazione
ed aggiunge che "L'aspetto sostanziale
del popolo è nel focolare domestico,
nelle conversazioni degli amici, nelle
chiese, nei caffè, nelle canove, nelle
piazze, nelle caserme, nelle prigioni,
nelle botteghe, nelle officine... Qui e
non altrove dobbiamo ricercare le
origini degli avvenimenti politici...".
“Il respiro leggero dell’Abruzzo”
Scrittori famosi raccontano le terre
abruzzesi
Dacia Maraini
Da Ovidio a Gregorovius, da
D'Annunzio a Croce, da Gadda a
Natalia Ginzburg, questo itinerario
letterario vuole costituire un viaggio
immaginario che possa suggerire
qualcosa, sia a chi conosce già
l'Abruzzo e ne vuole risentire gli odori
e i sapori, sia a chi non lo conosce e
vuole sapere cosa lo aspetta.
.
Events
Le Arti per Via
On a brisk, sunny October day a crowd
gathers around the Star Dream Fountain in Royal Oak. With the sound of
drums our attention is drown to a colorful group. They are lined up and
march into the City Hall Square.
The women wear long dark skirts and
ruffled blouses. The men wear knickers, vests and caps. Children run
around. We see the colors, sounds,
drama and excitement of Italian immigrant life in the beginning of 1900’s in
America. One woman weaves baskets
while a man sells paintings and an
older couple pulls a wagon selling
pillows. Everyone is speaking Italian.
The characters are actually from Bassano Del Grappa, Italy. The group,
called, “Le Arti per Via” travels to
various cities throughout the world
acting in this live museum, which portrays 40 different artisans found in a
typical Italian street market in the late
18th and 19th centuries. In addition to
the public, 250 students of the Italian
Language were also present during
this live production. What an intensely
rich visual lesson reflecting a slice of
Italian
history
they
received!
One young mother stated: “If you
close your eyes you can almost feel as
if you are in Italy”.
Joanne Divetta Davies
DAS Library Collection @ OCC in Royal Oak
View OCC website: www.occ.cc.mi.us/library/
Click on “Library Catalog”, then under “Enter Search Terms”,
type in: “Dante Alighieri Society Collection”
The Knife Sharpener
F a l l / W i n t e r 20 0 5
Page 11
D. A. S. Members and Events
New Dante Members
In Memoriam
Please welcome the following new
members to the Chapter:
Gina DeBlase
Linda Flynn
William R. Fulgenzi MD
Maria A. Harris
Tim Hinkle
Deborah Kawsky
Lucia Libertazzi
Anthony & Vincenza Prestininzi
Michael Simoni
Peter A. Soave
John Zaretti
Dr. Piero Foà (1911-2005)
.
On Friday Nov. 11, 2005, as this edition of Il Mosaico was ready to go to
press, we were informed of the passing
of Piero (as he simply liked to be
called by everyone). He was the president of the DAS Michigan Chapter
from 1992 to 1996 but he was present
and involved with the society until the
end. He was extremely proud of his
Italian heritage and for his commitment to the mission of the Society he
was an inspiration for us all. We
mourn his death and extend to Naomi
and family our heartfelt condolences.
DAS Education Committee
We would like to express our gratitude
for the hard work our Education Committee, headed by Silvia C. Schultz
and also recently by Luciana C.
Galante, has done in a short time working toward our enthusiastic goals for
our educational programs. Luciana has
shared responsibilities related to our
language classes at St. Bede and Silvia
has headed the program for the Birmingham Community Education
courses for children and adults. Unfortunately, both of them have other commitments which will not allow them to
continue their duties on the Board,
especially Luciana who will be moving
out of state. We are very sorry to see
these very capable people leave; they
were an asset to our educational programs. Thanks to both of you.
Il 12 novembre 2005 si è svolta alla
Wayne State University la conferenza
sul Programma di Advanced
Placement per la lingua e letteratura
italiana. Tale programma offre corsi
avanzati agli studenti delle High
School che si concludono con un
apposito esame. Il superamento
dell’esame permette di ottenere crediti
per l’iscrizione al college.
Organizzato dalla NOI Foundation
hanno partecipato i docenti delle
scuole del Michigan ed Ohio,
rappresentanti della Società Dante
Alighieri Michigan, professori della
Wayne State U. ed Oakland C.
College. Ha presentato la conferenza
la Prof.ssa Collen Ryan-Scheutz.
Italian Opera
1800 -1900
The DAS, IACS and Verdi Opera
Theatre of Michigan presented a recital
of Italian Opera with soprano Angela
Papale & pianist Fabio Marra at the new
Italian American Cultural Center in
Clinton Township on Saturday, May 21.
Approximately 100 members and friends
of the three organizations enjoyed a
special night of extraordinary music by
the two performers. After the performance members and friends had the opportunity to spend some time talking
with the artists.
The editors
Photo courtesy of Richard Haskin
Dr. Piero Foà
The editors will include a special section in honor of Prof. Foà in the next
issue of Il Mosaico. We would appreciate your articles (250 words or less)
of your memories of Prof. Foà. Please
e-mail articles to Il Mosaico:
[email protected]
Our sincere sympathies go out to longtime DAS member Anna Raffin and her
family on the loss of her husband Dino
who passed away earlier this year.
.
._________________________________
Architect Marco Nobili died of heart
failure in his home in Grosse Pointe on
Tuesday, October 4. He was 91.
Nobili left evidence of his architectural
expertise all over the state, including
the Grosse Pointe War Memorial and
the state Capitol building in Lansing, which
he helped Minoru Yamasaki design.
Gruppo Italiano
For more than ten years volunteers of
the Michigan Chapter of the Società
Dante Alighieri have organized a
group to promote Italy and Italian culture among interested people in the
Bloomfield area. The Gruppo italiano
meets every second Friday of every
month from 10 a.m. to noon at the
Greater Bloomfield Senior Association, 7273 Wing Lake Road, in Bloomfield Hills, tel. (248) 341-6450.
It is open to everyone interested in
informal discussion on culture, history,
language and arts of Italy. The last
meeting’s presentation and discussion
was the movie "Il Giardino dei Finzi Contini" by Giorgio Bassani. The holiday party will be held on December 9
at 11 a.m.
.
For more information please call:
.
Angie Giffels (248) 645-0958
Anita MacSorley (248) 682-4155
Non-Profit
U.S. Postage
PAID
Southfield MI
Dante Alighieri Society
Permit # 114
Michigan Chapter
P.O. Box 2962
Southfield, MI 48037-2962
Return Service Requested
Membership Application and 2006 Renewal
January 1 - December 31, 2006
Upcoming Events & Dante
2006 Calendar
•
Name _________________________________________________
Friday, December 9 - Gruppo italiano
Holiday Party
11 am— Greater Bloomfield Senior Association
For more info contact: Angie Giffels 248 645-0958
Address _______________________________________________
•
City/State _________________________________ZIP_________
Renaissance Poetry in Italy and France
Gabriella Scarlatta Eschrich, Ph.D. U of M
7 pm — Venue to be announced
Phone Number: (H)__________________(W)_________________
Email______________________________Fax________________
•
Patron
$100
____
Sustainer
$50
____
Family
$40
____
Individual
$25
____
Senior Citizen
$15
____
Student
$10
____
Donation
_____
Sunday, March 26 - Dante Event
Abruzzo, the Region of Gabriele D’Annunzio
Cuisine, Celebration of Food & Culture
3 pm — Piccirilli Restaurant in Shelby Township
•
____
Thursday, February 16 - Dante Event
Sunday, April 23 - Dante Event
Proud Profile of an Italian / American Artist—Sergio DeGiusti
3 pm—DeGiusti Studio in Redford
Additional DAS Events will be announced by
mail and e-mail.
Please send us your updated e-mail address.
DAS has a new e-mail address:
[email protected]