Sicilia Parra - Guernica Editions | News

Sicilia Parra
Bi-annual Newsletter of Arba Sicula:
An International Organization that Promotes the Language and Culture of Sicily
Volume XXV
Arba Sicula
Announces Its 20th
Tour of Sicily
A
rba Sicula will conduct the
its 20th consecutive tour of
Sicily again this year on the same
dates as last year’s tour. The tour
is scheduled to depart on June 3,
returning on June 15. The itinerary
is on page 20 of this newsletter, but
as usual many of the details will be
worked out later. Many of the extracurricular activities will be added
in the next few months. These activities, as you know, are planned in
collaboration with our contacts and
friends on the island and depend
on a number of factors not known
at this time. This year, even before
we announced the dates of the tour,
many people have already sent
their deposits or letters expressing
a desire to join the tour. We expect
that it will be filled very quickly. So
if you are one of those who already
Number 2
expressed a desire to go you should
send me a deposit to reserve your
place. As in the past, the deposit is
$200.00 per person and it is refundable in full or in part depending on
the date of cancellation. The deadline for cancellation is February 15.
After that date we may not be able to
refund the deposit, unless we have a
replacement for your seat.
This year will be our twentieth
successful excursion to Sicily and I
am cognizant of the importance of
the number. This will have to be an
Continues on p. 3
Mt. Aetna Erupting Again!
Table of Contents
Arba Sicula Announces Its 20th Tour of Sicily
Mount Aetna Is at it Again!
President’s Message: Spreading the Word
Arba Sicula Promotes Authors of Books on Sicilian Culture The Madonna Did not Get Confused: A School Essay
Julia Patinella Performs Homage to Rosa Balistreri
A Sicilian Cultural Center is Born…in Argentina
Tour 19 a Tremendous Success
A Poem for Other Times
Puisia Siciliana /Sicilian Poetry
Book Reviews: The Poetess in Love, by Carlo Puleo
Arba Sicula’s Tour 20 Itinerary
1
1
2
4
5
6
7
8
11
12
14
17
20
Fall 2013
Mount Aetna Is at
It Again!
M
ount Aetna, the highest volcano in Europe, is erupting
again. Not that it has ever stopped…
The active volcano that dominates
the landscape of Eastern Sicily, visible from as far away as Enna in the
center of the island, has been belching
lava, smoke, rocks and ash for over
a month now and gives no sign of
going back to sleep. Fortunately for
the inhabitants of the towns around
the massive mountain there is no
danger that the lava flows might
come near them. While the ash and
smoke have disrupted air traffic over
the mountain, the eruption does not
seem at this point to threaten lives
and property. The lava flows usually
are deposited in the Valle del Bove, a
vast area in the south eastern flank of
the volcano.
The volcano whom Sicilians call
Mungibbeddu (from mons, Latin
for mountain and gebel, Arabic for
mountain) or simply a muntagna,
has caused tremendous devastation
in the past. In 1669 it buried the city
of Catania and in 1787 it erupted
sending a plume of ash and rocks as
high as 3000 meters above the crater.
But while Mt. Aetna can occasionally
be a source of destruction, the people
who live around it do not live in dread
of its awesome power. To them it is a
beneficial presence. Its eruptions have
been responsible for making the area
one of the most fertile on the island.
While many parts of Sicily suffer
from lack of water especially in the
Continues on p. 3
Sicilia Parra
2
President’s Message
Spreading the Word
O
n October 17 I traveled to South Ozone Park in New York to speak to
a gathering of a Sons of Italy Lodge. I had been invited by Bill Aiello, a
member of Arba Sicula, to speak to the members of his Lodge about the Sicilian
language and its history. When I asked the group if they knew about Arba Sicula
and what it stood for, most of them responded that they had never heard of our
organization. Coming from a group of Italian-Americans, most of whom turned out
to be of Sicilian origins, their answer was a big surprise to me. I thought all Sicilian
Americans knew about Arba Sicula! Obviously that is not the case. So I proceeded
to tell them of our goals and of our activities and by the end of the evening I made
a few friends and a few new members. One person even bought copies of my book
Siciliana: Studies on the Sicilian Ethos and a few days after the event he asked me
to send two additional autographed copies of the book to his brothers. This little
experience underscores the need to do a better job of spreading the word about our
activities and the promotion of our goals. We are absolutely convinced that what
we are doing is not only valuable for the Sicilian communities in this country but
essential in keeping alive the love we share for the island that we call home.
In truth, since I retired from teaching at St. John’s University nearly three years
ago, I have had opportunities to devote more time to promoting Arba Sicula and
its ideals. I have accepted offers to speak in a number of places on the work that
Arba Sicula has been doing for the past 34 years and promoting everything Sicilian. I have been contributing articles to journals online and in print, I have been
interviewed by newspapers and magazines and I think the membership would
be interested in learning about these activities. I usually refrain from mentioning
them because there is always the danger that people might think I m promoting
myself, which never enters the picture. I will mention them because the purpose
is always the promotion of Sicilian culture which by now is almost inseparable
from my professional persona. On October 20, I traveled to Chicago where I was
invited by Peppino Monastero and Dino Porto of SACA, a large and influential
association of Sicilian Americans, to speak on the history of the Sicilian language
and to present my new grammar Learn Sicilian/Mparamu lu sicilianu. The event,
which took place at the elegant Monastero Restaurant and was attended by a large
group of their members, was reported by the magazine FRA NOI. The event was
a celebration of Sicelitude attended by old friends who hold important positions
in the Chicago Italian-American community. On November 7, my wife and I traveled to San Antonio Texas to participate in the annual convention of the American
Translators Association (ATA). We took part in a session devoted to translating
from dialects. Florence spoke about translating from Neapolitan and guess what
my topic was! “Translating from the Sicilian of Giovanni Meli.” From San Antonio
we flew to Miami for a private event and then on November 13, I was invited by
Alvino Adamo of the Trinacria Association to speak at a gathering of the membership on the Sicilian Language and on the grammar of Sicilian. So after dinner I
spoke on Arba Sicula and on Sicilian to a group of highly interested professionals,
as I learned after my presentation, some of whom told me they were interested in
going to Sicily on our next tour. A few of the people present decided to join our
organization. I conclude this short list of activities by announcing that Arba Sicula
has been notified by Lou Gallo, Chairman of the Commission for Social Justice
of the Sons of Italy, that it is to receive a special award for its contributions to the
Italian-American community on February 17 at a ceremony to be held at Russo’s
on the Bay. Lastly iI will give two lectures at the Westchester Italian Cultural Center
Spreading the Word continues on p. 2
in Tuckahoe in early 2014.
Sicilia Parra
is the official newsletter of ARBA
SICULA, Inc., an international organization promoting the language and culture
of Sicily.
Unless otherwise indicated, unsigned
articles are by Gaetano Cipolla.
www.arbasicula.org
EDITOR
Gaetano Cipolla
SUBSCRIPTIONS:
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Regular subscriptions $35
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MAKE CHECKS PAYABLE TO
ARBA SICULA and send them to our
mailing address:
Arba Sicula / Gaetano Cipolla
P.O. Box 149
Mineola, NY 11501
ARBA SICULA is a non-profit organization. All contributions and subscriptions
are tax deductible.
All members of ARBA SICULA in
good standing automatically receive Sicilia
Parra, Arba Sicula, as well as supplements
published by the organization. Sicilia Parra
is published twice a year, in the Spring
and in the Winter. For information and to
submit materials for the newsletter, write to
Dr. Gaetano Cipolla at the address above.
Advertising rates for Sicilia Parra are
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Camera Ready Text by Legas
3
Tour 20 announced continues from p. 1
even more memorable tour than all the
others. This puts me in a very difficult
position for the previous 19 tours have
all been extremely enjoyable, not only
for me but for all those who have been
fortunate to be part of them. It is difficult to imagine what I can come up
with. After a particularly successful
event in our past tours, some of the
participants were heard to whisper
among themselves: “I wonder how the
Professor is going to top that tomorrow!” Because many of the extra events
are not usually mentioned in the description of the tour, each day becomes
a day of discovery for the participants.
That is one feature that has guaranteed
that many people come back year after
year. Of course, no one will ever come
close to Hindman Doxey who made 18
tours and the only reason he did not
make the 19th was that he passed away
shortly after we announced the tour.
So it will be a challenge to come up
with activities that everyone will be
happy with. I am comforted in this by
the fact that Sicily is such a wonderful
place that we don’t have to do anything
special. Just being in Sicily is a rewarding experience in itself. The people who
come on our tours bring their own
expectations. To see the hometowns
where their father or mother, grandfather or grandmother were born, to
breathe the air that they breathed, to
taste the fruit and the wine that their
loved ones knew. These are the things
that inevitably turn the tour into a
voyage into their inner souls. So in the
end, perhaps my task is really not that
difficult. The participants themselves
make the tour memorable.
This year, as they did last year, Alitalia has raised the price of the air fare.
We had to add $75.00 to the total cost
of the tour, but we still consider our
prices extremely reasonable, especially
when you think that the Arba Sicula
tours are like no other. The total cost
will be $3,425.00 per person. There will
be a $400 single supplement. The price
includes everything except lunches.
We will have as usual, our own air
conditioned bus, four star hotels or
better throughout, and our own guide.
Contact me by e-mail at gcipolla@
optonline.net as soon as you receive
the newsletter to be assured of getting
a seat. As you know, we will accept
reservations on a first come first served
basis. And we do not want to accept
more than 45 people on the tour.
As usual if you have plans to extend
your stay in Sicily or visit other parts
of Italy after the tour ends, you need
to tell me so I can ask our travel agent
to make the arrangements. There is
usually a small charge for changing
the return departure date. Our agent
can also purchase travel cancellation
insurance for you in case you cannot
go because of illness. You can also shop
around because prices vary.
As Diana Mazza who will be our
again guide this year, says to the group:
“Amuninni!” (Let’s go!)

Sicilia Parra
Spreading the Word continues from p. 2
While all these activities are fruitful
in attracting new members, there are
still too many Sicilians out there who
thirst to learn that we exist. Occasionally
I receive letters to that effect by people
who have discovered us by accident.
Unfortunately, having only two hands
and one brain, I am limited on what I
can accomplish myself. But imagine if all
our members took it upon themselves to
spread the word about Arba Sicula. How
much more could be done? I will let the
thought percolate in your heads.

Mount Aetna Erupts from p. 1
summer, the volcano is a vast reservoir
that provides abundant water for all the
cities around it.
This year, Mount Aetna has been
added to the other five Sicilian sites in
UNESCO’s World Heritage list, thanks
to its being "globally recognized on basis
of its notoriety, scientific importance,
cultural and educational value, superlative natural phenomena and exceptional
aesthetic importance as iconic volcanic
site."

Sicilia Parra
Arba Sicula Promotes
Authors of Books on
Sicilian Culture at St.
John’s University
4
Gaetano Cipolla
introducing Stanley
Barkan
A
rba Sicula, as we know, promotes Sicilian language and
culture. One of its primary goals is to
study, promote and disseminate the
correct information about Sicily. It does
this in a variety of ways, but perhaps
the most effective and also the one that
looks toward the future, is the creation
of books that can reach many more
people than can fit in a hall. Books are a
way of creating a legacy, a lasting record
that can be accessed by many people
in the future. That is why Arba Sicula
and Legas, which may be considered its
publishing arm, have worked hand in
hand on numerous projects, creating a
substantial library of volumes devoted
series has already published 13 volumes
and the second 25. Publishing books of
Sicilian Poetry or books that deal with
the Sicilian-American experience is not
on the menu for the major publishing
houses of the United States, unless of
course the books have something to do
with the mafia. Our books propose to
depict Sicilians and Sicilian-Americans
from a perspective that is more appro-
Roger Armbruster
Stanley Barkan
to studying Sicelitude. Thanks to the two
series of books founded by Gaetano
Cipolla, Pueti d’Arba Sicula/Poets of
Arba Sicula and Sicilian Studies, a body
of knowledge has been created that no
other publisher would ever dream of
making available to the public. The first
priate and correct.
On September 28, 2013, Arba Sicula
members and their guests gathered at
Bent Hall 277 A&B to listen to ten
authors who have written at least one
book that deals with Sicilian culture in
some way. The program was presented
Cecelia Tumminello De Luso
Florence Gatto
by Professor Cipolla
who spoke briefly
about his own publications and then introduced the authors
who spoke about
their work, how they
came to write them
and what they had
hoped to accomplish
through them. The
following is a list of
the featured writers and the works they
presented:
Roger Armbruster, Three Marias: A
Sicilian Story, a novel about three important women in the author’s family.
Stanley Barkan, Raisins with Almonds/
Pàssuli cu mènnuli, a collection of poems
focusing on the poet’s two loves: Israel
and Sicily. The book was translated into
Sebastiano Santostefano
Sicilian by Marco Scalabrino.
Luigi Bonaffini, Dialect Poetry of
Southern Italy, an impressive trilingual
anthology of poems that includes Sicilian poets. Prof. Bonaffini has published
numerous translations of Italian poets
Marisa Frasca
5
Luigi Bonaffini
Louisa Calio
and several anthologies of dialect poetry.
Cecelia Tumminello Deluso, Remember Me Young: Sicilian Life Beyond the
Veil, a funny and poignant collection of
memories of growing up in Brooklyn
as a Sicilian American. This is her first
book.
Florence Gatto, The Scent of Jasmine,
Vignettes from a Sicilian, a collection of
memorable vignettes of Sicilian life in
America. Florence’s book is already in
its second printing.
Nino Provenzano, Tornu/The Return,
a collection of funny and touching poems in bilingual format. Nino, as you
know is Vice President of Arba Sicula
and this is his second volume of poetry.
Sebastiano Santostefano, First and
Last Picking, Sicilian-Americans growing
up in Ct, harvesting tobacco leaves and
learning life lessons.
Ennio Rao, Sicilian Palimpsest: The
Language of Castroreale. Professor Rao
came up from North Carolina to deliver
his remarks giving an interesting historical explanation for the differences that
exist between the parrata of Castroreale
and other Sicilian parrati.
Marisa Frasca recited some poems in
Sicilian and in English from her forthcoming collection of poems entitled
Via Incanto, soon to be published by
Legas. Marisa was recently appointed
to the Board of Directors of the Arba
Sicula Journal.
Louisa Calio, who teamed up with
Nino Provenzano who read his Sicilian
translation of Louisa’s poems. Louisa
has published In the Eye of Balance. She
was also recently appointed to the Board
of Directors of our journal.
The following writers were not
able to join us, but their books were
displayed:
Joseph Cacibauda, After Laughing
Comes the Crying, Sicilians on Louisiana
Plantations.
Angelo Coniglio, The Lady of the
Wheel.
Connnie De Caro, Sicily, the Trampled Paradise Revisited, and Sebastiano:
A Sicilian Legacy
Donna Gestri,Time Takes no Time,
Calogero Lombardo, Altavilla Sicily,
and Justin Vitiello, Labyrinths and Volcanoes: Windings through Sicily.
It was an entertaining evening. The
presenters did an excellent job of shar-
Nino Provenzano
Ennio Rao
Sicilia Parra
ing their passion for their work with the
audience. Many of them read excerpts
from their books, some of which were
poetry. Some actually recited their poetry
in English or Sicilian and provided the
translation in Sicilian or viceversa.
Events such as these which focus on
the culture of Sicily are highly entertaining, but they are very important as they
provide food for the mind. As for providing food for the body, Arba Sicula is
one organization that knows how to do
that without charge. As usual the evening
did not end with the presentations. The
audience remained to socialize with one
another while enjoying a generous repast
of Italian food.

The Madonna Did
not Get Confused: A
School Essay
W
e received a short essay written by an elementary school
student in Sicily. The theme of her
essay was “What did you Do this Past
Weekend?’ and this is what she wrote.
The essay was written in Italian/Sicilian
that we translated into English:
Sunday Excursion to Tindari
This past Sunday we went to Tindari
to the shrine of the Black Madonna. My
mom and my dad, I, my unmarried sister and my other sister who is married
but has no children. My brother-in-law
was there also. Before going to the Sanctuary we went to eat in the restaurant.
Then we all went to pray to the Madonna so that she would grant a child
to my married sister.
I don’t understand what happened.
Maybe we did not pray correctly or
maybe the Madonna got confused and
did not understand our request. The
miracle was granted, but to my unmarried sister.
My mother said that the Madonna
did not get confused, it was my brotherin-law who got confused.

Sicilia Parra
Julia Patinella
Performs Homage to
Rosa Balistreri
B
eginning at 6:00 PM on December 7th, 2013, at the Bent Hall
auditorium of St. John’s University began
to fill up with members of Arba Sicula and
their guests. The occasion was a concert by
Julia Patinella in honor of Rosa Balistreri,
an iconic singer who specialized in soulful rendition of popular folk songs, songs
written especially for her by well known
poets and songs she wrote herself. Rosa
Balistreri, whose life was marked by deep
suffering, endured poverty and an abusive
husband. She even endured jail for attempting to kill her husband whom she
had been forced to marry when she was
16. She ran away from Sicily and found
some respite to her troubles in Florence,
where she found a job and met people who
help her create a career as a singer. She
wrote some songs and she performed them
with such passion that she became wellknown, especially among the intellectuals
of the left. She liked to perform in squares
among the people and her words always
told the story of people who suffer at the
hands of the powerful. They often sound
like the prayers of an oppressed people.
The subjects she sang about were about
poverty, violence, abuse, desperation and
even drought that causes famine among
the poor. I loved the following song even
without knowing that she had written it:
It’s a prayer to the Lord to send rain to
an earth that is suffering from a drought:
Signuruzzu, chiuviti chiuviti, ca l’ arbureddi su morti di siti
mannatini una bona,
senza lampi e senza trona.
Rosa was given a role in one of Dario
Fo’s shows, Ragiono e canto, where she actually played herself. She was forty years old
wen she started her theatrical career. But
she never played any parts, she was always
herself. She had become so connected with
the suffering underclass that she became a
symbol of their struggle for equality. She
was an artist who was engaged in the same
way as Ignazio Buttitta who loved to recite
his poetry in public squares addressing the
people. Buttitta
wrote some poems
which were made
famous by Rosa
such as “I pirati a
Palermo”.
If you listen to
her recordings on
You Tube, for example, you feel the
raw power of her
voice and of her
words. She never
tried to endear
herself to the listeners. She never tried
to become more polished in the modulation of her voice and she never changed
her manner of singing. That was basically
what made her seem genuine and true. Her
strong impact on her audiences was due in
part to the aura of truth surrounding her.
She sang about her own life. Her emotions
were real and people felt them unfiltered.
She shared this with such great singers as
Edith Piaf and Amalia Rodriguez.
She suffered a stroke and died in Palermo on September 20, 1990, while on
tour with the show I Mafiusi di la Vicaria.
On December 7th, the Arba Sicula
audience was able to feel some of the original power of the songs and lyrics in Julia
Patinella’s strong and faithful interpretation of Rosa’s music. Julia’s own Sicelitude
shone through. Her performance was as
passionate as Rosa’s. Her strong voice dug
deep and was able to express very convincingly the raw power of Balistreri’s words.
Julia, who is actively engaged in the fight
against domestic violence internationally,
has internalized Rosa’s struggle and she
sings about her own. She too sings to
become free.
The program, which included most
of the songs that were usually performed
by Rosa in her own concerts, as well as
a few traditional Sicilian classics, was a
journey in time to the 70s and 80s, to the
time Rosa was most active. Julia gave a
memorable performance, as did the three
talented musicians who accompanied her:
Ilusha Tzinadze on the guitar, Vitor Goncalves on the accordion, and James Shipp
on percussion.
As usual after the concert the large
crowd moved upstairs to enjoy refreshments and spend time with fellow members of Arba Sicula
6
Julia Patinella
Julia Patinella is a multilingual singer
of Sicilian origin who performs nationally
and internationally. Drawing from her
Mediterranean roots and years of extensive
travel and study throughout Southern Europe, Julia performs as a traditional Sicilian
folk singer, as well as a trained Flamenco
singer. In her performances, the singer
brings forth an expansive repertoire, rich
in history and musical traditions that carry
the raw emotions of protest, the longing
for social and internal freedom, the eternal
thirst for life, travel and music. With a
voice and stage presence that moves effortlessly from the guttural cry of a lament to
the celebration of life found in a traditional
folk song, Julia’s expressive song captivates
her listeners. She performs regularly, in
the U.S. and Europe, and Mexico. Julia’s
past collaborations as vocalist / arranger
include Southern Italian Folk Project with
her group Sicilian Soul Band, Flamenco
Nomadico, Flamenco Trio Noche Blanca,
Cuban Son with Mi Le lo Lai, traditional
Afro - Colombian music with Grupo
Chonta, and Classical Arabic music with
the New York Arabic Orchestra.

7
A Sicilian Cultural
Center is Born…in
Argentina
T
he birth of a Center for Sicilian Studies has just been announced. No, it is not in New York.
It is in Argentina and precisely at the
Universidad Nacional de Rosario in the
Humanities and Art Department. The
Center, according to Antonella Fortuna
who has provided us with the information, will be directed by professor Jorge
Strano. It is ironic that precisely such
a center was proposed to the Sicilian
Region a number of years ago by Arba
Sicula. It would have had a research
library, a center for communities affair,
classrooms for teaching Sicilian and
facilities which could have been used
to promote Sicilian culture. The Center
would have been housed at St. John’s
University. Sicily would have been the
only Italian region to have a center at
a major American university dedicated to its culture. Unfortunately, the
regional administration did not even
acknowledge receipt of the proposal.
So now the University of Rosario in
Argentina will have a center dedicated
to Sicilian Studies. Ms. Antonella Fortuna who has been asked to prepare a
grammar of Sicilian to be used presumably at the University of Rosario, sent
us the information that we summarize
below. Ms Fortuna, author of A Storia
r’a Sicilia (see the book review section),
described the motivations for starting
such a program and gave a rationale
for the project.
Sicilian, as we know, is a language,
not a dialect and as such needs to
be protected according to European
Union’s laws to which Italy adheres.
The Sicilian Region also passed a law
in 2011 requiring that Sicilian be taught
in the public schools. Language is the
spine of a culture. Studying the language of a people contributes to opening people’s horizons, it fosters understanding among different cultures, promotes respect for ethnic and linguistic
minorities and increases the sense of
self worth even within Sicilian society.
This is certainly a very important factor that will help save Sicilian. Sicilians,
as we have said many times, need to
wash away the stigma that is attached
to speaking their language, they need to
embrace their own Sicelitude instead of
covering it up with foreign accents. The
program at the University of Rosario
proposes to study every aspect of Sicilian culture, using all the resources that
are available (film, photography, audio,
print media, recordings etc..) in order
to create a body of knowledge to make
available to scholars and to anyone
who is interested in it. The creation of
a pool of knowledge would then serve
for further research and for a better
understanding of the culture.
We applaud the University of Rosario for such a bold undertaking and
Buy All Past Issues of Arba Sicula on a CD
T
his is to let you know that we still a number of CDs containing all the 33
issues of the Arba Sicula journal, published from 1979 to the present, in
an indexed and searchable PDF format that everyone with access to a computer
can read. Since we lowered the price to $50.00, some of our members have bought
copies. We still have about thirty of them and I would like to sell them to make
room for the updated CD I am planning to produce n the near future. The new
CDs will include the two new issues of Arba Sicula published since we produced
the CD plus an update index. So if you want to have the history of Arba Sicula that
won’t take up much shelf space buy the CD. The $50.00 price includes shipping
and handling too. To order your CD, send a check for $50.00 to:
Arba Sicula P. O. Box 149, Mineola,New York 11501
Sicilia Parra
wish the project long life and success.
Perhaps Arba Sicula can collaborate in
some ways with Professor Strano and
with Ms. Fortuna.
Our only regret is the missed opportunity to create a similar program
in the United States. With the millions
of Sicilian-Americans in this country, it
is the ideal place to host such a center.
Perhaps...in the future...

Sicilia Parra
Tour 19 a
Tremendous Success
A
rba Sicula tour 19, which took
place from June 3 to June 15
of 2013, seems a long way in the past
even though it happened not even six
months ago. We could not report on
it because we had to publish the Arba
Sicula journal, volume XXXIV, for
2013 and we normally do not include
the tour in the journal. So I have to
make an effort to relive the wonderful
experiences we enjoyed during the tour
by focusing on the highlights. Let me
say at the outset that tour 19 was as
memorable as all the others. There were
a few important factors that certainly
had a bearing on the tour. The most
obvious one was the fact that our normal guide, Diana Mazza, was not with
us this year. This could have affected
the tour in a number of ways because
the guide makes a major contribution
to the success of the tour. Fortunately
for us, we had a perfect replacement
for Diana, her twin brother, Giacomo
Mazza, who proved to be not only very
funny and knowledgeable, but also a
well organized and efficient guide. He
and Mario made an efficient duo that
made the tour flow smoothly from one
activity to the next.
The day of our arrival in Palermo,
which is usually reserved for resting
after the long flight over the Atlantic
and the short hop from Rome, saw
the group participate in a wonderful
ceremony organized before hand by
Prof. Cipolla and local members of
Arba Sicula. Thanks to Piero Carbone
who teaches in one of the High Schools
of Palermo the beautiful Castello
Maredolce, which was originally a royal
palace of the Arabs and which has been
restored recently, was opened for the
Arba Sicula group before its official
opening to display student artifacts.
For the occasion, Prof. Cipolla spoke
to the students and their parents and
donated copies of his new Sicilian
8
grammar to encourage the study of Sicilian. This was a wonderful beginning
to the tour. The students had worked
two weeks to prepare for the event.
They recited poetry in Sicilian and in
English, described the Museum and
displayed their art, while the parents
and teachers looked on proudly. It was
an excellent beginning that blended in
a most transparent way Arba Sicula’s
goals for these tours—to get to know
the Sicilian people close-up and to
share and rejoice in our common heritage— The parents had prepared lots of
Sicilian specialties for the participants,
but the Arba Sicula group was expected
for dinner at the Casa del Brodo where
they enjoyed a memorable meal. The
capunatina that night was superlative!
The next day the group visited some
of the sights of Palermo that are not
normally included in city tours, focusing on some of the beautiful stucco
sculptures of Serpottta and lavish baroque church decorations, the mosaics
of Monreale and in the evening was
The entire group at the Peppino and Rosetta Giamboi residence before the farewell dinner. All the photos courtesy of Volney Fray
9
treated to a dinner feast in a wonderful
restaurant in Aspra, Bagheria where
it was met by local members of Arba
Sicula. The dinner was offered by local
member Michelangelo Balistreri who
then invited the entire group to his
home where it was entertained until
almost midnight by a very talented
tenor, Salvo Randazzo, and a soprano
who gave outstanding performances
worthy of the Metropolitan. This is the
night when Prof. Cipolla introduces
the local members of Arba Sicula who
provide the entertainment by reading
poetry, presenting their art or singing. We are grateful to all of them,
especially to Carlo Puleo, Nino Bellia, Giuseppe Scianò, Piero Carbone,
Niccolo d’Alessandro, Giovanni Morreale. Some of the usual guests could
not come because Aspra is outside of
Palermo and this reduced the number
of poets reciting. Many in the group
thought this was the most memorable
night. But there were many other highlights during the tour to satisfy everyone’s tastes. I can recall a few of them
for those who wish they had come on
the tour. After we visited Cefalù we
traveled to the town of Castelbuono
in the Madonie mountains to taste the
Fiasconaro Panettone and other sweets
as well as to visit its famous 14th century castle. The vice Mayor of Cefalù
received us in the Town Hall as did the
authorities in Castelbuono, thanks to
our contacts with the Fernando Santi
Institute and its president, Luciano
Luciani. The group was also received
by the vice mayor of Erice, Laura Montanti, the next day when we visited the
beautiful medieval town that overlooks
the Trapani and Marsala area. And on
the way down the mountain we made
a short stop at Nat Scammacca’s house.
His wife Nina, who is a good friend
of Arba Sicula, prepared the specialty
of the area, the famous cassatelle, half
moon shaped sweets filled with ricotta
cheese, fried and sprinkled with sugar,
not to mention the local wine and
other delicious things. Nina has opened
her home to us at least three times in
memory of her husband who was an
Sicilia Parra
The ceremony at the Maredolce Castle with Piero Carbone and his students.
Salvo Randazzo, the soprano, Michelangelo Balistreri and Carlo Puleo (standing) in the
Aspra-Bagheria restaurant before the show. Below kissing the Liotru in Catania.
Sicilia Parra
10
Arthur Dieli with five tours poses with
Florence who has done all nineteen.
The group who braved the climb to the highest point of the Greek theater in Taormina.
important American poet and writer
who chose to live in Sicily. He was one
of the founders the Antigruppo 63, a
forward looking literary movement.
In Marsala we met our friend Diego
Maggio who made it possible for the
group to have wine tasting right in the
hotel (The five star Baglio Oneto) and
held a ceremony where he awarded,
much to their surprise, the title of
Paladins of Sicilian Wine to two of our
members, Arthur V. Dieli and Louisa
Calio. He was later joined by prize winning poet Nino De Vita and by Marco
Scalabrino and their families. After
dinner the group relished the performance of the wonderful folk group
“Ciuri d’acantu,” led by our dear friend
Nina Stallone Firreri who entertained
us until late at night.
The next night we traveled to Agrigento by way of Sciacca. After visiting
Sciacca we saw the wonderful Valley
of the Temples with Michele, our usual
guide and before dinner we were treated to another great performance by
the oldest folk group in Agrigento, the
Vald’Akragas led by our friend, Lello
Casesa. The group has performed for
Arba Sicula several times in New York
and in Agrigento.
The entertainment was not over for
the next day after traveling through
the center of Sicily and visiting Piazza
Armerina’s mosaics, we were dazzled
after dinner by the great group of musicians and singers put together by Salvo
Bottaro in Siracusa. The second night
the group enjoyed seeing a hilarious
satire in the Greek theater. While the
performance was in Italian and centered on former Prime Minister Berlusconi’s sexual escapades, some of our
group enjoyed the pantomimes even if
they did not understand the words. In
Catania the highlight was our visit to
Vincenzo Bellini’s Teatro Massimo. The
group has established a tradition that
is going to be hard to break: they stand
behind the symbol of the city, the lava
stone elephant who wears a masculine
prosthesis, and blows a kiss to it in
unison. You need to come on the tour
to learn what the story is.
Once we reached Giardini-Naxos,
the group was already relaxed and
looking forward to more leisurely activities such as lying in the sun by the
pool or at the beach or shopping in the
fancy boutiques of Taormina. Some of
the group went to Mount Aetna and
had a great time, others relaxed by the
pool. Others enjoyed the abundant
buffet dinners. The last day we visited
Prof. Cipolla’s home town of Francavilla and had cocktails at his cousins’
house before going to the farewell
dinner. Peppino and Rosetta Giamboi
opened their home and their garden
to the 45 guests and served wine, fruit,
and sweets as Peppino gave a tour of
his beautifully kept garden. They and
other members of prof. Cipolla’s family
joined the group for the farewell dinner at the Paradise Restaurant where
in addition to a wonderful meal they
were entertained by a talented singer.
We were joined by Davide Gambino,
a young film director who is going to
make a documentary on the work of
Arba Sicula.
There were many other events
worth mentioning, but by now you
got the idea that everyone had a great
time, so much so that shortly after we
returned to New York a substantial
number of inquiries arrived about the
next tour. Apparently the people who
were on the tour spread the word. But
that is not a surprise to me. That is how
we have been able to fill each of previous nineteen tours without problems.
Our tour participants are our best
advertisement. 
Arba Sicula’s
30th anniversary pin is still
available. Send $ 6.00 to
Arba Sicula
Post Office Box 149
Mineola, New York 11501
11
A Poem for Other
Times
O
ne of our members, named
D’Ancona, sent me a book of
Sicilian poems entitled Amuri chi chianci, by Giovanni di Rosalia, published
in New York in 1923. As is my custom,
I put it aside to read later. So when I
picked it up, after a while, it was like a
discovery. The poems were written by
someone who clearly had command of
Sicilian and was also versed in the art of
poetry. What attracted me was the air
of old style poetry, but with a twist: a
fine irony, a playful jesting with themes
that were current in his time. This is a
poet who does not take himself seriously and has a fine, mocking quality that
undermines the premises he builds. He
is like the Boccaccio character, Ciappelletto, whose verbal antics play havoc
with the inattentive reader, making
him believe the opposite of what he is
really saying. At any rate, I thought you
would enjoy the following which is the
introduction to the collection.
Introduzioni
Di Giovanni De Rosalia
Liggennu chistu libru chiancirai
comu a lu munnu ‘un hai chianciutu mai!
Iu lu scrissi chiancennu di duluri,
chiancennu lu stampau lu stampaturi !
E chiddu chi li fogghi nni piegau,
a ciumi amari lacrimi virsau :
versa dirottarnenti chiantu amaru,
mentri lu vinni, puru lu libraru !
Chiancinu tutti cu stu libru miu ;
sulu nun chianci ddu curazzu riu
pi cui lu scrissi ! Ahimè, sorti nnimica !
Inutili mi fu la mia fatica !
‘Nfilici per amuri ci nni sunnu
assai, littrici bedda ‘ntra stu munnu,
ma comu mia di certu nun nni trovi,
picchì li peni mei su’ peni novi !
C’è statu mai qualcunu a cui l’amuri,
oltri a ‘nchiuvarlu a un tragicu duluri,
livau lu sonnu, comu l’ha livatu
a mia ca ‘un dormu ... si nun haiu cinatu?
Sicilia Parra
C’è statu nuddu mai chi pi ‘na ‘nfami
ha persu, oltri a lu sonnu, anchi la fami
comu m’avvinni a mia (crudili fatu!)
ca cchiù nun manciu...doppu c’haiu manciatu?
Women who read this, in this world there are
many unhappy souls because of love,
but certainly you will not find a soul like me
because my sorrows are entirely new.
Sugnu arriduttu carni, peddi e ossa,
e un jornu scinnirò dintra la fossa!
Lu miu distinu è certu e ccà lu. scrivu :
Murrò, sì, certu ... e nun sarò cchiù vivu!
Is there a soul alive whom love, besides
of nailing him to tragic suffering,
deprived of sleep, as it has done to me,
who cannot sleep at all... without my supper?
‘Na pugnalata in pettu mi darrìa
e chista vita orrenna lassirìa;
ma pensu ca putrìa la pugnalata
lassarimi la peddi spirtusata !
Is there a soul who’s lost not only sleep
but appetite as well for such a shameful
dame,
as happened in my case (oh cruel fate!)
who cannot touch a bite... after I’ve eaten?
Già sentu li sugghiuzzi! Ah, ti cummovi,
littrici cara, a chisti peni novi?
Chianci pi chistu poviru ‘nfilici ;
chianci ca nn’hai ben d’ondi, o mia littrici!
Scorgiu ‘ntra l’occhi toi beddi e languenti
chi ‘na pietà profunna pi mia senti:
Benchì lu to’ labbruzzu arresta mutu,
sarrissi leta darimi un aiutu !
Forsi pi nun vidirmi spasimari
a mia lu cori to’ vulissi dari,
salvannu d’accussì da tristi sorti
cui chista vita sprezza e invoca morti?
Bedda littrici mia, ti sugnu gratu,
ma è un pezzu già ca sugnu maritatu;
E comu a tia me mogghi è assai piatusa,
e, senz’offisa, è puru graziusa!
Nui nni vulemu beni e cu cuscenza :
semu filici, a dirla in cunfidenza ! ...
Dda donna ‘nfami chi m’abbannunau
vidi chi dannu chi mi cagiunau!
Introduction
By Giovanni De Rosalia
I’ve been reduced to flesh, and skin and
bones.
One day for sure I will go to my grave!
My fate is certain and I write it here:
I’ll die, for sure, and I won’t be alive, no
more.
A dagger I would plunge into my heart
and I would leave this horrid life for good;
but then I think the dagger would create
a most unpleasant tear on my good skin.
Do I hear sobbing? You are moved to tears,
my gentle reader, as you hear my woes?
Do weep for this unhappy soul, yes, cry,
for you have reason to, my gentle reader!
I notice in your fair and languid eyes
that you feel great compassion for my woes,
and that you would be glad to offer aid
although your honeyed lips remain close
tight.
Perhaps in order not to see me suffer
you would consider giving me your heart,
saving from an unhappy end someone
who life detests and ever prays for death?
Reading this book you will shed many tears
like you have never done before on earth! My lovely reader, I am deeply grateful,
I wrote it crying out in bitter sorrow
but it has been a while since I got married
the printer wept as he was printing it.
and like yourself, my wife is most
compassionate
The fellow who was charged to fold the
and she is pretty too, without offense.
sheets
poured out a river of most bitter tears!
We love each other and in good conscience
Even the man who sells this book of mine we are quite happy, I am glad to say.
cannot refrain from sobbing ceaselessly.
Behold the injury that she caused me
that evil woman who abandoned me!
Everyone cries because of this my tome.
The only one who does not weep at all:

that shameless heart for whom I wrote
these lines.
Alas, what adverse destiny is mine to bear!
All of my efforts were indeed in vain!
Sicilia Parra
Puisia Siciliana
Trinakria
Di Gino Impellizzeri
Tradotta in sicilianu di GC
Quasi comu n’ancidda
sciddicu supr’ a li ciachi
allisciati di l’unna.
Evitannu li scogghi
e tuccannu appena appena
li cimi di l’alghi marini
m’allontanu dâ spiaggia
comu un delfinu jucunnu.
La caletta scumpari
nta la queti dâ matina.
Na navi a vela
si iazza ranni
supra l’orizzonti infinitu.
Cefalù di luntanu
talìa cu lu so munti.
Nchiana ridenti la costa
versu li furesti di li Madunii,
E davanti a tali natura
Jo tornu granni.
Puru chista, maistusa
è la me bedda Trinakria!
Chidda ca talìa a Nord
e chiama a Roma,
ê Liguri e l’Etruschi
E a li Greci curaggiusi
ca cunquistaru
la secunna sponda.
Lu Mari Tirrenu
m’annaca
lentu lentu
E jo, scurdannumi unni sugnu,
m’insonnu arreri
tuttu lu passatu gluriusu
di st’isula ncantata
ca nni ammalia
cû so fascinu ammagaturi.
Sempri uguali
ntra li seculi
Umani o dei, plebbei, pueti,
Dionisiu, Ulissi, Enea,
o quali nomi voi
ccà tutti niautri, sempri,
vivemu comu mmurtali.
Vogghia assassina
Di Senzio Mazza
Tradotta in sicilianu di GC
Nni custrinceru a abbannunari
Li sudati striscitti di terra
e scannari li pecuri
e abbattiri li vacchi prolifichi;
Nni sradicaru
di trenta seculi di storia
ntruppannucci nta li fabbrichi;
Nni muraru nta squallidi periferii.
Ora nni licenzianu,
spostanu l’impianti, currunu
a sfruttari a autri poviri
nta tutti li paisi di lu munnu. E’ ura
di iazzari la frunti,
rumpiri pi sempri li trami
di l’avidi virgugnusi. Senza vulirlu
naturalmenti
senza umbra di ideologii
matura nta l’inconsciu
di li boni e di li giusti
vogghia assassina.
Na cosa rara
Di Liliana Patti
Un jornu
jivi a la putia
p ‘accattari na cosa rara.
“Signura
chi ci hâ dari?”
mi dumannau
chiddu chi tagghiava
salami e murtatella.
“Vulissi
centu grammi
di filicità.”
Lu cristianu
mi taliau
comu si eu
avissi la testa straviata.
E dumannau arrè:
“Chi dissi,” signura
“‘un ni lu capivi”;
“Centu grammi
di filicità”
riplicai
taliannulu
nna la facci.
Iddu
cu fari scunsulatu
m’arrispunnìu:
“Si vinnissi
chiddu chi cerchi tu,
ti pari chi fussi ancora
darrè stu bancuni?”
Me Matri
Di Giovanni Mannino
Chianciu u ricordu tou, la tinnirizza,
Lu malinconicu, mestu surrisu;
12
Chianciu la tua ineffabili ducizza
unica, disarmanti, di lu visu;
lu visu to’, vilatu di tristizza,
dunni altirnavi lu chiantu e lu risu
dd’animu, to’ di ‘na buntà ‘nfinita,
ddu to’ prufunnu sensu di la vita.
La vita chi passasti, tristi e amara,
fatta di suffirenzi non cumuni,
la tua esistenza ‘un fu di peni avara,
di stenti e sacrifici nun fu immuni
l’ amuri pi nui figghi, o matri cara,
lu beni ti livau di la ragiuni;
fu tali e pari l’immensu duluri,
sulu a lu granni tou maternu amuri.
Passanu 1’anni, ‘u tempu scurri lentu,
tuttu veni sipoltu di l’ obliu,
fievuli ristira chistu lamentu,
lu to’ ricordu, matri, e ‘u chiantu miu,
passa e lu asciuca un alitu di ventu,
un ecu arcanu e un silinziusu addiu
mi porta, o matri, l’urtimi toi doni:
lu to’ pirdunu e la binidizioni.
La musca
di Giovanni Meli
Na musca si crideva cosa granni
pirchì supra lu re, di la riggina
passiava, e gustava li vivanni
chi li cochi apparicchianu in cucina;
e chi anchi putìa viviri in comuni
cu lu tauru superbu e lu liuni.
China la testa di sti vani fumi
chiù nun vidi la sua fragilitati,
e tuttu a propriu meritu si assumi
chi nun à l’andamenti limitati.
Nun sapi ch’unni posa, la pirsuna,
chi l’avi supra, d’idda nun si adduna.
Fratantu si li re, si li riggini
da sta musca sù appena calculati,
figuramu l’insetti chiù mischini
di qual’occhiu ponn’essiri guardati!...
Nò, nun tanta superbia, cala l’ali,
scàntati chiù di tutti da sti tali.
Tardi, e senza profittu apprinnirai
sta verità, ch’eu vegnu ora da diri,
quannu tra na tinagghia sbattirai
d’una tarantulicchia, chi scupriri
mai tu putivi tra li toi fastusi
idei, tutti sublimi e grandiusi.

13
Sicilian Poetry
from our thirty centuries of history
lining us up inside the factories;
they walled us inside squalid suburbs.
Now they are firing us,
they’re moving the equipment,
they are running
to exploit some other poor people
in every country of the world. It’s time
to raise our head,
to break forever the plots
of the shameful greedy folk. Without
willing it,
naturally,
without a trace of ideologies,
inside the conscience
of the good and righteous
a murderous urge
is welling up.
Translated into English by GC
Trinakria
By Gino Impellizzeri
Almost as an eel
I slide upon the rocks
smoothed by the waves
and I brush lightly against
the tops of the seaweed.
I swim out from the beach
like a happy dolphin.
The little cove disappears
in the morning quiet.
A sailing ship
looms large upon the infinite horizon.
Cefalù in the distance
looks at its mountain.
It rises along the coastline
toward the wooded Madonie
and before such nature
I loom important.
This too, majestic,
is my beautiful Trinakria!
the one that looks to the North
and calls to Rome,
to the Ligurians and Etruscans
and to the daring Greeks
who conquered
the second shore.
The Tyrrenian Sea
cradles me softly
and I, entranced,
dream again
of the glorious past
of this enchanted island
which holds us
with its spell-binding charm
Ever the same
through the millennia
humans and gods, plebeians and poets
Dionisius, Ulysses and Aeneas
or whatever name you want
here all of us, forever,
live as immortals.
Murderous Urge
By Senzio Mazza
They forced to abandon
our tiny strips of land
and slaughter our sheep
and our productive cows;
they uprooted us
A Rare Thing
by Liliana Patti
One day
I went to a store
to buy a rate thing.
“Madam,
what can I give you?”
the man who sliced
ham and mortadella
asked me.
“I would like
one hundred grams
hf happiness.”
The fellow
looked at me
as though I were
out of my gourd.
So he asked again:
“What did you say, Madam,
I did not understand.”
“One hundred grams
of happiness!”
I repeated,
looking straight
into his eyes.
He answered me
with a disconsolate look upon his face:
“If I sold
what you are looking for,
do you believe I would be still
behind this counter?”
My Mother
By Giovanni Mannino
I mourn your memory, your tenderness,
your sad and melancholic smile;
I mourn your face’s unique, disarming
ineffable sweetness, that face of yours,
ever veiled with gloominess wherein
you alternated laughter and then tears,
Sicilia Parra
that soul of yours marked with supreme
goodness;
your deep understanding of what life is.
The life you led, wrought with uncommon
suffering,
bitter and sad I mourn. Your life experience
was certainly not sparing of great woes,
it was not scant with sacrifices and with toil,
the love you bore to us, your children,
drove you
to lose the goodness of your intellect.
The immense sorrow was so inordinate
it only matched your boundless mother’s love.
The years pass on, and time flows slowly,
everything is buried by oblivion.
This my lament will be a little whisper.
Your memory, Mother, and my mourning
passes and is dried up by a breath of wind,
an arcane echo and a silent farewell
convey to me, o Mother your last gifts:
your pardon and your blessed benediction.
The Fly
By Giovanni Meli
A fly believed he was the real McCoy
because he could stroll on the king and
queen,
and many delicate repasts enjoy
prepared by chefs well-versed in “haute
cuisine,”
and also for the fact that he could dwell
with the proud lion and the bull as well.
His head became so full of heated air,
he could no longer see his feebleness,
and since his actions no one tried to pare,
ascribed it to his merit and success.
He did not know the man on whom he
rested
was not at all aware that he existed.
If such a worthless fly, meanwhile, could
deem
great kings and queens not worth a second
glance,
consider, if you will, how small must seem
the smallest insects, with such arrogance!
Oh...No...don’t be so proud, don’t fly so high!
More than the rest, of them you must be shy.
You’ll know too late how true my words
have been,
while struggling for your life against the claws
of a small spider you’d not even seen,
because it was too small to give you pause,
compared to the great thoughts inside
your brain,
which are sublime and grand, but much
too vain. 
Sicilia Parra
Book Reviews
Antonella Fortuna, A storia r’à Sicilia,
cuntata m puisia: Virità, liggenni tannicchia i fantasia, an E-book.
T
he history book on Sicily are
certainly not lacking but this
electronic book that I received a few
months ago is unique. Not only is it an
electronic book, that is a book that must
be read with the help of a computer, it is
also in verse. In fact, it is the only Sicilian history book I know that is written
in poetry. And for this fact alone, the
author should be commended. Her
intentions were to promote the Sicilian
language which is as we all know is also
the main objective of Arba Sicula. But
that alone would not be sufficient reason
to recommend this book. We are happy
to say that Antonella’s massive undertaking can prove to be an interesting and
educational experience for those who the
Sicilian language and for those who love
Sicilian culture, for Antonella has found
a formula that is both entertaining and
instructive at the same time. The narrative of historical events is intertwined
in an interesting and novel way with
the recounting of legends, myths, traditions, explained in verse. The historical
events are distinguished from the legends
and myths by using an Italic font. The
author also uses excerpts of poems and
well known authors to complement her
verse narration.
In this manner the author succeeds
in presenting only the history as it has
been written but also a wealth of other
important elements of Sicilian culture.
To give an idea of the procedure in the
chapter “Appulicaru li Greci” which tells
the story of the Greeks’ colonization of
the island beginning 750 years before
Christ, the author weaves while writing
about the founding of the various cities
along the East coast such as Naxos, Lentini, Catania, Siracusa, the mythological
tales of Demeter and Persephone, Dafni,
The Palici Twins, Pizia and Damon and
the Sibyl of Cape Lilibeum. Thus, during
the course of the book the author has a
chance to recount a wealth of informa-
tion that contributes to creating a vast
mosaic of Sicilian culture.
The book is divided into two volumes: the first goes from ancient Sicily
to 1713 while the addresses he history
of Sicily from 1713 to the present. This
must have been a daunting enterprise for
the author for not only did she have to
assemble the historical facts, she also had
to express it in quatrains of hendecasyllables that are occasionally rhymed. To
give the reader an idea of the procedure
used by Ms. Fortuna I will quote three
quatrains dealing with Frederick II:
14
Anthony Di Renzo, Trinàcria: A Tale of
Bourbon Sicily, Toronto: Guernica Editions, 2013, 202 pp., $20.00
I
t is not often that we encounter
fictional characters as fascinating as
the ones created by Anthony Di Renzo
in his Trinacria: A Tale of Bourbon Sicily,
recently published by Guernica Editions.
It is also not a common occurrence, at
least for the present writer, to pick up a
book and not want to put it down before
reaching the end. Both happened in connection with this book.
Dû Sacru ‘Mperu fu l’Impiraturi
e puru di la terra di Girmania,
‘u Re ‘i Girusalemmi e dâ Sicilia,
nu omu chi cridìa a li Cristiani
ca ni la fidi si cci po’ campari assemi, agnarùnu cu la paci,
ma ca la Chiesa s’avissi a stancari ‘i cci ‘nficcari ‘u nasu ‘nti ll’affari:
l’imperu pròpia laicu ‘u dicìa, parciò ca ‘a Chiesa iddu ‘a cummattìa,
m’ ha statu ‘u sulu e l’unicu suvranu
chi sangu ‘ntâ cruciata nun spargìu.
He was the Emperor of the Holy Empire
and also of the lands of Germany,
King of Jerusalem and Sicily,
he was a man who thought that Christians
should live together peacefully with other
faiths
each one within its own belief
but that the Church should refrain
from sticking its nose in others’ business.
He thought his realm was a lay state
that’s why he fought against the Church
he was the one and only monarch who
shed not one drop of blood fighting
crusades.
The concepts are condensed but accurate. We commend Ms. Fortuna for
the her work. We should see more of
this kind of effort which reaffirm the
validity of the Sicilian language which
can be used to address all subjects in
poetry and in prose.
When I received the book, I imagined that it was a historical tome on
the Kingdom of the Two Sicilies which
were governed by the Bourbons until
Garibaldi’s invasion and conquest of the
island which ushered the Italian phase of
Sicily’s three thousand year history. I also
had envisioned that characters from the
Risorgimento period would have a role to
play in the book. For a moment, images
of Giuseppe Tomasi di Lampedusa’s Gattopardo novel flashed through my head.
And indeed my guess was right, at least
partially. The prologue introduces the
reader to a movie director arriving in
Palermo with a retinue of collaborators
in preparation for filming an epic on
Sicilian history. The director is never
named but from the various allusions we
15
guess that it is Luchino Visconti and that
the film he is going to make is none other
than The Leopard, based on Giuseppe
Tomasi di Lampedusa’s famous historical novel Il Gattopardo. As the maestro
visits the Monastery of the Cappuccini
in Palermo where thousands of bodies
are mummified and openly displayed
to the public, he is introduced to the
remnants of the Marchesa di Scalea
whose palace he has commandeered for
the film. The director is not impressed
with the Marchesa’s look which he judges
not authentic enough. In fact, she is the
real protagonist of the novel and it is she
who relates her life from her perch in
the Capuchin’s underground cemetery.
Thus a connection with Lampedusa’s
Gattopardo is established right at the
beginning and throughout the unraveling of the story we are tempted to
consider the protagonist of this novel,
the Marchesa of Scalea, a female version of the Prince of Salina. But that
facile analogy disappears as we get to
know and witness the Marchesa’s cutting wit and her wide-eyed dismissal of
sentimentality, we realize that the two
characters are very different. For one the
Marchesa is more pugnacious than the
Prince who seems resigned to viewing
the passing of an age without rebelling.
The Marchesa of Scalea on the other
hand is endowed with a caustic sense of
humor, a cynicism that rejects everything
and everyone, even her mother’s love,
without shedding a tear, at least openly.
She is witty, cutting, and sharp. Her
rejection of sentimentality is so extreme
that one is tempted not to take her words
at face value. A vague suspicion remains
that she is a poseur and that deep down
she does not really mean the outrageous
things she says. Only once or twice are
we allowed to glimpse a softer side of
her, as for example when she brought
broom flowers to the tomb of Giacomo
Leopardi: “I placed the broom flowers in
the little vase on the stone. After crossing
myself (out of habit), I lit a candle. The
smoke made my eyes tear.” The character who professes atheism cannot allow
herself making the sign of the cross and
she cannot admit that she is moved to
tears by the sight of Leopardi’s tomb. The
next paragraph confirms that she realized
her moment of weakness and she says in
anger: “Smoke my foot…”
Donna Zita Valanguerra Spinelli,
whose nickname is Trinàcria, is a marvelously conceived character whose
interactions with her family members,
especially the recalcitrant and rebellious Regina, with the Marsala wine
barons Benjamin Ingham and John
Woodehouse, with Garibaldi, the poet
Giacomo Leopardi, composer Vincenzo
Bellini both of whom she supported
financially and with Giuseppe Verdi
provide a vehicle for presenting a view of
the 19th century Sicily as it was forcibly
brought into the nascent Kingdom of
Italy, ending an era of privilege for the
aristocracy and bringing many woes for
Sicilians at large. Unlike Fabrizio, the
Prince of Salina who accepts change so
that everything can remain the same,
Trinàcria remains acerbic and biting
throughout, reacting violently against
the gaucho (Garibaldi) who came to
change her world, and against the redshirted corporal who hacked her carriage into pieces, and even against her
business partner who used her family
crest to market cheap vinegar instead of
fine wine: an affront that she fought a
spada tratta even though she was aware
that it would ruin her, as indeed it did.
In the end, they used her crest instead
of Garibaldi’s face, to sell cheap vinegar
Trinàcria has a negative outlook on
everything. She believes in nothing:
“Words, words. The Sicilian vice. Honey
puffs to fill the void. Myths, creed,
philosophies: all words. Harmless when
treated as a joke, fatal when taken as gospel.” Her disposition is indeed sour, and
her becoming the purveyor of vinegar to
the British is an appropriate metaphor,
but in the end, the character of Donna
Zita Valanguerra Spinelli, in spite of
her caustic wit, and her scorched earth
attitudes touches the reader because it
has a child like quality. She refuses to accept the paradoxes of life and death. She
carries the trauma of abandonment in
her soul and that colors what seems like
heartless behavior. When her son Alva-
Sicilia Parra
rito mourns the death of his grandfather,
Donna Zita cuffs him and says: “Get
used to it! Everything abandons you
in the end, except land.” What sounds
like a cruel and uncaring remark upon
reflection reveals the deep scar that has
never healed inside of her; her mother’s
decision to leave her family to find refuge in a convent, which she as a child
interpreted as an abandonment of her.
Perhaps the most moving episode of
the book is at the end of chapter VI when
she recounts the moment her mother
left her to go into a convent. Coming
at the end of her story it has the flavor
of a sort of a coming to terms with her
mother’s “betrayal,” a way of forgiving
her for abandoning her:
“On the eve of my mother’s departure,
I kept to my bed and played sick. But I was
so distressed about her going to the convent
that I ran a real fever. When Mamma came
to nurse me, I refused to look at her. She
stroked my hair and sang a nursery rhyme.
If a fairy descended from the sky, she could
not match your splendor, darling beauty, in
this bed of roses and flowers.
I slapped her hand.
“Zita, please. We may never see each
other again.”
“Who cares? It’s what you want, isn’t it?”
”No,” she said. “It’s what you want.
Otherwise I would stay.”
“Go then!” I said. “I’ve already left you!”
“You will never leave me,” she said, “any
more than you will leave Sicily.”
“Yes, I will go to England, America.”
She smiled and soothed my brow.
“You will never leave. No one does. Trinacria is our mother and always calls us home.
Leave me, she says, but you will return.
Hate me all you want. You will love me yet.
Because by magic, I make myself adored.”
She took me in her arms, I struggled and
squirmed, but she rocked me and crooned a
lullaby. Slowly, slowly, I drifted away.
Vò, vò, vò
Dormi bedda e fa la vò
Vò, vò, vò
Dormi bedda e fa la vò
From the terrace came the sound of
waves …”
Sicilia Parra
Benedetta Lino, Tears of My Angel: A
Memoir of Love, Hope and Lost Dreams
2012, $15.95, iUniverse, Inc. Bloomington,
IN 47403
Reviewed by Nino Provenzano
T
here are many reasons why we
choose to pick up a book to
read. Some people read to observe and
enjoy the literary style of a writer. Others read to enrich their knowledge or
to entertain themselves with comedies
or mysteries, with suspense, action and
shocking surprises. Yet many of us read
because we want to see heroes in action.
If the heroes are real, contemporary or
mythological does not even matter, as
long as they inspire us by fighting to
bring justice where there is none. We
want our heroes to defend the weak, and
the innocent. The heroes that we choose
are always strong, decisive, and fearless. The world is still fascinated by the
Odyssey. Whether in cartoons or classic
mythology, we still love to see Hercules
slaughtering monsters. These are the
kind of heroes we love to look up to.
In reading Tears of My Angel, I was
wondering if we ever stop to envision
heroes who cry, who get knocked down
again and again. Heroes that need help
and most of the time don’t even know
where to turn for it. Can people who
struggle everyday against monstrous
challenges, and keep on fighting with no
chance of winning still be called heroes?
You bet!!! Actually if you ask me, the
real heroes are those who have neither
the strength nor the means to fight and
win, and yet motivated by unselfish
love, and profound human compassion,
they keep the fight on. When I finished
reading “Tears of My Angel”, I was fully
convinced that the adventures of Ulysses
and Hercules fade away in comparison
to this dramatic human story. This is
the story of a young couple, Tany and
Benedetta, who live in Chicago, IL.
Just married, full of hopes, dreams,
unbounded love and unstoppable will
to take on the world. Benedetta, after
a normal pregnancy gives birth to a
beautiful baby girl named Laura. It is
May 11th, 1983. For the couple, happiness is at its peak! When Laura was
two months old, she received her first
immunization shots of DPT and OPV.
When the baby was almost four months
old, the couple decided to move back
to Palermo, Sicily, where they were
originally from. Days before departing,
Laura received her second immunization
shots of DPT and OPV. This is where
the drama begins. Soon after the shots,
the baby couldn’t stop crying. She had a
fever. The mother followed the instructions of the doctor who suggested that
this was normal and to give the baby
Tylenol. When Laura stopped crying,
her body became rigid with her arms
and legs stretched out. Then all at once
she became limp. Within minutes she
fell asleep. The entire episode lasted 15
to 20 seconds. Days later mother and
baby left for Sicily. Tany was to follow a few weeks later. Those 15 to 20
second episodes of stiffening and going
limp repeated, and the parents learned
from the doctor in Palermo that those
episodes were called seizures! They also
learned that those seizures had caused
irreversible brain damage to Laura. The
blow to the young parents was unbearable. Why? Was all of this caused by the
vaccine? Short on funds, with the help of
relatives, Tany and Benedetta managed
to take the baby to Genoa, at the Gaslini
Institute for Children, looking for hope.
The sentence was reaffirmed in Genoa.
Brain damage! Not much to hope for!
Maybe some therapy will make things
easier for Laura, the doctor said.
They returned to Palermo. And
after trying everything possible, the
couple decides to return to the USA. It
is another huge struggle to start again
in Chicago. No place to live, no work,
no money, and a very sick child to care
for. Thanks to siblings and family, they
managed to survive. Their days go from
going to doctors, to therapy centers and
hospitals. Tany finds work. They get an
apartment and for months and years to
come, their lives revolve from one crisis
to the next with no let up.
In this book the terms cat scans,
EEG, blood transfusion, x-rays, surgery,
16
hospital admission and discharge are
repetitive. But that did not produce a
redundant or disturbing effect on me. I
perceived the repetition as the refrain in
a sad symphony that keeps on reminding
the audience of the intense drama of the
theme. A very important lesson in Tears
of My Angel is the description of the different attitudes of nurses, doctors and
health care workers. How consoling and
soothing can a helping hand be! A good
word, a smile, a nod of understanding
the pain of someone who suffers are a
healing balm for the soul. On the other
hand, when a nurse, a doctor or healthcare worker is rude and insensitive, not
caring can easily demolish the already
broken heart of someone who is bearing
the unbearable.
A gift that the family received from
a sibling was a parakeet, which became
part of the family’s existence. They
named it Papillon. The bird seemed to
sense what was going on in the confine
of the house and with the tone of his
chirping expressed his sadness or happiness. Ten years later when Papillon died,
he was greatly missed!
Other appreciated gifts were when
some family members volunteered to
stay home with Laura, so that Tany and
Benedetta could go out for one or two
hours and see the world around them.
But the greatest gift of all for them has
always been Laura’s smile. Husband and
wife always complemented one another
tirelessly especially in the darkest hours.
This couple is the living example of
love, endurance and all the good virtues
needed in our world.
You should refrain from reading Tears
of My Angel, if you are looking to be
entertained or if your intent is to judge
the literary style of the author. However,
if you believe that love, patience, faith,
and unselfishness can be the dominant
forces in our human world, then you
should read Tears of My Angel! You won’t
be disappointed!
Tany and Benedetta live in their own
home in Elwood Park, Illinois, with their
two children.

17
The Poetess in Love
by Carlo Puleo
Translated by Arthur V. Dieli
We are grateful to the author and to
the publisher for allowing us to print
one story from the forthcoming book
by Carlo Puleo, The Children of Aeolus,
translated into English by Arthur V. Dieli
and published by Legas. The book is in
the process of being printed and will be
available by the time this newsletter is delivered. You may order a copy for $16.00
plus $3.00 for postage from Legas, PO
Box 149, Mineola, NY 11501.
O
ne evening Ignazio Buttitta was
in a confidential mood and the
conversation almost inadvertently turned
to women.
My dear Carlo, what do you expect
me to say, I could talk to you for days
about women. As a man I have known a
good many women and I would say that
I’ve always liked them, I believe they are
the most beautiful thing that nature has
created. I truly think that man could not
live without women. As a young man,
in the delicatessen, I used to look at the
eyes of the beautiful women, and their
breasts, while cutting salami, and would
sometimes cut my fingers, which in fact
are full of scars.
I was a handsome, fresh-faced young
man of twenty, wearing a white apron.
The women came, not just to buy cold
cuts but also to look at me. I have to admit that nature has been generous to me
in every sense of the word. Even after I
was married the women were enchanted
to see me and to hear me speak. You
know, at the time I made a discovery:
when a woman was pleased, her pupils
dilated, her breathing accelerated and her
breasts swelled, rising and falling. All of
this made my wife jealous. She grasped
what was at play and would call me: ‘Ignazio, don’t waste time chattering with
the customer… Come, there are people
waiting…’
One day, one of these, who had become an affectionate customer, revealed
that she had written some poetry
dedicated to me. I was flattered and
it aroused my curiosity. At that time
my wife was teaching in an elementary
school in Bagheria. I love to write late
into the night, and so, to catch up on
the lost sleep, I sleep late in the morning
whenever I can.
One morning I heard someone
knocking on the door. At that time I
lived on Via Paternò, a street in the
Sicilia Parra
historical center of Bagheria. I went
to open the door and was surprised
to find myself facing the customer
poet. At that moment it seemed to
be a gift from heaven. When a lady is
in love, she becomes more beautiful. I
invited her in. She could not manage
to speak, she had lost her voice, but
her eyes spoke. With trembling hands
she gave me two sheets of paper. I
don’t remember what was said. The
poetry was simple but full of feeling.
Time passed quickly and I didn’t lose
sight of the basics. At a certain point,
there was a knocking at the door.
It was my neighbor from across the
street: “Poet Buttitta, excuse me, your
wife has returned from school, she got
out early today. We have delayed her
with some excuse. Let the lady leave.”
I felt like I was in the middle of
a storm, and I was saved by the skin of
my teeth. That’s how I learned that the
neighbors, even if they remained behind
closed doors, see and hear everything.
Generally speaking, interfering in the
affairs of others is deplorable, but in
that case it was providential. Had my
wife, jealous as she is, found me with
a woman in the house, and on top of
that, with this lady about whom she
was suspicious, it would have been
chaos. Thanks to the curiosity of my
neighbors I was saved together with
the salvation of my domestic peace.
Even after half a century, I still feel
gratitude for those good women.
When my wife came in, obviously annoyed, she told me that
the conceited neighbor had delayed
her, making her lose a half hour just
to show her some ordinary coverlets that she had purchased for her
daughter’s trousseau.

Sicilia Parra
Special Sale
Arba Sicula and Legas are committed to the idea that books are the best way to share our Sicilian heritage
with our children and grandchildren. With this in mind we continue to offer a discount to our members.
BUY ONE BOOK AT THE REGULAR PRICE AND GET A SECOND BOOK FREE. (SEE BOOKS
MARKED WITH ASTERISK ON page 19.
18
19
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(Choose second book from those marked with an asterisk).
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NY State Residents, please add 8.65%
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add $4.00 for first and .50 cents per each additional book for P. & H. _________
Total _________
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Please send checks to: Legas, PO Box 149, Mineola, NY 11501
Sicilia Parra
The Woman from Capaci
SICILIAN BOOKS SPECIAL SALE
C. Puleo, The Children of Aeolus, short stories in English, 170 pp...........................................
R. Armburster, Three Marias, a Sicilian Story, a novel (in English) 318 pp..............................
G. Cipolla, Learn Sicilian/Mparamu lu sicilianu, DVD only- (E-Book) computer needed....
G. Cipolla, Learn Sicilian/Mparamu lu sicilianu, 336 pages, with one DVD ...........................
A. Silicato, Soulful Sicilian Cooking, (English) 112 pp..................................................................
S. Di Marco, L’aranciu amaru e àutri puisii (bilingual poetry) 254 pp........................................
G. Pitrè, The King of Love and Other Fairy Tales, bilingual 174 pp.............................................
S. Santostefano, First to Last Picking: Sicilians in America, 320 pp.............................................
La terra di Babele, Saggi sul pluringuismo nella cultura italiana, D. Brancato, 190 pp...................
G. Quatriglio, Sicily: Island of Myths, transl by F. Russo and G. Cipolla, 112 pp....................
V. Fazio & D. De Santis, Sweet Lemons 2, in English 384 pp....................................................
V. Ancona, Malidittu la lingua/Damned Language, with 2 CDs, 212 pp.....................................
F. Lanza, Sicilian Mimes, 144 pp. in English, transl by G. Cipolla............................................
A. Provenzano, Tornu/The Return, bilingual poems, 165 pp....................................................
E. Rao, Sicilian Palimpsest: The Language of Castroreale,, 152 pp.................................................
J. Cacibauda, After Laughing, Comes Crying, a novel in English 154 pp...................................
G.& J. Summerfield, Remembering Sicily, short stories and poems154 pp...............................
D. Tempio, Poems and Fables, transl. by G Summerfield, 88 pp................................................
C. De Caro, Sicily the Trampled Paradise, Revisited II Ed.138 pp.................................................
G. Pilati, Sicilian Women, transl. by A. Fragola 90 pp. ...............................................................
G. Fava, Violence: A Sicilian Drama, (a play in English) 138.....................................................
F. Gatto, The Scent of Jasmine, 136 pp...........................................................................................
D. Gestri, Time Takes no Time, (a novel) 148 pp.........................................................................
P. Fiorentino, Sicily through Symbolism and Myth, with illustrations 126 pp..............................
A. Veneziano, Ninety Love Octaves, (Sicilian/English) 126 pp...................................................
C. DeCaro, Sebastiano; A Sicilian Legacy 248 pp. ........................................................................
S. Taormina, Il cuore oltre l’Oceano, 286 pp. (in Italian) ..............................................................
G. Cipolla, Siciliana: Studies on the Sicilian Ethos, 254 p. .............................................................
J. Privitera, Sicilian: the Oldest Romance Language, 96 pp. ............................................................
C. Lombardo, Altavilla Sicily: Memories of a Happy Childhood, 160 p. ......................................
G. Meli, Don Chisciotti and Sanciu Panza, Transl. by G. Cipolla, 318 pp. .................................
G. Meli, Moral Fables and Other Poems (Sic./English), 212 pp....................................................
C. Messina, A Sicilian Martyr in Nagasaki, 106 pp. ...................................................................
D. Eannello, Sicily: Where Love Is, 228 pp. ..................................................................................
J. K Bonner, Introduction to Sicilian Grammar, 224 pp. plus G. Cipolla’s
The Sounds of Sicilian: A Pronunciation Guide, with CD........................................................
R. Menighetti & F. Nicastro, History of Autonomous Sicily, 348 pp. .........................................
R. Porcelli, A Sicilian Shakespeare: a Sicilian/English Edition 100 pp.........................................
L. Bonaffini, Dialect Poetry of Southern Italy, 514 pp. Trilingual................................................
B. Morreale, Sicily: The Hallowed Land, A Memoir 218 pp .........................................................
C. Cusumano, The Last Cannoli, A Novel, 240 pp. ...................................................................
G. Basile, Sicilian Cuisine through History and Legend, 48 pp........................................................
J. Vitiello, Labyrinths and Volcanoes: Windings through Sicily, 120 pp...........................................
O. Claypole, Sicilian Erotica, (bilingual anthology) 196 pp. ......................................................
G. Quatriglio, A Thousand Years in Sicily: from Arabs to Bourbons. 230 pp.................................
A. Provenzano, Vinissi ... I’d Love to Come ... (Sicilian/English) 176 pp..................................
H. Barbera, Medieval Sicily: the First Absolute State (in English),152 pp....................................
The Poetry of Nino Martoglio (bilingual) transl. by G. Cipolla, 304 pp......................................
G. Cipolla, What Italy Has Given to the World (English) 32 pp. ................................................
A
man from Capaci kept telling
his wife:
“My wife, don’t you ever make
me a cuckold for the horns will grow
on my forehead and the shame will be
all on you.”
In reply the wife beat her chest, saying she wasn’t the type and besides she
had bread in her house, but as time went
on, both suspecting it had been a hoax
and out of curiosity, she wanted to try.
And after each time, she looked at his
forehead without saying a word.
But no matter how often she tried,
his forehead remained as smooth as
before. At one point, she turned to him
angrily:
“So, what was that story about
growing horns on your forehead, my
husband? I’ve made you a cuckold more
times than I can bear and still there’s no
sign of a bump!”
From Francesco Lanza’s Sicilian
Mimes, Legas.

Mr. Vincent Ciaramitaro, former
owner of Joe’s of Avenue U in Brooklyn, has developed a web site that
contains many of the recipes used in
the famous Focacceria Palermitana.
Check out his site at:
www.siciliancookingplus.com
Angelo Coniglio, author of The
Lady of the Wheel, (Legas) is an experienced genealogical researcher of Italian immigrants and records from their
ancestral towns. He will answer many
questions without charge, or provide
paid services if you are interested. Contact him at [email protected]
GUIDARE - Driving guides
offers tours and excursions in Sicily
with authorized guides or Englishspeaking drivers on
Mercedes class S-E, minivans and
minibusses up to 16 seats.
Call James Mazza
phone : Italy 3397748228
fax :Italy 1782233226
email: sicilydriverandguide@mail.
com
Sicilia Parra
ARBA SICULA
Department of Languages and Literatures
St. John’s University
8000 Utopia Parkway
Queens, New York 11439
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Look at the label for your expiration date. If your subscription has
expired, please send your dues to
P. O. Box 149, Mineola NY 11501.
Arba Sicula’s 20th Annual Tour of Sicily: June 3 to June 15, 2014
Below you will see the itinerary I propose for our 20th anniversary tour of Sicily. The price is $3,425.00. The price includes airfare
from New York, airport taxes and fuel surcharge, four star hotels, Deluxe transportation, breakfast and dinner throughout. Some
lunches may also be included. The single supplement is $400.00, which can be avoided if you share a room with someone. To book
the tour, send an e-mail to [email protected] and a check for the $200.00 deposit per person to Arba Sicula, P. O. Box 149,
Mineola, NY 11501. Deposits may be refundable depending on when cancellations are made. The reservations will be on a first come
first served basis. We will make minor changes to the itinerary in the coming months. Our flights are confirmed.
June 3 - Tuesday, DAY 1 - Departure from J. F. Kennedy Airport, New York on Alitalia AZ603, at 6:00 PM.
June 4- Wednesday, DAY 2 - The flight to Rome arrives at 8:35 and connects with AZ 1797 at 10:20 arriving in Palermo at 11:30.
Transfer to Hotel Centrale or the Grand Hotel Sole in the center of the city. Afternoon free to rest. Welcome dinner will be at La Casa
del Brodo Restaurant.
June 5- Thursday, DAY 3 - Morning guided tour of Palermo that includes the Cathedral, the Norman Palace, Zisa Palace. In the
afternoon, we will visit Monreale. We will travel to the seventeenth century Villa Flavia near Bagheria where we will dine with local
members of Arba Sicula.
June 6- Friday, DAY 4 - Morning guided excursion to Cefalù. Visit the Cathedral and the Mandralisca Museum. After lunch we’ll
return to Palermo. Afternoon at leisure. Dinner at our hotel.
June 7- Saturday, DAY 5 - Palermo to Marsala. We will visit Erice and then and the island of Mozia. We will relax at our Hotel
Baglio Oneto and enjoy a wine-tasting with our dinner at with some of our local friends.
June 8- Sunday, DAY 6 -Marsala to Agrigento via Sciacca. We will visit Sciacca and have lunch at the beach of Agrigento. In the
afternoon we will visit Agrigento’s Valley of the Temples. Check into our hotel. Dinner at the Baglio della Luna. After dinner there
will be entertainment with the Val d’Akragas Folk Group.
June 9- Monday, DAY 7 - Morning drive to Siracusa by way of Enna. Visit the cathedral and the Castello di Federico. We will ten
visit the famous designer outlets which offer designer items at reduced prices. We will proceed to Siracusa in the afternoon. Dinner
at our Hotel Panorama. In the evening we will enjoy Sicilian music after dinner.
June 10- Tuesday, DAY 8 - Visit the archeological sites in the morning. Lunch on your own on the island of Ortigia. Visit The
Madonna delle Lagrime and other sights in Siracusa. We will see a play at the Greek theater with pizza afterward.
June 11 - Wednesday, DAY 9 -Morning drive to Catania. Visit the Cathedral, the Via Etnea, the Bellini Theatre. Lunch on your
own. After lunch we will proceed to Taormina by way of Acicastello, Acireale where we will stop for an ice cream. We will proceed to
our hotel in Giardini Naxos and relax at the pool or the beach. The Caesar Palace Hotel will be our hotel for the remaining 4 nights.
Buffet dinner at the hotel.
June 12- Thursday, DAY 10 - A short morning drive to Taormina to visit the Greek-Roman theater free time for shopping and
lunch. We then return to our hotel for relaxation at the pool or the beach. Dinner in our hotel
June 13- Friday, Day 11 - Excursion to Mt. Etna. Lunch on your own and return to the hotel in early afternoon. The rest of the
day at leisure. Dinner in our hotel.
June 14- Saturday, DAY 12 -The activities for the last day will be a surprise. Our farewell dinner will be at a local restaurant.
June 15- Sunday, DAY 13. Transfer to Catania. The return flight is on Alitalia AZ 1724, at11:30 AM, arriving in Roma at 12:50 PM,
connecting with Alitalia 610 to New York at 2:45 PM. It will arrive in New York’s J. F. Kennedy Airport at 6:20 PM of the same day.