The 6 phases of emotional dependence Blogger
Federico Fellini
“Fashion, Film, & Costume”
My American Dream
Loredana D’Anghera
(on the cover)
CONTEMPT
intersectional invisibility
...African American women did not go quietly into the night.
The wine universe as a life metaphor
A poetic and visionary journey by Roberto Sironi, painter, musician, author, and Mariagrazia Pia, poet and writer who brings us into the human vicissitudes of a society with a controlled and guaranteed denomination of origin. Scratches, graffiti, love fragments and decanted images, in a play of stains, light, tastes and artistic effervescences, brought together in an anthology for refined palates, including erotic colors, sensual movements and intimate reflections.
A show of splashes, color and words, metaphors and art, passions and sensitivity. The two artists, harvesting works of elegance, style and charm, proposing a personal and intoxicating vision of a world in eternal balance between the taste of existence and a colorful alchemic destiny, poured into a glass of art.
ISSN 2688-0601 (PRINT)
ISSN 2688-061X (ONLINE)
Susanna Casubolo
Rosanna Mazzitelli
Ramsay Cummins
Roberto Sironi
Fabrizio Catalfamo
Loredana Preda
Ryan Calabretta-Sajder
Proofreading by Teresa Carmina Cusano
Dainis Graveris
Berthold Werner
Peter Traub
Fintan Corrigan
Tango7174
Camille Minouflet
Karsten Würth
Fabrizio Evangelisti
Prakash Basenoo
Nicola Giannotti
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He was born in Rome from Romano Proietti, originally from Umbria, and Giovanna Ceci, a housewife. During his youth he was keen on singing and on playing guitar, piano, accordion and double bass in several Roman nightclubs.[3] He enrolled in the Faculty of Law at the La Sapienza University, where he attended the mimicry courses of the University Theatre Centre held by Giancarlo Cobelli, who immediately noticed his talent as a musician and booked him for an avantgarde play.
After several stage works, in 1966 Proietti debuted both in cinema, in Pleasant Nights, and on television, in the TV-series I grandi camaleonti. His first personal success came in 1971, when he replaced Domenico Modugno on the stage musical Alleluja brava gente by Garinei & Giovannini, starring alongside Renato Rascel.
In 1974, after playing the role of Neri Chiaramantesi in the drama La cena delle beffe, alongside Carmelo Bene and Vittorio Gassman, in 1976 he started a fruitful collaboration with playwright Roberto Lerici, with whom he wrote and directed his stage plays, starting with the one-man show A me gli occhi, please (Give me your eyes, please, 1976, reported on the scene in 1993, 1996 and 2000, in a memorable performance at the Olympic Stadium in his hometown). The show achieves a sensational success; initially planned to be performed 6 times, it exceeded 300 performances, with an average audience of 2,000 per performance.
He took part in several international movies, including The Appointment (1969), directed by Sidney Lumet, A Wedding (1978), directed by Robert Altman, and Who Is Killing the Great Chefs of Europe? (1978), directed by Ted Kotcheff. Proietti was also a voice dubber of films and television shows into the Italian language. He has dubbed the voices of several famous actors including Robert De Niro, Sean Connery, Sylvester Stallone, Richard Burton, Richard Harris, Dustin Hoffman, Paul Newman, Charlton Heston and Marlon Brando. His credits also include the role of the Genie in the Italian version of the Aladdin film series and Draco in Dragonheart. He also provided the Italian voice of Gandalf in The Hobbit film series, replacing the late Gianni Musy, who dubbed Gandalf in The Lord of the Rings, as well as Sylvester from Looney Tunes during the 1960s.
Proietti was interested in music
We all thank you, just for having existed and, for having done so in Italy.
Because it is true that we are a disunited country, always polemical with the political class but, extremely nationalist when it comes to football or as they call it here “Soccer”.
from a young age.[5] During his time singing in nightclubs and outdoor bars, he was initially not interested in pursuing an acting career. Proietti starred in and performed the opening and closing theme song for Il Circolo Pickwick which aired on Rai 1 in 1968 and at that time, he met Lucio Battisti, who was signed with the record label Dischi Ricordi. In the mid-1990s, Proietti was a member of Trio Melody alongside Peppino di Capri and Stefano Palatresi. The group was only active from the Sanremo Music Festival 1995 until 1996 and they released only one album. Proi- etti also enjoyed a successful solo career and he released more than 11 albums and 15 singles.
But art also unites, and you have touched it in its vital points. By casually traversing all possible means of communication. We live in a world made of images, flashes of light that pass through us without saying anything but leaving deep impressions.
On 1 November 2020, Proietti suffered a heart attack whilst in the hospital, having been admitted fifteen days prior for heart-related problems. He was transferred to intensive care where his condition was described as critical.[6] Proietti died the following morning, in the early hours of 2 November 2020, the day of his 80th birthday.
At one time, the Gods lived inside the cinema, and in the television box, some hovered in the theaters, and you were one of those, together with Gasmann, Carmelo Bene and the myth of Petrolini that, sometimes you have represented jokingly. “Ciao Mandrake,” you were part of my being Italian.
Proietti had been in a relation-
Fabrizio Catalfamoship since 1962 with Swedish, former tour guide Sagitta Alter, with whom he had two daughters, Susanna and Carlotta. His nephew Raffaele has followed him into a voice dubbing career.
Photo by Jon Tyson / A Murales
“We will not go quietly into the night! We will not vanish without a fight! We’re going to live on! We’re going to survive! Today we celebrate our Independence Day!”
Some may recall this memorable quote from the 1996 American movie “Independence Day”, or recognize it as being a mangled version of Dylan Thomas’s Poem entitled “Do Not Go Gentle into That Good Night” written when his father was losing his sight. The election of 2020 marks another significant time where African American women did not go quietly into the night. African American women refused to disappear without a fight. Sadly, we still cannot celebrate our Independence Day.
Streets clad with people bellowing in harmony as though a long-fought war had just been won. Cheering draped in flags representative of sexual orientation, political ideals and nationalities embraced differences, giving the illusion of solidarity as a nation. The realization is that for every one of those elated citizens another one failed to see how on this day American values appeared reborn. As the dust settles we are still faced with almost one half of the population who refuses to see and accept America for who she is, a diverse sovereign entity. Almost one half of Americans
By Ramsay Cumminsramsay.cummins@gmail.com
witnessed the irreparable glass ceiling shatter, penetrated by the first woman, the first woman of color elected to one of the highest positions of the land, and felt disgusted toward those who don’t share their views. Almost one half of Americans riddled with hatred as their lives are forever changed by the institution of true democracy. Almost one half of citizens failed to see that on this day there was a semblance of hope for all those marginalized.
The year 2020 has proven to be a tumultuous year for all human beings around the globe. There are plummeting stock markets, high unemployment rates, global economic uncertainties, the continued unnecessary slaying of African Americans at the very hands of those sworn to protect and serve. All highlighted by the global epidemic Covid 19. The effect as aforementioned has devastated many. However, the effect on America has been particularly daunting, due to the asunder of the two political parties that threaten the existence of our democracy. There is a saying in the African American community “When America catches a cold, African Americans get the flu”. This represents the compounded effects that we face during times of distress.
The moral compass of America which masqueraded as virtuous and pure was unmasked
displaying a fragmented country plagued with intolerance and dissolution. One hundred and fifty million people exercised their right to vote. More than half voted for the president-elect, Joe Biden, carrying over seventy five plus million votes. That seventy five million plus does not negate the fact that more than seventy plus million voted to support racism, misogyny, homophobia, xenophobia, classism, and religious prejudice. Ninety one percent of African American women voted for presidentelect, Joe Biden. This victory would not have been possible without the African American vote. What is Donald Trump spewing by not going quietly into the night? He delivers a message of illegitimacy and invalidation of the black vote, particularly the African American woman vote. He delivers a message to a culture of people whose lives will remain mostly unchanged by their vote. African American women voted knowing that they will not directly reap the benefit of what they sowed, that they
are giving far more than they expect to receive. They voted knowing that in creating a light for others they naturally light their way.
Intersectional invisibility is a conceptual understanding of how Black women are harmed when their experiences of living at the intersection of racism and sexism go unrecognized and go unheard. Donald Trump not accepting electoral defeat is a slap in the face to this population leaving another battle scar symbolizing hate and discord for this community. Our screams go unheard, our tears unwiped, our bleeding hearts disregarded. Yet we, African American women continue to fight to be visible. To the seventy one plus million Americans that voted for Donald trump be warned. We will continue to fight to be seen and to be heard.
“
We will not go quietly into the night! We will not vanish without a fight! We’re going to live on! We’re going to survive! We will have our Independence Day!”
By Rosanna Mazzitelli
@rosanna94359828
The stage of adolescence physiologically brings with it curiosity and the drive towards sexuality, both in terms of simple curiosity and through the desire to experience it practically. From various studies it emerges that the age in which boys come into contact with sexual content is getting lower and lower and already in preadolescence we find boys who in an often unconscious and immature way approach sexual content, even going so far as to practice sex, in a moment of life in which there is still no psychological maturity to understand its value. In this context, we can well understand how the hyper-connection in which young people find themselves living and therefore the continuous contact with people, known or unknown, who may be a few or many kilometers away, has also favored sexuality find space in the virtual world.
In a world where everyone is hyper-connected, and where all curiosities and information are searched for Online, the use of technology to experience sexuality certainly could not be an exception. Equally obvious is the fact that adolescents begin to know and approach sex through the Internet, in its various forms.
Specifically, we talk about sexiting, a word born from the union of sex and texiting (writing) and can be defined as the act of sending and / or receiving sexual content (messages, photos and videos) via chat, email, etc.
In the 2017 EU Kids Online report, we read that a comparison with the data of 2010 and 2013 shows a growth in sexting in 2017, especially among adolescents aged 15-17 (from 6% in 2010 to 9% in 2013 , to 12% in 2017) and males (from 5% in 2010 to 7% in 2013 to 12% in 2017).
Sexting in minors can be experienced as a demonstration of love and trust towards one’s partner, as fun or as a way to feel great both in the eyes of others and in front of oneself. The increase in sexiting, among other things, seems to be favored by the fact that boys can experience their sexuality with familiar tools, putting themselves on the line with less shame and probably with reduced performance anxiety that accompanies early sexual experiences and is therefore to be considered as a way of experiencing intimacy and sexuality with one’s peers, of attracting the attention of peers, of seducing the partner.
However, it is very important that children are educated by their parents or in any case by adult reference figures, with respect to the risks associated with the use of sexiting. Often children act without taking into account the effects and consequences of their actions. However, this becomes very risky on several levels, if for example you upload nude images on the web which at that point become difficult to manage.
We no longer speak of sexting but of “revenge porn” when the images are used, for example, by a former partner for vengeful purposes and with the aim of damaging the reputation of the person portrayed, or of “sextortion” and cyberbullying when one presents the threat of diffusion of the photo / video material, always with the aim of damaging the reputation of the person portrayed. According to our legal system, the material exchanged in the form of sexting is declined as child pornography, when it loses control, even naively.
It is very important to educate boys and girls to be aware and critical when sending sexual content, taking into account what that “SEND” may entail in their lives. Often in a naive way you send photos or videos, a little for fun, and sometimes just to show your love to your partner and it seems to escape the concept that once the message is sent there is no turning back. It is not uncommon for cases in which there are doubts and fear regarding the possibility of finding one’s photos and videos online in the future and there are also cases in which after many years the consequences, even dramatic, of an action are paid of sexiting done with naivety.
According to a survey conducted on 352 US university students, the feeling of remorse for having sent sexual content occurs immediately after pressing the submit button: 10% of the sample examined admit, in fact, having second thoughts or feeling remorse after having sent explicit content to someone and the reasons are varied. In some cases, the fear is that of retaliation by an ex partner after a breakup of an engagement or divorce.
If an adult realizes that a minor is involved in sexiting it is important to ascertain whether this involvement is voluntary or not and whether both subjects are minors or if there may be a risk of online grooming by adults. It is often difficult for a parent to be able to realize this phenomenon, which is why the winning tool is that of a healthy sexual education that allows their children to make informed and safe choices. On the part of the adult, open dialogue and not making judgments are essential, making children aware of the nature of the platforms used and emphasizing the value of their own privacy and that of others. Due to their age characteristics, children always tend to experiment with new and often risky things, and the protection that an adult can provide is that of a distant accompaniment that, however, makes the children feel cared for and protected. This also and above all with regard to the sexual sphere..
By I’M TEAM
To understand what is unusual in Italy for those who were not born and raised there, we talked to a few people who emigrated from various corners of the world. The question we asked them was: "What shocked you the most about Italy when you arrived?"
There is one thing about Italian culture that perplexes me but at the same time reserves me some advantages: for Italians the aspect (of themselves and of others) counts a lot. The best example is when I go to the local supermarket to get milk or a bottle of water — it's funny to see how the staff treat me depending on how I look that particular day. If I am well dressed and made up I get nice smiles (from women), some good ones (from both genders) and also some "tastes" (certainly from men). But if I am not in order, perhaps because I only went out for a few minutes, the staff act as if they have never seen me before (and as if they have no intention of seeing me again), acting as if I should be grateful to them for having received this. I was looking for. The positive side? On the streets of Milan you always see well-groomed people - Mi Dong, China
What impressed me the most about Italian culture when I came here was the morbid attachment of many of my peers to the family.
In Albania, as soon as a boy has a job he leaves home — not because he doesn't love his mother and father, but as a matter of independence. I still remember when I was living alone and how a lot of people would tell me, "But you are so young, why are you living alone?" I was 22 and had a job. -
Vasjon Hoxhalli, AlbaniaThe first thing I struggled to get used to were all the rules and schedules that involved eating: you missed lunch, worse for you, nothing else will be served until dinner. Do you want a cappuccino after noon? It is not done. Also, if you "break the rules" and ask for something, you may very well get a dirty look or even a laugh in the face. Another strange thing for me was friendship between men. Generally Italians seek physical contact a lot more when it comes to socializing, but I think especially the bonds between men are strong and expressed very openly. Two friends walking down the street with one arm on each other's shoulders or a group of guys at a restaurant on a Friday night — these are things you don't see in Lithuania, or you would be considered unmanly there for. I also find individually wrapped fruit or vegetables weird in the supermarket. Very little eco friendly! And the thirty-year-olds who are not happy living alone (emotionally and practically) because it is the first time they have separated from their parents.
I have lived in Italy for more than ten years. Most of the time, it has always been a pleasure. I love having direct access to a doctor when needed and I love not having to subject my child to metal detectors and mass shooting drills at school. However, there are things that left me speechless. One of the first was the attitude of some Italians towards tourists who visit their country. I have often heard complaints about tourism and people who come here in summer. I mean, a large part of the GDP is tourism. What is there to complain about? I had a friend who said he wanted to become the Italian David Letterman and write down a program: "10 Ways Italy Fucks Your Head". I always thought ten was too many. There's only one that screwed my head: road signs. It may seem bullshit, but it is absurd to think of all the extra kilometers we do because the roads and streets are badly marked. It is so absurd as to suggest that Agip must have designed this system to suck a little extra euro out of every traveler. And when you're stuck in the street and don't know where to go, here's the second thing that always made me weird: the horn. -
Jason Evers Johnson, United States - Dalia Dub, Lithuania
In 1983 I decided I wanted to become a radio host. To that end, I first attended diction classes at Iginio Bonazzi’s school Centro D (D Center). I then went on to attend Ernesto Cortese’s acting school for two years. Mr Cortese was then the theater company director at the Turin (Italy) branch of the national Italian television broadcaster RAI, while Mr Bonazzi was an actor in the same company. Both conveyed to me their deep passion for drama, although radio remained my “first love”.
Unfortunately, becoming an actor in Turin was very difficult in those years. Since I didn’t want to be a burden to my family, I gave up acting and became a sales representative.
I worked as such for twenty years, selling all sorts of goods and services, from advertising to child care products and from medical accessories to pet welfare items. In 2000 I joined an IT company and I became a Website designer, first as an employee, then as a free-lance professional.
In order to capitalize on my field practice experience, I wrote three books on selling and became a sales technique coach. During one of my workshops, I met my current business partner, who is a privacy consultant. Under his coaching I moved over from IT communications to personal data protection, and joined his consulting firm, Applicando srl, where I am currently working as an associate partner.
The call of the stage, however, remained strong all along. I never stopped reading drama and novels by major Italian, French, Russian and American authors - both
classical and contemporary. In 2009 I staged the comedy “Una donna per nemico” (A Woman as Enemy), which was written by a friend who is a high-school Latin teacher. I then realized that, far from vanishing, the “instinct of the stage” my teacher, Mr Cortese, had “diagnosed” to me many years before had become more intense. So, I started working on a piece of drama of my own, based on an idea I had many years before but I had never dared writing. The actual opportunity came to me through a friend who is a producer of fundraising shows, in particular for health care grassroots groups. I suggested to him that I may stage my piece for a charity supporting the families of children suffering from Epidermolysis Bullosa (the so-called “Butterfly Children”), and he accepted right away.
Thus, in April 2018 I staged “La valigia” (The Suitcase), a fouract drama of my own. The main character is the suitcase itself, and four separate and unrelated stories revolve around it. Although the director was a capable professional and worked at her very best, I decided I’d rather direct my pieces myself. So, I registered as a theater author at the Italian Society of Authors and Publishers. To date, I have registered with the Society four pieces of drama, and I am writing a few more. I also started studying drama direction under a renowned director based in Turin. In this framework, I staged “L’ultimo giorno” (The Last Day), a reading of a text I wrote in 2011. I am currently also attending various classes, courses and workshops on theater direction, improvisation and acting practice.
My readings have changed, too. I’m now studying works by Ejzenstejn, Grotowsky, Jouvet, Katie Mitchell and Stanislawsky, and next year I’m planning to study Lee
Strasberg.
My passion for the radio didn’t vanish, though. Using the opportunities offered by the Internet e by current technology, I set up my own podcast channel (www.almicrofono.it), which has four sections: Audioclassici, Audioracconti, Audiodrammi and Audioteatro.
Section Audioclassici (Audio Classics) is dedicate d to the interpretative reading of such classical authors as Shakespeare, Brecht, Hesse, Leopardi, Foscolo, Pavese, etc. Section Audioracconti (Audio Shorts) is dedicated to short stories written by myself or by actor friends. Section Audiodrammi (Audio Drama) focuses on noir and tragedy, with texts by myself. Section Audioteatro (Audio Theater) features readings of theater pieces of my own or belonging to the classical repertoire. In this project, I co-operate with friends who are authors and/o actors.
Indeed, the results are exciting. In just over a year, my channel totaled over twelve thousand visits and very favorable feedback. This includes students who like listening to, rather than reading, poetry by the great authors of the past.
I’ve just kicked-off the rehearsals for my second piece of drama, “Una volta ti vengo a trovare” (One day I’ll come to see You), which I intend to stage by the end of 2021. This piece is centered on Man’s and God’s depression. The drama deals with the relationship between Man and God from a lay and sometimes ironic perspective. However, it also features intense moments, which aim at reflecting on subjects that are anything but light.
“I had my first theatrical experience when I was sixteen. Back then, I took part in the staging of Deep are the Roots, a piece by Arnaud D’Usseau and James Gow centered on racial segregation after WWII
By Fabrizio Catalfamo @newage1962
Giuseppe, first, thanks for accepting my invitation. Granted it would take many more pages to tell your life, I want to focus on your activities as playwright enthusiast.
Thank you for offering me this opportunity.
What is your artistic relationship with America?
Though I’m not quite familiar with it yet, I’m particularly interested in the American school going back to Lee Strasberg. I like the terse and detached American acting style and minimalist lines of Robert De Niro, Dustin Hoffman or Al Pacino. However, I also enjoy the disillusionment and humane cynicism of the late Jerry Orbach. In the future, I’d
like to direct Arthur Miller’s Death of a Salesman. Having worked as a salesman myself, that tragedy feels very close to me. It is the tragical, deep loneliness typical of traveling salespeople, who experience the paradox of meeting thousands of people and at the same time of always being alone. Miller focused quite sharply on this anomaly.
If you had to write a piece for Broadway, what would be its hypothetical title?
That would be “Inside me”. I’ve been cultivating this idea for quite some time now. It is the story of a person who receives a transplanted organ. This organ, however, preserves the memory of the person it was transplanted from. The story would oscillate between wry and dramatic situations. I’d like to use it to explore the inner world of people caught between body and soul.
In your biography, you refer among others, to some American authors from whom you draw inspiration. Can you name them?
I often took inspiration from American authors, starting with Tennessee Williams. When I was attending acting school, I studied many scenes from Cat on a Hot Tin Roof. I was also very much influenced by Hemingway, Scott Fitzgerald and Arthur Miller. I’m also quite interested in Woody Allen and in his constant investigation of the human soul in such masterpieces as “Zelig”, “Play It
Again Sam” and “Whatever Works”, to name but a few. Woody Allen manages to turn everyday life into narration. He makes sense of people’s neuroses, confronts viewers with their contradictions by talking to them. He also turns viewers into the main characters of the story they are watching. In Allen’s movies, as well as in his books, I see the subtle Jewish irony that manages to make people
reflect on anything, including such enormous tragedies as the Shoah.
I saw Pirandello perform in an Italian embassy in India. Why doesn’t Italian art become a common practice in all embassies around the world?
I think this is an indication of a major paradox. Italy is universally acknowledged to be the wealthiest country in the World based on cultural heritage. Politics, however, doesn’t take proper account of that. This is shown by the very fact that in 2018 Italy ranked third to last in Europe based on Government investments in cultural activities, with a paltry 0,6% of its GDP. One may, however, take comfort in the interesting work on arts education that is being carried out in primary schools. Interesting interactions also exist with drama workshops, but there is still a lot to be done. Paradoxically, art (and drama in particular) is not a primary concern at policy level. This probably also shows in the way resources are allocated to drama performance at Italian embassies worldwide.
We live in a particular period and therefore out of the norm. But what is the situation of the live show in times of “normality” in Italy?
Talking about pre-COVID times, a lot of activities were going on and playbills were rich in high-level titles. At the amateur level, there was a wealth of performances. These were offered by a broad range of theater companies and
associations staging classical as well as unpublished texts. We have many theater schools. Quite a few of them belong to actors from prestigious academies, such as the Paolo Grassi Academy in Milan, the Academy of Teatro Stabile in Turin or the Academy of Dramatic Arts in Rome to name but a few. The “feeling for drama” is quite widespread. When I first meet with people, and we end up talking about drama, quite often over one in two of them attended or are attending some acting school.
You said: “As a younger man, I wanted to be an actor”. You attended the “Ernesto Cortese’s acting school” in Turin for two years in the Eighties, but you were forced to drop out for family reasons. Do you have any regrets about being forced to quit?
I have no regrets at all. This isn’t so much because I couldn’t do otherwise, but because my work gave me much satisfaction. If done properly, selling is quite rewarding. I learned and taught the trade, I coordinated sales networks and I wrote books on sales and selling. I also have no regrets because my return to drama came at the right time. Indeed, it came after a process of inner growth which developed along various paths.
These are now coming together into playwriting, acting and ultimately directing. Far from being over, this process is renewing itself and assuming new forms. Since I started studying stage direction, I set up a blog (www.teatro.to.it) where I gather my reflections based on the study of various texts, e.g. by Kate Mitchell, Stanislavsky, Grotowski, Eisenstein and, more generally, and of the History of Theater. Of course, had I pursued acting when I was a young man, I’d have developed greater skills and different experiences. These may have allowed me to set up an acting school of my own. In the not too distant future, however, I may even manage to achieve that dream, as well. Meanwhile, I’m attending acting and directing classes and stages in order to acquire the skills needed to offer audiences a serious and credible “product”.
You are very attached to your city, where you have always lived. If one day you decide to leave Turin, for which city in the world would you change it?
It would be a painful decision, indeed. If I did have to leave Turin, I’d choose Paris. Turin is also known as “the little Paris”. According to Hemingway, Paris is an important part of a man’s upbringing. So, I couldn’t live but in Paris. Somehow, it would feel like never leaving Turin.
You have just finished writing your second drama, which is called “Una volta ti vengo a trovare.” When and where will we be able to attend the performance?
If the Covid-19 scourge doesn’t get in the way, I’m planning to stage this drama in late November
/ early December 2021 at two theaters in Turin. A lot will also depend on the Covid control measures the authorities may adopt in the meantime. All in all, in order to be on stage one has better be alive and in good shape. Luckily, the crew is quite small. It consists of two actors (Angelo Cauda and Marco Mauro), one one actress (Marzia Trasanna) and one assistant director (Antonello Panero). We’ve known each other for a long time, and we’re all determined to stage this drama. If we can’t do it within the planned timeframe, we’ll stage it right afterwards.
First and foremost, Vittorio Gassman, agreat showman, a master actor and a man of boundless culture. Then, of equal importance, Arnoldo Foà, with his deep, grumpy humanity coupled to uncommon elegance and refinement. Then Giancarlo Giannini, with his wry and intense acting, and Toni Servillo, with his multi-facetted interpreting ability. Finally, Dario Fo and Franca Rame, whose irreverent texts and performances left a major and unforgettable mark on Italian theater and beyond. Among foreign actors, I take inspiration from Gerard Depardieu, Jean Gabin and Daniel Auteuil. Among American actors, I’m particularly fond of Dustin Hoffman, Al Pacino, Walter Matthau and Henry Fonda.
“I’m Italian” magazine, is aimed particularly to the Italians in the world. Many of them are second or third generation and many
have never seen Italy. How could you describe it through your eyes?
Italy is a surprising country, rich in sometimes blatant contrasts. It is endowed with a huge, invaluable cultural heritage and a knack for bright imagination. At the same time, it is hindered and slowed down by a suffocating bureaucracy. Italians are rich in outbursts of generosity, but they have a short memory and are inclined to seeking easy solutions to complex issues. As Primo Levi once said, Italians are a people of skeptics. Italy needs visiting and roaming all over to appreciate how many differences exist in such a small place. Italy has a long history of small, divided and conflicting potentates, quite often serving the interests of foreign powers. It developed very different cultures, practices and customs. Rather than a single culture, therefore, Italy is a colorful set of cultures and peoples which only recently found some kind of unity, and an unfinished one at that. Foreigners have a hard time discovering all of these different cultures. The possibility to get in touch with five or six of them in just a few hundred miles is peculiar to Italy. In my view this is indeed a unique heritage well worth exploring.
He recognised the similarity of the Bolgherian climate to that of Bordeaux and the potential for the region to create long-lived, exceptional Cabernet Sauvignon. With this in mind he directed his efforts to making a success of this celebrated grape in Bolgheri, starting by planting clones of Cabernet Sauvignon taken from Chateau Lafite in the 1950s.
Making wine from Cabernet Sauvignon was a controversial decision in Tuscany where the tradition has always been to produce quality wines from indigenous varieties, most particularly Sangiovese. The local market, accustomed to lighter, local wines, weren’t very welcoming of the first vintages of Sassicaia. As a result, recognition for the estate was only achieved in the mid 1970’s when the vines and wines had time to mature.
There are two significant turning points in the development of the reputation of Sassicaia. Firstly, Sassicaia emerged victorious in 1978 in a Decanter blind tasting against 33 other Bordeaux blends from around the world. Secondly,in the 1990’s when it was awarded its own DOC status; Bolgheri Sassicaia DOC; a phenomenal achievement for a wine once classified as a basic IGT.
Today, the entrepreneurial spirit and innovation of the Marchese is celebrated and Sassicaia has reached the lofty heights of the world’s most iconic wines.
In the 1920s the Marchese Mario Incisa della Rocchetta dreamt of creating a ‘thoroughbred’ wine and for him, as for all the aristocracy of the time, the ideal was Bordeaux. This is how he described it in a letter to the esteemed wine critic, Luigi Veronelli dated 11 June 1974:
“…the origins of my experiment date back to the years between 1921 and 1925 when, as a student
in Pisa and often a guest of the Salviati Dukes in Migliarino, I drank a wine produced from one of their vineyards…which had the same unmistakable “bouquet” as an aged Bordeaux….”
In the 1940s, having settled with his wife Clarice on the Tenuta San Guido on the Tyrrhenian coast, he experimented with several French grape varieties (whose cuttings he had recovered from the estate of the Dukes Salviati in Migliarino) and concluded that the Cabernet had “the bouquet I was looking for.”
A wine made mainly from Cabernet Sauvignon was a fundamental change to the Tuscan and Piedmont tradition of Sangiovese and Nebbiolo, respectively. The innovative decision to plant this variety at Tenuta San Guido was partly due to the similarity Mario Incisa had noted between Tuscan terrain and that of Graves in Bordeaux.
When we talk about Sassicaia and the Tenuta San Guido Estate, the words which come to mind are innovative and pioneering. What we know today as one of Tuscany’s leading estates was once an experimental project led by the innovative Italian pioneer, Marchese Mario Incisa della Rocchetta.
Rocks excavated from the “Palmetta” vineyard before replanting it in 1999 ‘Graves’, or ‘gravel’ in French refers to the rocky terrain which distinguishes the Bordeaux area; similarly, the gravely vineyard sites in Tuscany impart the same characteristics on Sassicaia, “stony ground”, as its cherished French brother.
The Marchese’s first vintages were not warmly received. Critics accustomed to light, local wines were not encouraging; it was not taken into consideration that wines made from the more complex Cabernet Sauvignon grape would need more time to mature and develop.
And thus from 1948 to 1967, Sassicaia remained a strictly private affair, only to be consumed at Tenuta San Guido.
Each year, a few cases
were stored to age in the Castiglioncello di Bolgheri cellar. The Marchese soon realized that by ageing the wine it improved considerably. Friends and relatives now urged Mario Incisa to experiment further with his project and perfect his revolutionary winemaking style. It was not until 1968 that Sassicaia was first commercially released – the welcome was worthy of a Bordeaux Premier Cru.
Over the next few years, the cellar was moved to a temperature controlled location, steel fermentation vats replaced wooden vats, and French barriques were introduced to the aging process.
By I’M Italian team
Giovanni “John” Stanfa is an Italian-born American former boss of the Philadelphia crime family from 1991 to 1995. Convicted of multiple charges in 1995, Stanfa was sentenced to life in prison.
Stanfa was born in 1940 in Caccamo, Sicily. In 1964, at the age of 23, Stanfa immigrated to the United States, and listed his occupation as a bricklayer. That same year, he was married to Lena, and settled in New York City, and by the late 1960s, moved to Philadelphia. Stanfa settled his family in Philadelphia, Pa., and became involved with criminal activities in the area, mostly due to his friendship with Gambino crime family Boss Carlo Gambino of New York, who had very close ties to the boss of the Philadelphia crime family, Angelo Bruno, who had just gotten a seat in the National Commission. Stanfa was assigned as Bruno’s personal driver after becoming a made man in the Philadelphia family during the late 1960s.
Bruno became and remained the most powerful Mafia boss over the area for over two decades, and gained the crime family the powerful reputation it has today. Stanfa’s status in the family was influenced by Bruno’s success. On March 21, 1980, Bruno was shot and killed by a shotgun blast in the back of the head as he sat in his car. It is speculated that Bruno was killed for not allowing members of his crime family to engage in narcotics and drug trafficking. According to US law enforcement, Stanfa as Bruno’s driver and was seated in the drivers seat when Bruno was killed but managed to flee the scene unharmed.
It has not been proven if Stanfa was involved in the conspiracy hatched by Consigliere, Antonio Caponigro, who was found three weeks later stuffed in a trunk of a car in New York, reportedly on the orders of the Commission in retaliation for Bruno’s unsanctioned murder. After refusing to testify before a grand jury about his involvement in the murder, Stanfa was indicted on perjury charges. He fled the area and went into hiding. On April 21, 1981, Stanfa was apprehended and sentenced to eight years in prison after nearly a year on the run from US law enforcement.
With the death of Angelo Bruno and Stanfa in hiding and later imprisoned, a power vacuum was left with the Philadelphia crime family. The self-claimed boss, Philip Testa was murdered as well by a nail bomb in front of his home in 1981, and in the end, powerful Atlantic City capo Nicodemo Scarfo was recognized as the new boss of Philadelphia. Scarfo was a violent mob boss and allegedly ordered the murders of more than 30 peo-
ple throughout his reign in the 1980s. He tried to gain more influence in New York with the Five Families through then Gambino crime family boss John Gotti but failed. Scarfo was soon indicted on massive charges and sent to prison for the rest of his life in 1989, as his nephew and Underboss, Phil Leonetti testified against him. It was around this time that Stanfa got out of prison.Around 1991, Stanfa was elevated to boss of the Philadelphia crime family. He had the backing of the Gambino crime family of New York.
Stanfa had Anthony Piccolo as Consigliere. Both Piccolo and Stanfa reportedly ran the family for the imprisoned Scarfo prior to Stanfa being made boss. As a boss Stanfa always talked about the flaws of Scarfo yet in a lot of ways he did the same thing. Stanfa put in place the street tax again, every criminal had to pay a tax on his activities, this created tension and threats of violence on the streets of Philadelphia, right away Stanfa put in place an atmosphere that wouldn’t be good for business. Stanfa sent out Felix Bocchino to collect the street tax, things were running OK for Stanfa, the street tax was easy money.
Then Felix Bocchino was murdered and the media went crazy, they called it the first mob hit in 7 years. At first both Stanfa and the FBI had no clue as to who was behind the murder but pretty soon things became clear. In South Philadelphia there were a group of young thugs led by Joseph “Skinny Joey” Merlino, a young flashy good looking thug who threw huge Christmas parties. Merlino was the son of former Scarfo Underboss Salvatore Merlino. Other youngsters in Merlino’s group were: Steve Mazzone, Marty Angelina, George Borgesi (whose father was an imprisoned Scarfo hitman), Gaetano “Tommy Horsehead” Scafidi and Vince Iannece (son of Scarfo Soldier Charles Iannece). Merlino and his friends were already running things and were doing pretty good, they already had the street tax in place and so when Bocchino came around collecting what they felt was their money, he had to go. The Bocchino hit would be the first casualty in the war between Merlino and Stanfa. Pretty soon Stanfa found out about the young turks, as they would later be called by the media, and took action.
Stanfa operated by the saying: "Keep your friends close but your enemies even closer" and so he and Merlino would be seen together on social occasions and mob meetings. In September Stanfa held a secret ceremony in which Merlino, Michael Ciancaglini and Biaggio Adornetto were inducted into the Philadelphia family as made members. People around Stanfa warned him that these youngsters were no good and that they would bring the whole thing down but Stanfa said he knew and would take care of it, he even made the 33 year old Joseph "Joey Chang" Ciancaglini, jr. (brother of Merlino's second in command Michael Ciancaglini) Underboss in the interest of promoting peace.
In the meantime Stanfa decided he could use some new blood and got himself some Sicilian soldiers. Two young guys named Biaggio Adornetto and Rosario Bellochi. Stanfa, in an unusual tactic, also recruit-
ed for his side several men who were not of Italian heritage, including the Veasey brothers and Frank Martines. According to the former executive director of the Pennsylvania Crime Commission, Frederick T. Martens, “Stanfa brought in people, like the Veasey brothers, who had no background in the mob but who were willing to break legs and pull a trigger”. One of the Veasey brothers named John Veasey was made and became a hitman and Capo in the Stanfa faction.
In 1993, an all-out war broke out between Stanfa and Joseph Merlino, who was eager to take control of the Philadelphia crime family on his own. The 2nd Philly mob war has been known as one of the most violent Mob wars of modern time.
“You know what I’ll do. I’ll get a knife...I’ll cut out his tongue and we’ll send it to the wife. That’s all... We put it in an envelope. Put a stamp on it...Quanto evvero iddio (Honest to God.)
On August 5, 1993, Joseph Merlino was shot and wounded in a drive-by shooting assassination-attempt organized by Stanfa. Merlino survived, but his associate, Michael "Mikey Chang" Ciancaglini, was killed. In retaliation, Stanfa’s son was shot in the face on August 31 of that same year. The shooting took place on an expressway and was driven by Vietnam vet, Freddy Aldrich, who is credited with saving all three of their lives that day by pushing the hitmen's van to the side of the road and forcing it off an exit. Merlino was sent to prison that same year on violation of his parole. In prison, Merlino was backed by reputed Philadelphia mobster Ralph Natale, who had close connections to New York and the Genovese crime family.
The Genovese family decided to back Natale in the Second Philly War. Stanfa still held control of the fam-
ily, but he was indicted on multiple charges along with 23 of his associates.
Stanfa was indicted on labor racketeering, extortion, loansharking, murder and conspiracy to commit murder on March 17, 1994. In November 1995, Stanfa was convicted of all charges and sentenced to five consecutive life sentences. When it became clear that he would not continue to run the Philadelphia family, Stanfa’s power declined and the Gambino crime family cut off connections.
As of March 2009, Stanfa is serving his five consecutive life sentences at the United States Penitentiary (USP), located in Allenwood, Pennsylvania.
(Who has sex on New Year’s Eve has sex all year round.)
It has always been the most propitiatory superstitious ritual for the new year, something we like to believe along with the midnight lentils and red underwear. But surprisingly, it is during the Christmas holidays that sexual activity undergoes a significant increase. Many researches on this topic argue that kisses, hugs, cuddles and more thrilling fantasies are the most sought-after gift under the tree. We can say that the saying "at Christmas we are all better off" can be overcome by the truth that "at Christmas we are all more hungry for sex". Why does Christmas not only bring so much joy but also a great desire to have sex? The Huffington Post interviewed British couples on the subject and half confirmed that sex is better during the holiday season. Perhaps it will be the spicy temptation to transgress that arises at a time when religion predominates? Or does the celebration of the birth rate encourage couples to expand their family?
Shopkeepers of erotic items report an increase in sales of vibrators, red plush handcuffs, whips, fruit lubricants, Christmas underwear and perfumed
susanna casubolo @susannacasubolo
condoms during the first week of Christmas and New Year’s, a sign that many packages under the tree represent an invitation to experimentation. But one of the most traditionalist transgressions remains linked to the Santa Claus costume hat, in fact a Durex survey showed that 10% of couples use it for sex during the Christmas holidays. That at Christmas you have more sex is also proven by the increase in condom sales recorded during the holidays, but despite this Christmas it remains the most fertile time of the year for conception, in fact, according to ISTAT, the peak is recorded in September of highest birth rate of the whole year and therefore the maximum of sexual activity occurs nine months earlier, just in correspondence with the Christmas holidays.
On social networks at this time of the year the frequency of the use of words such as sex, sexual, desire, eroticism is growing, according to a study conducted by the University of Indiana carried out on people from 130 different countries. Whether it is sex or love, stopping everyday life and routine thanks to parties grants the desire to make your way through the thousand things to do, bombarded with ultra-sugary films,
gorged on good food and good wine, in a sort of enjoyable euphoria looking only for positive feelings. So after the hundredth time that the voice of Mariah Carey reaches us singing “All I want for Christmas is you” we begin to feel hungry for more and puckish turns into desire, perhaps in the wake of the passion red color that distinguishes the period or perhaps even to reduce the calories we have in our body after the colossal eats.
Shopkeepers of erotic items report an increase in sales of vibrators, red plush handcuffs, whips, fruit lubricants, Christmas underwear and perfumed condoms during the first week of Christmas and New Year’s, a sign that many packages under the tree represent an invitation to experimentation. But one of the most traditionalist transgressions remains linked to the Santa Claus costume hat, in fact a Durex survey showed that 10% of couples use it for sex during the Christmas holidays. That at Christmas you have more sex is also proven by the increase in condom sales recorded during the holidays, but despite this Christmas it remains the most fertile time of the year for conception, in fact, according to ISTAT, the peak is recorded in September of highest birth rate of the whole year and therefore the maximum of sexual activity occurs nine months earlier, just in correspondence with the Christmas holidays.
to Facebook during the Christmas period many users break up, removing the classic fiance from their wall. The site “Incontri-ExtraConiugali.com” has
The increase in desire triggers even the most tantalizing betrayals. According
shown how in this period of the year the registrations and the use of the app increases dramatically. A survey carried out by the site revealed that 7 out of 10 Italians betray their partner by taking advantage of the company Christmas dinner. And if the company dinner is not an alibi, the most valid excuse remains to go and buy gifts to see the lover to whom 4 out of 10 Italians buy a gift. According to the Italian Betrayal community with over 75,691 members, frequented by Italians in search of extramarital adventures, among the cities where more horns are put on between Christmas and New Year Rome Milan, Naples and Turin stand out, followed however by unsuspected cities such as romantic Venice, and small centers such as Ravenna, Lecce and Ragusa.
Obviously, the tendency to cheat during the Christmas holidays is not only Italian but it is a worldwide trend. The famous London site Bark.com, with 20 million users worldwide, which usually provides secretaries, caregivers, housekeepers, drivers, painters and more, also provides “honey trapper” to unmask unfaithful partners, and receives for this over 300 requests every hour. Professionals of both sexes are used as “bait” to allow the client to verify the loyalty of his partner by testing his resistance to betrayal. But in Italy the service does not seem to work so easily, the unfaithful Italian partners seem to be among the smartest, they do not let themselves be discovered, in fact they prefer to betray online, and therefore hardly fall into the network of an unknown “tempting bait”. The Italians know a lot who betray even in the period when not only the reindeer have horns, but we know “Italians do it better”.
It is futile but understandable to speculate how the career might have turned out of one who died much too young. The Neapolitan papers this week spent some time doing that, true, but generally just paid heartfelt tribute to Massimo Troisi, from San Giorgio (near Naples), who died in 1994 but who, this week, would have turned 50.
Troisi made his first film, in 1981, Ricomincio da tre (a pun on the expression Ricomincio da zero —I'm
starting over— (thus, roughly, I'm Starting Over Somewhere in the Middle), and his last film, shortly before his death, Il Postino (The Postman, probably his best-known film abroad. Perhaps only Roberto Benigni, among recent Italian comics, strikes you the same way Troisi does, as having that quality of comic genius worthy of mentioning in the same breath as the great Totò. (Benigni and Troisi appear in one film together, in 1984: Non ci resta che piangere (There's nothing left to do but cry) where they are transported in time back to the 1400s and even meet Leonardo da Vinci and give him some pointers.) Troisi generates the same type of “Do you remember that episode…?” —stories that characterize conversations about all great comics. (Do you remember that scene of Laurel and Hardy moving the piano up the
long flight of steps? Of course you do.) There are scores of those about Totò and, by now, a lot of them about Troisi. Yes, I remember that scene where Troisi plays the wrong Mary (!), not the mother of Jesus, but another Mary in “a city of Galilee named Nazareth” whose daily routine gets interrupted by an inept Herald Angel who keeps barging onto the stage with “Hearken! Mary…the Lord is with thee…thou shalt conceive…” Troisi spends the skit trying to convince the angel that he/she/ it has come to the wrong house and the wrong Mary. Joseph’s wife is over on the next street. There is not the least sense of irreverence in the performance, either. Troisi’s language was that of Naples, with virtually no attempt to modify his difficult native dialect to a more standard Italian for the benefit of those who might have difficulty understanding him —audiences in northern Italy, for example.
It was the 4 June 1994, the next day he shot the last scene of “The postman", He left us Massimo Troisi. for 25 years after his death Rome dedicated a fond memory. Over 80 photo retracing his private life and his artistic career, offering a trip full of emotion capable of telling the sensitivity and artistic genius of one of the most beloved players in the history of Italian cinema.
Troisi’s language was that of Naples, with virtually no attempt to modify his difficult native dialect to a more standard Italian for the benefit of those who might have difficulty understanding him —audiences in northern Italy, for example. With Totò, Troisi is a living language lesson and one more reason why almost all Italians now like to think they speak a little Neapolitan.
In dedicated spaces, that follow chronologically the life and artistic production, we find posters, images, new videos, awards and interviews where you feel how much I miss a figure like Massimo Troisi to art and to the public. In the first room we start with childhood and family life with unpublished photos and manuscripts and type-
scripts of poems, that from an early age showed his vocation for writing. He goes to his early experiences in the show in Center Theater Space, a garage of San Giorgio a Cremano adapted to theater, where the first farces written will see the light; that address sensitive issues such as religion, politics and the church; and where he will meet his friends grimace. The group is dedicated photo, posters and documents of a very intense period which will lead the trio to national success.
Exciting are, then, the first multimedia spaces where you can see and hear interviews created especially for to show of friends and colleagues. There is the memory of his nephew and collaborator Stefano Veneruso, Enzo De Caro, Gianni Mina, Massimo Bonetti, Marco Risi, Carlo Verdone, his partner and co-screenwriter Anna Pavignano and
many others, that reveal curious and affectionate aspects of Troisi.
In another multimedia station you can listen to his youth songs written by Troisi and music by Enzo De Caro. They remained for many years in his personal archives and in the 2008 De caro recorded in "Poet Max" disc. Disco, which houses the value of musicians such as Paolo Fresu, the Solis String Quartet, Rita Marcotulli, Daniele Sepe, Ezio Bosso, Lino Cannavacciuolo, Cecilia Chailly, James Senese.
In the second room there is the TV experience. Gives The grimace, in the mythical program Non Stop, where he launched many artists first floor of the Italian cinema and theater, including Carlo Verdone that tells us how the presence of Massimo Troisi had the feeling of attending a top and unusual artist. At appearances in programs Renzo Arbore, Gianni mina, Pippo Baudo, Roberto Benigni, friends and colleagues with whom he created historical performance remained. The presence of multimedia totems gives us the atmosphere of that season.
In the third room is the turn of cinema. Photo sets, papers and posters, along with footage of interviews with actors and directors, describe the evolution as an author, director and actor. In his film of civil commitment, he never dealt with pride, essential and simple, with perfect timing, It has shown that continuous research is behind the growth of his artistic depth. Even in acting, Ettore Scola called him: “Our feelings actor”.
Troisi is not only what he has accomplished, intelligence and tenderness that he emanated, caused an empathy with the public contagious, up to create that aura of magic around him, gift that only a few artists are allowed. Years later, one wonders how, seeing him or listening again to his voice, you can still laugh and be moved immediately, and this exhibition admirably evokes the miracle of an extraordinary artist.
By I’m Italian team
The nymph Arethusa following Artemis, running free in the woods of the Peloponnese, was seen by the young Alfeo who fell madly in love with her. But Arethusa did not reciprocate his sentiment, on the contrary she fled from him, until tired of his insistence she asked Artemis for help. The Goddess wrapped her in a thick cloud, melting the young woman in a spring on the Lido of Ortigia.
Alfeo then asked for help from the Gods, who transformed it into a river that, originating from Greece and crossing the Ionian Sea, joined the beloved source.
Even today the myth lives on the island of Ortigia thanks to the so-called Fonte Aretusa, a mirror of water that flows into the Porto Grande of Syracuse. The legend of Alfeo originates from the homonymous river in the Peloponnese, in Greece, and from a source of fresh water (locally called Occhio della Zillica) that flows into the Porto Grande of Syracuse not far from the Fonte Aretusa. Today the avenue that runs along the Fonte Aretusa is called Lungomare Alfeo.
In the stretch of water of the Fonte Aretusa and along the banks of the Ciane river there are the only wild papyrus in all of Europe. (Papyrus grows wild only in Egypt.)
Persephone, daughter of Zeus and Demeter, goddess of vegetation and agriculture, was intent on picking flowers together with some nymphs near the shores of Lake Pergusa (near Enna). Suddenly, from his underground kingdom Hades emerged, in love with the girl, who in order not to waste time in courtship and above all to avoid asking Persephone's hand from her father Zeus, decided to kidnap her.
It was the nymph Ciane who reacted to the kidnapping by clinging to the chariot of Hades in a desperate attempt to restrain it. The angry God struck it with his scepter, transforming it into a double spring with blue waters (cyanos in Greek means precisely blue).
The young Anapo, in love with the nymph Ciane, having seen his fiancée liquefy, was also changed into the river which still today, at the end of its journey, joins the waters of the Ciane, to pour into the Porto Grande.
Photo by Prakash Basenoo
second version of the myth reports that Cianippus had made sacrifices to all the gods except Bacchus who wanted to punish him and made him drunk in such a way that he raped his daughter Ciane. But the daughter during the intercourse managed to take a ring from him and gave it to the nurse to make him understand, the next day, who he had abused. Fate would have an epidemic of plague to broke out, and consulted the oracle he stated that the only way to appease him was the sacrifice of the worst man in the city. Ciane then grabbed her father by the hair and killed him with a dagger, before committing suicide himself. This sacrifice took place by the Ciane spring. So moved Proserpina collected the tears of the young Ciane and created the source.
Diodorus Siculus speaking of Heracles' trip to Sicily tells of his arrival in Syracuse, in order to honor Persephone and Ciane he sacrificed a bull right at the source of the Ciane river, ordering citizens to perform the same gesture every year.
“ Therefore Hercules, having made the tour around Sicily, as has been said, and arrived at the city, which now belongs to the Syracusans, where he understood what concerned the abduction of Proserpina, offered solemn vows to the goddesses, and immolated a beautiful bull in Ciane, he taught the inhabitants how they should celebrate the anniversary rite at Ciane, and the solemn feast of this sacrifice. Then turning inside with his herd, with great battle he conquered the Sicans, who opposed him in great strength, and very much killed them ... “
(Diodorus Siculus, IV 12)
“... it is told, that Pluto, after having kidnapped Core, that is the girl, who so they call the daughter of Ceres, having carried her on his chariot to Syracuse, opened the earth but went down with it to the Ogre, but then raised the source known as Ciane, where every year the Syracusans celebrate a solemn panegiri, in which minor victims are privately sacrificed; but publicly the sacrifices are celebrated by submerging bulls in the lake. And it was Hercules, who introduced this use, when he saw all of Sicily with the herds of Geryon. “
Probably behind this myth lies the ancient memory of human sacrifices made at the source since in this passage the allusion seems evident:
(Diodorus Siculus V, 3)
By: Dora L Cubello-Villani
I arrived to New York on April 23, 1956. I was very young. I came from Catanzaro, Calabria. I came with my parents and brother. It was very difficult for us since we didn’t have much money. My mother got a job in a factory and supported the family. My father couldn’t work at first because he was not well. He died in 1961. My mother worked hard to support my brother and myself. I can proudly say that because of her support, my brother and I both went to college. I’’ve been a teacher in NYC for 33 years. I teach Italian and Spanish. Even though I am very assimilated, I have never forgotten certain Italian traditions which I have now passed on to my children. I am a proud Italian and proud of what Italians have contributed to this country.
My grandfather, Antonino Cimiotta was born In Sambuca di Sicila, Sicily April 28, 1884. He was one of nine children of Luciano Cimiotta and Rosa Bila. At the age of 17 he boarded the SS Sardegna and traveled to New York City. He had seven dollars in his pocket when he arrived in the United States. In Illinois at the age of 35 he married Minnie Blanche Simmons. Antonino and Blanche lived in Collinsville Illinois and raised a family of seven children. Antonino worked in the coal mines until his death in 1948.
By: Anthony Dahl
Pasquale Gallé left his wife Caterina Bertucci and daughter Rosa in 1902 and set off to America. He sailed on the Citta di Milano arrivng at Ellis Island on May 31, 1902. He began working for the railroad which took him to Chicago, IL. As he continued to work for the Railroad, he ended up in a small little town called Mineral Point, WI. While there he was offered a full-time job with the New Jersey Zinc Works, which had a company in Mineral Point. With the opportunity of full-time work and a chance to settle down, he accepted the job working in the hot furnaces for the zinc works. His job was to feed the furnaces which, of course, was a hot and dirty job. For three years he worked and saved enough money to bring my grandmoter, Caterina Bertucci Gallé and their daughter Rosa to America. After my grandmother and aunt arrived, my grandfather saved more money and they bought a nice house with about 30 acres of land so that he could have a little farm as well as work at the zinc works. The farm, of course, provided the food for the children as well. My grandmother and grandfather had 17 more children, 15 of which surrived. I was lucky to grow up in that small town with the southern section of town being called Little Italy because after my granfather arrived, many other Italians (mostly relatives) came and settled there. At one time there were more than 100 Italians living in this small town. We grew up with the Italain Culture that my mother, Pascalena Gallé Dahl, taught us. It was a wonderful childhood. We spoke the Calabrian Dialect and kept the Italian Culture alive.
Left to right: Dora, her mother and her brother Luigi
The Luciano family descends from the Molise region of Southern Italy. Inhabited since very ancient times, as shown by a Samnite Necropolis, in the area called Morgia. The Catasti Onciari, a census ordered by Charles II Bourbon, shows Luciano ancestors residing in Abruzzo as early as 1747.
A century later, in midst of the rocky mountain slopes of the Gran Sasso, Majella and Velino, with vast forest, soft hilly landscapes and magnificent sandy beaches of the Adriatic coast, it was there that Pasquale Luciano, a sheepherder, and his wife Benedetta Iafigliola, lived and began a family together, in the village of Gildone, located in the province of Campobasso .
Pasquale and Benedetta had several children. Four of them, Nicola, Teresa, Saverio and Mose’ Luciano, transcended the boundaries of their Mediterranean birth, leaving behind the generations before them, departing from Napoli on a journey
full of hope for a better life in America. Pasquale, while herding sheep, would often travel down the hilly slopes into the valley with his sons. He died very young, around 40 years, after an accident while working with his son. He had called Mose’ to toss him a rope from the bed of a wagon where he stood. When reaching for the rope Pasquale fell suffering gave injuries. Residing in a one room home, with a fireplace in the center for cooking and heat, he was confined to his bed while infection from his injuries ravaged his frail body. On Easter morning that year, Benedetta said good bye to her husband and took her children to celebrate mass at Sant’ Antonio Abate. Upon their return to the small home, they discovered that Pasquale had passed away. Mose’ was completely grief stricken and blamed himself for his father’s untimely death. Determined to provide for his mother and siblings, he set out on a path that would bring him to that. With promises to his mother, Mose’ and with his dreams of a better future, he left the tiny village of
Gildone. He departed Napoli and journeyed to the United States as an Italian Immigrant, he entered through the port of Castle Garden at Ellis Island.
After a short stay, in the Little Italy section of Manhattan, with his brother Nicola, Mose’ settled in Marlborough, Massachusetts, outside of Boston. Nicola then arranged for the marriage and travel of Giovanna Strazzera , the 20 year old girl, who’s sister had married to his cousin. Giovanna would marry Mose’ Luciano, an older man she did not personally know, upon her arrival in America.
Upon her arrival at Ellis Island Giovanna Strazzera was greeted and introduced to the man she was to marry and spend her life with, Mose’ Luciano. Unknowingly neither Mose’ or Giovanna would ever see their homeland again. They were married in Marlborough, Mass. on 6 October 1901.
Giovanna, the daughter of Giuseppa Mariantonio and Giuseppe Antonio Strazzera of Roccarosa, L ‘Aquilla, in Italy, with broken English, traveling alone, departed Napoli in 1901 and made the journey across the ocean on a ship named the Scilla. Roccarosa was occupied by the German soldiers, nearly 98% of the village was destroyed by allied forces bombing runs during World War II.
Upon her arrival at Ellis Island Giovanna Strazzera was greeted and introduced to the man she was to marry and spend her life with, Mose’ Luciano. Unknowingly neither Mose’ or Giovanna would ever see their homeland again. They were married in Marlborough, Mass. on 6 October 1901.
Typical of Italian naming traditions, Mose’ and Giovanna named their children after their parents. The first born son was named after Mose’ s father, Pasquale. The first born daughter, after Givovanna’s mother, Giuseppa (Josephine). The second born son after the Giovanna’s father, Giuseppe (Joseph). And the second born daughter after Mose’s mother Benedetta.
If you have an immigration story to tell, you can email it at hoffmannpublish@gmail. com. Within the limit of availability it will be published in this magazine in subsequent issues. Put “Our beautiful story” in the subject of the email.
It has been wile said that each country has made to itself a Renaissance after its own image. In that glorious dawn which succeeded the gloom of the Middle Ages, Italy was the first to awaken. Her clear vision, her intellectual energy, her enthusiasm for art, gave to all Europe the key note of the future. The secret of her preeminence, so willingly accepted by the world, will not be found only in her favorable situation, her language, her commercial prosperity, her political freedom, when other nations were scarcely emerging from barbarism. We shall rather attribute it to the spirit of intuition, to a nobler conception of man's place in the world, to higher aspirations ; in a word, to all that constitutes the true Renaissance. Italy created that new spiritual atmosphere of culture and intellectual freedom which broadened man's horizon, and made all things seem possible to him, in his new-born keen enthusiasm.
In the Middle Ages, scarcely left behind, the ascetic ideal of life taught that beauty and pleasure were deadly perils to the soul, and that ignorance was safer than knowledge. The Renaissance dared to rebel against this medieval preaching, to set free the reason of man, and to awaken in him a passionate appreciation of the glories of art and nature, and of all the beauty of this living
world. The prison doors were thrown open, and in the newly awakened joy of life, the men of the Renaissance raised their eyes from contemplation of the cloister and the grave, and cried aloud in exultation,“ It is good for us to be here !“
Then a wonderful thing happened. At this moment of new intellectual birth, of enfranchisement from old prejudices, the beautiful dead past came back, newly revealed, to a generation eager to see, to comprehend all things. The world of classical antiquity, the beauty and strength of ancient Greece and Rome, was a revelation to the far-off sons and daughters of that heroic breed, all unconscious of their glorious heritage. A very fever of enthusiasm was aroused, not alone for the priceless treasures of sculpture in marble and bronze, found beneath the Italian soil, but also for the classics of language and literature, the works of Homer and Plato, of Aristotle and Virgil, of the philosophers and the tragedians of ancient fame. Then came the fall of Constantinople in 1453, and the ruin of the Eastern Empire brought a fresh impulse to the West, in rediscovered treasures and learned exiles.
The religious ideal of the Middle Ages had appealed alike to all—to rich and poor, to the learned and the ignorant ; but the cultured spirit of the Renaissance was almost exclusively the possession
of those classes who enjoyed wealth and leisure. This mighty intellectual impulse touched women even more deeply than men, for it not only gave them a new independence, but raised them to a high position in social life and the encouragement of art. Sharing the same learned education as the men, they had perhaps in a more marked degree, the passionate love of the beautiful, and the keen desire to collect antique sculptures, paintings, musical instruments, and rare classics brought within their reach by the new wonder of the printing-press. Thus it comes to pass that in so many a brilliant Court—of Mantua, of Urbino, of Milan, of Naples, of Ferrara, of Asola, and others—we find that a cultured woman is the central figure, who gives harmony to the whole group. So, in making a special study of women in the Italian Renaissance, we find the most typical instances amongst the princesses and great ladies of the day.
Before entering upon individual studies, it will be interesting to consider the conditions of life during the whole period, and to recreate the very atmosphere of that long-past day, to us so strange and remote.
We will attempt to trace the surroundings of an Italian woman of the Renaissance, through the varied scenes of her life, beginning at the hour of her birth. Here, on the threshold, we are met with the knowledge, sharply accentuated in the case of a princess, that too often she is not welcome. Thus we read in a chronicle of Ferrara. And in the case of a little girl born to Isabella d’Este, we find that the mother would not use the splendid golden cradle with which she had been presented, but put it aside for ten years, until at length the hopedfor son arrived, and it was brought forth in state for his use. Yet although so vastly inferior to her brothers, a daughter was of some value as a counter in the game of politics.
While she was still an infant, her father would cast an anxious glance towards the neighboring Courts of Italy, or his ambition might even stretch out as far as Paris, Madrid, or Innsbruck, to consider bywhat alliance he could best strengthen his position. Then would follow long and shrewd negotiations with some prince who was fortunate enough to possess a son, and in due time, often at a very early age, the little maiden was betrothed— married by proxy to an unseen bridegroom. In this “marriage for the future” between Vittoria Colonna and Ferrante of Pescara, neither of the children was more than four years old, while in that of Beatrice d’Este, she was five, and Lodovico Sforza, Duke of Bari, was twenty-nine. When a father’s mind was thus set at rest as to the future of his little girl, he had leisure to consider her education. In some cases it was part of the bargain that the child-bride should be brought up in the household of her future husband, that she might enter upon her new life as soon as possible, before she had formed ideas of her own, and could still be molded to suit the place she had to fill. This
was often quite successful, as in the case of Vittoria Colonna, who owed so much of her future distinction to the cultured training of Ferrante’s elder sister, Costanza d’Avalos, in the fair isle of Ischia.
The children were both sweet tempered and grew up happily together; indeed Vittoria’s devotion to her young husband is a theme of romance- But in other cases, the plan of bringing up together a future husband and wife has had disastrous consequences, and resulted in mutual dislike ; as with Giovanna I. of Naples and Andreas of Hungary, whose tragic story is told later on. There were other dangers, too, with regard to sending a little girl to the Court of her future husband. Sometimes a change of policy or some other cause would break the contract, and then the result was most unfortunate. For instance, Margarita, the daughter of the Emperor Maximilian, was sent to France to be educated as the wife of Charles VIII., but this young king decided to marry, for the sake of her goodly heritage, Anne de Bretagne, who was already betrothed to Maximilian, and poor Margarita was sent back to her father. The result of this cruel insult was a long and devastating war.
“A daughter was born this day to the Duke. . . . And there were no rejoicings, because every one wished for a boy.”
Loredana D’Anghera is a multifaceted, graduated soprano. Former professor at the “ Conservatory of Venice Jazz Singing, ” and currently, teacher at “ Canto pop-rock Ghedini Conservatory of Cuneo. ”
Loredana, has an intense activity throughout Italy. Collaborations and performances with prestigious artists ranging from Jazz to pop, from classical to prose. She is, artistic director of the “ Premio Lunezia ” a talent show for new singers proposals, and also, a vocal coach. That her deals, on the professional and artistic voice. “I’m Italian” met her, for an exclusive interview, through her experiences and artistic path.
How did your artistic journey begin? When you were a child, you dreamed of being a singer?
My passion for music started as a child, I sang in the house everything I listened to from tv, faithfully reproduced all the television advertisements “Carosello” acronyms to my grandmother, who was a very interested listener. Then I moved on to difficult things despite the very young age, such as the theme song of the scientific show program “Quark”, discovering only later - studying - that it was “The air on Bach’s fourth string!” I continued at school too, I was the one who sang to my classmates all the things they could hear on the radio, they themselves asked me.
Do you still remember the excitement of your first public appearance, when do you think about it today what emotion do you feel?
I was 16 year old when I started doing competitions in my city and in the surrounding areas, the thing that surprised me was that I always got to the top, even without having done any school yet. Seeing the results I started to believe more and study and from there a lot of
things began. The emotion I feel is nostalgic, I am very attached to my past and everything I have done, I like to retrace with my mind the beautiful moments that fortunately have been many. I have done a lot of work trying my hand at various musical fields from Dance to Progressive Rock, from Jazz to pop and author song and it has been very useful for my training, it has made me ductile not only in vocality, but also as lifestyle and personality.
Music envelop your life: singer, vocal coach, teacher, you have a multifaceted professionalism. What fuels the things you do?
We artists say that once the sacred fire has touched you no longer abandons you, the flame of music always remains lit in me, it gives me the strength and the desire to measure myself on several fronts, to always get involved. And then we need a healthy ambition, I would like to re-evaluate this word that is often seen as negative. Ambition, together with creativity, helps to achieve the desired goals. Thanks to creativity and ambition I was able to realize various projects in my life, even very heterogeneous with each other.
I do not exaggerate vocally, I review the strategic points in mind and the most difficult ones I try them on the piano, without fatigue. I never go so far as not to go into vocal menagerie, I try to have a light diet and drink a lot of water. I try to relax because it is an important thing especially if they are difficult and demanding concerts. And then I do everyday things, I move my mind away like this: I do the shopping, a walk.
“My movies Emotion,” “Fiori di Loto, “ “Double face” are your three albums. What kind of experience were they?
Is there one that you consider more important from a professional point of view?
They are definitely three different works, very much in line with my eclectic personality. “My movies Emotion ”is the first, its peculiarity is that it is engraved in English, unusual for an Italian interpreter, perhaps thanks to my fascination with the English-American language due to my passion for Jazz, It is a collection of music from revisited movies, from funky, to jazz, dance to classical and author song, the arrangements are different from the other, it was the prerogative of the project.
“Fiori di loto” is a cd of unpublished
songs written for me by various prestigious authors who have offered their artistic contribution to the alluvial events that have struck the town of Aulla (MS-Italy). All artists who have won the “Premio Lunezia”, contributed.
“Double face” is different from the others, each song has two different musical habitats, but the same lyrics. Each song is first performed classically then in a jazzy way. It is an experiment perhaps more suitable for a prepared audience, because there is also the lyrical and natural vocal
duplicity that highlights the vocal potential. From a professional point of view “Double face” is more complete because in addition to being born from my idea it is also the first work of which I a m the author of the texts.
Have you collaborated with many different artists, has anyone stayed more in your heart? And is there anyone you haven’t collaborated with yet and you’d like to have by your side at least once?
More than one! To those with whom I have already collaborated, I can start with Mario Lavezzi with whom I had a nice empathy, he is an enthusiastic person of music, contagious, I have done some concerts with him retracing all his most famous successes. Another one is Gaetano Curreri, the leading voice of the band “Stadio, “ who wrote a song in which he put the “featuring”, I met him in Bologna at his house, he made me listen the song, I was impressed, he said: “I studied your voice,” and I must say that you could hear it ,it seemed painted on my vocality. And then how I can’t not mention the teacher Giorgio Gaslini because he is a person who motivated me, a passionate about jazz. He was the forerunner in Ital y, establishing the first Jazz Music Courses at the Milan Conservatory, he wrote for the project “Double face” an unpublished song, shortly before his death. It was a
privilege to meet him.
“Dear Loredana D’Anghera thank you for having dedicated your life to singing and giving us the joy of feeling” is a dedication that Fernanda Pivano wrote to you in 1997, can you tell us about this meeting with her?
This dedication was really unexpected for me. I sang in front of Fabrizio De André, Dori Ghezzi and Fernanda Pivano one of the last songs Fabrizio wrote: “ Smisurata preghiera”. I remember their attentive looks to the audience. After the performance, Fernanda wrote me this dedication, I was amazed, happy, I was really incredulous. They are a few words but they tell the truth about what then was my future, more than twenty years have passed since then, it seemed a happy wish. He used the term “hear you” instead of “listening to you,” I’m very careful about words, it’s a profoundly different thing. I cannot forget also the discussions with Fabrizio De André and Dori Ghezzi, it is indelible the memory of that precious meeting of my life.
You have been artistic director since 2001 of the “Premio Lunezia” and teach at the Conservatory, what does it mean
I follow the young people of the conservatory with a very careful and sense of responsibility, having attended it myself, I know that we must immediately give important and significant straights to get them to the goals. The voice is such a delicate and so disadvantaged organ, we always use it as a tool in continuous stress. Working at the conservatory is one of the things I have always wanted, I am very satisfied with my educational path, and I hope that my experiences as singer can be useful to students. Since 2001 I have been in the direction of the “Premio Lunezia,” where every year I listen to hundreds of works together with my team that come from all over Italy and now also from abroad. I have the responsibility of a Festival that gives young people the opportunity to perform in front of insiders. The new proposals section is followed by Radio Rai which for several years has been planning the radio rotation of the finalists.. Then there is a backstage where meetings and relationships often give rise to musical projects and collaborations.
“Gaetano Curreri, the leading voice of the band “Stadio “ who wrote a song in which he put the “featuring”, I met him in Bologna at his house, he made me listen the song, I was impressed, he said: “I studied your voice,” and I must say that you could hear it, it seemed painted on my vocality.”
This difficult period has stopped the possibility of giving life to concrete projects in the present, during the lock down have you been able to work on future projects?
I don’t know if fear can make you work well, I think from an emotional point of view the “lock down” has left something inside us that will have to germinate later, I believe. I have processed things that I still do not see, I have put something away inside me and I will pull it out artistically, at the right time.
If a genius could fulfill your wish which one would you express?
When I was little, people told me that wishes must be kept because otherwise they did not come true. I must say that there is a part of me that has remained a child and still believe in this “superstition”, so I will not say the most intimate desire that I would like to come true, but I would like to express a wish: I would like my work to last a long time, to meet people who make art in all fields, in order to be able to share with them. I hope
to do a great deal with young people, because it is their future that is their job to interpret the past of the European Union.. transforming it and elaborating new musical languages.
A new collaboration?
Well, I love America, if I could dream... is that too much if I say: That wonderful last crooner named Tony Bennett?
We are a people of creators, artists, acrobats, fantasists, in short, we are a people of incurable romantics ready to invent anything to shine in the world of current events, yes, because for us current events are yesterday, today and tomorrow!
BY ROBERTO SIRONI
We like to introduce ourselves and make ourselves known, no matter how, when, where and why !?
After all, the average Italian is a publisher by induction! He edits everything he thinks, makes it public at any time of the day and against any adverse opinion!
His idea of individuality is a kind of meteor, which must strike the crowd in his beating heart, his inventions must necessarily be of a universal level, even his dreams must become the dreams of others!
The genius of this people has already been ascertained for some time through the geniuses that have almost always changed and shaped the vision of the world!
Dante, Leonardo, Michelangelo, Machiavelli, Raphael, Vivaldi, Caravaggio, Paganini, Montessori and many others in every artistic, scientific, literary, musical, poetic field, have aroused amazing reactions on planet earth, placing theirs, therefore our people. , at the top of wisdom!
Italian is a born publisher, but despite being an example of great talent, something has escaped his immense creativity, something that would still seem obvious today, a trivial thing, a normal delicacy to be consumed on any occasion, with any climate, with anyone, at any time of day or night, for hunger or just for gluttony!
Meanwhile, let’s say that the first attestations of the word “pizza” date back to the vulgar Latin of Gaeta in 997 ...
Here, it is from here on that our elusive “Italian publisher” let slip the importance of this word that has passed through and will cross the next centuries of human history!
Could it already belong to eternity? Posterity will judge!
“Pizza” is not just a word, it is a world, a philosophy, a way of thinking about food and therefore of feeding people with nothing, with a simplicity that rightly cries out for a masterpiece!
Here, this delicacy is called “pizza!”, A word in use all over the world that has kept its origins in any corner of the earth! Pizza!
Now, seen in this way, what this word tells us except that it is a gastronomic product made with a mixture of flour, water and yeast that is flattened and seasoned at the base with oil, mozzarella and tomato and then placed in a wood oven, with the addition of the essential basil leaf?
We cannot forget its roundness, therefore its circle shape, its “gluttony!”, Therefore its geometric, cultural and artistic perfection. What do its origins tell us?
There are news dating back to the end of the sixteenth century, the beginning of the seventeenth century that indicate its presence under the name of “mastunicola” ... They tell us that it is an original product of Neapolitan cuisine and that the most famous of the pizzas, that is the Margherita pizza work of a certain Raffaele Esposito, a cook, who in June 1889 to honor the Queen of Italy Margherita of Savoy, prepared the “Pizza Margherita” and which, it is said, was already a great success then! But what interests us is not so much the history of pizza, but the importance and power of this word that has become over time one of the many words, I would even say banal, contained in dictionaries all over the world!
This word is not just a complex of sounds organized under the more or less centralizing action of an “accent”, nor is it a daily manifestation of a language or a communication of a thought, a feeling, a precept, a opinion or concept, no, absolutely not!
This word has a social and cultural importance comparable to the words “freedom”, “love”, “faith”, “life”, in short, more than a word it is a “verb”, certainly not in the Christian sense, but rather in a perceptive vision, in a purely existential consciousness and awareness!
The word “pizza” is by far one of the greatest expressions and linguistic inventions that the whole of humanity has ever produced!
Why? Simple! Because it is one of those concepts or needs that have the same value as air: they are indispensable, indispensable, unique, extraordinarily essential!
A great publisher would have protected the work of his artist, that is, of that people of saints, navigators and poets who, despite having only one boot, have circumnavigated the world, leaving the mark of their passage everywhere!
The word “pizza” is displayed, spoken and eaten in every corner of this earth, certainly the matter is visionary, but if this visionary were imagined as an expression of talent and intelligence, then dear editor you would have been the master of happiness , the owner of the imagination, the absolute ruler of talent, the host of all that we can define art, but above all you would have had the literary exclusivity of good taste!
In a post a few months ago, CNN published an article entitled: “The 10 things that Italy does better than any other country”. It is an invitation to travelers to visit us because “beyond the clichés, you will find 10 other things that Italy shines for”. Reading it helps us to understand how others see us, for better or for worse, and to recognize some national peculiarities (as long as you appreciate the irony). Here is a summary.
1
The flattery
"A historic tool for both disarming and defusing, flattery is the fulcrum on which Italian society falters," reads the article. Which quotes the great journalist Luigi Barzini who, in the book The Italians, explained that we use it to "obtain advantages, destroying rivals and conquering power and wealth, and to defend ourselves, as the squid uses ink, from powerful men and for confuse dictators and tyrants ". 2
4
The thermal baths
Governments pop up
In Italy, CNN counted 380 spas and spas, including “the island baths (such as those of the volcanic Ischia), the Tuscan spas, the mountain spas in the city of Bormio and the Garda thermal park”. “So convinced is the Italian government of the healing power of thermal springs and geothermal mud packs that it covers the cost of some therapies for its citizens.” 3
"With 7,400 kilometers of coastline, Italy boasts the largest number of beaches in Europe and 27 marine parks. In summer the temperature in many places is just below 30 C, compared to 20 C in France and Portugal. It's like swimming in tropical waters, with fewer sharks, and hawkers. When it comes to beaches, it's a tough choice between blinding white dunes, gravel and even grass shores. And 248 Italian beaches have been awarded the blue flag for clear waters and the uncontaminated sand ". 5
The curses
“Whether in Italian or any other language, the native Italian accent transforms any imprecation into a blunt instrument. Rhythmic,” staccato “and with an almost operatic” legate “that blends the syllables together like a hammer note on the guitar, swearing here is also an art “. And there is also some for blasphemies. “Inspired mainly by pigs, orifices and promiscuous women, Italian blasphemies - which vary from region to region - sound equally dramatic, angry and comical.”
On CNN they were struck by Etna: “It is the second most active volcano in the world”, we read. And not only: “Leads Tripadvisor’s list of ten unmissable volcanoes, along with four other Italian nozzles, including Vesuvius”.
“Since the end of the Second World War, - writes CNN, not without irony - Italy has had 62 governments under 38 prime ministers (40 if you count Berlusconi’s three terms) and only one lasted a full five-year term. Fearing the rise of another Mussolini, Italy has an executive that requires majorities in both legislative chambers to do anything. Which, combined with an already fragmented political landscape, makes the average length of an Italian government barely 12 months “. 6
The desserts
Other than pasta, pizza and antipasti. “the real stars of Italian cuisine are ice cream, tiramisu, cannoli,” neapolitan “, biscuits, spumoni, truffles, zeppole - Diavolo! The number of Italian desserts is almost as high as that of past governments”. And again: “Italian pastry chefs work in all media, combining cakes, biscuits and even frozen creams to create the largest and tastiest arsenal of sweets in the world”.
“Italy is one of the most pockmarked countries on the planet, with over 35,000 earth cavities and even more underwater. The Grotta Gigante (in Sgonico, Trieste, ed) holds the world record for the largest accessible cave in the world. A “yawn” 850 meters wide, with 500 steps that descend 100 meters into the depths of the earth. Other important caves are the Blue Grotta of Capri, where Emperor Tiberius loved to swim. And the Grotta del Vento, where the wind whip, through its winding paths, at 40 kilometers per hour “.
Here the article focuses on the genius of Dino Ferrari: “who was born as a racing car manufacturer in 1930, and has become the symbol of the dream car. In 2012 - we read - Ferrari sold only 7,000 cars, but he earned $ 3 billion from it. “ And then: “The Lamborghini may also have become the property of the German Audi, but the sides are still all Italian”.
River cruises.
And finally, CNN shows us a little-known aspect of our country: “Unlikely to be among the first two, three or a hundred things that come to mind when you think of Italy, but river cruises on the peninsula are a lively business” . “Italy’s rivers are not as long or easily navigable as those in the rest of Europe, but visitors can float from one beautiful UNESCO World Heritage Site to another.”
By Fabrizio Catalfamo @newage1962
"Affective dependence is characterized by compulsive obsessiveness and impulsiveness in relating to the other person. There is a clear tendency to put the other first so their wants and needs matter much more than themselves.
The first phase of this cycle is the so-called phase of attraction, in which the emotional dependent, whether man or woman, is attracted by seduction and therefore by the apparent power that someone who is very busy in things, strong, capable of managing their own life, while the emotional dependent feels unable to go it alone and therefore needs someone to make him feel strong and important.
The second phase of the cycle, is called the "phase of the Savior's
fantasy", basically a sort of infantile fantasy of the hero who saves the dependent affective is reactivated, feels revitalized by the attention and proximity of the partner, as under the effect of drugs, the partner is idealized and his real characteristics are not clearly seen.
In the third stage, we have relief, the emotional dependent, feels filled, feels important and no longer experiences the feeling of emptiness, hence loneliness and feels valued. This is the socalled phase of the godless.
At this point, the fourth phase starts,
the one in which there is an increase in the need of the dependent, together with the denial of the partner. In practice, the dependent begins to perceive a growing need for attention and therefore presence. The partner is perceived as essential and begins to escape, becoming less and less present in the relationship. But the emotional dependent, does not want to see these moles with evidence, continually justifying in part and thinking for example that he/she is very busy at work, that he/she has the right to spend some time with friends, etc.
Thus we come to the fifth phase, that of collapse, of negation. Clearly the emotional dependent, analyzes the distancing behaviors and the distance that the partner maintains is something concrete, therefore he starts looking at reality and realizes that he is not central to his partner, consequently the emotional dependent always tries to control more his partner, in an escalation of disputes. At this point, the emotional addict lives an experience of abandonment, he feels that the partner is leaving him and the ancient wounds light up. After parental abandonment (hence the obsessive control behaviors, aimed at the renegotiation of the relationship) the emotional dependent begins to tell friends about being abandoned, seeking the help of others to partially save his relationship. In short, he does everything to bring the behavior of his partner under control but, he does so in abusive ways that are dysfunctional
and self-destructive. We thus arrive at the sixth phase, that of the withdrawal. The emotional dependent finally realizes that he has been left for someone or something that is more important than him. At this stage, the ancient emotions of emptiness and abandonment, fear, jealousy are reactivated, and at this point in the cycle, the emotional dependent experiences an emotional overload that he cannot manage, the technical name of this situation is “ dysregulation. " Murderous or suicidal ideas may appear, depression, anxiety, panic and above all obsessive and derivative ideas may appear. At this point, how do you get out of this and learn to have balanced relationships? Obviously, it is necessary to work on some fundamental points, in the meantime start by treating any dependence beyond the emotional dependence, outside the relationship, such as that of food, shopping, alcohol and
gaming. It is necessary to recognize addiction, its effects and then work on the ancient painful feelings, linked to the experiences of abandonment and abuse suffered, in order to develop a healthy ability to recognize and assert one's real needs.
In any case, it is advisable to avoid engaging in a romantic relationship until a good level of recovery from emotional dependence and its underlying mechanisms, has been achieved. We keep in mind that there are also the so-called "Chronic romantics " who do not love others but are in love with the idea of love itself, romantic love, these people feed on illusions and live in perpetual expectation of him or the one who will make their dreams come true. We could define these people as romance dependent, so without them, their life becomes trivial, if there are no great emotions or great dra-
mas. So they are people who are inclined to create small tragedies, they cause family quarrels to experience sensations, they can cause damage both to themselves and to others, they play heroin or hero to feel important and powerful. Some of these women find the unripe man arousing, new to them, unpredictable, romantic, the immature man is a charming man. The lunatic would be mysterious and then he could say that the choleric man needs their understanding. Another typical phrase is that: "unhappy man needs our comfort," the inadequate man needs our encouragement and the cold man needs our warmth.
People of this kind,
have grown up in families where was normally not paid attention to their needs, often there was a subtle violence or hostility between the parents. These People up to the time they were kids, have learned to take refuge in fantasy, or even create special situations but at the base of everything, abandonment is always a trauma that causes suffering. In these relationships, suffering appears oversized, excessive, despair, it is total and takes on the character of a profound, inexplicable despair, without alternatives, without exits. Love is offered with the hope that the other can protect us from fear and instead, fears are acquired with
the hope of being reciprocated with ours.
How to get out of this mechanism? Learning to recognize one's own merits, therefore knowing and valuing oneself. This is what I managed to do on myself, after years of suffering, I managed to love myself moderately but sincerely.
René Guénon affirmed that all religions have an esoteric nucleus, therefore thanks to the symbolic and ritual complexity the believer would not be able to penetrate the central point represented by hidden, occult knowledge
Even the philosophical schools contemplated a doctrine accessible to all (peripatetic school) and others, however, secret. Greek teaching, for example, could be received in schools (it will be defined esoteric in this case), dedicated to the chosen few, while that disclosed outdoors was intended for a wider and less refined (exoteric) audience.
In Occult Philosophy, Cornelius Agrippa, speaking of magic, a rather utilitarian aspect of esotericism, recalls that "Pythagoras, Empedocles, Democritus, Plato, and other great philosophers, made long journeys to learn it and once back home they showed how much they respected it and kept it jealously hidden. (...) Pythagoras and Plato invited priests of Memphis to learn it (...) they visited almost all of Syria, Egypt, Judea and the Chaldean schools in order not to ignore their great and mysterious principles and to possess such divine science."
Here the “mystery” and the complexity of the term, and with it the difficulty of understanding, thickens, since esoteric, what resides within, has often been correlated with the divine. The layman could get lost in a maze of notions, often abstruse or whose knowledge is only partial or superficial, therefore exoteric. Such discouraging premises are necessary, since the labyrinth of esoteric knowledge is not passable by ordinary minds, by those who are not ready to strip themselves of their beliefs and undergo the
symbolic death of the ego.
This is the esoteric initiation, a going towards the center, crossing rocky layers (from lead, passing through silver, to gold, to learn how to become liquid like mercury), changing shape, color and substance.
If once the esoteric knowledge were collected and kept in secret books, today, in the era of digital communication, esoteric disclosure borders on exoterism. Delimitation areas, not entirely defined in character, can be considered cartomancy, oracular art, divination in the broad sense, popular magic, etc.
Starting from the initiatory doctrines - in agreement with the great Romanian scholar Mircea Eliade, I will also include in my speech shamanism, which can be learned and handed down either by inheritance or following a spontaneous vocation, a soul call, to which, inevitably, it would correspond a “Election”, therefore initiation - and by altering and, in a certain sense, vulgarizing esoteric thought, it has been possible to extrapolate and make understandable to most what was once meant for a few.
From here, to the most imaginative theories of the New Age, the step is short.
Without issuing any judgment, I feel compelled to warn the reader both from modern sects, which often boast centuries-old traditions, and from esoteric and exoteric schools that seek the
“paying public” in the same way, not to enrich the spirit of the adepts , but the pockets of the few “masters”, magically appeared, like mushrooms during the rainy season.
Instead, I would suggest reading some important texts, milestones of occult knowledge, more available today than even just a century ago. Knowing how to distinguish wheat from bran is fundamental in esoteric research, which in modern times can also be performed alone, however, confronting oneself in meetings in person or through various social networks and forums, with people who share the same interest and the same seriousness in ‘to approach everything that is hidden from the senses and surrounds us. Developing the critical capacity will help us to filter and make our own what we have learned on the initiatory journey (of selfinitiation).
The purpose of personal research, the “personal legend”, as Coelho defined it in The Alchemist, is that of assimilation and transformation. It must not be fueled by the ego, but moved by the intention of passing on everything, through theoretical and above all practical teachings, in order to become better people ourselves and help others improve. Like a large family that creates the ideal conditions for the psychophysical-mental development of each of its members, taking care, at the same time, of their own home, as a permanent habitat and in symbiosis with the individual.
January 20, 1920, marked the 100th anniversary of Italian film genius Federico Fellini’s birth. Paired with La settimana della lingua italiana nel mondo (October 19-25, 2020), numerous schools and universities and consulates and culture institutions celebrated the fame of the auteur director through film screenings, lectures, and roundtables. Even though many events have occurred relating to Fellini and Italian cinema over the last few weeks, there has yet to be any two similar events, underscoring how rich Fellini’s opus truly is.
The University of Arkansas organized a three-part homage to the Italian director: Eugenia Paulicelli’s “Federico Fellini: Film, Fashion, Costume (Wednesday, October 21, 2020), Shelleen Greene’s “The Temptations of Dottor Antonio: Whiteness and Fellini’s Cinematic Imaginary” (Wednesday, November
7, 2020), and Rebecca Bauman’s “The Fellini Brand: Marketing Appropriations of the Fellini Name” (Monday, November 9, 2020).
Federico Fellini has become one of the most recognized, and probably to a certain extent criticized director of all-time. Many film critics including Fellini scholar Peter Bondanella, have argued that without support from noted film critics abroad, particularly Andre Bazin, Fellini’s genius would have never received the attention it truly deserved. As a cartoonist, Fellini began his career, worked his way into and up through the cinematic system, first as a screenwriter, then assistant director, and finally director. He has directed 21 feature films, plus other, shorter films produced in various collections and a handful of commercials. His films span 40 years, as well as various cinematic movements. He has won the Palme d’Or for La dolce vita, has been nominated for 12 Academy Awards, winning four Oscars for the category of “Best Foreign Language Film,” the most for any director in the history
of the Academy. In 1993, Fellini received the Lifetime Achievement Award, being the second Italian to be presented it, and one of only five currently.
Dr. Eugenia Paulicelli, Professor of Italian, Comparative Literature, and Women’s Studies, teaches at Queens College and The Graduate Center of the City University of New York. Beyond the realm of Italian and Women’s Studies, Dr. Paulicelli is an expert on the theory and history of fashion, not only within Italy but also internationally. She has created and directs the first academic program on the interdisciplinary study of fashion, its cultures, history, and industry based at the CUNY Graduate Center. She has received numerous recognitions–awards and grants–for her teaching and research. She has many booklength manuscripts revolving around fashion and other aspects of Italian Studies, the most recent being Moda e cinema in Italia. Dal muto ai giorni nostri with Mondadori.
“Federico Fellini: Film, Fashion, Costume” welcomed over one hundred participants virtually. Paulicelli’s talk focused on three noteworthy Fellini films: La dolce vita (1960), Giulietta degli Spiriti (1965), and Roma (1972), although she also explored 8 ½ (1963) and even Fellini Satyricon (1969). Paulicelli examined the situation of fashion and its evolution within Italy as well as outside, and how this historical moment inspired a variety of cultural moments in Italy. She introduced the participants to the various fashion trends present in Fellini’s day and drew clear connections on how and why the designs inspired Fellini.
Dr. Paulicelli spent great length addressing Fellini’s conceptualization of costuming and his strong relationships with his costume designers, for example, Piero Gherardi (Oscar for “Best Costume Design” for La dolce vita) and Danilo Donati (Oscar for “Best Costume Design” for Fellini’s Casanova), as well as others. She concluded her lecture by discussing the lasting
influence Fellini’s costuming left on Italian fashion and fashion at large. She presented over 100 PowerPoint slides from which she openly described, compared, and analyzed fashion through the lens of the camera and society at large. Her lecture inspired widespread participation from the audience, and the Q&A session lasted roughly 30 minutes. It was a great success.
The Fellini Series, “Celebrating Federico Fellini–Il Centenario di Federico Fellini” would not have been possible without the generous support, both financial and intellectual, by the Consulate of Italy, Houston, and its Consul General, Federico Ciattaglia, who also offered welcoming remarks to the event. Additional thanks to Valeria Rumori, Director of the Italian Cultural Institute in Los Angeles, and her entire staff for the amazing publicity job. The events were hosted and organized by the Italian Program at the University of Arkansas.
If you missed Dr. Paulicelli’s lecture, is it available here: https://youtu.be/f6KTsSf42K4 . If you are interested in Dr. Greene’s lecture, it too is available virtually here: https://youtu.be/154yLCPGP24
Clinical psychologist, integrated strategic psychotherapist, EMDR therapist, expert in juvenile distress, in support for parenting and in eating disorders.
Romanian by origin and Italian by adoption, I live in a province of Bologna. In my holistic and esoteric studio I carry out both the profession of consultant and life coach, dedicating myself, to esoteric, spiritual, religious and cultural issues.
I am an occupational psychologist, sports psychologist, integrated strategic training psychotherapist expert in autobiographical methodologies and I use writing and metaphor as therapeutic and training tools.
Painter, musician, author of theatre and writer. The artist has exhibited his works in Paris, Lausanne, Milan, Czestechowa, Turin, Lyon, Kaiserslautern, Hong-Kong (Affordable Art Fair 2015), Cannes (Festival International du Film 2008) and participated in December 2018 with three works at the "Prima Biennale della Street Art e Delle Visioni Metropolitane" in the Piacenza Expo.
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