Publication - i-ItalyNY - 2014-06

Transcription

ee
Fr
Watch us on i-Italy | TV
NYC LIFE - Channel 25: Saturdays 11:30pm & Sundays 1:00PM
in the NYC metropolitan area on all cable operators and on the air
web TV: go to www.i-ItalyTV.com
Apple Tv: download our iPhone app and connect to your TV
Save the
Beauty
Save the
Saint
e now!
Donat
Events
Italy in New York:
Culture, Art, and
Special Events
A crowdfunding initiative launched in New York to help
preserve Mother Cabrini’s spire on the Duomo of Milan.
Dining Out & In
SD26’s 5th anniversary.
Prova: Neapolitan with a
modern twist. And more...
Ideas
Living Italian in New
York: Fashion, Design,
Books & Music
Tourism
Cilento National Park:
Gateway to the True
Mezzogiorno
ue
Iss
All Things Italian in New York
Year 3, Issue 3-4,
March-April 2015
$ 3.50
Contents
staff&info
ee
Fr
e
Issu
All Things Italian in New York
Year 3, Issue 3-4,
March-April 2015
$ 3.50
➜18
Watch us on i-Italy | TV
Interview with F. Murray Abrahams
NYC LIFE - Channel 25: Saturdays 11:30PM & Sundays 1:00PM
in the NYC metropolitan area on all cable operators and on the air
WEB TV: go to www.i-ItalyTV.com
APPLE TV: download our iPhone app and connect to your TV
Focus
Save the
Beauty
Save the
Saint
now!
Donate
Events
Italy in New York:
Culture, Art, and
Special Events
A crowfunding initiative launched in New York to help
preserve Mother Cabrini’s gargoyle on the Duomo of Milan.
Dining Out & In
Eating a Real Pizza in NY.
Plus: Italian Passions—
Gelato, Caffè, and Pasta
Ideas
Tourism
Living Italian in New
York: Fashion, Design,
Books & Music
Cilento National Park:
Gateway to the True
Mezzogiorno.
cover02.indd 3
2/26/15 2:41 PM
i~Italy NY
■ by
Letizia Airos
Save the Beauty, Save the
Saint
A crowdfunding initiative in NYC
Year 3 - Issue 3-4
March-April 2015
➜08
Editor in Chief
Letizia Airos
■ by
Staff & Contributors
Natasha Lardera, Bianca Soria, Mila
Tenaglia (editorial coordination);
Michele Scicolone and Charles
Scicolone (food & wine editors);
Rosanna Di Michele (chef); Mila
Tenaglia (events); Lucrezia Russo
(fashion); Judith Harris, Maria Rita
Latto (Italy correspondents); Stefano
Albertini, Dino Borri, Enzo Capua,
Fred Gardaphe, Jerry Krase, Gennaro
Matino, Fred Plotkin, Francine Segan,
Anthony Julian Tamburri (columnists
& contributors); Matteo Banfo, Giacomo
Lampariello, Mattia Minasi, (TV &
multimedia team); Emma Bryant,
Cristina Esmiol, Emily Hayes (interns);
Will Schutt (translation); Robert
Oppedisano (editorial supervision);
Alberto Sepe (web & mobile); Darrell
Fusaro (cartoonist); Lilith Mazzocchi
(layout); Andrée Brick (design).
For advertising contact:
Advertising Team
Italian Media Corporation
[email protected]
Main Offices
New York
28 W 44th Street
New York, NY, 10036
Tel. (917) 521-2035
Rome
Via Montebello 37
00185 Roma
Tel. (366) 747.8348
Letizia Airos
Dining Out
➜22
Feeding the Planet,
Connecting the World
Flying Alitalia to Milan in
the Expo Year 2015
SD26: The Rigor of Creativity
■ by
➜09
L. A.
➜39-41
Immigration: Is it Really
Not Our Business?
■ by
➜37
The FifthAnniversary of Tony and
Marisa May’s Flatiron Gem
Anthony Tamburri
Dining Out Special
Where Pasta Is the Queen
Gennaro Matino
■ by
N. L.
➜10
➜42
History Beyond Stereotypes
Neapolitan, with a Modern
Twist
A conversation with the author of
Italian Americans
Neighborhood by Neighborhood
■ by Fred Gardaphe and
Maria Laurino
■ by
➜25
➜40
Being Leonardo Da Vinci:
The Real Life of an Italian
Genius
Everything Italians Know
About Their Food
At the Morgan Library
➜12
■ by
The Importance of Being
Italian American
Interview with Laura Mattioli and
Danila Marsule Rosso
Remembering Mario Cuomo
■ by
Jerry Krase
A Most Inspiring Woman
■ by
Lucia Pasqualini
➜16
An unlikely hate-love story
The Irish-Italian Divide
& How Enemies
Make Peace
■ by
Paul Moses
M. T.
Dining In
Events
My Mentors / 1. Matilda Cuomo
www.i-Italy.org Building the Future Today
Mother Cabrini, the Saint of
Italians in America
➜14
Copies printed this
month: 50,000.
➜20
■ by
Editorial
A magazine about
all things Italian
in New York City
[email protected]
Francine Segan
The Scuola d’Italia leaps forward
➜06
Project Manager
Ottorino Cappelli
■ by
➜05
www.i-ItalyNY.com
[email protected]
Italy Is My Second Home,
It’s That Simple!
Massimiliano Finazzer Flory
➜27
■ by
Natasha Lardera
➜42
At the basis of the Mediterranean diet
Medardo Rosso,
Sculptor of Light
■ by
Conversation with Lou DiPalo
Mila Tenaglia
Olives and Olive Oil:
A How-To
■ by
Dino Borri
Continued
➜
➜30
The first Italian bookstore in the US
reopens in New York
Vanni: Germinating From
Old Roots
■ by
Alessandro Cassin
➜31-35
Events Calendar
www.i-ItalyNY.com | March-April 2015 | i-Italy ny | 3
i-Italy|NY ➜ Contents
➜43
➜56-57
Nonna Lina’s Eggplants
➜57
Our Picks
How to Prepare
■ by
Rosanna Di Michele
Italian Jazz
➜44
The Primacy of the Voice
■ by
A favorite dish...
Tuscan Farro
A Perfect Vegetable Soup
■ by
Michele Scicolone
Enzo Capua
Tourism
... Paired with the right wine
Tuscany’s Hidden Gem
Morellino di Scansano
■ by
Ideas
The Cilento and Vallo di Diano
National Park
➜61
➜59
Casalbuono Beans
A UNESCO World Heritage Site
Gateway to the True
Mezzogiorno
■ by
Style: Fashion, Design & More
Coreterno: Provocative style
Bookshelf: Italian Reads
and Listens
■ by
➜53
Fashion that Unnerves
Mila Tenaglia
➜48
Italian Dreams of Spring
Italian Signs in American
Sports
■ by
■ by
➜54
“For Her.” Gaetano Pesce’s
Women
Living (and Loving) in
Palermo in the Seventies
■ by
Letizia Airos
➜62
Tips
Where to Stay (and Eat)
Fred Gardaphe
➜51
At the Reinsten/Ross Gallery
Virginia Di Falco
The New Slow Food “Presidia”
A study by Gerald R. Gems
Personal Shopper
Lucrezia Russo
Home to the Mediterranean Diet
It’s been that way for
centuries...
Charles Scicolone
➜47
➜61
The last book by Giuseppe Di Piazza
■ by
L. A.
Where To Find Us
Government and Educational Institutions: Consulate General of Italy (690 Park Ave) ● Italian Cultural Institute (686 Park Ave) ● Italian Trade Commission (33 E 67th St) ● Italian Government Tourist Board (630 5th Ave)
● Scuola d’Italia G. Marconi (12 E 96th St) ● John D. Calandra Italian American Institute, CUNY (25 W 43rd
St) ● Casa Italiana Zerilli Marimò, NYU (24 W 12th St) ● Inserra Chair, Montclair State University (1 Normal
Ave Montclair, NJ) ● Italian American Committee on Education (18 E 41st St) ● Collina Italiana (1556 3rd Ave) ●
Bookstores, Showrooms & Galleries: Rizzoli Bookstore (1133 Broadway St.) ● Poltrona Frau (141 Wooster St) ●
Cassina (151 Wooster St) ● Cappellini (152 Wooster St) ● Alessi (130 Greene St) ● Casa del Bianco (866 Lexington
Ave) ● Pratesi (892 Madison Ave) ● Monnalisa (1088 Madison Ave) ● Scavolini (429 W Broadway), Guzzini (60
Madison Ave) ● Bosi Contemporary (48 Orchard St) ● Boffi Soho (31 ½ Greene St) ● CIMA - Center for Italian
Modern Art (421 Broome St) ●
Gourmet Stores: Eataly New York (200 5th Ave) ● Di Palo (200 Grand St) ● Citarella (2135 Broadway; 1313
Third Ave; 424 Avenue of the Americas) ● Agata & Valentina (1505 1st Ave; 64 University Pl.) ● Morton Williams Supermarkets (908 2nd Ave; 311 E 23rd St; 1565 1st
Ave) ● A.L.C. Italian Grocery (8613 3rd Ave, Brooklyn) ● Arthur Avenue Market (2344 Arthur Ave, Bronx) ● Jerry’s Gourmet (410 South Dean St, Englewood, NJ) ●
Giovanni Rana Pastificio e Cucina (75 9th Ave) ● La Panineria (1 W 8th St)
Restaurants, Pizzerias & Wine Bars: Acqua Santa (556 Griggs Ave, Brooklyn) ● Addeo & Sons (2372 Hughes Ave, Bronx) ● Alloro (307 E 77th St) ● Azalea (224 W 51 St) ●
Ballarò Café (77 2nd Ave) ● Borgatti’s (632 E 187th St, Bronx) ● Bruno Bakery (506 LaGuardia Place) ● Cacio e Vino (80 2nd Ave) ● Crave It (545 6th Ave) ● Epistrophi
Cafe (200 Mott St) ● Fabbrica (40 N 6th St, Brooklyn) ● Felice 83 (1593 1st Ave) ● Felice 64 (1166 1st Ave) ● Forcella (485 Lorimer St, Brooklyn) ● In Vino Veritas (1375
1st Ave) ● Kestè (271 Bleecker St) ● L’Arte del Gelato (Chelsea Market, 75 9th Ave) ● Le Cirque (151 E 58th St) ● The Leopard at des Artistes (1 W 67th St) ● Madonia
Brothers (2348 Arthur Ave, Bronx) ● Osteria del Principe (27 E 23rd St) ● Obikà (590 Madison Ave) ● Osteria del Circo (120 W 55th St) ● Piccolo Fiore (230 E 44th
St) ● Pizzetteria Brunetti (626 Hudson St)● Paola’s Restaurant (1295 Madison Ave) ● Pizzeria Rossopomodoro (118 Greenwich Ave) ● Prova (184 8th Ave) ● Quartino
bottega organica (11 Bleecker St) ● Raffaello Kosher Pizza (37 W 46th St) ● Ribalta (48 E 12th St) ● Risotteria Melotti (309 E 5th St) ● Salumeria Rosi Parmacotto (283
Amsterdam Ave) ● San Matteo (1739 2nd Ave) ● SD26 (19 E 26th St) ● Sirio (795 5th Ave) ● Stella 34 Trattoria at Macy’s (151 W 34th) ● Tarallucci e Vino (163 1st Ave;
475 Columbus Ave; 15 E 18th St) ● Club Tiro a Segno (77 MacDougal St) ● Tramonti (364 W 46th St) ● Trattoria Cinque (363 Greenwich St) ● Trattoria L’incontro (21-76
31st St, Astoria) ● Via Quadronno (25 E 73rd St) ● Villabate Alba (7001 18th Ave, Brooklyn) ● Vivoli Gelateria at Macy’s ● (151 W 34th St) ● Zero Otto Nove (15 W 21 St)
● Zibetto (1385 6th Ave & 501 5th Ave) ● Zio (17 W 19th St).
To be added to our distribution network write to [email protected]
4 | i-Italy ny | March-April 2015 | www.i-ItalyNY.com
www.i-Italy.org
i-Italy|NY ➜ Editorial
Editorial
Milan to New York, New York to Milan
➔ Letizia Airos
“Glorious. More satisfactory to me
than St. Peters. A wonderful grandure.
Ascended,—Far below people in
the turrets of open tracery look like
flies caught in cobweb.—The groups
of angels on points of pinnacles &
everywhere...Might well [illegible] host of
heaven upon top of Milan Cathedral.”
— Herman Melville
As always, I’m leading off with a
writer and poet. This time the writer,
though not Italian, is writing about
what has been a symbol of Italy for
centuries. And what a description of
the Milan Cathedral the author of
the mythic Moby Dick has given us!
The year was 1857. But even today,
those who have been there know:
this grand, magisterial impression
still dwells in the Duomo. And yet
our cover story is an invitation to
get to know not only Milan and its
cathedral during the six months of
the city’s Expo, but a little something
more. High up among the spires,
there is a dearly beloved statue that
has strong ties to the United States
and New York more specifically.
The statue is dedicated to Mother
Francesca Cabrini, the Milaneseborn American citizen. To find out
more about her, be sure to check out
the cover story.
Interviewing Dario Franceschini, Italy’s
Ministry of Cultural Heritage and Activities
at the Italian Cultural Institute.
●●●●
What you hold in your hands may
seem like a vast mishmash of
articles, but there are tangible links
that bind its Italian and American
contents. Alongside Mother Cabrini,
you’ll find stories peopled with other
important Italian Americans, from
Mario and Matilda Cuomo in the
political arena to Tony & Marisa May
and Lou Di Paolo in the world of fine
dining. And Fred Gardaphe digs into
the history of Italian Americans in
his interview with Maria Laurino
about her companion book to the hit
documentary “Italian Americans” that
Old and new media,
online and print,
television and smart
phones – each has
its own role to play
in an integrated
communication
project like i-Italy.
Like
Facebook
www.i-Italy.org recently aired on PBS. And Paul Moses
recounts how the (equal but different)
Irish and Italian communities
managed to “make peace.” The theme
of diversity makes an appearance in
the art world too, as Gaetano Pesce
talks about what sets women apart in
anticipation of his jewelry exhibit “For
Her.” Finally, it’s springtime. The last
few months’ images of an ice-shagged
New York are fading from view, and
the city seems to be coming back to
life. In i-ItalyNY you’ll find a long list
of events, stories, and tips on how to
spend your free time and where to go
in Italy. In our back matter we take
you to one of the most stupendous
and least know corners of Italy:
Cilento.
●●●●
I-ItalyNY’s unique assortment of
stories brought to you on television
(you’ve seen our weekly show,
haven’t you?), the web, social media
and in our print magazine is a real
gamble given the challenges facing
the publishing industry these days.
But it’s a gamble that’s paying off
thanks to you. Please continue to
follow us, give us heart and write
to us! We always want to hear your
comments.
Alla prossima!
( [email protected])
on
●● A CROWFUNDING CAMPAIGN IN NEW YORK
Save the Beauty
Save the Saint
The Duomo of Milan has been a mecca for centuries and continues to draw around
6 million visitors annually. But maintaining this timeless Cathedral’s original beauty
requires many intense, costly restoration jobs. The goal of the Veneranda Fabbrica del
Duomo, also thanks to the help of International Patrons of Duomo di Milano, is to collect
13,5 million Euros, so as to end the more urgent restoration activities. Today significant
results have been reached and about 5 million Euros have been collected, over 500,000
Euros coming from small donations. In 2015 it will be revamped again, and, thanks to the
construction efforts of the Veneranda Fabbrica, the Cathedral will be looking its best for
the Universal Exposition opening in Milan this spring. This will be a unique occasion
to participate in a great restoration project and to leave a mark in the history of the
Cathedral. By adopting a spire, you will allow future generations to keep enjoying the
Italian artistic and cultural heritage. That’s why we’re bringing you this story, in the hope
that you too will want to participate in safeguarding the Duomo and its treasures, starting
with the restoration of the statue dedicated to Mother Cabrini, the Milan-born saint,
popular New York missionary and patron saint of emigrants around the world.
●● The fifth largest church in the world
and the largest in Italy, Milan’s Duomo is
a special, magisterial site. Built in several
phases over six centuries, beginning at
the end of the 1300s, the church has long
fascinated believers and non-believers of
all denominations. Its 3,400 statues and 135
spires make it the largest outdoor sculpture
gallery in the world. No visitor could ever
forget the profile of the Duomo in the
distance, soaring over Milan, thanks in large
part to its original spires. No other church
has so many.
But the spires, typical components of
Gothic architecture, are also very fragile.
They require constant care and complex
maintenance work to ensure their safety.
The mobilization to find sufficient funds
for the job has led to a new crowdfunding
initiative in New York by International
Patrons of Duomo di Milano (www.
duomopatrons.org) on the crowdfunding
platform For Italy (www.foritaly.org).
citizens, but also by entrepreneurs and
patrons from United States of America and
China.
Thanks to International Patrons of Duomo
di Milano and the crowdfunding platform
“For Italy,” which is dedicated to preserving
Italian heritage, it’s possible to contribute to
the maintenance of the spires and statues
by donating just $50. And even small donors
can have their names inscribed on a plaque
nearby the spire. You don’t even have to
be from Milan or Italy. As highlighted by
Federica Olivares, Italian art publisher: “the
challenge of this platform answers a real
need: it creates a virtual place where all the
lovers of Italy and its excellences, wherever
Save the Saint
The Mother Cabrini spire
on the Duomo of Milan
People have always helped financing the
construction and maintenance of the
Duomo with donations of goods and money
over the centuries, thus participating to a
great challenge towards the future that now
has evolved internationally.
A call to responsibility expanding rapidly all
around the world and which has recorded
significant adhesion not only by Milan
www.i-Italy.org
How to Donate
on ‘For Italy’
A concert on the rooftop of the Duomo of Milan.
in the world, can take part in tangible
projects to bring into the future of mankind
the Italian artistic and cultural heritage”.
The Duomo is not only part of our religious
heritage, it’s an architectural asset for all
mankind. But why would you have to make
a contribution from the United States, in
particular from New York? What makes
i-ItalyNY so interested? Here’s something
that only a select few know.
One of the statues
towering over the
spires of Milan’s Duomo
depicts Francesca
Xavier Cabrin (1850
-1917), the Milan-born
missionary sister who
was the first naturalized American citizen to
be made a saint.
www.i-Italy.org Mother Cabrini
The campaign Save the Saint has special
resonance in New York, given the city’s
history of Italian immigration and the
fact that one of the statues towering
over the spires of Milan’s Duomo depicts
Francesca Xavier Cabrini, known in the
United States as Mother Cabrini. Born in
1850 in a small town near Milan, at 27
years old Mother Cabrini, founder of the
Missionary Sisters of the Sacred Heart of
Jesus, sought to obtain the approval of the
papacy to establish a mission in China.
The Pope suggested she go “not east but
west,” to the United States, to help Italian
immigrants then arriving in the US in
droves and facing extreme poverty. Cabrini
listened, and 126 years ago, in 1889, she
herself landed in New York. For almost
30 years, she and her Missionary Sisters
tirelessly supported immigrants and the
poor, establishing dozens of orphanages,
hospitals and schools, from New York
to Philadelphia, Chicago to Los Angeles,
Denver to New Orleans, and eventually
in South America. New York’s Cabrini
Boulevard is named in her honor, as is
Cabrini Street in Chicago, where Mother
Cabrini died in 1917. Cabrini was beatified
If you love Italian art, culture and lifestyle, now
you can be part of it all: “For Italy” is the community where people from all over the world can
show their love towards Italy, interact with each
other and – mainly – contribute to the protection
of Italian art and culture, heritage of the whole
world. Take an active art in crowdfunding campaigns, do not miss the chance to carve your
name into the history of Italian art. Help the
Duomo di Milano shine for generations to come!
Your generosity will be compensated!
Make a gift to International Patrons of Duomo di
Milano Inc., and ensure that the spire dedicated
to St. Francesca Xavier Cabrini (Mother Cabrini)
is safeguarded and restored. All donations to International patrons of Duomo di Milano are tax
deductible.
For Italy is comprised of two passionate Italian
entities dedicated to preserving culture: ARPANet and Arts Council. ARPANet studies and
promotes the adoption of technological and
communicative instruments. Arts Council is a
leader in relations between cultural institutions
and enterprises, working to enhance synergies
and give economic support to the immeasurable artistic and monumental landscape of
Italian heritage.
http://foritaly.org/donate.asp
in 1938, and in 1946 she became the first
naturalized citizen of the United States to
be made a saint. Her popularity extends
beyond the Italian-American community,
and her method is recognized as being
extraordinarily prescient in today’s world;
her initiatives are still a point of reference
for social service workers.
But how did Mother Cabrini wind up on
the Duomo? During World War II, one of
the cathedral’s statues was irrecoverably
damaged. Its subject’s identity was
unknown. In the ensuing years, while
people were trying to figure out how
to replace it, Cabrini was made a saint.
Shortly thereafter, the decision was made
to dedicate the statue to her—and by
association to all the world’s emigrants.
Its realization was entrusted to sculptor
Michele Boninsegna and the new statue
was installed in 1956. Since then, Cabrini
has looked down upon the city of Milan
from up high, bridging the gap between
past and future, Italy and America, and
Milan and New York.
Save the Cabrini Spire
Francesca Cabrini seems to be saying from
on high: “Miracles do happen, but we need
your help.” Today the spire and the statue
need continuous restorations to shine for the
future generations—and that means funding.
The nonprofit organization International
Patrons of the Duomo di Milano, established
on October 2014 has begun collecting
funds in New York to restore the statue.
“This crowdfunding campaign,” says Chief
Development Officer of International Patrons
Alessandra Pellegrini, “was started to promote
and develop fund-collecting operations
for the Duomo di Milano in the U.S:. Those
who make donations will receive a little
something in return. In the case of Mother
Cabrini, perhaps the most exciting deal is that
with 50 dollars people can have their name
inscribed on a large plaque right underneath
the spire.” The sum for restoring the spire has
been set at $150,000, and contributors can
make donations on the “For Italy” website. We
at i-ItalyNY have joined the call. “Miracles do
happen, but we need your help.”.
●●
Mother Cabrini, the
Saint of Italians in
America
by Anthony Julian Tamburri*
Frances Xavier Cabrini, born in the province
of Lodi in Lombardy, eventually came to the
United States toward the end of the nineteenth
century. It was due to total serendipity that
she became the saint for Italian immigrants in
this country. It is also a sweet paradox that she,
from the north, arrived during the great wave of
southern Italian emigration to the United States.
Having taken her vows in 1877, three years later
she and six other nuns founded the religious
institute Missionary Sisters of the Sacred Heart
of Jesus. As we read erlier, wanting to provide
help to immigrants beginning in the U.S., Pope
Leo XIII suggested instead that she go west,
where, according to him, the already thousands
of Italian immigrants in the U.S. were in great
need of assistance.
Mother Cabrini and six others arrived in
the United States in 1889 and hit the ground
running, so to speak. As they did in Italy, here,
too, Mother Cabrini and her team founded
the requisite housing, a series of schools and
orphanages, and the necessary hospitals
that chiefly served the Italian immigrant
communities. Actions supported by the
Church, for sure, but actions also emblematic
of what Italians can do in order
to help other Italians in need.
In all, they founded close to
70 institutions of all types in
numerous cities throughout
the United States — Chicago
and New York the two
principal cities associated
with Mother Cabrini today,
as well as Cabrini College in
Pennsylvania.
Undoubtedly, Mother
Cabrini was an exemplar
of all things possible and
thus a symbol of hope
for all. She herself had
crossed the ocean in 1889
and, in so doing, had followed the same route
that thousands of other immigrants had and
were taking. Privileged as she was in her role as
nun — and let us underscore at this juncture her
gender — she was a woman of great acumen,
having succeeded in overcoming great
obstacles of the time and demonstrating how
all things were possible.
In this sense, then, she was also an example
of how one can get things done and, more
important, how we can still today — and let us
say should — open doors for all people who are
in need of such assistance. Her legacy clearly
lives on both within and beyond the Italian/
American community. Italian Americans
continue to serve and donate to many Catholic
and social institutions today, at times even
beyond. If there is one thing to bemoan, it is
that her medical institutions of New York —
Columbus Hospital and the Italian Hospital,
which eventually
became the Cabrini
Medical Center — could
not be sustained and
consequently closed in
2008.
Nonetheless, Mother
Cabrini remains that
shining light not only for
all those whom she helped,
but, to be sure, that exemplar
par excellence that we,
today, should emulate for the
dedication so necessary to
get things done for the better
good.
* Anthony Julian Tamburri is the Dean of the John D.
Calandra Italian American Institute (Queens College,
CUNY) and Distinguished Professor of European
Languages and Literatures.
www.i-Italy.org
Italy on the go: on cable,
on the air & on your iphone.
Immigration:
Is it Really
Not Our
Business?
by Mons. Gennaro Matino *
That’s right. You can catch us Saturdays at 11:30
pm & Sundays at 1 pm on NYCTV Channel 25
(Time Warner – Verizon FiOS – RCN – Comcast
– DirecTV & on air) or Channel 22 (Cablevision).
And if you miss an episode, you can still
download our free iphone app from iTunes and
connect to HD television with your Apple TV
device. Got it? Buona visione!
Every monday a new episode is posted online too. Check us out:
www.i-Italy.org | www.i-ItalyTV.com
www.youtube.com/iItaly | www.facebook.com/iItaly
www.i-Italy.org “Millions of families today experience the dramatic condition of
refugees,” writes Pope Frances. “And Jesus and his family faced the same
difficult reality . . .” The problem of borders, of major waves of immigration
affecting every corner of the world, of masses of people driven out by
hunger, desperation, political terrorism, war and ecological devastation—
the product of historical colonialism and present-day corruption—is a
problem that concerns us and, more significantly, anyone hungry for
justice. “Refugees and immigrants,” adds the Pope, “aren’t always really
welcomed, respected, or appreciated for the values they bring.”
Like prisoners trapped in a mine, people from the Southern Hemisphere
arrive on our shores hoping for a better future, for a bit of air. Our shores
in Italy have become a theater of adventure, a dream of redemption and
defeat, where men, women and children, fleeing totalitarian regimes,
arrive clinging to masts and makeshift boats.
Too many people look the other way, the Pope seems to be saying,
when faced with injustice and war. They have no compassion for their
struggling neighbors. Instead they secure their own borders and hoard
provisions, fearing a hypothetical worldwide disaster. If pressed to
welcome someone into our country, we do it out of self-necessity, not
in the spirit of fraternity. When the poor immigrant comes to work here,
neither her rights nor her dignity is always respected. Nor is her right to
an honest contract. We offer immigrants underpaid work, work we won’t
do anymore.
The movement of immigrants from one part of the world to another
would seem to be determined by the individual freedom that the global
world has accepted. Opening borders to allow for free trade should, of
necessity, allow people—more than goods—to cross borders. In reality,
more often than not, what looks like free will is instead an obligation,
a necessity dictated by survival instinct: relocation is not born out of
the freedom to travel elsewhere, but rather out of the impossibility to
do otherwise, since it’s the economy that, by guaranteeing free borders,
causes forced deportations, investing and disinvesting from one part of
the planet to another, as it pleases.
“Justice sees not,” writes Euripides in Medea, “with the eyes of those who
hate unwronged at sight their fellow, ere they learn his character. The
stranger needs must carefully conform himself to his adopted home; nor
have I thought of praising the citizen who with his airs is rude unto his
fellow, through ill-breeding.” Although he wasn’t quoting Euripides, Pope
Francis was certainly thinking of the Gospel when he reminded us that
the culture of affluence makes us “insensitive to the screams of others,”
placing us “in a soap bubble,” in a situation “that leads to indifference.”
Moreover, today there exists “globalized indifference.” “We have grown
accustomed to the suffering of others, it doesn’t concern us, it doesn’t
interest us, it isn’t our business!” But is it really not our business?
* Gennaro Matino teaches Theology and History of Christianity in Naples, where
he runs the parish of SS. Trinità. He has written several books and essays, and
collaborates extensively with both traditional and new media.
Fred Gardaphe and Maria Laurino during our
televised interview. Watch it now on i-ItalyTV on
your smarthphone.
●● A CONVERSATION WITH THE AUTHOR OF ‘THE ITALIAN AMERICANS’
History Beyond Stereotypes
A book that sees ItalianAmerican culture as
part of American history. “It’s not enough to
learn about ItalianAmerican culture, you
need to learn about
African-American culture and Jewish-American culture. The more
you know about them,
the more you see these
cultures interacting.”
Fred Gardaphe and Maria Laurino
●● Henry Louis Gates, Jr., the chair of AfricanAmerican studies at Harvard, wrote a very
appreciative blurb about Maria Laurino’s latest
book The Italian Americans: A History (W.W.
Norton). He writes: “The companion book to
John Maggio’s landmark documentary, The
Italian Americans, is a sweeping portrait of
a people whose contributions to America are
indistinguishable from the country itself and
its myths. Impeccably researched and deeply
moving, Maria Laurino’s book, like the PBS series,
is essential for anyone interested in the history
of immigration to the United States.” Piquing the
interest of people outside the Italian-American
community is exactly what we need, and Laurino’s
book is a great step in that direction, helping Italian
Americans gain a sense of self, history, and the
value of their contributions to American culture. I
discussed these topics with the author in the course
of a televised interview for i-ItalyTV.
Fred Gardaphe: Prior to this book, you wrote
Were You Always Italian? and Old World
Daughter, New World Mother, a book I found
absolutely fascinating even though I’m not a
daughter or a mother. How different is this
book from what your previous work?
Maria Laurino: It was interesting for me
because I did this backwards. I mean, this is a
history of Italian-Americans and usually you’d
write that first, but I had already written two
personal essay memoir projects… The Italian
Americans: A History is a companion book to
a PBS documentary and I was asked to write
it. It was just a great project and I learned so
much. It was interesting to write a history
book and then to learn so much more about
your family and yourself through that.
F.G.: You’ve been a professional ghostwriter,
you’ve written speeches for people like
Dinkins and Cuomo… You’re used to writing
whatever needs to be written, but although
many people have tried to write this kind of
story, none equals the power of yours. How
did you feel going into the project?
M.L.: Well, it was daunting. But John
Maggio, who wrote the documentary,
wanted this to be a companion piece and
follow his story, so he basically gave me the
scaffolding for the book. What John asked
me to do was go deeper into the project,
because there’s only so much history you
can tell in a four-hour PBS series. But I had
two primary goals: I didn’t want it to be
nostalgic, the way many such projects can
be, and I really wanted to strip away at the
stereotypes that have haunted us for so
many years. John shared these goals and
that made things much easier.
F.G.: My biggest complaint about ItalianAmerican studies is that we don’t have a
history book. Now we have something to
work with, and the next time I teach a course,
www.i-Italy.org
immigrants have been welcomed into this
country—wearily at best—the more you
want to learn their stories. We know the
story of American history but we don’t have
these separate immigrant stories. I agree
with you: there is a sort of universality in
this, to see how each group has struggled
against the prejudices of the larger group
and tried to find its way.
F.G.: If there were going to be a follow-up
book, what would you include?
M.L.: Good question. I think I’d like to have
done more on race and race relations, and
more on immigration. I think it would be
interesting to reflect on Italy today and its
own immigration problems, how it almost
mirrors the Italian-American experience.
F.G.: Have you promoted the documentary
and book in Italy?
The cover of Maria Laurino’s book and the poster of John DiMaggio’s four-part PBS documentary.
I’m certainly going to use your book. The
same with the documentary. To me this
is as important as the 1970s documentary
“Eyes on the Prize.” When I was in school
I learned about African-American culture
through that 13-part series. This is only a four
part series, but my hope is that it will do the
same for Italian-American culture. And if it
doesn’t, people will have your book to go to,
because in part you mirror the structure of the
documentary and in part you fill in the blanks
that John DiMaggio wasn’t able to get at, right?
M.L.: Yes, I’ve done a little bit of both. Most
chapters mirror the documentary, just with a
little more detail. But I also added a chapter
on the Italian-American counter-culture
because there were figures who were just
so interesting, like Mario Savio, who started
the free-speech movement at Berkeley, and
the poet Gregory Corso. There’s a chapter
on Italian-American crooners and ItalianAmerican songs, which I extended to include
Madonna and Lady Gaga. But there also
were wonderful interviews from the footage
that could not be used, with Dion and The
Belmonts, for example… Dion talks about his
grandmother feeding him slices of provolone
and oranges and him going, “Oh God it was
good, it was good…”
F.G.: You said you started out writing about
your own experiences and now you’re writing
about the broader experience. What was it like
moving from the personal to the public?
M.L.: Well, one example that comes to mind
is the “enemy alien” story. I had very little
www.i-Italy.org knowledge of the phenomenon, so I began to
do research, and it occurred to me that my
grandmother (who was illiterate, she signed
her name with an “X”) must have been an
“enemy alien”! I called her and asked. She
was a little over 90 at the time. She said,
“Wow, that’s so interesting that you asked
me that because it was really scary for our
family during the war.” She remembered
my brother one day saying, “Mamma, we
may have to go back to Italy…” “We were
terrified,” she told me. That’s a piece of
history I had no clue about.
F.G.: My hope is that the documentary will
help make this book a household name
in Italian-American homes. When I was
a kid, we didn’t have books at home. If
you brought a book in the house, it was a
library book and you had to bring it back.
We didn’t even have a Bible. We didn’t
need one; the priest told us what was in the
Bible, you know. This idea of learning about
your culture from books is totally alien to
us, so when Italian Americans read about
other cultures in books, they don’t see their
own culture validated. One of the values of
your approach to the material is that you
haven’t looked at Italian-American culture
separately. You basically see it as part of
American history. It’s not enough to learn
about Italian-American culture, you need to
learn about African-American culture and
Jewish-American culture. The more you
know about them, the more you see these
cultures interacting.
M.L.: Sure. Also, the more you see how all
M.L.: Yes, we set that up with the American
embassy, which was really lovely, though
the book was not out yet. What I always find
interesting is, I would think that Italians
would want to know more about ItalianAmerican history. I know from personal
experience that whenever I go to Italy, friends
always say to me, “Why do you think you are
Italian? You are not Italian.” They don’t see any
connection between Italians and Americans.
F.G.: Right. When I was a kid, I thought I
was Italian. When I went to Italy, I realized
I was American. I came back to America
and said: “Wait, I’m not American!” So
this is how I forged my Italian-American
identity. But when I spoke about it in Italy
thirty years ago, on RAI Television, they
kind of laughed at me. “Italian American?
What’s that? You’re American or you’re
Italian. You can’t be both!” Up until recent
generations, even though almost every
family in Italy has some connection to a
story of emigration to the United States,
Italians couldn’t care less about Italian
Americans, because they are the people
who left. But over the last ten or fifteen
years, I have found things are changing. It’s
not the professors or the journalists or the
people who control publishing industries,
it’s the young students who want to know
about their uncle who went to America and
never came back, that guy nobody ever talks
about. And we are building joint programs in
Italian-American studies in Italy today. Our
summer schools are packed with students.
And a book like this needs to be done in
Italian, because this is the information
Italians need to know in order to say, “I am a
literate Italian who understands the history
of Italian immigration in America.” And
you’re right. If Italians do not understand
that, they will never be able to understand
immigration in Italy today.
●●
●● REMEMBERING MARIO CUOMO (1932-2015)
The Importance
of Being Italian
American
One thing is certain:
Mario Cuomo made
Italian Americans
proud to be Italian
American.
by Jerry Krase*
●● With the passing of Mario Cuomo on
the day of the second inauguration of
his son Andrew as Governor of New York
State, very important people (VIP), and not
so important people (NSIP), like myself,
commented on his legacy. Most “Odes
to Mario” were treacly gushes. Like all
American ethnic icons, his many parallel
lives were complex and require time to
appreciate. One thing is certain; Mario
Cuomo made Italian Americans proud
to be Italian American. He came to the
attention of most Americans when he gave
the electrifying keynote address at the
1984 Democratic National Convention in
San Francisco after which his name was
often raised as a potential, but reluctant,
Presidential candidate. My own Cuomistory
begins in the 1970s when being Italian was a
different story.
Last February public televisions stations
aired two “specials” trumpeting the
relatively unknown accomplishments of one
of America’s—at one-time—most maligned
ethnic groups. The most comprehensive
was John Maggio’s The Italian Americans,
a four-hour documentary series, narrated
by Stanley Tucci that “… explores the
evolution of Italian Americans from the late
nineteenth century to today, from ‘outsiders’
once viewed with suspicion and mistrust
to some of the most prominent leaders of
business, politics and the arts today” (see
article on page 10 in this issue). In the 1970s,
Mario Puzo’s The Godfather and Don Vito
Corleone explained how Italian Americans
were “making it.” It is no wonder to me why
Mario waited until 2013 before viewing it. As
Sam Roberts of The New York Times wrote,
“For four decades, he refused even to see
any of the movies or, presumably, to read
Mario Puzo’s book. He all but denied that
the Mafia existed. And who could forget
that unfortunate slip of the tongue during
the 1992 presidential campaign, when Bill
Clinton suggested that Mr. Cuomo, then the
governor of New York, acted like a Mafioso?”
Most people know that I am “only” half
Italian. With all this positive attention we’re
getting lately it is difficult to believe that
there was a time when being half was more
than enough; when many Italian Americans
were not only not interested in their
heritage but didn’t understand why any
Italian Americans would be. For example,
my wife Suzanne’s totally Italian American
family found it amusing that I was an Italian
American activist, willing to volunteer
my semi-ethnic background. They were
totally American and some even anglicized
their names and, like occasionally racist
talk show host Bob (Gigante) Grant, never
thought to rectify the mistake. Grant often
referred to Mario Cuomo as “the sfaccimm;”
a crude Italian dialectic term that matched
his own persona. Some admitted their
Italian-sounding names were a detriment in
professional circles.
Like me, Mario had deep Brooklyn
“connections” even though he was from
Queens. According to Raanan Geberer in the
Brooklyn Daily Eagle, “Those who remember
Cuomo from his Brooklyn days recall a
dedicated, consummate professional.” He
completed his undergraduate studies and
law at St. John’s University when it was
located in Bedford-Stuyvesant and “after
he graduated law school in 1956, even
though he was at the top of his class, he
was rejected by one law firm after another
— in his view, because he was an Italian
American. One legal colleague advised him
to change his name to Mark Conrad.” Thusly,
he became a Brooklyn “Court Street Lawyer”
until his appointment to Secretary of State
of New York in 1975.
In the 1970s I was active in organizations
fighting against real estate and development
projects, which exacerbated racial tensions.
People today have forgotten the 1964,
1967, and 1977 riots in Big Apple’s African
American neighborhoods. Cuomo had a
well-deserved reputation for fairness and
honesty and in 1972, was appointed by
Mayor John Lindsay to mediate a crisis over
a low-income housing development for the
upper-middle-class (white) neighborhood
of Forest Hills, Queens. Cuomo wrote about
it his Forest Hills Diary. Soon after Governor
Hugh Carey appointed him Secretary of
State, he was approached by neighborhood
groups, including my own, to prohibit
real estate agency solicitations that were
destabilizing neighborhoods. This “block
busting” involved telling white homeowners
to sell quickly because blacks were moving
into the neighborhood.
As Governor Cuomo (I) appointed me to
the New York Council for the Humanities
in 1983, some people assume I am a friend,
neighbor, or remote non-Italian relative
of the governor. Honestly, if you had
mentioned my name to him he’d have had
no idea who I was. As I learned in politics,
it is not “who you know” that matters but
“who knows you.” The first time we met
was in 1977, when he came to Brooklyn
College while unsuccessfully running in
www.i-Italy.org
the Democratic Primary for Mayor of New
York City. There, some full-Italian American
colleagues offered our “expert” advice about
the City University of New York—a major
campaign issue. Brimming with ethnic
pride, our Mediterranean egos were quickly
deflated when he made it clear that he knew
more about CUNY then we did. The second
and happier time was at the election night
celebration after he won the governorship of
the State of New York, chanting “Ma-Re-O!”
with a group of ecstatic Italian American
campaign workers. In Brooklyn I was the
liaison with the bruising Congressional
race of Major Owens. In effect, I was trying
to convince both African, and ItalianAmericans that “Cuomo was the One.”
Cuomo’s victory was Phoenix-like, rising
from the ashes of the 1977 mayoral loss to
Ed “I” Koch.
I helped found the American Italian
Coalition of Organizations (AMICO) in 1977
during a crisis over social services for the
neglected Italian American population. We
were eternally grateful to Mario Cuomo for
his support. But in those days “reputed”
crime family boss Joe Colombo and the
Italian American Civil Rights League he
created when his son was arrested was
thought to best represent the interests
of the rest of us. Consequently, our good
works were carefully scrutinized by law
enforcement agencies, and journalists, for
organized crime connections. One, final,
example, I think is sufficient to understand
the reluctance of Italian Americans to enter
onto the public stage, and why Mario Cuomo
played an important role generating pride in
my (albeit half) Italian heritage.
Only six years after AMICO was founded
Andrew Torregrossa and I co-chaired a
benefit at the Rainbow Room at which we
gave Matilda Cuomo our Humanitarian
Award. Sharon Churcher wrote about it
in New York Magazine as “A Mob Rubout
Done with an Eraser.” Although Mario was
not there Mayor Ed Koch and City Council
President Carol Bellamy were. According to
Churcher my good friend Andy was among
700 names in the “Report on Organized
Crime in New York City.” While she noted
the Organized Crime Control Board and
the F.B.I. dropped him from the list after a
closer look, the damage was done: “Asked to
explain how AMICO could get city money at
the same time that its chairman was being
identified as a mobster, Koch spokesman
Tom Kelly said AMICO, like any organization
with city contracts, had been routinely
investigated. It came away with a clean bill
of health, he said.” It must be noted that
Andy’s Torregrossa Funeral Parlor buried
several Gambino crime family members,
as well as my mother and father. No one
looked into my mob connections because
of the name, I assume. Over the past half
century Italian Americans have come a long
way, a good part of that journey was led by
Mario Cuomo.
Grazie Tante!
●●
* Jerry Krase is Emeritus and Murray Koppelman
Professor at Brooklyn College, CUNY.
‘A Tale of Two Cities’
The Speech That Made Him Famous
We wish to remember Mario Cuomo by offering
you a an excerpt from his hyper-famous “A Tale of
Two Cities” speech (to watch the full video use the
QR code to the right or search for it on YouTube).
It was the keynote address by which Mario Cuomo,
then Governor of the State of New York, opened
the 1984 Democratic National Convention in San
Francisco. At the time Cuomo was on the rise as
a figure of presidential stature in the Democratic
Party. It was the Reagan era, and Cuomo was
considered one of the best anti-Reagan orators in
town, a Great (Democratic) Communicator.
In that speech, he attacked President Reagan
for saying that he didn’t understand the fear of
many Americans who were “unhappy, even
worried, about themselves, their families, and
their futures.” “Why?” Cuomo reported Reagan as
asking, rhetorically, his audience, “This country is
a shining city on a hill!”
And here came the lunge: “Mr. President—Cuomo
erupted—you ought to know that this nation is
more a “Tale of Two Cities” than it is just a “Shining
City on a Hill.” Then he elaborated:
“A shining city is perhaps all the President sees from
the portico of the White House and the veranda of
his ranch, where everyone seems to be doing well.
But there’s another city; there’s another part to the
shining the city; the part where some people can’t
pay their mortgages, and most young people can’t
afford one; where students can’t afford the education
www.i-Italy.org they need, and middle-class
parents watch the dreams
they hold for their children
evaporate.
In this part of the city there
are more poor than ever,
more families in trouble,
more and more people who
need help but can’t find
it. Even worse: There are
elderly people who tremble
in the basements of the houses there. And there are
people who sleep in the city streets, in the gutter,
where the glitter doesn’t show. There are ghettos
where thousands of young people, without a job or
an education, give their lives away to drug dealers
every day. There is despair, Mr. President, in the
faces that you don’t see, in the places that you don’t
visit in your shining city.”
It’s not by chance that such speech came from
an American of Italian origin. For Mario Cuomo,
in fact, the “Two Cities” argument was strictly
connected to a “Tale of Immigration.” Here is how
he elaborated it, turning the story of his Italian
immigrant family into a universal symbol:
“I watched a small man with thick calluses on both
his hands work 15 and 16 hours a day. I saw him
once literally bleed from the bottoms of his feet, a
man who came here uneducated, alone, unable
to speak the language, who taught me all I needed
to know about faith and hard work by the simple
eloquence of his example. I learned about our kind
of democracy from my father. And I learned about
our obligation to each other from him and from
my mother. They asked only for a chance to work
and to make the world better for their children, and
they -- they asked to be protected in those moments
when they would not be able to protect themselves.
This nation and this nation’s government did that
for them.
And that they were able to build a family and live
in dignity and see one of their children go from
behind their little grocery store in South Jamaica
on the other side of the tracks where he was born,
to occupy the highest seat, in the greatest State, in the
greatest nation, in the only world we would know,
is an ineffably beautiful tribute to the democratic
process.”
The i-Italy Team
●● MY MENTORS / 1. MATILDA CUOMO
A Most Inspiring Woman
Lucia Pasqualini.
Photo by Iwona Adamczyck.
Matilda was the first
person who made me
understand how important mentors are.
She knows it very well
and has dedicated her
life to mentoring as a
social responsibility.
Matilda and Mario Cuomo with Consul General of Italy Natalia Quintavalle.
Photo by Riccardo Chioni.
By Lucia Pasqualini
●● When Governor Mario Cuomo sadly
passed away in January of this year, I
suddenly started thinking about his wife
Matilda and all that she has taught me.
Every New Yorker knows the great Governor
Mario Cuomo, but not everyone knows how
lucky a man he was to have Matilda next to
him. It is often said that behind every great
man there is always a great woman. Indeed
Matilda is a woman who did not give up
her career as she followed her husband’s:
instead, she embraced her husband’s
career and found her own way to express
herself through the projects that she
created and supported. Together they have
built a wonderful family and made great
contributions to society. She played a very
important role in her husband’s life and in
many other lives, including mine.
I had the privilege to get to know Matilda,
and remember very well the first time we
met. It happened a few months after my
arrival in New York in September 2010. She
came to visit the Consul General together
with Aileen Sirey Riotto, the President of the
National Organization of Italian American
Women (NOIAW). Having just arrived, I did
not know much about the Italian-American
community or its numerous organizations.
But I vividly remember all the meetings that
I had during my first few months in New
York.
Mentoring USA
Everything was new to me; I was fascinated
by the spontaneity of those who lived
and worked in New York. Although I
knew Matilda Cuomo by name, I was
immediately struck by her presence, her
welcoming smile, and her humble way
of interacting with people. Throughout
our first meeting, she talked passionately
about Mentoring USA, the project that she
chaired in 1987 when her husband Mario
Cuomo was Governor of the State of New
York, and that she continued to nurture
and support over the years. The program
was developed in response to New York’s
alarming school dropout rates and increase
in teenage pregnancy. Volunteer mentors
were trained, screened, and matched with
children in New York Schools. She wanted
to expand the project to Italy, in Campania,
the region where her husband’s father was
born. She spoke with such enthusiasm and
passion about the importance of mentors
for disadvantaged young people. Mentoring
has always been her mission, and, above
all, her vision. Through Mentoring USA, she
has assisted thousands of young people,
proving to be a distinguished advocate of
women, children and families.
Matilda was the first person who made
me think of mentors in a way far different
from what I had been accustomed to in my
upbringing in Italy. During my four years in
New York I learned on my own the meaning
and importance of having mentors in your
life for your personal and professional
growth. I was very lucky to have met some
special ones. I did not look for them: they
came to me, and they embraced and guided
me throughout my tenure in America. I
have never experienced anything similar
in Italy. Yet I would have loved to have
had someone who could have guided me
in my choices. Someone who could have
encouraged my aspirations. Someone
who could have understood and guided
my inclinations. I am very grateful to
my parents who allowed me to dream
www.i-Italy.org
Above: Matilda Cuono introducing Mentoring USA to PS 59 students at
Bloomingdale’s (Photo: MatthewCarasella/SocialShutterbug.com).
Left: Ms. Cuomo’s noted book on prominent people’s mentors.
and to make
my choices
without any
conditioning,
despite the
fact that my
expectations
were
overwhelming
for them.
Thanks to my mentors, I now know
that my dreams can be even bigger. They
taught me that dreams have no ceiling, and
that life can offer different paths thanks
to the guidance of wiser persons who
assist you in your choices. Matilda knows
it very well and has dedicated her life to
this objective. In American culture, people
strongly believe in mentoring younger
generations: it is a social responsibility. It
is part of the principle of giving something
back to society. We should also do the same
in Italy. I feel so grateful to all my mentors.
They helped me to look more closely at
myself, to believe in myself and to boost
my self-confidence. Little by little, always
hearing their voices as I make my choices, I
became more self-aware and able to decide
who I want to be.
Leading by example
Matilda Cuomo will always be one of my
mentors, a very special one and not just to
me. She proved to be an excellent mentor,
first and foremost to her family with her
www.i-Italy.org wonderful and accomplished children. Over
the years, I had the opportunity to meet her
several times, to get to know her better, and
to watch her play an important role in the
Italian-American community. She leads by
example: I watched her move within the
various worlds she created for the ItalianAmerican community in New York. In her
role in Mentoring USA, Cuomo continues
to be a teacher to many people. She was a
founding member of NOIAW. She created
a special project for the State of New York,
“Due case, una tradizione,” an exchange
program between New York State and
Italy for high school and college students.
She has always been a great promoter of
the Italian language and a supporter for
the reintroduction of the Italian Language
in the high school Advanced Placement
Program. She still works very hard to keep
alive her Italian heritage.
The importance of humility
Through her extraordinary example and
commitment, I have learned many things.
She taught me that everyone defines herself
and her role in society through concrete
action. She taught me that you must work
hard: and she continues to do just that both
graciously and brilliantly. She taught me
that balance is the secret to having it all
without renouncing a woman’s role as a
great mother. But, first of all, she taught me
the importance and strength of humility.
Matilda always welcomes everybody with
Every New
Yorker knows
the great Governor
Mario Cuomo, but not
everyone knows how
lucky a man he was to
have Matilda next to
him. It is often said that
behind every great
man there is always a
great woman. Indeed
Matilda is a woman
who did not give up her
career as she followed
her husband’s: instead,
she embraced her
husband’s career and
found her own way to
express herself
through the projects
that she created and
supported. Together
they have built a
wonderful family and
made great
contributions to
society. She played a
very important role in
her husband’s life and
in many other lives,
including mine.
a disarming, sincere smile, making you feel
part of her world immediately. This is a
very special and precious gift.
Cara Matilda, thank you for mentoring and
inspiring me.
●●
* Former deputy-consul in New York Lucia
Pasqualini begins her collaboration with i-Italy
with a series of portraits of people who have
taught her important lessons.
●● WHEN TWO PEOPLES MINGLE, BARRIERS CAN GIVE WAY TO COLLABORATION
The Irish-Italian Divide &
How Enemies Make Peace
Inter-ethnic peacemaking is the ongoing
challenge of today’s
global societies—in
the U.S., in Italy, and
elsewhere. We asked
Paul Moses, author of
the forthcoming An
Unlikely Union: The
Love-Hate Story of
New York’s Irish and
Italians, to explain
what he learned by
writing this book.
by Paul Moses*
●● The idea for my book An Unlikely
Union was spun from the yarn of
everyday life: my wife Maureen’s
ancestry is Irish, while mine is half
Italian. It’s not remarkable, of course,
but that’s the point.
Not so very long ago, the prospect of an
Irish-Italian union such as ours might
have stirred anger in our respective
tribes, or at least gossip among the
relatives. But by the time we walked
down the aisle at St. Vincent de Paul
Roman Catholic Church in Elmont, Long
Island in 1976, that was no longer the
usual case. And yet, beginning in the
nineteenth century and for decades into
the twentieth, the Irish and Italians in
New York and other major American
cities were rivals in the Catholic Church,
in the streets, on waterfront and
construction job sites, in crime, the civil
service and in politics. Then they fell in
love with each other and married on a
large scale in the years after World War
II. What changed? That became a story I
wanted to tell.
An anti-immigrant, and specifically anti-Irish cartoon by Joseph Ferdinand Keppler (1882).
(Library of Congress Prints and Photographs Division)
Peacemaking
A deep, bitter conflict
I became intrigued by this Irish-Italian
peace while working on another book
about peacemaking, The Saint and the
Sultan: The Crusades, Islam and Francis of
Assisi’s Mission of Peace, published in 2009.
At the time, I had so immersed myself
in Francis’s encounter with the sultan of
Egypt during the Crusades that I would
frequently dream at night that I was in
the Middle Ages. As many authors will
attest, a book project can produce an
altered state of consciousness in which
only the book seems to exist, much to
the detriment of the writer’s relationship
with his or her spouse. Basically, I wasn’t
there for Maureen, even when I was
sitting right in front of her.
While this caused some friction, the
Irish-Italian peace in our household held
up. Buried as I was in research about a
Christian saint who reached out to Muslims,
I began to see the arc of a historical story of
peacemaking right in my own home—the
journey of New York’s Irish and Italians from
rumbles to romance.
Through research in archived letters and
newspapers, I found that the Irish-Italian
conflict was deeper and more bitter than I
had realized. For example, fights between
Irish and Italian laborers were so common
that the Brooklyn Eagle ran an editorial in
1894 asking “Can’t They Be Separated?” The
paper urged contractors to “keep their gangs
of workmen distinct—the Irish in one street
and the Italians in another.”
Having arrived sooner than the Italians,
the Irish were well established by the
time the Italians began to migrate to the
United States in large numbers in 1880. In
the big picture, the Irish were moving up
to better jobs as the Italians came in as
underlings. But there were still plenty of
Irish bootblacks, laborers, dockworkers and
their union leaders who hated the Italians
for their willingness to work longer hours for
less pay. That often led to violence.
The Irish-Italian relationship was also
complicated by the fact that they were
two peoples divided by membership in the
same church. Starting with churches such
www.i-Italy.org
I found that the
Irish-Italian
conflict was deeper
and more bitter than I
had realized.
Beginning in the
nineteenth century
and for decades into
the twentieth, the Irish
and Italians in New
York and other major
American cities were
rivals in the Catholic
Church, in the streets,
on waterfront and
construction job sites,
in crime, the civil
service and in politics.
Then they fell in love
with each other and
married on a large
scale in the years after
World War II. What
changed?
as Transfiguration on Mott Street in what is
today Chinatown, parishes in New York and
other major cities in the East and Midwest
became battlegrounds for Irish-Italian
conflict.
Angry disputes between Irish and Italian
priests reached all the way to the Vatican
as the Italians complained to Rome that
they were only permitted to hold services
in church basements. “Why only the
basement? Forgive me, Excellency, if I tell
you frankly that these poor devils are not
very clean, so that the others do not want
to have them in the upstairs church,” New
York’s Archbishop Michael Corrigan wrote
indelicately to a Vatican office that was
reviewing the plight of Italian emigrants.
“Otherwise the others move out, and then
good-bye the income.”
Seeds for better times
But even in the midst of conflict, there were
always seeds for better times. Irish labor
www.i-Italy.org Images from Saint Patrick’s Day Parade and Columbus Day Parade in New York City.
leaders came to realize that they needed
to unionize Italian workers, if only to
present a united front against management.
Archbishop Corrigan gave the Italians their
own churches. Through the influence of its
schools, the Catholic Church brought future
generations of the Irish and Italians together
and to the altar in marriage.
The Irish played the role of gatekeeper
for the Italian immigrants, and were by
turns mentor and tormentor. Eventually,
the playing field leveled socially and
economically. Love, marriage, babies and
Italian Sunday dinners followed.
Working on the book was a humbling
experience. I knew that Italians had
occupied a low social rung, but saw through
my research how routinely they were
degraded and yet maintained their dignity
and pride. Irish foremen may have been
tough on Italian workers, but they were
nowhere near as demeaning as the AngloSaxon intellectuals who claimed as a matter
of science that Italians were racially inferior.
The only grandparents I knew were my
father’s parents, a Jewish physician and his
wife who fled from Hitler’s Germany. My
mother’s parents, immigrants from Calabria
and Basilicata, had died before I was born.
Like Maureen’s Irish ancestors, they had
come from extreme rural poverty to forge a
new life. They lived in separate worlds: Little
Italy and Brooklyn’s Irishtown.
But when two peoples mingle in their
houses of worship, schools, neighborhoods,
and workplaces, barriers can give way to
collaboration and even love. That’s the story
behind An Unlikely Union, which NYU Press
will publish in June.
●●
* Paul Moses is a professor of journalism at
Brooklyn College/CUNY. Previously he worked for
23 years as a journalist in New York. In 1991 he
won the Pulitzer Prize for Spot News Reporting.
His book The Saint and the Sultan (Doubleday,
2009) won the 2010 Catholic Press Association
award for best history book.
●● FROM OUR TV SERIES ON NYC LIFE (CHANNEL 25, SATURDAYS 11:30 PM; SUNDAYS 1PM)
V
T
ly
n
no
As
ta
i-I
e
se
Francine Segan meets F. Murray Abraham at her
home for our televised interview. Watch it now on
i-ItalyTV with your smarthphone.
Italy Is My Second
Home. It’s That Simple!
Born to a Syrian-Italian
immigrant family in
Pittsburg, PA, he was
best known for playing
alongside Al Pacino in
Serpico and Scarface,
before winning the
Academy Award for
Best Actor for his role
as composer Antonio
Salieri in Amadeus.
Here he talks with us
about his love for a
country where he “never feels uncomfortable
or unsafe.”
by Francine Segan *
●● Murray Abraham may be best known for
his Academy Award-winning performance as
Antonio Salieri, the famous Italian composer,
in the film Amadeus, but he has also starred
in such fine films as All the President’s Men,
Scarface, The Name of the Rose, and last year’s
hit, The Grand Budapest Hotel. He’s also made
dozens of films in Italy. This year, he starred
in the Mystery of Dante, directed by acclaimed
Italian filmmaker Louis Nero. In 2004, F.
Murray was given the “Premio per gli Italiani
nel mondo,” an award from the Italian
government. F. Murray is also renowned
for his theater and television work, and
is a regular on the award-winning series
Homeland. I’m thrilled he’s accepted to chat
with us about his connection to Italy.
Let’s start with your ties to the bel paese.
What does Italy mean to you?
Italy is very important to me – for a couple
of reasons. First of all, my mother is from
Italy: Giuseppina. Because she was so proud
to be Italian, she made sure that her three
sons were very aware of the country. I have
also made a lot of movies in Italy with very
good people. It’s my second home. I’m very
offended that people have a stereotype of
what Italy and Italians mean. They seem to
forget the Italian Renaissance; they seem to
forget Galileo and Michelangelo and Leonardo
and Caravaggio. They forget that they are
some of the greatest artists who ever lived.
Tell me a little bit more about your mother.
What was it like when you were little in her
home? What Italian things did she add?
My mother was from a family of fourteen.
My grandfather, Bruno, was a coal miner, on
his hands and knees six days a week for 24
dollars a week. He raised fourteen children.
My mother was the world to me. I’m a real
Italian son; I worshipped her. When I wanted
to become an actor, everyone was against it
except my mother.
Can you tell us a little about your recent
portrayal as Dante?
www.i-Italy.org
F. Murray Abraham
as Antonio Salieri
in Amadeus.
Below: with Al Pacino
at a Scarface event.
Bottom: interpreting
Dante Alighieri
in The Mistery of Dante.
Italy is my second home. If for some reason
I had to leave America, my first love, I would
move to Italy immediately. When I’m in Italy, I feel
like I am at home. It’s that simple.
I can tell you that that is one of the most
important films I made – a very little film,
but very important. Nero was responsible for
it. I think Nero is one of the most important
filmmakers in Italy today. He’s a very smart
man and we based a lot of what we did on
the classic mystics in history. There are still
important, very independent filmmakers
like Nero. There aren’t enough of them, but I
think they’re coming up.
invited back every year. I just feel like I
could live there very easily. It’s as though
I had another life at one time and I lived
in Italy. No matter where I go there – the
north, the south – because I ‘ve worked all
over, I’m always welcome there. I never feel
uncomfortable or unsafe. People talk about
Italy like you have to be careful, but that’s
not true. That’s a lie. I love good wine and I
love good food, so I think I must belong in
Italy. ●●
* Noted public speaker and food historian,
Francine Segan hosts the series “Americans in
Love with Italy” produced by i-ItalyTV.
You have performed with some of the great
female Italian actresses—Sophia Loren,
Claudia Cardinale… Do you have any good
stories to tell?
Let me tell you something about Sophia. We
were working with Lina Wertmüller, and
my mother, at the time, God rest her soul,
was very sick in America. I asked Sophia
if she would mind calling her to say hello,
because all Italians love Sophia. She called
my mother and spoke to her for about 25 or
30 minutes. That’s just the kind of woman
she is. It meant everything to me. If for
some reason I had to leave America, my
first love, I would move to Italy immediately.
When I’m in Italy, I feel like I am at home.
It’s that simple. I think most people feel the
same way. I teach once a year at Cinecittá.
I teach Shakespeare and I have a translator
for people who don’t speak English because
my Italian is terrible. Last year, for example,
I taught The Merchant of Venice and I had
everyone perform certain scenes. It was
such a good experience that I have been
www.i-Italy.org www.i-ItalyNY.com | March-April 2015 | i-Italy ny | 19
●● THE SCUOLA D’ITALIA “GUGLIELMO MARCONI” LEAPs FORWARD
Building the Future Today
An interview with Francesca Verga, alumna
and board member of the Scuola d’Italia. To
remain competitive, the important institution
has recently launched a bid for a new building.
by Letizia Airos
●● You notice it immediately upon
entering the building, upon standing in the
halls of the only bilingual Italian school
in New York. This is a place that fosters
collaboration and participation, a place
where friendly interactions and mutual
support between students, parents, teachers
and staff are paramount. The school that
provides a real sense of community raises
the potential for an appreciation of the
collective, of us—too often overwhelmed
in today’s world by individualism and
hyper-productivity—without sacrificing the
power of me. It promotes an almost familial
sense of belonging, a characteristic feature
of Italian cultural heritage. Such a feeling
helps students view the future with realistic
optimism and prepares them for a life that
starts here, at school, without isolating
themselves and others. School, family and
local community are not separate entities.
Understanding their linkage is fundamental,
even more so in New York, where
multitudes of different worlds exist.
I find this preamble necessary for explaining
why I’ve decided to take a look at New York’s
Scuola d’Italia “Guglielmo Marconi” through
the eyes of one of its former students and
current board members. Despite significant
obstacles, the school board has decided to take
another leap toward improving the institution.
As President Steve Acunto announced in
an official statement, Scuola d’Italia “has
undertaken steps toward the purchase of a
property in Manhattan that will give [them]
100,000 plus square feet. The area of the
facility is 3-4 times as large as [their] present
total square footage and will be built to offer
a greatly improved, far more advanced school
facility to accommodate the top competitive
prep school that [they] envision.” If all goes as
planned, the deal will be closed this summer.
Dr. Francesca Verga, a surgeon in New York,
sat down with us to talk about the past,
present and future of an institution that is
vital to keeping Italian culture alive—a school
that stands to become a leading light in global
education.
Left: Francesca Verga. Right: At the Consulate
General of Italy in New York: Ms. Verga with Italy’s
Minister of Heritage and Cultural Activities Dario
Franceschini (top) and Consul General Natalia
Quintavalle (bottom).
Discovering a tiny little school
But first a little about Dr. Verga. “I never
thought I would live in New York,” she says. “I
was raised in Rome. I really wanted to become
a doctor. I met my husband, a French-Italian,
when he was a medical student. He wanted to
specialize in plastic surgery in the US. At the
time, that possibility didn’t exist in Europe, so
he came here and I went with him.”
In 1976, the young wife faced many obstacles
on the road to becoming a doctor. As an
Italian, she couldn’t obtain a loan to study
in the US. In order to study medicine in
Italy, she had to have a high school degree
from a scientific institute. That’s when she
discovered a small Italian school in New York,
where, in 1978, she obtained her degree. The
doors swung open. Verga entered a school
of medicine in Italy, which she successfully
completed while traveling back and forth
from Rome to New York.
“The school was tiny! It was impossible to
imagine the headway it would make. We
have to thank the foresight of Ambassador
Alessandro Cortese de Bosis. I’d get to school
www.i-Italy.org
in the morning and it was like being greeted by
a real family. There were students of all ages,
Italian Americans facing the same issue: how
to obtain a degree that allowed them to study
in Italy.”
The first steps
Slowly but surely, the school began to grow.
First located between Park and Madison, it
later moved into the Church of Our Lady of
Pompeii. When Verga’s 14-year-old brother
came to New York, he too enrolled in the
school. “That’s how I stayed in touch with
what had become my second family. I was
there through all of its problems, especially
its financial problems. It wasn’t in a position
to compete with other schools back then,
even though its student body kept growing.”
Scuola d’Italia made its first major
breakthrough when it purchased a
building on 96th Street. But the turning
point, according to Verga, occurred when
Maria Bianca Padolecchia took over as
headmistress. “The school was on equal
standing with Italian state schools, but it had
yet to meet the standards of independent
schools in America. Maria Bianca understood
that second step was crucial. Scuola d’Italia
needed recognition from the Board of
Regents of the State of New York. And she
succeeded in getting it. For those who come
to study at Scuola d’Italia today, it’s as if they
were studying at an American school. At the
same time, they have the real privilege of
attending a bilingual and bicultural school.”
improvements and scholarships. “Capital
campaigning” requires finding funds to
acquire larger spaces to make a school truly
competitive by expanding its educational
program and enrolling more students. Today
the school has 300 students, but the number
of applicants continues to rise. “We have to
go forward with a new building for today’s
students and tomorrow’s. If we stop now,
we’ll be taking a step backward…Instead,”
continues Verga. “We have to aim high. We
have to keep sending students to the best
universities in the world. We face global
challenges today and a school like ours can
be extremely important for facing them.”
The recent developments augur an
important step forward not only for
the school, but also for Italy’s image.
Once the Scuola d’Italia in New York
has been consolidated, says Verga,
other schools with the same educational
model will open, satellite schools that will
also disseminate Italian culture. “I was
struck by the fact,” she concludes, “that
the French President spent three hours in
New York’s French school. My dream is
that when the President of the Republic or
the Prime Minister of Italy is abroad, he will
make use of the School’s facilities. Italians
living abroad are an asset to our country and
are valued throughout the world.”
●●
Providing a global education
For years now, Verga has been an effective
and fervent participant in the life of the
school. “I’m grateful to the school for helping
me maintain contact with Italy. When I was a
student, there was no telephone, no Internet,
and Italy was far away. Thanks to the school,
I not only succeeded in becoming a doctor. I
also remained close to my country.”
Meanwhile the school continues to grow,
and as it grows, it changes. No longer
exclusive to the children of Italian diplomats
and professionals temporarily living in
New York, the school boasts an important
international presence now. “It’s a school
for everyone,” says Verga. “It promises and
provides a global education. It’s not a school
for the future, but a school for building the
future today.” Hence the board’s efforts to
increase the school’s standing on a European
level. There will be a third language, and the
NSERC BBA International must be obtained to
allow the students to gain access to the best
universities around the world.”
“We have to aim high”
Besides being a member of the board, Verga
has long overseen the school’s annual
gala, promoted its image, and helped with
fundraising. Nowadays fundraising is not
only about raising money for technological
●● FEEDING THE PLANET, CONNECTING THE WORLD
Flying Alitalia to Milan
in the Expo Year 2015
●● Alitalia and Etihad Airways are the
Official Global Airline Carriers for the highly
anticipated six-month event Expo Milano
2015.
“Feeding the Planet”
“Feeding the Planet, Energy for Life” is the
core theme of the World Expo, a large-scale
event that is held every five years for the
global community to share innovations and
make progress on issues of international
importance, such as economic development,
sustainability, and improved quality of
life for the world’s population. Over the
six-month period between May 1 and
October 31, more than 140 participating
countries will showcase the best of their
technology designed to guarantee healthy,
safe and sufficient food for everyone, while
respecting the Planet and its equilibrium.
The Expo will also host international
organizations, and expects to welcome over
20 million visitors to its 1.1 million square
meters of exhibition area.
pavilion will be encouraged to delve into the
social media world and learn more about the
airlines’ destinations, aircrafts, products and
services, as well as the event’s key themes. ●●
“Connecting the World”
As Official Global Airline Carriers of the event,
Alitalia and Etihad Airways, under the theme
“Connecting the World”, will play a key role
in bringing international visitors to Expo
Milano 2015. Both airlines will exhibit at Expo
with a joint pavilion measuring 1,150 square
meters. Empowered by modern technology,
visitors to the Alitalia and Etihad Airways
Best Airline Cuisine
A superior dining experience
inspired by Italy’s culturally diverse
regions. Distinctive recipes are
created by distinguished Italian
chefs and paired with wines
selected by the Italian Sommelier
Foundation..
For the fifth consecutive year, Alitalia received the award for Best
Airline Cuisine in Global Traveler’s 2014 GT Tested Reader Survey,
reaffirming Alitalia’s commitment to creating a superior dining
experience inspired by Italy’s culturally diverse regions. Menus
served on board are known for the quality and authenticity
that embody the uniqueness and essence of Italian cuisine. The
distinctive recipes created by the genius and imagination of
distinguished Italian chefs are paired with wines selected by the
Italian Sommelier Foundation.
www.i-Italy.org
BE A PART OF THIS WORLD CHANGING EVENT!
DON’T MISS THE OPPORTUNITY TO
VISIT EXPO MILANO 2015 WITH DAILY
NON-STOP FLIGHTS FROM NEW YORK
TO MILAN MALPENSA ON ALITALIA.
DISCOVER OUR PAVILION
Ground Floor: ● Social Hub and interactive
activities ● Sales space ● Imagination
Lounge that will host a calendar of events.
First Floor - VIP Lounge: ● VIP Dining ●
Product showcase ● Boardroom ● House
of protocol.
ENTRY PASSES TO EXPO MILANO 2015 ARE AVAILABLE THROUGH
ALITALIA.COM AND ETIHAD.COM. PURCHASE YOUR EXPO ENTRY PASS
BY APRIL 30, 2015 AND RECEIVE A 20% DISCOUNT.
The Official
EXPO Livery
To mark this important global
event, Alitalia and Etihad Airways
have painted and completely personalized two A330-200 aircraft
with the EXPO Milano 2015 artwork and colors. While traveling
the globe, both aircrafts, with their
special eye-catching liveries, have
become ambassadors of the event
throughout the world.
www.eatalyny.com
CHEF’S KITCHEN
Mon, Mar 09, 6:30PM - 8:00PM
MEATLESS MONDAY IN UMBRIA - $100
Tue, Mar 10, 6:00PM - 7:30PM
LIDIA’S EGG-CITING FARM ADVENTURE
CLASS - OPEN TO KIDS & PARENTS - $135
Sat, Mar 14, 2:00PM - 3:30PM
A SAUCE FOR EACH DISH - $100
Sat, Mar 14, 7:00PM - 8:30PM
SUNDAY SUPPERS - $100
Mon, Mar 16, 6:30PM - 8:00PM
GET TO KNOW GNOCCHI - $100
Tue, Mar 17, 6:30PM - 8:00PM
PASTA 101 - $100
Wed, Mar 18, 6:30PM - 8:00PM
ITALIAN PANTRY - $100
Tue, Mar 24, 6:30PM - 8:00PM
LA CUCINA POVERA - $100
Wed, Mar 25, 6:30PM - 8:00PM
SPRING IN ROME - $100
Sat, Mar 28, 7:00PM - 8:30PM
THE ART OF WINTER RISOTTO - $100
Mon, Mar 30, 6:30PM - 8:00PM
A NIGHT WITH THE MASTERS: EXPLORING
THE BEST EATALY HAS TO OFFER - $120
Wed, Apr 01, 6:30PM - 8:00PM
CUCINA EBRAICA - $100
Fri, Apr 03, 6:30PM - 8:00PM
SUNDAY SUPPERS: EASTER EDITION - $100
Thu, Apr 09, 6:30PM - 8:00PM
SPRING IN ROME - $100
Thursday, April 16
VENICE ON A PLATE WITH CONTESSA
ENRICA ROCCA - $110
Sat, Apr 18, 7:00PM - 8:30PM
THE ART OF SPRING RISOTTO - $100
Mon, Apr 20, 6:30PM - 8:00PM
DISCOVER THE TASTE OF TOSCANA
WITH ACQUA PANNA - $90
Tue, Apr 21, 6:30PM - 8:00PM
GET TO KNOW GNOCCHI: SAVORY
TO SWEET - $100
SPOTLIGHT ON ARTISANAL PRODUCTS
Fri, Mar 20, 6:30PM - 8:00PM
LOTS OF MOZZ(ARELLA) - $100
Sat, Mar 21, 2:00PM - 3:30PM
FORMAGGIO & VINO DEL SUD - $75
Mon, Apr 10, 6:30PM - 8:00PM
DISCOVER THE TASTE OF TOSCANA
WITH ACQUA PANNA - $90
Sat, Apr 18, 2:00PM - 3:30PM
FORMAGGIO & VINO: RAW MILK CHEESES - $75
Wed, Apr 29, 6:30PM - 8:00PM
LOTS OF MOZZ(ARELLA) - $100
DRINK BETTER, LEARN BETTER
Thu, Mar 26, 6:30PM - 8:00PM
BEST OF EATALY VINO: WINTER EDITION - $90
SPECIAL EVENTS
Sun, Apr 12, 7:00PM - 9:00PM
DINNER WITH THE BREWERS: SMUTTYNOSE BREWING
AT EATALY’S BIRRERIA- $85
CHEF’S WORKSHOP
Wed, Mar 11, 6:00PM - 8:00PM
& Wed, Apr 15, 6:00PM - 8:00PM
A HANDS-ON PIZZA PARTY WITH ROSSOPOMODORO - $125
This is only a selectionof the
events at La Scuola di Eataly.
For more info check the website:
www.eataly.com/nyc-school
www.i-Italy.org
legend
This is only a selection of the forthcoming Italian events in New York.
For the full calendar point and shoot with your smartphone, or go to www.i-italy.org
Conferences
& Seminars
Book
presentation
Arts &
Exhibits
Cinema
& Theatre
Music &
Concerts
Events
Food
& Wine
Fashion
& Design
●● DEBUT PERFORMANCE ON APRIL 21, AT THE MORGAN LIBRARY
Being Leonardo Da Vinci: The
Real Life of an Italian Genius
In a challenging
performance that has never
before been attempted, I
physically become
Leonardo, wearing period
costumes and
reconstructive makeup to
render a true likeness of the
genius. “My” Leonardo
answers 52 questions in the
guise of philosopher,
scientist, painter, inventor,
architect, geologist,
botanist and doctor. The
text is culled from
Leonardo’s own works so
that this imaginary
interview recreates his real
Renaissance idiom.
by Massimiliano Finazzer
Flory
●● “We urgently need a science
that honors and respects the
unity of all life, recognizes the
fundamental interdependence
of all natural phenomena, and
reconnects us with the living
Earth. What we need today
is exactly the kind of science
Leonardo da Vinci anticipated
and outlined 500 years ago, at the
end of the Renaissance and the
dawn of modern science.” So said
one of my dear friends, Berkeley
physicist Fritjof Capra, and it’s a
statement I can get behind.
My performance, “Being
Leonardo da Vinci,” depicts the
www.i-Italy.org
Finazzer Flory reconstructed as Leonardo
(Photo by Giovanni Gastel)
real life of the Italian genius by
bringing art history, science and
contemporary dance to the stage.
The show takes the form of an
“impossible” interview, in which
I physically become Leonardo,
wearing period costumes and
reconstructive makeup to render
a true likeness of the genius,
and reconstruct his Renaissance
idiom; the text is culled
from Leonardo’s own works,
including his famous Treatise
on Painting. Such a challenging
performance has never before
been attempted. “My” Leonardo
answers 52 questions in the
guise of philosopher, scientist,
painter, inventor, architect,
geologist, botanist and doctor.
Leonardo, after all, encompasses
everything, and to answer the
question “Who is Leonardo?” we
may concentrate on the painter,
but we have to understand that
without Leonardo the scientist,
there is no Leonardo the man.
The 52 questions touch on
his childhood, his dreams, his
civic and military work, how
one becomes a “good painter,”
and the relationship between
science and painting, sculpture
and painting, and music and
painting. Leonardo holds forth on
anatomy, experience and nature.
He comments on the apostles in
The Last Supper, discusses his
passion for and obsession with
water, argues for the primacy
of sight as the most important
of our senses, alludes to the
fashion of his day, responds to
his enemies’ attacks, explains the
motions of the soul, prophesies
Events
When, Where & What: New York’s Morgan Library, April 21, debut
performance plus a look at Leonardo’s works currently held at the
library. Acqua di Parma is the main sponsor of the April 21st performance in New York. For more information, please visit:
www.finazzerflory.com
human flight and, finally,
dispenses aphorisms and advice
on how to live in this day and
age…
Years ago Mario Pomilio wrote:
“I always believed deeply in the
artist who talks about himself;
and that, indeed, the best rereadings of a text occur each
time we succeed in revisiting
the world the author intended.
The more I must believe in
Leonardo, who proved so aware
[of his own intended world] as
to leave us not the first treatise
of painting, but rather the first,
in a modern sense, ‘poetry’
that no artist had hitherto
attempted to conceive.” These
words led me to believe that an
imaginary interview is the one
appropriate mise-en-scène that
can capture the relationship
between memory and the
imagination. Only an interview
allows Leonardo to address the
pressing questions of our day
and age, turning the theater
into a place in which we can
experience his way of thinking,
his notion of a universal culture.
Because the theater is the place
where truth is overheard. We’ve
all seen the works of Leonardo,
but none of us has stopped to
listen to him speak.
His real features, the gestures
and gazes that have been
carefully studied so as to give
us a familiar image of Leonardo,
help recreate a profile shrouded
in mystery. The stark, deliberate
contrast with a contemporary
image of the interviewer
underscores the revolutionary
cast of Leonardo’s mind.
And the contemporary dance,
choreographed by Michela
Lucenti and performed by two
dancers, is inspired by one of
Leonardo’s most celebrated
drawings, The Vitruvian
Man, drawn around 1490 and
currently kept in the Gallerie
dell’Accademia in Venice. In
an extraordinarily harmonious
blend of space and movement,
the two dancers bring to life a
rich and highly technical dance,
almost scientifically replicating
Leonardo’s anthropomorphic
model.
Da Vinci, the great genius of
the Renaissance, has been the
subject of hundreds of books,
both popular and academic.
Capra has written about
him well, yet there remain
few books about Leonardo’s
science. To appreciate the
range of his genius, we must
understand the evolution of his
thought and how it is linked
to various disciplines. Art
helped Leonardo advance his
persistent explorations of life’s
secrets. Leonardian synthesis is
a synthesis of art, science and
design, and in each area he sees
nature as a guide and model.
Yet Leonardo understood
perfectly well that in the end,
nature and the origins of life
would remain a mystery. As art
historian Kenneth Clark writes,
“Mystery for Leonardo was a
shadow, a smile, and a finger
pointing into darkness.”
●●
APRIL 10. FILM SCREENING AT THE CENTER FOR ITALIAN MODERN ART
Massimiliano Finazzer Flory’s Marinetti in New York. The Movie
This special movie co-produced by i-ItalyTV
portrays the founder of the Futurist movement as he
journeys in New York City, the perfect embodiment
of Marinetti’s project. Created, directed and starring
Massimiliano Finazzer Flory. Co-directed by Matteo
Banfo and Mattia Minasi.
The film was screened earlier this year in Rome and
Los Angeles, and a TV adaptation aired as a special
i-ItalyNY episode on NYCTV. Now New Yorkers can
see it during a special event at CIMA. Massimiliano
Finazzer Flory will moderate the event..
Watch the trailer on your smartphone
www.i-Italy.org
Events
●● AT THE CENTER FOR ITALIAN MODERN ART IN SOHO, UNTIL JUNE 27
Medardo Rosso, Sculptor of Light
A conversation about the
life of Medardo Rosso
(Turin, 1858 - Milan, 1928),
and his relationship to New
York. i-Italy talks to Laura
Mattioli, Founder and
President of the Center for
Italian Modern Art, and
Danila Marsule Rosso,
President of the Museo
Medardo Rosso and the
sculptor’s greatgranddaughter.
Left: Bookmaker, 1894.
© Private collection.
Below: Enfant malade
(Sick Child), 1889. ©
Raymond and Patsy
Nasher Collection,
Dallas, Texas.
Ms. Mattioli, what is the
connection between the
artist and New York?
by Mila Tenaglia
●● Medardo Rosso is the star
of the second annual show at
CIMA, the Center for Italian
Modern Art. On display in this
comprehensive and carefully
curated retrospective are
not only his bronze, marble
and wax sculptures but also
original photographs, prints and
drawings.
“The hope of the show is to
encourage studies of the artist
by raising questions and ideas
that will spark discussion and
flesh out his themes with a new,
fresh eye,” says Laura Mattioli,
welcoming us into the kitchen of
CIMA’s luminous Soho loft for an
espresso. She and Danila stroll
among sculptures that seem to
be watching us and photographs
of Medardo Rosso redolent of a
bygone era.
Danila Marsule Rosso, Medardo
Rosso’s great-granddaughter,
explains his “uncomfortable”
role in the family and his unique
personality, re-telling stories she
heard from her grandparents.
Ms. Rosso, would you tell us
how are your great-granfather
and his work remembered in
your family?
Medardo Rosso began his artistic
career in Milan and undertook
the bohemian life at the end
of the 1800s. He was always a
www.i-Italy.org
and his innovative style won him
many imitators. And that meant
people were interested in him.
We organized exhibits in Europe:
of his photography in Berlin in
2006, in Venice in 2007, and at the
Boijmans Museum in Rotterdam
in February 2014. (Smiling) Now
we have finally reached his
beloved New York, and CIMA
seemed to me to be the best
space in which to introduce
Americans to Medardo Rosso.
rebel, but he was talented
too. He was very good at
drawing and won awards at
school for penmanship, given his
great technical skill.
Then he left the family to go to
Paris, having understood that
if he stayed in Milan he would
never evolve and achieve the
success he desired. He had a lot
of problems when he arrived in
France. He had no money and
even wound up in the hospital
because he was dying of hunger
and cold. He lived in a basement
apartment…until he managed to
get his own studio after his work
began to garner recognition and
admiration.
As my grandmother tells it,
Medardo was a very difficult,
peculiar personality: he kept odd
hours and came back home at all
hours. He’d give my grandmother
dolls then take them away.
Francesco, the youngest son, was
put to work immediately to make
up for his father’s absence…in
short, he’s someone the family
holds at arm’s length.
You are the proprietor of the
Medardo Rosso Museum in
Barzio and the family archive.
When did you begin this
business?
In the 1990s, when my
grandmother died. I began
taking a personal interest in the
Medardo Rosso archive, studying
the documents, reestablishing
contacts, and creating order
out of the chaos that had been
created. The result was to
give logical and philological
sense to Medardo’s body of
work—the letters, writings and
photographs. The Museo Rosso
then helped sponsor the 2009
publication of Medardo Rosso.
Catalogo Ragionato della scultura,
published by Skira Editore.
Rosso achieved great success
Besides being known in
Europe in the 1950s and 1960s,
Medardo Rosso was also known
in New York. He had a show
at MOMA, and for him it was
like his consecration. Margaret
Scolari Barri, the art historian
and founding director of MOMA,
wrote exceptional essays on
Medardo Rosso. But the attention
he aroused in the U.S.
dwindled over time.
There were few public
exhibits after that period,
and critical studies have
changed a lot since then. They
have focused on other subjects,
like photography. Medardo
Rosso was aware that he was
doing work that no one in his
lifetime could understand. He
was doing experimental work,
re-photographing the same
prints again and again, changing
the exposure, increasing the
contrasts to make them more
evanescent. We have curated
an exhibit that fully reflects
his artistic and thematic
transformations via the lens
of photography, sculpture and
drawing. For those who have yet
to see the retrospective, the show
will be up until June 27.
●●
Watch this
interview on
i-ItalyTV
Events
●● THE FIRST ITALIAN BOOKSTORE IN THE UNITED STATES REOPENS IN NEW YORK
Vanni: Germinating From Old Roots
In 1884 S F Vanni opened
the first Italian bookstore
(at 548 West Broadway);
bookseller and publisher
Andrea Ragusa brought it
into the 20th century on
Bleecker Street and then to
its present address, at 30 W
12th Street. It was closed in
2004 and now reopens
thanks to Centro Primo
Levi, which has established
itself a platform providing
access to resources on
Italian Jewish Studies and
current affairs.
by Alessandro Cassin
●● Reopening the landmark
bookstore S F Vanni has been
a longtime dream for us at
Centro Primo Levi. We are finally
about to realize this dream,
in an updated, 21st-century
incarnation.
The shop, in business from
1884 to 2004, reopens as a popup bookstore, cultural space,
and headquarters for our own
publishing imprint, CPL Editions.
In a city in constant
transformation, we believe in the
symbolic value of the places that
embody its cultural memory.The
Amato Opera Theater was forced
to shut its doors for good in 2009,
the last of several downtown
independent Italian institutions.
We feel strongly that we need to
go against the current by reviving
and preserving the ancient
Italian tradition of independent
publishers and booksellers and
attempt to redefine this role in
the age of Amazon.
The new VANNI space has been
reimagined with help from
architect Bonnie Roche and
designer Jonathan Wajskol. The
first room of the two-room store
has become a multifunctional
space for book presentations,
Sante Fortunato Vanni in Italy with socialist journalist Claudio Treves and publisher Calogero Tumminelli.
lectures, and film screenings. The
second room —with the original
books published by S F Vanni—
will be preserved as ‘urban
archeology’. As one proceeds
inside, it becomes a journey back
in time, as it were, from color to
black and white.
The importation of Italian books
to New York began with Lorenzo
Da Ponte (Mozart’s librettist),
who brought his library to
Columbia University in 1805.
In 1884 S F Vanni opened the
Alessandro Cassin
Director Of Publishing
CPL Editions
first Italian bookstore (at 548
West Broadway); bookseller
and publisher Andrea Ragusa
brought it into the 20th century
on Bleecker Street and then to
its present address, at 30 W 12th
Street.
What strikes me about this
lineage—one that we are
proud to take part in— is that
it was carried out not by big
corporations, but by a handful of
visionary individuals. Another
powerful example is Paolo
Milano, the literary critic who
arrived in New York as a refugee
from the Racial Laws in the late
‘30s. His Portable Dante singlehandedly sparked fresh interest
in Italian literature throughout
American academia.
For the past fifteen years,
speared by Natalia Indrimi’s
unwavering commitment, Centro
Primo Levi has established itself
as a platform providing access
to resources on Italian Jewish
Studies and current affairs. CPL
Editions, our new publishing
venture, is a natural extension
of Centro Primo Levi’s online
presence and its role in bridging
the linguistic gap between Italy
and the English-speaking world.
Our publications, produced in
partnership with OR Books, will
be available as e-books and in
print-on-demand through the
free CPL Editions app, available
at iTunes.
We are deeply grateful to
Professor Olga Ragusa for giving
us the opportunity to link our
new adventure to this historyladen location.
●●
www.i-Italy.org
Events ➜ Calendar
daily
calendar
Mar 5
Lecture:
Deconstructing
Rome
6:00 pm
Casa Italiana Zerilli-Marimò
(NYU), 24 West 12th Street,
Manhattan
◗ casaitaliananyu.org
● A lecture by Federica Pedriali
(University of Edinburgh). This presentation uses Paolo Sorrentino’s La
grande bellezza (2013) and Gianfranco
Rosi’s Sacro Gra (2013) to frame a selective deconstruction of the Eternal City. Topics include the Genius
of Rome, Grand Narratives (focusing
on an evolving Roman mythology
driven by polarized qualifiers and
tags), Individual Trajectories (looking at the impact Rome has made
on travellers in different eras) and
Hope in Rome.
Mar 9
Aria di Commedia:
An Evening of
Italian Renaissance
Theater and Music
6:00 pm
Manhattan
● What do you get when you put
together a hungry servant, a knowit-all Latin-speaking doctor and a
string of sausages? You get Pazzi Lazzi in Aria di Commedia! You’ll giggle
at Dottore’s “little problem” and the
beautiful Flaminia’s long list of hapless suitors. Enjoy classic Commedia dell’Arte tricks and double entendres with a few modern twists!
Mar 10
Our American Days
6:00 pm
Italian Cultural
Institute,
686 Park Avenue, Manhattan
◗ iicnewyork.esteri.it/IIC_Newyork
● A Documentary by Chiara Barbo
www.i-Italy.org
and Andrea Magnani, produced by
Pilgrim Film with the support of the
Embassy of Italy in the US. Duration:
35 minutes. Through a collection of
interviews and archival footage, Our
American Days tells the story of life in
Trieste under the Allied Military Government (1945-1954).
IT
IN
L
ITALIAN CULTURE AT HOME
IN NEW YORK
LA CULTURA ITALIANA A NEW YORK
Mar 11
Mivos Quartet with
composer/soprano
Kate Soper
ITALIAN CULTURE AT HOME
IN NEW YORK
7:00 pm
The Italian Academy (Columbia
University), 1161 Amsterdam
Avenue, Manhattan
◗ italianacademy.columbia.edu
● Highlighting works for soprano
and string quartet, the Mivos Quartet will present a program featuring the world premiere of “Nadja,”
a large-scale composition for string
quartet and voice by composer/soprano Kate Soper, alongside works
by Clara Iannotta and Carlo Gesualdo, and Alban Berg’s Lyric Suite.
Mar 12
LA CULTURA ITALIANA A NEW YORK
The largest university-w
The largest
university-wide
in the Americas
dedicatr
in theItalian
Americas
dedicated
to
American
experi
Italian American experience
24 West 12th Street, New York, NY, 10011 - www.CasaItalianaNYU.org
24 West 12th Street
06-13_SERVIZI.indd 11
Il Dolce Suono – Ki
Kolech Arev - Jewish
and Christian Music
from Late Medieval Italy
7:00 pm
Stephen Wise Free Synagogue 30
West 68th Street
◗ http://salonsanctuary.org
● Italian polyphonic music in the
fourteenth century has been likened
to a “dazzling meteor” that flared up
quickly and abruptly fizzled out. One
of the most important towns in medieval Italy was the Republic of Florence, which rose to prominence in
the middle of the 14th century and
was home to polyphonic music.
Mar 13
Magic Books - The
Secret Art of Book
Hacking
www.casaitalianaNYU.org
1/22/13 1:58 AM
The largest university-wide research institute
The largest univer
in the Americas dedicated to the study of the
in the Americas de
Italian American
Queens College
City University
of N ew Y ork
25 West 43rd Street
New York, NY, 10036
http://qcpages.qc.edu/calandra
6:00 pm
Italian Cultural Institute,
● To improve their performance, we
tune up engines and hack computers. But what if we tuned up a book?
By altering its structure and content,
magical things may happen: volumes
with movable parts, pages offer-
The Institute publishes three books series and a scholarly jou
The largest university-wide
research
instituteSeries rescues from oblivion te
The Historical
Monograph
The Institute publishes three books series and a scholarly journal, Ita
in the Americas dedicated
to thepublishes
study of studies
the
Transactions
that are longer than the usua
The Historical Monograph Series rescues from oblivion texts that h
a monograph. Studies in Italian Americana publishes full
Transactions publishes studies that are longer than the usual journal
authored or collections of essays.
a monograph. Studies in Italian Americana publishes full-length
authored or collections of essays.
| March-April 2015 | i-Italy ny | 29
24 Westwww.i-ItalyNY.com
12th Street
The Institute publishes three books series and a scholarly journal, Italian American Review.
Events ➜ Calendar
ing cinematic experiences, images
appearing with a blow, non-linear
structures to predict the future,
pop-up magic shows… Magic Books
is an interactive exhibition retracing the story of the secret art of book
hacking from Medieval times to our
days: an unprecedented collection
of design principles through which
authors and publishers have extracted magical powers from plain
paper. Created by wonder-injector
Mariano Tomatis, the exhibition
will open on Friday March 13th with
a lecture and slideshow focused on
the Italian inf luence of the art of
book hacking - from 17th century
Venetian mind-reading books to
Bruno Munari’s magic shows on
paper. Spectators will be experience awe at the magical effects produced by the books on display and
the Cartesian pleasure of discovering the ingenious mechanisms behind the curtains. If you love Books
and Magic, you’ll be amazed by this
crossover exhibit!
Mar 13
Art Spiegelman &
Phillip Johnston:
Wordless!
7:00 pm
Avenue, Manhattan
● Art Spiegelman, noted as a historian and theorist of comics as
well as an artist, collaborates with
Phillip Johnston, the critically acclaimed jazz composer who wrote
all-new scores performed live with
his sextet. Johnston’s music accompanies the cartoonist’s personal tour of the first legitimate
“graphic novels”— silent picture
stories made by early 20th century
masters like Frans Masereel, Lynd
Ward, and Milt Gross—and their
influence on him.
Mar 23
Long Island Italian
Americans: History,
Heritage and
Tradition, by Salvatore
LaGumina
6:00 pm
John D. Calandra Italian American
Institute, Queens College/CUNY,
25 West 43rd Street, Manhattan
◗ qc.edu/calandra
● For Italian immigrants and their
descendants, moving from “the
city” to Long Island was more than
a change of address. It signaled that
the family had achieved the American dream, and in turn, elements of
Italian values and culture are visible
all over the island. Join author Dr.
Salvatore J. LaGumina as he offers a
specially prepared power point presentation on the remarkable contributions and vibrant culture of Long
Island Italian Americans. Book signing will follow.
Mar 25
Marie-Helene
Bertino reads from
2 A.M. at the Cat’s
Pajamas
6:00 pm
◗ qc.edu/calandra
● Madeleine Altimari is a sassy aspiring jazz singer—who just happens to be nine years old. As she
mourns the recent death of her
mother and takes care of her grieving, hermetic father, she doesn’t
realize that on Christmas Eve she
is about to have the most extraordinary day—and night—of her life.
On the same day, her fifth-grade
teacher Sarina Greene nervously
anticipates a dinner party that will
reunite her with an old love and
old friends. And across town at The
Cat’s Pajamas nightclub, the club’s
owner, Lorca, discovers that his
beloved haunt may have to close
forever, unless someone can find a
way to save it. 2 A.M. at the Cat’s Pajamas (Crown Publishers, 2014) tells
the lively and engaging tale of an
unlikely cast of characters thrown
together over the course of one important night. As the stories race to
the late-night climax, the paths of
these searching souls bend and skirt
around one another, only to collide
at the fateful hour.
Quartetto Maurice
7:00 pm e
The Italian Academy
(Columbia University), 1161
Amsterdam Avenue, Manhattan
● The Maurice Quartet was founded
in 2002 in Turin. In 2009 its members
graduated from the Special Quartet
Course in the Music School of Fiesole (Florence, Italy). The Quartet
collaborates with /nu/thing, a collective of Italian composers (Marco
Momi, Eric Maestri, Andrea Sarto,
Andrea Agostini, Raffaele Grimaldi, Daniele Ghisi). Program: Fausto
Romitelli: Natura morta con fiamme;
Andrea Agostini: Legno sabbia vetro
cenere; Ryan Carter: String Quartet
No. 4 (World Premiere); Steve Reich:
Triple Quartet.
Mar 27
Dante as a Political
Theorist:
Historicizing
Theology and
Theologizing Power
8:30 am to 12:30 pm
(NYU), 24 West 12th St
2:30am to 6:30pm
University), 1161 Amsterdam Ave
● Presented by New York University’s Department of Italian Studies, Casa Italiana Zerilli-Marimò
and the Medieval and Renaissance
Center. An International Symposium on Monarchia to launch the
Global Dante Project of New York.
Directors Maria Luisa Ardizzone,
NYU & Teodolinda Barolini, Columbia.
Mar 31
Adventures in
Italian Opera with
Fred Plotkin: A
Conversation with Renata
Scotto
6:30 pm
Manhattan
● The fifth Adventure in Italian Opera with Fred Plotkin this season will
feature legendary soprano Renata
Scotto, one of the greatest artists
to grace the Met stage, who has
given unforgettable and inimitable
performances spanning the entire
Italian repertory as well as memorable interpretations of works by
See the full
calendar
online
other composers. In addition to
her singing, Scotto also is one of
the finest actresses in opera and
has recently turned her attention
to stage direction.
Apr 8
Italian Scientific
Migration to the
United States after
the 1938 Racial Laws, by
Alessandra Gissi,
University of Naples
“L’Orientale”
6:00 pm
◗ qc.edu/calandra
● The Fascist government’s 1938
anti-Semitic Racial Laws prompted
a major migration of Italian intellectuals to the United States. While
historiography has devoted considerable attention to the issue of scientific migration during the 1930s,
scholars have mostly overlooked
the Italian case. Drawing on individual biographies, institutional histories, and theoretical contributions,
Alessandra Gissi provides a new analytic approach to the topic. Using
a wide range of sources, principally
the records of the Emergency Committee in Aid of Displaced Foreign
Scholars, Gissi challenges the idea
that the Italian scientific wave of
immigration to the United States
was simply an exile or an escape.
Rather, it presented traits typical of
migration, such as the placement of
scholars via a system of migration
networks.
Talea Ensemble:
Music of Pierluigi
Billone!
7:00 pm
Avenue, Manhattan
● “A crucial part of the New York
cultural ecosphere” (says The New
York Times), the Talea Ensemble
is the Recipient of the 2013 CMA/
ASCAP Award for Adventurous Programming. It has given premiere
performances of many important
world and US works by composers
including Pierre Boulez, Tristan
Murail, Olga Neuwirth, John Zorn,
Unsuk Chin, Rand Steiger, Beat Furrer, and Fausto Romitelli. Program:
Legno.Edre III.Ini (2003) World Pre-
www.i-Italy.org
Events ➜ Calendar
miere Mani.Matta (2008) Ebe und Anders (2014) US Premiere.
In the Name of
Father and Son:
Italian Migrations in
the Art of Joseph and
William Papaleo
7:00 pm
Westchester Italian Cultural
Center, One Generoso Pope Place,
Tuckahoe, NY
◗ wiccny.org
● Joseph Papaleo (1925 - 2004) was
considered the grandfather of Italian
American writing. He was a bestselling author who won the Guggenheim and American Book Award, and
was nominated for the Pulitzer Prize
Award for his short stories collection,
Italian Stories. Joseph Papaleo retained a profound sense of inferiority
about his Italian identity throughout
his career. From a reading of some
of Joseph Papaleo’s writing, Professor Fred Gardaphe will analyze not
only the inner conflict between the
success and inferiority, but also the
influence the Italian American identity has had in the development of
the art and life of William Papaleo.
Apr 9
Book presentation:
Making a Film, by
Federico Fellini
6:30 pm
Italian Cultural Institute,
● Federico Fellini’s Fare un film (1980)
is the most comprehensive collection
of the idiosyncratic Italian director’s
writings available in any language.
The contents were culled from a variety of sources long out of print, including interviews, autobiographical
pieces, and materials that initially
appeared as supplements to published screenplays. Panelists: Antonio Monda (NYU), Wendy Keys (Film
Society Lincoln Center), Christopher
Burton-White (translator). Followed
by the screening of the film Toby Dammitt (1968).
Music of Handel,
Steffani, and
Monteverdi
7:0 pm
The Morgan Library & Museum,
225 Madison Avenue, Manhattan
◗ themorgan.org
● In celebration of their twenty-fifth
concert season, Boston Early Music
www.i-Italy.org
Festival will begin their series at
the Morgan with a performance
featuring their Chamber and Vocal
Ensembles performing Monteverdi
madrigals.
Apr 20
Collina Italiana
ITALIAN LANGUAGE AND CULTURAL CENTER
Adventures in
Italian Opera with
Fred Plotkin: A
Conversation with Piotr
Beczala
Spring Session
Winter
March 16th
starts January
5th
6:30 pm
Manhattan
● The sixth and final Adventure in
Italian Opera with Fred Plotkin of this
season will feature tenor Piotr Beczala, who has sung opening nights
at the Met, La Scala and many leading opera houses. He is admired for
his beautiful voice, sensitive artistry and noble stage presence. He will
be appearing in a new production of
Tchaikovsky’s Iolanta at the Met and
then sing Gustavo III in Un Ballo in
Maschera for his first performances
of the role in New York.
Apr 22
Brain Science Now:
Treatment and
Discoveries from
Italian Scientists at the
Academy
6:00 pm
Avenue, Manhattan
● The Academy devotes serious
resources to neuroscience, sponsoring multiple fellowships each
year in the field and presenting annual public symposia with leading
researchers from across the globe.
To spotlight the promising younger
researchers who come from Italy to
Columbia, the Academy has organized this panel with former Italian
Academy Fellows Tiziano Colibazzi,
Francesca Bartolini, Luana Fioriti,
Franco Pestilli, and Francesca Zanderigo. Moderator Stefano Fusi.
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Bambini
Ages
2-5
AIldrop-off
playgroup.
may join
in on
the
fun every Mon., Tues. & Thurs. from 9-12 on an as
A drop-off
playgroup. Children may join in on
needed
basis.
the fun every Tues. & Thurs. from 9-12 on an as
New! Survival
Kit Expo Milano 2015!
needed
basis.
Create,
Draw Ages 3-5 & 7-12
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withAct,
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fosters enhanced learning Italian
Tutoringthat
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@ 87th, Suite 603
212.427.7770
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Events ➜ Calendar
Apr 22
How Italian Are You?
The New Italian
American Identity
6:30 pm
Tuckahoe, NY
◗ wiccny.org
Liuzzo & Associates is dedicated to securing
nonimmigrant working visas and status, U.S.
permanent residence, corporate compliance
programs, citizenship, naturalization, and
expatriation matters for its clients. As a firm
whose practice is exclusively focused on U.S.
Immigration and Naturalization law, we
successfully represent all foreign individuals
and corporate entities. From artists to
multinational corporate executives, Liuzzo &
Associates assists its clients in determining
the most appropriate and efficient strategy to
meet their objectives.
Given the prominence of immigration issues
in today’s political climate, recent arrivals to
the U.S. are in need of reliable and
comprehensive advice upon which to base
their future plans. Liuzzo & Associates is
ideally positioned at the forefront of
immigration regulatory changes, keeping pace
with evolving laws as well as our clients’
expectations.
● Through the understanding of factors that influence Italian American
identity, and the ways in which they
affect individuals’ daily lives, Dr. Ilaria
Serra analyzes the self-representation
of Italian Americans and the self- perception of representations suggested
by others of the Italian American
community. She will also reflect on
the meaning that Italian heritage has
in the daily lives of younger generations and how it affects their values,
behaviors, attitudes, beliefs, and image of Italy and the Italian.
Apr 24
Music of Serge
Prokofiev
Maryland to
Murano. Neckpieces
and Sculptures by
Joyce J. Scott
MAD, Museum of Art and Design
2 Columbus Circle
◗ http://madmuseum.org
● In Joyce J. Scott’s hands, human
adornment becomes a vehicle for
social commentary and a means for
confronting contentious issues affecting contemporary society. The
exhibition, organized by MAD’s
Chief Curator Lowery Stokes Sims
and curatorial assistant Sophia
Merkin, examines the relationship
between Joyce J. Scott’s beaded and
constructed jewelry and her more
recent figural work executed at the
Berengo Studio in Murano, Italy.
Till Jun 14
● A recital of popular and rare works
by Sergei Prokofiev, featuring soprano Erika Baikoff and pianists Sergei
Dreznin and Barbara Nissman, to
celebrate the opening of the Prokofiev
Archive at Columbia’s Rare Book and
Manuscripts Library.
MOBIA - Museum of
Biblical Art, 1865 Broadway at 61st
Street
◗ http://mobia.org
Apr 25
11:30 am; 12:30 pm
BAM, Brooklyn Academy of Music,
30 Lafayette Avenue, Brooklyn
◗ http://www.bam.org
Till Mar 22
7:30 pm
Avenue, Manhattan
The Met: Live in HD:
Cavalleria
Rusticana/Pagliacci
One Penn Plaza, Suite 2016 • New York, NY 10119
Tel: 212.736.2100 • Fax: 212.736.2159
[email protected] • www.liuzzolaw.com
ongoing
events
● Opera’s most enduring tragic double
bill returns in an evocative new production from Sir David McVicar, who sets
the action across two time periods in
the same Sicilian village. Marcelo Álvarez rises to the challenge of playing
the dual tenor roles of Turiddu in Cavalleria Rusticana and Canio in Pagliacci. Rae
Smith (War Horse) designs Cavalleria’s
moody, atmospheric setting of a village
square in 1900, which is then transformed into a 1948 truck stop for the
doomed vaudeville troupe of Pagliacci.
Sculpture in the Age
of Donatello
● Twenty-three masterpieces of early
Florentine Renaissance sculpture—
most never seen outside Italy—will be
exhibited at MOBIA as the centerpiece
of the museum’s tenth anniversary
season. These works—by Donatello,
Brunelleschi, Nanni di Banco, Luca
della Robbia and others—were made
in the first decades of the fifteenth
century for the Florence Cathedral
(“Il Duomo”), which was then in the
last phase of its construction, and are
figural complements to Brunelleschi’s
soaring dome, conveying a sense of
courage and human potential.
Mar 20-29
Malastrana Film
Series Presents:
“The Killer Must Kill
Again! Giallo Fever, Part 2”
Anthology Film Archives
32 Second Avenue
◗ http://anthologyfilmarchives.org
● They are back in town! Armed with
www.i-Italy.org
Events ➜ Calendar
sharper knives, shinier leather gloves
and even more deranged motives,
“The Killer Must Kill Again!: Giallo
Fever Part 2” picks up where the first
series left off, bringing 12 classic and
under-screened Italian gialli (noir) to
the Big Apple in rare 35mm prints. The
term giallo, literally “yellow” in Italian,
originally referred to a series of crime
novels with trademark yellow covers.
Mar 25-Apr 25
Come to Bed!
Curated by Roya
Sachs
BOSI Contemporary Gallery,
48 Orchard Street
◗ www.bosicontemporary.com
● Come To Bed! explores themes of
communication in the bedroom, the
setting where we spend a third of our
lives. The all-female show will focus
on three forms of bedroom communication: pillow talk, self-reflection, and
technology.
Mar 27-May 22
Identity - Horizons
& Colors. Salerno &
The Amalfi Coast
Tuckahoe, NY
◗ wiccny.org
● William Papaleo is an American artist who lived and worked in Italy for
over 20 years. His artwork was influenced by the art philosophy of Robert
Henri as an expression of contemporary social realities, rooted in the humanistic, figurative tradition. Many
years ago he relocated to Italy and
chose to live and paint in the south,
specifically in Naples and the Amalfi
Coast. He wanted to paint life and not
just study the past grandeurs of the
artistic tradition. Naples and southern Italy offered him the possibility to
do both. On display are a series of oils,
pastels, watercolors, and ceramics
that were inspired by his many years
living in the region. Papaleo’s paintings have been on exhibit in museums and galleries across Europe and
the United States, and he has received
various international awards in Italy
and America. Presently he is being
represented by Ethan Coen at ECFA in
New York, and The Wohlfarth Galleries in Washington D.C., and in Cape
Cod, MA. In the past few years, he has
collaborated with the Royal College of
Art in London and the University HDM
www.i-Italy.org
of Stuttgart, Germany, during a series
of international painting workshops
for European college students. He has
taught painting at the University of
California in Naples, Italy, and at the
Castle Hill Center for the Arts in Truro,
Massachusetts. He studied with Robert Beverly Hale at the Art Students
League in New York City and Henry
Hensche at the Cape School of Art in
Massachusetts. In Italy he studied
at the Accademia delle Belle Arti in
Naples and worked on church fresco
technique with Antonio Montagna in
Piemonte.
Mar 31 - Apr 15
The Italian Catholic
Community in New York
INVITES YOU
Santa Messa in Italiano
Holy Mass in Italian
OGNI SABATO alle 6:30pm
animata dal Coro SOL TELEMATER
e DOMENICA alle 11:00am
nella Chiesa di Our Lady of Pompeii
25 Carmine Street, NYC
Italian string
instruments
Italian Cultural
Institute, 686 Park Avenue
● The exhibition will present Italian
string instruments coming from four
different cities, and made from the
17th to the 20th century. In particular, the only surviving violin made by
Giovanni Pietro Caspani in 1657 will
be shown. The instruments, property
of the luthier and violin dealer Christophe Landon, will be played in an
opening event by the Italian violinist
Emanuele De Biase
Apr24-25
Bambini, Ragazzi,
Giovani: Children
and Youth in Italy
and the Italian Diaspora
Institute, Queens College (CUNY),
25 West 43rd Street
◗ qc.edu/calandra
● The Italian family has been a quintessential subject for scholarly research and creative work in Italy and
among various diasporic communities, with matters relating to children
and youth receiving significant exploration. Working from interdisciplinary
and transnational and perspectives,
this conference seeks to expand and
update knowledge concerning historical and contemporary childhood and
youth in Italy and among the diaspora
and former colonial sites.
Download our
iPhone app
Welcome TeleMATER
The brand new TELEVISION for the
ITALIAN CATHOLICS IN AMERICA
BROADCASTING IN ITALIAN 24/7
Every day: News, Daily Prayers, Messages
from Pope Francis, Live Holy Masses from
OLP Church in NYC, Spiritual & Faith based
Talks, and more!
FOR FREE SUBSCRIPTION
until August 25, 2015
SUBSCRIBE ONLINE :
www.telemater.org
and enter promo
code at checkout:
6MONTHSPROMO
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E' bello essere Cattolici Italiani in America:
facciamo comunita': è piu' bello insieme!
Dining Out
RESTAURANTS+PIZZERIAS+WINE BARS
●● THE FIFTH ANNIVERSARY OF TONY AND MARISA MAY’S FLATIRON GEM
SD26: The Rigor of Creativity
What’s Tony May’s secret?
How does he manage to
keep riding high on the
wave of modern Italian
haute cuisine? Originally
from Torre del Greco
(Naples) at twenty-six he
set out to conquer America.
And he did, founding half a
dozen restaurants in New
York. His last creation,
SD26 recently turned five
years old. Here Tony is
flanked by his daughter
Marisa, one of a handful of
New York women to have
successfully thrown
themselves into the
restaurant industry.
by L. A.
●● For over four decades May,
the paladin of fine dining, has
worked to introduce diners
to quality Italian cuisine. May
surrounds himself with a close-
It’s been five years since we opened
the doors to SD26 and now we feel it’s
important to to ensure that the legacy of
fine Italian cuisine lives on.
knit team, as creative as they are
scrupulous and determined.
Five years ago, May embarked
on a new venture: SD26, a triplelevel restaurant on Madison
Square Park North. Besides
winning immediate recognition
Tony & Marisa on i-Italy | TV
as the center of modern Italian
cuisine, this unforgettable
spot on 9 East 26th Street, with
views of the Flatiron Building,
represents one of the greatest
legacies in the Italian food
industry outside of Italy.
Flanking Tony is his daughter
Marisa, who, in recent years, has
helped her father manage SD26
with style and expertise. Marisa
is one of a handful of New York
women to have successfully
thrown themselves into the
NYC Life - Channel 25
Saturdays, 11:30 PM
Sundays, 1 :00 PM
An exciting event took
place at SD26 with the
launching of a brand new
scholarship, in partnership with the
James Beard Foundation: the “Tony
May Scholarship for Italian Culinary
Studies.” Our TV crew participated
to the event and you can watch the
report of the evening here, including
Francine Segan’s interview with Tony
and Marisa May.
www.i-Italy.org
Dining Out ➜ Restaurants+Pizzerias+Wine Bars
Photo by Iwona Adamczyck
restaurant industry. To her
father’s elegance, organization
and skill, she adds a feminine
touch, making her the perfect,
attentive padrona di casa.
In this boldly designed,
extraordinarily warm locale
designed by the late architect
Massimo Vignelli and adorned
with artwork by Sheila Hicks,
Marisa welcomes guests with the
perfect mix of warmth and tact.
I’ll ask again. What’s Tony May’s
secret?
A Special Chef
So who’s the chef of SD26?
Another of May’s secret
weapons: Matteo Bergamini. The
35-year-old chef’s charm is on
full display in the open kitchen,
As for the wine list? Another
fine blend of past and present,
the wines are listed on a table
with a touchscreen, so you can
explore the various reds, whites,
roses, sparkling wines and sweet
wines. There are hundreds of
labels on the wine list, which
is continuously updated and
includes recommendations
based on the season and the
menu.
The Tony May Scholarship
Tradition and Innovation
A felicitous and rare combination
of integrity. May has always had a
knack for choosing the right team
to create innovative food without
slighting tradition. Moreover, as
attested to by his partnership
with his daughter, he knows how
to parcel out his knowledge so
that younger generations can
carry on the torch.
Continuity is key for May. It’s
exactly what he has done over
the years in all his restaurants,
where imagination, authenticity
and freshness—hallmarks of
regional Italian cooking—have
long reigned.
Hundreds of Wines
where he works happily with
the other cooks. His tender,
welcoming smile makes you
feel at home, even in this large
restaurant. And his artfully
artless dishes are new twists
on old staples from across the
entire boot of Italy, showing off
the country’s range of cuisines.
We admit we’re at a loss when it
comes to recommending specific
dishes; they’re all special. If
we were pressed to pick one, it
might be the eggplant caponata
with pine nuts & raisins, or the
pasta alla “Chitarra” (homemade
pasta with fresh tomato sauce &
fino verde basil), or the soft eggyolk filled raviolo with truffle
butter. But all the dishes are
unforgettable.
Made in House
One curious feature of SD26
is that everything is made inhouse, even the bread. We were
especially impressed by the
rosette, rose-shaped rolls that
require a special machine to be
made—a real find in New York!
And the Mays have another
feather in their cap to be proud
of: this year the James Beard
Foundation launched the “Tony
May Scholarship for Italian
Culinary Studies.”
So much has come to pass since
Tony May, the first of eight
children (his father was a sea
captain), departed Torre del
Greco, his birthplace abutting
Naples. He was 26 years old
when he set out to conquer
America. And his knowledge of
Italian hospitality, via the cucina,
has clearly helped him conquer
American palates while also
bringing honor to Italy, even in
hard times. It certainly gives the
lie to the old yarn—it’s hard not
to stifle a laugh writing this—
about Neapolitans being creative
to the point of genius yet lacking
rigor and exactness. That’s
certainly not the case here. ●●
Letizia Airos e Francine Segan with
Marisa May and chef Matteo Bergamini
Dining
Dining Out
Out Special
Special
Where Pasta Is the Queen
Pasta, the undisputed queen of Italian cuisine, is generally a simple dish, but also comes in all shapes and varieties.
The restaurants listed below show us some of the wonderful things that can be done with pasta and its many sauces
vary in taste, color and texture. As a general rule when choosing which type of pasta and sauce to serve together,
simple sauces like pesto are ideal for long and thin strands like linguine or trenette while tomato-based and meat
sauces combine well with thicker pastas like penne and rigatoni. But pasta leaves room for creativity in taste,
texture, and color.
Bolognese version uses very finely
chopped meat, while the Neapolitan
version uses larger chunks of meat to
be eaten separately.
East
Village
Giano
126 E 7th Street
(212) 673-7200
◗ www.gianonyc.com
%
cuisine
authentic
atmosphere casual
price
$S
Iconic actor Alberto Sordi tackling an immense dish of spaghetti in An American in Rome (1954). Sordi plays an Italian “Guido” who
loves behaving like an American... Note the bottle of milk in place of wine: a stereotypical “American” habit.
Upper
East Side
Midtown
West
Union
Square
Brio
Felidia
Ribalta
%
243 E 58th Street
(212) 758-1479
◗ www.felidia-nyc.com
%
48 E 12th Street
(212) 777-7781
◗ www.ribaltapizzarestaurant.com
%
cuisine
classic
atmosphere casually elegant
price
$$
cuisine
creative
atmosphere upscale
price
$$$$
cuisine
neapolitan
atmosphere hip
price
$$
● If the long, thin, flat noodles called
linguine (little tongues) in Italian is
your pasta of choice, Brio is your
destination. Founded in 1990 by
Massimo Scoditti, this Upper East
Side culinary institution is known
for its high quality ingredients and
unique ambiance with a touch of
Italianità. Customers favor Linguine
Nere Smeraldino, black ink linguine
served with bell peppers and shrimp
in a tomato sauce and Linguine Integrali con Verdure, whole- wheat linguine with assorted fresh vegetables,
roasted garlic, olive oil, and sauce!
● For something different and
unique go to Felidia, and try Bianconeri alla Trapanese, black and
white bavette (or ribbon) pasta with
calamari Trapanese pesto. ‘Pesto
alla trapanese’ is a variation of the
pesto from Liguria introduced by the
Genoese sailors stopping in the Sicilian port of Trapani. Traditional pesto,
made with garlic and walnuts, is
enriched with local ingredients like
tomatoes and almonds, resulting in
a southern version also known as
Pesto Siciliano or ‘pesto rosso’ (red
pesto).
● Known as one of the best Neapolitan pizzerias in town, Ribalta is also
an amazing restaurant whose pasta
dishes prove our point. Something
you cannot find anywhere: Penne al
Ragù Napoletano, penne pasta with
slowly cooked tomato ragù with pork
and beef. Neapolitan ragu’ and Bolognese sauce are both well-known
meat sauces. The main ingredients of
Neapolitan ragu’ are soffritto (a mixture of finely chopped onions, garlic,
and celery) meat and tomato sauce.
A major difference between the two
ragus is how the meat is used: the
137 E 61st Street
(212) 980-2300
◗ www.brionyc.com
● Giano is one of the few places in
town where you can find a pasta dish
served with colatura di alici.Tonnarelli con Colatura di Alici is dressed
with the rare colatura (juice produced
during the process of salting and curing anchovies). Like it is in Italy, colatura is added to a sauce of extra virgin
olive oil, parsley, breadcrumbs, and
garlic to dress homemade spaghetti.
Simply delicious. If you’re not a fish
lover try Tagliatelle Tirolesi served
with speck, mushrooms, cream, and
Parmigiano. It will transport you to
Tyrol.
Cacio e Pepe
182 2nd Avenue
(212) 505-5931
◗ www.cacioepepe.com
%
cuisine
roman
atmosphere casual
price
$S
● Named after the Roman specialty, this East Village eatery features
all the Roman classics. First and
foremost Tonnarelli Cacio e Pepe,
homemade tonnarelli pasta tossed
in pecorino cheese and whole black
pepper. The ingredients are very
simple yet nutritious—the dish was
once a staple for the ancient Roman
legionaries. The menu also features
Bucatini all’Amatriciana, thick, hol-
www.i-Italy.org
low spaghetti with slowly cooked onions and guanciale (cured pork cheek)
in tomato sauce and Spaghetti alla
Carbonara, spaghetti with guanciale,
eggs, and black pepper. Amatriciana
originates from the more basic recipe named gricia, prepared only with
cured pork cheek and grated pecorino
cheese. The invention of the first tomato sauces transformed the dish
into Amatriciana. As with many recipes, the origins of Carbonara and its
name are obscure, but since the name
is derived from carbonaro (charcoal
burner), some believe the dish was
first made as a hearty meal for Italian charcoal workers.
sprouts and Fresno chili, while vegetarians should enjoy goat cheese
ravioli with roasted beets and pistachio.
Tribeca
Locanda Verde
377 Greenwich Street
(212) 925-3797
◗ www.locandaverdenyc.com
%
cuisine
creative
atmosphere comfortable
price
$$$
● “The Greenwich,” Robert DeNiro’s
TriBeCa hotel, houses the informal
and cool Locanda Verde. Known for
serving delicious food by awardwinning chef Andrew Carmellini
who is inspired by urban Italian
cooking, at the locanda you can
find a pasta dish for every preference you might have. Those who
enjoy the classics are going to love
Pumpkin Tortelli with brown butter,
sage and amaretti cookies. This is a
recipe for a traditional filled pasta
of Emilia-Romagna that varies locally as one travels the towns and
cities along the Po River. Those
who prefer to try something different are bound to enjoy farro (spelt)
spaghetti with mixed mushrooms
and poached egg, which is simply
creamy heaven!
Flatiron
I Trulli
122 E 27th Street
(212) 481-7372
◗ www.itrulli.com
%
cuisine
pugliese
atmosphere homey
price
$$$
● Trulli are rural buildings typical
of the region of Puglia, made with
stones (no mortar) and characterized
by a conical roof . In 1994, the Marzovillas, inspired by these beautiful
constructions, opened ‘I Trulli Enoteca and Ristorante’, which became
an important reference point for fine
southern Italian dining in New York
City. Dora Marzovilla still makes
almost all pastas by hand, and the
menu is a real tribute to the food of
the region. The pasta section features
delicious orecchiette, ear-shaped
pasta, served with a rabbit ragù and
a specialty from Lecce, Ceci e Tria,
fresh & fried pasta with chickpeas,
fresh tomato and pecorino.
SD26
19 East 26th Street
(212) 265-5959
◗ www.sd26ny.com
%
cuisine
authentic
atmosphere classy
price
$$
● “Uovo in Raviolo,” soft egg-filled
raviolo with truffled butter... that’s all
we have to say. Yes, this is the birthplace of this inimitable pasta dish,
it was first brought to Tony May’s
legendary San Domenico as the sig-
NoHo
Quartino Bottega
Organica
nature dish of chef Valentino Marcattilii. Each big raviolo, which is about
the size of a tennis ball, welcomes a
whole, soft egg yolk set inside a ricotta-spinach filling. As you cut it open,
the yolk oozes out to mix with a pool
of browned truffle butter and Parmigiano. It’s nearly impossible to have a
more decadent pasta dish. The dish is
so amazing that Tony and Marisa May
put it on the menu of every restaurant they open, but the menu features
many other delicious pastas.
Chelsea
Giovanni Rana
75 9th Avenue
(212) 370-0975
◗ www.rananyc.com
%
Download our
iPhone app
www.i-Italy.org cuisine
authentic
atmosphere rustic
price
$$$
● Hail to the king of stuffed pasta!
After working in his brothers’ bakery in San Giovanni Lupatoto, near
Verona, Giovanni started making
tortellini by hand and personally
making home deliveries. In 1962, as
the demand for freshly made pasta
increased, he opened his own ‘pastificio ‘ and soon devised machinery
capable of making filled pasta . By
the 1980’s his products had crossed
regional boundaries and were being sold all over Italy. Currently,
not only is Giovanni Rana an “unchallenged leader in the European
fresh pasta market,” but he has also
expanded his operations by opening a factory in the United States.
Rana is growing and his Chelsea
location in New York offers fresh
pasta made daily with love. Among
the numerous choices offered here,
all mouthwatering, of notice are
pork sausage ravioli with Brussels
11 Bleecker Street
(212) 529-5133
◗ www.quartino.com
%
cuisine
vegetarian
atmosphere hip
price
$$
● Quartino Bottega Organica is culinary heaven for vegetarians in
the city who love Italian specialties
- good food, great atmosphere and
nice service. The place is small, the
food is good, simple and their pasta
is simply amazing. Something everybody is invited to try is Lasagne
al pesto: whole-wheat lasagna with
potatoes in a pesto sauce. Although
lasagne are typically accompanied
with ragù, there are many alternative ways to experience the goodness of this classic Italian dish...
and this one hails from Liguria.
Lasagne al pesto make use of great
fresh basil and can be eaten as a
side dish to grilled meats or a main
dish.
Brooklyn
Williamsburg
like little canoes; the back of each
piece has very pronounced grooves
that catch all that sauce.
di bufala, tomatoes and pesto make
both meat lovers and vegetarians
equally happy.
Queens
Middle Village
PT Restaurant
La Nonna
Baci e Abbracci
%
204 Grand Street
(718) 599-6599
◗ www.baciny.com
Uva Rara
%
184 Kent Avenue
(718) 302-1100
◗ www.lanonnabk.com
%
79-28 Metropolitan Avenue
(718) 894-0052
◗ www.uvararany.com
%
cuisine
contemporary
atmosphere friendly
price
$$
cuisine
classic
atmosphere homey
price
$$
cuisine
southern
atmosphere casual
price
$$
cuisine
authentic
atmosphere rustic
price
$$
● For contemporary Italian cuisine,
a fresh, modern menu of homemade
pastas and chef-inspired specials
featuring an all-Italian wine list,
take the L train to Williamsburg
and visit PT. The owners hail from
Sardinia, so there are some Sardinian specialties on the menu--notably
among the pastas are Malloreddus 4
sapori, a shape that resembles gnocchetti, with tomato sauce and homemade sausages. Malloreddus look
● Isn’t it common knowledge that
Italian grandmothers make the best
cooks? So for amazing, homey food
run to La Nonna and it would be like
eating in a grandmother’s kitchen.
Chef and owner Cono Morena
named his restaurant in honor of his
grandma, a woman he had a strong
connection with and who taught
him all he knows. Since Cono hails
from the Naples, Neapolitan pastas
are the real specialty. Fusilli Napoletani alla Pescatora feature clams,
shrimp, calamari, mussels, lobster,
tomatoes and shaved bottarga,
which seafood lovers will go crazy
for, while Paccheroni alla Napoletana, featuring eggplant, mozzarella
● Rated high by Zagat for its”jovial” service and “spacious garden” as well as
for its inventive fare with a Neapolitan
twist, Baci e Abbracci is also famous for
its Violette di Parma, a pasta dish that
has been featured on TV and in magazines for years now. Violette di Parma
are red beet and goat cheese gnocchi
with cheese sauce and wild arugula.
The dish is visually ravishing and an
explosion of flavor. In order to make
violette beets are pureed, then flour
is added and everything is mixed by
hand. The gnocchi dough is then cut,
rolled out and sliced into half-inch pieces that are quickly boiled. Once they are
done, they’re added to a sauce made of
cream, goat cheese and arugula.
● A true gem for Middle Village, this
family run wine bar serves mouthwatering food. A specialty that attracts
foodies from all boroughs is Gnocchi
alla Romana. The traditional Roman
recipe for gnocchi replaces the potatoes with semolina flour; milk, butter,
egg yolks and Parmigiano Reggiano
complete the list of ingredients. The
disks of dough are then placed in a
pan and baked in the oven.Originally
eaten primarily in Rome, where it remains a standard of family kitchens,
gnocchi alla Romana is now a dish
that is cherished throughout Italy
that can be served as either the first
or second course of a meal, or, in large
quantities, as the main course.
331 Bedford Avenue
(718) 388-7438
◗ www.ptbrooklyn.com
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●● EATING ITALIAN NEIGHBORHOOD BY NEIGHBORHOOD
Neapolitan, with a Modern Twist
Watch this interview
on i-ItalyTV
Left to right: Maurizio de Rosa, Pasquale Cozzolino, Donatella Arpaia and Rosario Procino
Bring Neapolitan pizza to a
different level. This is the
vocation behind Prova.
by M. T.
●● This old pizzeria was going
to be sold, but most of the
people who were offering to
purchase it had no interest in
pizza nor for the oven built
on site and from scratch by
master oven-builder Stefano
Ferrara from Naples. So a
bold team assembled to try to
save it, including restaurateur
and TV personality Donatella
Arpaia, Ribalta’s co-founders
Rosario Procino and Pasquale
Cozzolino, and Maurizio de
Rosa.
Pizza as masterpiece
The logic behind Prova (Italian
for test, experiment) is to use the
dough as the canvas on which
the artist-pizzaiolo can draw
a true masterpiece, using both
traditional and unheard-of pizza
ingredients.
As Rosario Procino explains to
the i-ItayTV crew: “We wanted
to do something different, to
elevate the profile of pizza. A
few years ago there was a huge
explosion of Neapolitan pizza
www.i-Italy.org in New York and I was one of
those who started it. Today
the idea for Prova is, if you put
crazy ingredients on pasta, why
can’t you put them on pizza?
We have developed our own
dough, it’s fantastic, very light,
very digestible. We mix different
kinds of flour, including a stonemill flour from Italy, and we also
use bottled mineral water from
Italy to make it. And that’s the
base for all our experiments.”
A wine only pizzeria
Prova will also be the first
Neapolitan pizzeria where wine
is a big component. Before the
combination of beer and pizza
became popular in Naples
after World War II, thanks to
the presence of American GIs,
everyone used to drink wine
with pizza. So the partners
decided to make another bold
choice: to go back to the old
wine-only tradition.
And, as Maurizio de Rosa
reveals, the wine list is going
to be entirely from Campania.
“It’s a very focused list, closely
connected to the region’s
viticulture. We have the light
white wine Asprinio, which
has been made since the 1500s.
And we also have the sparkling
wines made in Campania, first
of all the very popular Gragnano.
“Gragnano is a sparkling red
wine and is really suitable for
pizza for three reasons,” says
Maurizio. “First of all, it’s a red
wine, and as we know, pizza can
be quite bold, especially when
it’s topped with tomato and
mozzarella. The second reason
is the piedirosso grape used
in Gragnano, which has very
high levels of acidity that make
a wine that is very refreshing.
Then, a special refermentation
makes for a wine that is quite
brilliant, quite exuberant, quite
vivacious. Pizza really needs
something to pick it up because
we are talking about grain and
flour. I prefer these beverages
with pizza rather than beer,
which is the predominant
tradition, both in Italy and in
America today.””
Unique ingredients
As for the pizza itself, the first
ingredient is… the plate! Chef
Pasquale Cozzolino explains:
“See, I decided to create these
new dishes, but instead of plates,
I use the shell—the crust of the
pizza. Then, I import everything
from Italy, the best food on the
market: cheese from small farms
around Naples, microproducts
from Mount Vesuvius including
pomodorini a piennolo, which are
grown in a very small quantity
and picked by hand and airdried for at least six months. But
we have special pizzas too, like
sea urchin pizza, in which we
use the best sea urchins from
Maine. I think it’s one of the
signature pizzas we have at this
restaurant.”
So what they are experimenting
with at Prova is a next-level
pizza – a five-star pizza. “Yes we
are,” says Pasquale. “And to do
all of this, of course, I needed
a team. And my team leader is
Giuseppe Manco, who is here
with me always. He was named
a champion pizza maker at
the 2014 International Pizza
Challenge in Las Vegas. My goal
is to try to have a star for the best
service, the best food, the best
ingredients, and the best staff. ●●
Dining In
taking italy to your family table
●● A CONVERSATION WITH LOU DIPALO ABOUT HIS NEW BOOK
Everything Italians
Know About Their Food
A book about the foods of
Italy, and about how food
brings people together. It is
also a book that tries to
teach Americans the Italian
approach to food: “In
America we always ate to
live, while Italians live to eat.
They appreciate every facet of
their food, they want to know
everything about it…”
by Bianca Soria
●● Italian food has become
part of the American diet.
The book shares this Italian
passion with American
consumers and at the same
time shares the story of the Di
Palo family, and their 100 years
in New York’s Little Italy.
Family and neighborhood
The Di Palo family is one of
the oldest in the neighborhood.
In the 1970s and 1980s Little
Italy underwent drastic
changes, and by 1990 Di Palo’s
was almost the last Italian
store left. Over the years it
evolved from an immigrant
‘latteria’ to a full Italian
store, from a traditional
Italian-American store, to an
ambitious Italian-Italian store.
Lou Di Palo strived to make
his store ”a shining jewel”
in a neighborhood that
was changing, while not
letting those changes
affect him or his Italian
spirit.
After World War II, Lou
and his father decided
it was time to increase
the product line: from
just simple cheese and
other dairy products they
started to carry pasta, salami
and soppressata. In the sixties
they bought an ‘affettatrice’ and
started to slice cured meat the
Italian style. Little by little the
store begun to cater for the
Italian Americans and became
an anchor in the area.
Then, when 40 years ago Lou
started travelling to Italy, he
discovered how much he
didn’t know about Italian
foods. He soon made it his
mission to learn everything he
could about what they sold: “to
bring the right product to the
people, the way it’s supposed
to taste”.
He felt the need to know and
understand the foods better
in order to be true to his
customers, so that spending
a lot of time in Italy, ‘breaking
bread with the Italians’,
became an essential step in the
process.
A life spent in its entirety
surrounded by the foods of
Italy: “When people ask me
how many years I have been
behind the counter, I usually
tell them one year more than
my age, because my mother
was behind the counter from
before I was born.”
Educating America
Lou DiPalo in his store at 200 Grand Street.
A passion for food was what
Di Palo wanted to share: “In
America we always ate to
live, while Italians live to eat,
appreciating every facet of
their food, wanting to know
where the cheese was made,
what milk was used, and about
the soil and the grass the cows,
sheep or goats fed off; they
want to know about the type
of olives used for their olive oil
www.i-Italy.org
Dining In ➜ Taking Italy to your family table
Sam DiPalo in front of his Italian goods store
at the original location at 206 Grand Street.
and why Prosciutto di Parma
has this aroma and is different
from San Daniele.
I know now, when I sell you a
piece of Gorgonzola, how it is
supposed to taste; when you
slice the prosciutto you’re not
just going to taste but you’ll
smell if it’s Prosciutto di Parma
or San Daniele. When I sell you
a piece of Parmigiano, you’d
better believe you’re getting
the best, you won’t find better
in Italy. Because I go there, I
knock on the doors and I taste
the foods myself. I’m not in
the class of any big store. I’m a
simple family operated business
that has the dedication for the
foods of Italy.”
And we can’t help but notice
that almost every time we
visit, Lou is working behind the
counter, and he tells us that
this is where he belongs. He
loves it and is proud of it. He
wants the customers to have a
good shopping experience and
does his best to achieve it.
Palo’s food” and after reading
the book, di Palo says, Scorsese
“enjoyed it so much that
he was proud to give it as a
Christmas present.” If Scorsese
writing the forward was a
honor, the biggest honor was
that he wanted to give it as a
gift.
After introducing Little
Italy and the history of the
The i-ItalyTV team meets Lou for this interview at Enoteca DiPalo.
between Grana Padano and
Parmigiano Reggiano; and
suggests how to select good
olive oil.
There is a whole chapter
dedicated to coffee, and Lou
learned about it from one of the
best, Ernesto Illy. He unveils all
the secrets to identifying good
coffee beans and using them to
make a rich and intense cup of
What makes this book stand out are
not just the fine products presented,
the invaluable tips on how to select and
store them, the family recipes and the
mouth-watering photographs….It’s the
stories that come to life through them, the
people and worlds we are introduced to
during the narration. People that Lou met
along the way and developed relationships
with: it’s that very Italianità that adds that
unique and unmistakable flavor to the
already phenomenal food.
The book
The book is informative and
an easy read. It’s about the
products, but also about
relationships, about how food
brings people together: it’s the
essence of Italian food.
In his foreword to Di Palo’s
Guide to the Essential Foods of
Italy, Martin Scorsese notes
that he “grew up eating Di
www.i-Italy.org Di Palo family, the book
highlights the diversity of
the Italian regions. It then
presents, one by one, the
Italian essentials: mozzarella,
pecorino, ricotta, sea salt (sale
marino), anchovies, pasta
and prosciutto, “one of the
gifts of God”. It delves into the
similarities and differences
coffee.
The last chapter is about the
region of Trentino-Alto Adige,
and Lou presents it through
speck, the cured prosciutto
that is air dried and salted in
the southern Mediterranean
fashion, but then also smoked
following the Germanic
tradition of the area. It’s the
finest example of the fusion of
the two cultures in the region.
But what makes this book
stand out are not just the
fine products presented, the
invaluable tips on how to
select and store them, the
family recipes and the mouthwatering photographs… It’s
the stories that come to life
through them, the people and
worlds we are introduced to
during the narration. People
whom Lou met along the way
and developed relationships
with: it’s that very Italianità
that adds that unique and
unmistakable flavor to the
already phenomenal food.
The future
Lou is certainly proud of what
his family brought to this
country and he took it to the
best level he could. Each Di
Palo generation also took it to a
different level: they went from
his great-grandfather’s store
of 400 square ft to the current
one of over 2000. But if you ask
him about his future plans, Lou
has a clear-cut answer: “How
much more can I grow in my
lifetime? If our children want
to make it bigger or want to
expand, I’ll be supportive. But
I’ve done enough. Just like my
father said when he handed me
the keys: I won’t do anymore.”
The next step is up to the new
generation. ●●
●● AT THE BASIS OF THE MEDITERRANEAN DIET
Olives and Olive Oil: A How-to
The centuries-old plant
originating in the
Mediterranean has been
succesfully exported to other
parts of the world, but 90% of
olive oil is still produced on
its home turf. Second only to
Spain in production is Italy.
2014-2015 was a bad harvest
year for both countries, due to
weather conditions, causing a
collapse in olive oil
production worldwide.
Consumers should therefore
be careful and learn how to
recognize quality oil.
produce about 85% of the total.
High-quality oil production
is subject to fluctuations,
and harvests are classified by
non-fruiting years and fruitbearing years. 2014-2015 was a
non-fruiting year, especially for
Spain and Italy, due to weather
conditions. That means that
worldwide production of oil will
drop to 17%. This could cause an
increase in prices, a diffusion of
“cut” oils on the market, and the
sale of oils falsely labeled 100%
Italian. Therefore, consumers
must be careful and know how
to recognize real quality oil.
Virgin vs. Extravirgin
by Dino Borri
●● Originating in the Western
Mediterranean, for millenia
the olive plant has been a part
of this area’s human history
and its great civilizations and
religions. In the Bible the olive
branch is the symbol of peace
between God and men after
the Flood, and for Christians
today, it remains a symbol of
peace, especially at Easter. The
Koran calls the olive a “blessed
tree” and oil a “combustible”
that provides fuel for lamps
that give off “the light of God.”
In ancient Greek mythology,
Athena and Poseidon compete
to become the patron deity of
Athens. The goddess produces
an olive tree out of a rock
as a gift to the Athenians,
while Poseidon brings them a
new animal from the forest:
the horse. Because to the
Athenians the horse represents
war, they choose the olive tree,
a new plant that would provide
them with oil, wood and light,
and therefore abundance and
peace.
As the Greeks expanded their
domain, they brought the
olive plant to Southern Italy,
then Magna Grecia, where
the Romans would go on to
export olive cultivation to
France and Spain, as well
as methods for producing
olive oil that have remained
unchanged for centuries. The
weather conditions there
helped smoothly integrate the
olive tree into the landscape,
and olive oil found a variety
of uses: not only for cooking
and dressing food, but also
for cosmetic and medicinal
purposes, as a combustible,
and as an essence burned
during religious rites.
The Olive Plant
The olive as we know it is
Olea Europea. Although its
growth is generally linked to
the temperature and humidity
of the Mediterranean, it was
succesfully exported to the
Americas (especially in California
and Argentina) and Oceania
(Australia and New Zealand).
However, 90% of oil is produced
on native soil, including Italy,
which is a national olive-growing
hub. Only two out of twenty
Italian regions (Piedmont and
Valle d’Aosta) do not produce
olives, while the majority of
Italian oil comes, naturally,
from the South: Puglia, Calabria,
Basilicata, Sicily and Sardinia
In the next issue of i-ItalyNY
we will examine in greater
detail the differences between
types of oil and production
methods. For now, we’ll just
explain the crucial difference
between virgin olive oil and
extravirgin olive oil. Very often
people tend to consider oil
obtained by squeezing olives
as good-quality oil, forgetting
that there’s a difference
between virgin and extravirgin
oil. From the standpoint of
production methods, the two
oils are indistinguishable.
Even if the different harvesting
and extracting methods
contribute to determining the
quality of production, what
(greatly) distinguishes them is
a combination of chemical and
organoleptic features.
In order to earn the label “extra,”
a virgin olive oil must have
a maximum acidity level of
0.8% (produced by oleic acid,
not esterified by glycerol);
non-extra virgin oil can have
an acidity level as high as 2%.
Furthermore, it is fundamental
that the “extra” product passes
organoleptic tests conducted
by competent testing centers;
the most important, defining
features are the fruity aroma
(produced by the olive’s
volatility) and a spicy, slightly
bitter taste (produced by
polyphenols). ●●
www.i-Italy.org
Where to find THEM
Olives and Oil Production in the World and in Italy
OLIVES IN THE WORLD
Country
n. Olives
Eataly
OLIVES IN ITALY
REGION
200 5th Avenue
Area of cultivation
(hectares)
Oil production
Spain
180,000,000
Puglia
32%
38%
Italy
150,000,000
Calabria
15%
19%
Greece
130,000,000
Sicily
13%
10%
Turkey
100,000,000
Campania
6%
8%
Tunisia
70,000,000
Others
34%
25%
Portugal
50,000,000
Morocco
35,000,000
◗ www.eatalny.com
DiPalo’s
200 Grand St. (at Mott St.)
◗ www.dipaloselects.com
Citarella
2135 Broadway
1313 Third Avenue
424 Ave of the Americas
◗ www.citarella.com
How to Prepare
Nonna Lina’s Eggplants in Oil
Agata & Valentina
1505 First Avenue
64 University Place
by Rosanna Di Michele
◗www.agatavalentina.com
INGREDIENTS
10 small eggplants n 8 cups of white wine vinegar n 2 cups of water n 3 garlic cloves n 3 carrots n 1 celery stalk n 1 red pepper n
Coarse salt n 1 tablespoon of oregano n Approx. 2 cups of olive oil
www.rosannacooking.it
INSTRUCTIONS
● Wash and dry 10 Italian eggplants,
remove the green stem, and cut into halfinch slices. ● Sprinkle a baking dish with
coarse salt, top with a slice of eggplant,
and repeat this procedure until you have
used all of the eggplants. Cover the dish
evenly and set it down on a slight incline
so that the water from the eggplants
drains. ● Let it sit for a day.
● In a pot, bring the white wine
vinegar and water to a boil. ● Dunk in
the eggplants and scald them for 2-3
minutes. ● Mince the garlic, cut the
carrots and celery stalk into rounds, and
finely chop the red pepper. ● Place all
of the veggies into a container. ● Add a
tablespoon of oregano and extra virgin
olive oil, stir, and let the veggies soak up
the flavor for at least an hour. ● Place
into glass jars and top with oil. ● Seal
the jar. ● The product will keep for up to
2 years.
www.i-Italy.org Morton Williams
908 2nd Avenue
311 East 23rd Street
1565 1st Avenue
◗www.mortonwilliams.com
Jerry’sGourmet
410 South Dean Street
Englewood, NJ
◗www.jerryshomemade.com
A favorite dish...
by Michele Scicolone
Tuscan Farro
A Perfect Vegetable Soup
● Tuscans are masters of
soup cookery and every town
Follow Michele
throughout the region has its
at i-Italy.org
favorite recipe. Perfect for this
time of year, this hearty soup
is made with a variety of vegetables and farro, an ancient
stirring often,
form of wheat
until the onion
that has been eat- l Serves 4
is golden. Stir in
en in Tuscany for
n 1 medium onion, chopped n
the garlic. Cook
centuries. Farro
1/4 cup extra virgin olive oil
1 minute more.
can be purchased n 1 garlic clove, minced n Add the potaat most Italian
2 medium potatoes, peeled groceries, but if
and chopped n 1 carrot,
toes and farro to
you can’t find it,
the pot and cook
peeled and chopped n 1 cup
substitute barley,
for 10 minutes.
pearled farro (about 6
wheat berries or
Stir in 6 cups
ounces) n 6 cups water n
spelt.
water and salt to
Salt n 8 ounces kale or
These grains
taste. Stir in the
Tuscan kale, cut into 1/2 inch
are very similar
kale, tomatoes
strips n 1 cup canned
indeed and their
and crushed red
tomatoes, chopped n Pinch of
use reflects slight crushed red pepper n 1/3 cup
pepper. Bring
regional differthe soup to a
freshly grated pecorino
simmer and
ences in Europe
cheese
cook for 30 minas to what is
grown locally and eaten as
utes or until the soup is thick
farro.
and the farro is tender. Taste
Served with good bread, a glass
for seasoning.
of red wine and aged pecorino
Sprinkle with the cheese and
cheese from Tuscany, this
serve hot.
meatless soup is ideal for a
chilly spring day.
Recipe adapted from The Italian
In a large pot, cook the onion in
Vegetable Cookbook by Michele
the olive oil over medium heat,
Scicolone.
For more information about cooking, go to www.MicheleScicolone.com
... Paired with the right wine
by Charles Scicolone
Tuscany’s Hidden Gem
Morellino di Scansano
l find it in NYC
Heights Chateau 123 Atlantic
Ave, Brooklyn (718) 330- 0963 n
Beacon Wine & Spirits 2120
Broadway (212) 877- 0028 n
● Morellino di Scansano is
a red wine that does not get
the recognition it deserves.
Often overlooked because of
the popularity of other wines
based on the Sangiovese grape
from Tuscany, Morellino di
Scansano is a much better
value for the money.
The production zone for this
wine is the predominantly
hilly area around the village
of Scansano in the Maremma
region of coastal Tuscany
between the Ombrone and
Albegna Rivers. Altitude
ranges from just a few
meters above sea level near
Grosetto, to 550 meters in the
Collecchio zone. The Morellino
di Scansano zone covers
approximately 65,000 hectares
of land in the southwest of
the province of Grosseto, the
southernmost area of Tuscany.
There are about 1,500 hectares
of vineyards.
Morellino di Scansano DOCG,
including the regular and the
Riserva, must be at least 85%
Sangiovese and the natural
Follow Charles
at i-Italy.org
minimum alcohol must be
12% for both.
Vinification, aging and bottling
must take place within the
production zone. Because of
the terroir and the location
of the vineyards, the wine is
softer and rounder than wine
from other parts of Tuscany.
The characteristics of the
wine’s basic type are a ruby
red color with fruity notes
and light tannins. The regular
is a “fresh” wine that can be
released on the market in the
spring following its harvest.
The Riserva must be aged
for at least two years, one of
which must be in wooden
barrels.
The Morellino di Scansano
Riserva has a deep red color
tending towards garnet as the
wine ages, a fruity aroma with
hints of cherry, red fruit and
plums and a touch of spice
and vanilla. The taste is dry
and full-bodied.
.
For more about wine, go to
charlesscicolone.wordpress.com.
www.i-Italy.org
From Italy with love!
Authentically Yours,
Francesco Cirio 1856
Coliseum - Rom
a
C
e
iri o
th
of
It a i s t h e
s p o n s o r ti o n
li a n
C h efs F e d era
Come in
www.cirio1856.com
Francesco Cirio was the canned vegetable industry pioneer, starting back in 1856. Nowadays his
Cirio brand is loved throughout Italy along with 70 countries all over the world. With top
quality produce from a huge farmers Cooperative, Cirio products are controlled from
“seeds to table”. The exquisite taste of our juiciest Italian tomatoes is created with
care and expertise, by processing them in just 24 hours.
We bring true italian flair to your cooking: taste the difference!
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La ScuoLa d’ItaLIa
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w w w. l a s c u o l a d i t a l i a . o r g
Now accepting applications
for the school year 2015-16
A private unique Italian / English bilingual and
bicultural school.
● No prior knowledge of either the Italian or English
language is required for entering grades pre-k
through 9th.
● A strong foundation in liberal arts.
● Chartered by the Regents of the University of the
State of New York as a private, independent coeducational American school and by the Ministry
of the Republic of Italy.
● Member of the New York State Association of
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Schools.
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For information: [email protected]
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call 212-369-3290
www.i-Italy.org
05_TOURISM-Torino?.indd 59
www.i-ItalyNY.com | June-July 2013 | i-Italy NY | 59
3/5/15 6:11 PM
Ideas❱❱ Style
FASHION, DESIGN & MORE
The word is the
most powerful
instrument man ever
invented to achieve
happiness, and the
images are our voice,
our effort to make them
more tangible.
●● Coreterno: PROVOCATIVE STILE FROM ROME TO NEW YORK
Fashion that Unnerves
A new urban wear and home
décor brand attracting
high-caliber artists like Asia
Argento and Alessandro
Cattelan, Coreterno’s
innovative line of “Dis.
order” t-shirts, “Home
Décor” candles and
household accessories
emerged from the minds of
Michelangelo Brancato and
Francilla Ronchi.
Provocative style for a
timeless brand.
by Mila Tenaglia
●● Francilla and Michelangelo
thought up Coreterno while
touring the streets of Lower East
Side Manhattan a few years
ago. “It was a dream, an omen,
now it’s a reality,” they say.
And yet Coreterno is Roman to
the core—refined and precious
as Italy’s capital city. It is, in
fact, headquartered in Rome,
on a marvelous old backstreet
forgotten by time, an enclave of
creative and magical secrets.
www.i-Italy.org The name, Coreterno, also calls
to mind the city of unequalled
beauty, and is the result of
merging together two words.
“Core” means heart in Roman
dialect and fulcrum or nucleus
in English. “Eterno” is homage
to the proprietors’ Roman
character. “For us it stands
for creativity and full-blooded
passion—the driving forces,
the linchpin behind the Italian
spirit, which is limitless; in fact,
we want to export it out of our
country.”
Starting in Rome
Their studio is located in an
eighteenth-century castle
hidden among the modern
buildings of Rome that have
sprung up around it. Here, the
young pair concocts its line of
accessories. From the start their
passion was suckled by the
city’s legendary history, political
squabbles and the beauty of its
ancient palazzos. Living in Rome
“constantly reminds us that we
are the product of the work and
dreams of all those who came
before us. We want to bring a
piece of that spirit to the frenetic
and, at times, too speedy New
York.” The young couple love to
refer to themselves as “animals
on stage.” They have always
worked in fashion and art. They
believe in change, in rebirth,
which is exactly why Coreterno
is the creative product of their
encounter. Their work should
be looked at closely, grasped,
held in one’s hands. They
combine an eighteenth-century
Victorian heart with elements
of teenage slang, Rock symbols
and Punk icons. Francilla and
Michelangelo have long aspired
to create fashion that unnerves,
“to carve an aesthetic cliff
against the sea of uniformity,
to make accessories, rock star
houses, philosophers’ closets,
serial killers’ sock drawers, to
make the world [their] stage.”
And that’s just what they’ve
done.
Bringing Dis.Order
The first step was to offer the
public a line of “Dis.Order”
t-shirts, which became an
instant social phenomenon,
sported by V.I.P.s from the music
and film industry, including J-Ax,
Fedez, Emma Marrone, Arisa,
Alessandro Cattelan and many
others. “One day we got a phone
call. It was Asia Argento, the
Italian actress and director. She
wanted us to make her outfit
for the red carpet at Cannes,”
the pair tells us, beaming.
Next came their line of home
décor products—their “Healing
Candles” being the highlight—
and accessories (their handbags
come out next season). The
candles are carefully crafted
by hand using organic wax.
They have a timeworn, vintage
charm, with black-and-white
labels bearing phrases about
moods and frames of mind,
because the couple “believes in
the immense beauty and salvific
power of the word. There’s a
subtle magic in the latter, since
they have the power to change
people’s moods.” The candles
are sold by tons of retailers in
Rome, although the couple has
a website (www.coreterno.com)
where you can purchase items
from all of their product lines:
t-shirts, candles, pillows.
Getting to New York
You’re probably wondering
where you can find them in New
York. For now they have made
appearances at flea markets
in Williamsburg, Brooklyn,
where the public ate them up;
they might just suit American
tastes even more. “For us, the
results were very positive. We
were pleased with the reviews
of our products in the New York
Post. And on February 1-4, we
were at the Javits Center for
NYNOW, where we presented
our complete collection of
Healing Candles to the American
market.” Well, we at i-Italy wish
this gutsy couple the best of
luck and hope they’ll continue
to thrive on their magical and
dreamlike trip abroad.
●●
Ideas ➜ Style
Personal Shopper
Italian Dreams of Spring
by Lucrezia Russo
For a comfortable, romantic, softly lit, playful and wry spring. The watchword is vintage. Italian
stylists have come to us bearing gifts inspired by the world of dance and the splendors of
childhood. Our recommendations for intimate apparel, on the other hand, lean toward the sexy
and (obviously) vintage. For your own personal downtime, only trust designs wedded to fashion.
As for your wrist, go romantic—without a shadow of a doubt. And for you first jog across the grass
left behind by the snow? Below you’ll find some decidedly different shoes….
❝1❞
Vintage with a little
imagination
Lazzari
◗ www.lazzarionline.com
● Dark eyelash decorations, animal
and plant motifs, landscapes, exotic
fruit and tulle flamingos—how can
you resist Lazzari’s imagination? The
designer joyfully blends youth and
❝2❞
pop-culture with simple designs. And
you’ve got to admit it. In these clothes,
it doesn’t matter what the weather is
like outside. So what if it’s raining? For
you, the sun is always shining. Lazzari
has a long tradition of producing handmade, 100% Italian manufactured wear.
And its style may rest on volume, retro
cuts and vintage reminiscences, but its
product hangs in the closets of real girls
who wear their femininity lightly.
Wearing your heart on
your sleeve
Bottega Veneta
◗ www.bottegaveneta.com
● Bottega Veneta presents a collection
inspired by the body in motion, clothes
that you can easily slip on and off for
a natural and relaxed look. Impressive
2
1
for their subtle colors and fluid & sophisticated designs, all of the clothes
are made with exquisite, body-hugging materials. The casual, laidback
appearance bears infinite details, the
imprint of their expert craftsmanship.
“I was thinking of dance. Not of dance
performances so much as of a dancer
on her way to an audition,” explains
Creative Director Tomas Maier. “The
woman who has good posture, graceful moves and a dancer’s gait – that’s
where I found my inspiration.”
❝3❞
Sophia’s Hour
Dolce & Gabbana
◗ www.dolcegabbana.com
● A watch that looks like spring but
works all year. Geometrical design and
www.i-Italy.org
Ideas ➜ Style
romantic nuance are the secret behind
Dolce e Gabbana’s Sofia Watches. An
evocative name for a new and elegant
style: made with 18 karat gold and sapphire glass with geometrical and symmetrical facets, the watch looks like a
precious stone, suggestively reflecting
natural light, and is available in five
colors (pink, sky blue, brown, black and
gray) with silk satin bracelets.
❝4❞
Simple and Sexy
La Perla
◗ www.laperla.com
● Once again La Perla offers a collection of glamorously seductive women’s intimate apparel. Their garments
are simple, sexy, a tad devilish and
classy as ever. The inimitable brand
is the most beloved by Italian women
(and men), and a gift from La Perla is
like the gift of a precious jewel: it lasts
forever. To get an idea of what La Perla
sees as vintage-inspired with a hint
of modernity, check out their simple,
white, sexy and chic intimate apparel.
Designed for Living
META, with Frau & Bottega Veneta
Bottega Veneta
● Born out of the collaboration
between Bottega Veneta and
Poltrona Frau, META Brisée is
a contemporary interpretation of the 18th-century duchesse
brisée. An armchair and stool to kick back in. Who wouldn’t be
tempted by a design as elegant as it is easy-going?
An enormous amount of technical expertise goes into the
manufacturing of these soft, full-grain leather items, which
bear no signs of stitching or screws. Drawn from organic lines
and graceful curves, the items are designed for living – reading,
lounging around, hanging out – and represent a joint effort of
two companies whose philosophies complement each other
seamlessly.
◗ www.bottegaveneta.com
❝5❞
Corsa con le stelle
Miu Miu
◗ www.miumiu.com
● Tradition meets contemporary in
this new essential accessory. The new
Astro Running sneakers, designed
by Miu Miu with all the experience
of Prada, are known for their performance, sparkle, and craftsmanship.
Detail and freshness combine to form
an innovative kind of shoe that is as
3
www.i-Italy.org 4
soft and flexible as is humanly possible. The rubber sole recycles some of
Miu Miu’s details with a dash of inno-
vation. The satin vamp is embroidered
by hand with sequins and crystals, and
the collar is made of neoprene.
5
Ideas ➜ Style
www.i-Italy.org
Ideas ➜ Style
●● AT THE REINSTEN/ROSS GALLERY IN CHELSEA
“For Her.” Gaetano Pesce’s Women
Meeting Gaetano Pesce at the
opening of “For Her,” an
exhibit showcasing his
custom design jewelry. Jewels
crafted from urethane resin
that speak to femininity and
diversity. Surrounded by
women of all ages and
ethnicities, the artist talks
about women, art, and its
capacity of social critique.
by Letizia Airos
●● For world famous
personality Gaetano Pesce, art
has had and continues to have
a social, even political, calling.
Not infrequently his art is a
means to comment on current
events, call awareness to what
is happening in the world,
and convey a message. He
frequently uses it to provoke a
response, to shake things up,
and his polemical creations
mince no words—without
saying peep. Last year we spoke
with him in his Soho studio;
this time around we met him
at the Reinsten/Ross Gallery
in Chelsea, at the opening
of “For Her,” a new exhibit
showcasing his custom design
jewelry, where the artist was
surrounded by women of all
ages and ethnicities. You didn’t
need X-ray vision to notice the
artist’s healthy empathy with
the fairer sex.
Seated in an armchair of his
own design, tellingly called
“Nobody Is Perfect,” Pesce
answered our questions. On
the walls around us hung his
jewels. Despite its no-frills
design, the exhibit packed
a wallop. In fact, the artist
designed cardboard hands
and necks to give his jewels a
three-dimensional effect. His
bracelets, necklaces, rings,
www.i-Italy.org and brooches are colorful,
innocent, and sensual, all at
the same time. Made with
urethane resin, the jewels
have a colored transparency
and fit the body like a work
of art. “By its nature, resin is
flexible and elastic,” he told us,
“and it adapts to the body like
a second layer of skin.” You
have to resist the urge to touch
them.
But who is “HER”?
“Her is the star of our everyday
lives. Her is half the world’s
population that is frequently
made to suffer. This work
is dedicated to the beauty
of women, which is also an
close to being reduced to mere
numbers. In some parts of the
world that’s still the case. We
must, as we go about our lives
every day, discover merits,
tastes, new traditions and
different cultures. I say that as
an Italian born in an extremely
heterogonous country that has
given the world a vast plurality
of high quality differences: in
the culinary arts, in design,
in fashion, to offer just some
examples…”
The argument for the merit
of diversity burns brightly in
him. Pesce also teaches at
the school of architecture in
Paris, and he was there the day
HER is the star of our everyday
lives. Her is half the world’s
population that is frequently made to
suffer. This work is dedicated to the
beauty of women, which is also an
interior beauty. To women, who are
‘different’ where diversity is a resource;
and who are ‘liquid’ and sensual, yet
also effective. Women preside over the
future.
interior beauty. Working for
them amazes me. They need
our attention and loyalty.”
Pesce subtly infuses with his
politics even something as
seemingly fatuous as a jewel.
In fact, his work has always
made daring social critiques.
His 1997 Chador lamp, for
example, is modeled after a
woman “shamefully covered
up” by a veil, hence the lamp’s
name. Each tapered and flared
leg of the lamp rests on a base
in the shape of a woman’s
body.
Does covering up women
suggest fear of diversity?
“Diversity must be looked at
as a great quality. Especially in
this day and age, when we are
Islamic extremists tragically
attacked the satiric newspaper
Charlie Hebdo. “I was being
interviewed on the street…at
a certain point, the city was
in turmoil. It was atrocious.
It was an attack not only on
freedom of expression and
diversity, but on culture as
we understand it today, that
which advances the individual:
medicine, communication,
travels…” And yet Pesce’s art
is somehow animated by a
desire for redemption, a sign
of his indomitable optimism.
“One of our functions as
creators is to change the
situation, situations which can
often be difficult. The message
I try to get across is positive.
We have to overcome the
obstacles and take joy in life.”
As for his jewels, that felicitous
marriage of innocence and
sensuality, Pesce derives his
inspiration from a special
source. “My daughter is the
test for me. If she – at eight
years old – loves this type of
thing, then I have reached my
goal. Children love my work.
The material recalls the feel
of a mother’s body, which is
soft, warm, smooth to touch…”
Elsewhere he calls it “liquid.”
“I use liquid materials, because
our day and age is liquid.
Its values rise and fall like
the waves. We have to use
materials that aren’t rigid,
because rigidity has just one
dimension, whereas elasticity
has many, depending on how
we manipulate the materials.
Elasticity is close to liquidity.”
Listening to Pesce talk, you
can grasp why his works
emote sensuality. “Femininity
is liquid; man is rigid, more
static, still. I have the feeling
that today, in the 21st century,
the presence of man in history
denotes weakness. If I think of
the governments in the world
run by what we still call the
“stronger sex,” I think of worn
out, frequently ineffective and
dishonest governments. With
women it wouldn’t be that
way. There would be more
altruism, a greater sense of
service.”
So are these jewels homage to
today’s women?
“Yes, to women, who are
‘different’ where diversity is a
resource; and who are ‘liquid’
and sensual, yet also effective.
Women preside over the
future.”
●●
Watch this
interview on
i-ItalyTV
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Ideas ❱❱ Bookshelf
italy to read AND to listen to
●● A STUDY REVEALS THE ROLE OF SPORT IN THE MAKING OF ITALIAN AMERICA
Italian Signs in American Sports
Sport and the Shaping of
Italian American Identity
Gerald R. Gem
Syracuse University Press
➤ pages 312 ➤ $ 29.23
Through participation and
excellence in American
sports, Italian immigrants
maintained ethnic identity
and enabled it to change as
they moved from Italians to
Americans. In the process
they fashioned new
American identities while
preserving older, useful
aspects of Italianitá.
by Fred Gardaphe
●● Quite often we take our
sports heroes to be individuals,
at best, symbolically connected
to the racial and ethnic groups
they come from. But in Gerald
R. Gems’ new study, Sport and
the Shaping of Italian American
Identity, the impact of ethnic
culture helps us to see just what
helped to produce thousands of
sports heroes from the Italian
American Community. From Joe
DiMaggio to Joe Montana, Donna
Caponi to Marylou Retton, the
efforts of Italian immigrants
and their descendants have
shaped the history of American
sport. If a casual glance at sports
history in the United States
www.i-Italy.org provides a wealth of positive
representations of Americans
of Italian descent, just imagine
what an in-depth study can do.
Gems, a professor of Health and
Physical Education at North
Central College in Naperville,
IL, digs deep into American
sociological and cultural history
to help us understand the
role that ethnicity plays in the
development of an individual’s
success in sports. Through
thorough readings of the many
studies that preceded his, Gems
gleans pertinent information
that provides rich insights into
the Italian American presence in
American sports—something he
sees both as ways of maintaining
ethnic identity and enabling it
to change as immigrants move
from Italians to Americans.
Beginning with what he sees as
a lack of national identity, due to
the timing of mass emigration
from Italy, Gems builds a
strong case for explaining how
Italians, through participation
and excellence in American
sports, fashioned new American
identities while preserving older,
useful aspects of Italianitá. This
is the key to understanding the
evolution of Italian America.
Gems uses many sources from a
variety of scholarly disciplines to
present first, a cultural study of
Italian immigration to the United
States, and then a sociological
explanation of the movement
of working class Italians from
urban and rural centers of initial
settlement to the suburban
middle class. His work on race
tackles the difficult questions
of the role whiteness plays in
shaping American identities.
There are no pictures, as one
would expect in a book that
The first generation of immigrants held primary allegiance
to family and Paesani rather than to any national state.
Racialized as nonwhites, exploited and oppressed, they had to
overcome negative stereotypes and nativist attitudes. They had
to contend with a new language, divergent values, and labor
within an industrial economy. Their children, greatly influenced
by Americanization processes and with no memories of an ancestral homeland, adopted and adapted new lifestyles and new
identities of liminal existence, living within two cultures as
Italian Americans. Their leisure lives and their sporting practices moved them toward a new ideology as well as different
(Gerald R. Gems)
concepts of masculinity and femininity. www.i-ItalyNY.com | March-April 2015 | i-Italy ny | 53
Ideas ➜ Bookshelf
deals with some of America’s
most iconic figures. Everything is
presented in words that explain
the various ways that sports
shaped Italian Americans and
how they, in turn, reshaped
America. “Italian successes
not only developed an ethnic
pride and a great national
identity,” he writes, “but headto-head competition offered the
opportunity to dispel notions
of physical inferiority and gain
a measure of retribution for
ethnic slurs and insults that
accompanied the stereotypes of
Italians.” Finally, we have, in one
place, the source of a great deal
of ethnic pride.
Gems balances the highs and
the lows of sports history by
not avoiding the shame that
accompanied some aspects of
assimilation that often appear
through reverse racism, created
in part by historical amnesia
and ignorance of the immigrant
past. The same Italians who were
discriminated against on the
playing field, sometimes turned
into racists themselves. Whether
it was the individuals who
expressed their racism as a way
of belonging to the mainstream
majority, or the African-American
and Italian-American groups
that fought over figures such
as Franco Harris, the Italian
American presence in sports and
fanatic spectatorship has become
a microcosm of what’s gone right
and wrong in the United States.
Taking on the world of sports
as a whole, Gems’ study adds
depth to previous books such as
Lawrence Baldassaro’s “Beyond
DiMaggio: Italian Americans
in Baseball,” and the Wikipedia
compilation of Italian Americans
in boxing, and transcends Nick
Manzello’s biographical study,
“Legacy of the Gladiators: Italian
Americans in Sports,” to present
a rich and detailed study worthy
of attention by scholars and
everyday sports fans alike.
●●
Gerald R. Gems has previously published
The Athletic Crusade: Sport and
American Cultural Imperialism; For
Pride, Profit, and Patriarchy: Football
and the Incorporation of American
Cultural Values; Windy City Wars:
Labor, Leisure, and Sport in the
Making of Chicago; and is editor and
compiler of Sports in North America: A
Documentary History, Volume 5, 18801900.
●● Four stories of a city at a time when the mafia was boss
Living (and Loving) in
Palermo in the Seventies
The Four Corners
of Palermo
Giuseppe Di Piazza
(trans. by Antony Shugaar)
Other Press
➤ pages 240 ➤ $ 11.99
by Letizia Airos
●● Giuseppe di Piazza, our
author, is a journalist for
Corriere della Sera. He lives in
Milano but remains a son of
Palermo: he was born, raised,
schooled and started his
career in the city to which he’s
dedicated his novel. To read this
book is to feel his almost allconsuming love for the place.
The city he describes is the one
he has lived in during the 1980s,
when a kind of undeclared war
in the streets claimed the lives
of many and touched the lives
of all Palermitani, day after day.
The book is made of four stories
that unfold against a backdrop
of all things “mafiose.” At the
heart of them all is a young,
deeply dedicated investigative
reporter working through the
dangers of mafia wars that for
more than ten years would be
not just Sicily’s only story—but
would also be Italy’s. And the
only means of defense at the
protagonist’s disposal are those
that come with youth: love
Above: Giuseppe di Piazza.
Rigt: the Italian edition of the
book I quattro canti di Palermo.
and sex. Even amid the terrible
cruelty surrounding him.
Di Piazza’s book is clearly in
part autobiographical, telling as
it does the story of a generation
that grew up in the violent
streets of Palermo, while still
fighting to dream of something
better—against all odds.
The four corners of Palermo …
a novel that crosses public and
private, I would say…
It’s a novel that I have also
defined as ‘faction’, a mixture
of fact and fiction. Fact because
it recounts many details of my
personal life: I was a journalist
who covered the mafia for many
years. This was the start of my
career, at the end of the 70’s and
beginning of the 80’s. But it’s
also fiction because all of this
becomes imaginative narration,
a novel of adventure, love, and
death.
Can we outline this Palermo in
a few words?
This novel is set in a very
dramatic Palermo, which at
www.i-Italy.org
Ideas ➜ Bookshelf
the time saw horrible wars
being fought within the mafia
itself and between the mafia
and the State. The Corleonesi,
headed by Toto’ Riina, took
control of the international drug
trafficking from older mafia
families. This war ended up
crushing the State, culminating
in the infamous assassination
of General Carlo Alberto
Dalla Chiesa that shook the
conscience of all Italians.
The main character is a young
reporter, quite autobiographical
indeed. For young people in
Palermo, it was difficult then
to strike a balance. Along with
other colleagues I was in charge
of covering the mafia massacres.
Our days were filled with dead
bodies, so at night we would
take refuge in a private world
that had to compensate for
these tragedies.
This is a novel with one main
character but divided in four
stories. And behind each story
there’s a woman... Why?
Yes. The title “The four corners
of Palermo,” refers to the main
intersection of the old Arab city,
but it also means four songs
of sorrow (the word used for
‘corners’ in the original title, is
‘canti’, which in Italian means
both corners and songs). My
protagonist goes through these
four stories with the naiveté
of a twenty year-old who puts
heart and soul into his job as a
reporter. And in these stories
four women play the leading
characters, quite different from
each other… one older, one
younger, a young girlfriend…
Women play a salvific role here,
because that’s the role they’ve
always had in my life. Women
are the cornerstones of my
thoughts and in my book they
always reflect the truth, each of
them in her own way.
How important do you think it
is to illustrate this period, from
your specific point of view, to
younger generations?
When I talk to those born in that
period, the beginning of the 80’s,
they have no idea what Italy,
and more specifically Sicily, was
like at the time. How terrible it
was. I wanted to pay tribute to
a whole generation of friends,
colleagues, and honest people,
www.i-Italy.org In those
years, along
with other colleagues I was in
charge of covering
the mafia massacres in Palermo.
Our days were
filled with dead
bodies, so at night
we would take
refuge in a private
world that had to
compensate for
these tragedies.
many of whom lost their lives
during that time, and I decided
to do it by mixing, as mentioned
earlier, fact and fiction. A mix of
reality and imagination, but with
a solid kernel of truth.
My last question: why are the
two book covers so different in
the Italian and the American
versions?
The first one, for the Italian
edition, I designed myself. The
image is by Ferdinando Scianna,
one of the greatest Italian
photographers. It portrays the
marvelous model Marpessa, in
1984 I think… I wanted to give
the novel a very romantic and
feminine feel. For the American
version, my publisher Judith
Gurewich engaged a fantastic
graphic artist from New York,
Kathleen DiGrado (she’s half
Sicilian and half Japanese!) who
came up with this synthesis,
which I find very appealing. It’s
an emotional novel, because it
talks about crime and the sacred,
both of which reflect the core of
Sicily. ●●
Watch this
interview on
i-ItalyTV
In this page: unconventional images of Palermo, by Giorgio Di Fede.
Courtesy of the photographer.
Ideas ➜ Bookshelf
Tweeting Da Vinci
Ann Pizzorusso
Da Vinci Press
➤ pages 244 ➤ $ 36.98
BOOK ● Ann Pizzorusso’s collection of essays includes
an
abundance of illustrations that follows Italy’s changing geology from
Pangaea to modern
times, affecting history, art, religion,
literature, medicine and overall Italian
culture. Throughout,Pizzorusso insightfully interweaves the most important aspects of Italian cultural history, using geology as her guide,
quoting central figures from Pliny the
Elder to contemporary astrophysicists.
The result is an information-packed
adventure through Italian history,
from Leonardo to today.
Una nave in una foresta
Subsonica
Universal Music
➤ $ 10.99
MUSIC ● The new
offering from a
band that for fifteen years has
succeeded in captivating a growing
fan base with its musical experiments. This latest album is, as always, a unique and original blend
of electronic, club, dance, and rock.
Alla fine del giorno
Zero Assoluto
Universal Music
➤ $ 31.59
The Last Man Standing
Italy’s New Art Generation
An Atlas of Contemporary Art
Terrazza: Artists,
Stories, Places in Italy
in the 2000s
commissioned by the Quadriennale
di Roma, the Italian state institution
Laura Barreca, Andrea
entrusted with the promotion of ItalLissoni, Luca Lo Pinto e
ian contemporary art, this timely
Costanza Paissan.
book has no equals. It presents the
Marsilio
most popular contemporary art in It➤ pages 464 ➤ $ 40.00
aly from 2000 to 2012, examining the
major developments that influenced
Italian artists in the past decade. A
broad range of questions are tackled with: Which spaces generated
the most creative energy from 2000
onward? How have artists’ training and recognition changed in
recent years? Who is the audience
for contemporary Italian art? What
production formulas have proven to
be most effective for Italian artists?
Which group shows have succeeded
in putting forward the most interesting and innovative positions? How
has information and communication
changed when it comes to talking and writing about contemporary art
in Italy?
Through images, the first part of the book (“Histories, places”) follows
the artistic culture in Italy, depicting more than 150 institutions, spaces,
and associations that affect contemporary visual culture in Italy. The
second part (“Artists”) then analyzes sixty artists and their works that
have been a major contribution or reflection of this artistic development.
The first atlas of contemporary art in Italy after the year 2000, Terrazza
includes texts by four new-generation curators: Laura Barreca, an art
critic and curator for the MAXXI (Museo nazionale delle arti del XXI
secolo, in Rome); Andrea Lissoni, International Art Curator at Tate Modern in London and Curator at HangarBicocca in Milan; Luca Lo Pinto, a
curator in Rome; and Costanza Paissan, a Contemporary Art Curator for
MUSIC ● M a t teo Maffucci and
Thomas De Gasperi have made
a thoroughly
modern that also
showcases the acoustic and electronic touches that, across fifteen
years, have marked Zero Assoluto’s
immediately recognizable sound.
It’s an album that draws creatively
on the past while moving ahead to
the future.
BOOK ● T h i s
n ove l f o l l ow s
Leonardo, who,
after his life falls
apart from an illicit affair, a nasty divorce, and
new surprising
responsibilities,
is thrown into a
post-apocalyptic world set in Italy.
Already labeled by GQ as “the most
talented and intense Italian novelist
of his generation,” Longo manages
to create a realistic alternate world
where his main character is forced
to face his past and pave a way for
a future. The book was presented at
the Austrian Culture Forum in New
York in December 2014, as a part of a
greater series, “New Literature from
Europe 2014 – Crossing Borders: Europe Through The Lens of Time.”
Writing Fashion in EarlyModern Italy From
Sprezzatura to Satire
Eugenia Paulicelli
Ashgate Publishing
➤ pages 261 ➤ $ 104.45
BOOK ● Eugenia
Paulicelli examines the clothing
and fashion of
the 16th and 17th
centuries, specifically through the
lens of Italian literature. The book
explains how fashions affected personal and political style in the larger
Italian culture, looks into the major
effects literature had on the history of
Italian style, and reveals how this history leaks into Italian style today.
L’abitudine di tornare
Carmen Consoli
Universal Music
➤ $ 31.99
Above: Roberto Cuoghi,
Belinda, 2013
Download our
iPhone app
● The outcome of two years of work
Davide Longo
MacLehose Press
➤ pages 352 ➤ $ 20.54
Right: Anna Franceschini,
A Siberian Girl, 2012
music ● The Sicilian singer-songwriter is back from
maternity leave
with her first album in five years.
It’s a return to her musical roots, but
it’s also an album filled with finelycrafted songs that are at once wise,
fresh, and tinged with irony.
www.i-Italy.org
Ideas ➜ Bookshelf
My Mother-in-Law Drinks
Diego De Silva
Europa Editions
➤ pages 368 ➤ $ 17.00
Book ● This sequel
to I Hadn’t Understood again presents
Vincenzio Malinconico, the Neapolitan lawyer whose
midlife crisis parallels no other. In this
novel, a computer engineer kidnaps
a Neapolitan mafia boss whom he
blames for the accidental death of
his son. This computer engineer conducts a tragicomic reality television
show in which he conducts a trial,
listing the many crimes committed
by the accused, sentencing him and
executing him before a nationwide
audience. Here, it is Malinconcico’s
job to reconcile the conflict before it
is too late.
Stone Walls
Gil Fagiani
Bordighera Press
➤ pages 126 ➤ $ 13.30
BOOK ● Fagiani’s s
collection of poetry
is a glimpse at adolescence through
the perception of
an Italian American boy growing
up in a 1950s Connecticut suburb in
the first generation after the war.
These tragic and bitter poems, such
as “Class Struggle in the Connecticut
Countryside” and “Kiddie Rides,” portray the voice of a child, whose youth
was stained with vehement memories, creating a powerful collection
of poetry that perfectly captures the
paradox of childhood and family.
Written with exceptional tenderness,
this book of poetry captures this Italian American’s life growing up in a
world of violence he was forced to
understand.
Sister Cristina
Sister Cristina
Universal Music
➤ $ 20.47
music ● Anyone
w h o ’s s e e n h j r
perform on Italian TV knows how
wildly popular
Sister Cristina
is—and how adoring her large au-
www.i-Italy.org dience is. It’s hard to believe that
this very real, very talented nun was
once dismissed as a kind of publicity stunt. No more. The charismatic
Sicilian-born singer is a storm of
musical artistry. Her new album is
highlighted by a very personal version of Madonna’s “Like a Virgin.”
.
ITALIAN JAZZ
The Primacy of the Voice
Ardo
Roberto Calasso
Farrar, Straus and Giroux
➤ pages 432 ➤ $ 25.37
Book ● This book
explores the ancient
texts referred to as
the ”Vedas.“The
Vedic people lived
over three thousand years ago in
northern India but t
left behind few objects or even ruins.
Their only artifacts are these texts,
filled with verses and formulas, which
suggest a deeper and more daring
understanding of life. Calasso writes
in his book, “If the Vedic people had
been asked why they did not build
cities, they could have replied: we did
not seek power, but rapture.” With attention to detail, Calasso manages
to write this volume from a modern
perspective but with acute insight
into the ancient world.
Vino, I Love You
Oscar Farinetti and Shigeru
Hayashi
Rizzoli
➤ pages 240 ➤ $ 22.76
BOOK ● One of
I t a ly ’s g re a t e s t
entrepreneurs, Oscar Farinetti visits
twelve of the most
important wine
producers in Italy.
Tr av e l i n g f r o m
north to south, he
stops to experience the most prestigious of Italian wineries. Accompanying him on this journey is one
of the world’s most widely respected sommeliers, Shigeru Hayashi.
Throughout their wine voyage,
they attempt to find the most sustainable winery, one which is both
economically sustainable but environmentally sound and ethically
correct as well. Among the producers encountered in the volume are
Gaja, Antinori, Incisa della Rocchetta, Gravner, Charrere, Rinaldi,
Massa, Allegrini, Lungarotti, Bucci,
Planeta, and Rallo.
Tony Bennett
by Enzo Capua
● Apparently the first form of verbal communication between human beings closely approximated what we might define as a “song,” i.e., the verbal
utterance of sounds bound together by a communicative, or emotional,
structure. In short, our ancestors talked to one another by using sounds
formed by a logic dictated by their feelings or needs at a given time. It’s
no coincidence that our voice is known as the “first instrument,” the first
means of emitting sounds that were elaborate and pleasing (or displeasing,
depending on the case).
In jazz, the primacy of vocals has come in waves, such as the ’20s and ’30s,
the period commonly known as “The Jazz Age,” when the genre reached
its popular peak and so many songs that we now call standards, or evergreens, were born—songs so beautiful that they’ll last forever. The strong
appeal to use the voice as an instrument in jazz music has enjoyed a recent revival, ever since the ’90s, roughly. Even singers who previously had
nothing to do with jazz, from Rod Stewart to Lady Gaga, are now looking
to build upon that repertoire. The fact is, if it has a pleasant timber, if it’s
beautiful and persuasive, if it’s capable of touching the most intimate cords
of our souls, the voice wields a power unlike any other instrument. Why?
It’s simple: there is no intermediary between the song and us; no physical
object is needed. Not a trumpet nor a piano nor a set of drums. There’s
only the air that transmits vibrations, and vibrations translate into inner
feelings. Immediately. How many times, listening to a singer, have we suddenly shouted, “That’s Frank Sinatra! That’s Barbara Streisand! That’s Ella
Fitzgerald!” The tone of their voices is so expressive and recognizable that
it becomes as familiar to us as the voice of our parents or friends. Indeed,
we hunt them down when we need them, when, deep down in our soul,
we need someone who can reconcile us to life when we’re depressed or
raise our spirits even further when we’re happy. Singing is a part of us; we
can’t live without it. And thank God!
However, unlike the grand tradition of opera, Italian jazz has produced next
to no major singers. Often there have been pale imitators of American singers, but rarely have there been any stars. It may be a language barrier; jazz
is Anglo-Saxon at heart, and therefore differs vastly from the scansion of
Latinate languages. Or maybe it’s something else. Whatever the case, today
we can count ourselves lucky to have a major Italian jazz singer in America,
Roberta Gambarini, who has earned her just deserts. And we have at least
one other extraordinarily talented singer residing in Italy: Maria Pia De Vito.
As for the men? Unfortunately, there haven’t been many. We must content
ourselves with Frank Sinatra, who came from Italian stock, and Anthony
Dominick Benedetto, who continues to send a shiver down our spines at the
ripe old age of 88. The son of Italian immigrants, he also goes by the name
Tony Bennett. Whatever the case may be, song is in our blood!
Tourism ❱❱ Cilento
Are you going to Italy SOON?
●● tHE CILENTO AND VALLO DI DIANO NATIONAL PARK, A UNESCO WORLD HERITAGE SITE
Gateway to the True Mezzogiorno
United Nations
Educational
Scientific
and Cultural
Organization
Padula - Certosa of San Lorenzo
Rivers, mountains, beaches
and a sea teeming with fish.
This UNESCO World Heritage
Site starts at the temples
and ancient Greek ruins of
Paestum and comprises
eighty towns and villages,
sixty miles of coast, the
tallest mountains and
densest forests in the
region, as well as dozens of
vineyards, wine cellars and
farming businesses that
produce exquisite food.
Palinuro Strand - Marinella
Felitto - Gole del Calore
byVirginia Di Falco *
●● Cilento is a marvelous
region, much of it still wild,
covering roughly 1000 square
miles south of Salerno. A
large swatch of the territory is
protected by the National Park,
which extends from Monte
Cervato (1900 m) to the caves
of Palinuro and from the Velia
acropoli—home of the Eleatic
school—to the Sapri coast.
This is the gateway to the true
mezzogiorno. No wonder the
Romans, who knew a thing
www.i-Italy.org * Noted Italian food and travel blogger Virginia Di Falco is a regular contributor of i-Italy. Follow her at www.lucianopignataro.it
Tourism ➜ Cilento
or two about administrative
subdivisions, drew the border
between Campania and Lucania
at the Sele River. The sensation
of crossing an ancient border
remains vivid and palpable even
to first time visitors.
Leaving behind the congestion
of Naples, you face the great
wide open: olive mills, rivers,
mountains, beaches and a sea
teeming with fish. The temples
of Paestum and ancient Greek
ruins have become the entrance
to the Cilento and Vallo di Diano
National Park, a UNESCO World
Heritage Site. Comprising eighty
comuni, a hundred kilometers of
coast, the tallest mountains and
densest forests in the region,
the park is one of the largest
protected areas in Italy. Not only
does it contain hiking trails and
greenery, but also many miles
of archaeological excavations;
thousand-year old churches
with perfectly preserved bell
towers, crypts and frescoes;
dozens of historic towns dating
back to the Middle Ages; and
ancient monasteries and castles.
In recent years, people have
flocked to Cilento to visit its
vineyards, wine cellars and
farming businesses that produce
exquisite food, including
A Greek temple in Paestum
mozzarella, Bufala yogurt and
gelato, Paestum artichokes,
sheep’s-milk cheese, white
figs and extra virgin olive oil.
Indeed, this is one of the liveliest
areas of agricultural production
in Southern Italy. Besides
successful wines, olive oils,
mozzarella di bufala and figs,
the area boasts about 200 ecofriendly agriturismi dedicated
to preserving the biodiversity of
Cilento. ●●
San Marco di Castellabate
www.i-Italy.org
Tourism ➜ Cilento
Home to the Mediterranean Diet
The kitchen of the Certosa
di San Lorenzo in Padula.
Founded in 1306 this
monastery is the biggest
in Italy.
It’s been that way for centuries...
●● Inspired by the nutritional
values and cuisine of countries
around the Mediterranean
Sea, the Mediterranean Diet,
recently named a World
Intangible Cultural Heritage by
UNESCO, was born in Cilento.
Yet it was the American Ancel
Keys (1904-2004), scientist and
author of the book Eat Well and
Stay Well, the Mediterranean
Way, who first noticed the
extremely low level of coronary
disease among the inhabitants
of Crete, despite the high rate
of consumption of vegetable
fats from olive oil. Keys
hypothesized that his findings
could be attributed to the type
of nutrition in that geographic
locale. Keys’ observation
paved the way for the famous
“Seven Countries Study,” which
compared the diets of 12,000
people, ages 40 to 59, in seven
countries around the world. To
pursue his study and prove the
longevity of people who keep
a Mediterranean Diet, Keys
settled in Cilento, where he
lived for over 40 years. A diet
of extra-virgin olive oil, pasta,
bread made with different
kinds of flour, tomatoes, olives
and vegetables is exactly what
you will find in the homes
of Cilento. It’s been that way
for centuries. Vegetarians
have nothing to fear from the
trattorias or small countryside
restaurants there. Traditional
recipes, like eggplant with
sheep’s-milk cheese, peppers
stuffed with breadcrumbs, leafy
greens cooked with potatoes,
and fried zucchini blossoms,
are nearly all made with
vegetarian ingredients. And
they are served throughout
Cilento, whose gastronomic
culture is simple—because
“poor.”
●●
The New Slow Food “Presidia”
Casalbuono Beans
For almost 20 years, Slow Food has sought to
protect food products threatened with extinction.
Casalbuono beans are the latest product in Cilento to
be safeguarded. Originally an alluvial plain, the small
village’s terrain is lapped by the crystal waters of the
Calore River. The terrain has, in fact, always been a great
site for cultivating this extraordinary product. Today
it is known as the place for bean production. Another
aspect that contributes to the quality of farming is
the town’s hilly locale (660 meters above sea level),
which rarely gets warmer than 90 degrees during the
summer.
Nowadays Casalbuono cultivates seven varieties
of beans (some bush, others pole). Among the most
interesting are the “Cannellino,” the most common and
widely known; the “Tabaccante,” which has a round
shape, small size and white hue; and the “Sant’Antere,”
a pole bean that has a slightly curved pod with reddish
purple streaks. There is also a bean named after Saint
Pasquale, with kidney-shaped seeds and a beige color
with dark, blackish spots. Finally, there is “Munaciedd,”
a climbing plant that can grow considerably tall. It
has a large heart-shaped leaf and a white flower. The
bean has been the primary source of protein for whole
generations, seeing as, for many years, most people
only ate meat on Sundays. That’s why the bean was
rechristened “the poor man’s meat.”
www.i-Italy.org Casalbuono
Tourism ➜ Cilento
Tips: Where to Stay (and Eat) in Cilento and Vallo di Diano
Choose small family-run agriturismi that produce their own specialties
T
hanks to its long history and ample size, Cilento’s
culinary tradition is vast. It ranges from the sea
to the summit, from anchovies to bean soups, encompassing the entire repertoire of classic Southern
Apennine cuisine. For almost twenty years in Cilento,
a tourism industry has been growing, allowing visitors to tour agricultural holdings—or farming businesses—to learn about farming practices and taste
the goods.
T
his agriturismo is immersed
in the proud Mediterranean
wilderness known as Cicerale,
an ancient medieval town situated atop a small hill facing the
valley of the Alento River. The
cook, Giovanna Voria, prepares dozens of dishes passed down
to her from her grandmother. She also bakes pies and biscotti
for breakfast. Corbella has six guest rooms.
Agriturismo Corbella
Località Viscigline Val Corbella,
Cicerale (Salerno)
+39 0974 834511
◗ agriturismocorbella.it
%
I Moresani
I
Moresani is a family-run organic farming business located just a few miles from the
sea in Casal Velino. Get in touch
with nature—and the animal
kingdom—for an unforgettable
and relaxing vacation in the heart of Cilento. The agriturismo organizes splendid horseback riding, hiking and mountain biking
excursions, as well as cooking classes. They produce their own
extra-virgin olive oil, sheep’s-milk cheese, vegetable preserves,
cured meat, and jam.
Località I Moresani, Casal Velino
(Salerno)
+39 0974 902086
◗ agriturismoimoresani.com
%
Fattoria Alvaneta
Contrada Pantagnoni, Padula
(Salerno)
+39 0975 77139
◗ fattoriaalvaneta.it
%
A
small farm right in the middle of Vallo di Diano, Alvaneta has five very comfortable
bedrooms and a small restaurant where they prepare goods
made on the farm. Educational
lessons are held for children
and adults, and include various
activities, from making marmalades, bread, cured meats
and cheeses, to taking nature
tours and harvesting fruits and
vegetables. Children and young
adults can discover many new
things, or things they had only
read about before, and experience firsthand the intense and
stimulating pleasure of the natural world.
lvaneta is located near the
beatiful Certosa di Padula—
so if you stay here, you don’t
want to miss a visit to this ancient, world-renown monastery.
A
www.i-Italy.org
Arte Italiana
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a total of more than 6000 patents
protecting over 650 inventions
eni clean sea: innovation to support the environment
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Publication - i-ItalyNY - 2014-06

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