I BÙTTERI Italy’s Cowboys
The Great War Italy in WWI
Life As Opera Lorenzo Da Ponte
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Was Pogo Right? Are We the Enemy?
ITALIAN AMERICA
Calling All Italian Descendants. Join a worldwide effort to make Italian civil registration records searchable online. Help millions of Italian descendants worldwide discover their family history. Italy civil registration records from 1800-1940 are becoming available for genealogical and academic research. Your help is needed to make them easily searchable. Become one of thousands of online volunteers from around the world who are indexing photographs of these records to make them searchable and free online for all. It’s easy to index, and you decide how much time you want to contribute. Volunteer today to help make Italian ancestry records come to life.
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Volunteer today at familysearch.org/italian-ancestors ITALIAN AMERICA Š 2012 by Intellectual Reserve, Inc. All rights reserved.
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VOL. XVIII No. 1
Italian America T h e O ff i c i a l P u b l i c a t i o n o f t h e O r d e r S o n s o f I t a l y i n A m e r i c a
Features
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I BÙTTERI Italy’s Home-Grown Cowboys By Mary Rose Widmer
LORENZO DA PONTE Life as Opera By Peter Ognibene
18 22 2 3 4 5 9 10 15 16
BEYOND HEMINGWAY Italy in World War I By Richard Juliani
WAS POGO RIGHT? Are We the Enemy? By Dona De Sanctis
HIGH PROFILE NATIONAL NEWS OGGI IN ITALIA PAGINA ITALIANA BOOK CLUB OUR STORY IT’S “ONLY” A MOVIE ON THE BULLETIN BOARD
D e pa r t m e n t s 17 SPEAKERS BUREAU 21 GIOVINEZZA! 24 OSIA NATION 26 FOUNDATION FOCUS 27 YOUR NATIONAL OFFICE 28 FIGHTING STEREOTYPES (CSJ) 29 letters to the editor 30 THE LAST WORD
32 THE SONS OF ITALY SHOPPERS GUIDE
ON THE COVER: Italy’s “bùtteri” (cowboys) compete at one of their festivals in Grosseto, Tuscany. Cover photograph by Mary Rose Widmer. See article page 6. Italian America Magazineis a publication of the Order Sons of Italy in America (OSIA), the nation’s biggest and oldest organization for people of Italian heritage. To subscribe, see www.osia.org or call 1-800-552-6742. WINTER 2013
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ITALIAN AMERICA
High Profile PAOLA ANTONELLI has been senior curator of architecture and design in the Museum of Modern Art in New York City since 1994. Italian-born, this trained architect is highly regarded by American design experts. MICHAEL BOTTICELLI, is the new “deputy drug czar” since being appointed deputy director of the Office of National Drug Control Policy in Washington, D.C. in Nov. 2012. LAWRENCE DePRIMO, 25, is the NYC police officer who made national news in Nov. 2012 when he bought boots for a barefoot homeless man in Times Square. A tourist photographed the act and sent it to the NYC Police Department’s website where it was viewed more than 1.6 million times. Officer DePrimo, who paid $75 for the boots and some socks, was shocked to learn the image had gone viral. PAOLO MACCHIARINI, M.D. a surgeon at the Karolinska Institute in Stockholm, is trying to build vital organs using the body’s own cells and artificial materials. These “bioartificial organs” might someday provide organs, including hearts, built in laboratories. Only a few simple organs like bladders and windpipes have been made and transplanted, but scientists like Macchiarini are working to perfect the procedure in many countries, including the U.S. ROCCO MANELLA, a professor of math, physics and engineering at a Maryland community college, received the 2012 President’s Award from the National Organization for the Professional Advancement of Black Chemists and Chemical Engineers in Washington, D.C. last September. Manella, 69, has taught since 1967, encouraging students, especially minorities to study science and technology. LOU MILIONE, an agent with the Drug Enforcement Administration (DEA) in Washington, D.C., received a service award Sept. 2012 for leading a DEA team that brought down a legendary Russian arms trafficker, who sold weapons used against Americans in Colombia. He was sentenced to 25 years in prison. FRANCESCA ZAMBELLO is the new artistic director of the Washington National Opera at the Kennedy Center. She also is artistic and general director of the Glimmerglass Festival in upstate New York and directs opera productions around the world.
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Italian Americans in the NEWS
AND “ADDIO” TO: GAETANA (GAE) AULENTI, an Italian architect who turned old buildings into modern museums, including Paris’s Musée d’Orsay. She died October 31, 2012 in Milan at age 94. In 1954, she was one of only two women in Milan’s Polytechnic School of Architecture. CARMEN BASILIO, who beat Sugar Ray Robinson in 1957 to become the World Middleweight Boxing Champion, died Nov. 7, 2012 at age 85 of pneumonia in Rochester, NY. One of 10 children of an Italian onion farmer in central New York State, the 5 foot 6 ½ inch boxer’s career was hampered by his refusal to deal with mobsters. In 1990 he was among the first inductees in the Boxing Sports Hall of Fame, along with Joe Louis, Rocky Marciano and Muhammad Ali. JOSEPH RUMORE was posthumously inducted into the University of Alabama’s Communication Hall of Fame in Oct. 2012. He was on the air for more than 40 years, and refused sponsors of tobacco or alcohol. He once had three live daily shows for women, farmers and teens plus a Sunday inspirational music program. He died in 1993 at age 72. JOSEPH VAGHI, the first and youngest naval officer to reach the sands of Omaha on the D-Day invasion of Normandy June 6, 1944, died Aug. 25, 2012 of kidney failure at age 92 in Maryland where he founded a successful architectural firm after the war. The third of nine children of Italian immigrants in Connecticut, he never spoke of his wartime experiences until 1994, when the White House invited him to go with V.P. Al Gore to Europe on the 50th anniversary of the war’s end. In 2007, Ken Burns featured him in his documentary, The War. Compiled by Dona De Sanctis
SONS OF ITALY SCHOLARSHIPS See Your National Office on page 27 for details about the 2013-14 Sons of Italy Foundation scholarships.
ITALIAN AMERICA
National News
Italian American issues and events
Proposed New Museum to Feature Italian Americans A new national museum in Washington, D.C. will feature Italian Americans among the ethnic groups that helped build America. The proposed National Museum of the American People will begin with the first migrations thousands of years ago to the present. It has support from most major national Italian American organizations including the Sons of Italy, the National Italian American Foundation, the National Organization of Italian American Women, and UNICO National. All belong to the Coalition for the National Museum of the American People, that numbers some 150 ethnic and minority organizations. The coalition has asked for a bipartisan Presidential commission to study establishing the museum, but is not seeking federal funding. Support has come from U.S. Congressmen Pat Tiberi, [R-OH], and Bill Pascrell, [D-NJ], co-chairs of the bipartisan Italian American Congressional Delegation, which includes an estimated 30 members of Congress who are of Italian descent. “Both Canada and Mexico have national museums that tell the story of their peoples. They are those na-
Proposed interior and exterior designs of the National Museum of the American People by MTFA Architecture
tions’ most popular museums,” says coalition director Sam Eskenazi. “Our museum’s theme reflects America’s motto: E Pluribus Unum, From many, one,” he said. For more information, see www.nmap2015.com or contact the coalition at sam@nmap2015.com. Tel: 202/744-1868.
Sons of Italy Supports Brumidi Stamp The National Office of the Sons of Italy in Washington, D.C. has contacted the Citizens’ Stamp Advisory Committee at the U.S. Postal Service in the nation’s capital, urging the committee to issue a commemorative first-class forever stamp for Constantino Brumidi, the Italian artist who decorated the U.S. Capitol. The stamp would be released timed to the 150th anniversary of his completion of The Apotheosis of Washington in the dome of the U.S. Capitol sometime in 2015 or early 2016.
The artist of the U.S. Capitol Constantino Brumidi (1805-1880)
In a December 4, 2012 letter to the committee, OSIA National Executive Director Philip Piccigallo reminded the committee that the Constantino Brumidi Society’s 2005 application for a commemorative stamp for Brumidi, on the occasion of the 200th anniversary of his birth in 1805 received no response. “We hope that this oversight will be righted,” Piccigallo wrote.
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Constantino Brumidi came to the U.S. from his native Rome in1852 as a political refugee, after training as an artist at the Vatican. He became an American citizen in 1857. Brumidi began painting in the U.S. Capitol in 1855, and spent 25 years beautifying the Capitol’s corridors, committee rooms, and most notably the Rotunda of the Capitol. He died February 19, 1880 and is buried in Glenwood Cemetery in the District.
Joseph N. Grano, chair of The Constantino Brumidi Society, suggests that concerned readers write to the committee, promising to buy at least one sheet of Brumidi forever stamps. The address is: Citizens Stamp Advisory Committee; c/o Stamp Development; U.S. Postal Service; 475 L’Enfant Plaza, SW, Room 3300; Washington, D.C. 20260-3501. For more information, contact Joseph N. Grano at 202/364-2526 or Email: joegrano@netzero.com.
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Oggi in Italia
Italy’s news, politics and culture
“Scialla!” New Slang Enters Italian Teen Vocabulary By Carol Cummings
“Scialla!” Roman teen-agers advise friends or parents, who are worked up over something. The term, which means “calm down,” is part of a new vocabulary, invented by Roman teens. Director Francesco Bruni takes this linguistic phenomenon to the silver screen with his new film, Scialla!, which presents a professor, who discovers the troublesome boy he is tutoring is actually his son.
Valle, a linguistics professor at the University of Rome. Some Italians see slang as a disgrace to their language with critics categorizing its use as ‘lazy’ and ‘show-offish’. Others see it as a normal linguistic development. “This synthetic language is not harmful,” says the popular actress and irreverent comedienne Luciana Lettizzetto. “The problem is what they say with it -- nothing.”
The film’s dialogue is peppered with Roman teen slang, by turns arrogant, sexual, emotional and candid. Among the terms introduced are accolla (describing someone clingy); and such texting-inspired shorthand as cisi, short for “ci si vede” (we’ll see) and gdb or gente di borgata (working class people). Bruni developed the idea for the film from listening to his own teenagers. In recent years, Italian teen slang has exploded, thanks to Facebook, text messaging, blogs and Twitter. While Scialla! features Roman slang, teens in other cities have developed their own “language,” according to journalist Maria Simonetti in her book Slangopedia, which catalogues Italian slang regionally and nationally. Slang or gergo in Italian, is not a new phenomenon in Italy. Variations occur every decade, says Valeria Della
In recent years, Italian teen slang has exploded, thanks to Facebook, text messaging, blogs and Twitter.
Notizie in Breve • The number of businesses in Italy remained stable from 2009 to 2012, except in the south, which experienced a slight drop, according to the Italian National Institute for Statistics (ISTAT). About 4.5 million service industry firms operate in Italy, employing 17 million people. Ninety-five percent of these companies had fewer than 10 employees and gave work to 47 percent of all employed in the industry. • The May 2012 earthquake in the north’s Emilia Romagna region ruined over 52.8 million pounds of Parmigiano Reggiano cheese, reports Coldiretti, the Italian farming association. The 195.6 million dollar loss was caused when the shelves used to season the wheels of cheese collapsed. • Italy’s unemployment rate increased slightly to 11.10 percent in October 2012 from 10.80 percent the previous month, reports ISTAT. For nearly the past 30 years, from 1983 until 2012, the country’s unemWINTER 2013
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ployment rate averaged 9.0 percent, with an all-time high of 11.5 percent in April 1998 and a record low of 5.9 percent in April 2007. Young people in Italy and in particular, the south, seem to be the worst off, reports ISTAT. About 36 percent of Italians ages 14-24 were unemployed in 2012, the lowest number in 20 years. About 52 percent of the women in the south were jobless in 2012. • In October 2012, an Italian court convicted seven prominent scientists of manslaughter, sentencing each to six years in prison for failing to warn residents of the 2009 L’Aquila earthquake that killed 300 people. The verdict shocked the international community of seismologists who contend that the scientists could not have known that a flurry of tremors would lead to a devastating quake. The verdict is being appealed and the defendants are free — at least for now. Compiled by Carol Cummings ITALIAN AMERICA
Pagina Italiana
Per chi studia la nostra lingua
San Valentino: Patrono Degli Innamorati LA VITA DEL SANTO Il suo nome era Valentino da Interamna perchè nacque ad Interamna Nahars (oggi la città di Terni in Umbria) nel 176 A.D. Fu vescovo e martire cristiano ucciso dall’imperatore romano Claudio nel 273 A.D. a Roma. Patì il martirio per aver unito in matrimonio una giovane credente cristiana ed un legionario romano di religione pagana. Valentino contravvenne a quella che era la regola del tempo, ossia l’impossibilità di conciliare religioni diverse. Le sue spoglie furono sepolte nella basilica di Terni. Altre reliquie sono quelle custodite in Sardegna e Calabria. La Festa di San Valentino venne istituita un paio di secoli dopo la morte di Valentino, nel 496 A.D. da papa Gelasio I il 14 febbraio, festa che oggi è conosciuta e festeggiata in tutto il mondo.
tore degli innamorati? A lui sono legate molte leggende che raccontano delle sue gesta. Ecco una delle più famose. Un giorno, San Valentino sentì passare, al di là del suo giardino, due giovanti fidanzati che stavano litigando. Decise di andare loro incontro con in mano una magnifica rosa. Regalò la rosa ai due fidanzati e li pregò di riconciliarsi stringendo insieme il gambo della rosa, facendo attenzione a non pungersi e pregando affinchè il Signore mantenesse vivo in eterno il loro amore. Qualche tempo dopo la giovane coppia tornò da lui per invocare la benedizione del loro matrimonio.
LA LEGGENDA DEL SANTO Perchè San Valentino viene ricordato come il protet-
La storia si diffuse e gli abitanti iniziarono ad andare in pellegrinaggio dal vescovo di Terni il 14 di ogni mese che diventò così il giorno dedicato alle benedizioni, ma la data è stata ristretta al solo mese di febbraio perchè in quel giorno del 273 San Valentino morì.
Una Canzone d’Amore per la Festa di San Valentino
Talvolta
QUANDO M’INNAMORO (In inglese, “A Man Without Love,” cantata da Engelbert Humperdinck) Dicono che non so trovare un fiore, E che non ho mai niente da regalare. Dicono che c’è un chiodo dentro il mio cuore, E che per questo non può palpitare. Il mio ragazzo sa che non è vero. Il mio ragazzo sa che quando… CORO Quando m’innamoro io do tutto il bene A chi è innamorato di me, E non c’è nessuno che mi può cambiare, Che mi può staccare da lui.
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Una poesia originale per La Festa di San Valentino di Stefano Steurer Talvolta mi lamento Talvolta mi arrabbio Talvolta ti critico Talvolta grido Talvolta non vedo Tutte le cose buone che fai Come tu ami i nostri figli E come ti prendi cura di me Talvolta cerco di dire Delle cose buone Ma non devo cercare molto Per trovare cose da dire Perchè sei tu Tutte le cose buone.
Stefano e Judy Steurer. Stefano scrisse questa poesia alla moglie, Judy. ITALIAN AMERICA WINTER 2013 5
By Mary Rose Widmer
Horses thunder past the stands. Several spectators jump back, avoiding the mud kicked up by the pounding hooves. Cheers erupt as the leading horse crosses the finish line. Behind the bleachers, lively country music blares from a stand where a man is selling cowboy hats and colorful bandanas. After the race, several women in brightly colored skirts dance across a wooden stage, stomping their cowboy boots along with the music. Are we in the heart of Wyoming, where rodeos are the state sport? Not at all. In fact, this happy gathering is a celebration of i butteri (pronounced “BOO-teh-ree”), the cowboys of Italy, just outside the small city of Grosseto in Tuscany.
UNSUNG HORSEMEN The term buttero comes from the ancient Greek word, botér, or “horsemen.” The history of these Italian cowboys is similar to their American counterparts; they too traveled across rugged terrain, riding away the long hours of daylight, searching for lost cattle, and rounding up strays. Unlike American cowboys, however, who are well-known heroes of early American history, the butteri are virtually unknown to most Italians as well as the rest of the world. Yet for hundreds of years, these men have ridden seven days a week, rain or shine, throughout the Maremma, that vast plain in central Italy, raising and herding the cattle that plowed the fields and fed hungry families.
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In the 1960s, several famous Italian directors produced films nicknamed “Spaghetti Westerns,” which romanticized the cowboy life. These films were first created in Italian, but they were not shot in Italy and did not feature the butteri. Instead, the ITALIAN AMERICA
“Spaghetti Westerns” were shot in the arid regions of southern Spain and depicted tales of American cowboys. One of the best-known films, The Good, The Bad and The Ugly (1966), was directed by the Italian director, Sergio Leone and starred three American actors, including a young Clint Eastwood, who were seeking Confederate gold during the Civil War. It was an enormous hit in Italy, encouraging other Italian filmmakers to choose scripts about the American Wild West, already familiar to Italian audiences through such American films as Stage Coach, directed by John Ford (1939), and director George Stevens’ Shane (1953). The homegrown butteri were overlooked and unsung.
BUFFALO BILL & THE BUTTERI The glory and drama of Italy’s history may have overshadowed the accomplishments of these powerful men, but one triumphant moment
The “Spaghetti Western,” Sergio Leone’s The Good, The Bad and The Ugly, helped make cowboys more famous than Italian butteri WINTER 2013 7 ITALIAN AMERICA
The “maremmana” cattle plowed the land and fed hungry families still lingers in the memory of the people of the Maremma. In 1890, the American horseman and entertainer, Buffalo Bill, toured Europe, showcasing his troupe of cowboys and their impressive horsemanship. The legend is that Duke Castani di Sermoneta and his butteri attended the popular show, but were unimpressed so the duke challenged Buffalo Bill’s cowboys to lasso, saddle, bridle, and mount one of his wild horses. The Americans accepted, struggling for a long time before finally taming one of the unruly Italian mounts. Buffalo Bill, in turn, challenged the duke’s butteri to ride one of his horses. According to local accounts, the buttero, Augusto Imperiali managed to tame one of Buffalo Bill’s broncos faster than the Americans had conquered the Italian horse. Despite this proof of strength and skill, the butteri continued to exist in relative anonymity.
A VANISHING BREED The first blow to the butteri came in 1928, when Mussolini successfully drained much of the Pontine marshlands in the Maremma to end persistent malaria outbreaks. For hundreds of years, every farm had employed several butteri to tend their maremmana, the region’s ancient, longlived breed of cattle, but the need
Butteri compete in one of their festivals in Grosseto ITALIAN AMERICA WINTER 2013 7
their special breed of horses. Named maremmano for the region where they are bred, these chestnut-colored horses sport a long black mane and tale. While Italian horse breeds such as the Avelignese and Sardinian pony can be found at these festivals, few own the maremmano horse used by the butteri.
Butteri are expert horsemen and cattle herders for butteri dropped drastically after the swamp was drained and farmland acreage increased, creating a need for tractors not cowboys. Italians’ culinary tastes have also changed. Today, they no longer favor the lean meat of the maremmana cattle that had made the Florentine beefsteak famous. As the need for their cattle dwindled, the butteri’s livelihood began to fade. However, these horsemen have not entirely disappeared from Italian culture. Butteri still gather in the central regions of Lazio and Tuscany, where the small city of Grosseto is considered the capital of the Maremma. The butteri’s festivals are now an eclectic gathering of people. Children take turns riding placid ponies; vendors set up stands where they sell food, drinks, and desserts (even cotton candy and American ice cream). Horse breeders parade their horses from Spain, America, Italy, and other countries. While horse-ranch owners prepare to present their steeds, women perform a country line-dance for the crowd. These festivals are a perfect opportunity for the ranch owners to spread the word about their horseback riding lessons, buttero-guided trail rides; and WINTER WINTER 2013 2013
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Although these celebrations are not reenactments of ancient Roman victories or infamous gladiatorial games, the buttero gatherings hold importance as commemorations to this singular profession in Italy’s history. Aspects of buttero life can still be found at these festivals, despite being permeated by a myriad of different cultures, including Spanish horse trainers and such American clothing as modern “cowboy boots,” One such aspect includes parading the maremmana cattle before the spectators. These long-horned cattle would be extinct if several farms throughout the region were not still
Mussolini drained many of the marshes in the Maremma
A map of the Maremma region in both Tuscany and Lazio breeding them. A traveler can experience the various buttero celebrations scattered throughout the spring and summer months in the Maremma regions of Tuscany and Lazio. Today’s buttero is forced to adapt to changing times, becoming simply a horse caretaker on ranches for tourists. About 1,000 butteri active now, are really farmers or enthusiasts who enjoy dressing up and riding. Only a few dozen truly embrace the vocation. Yet in the heart of the Maremma on the first Sunday in August, people still gather to celebrate horses, the wide-open sky, and a way of life once vital to Italy. Mary Rose Widmer is a Marketing Manager living in Aurora, IL. Contact her at maryrosewidmer@ gmail.com. The photographs were taken by Ms. Widmer and Alicia Iaffaldano.
PRONUNCIATION GUIDE Buttero
BOO-te-roh
Cowboy
Butteri
BOO-te-ree
Cowboys
Maremma
Mar-EMM-ah
the Maremma region
Maremmana
Mar-emm-AN-ah
the Maremma breed of cattle
Maremmano
Mar-emm-AN-oh
the Maremma breed of horse ITALIAN ITALIAN AMERICA AMERICA
The Sons of Italy
Book Club
WINTER 2013 Selections
Let the Meatballs Rest
Pinocchio
Tuscan Blood
“Food is a fundamental instrument of cultural identity,” says Massimo Montanari, Italy’s major food historian. He illustrates this connection through 100 amusing, informative stories that cross centuries and cultures, but focus on Italy. He begins with the invention of bread (possibly in Ancient Egypt) and goes on to explore such rituals as the Lenten diet and Christmas dinner; table practices and manners, including the use of utensils (or not); whether conversation should be part of dining and how chocolate became a sweet. [$26.50; hardcover; 178 pages; Columbia University Press]
Many people don’t know that Walt Disney’s cartoon version of Collodi’s timeless fairytale captured only a fraction of the adventures that turned this mischievous puppet into a “real boy.” Now, thanks to Geoffrey Brock’s acclaimed translation, American children will learn Pinocchio’s complete story, told in clear, readable English. The book is richly illustrated by Fulvio Testa, a distinguished Italian artist. Collodi’s tale first appeared as a serial in a children’s newspaper in 1881 and came out as a book two years later. [$24.95; hardcover; 184 pages; the New York Review Children’s Collection]
This mystery set in Tuscany, presents Filippo Trantino, who grew up there and then moved to America. Now he is back to bury his grandfather, who died in a freak accident…or was it an accident? Trantino decides to find out and as a bonus, the reader also learns more about Tuscany’s famous wines and cuisine. Rosano, a noted wine expert and author, already has in the works a second mystery set in Italy. [$4.99 Kindle version through Amazon.com and Barnes and Noble; 312 pages; Hang Time Press]
By Massimo Montanari
By Carlo Collodi
By Dick Rosano
Support Our Writers! see page 34
Also Worth Reading War Is Just Another Day
By Gentian & Jon Powell In 1940, while on vacation in Abruzzo with her mother, Gentian Alpina de Luise’s world fell apart. The Nazis invaded Naples, trapping her father, and forcing the six-year-old child to hide from the enemy, escape bombardments and live with fear and hunger until miraculously her father rescued his family. [$19.99; paperback; 281 pages; Xlibris]
Only In America
By Emilia Zecchino In 1982, Emilia Zecchino, then a 55-year-old Italian immigrant, started a catering business with $1,000. Eventually, she grew it into a specialty frozen food company that employed 150 people. In 2006, Emilia, now 78, became a millionaire when she sold her company to the Schwan Food Company. How did she do it? [$24.95; hardcover; 292 pages with photos; Llumina Press] Reviewed by Dona De Sanctis WINTER 2013 9 ITALIAN AMERICA
ITALIAN AMERICA WINTER 2013 9
Our Story
Italian American history and culture
A Few Good Facts By John William Del Russo, Sr.
Twenty years ago, Tom Cruise starred in A Few Good Men, a critically applauded film that is still powerful today. In it, a young Navy lawyer, Lt. Daniel Kaffee, played by Cruise, defends two Marines accused of murder, contending that they acted under orders. What many people may not know is that the screenplay is based on a true story and that Kaffee’s character is based on Donald Marcari, Esq., who today is a successful lawyer and a member of the Sons of Italy.
In 1986, a young Lt. Marcari of the U.S. Navy’s Judge Advocate General Corps (JAG), was ordered to Guantanamo Bay Naval Base (GITMO) in Cuba to be a part of a team representing 10 U.S. Marines, accused of a “code red” attack on another Marine. The Marine who was assaulted survived, but Lt. Marcari’s client and others were charged with attempted murder. Marcari’s client was offered a deal which would have allowed his young Marine defendant to be administratively discharged and go home without a criminal conviction (which his client rejected). Subsequently Marcari got his client’s charge reduced to simple assault which allowed his client to remain in the Navy. How did this become a movie? Pure chance. Another Navy JAG lawyer on this case with Marcari was Debbie Sorkin, sister of Aaron Sorkin, then an aspiring young
playwright, who wrote a 1989 Broadway play, A Few Good Men based on the trial. Sorkin later adapted it for the big screen where it was directed by Rob Reiner. Sorkin took a number of artistic liberties with the true story. In his version, the young man Lt. Donald Marcari who who was assaulted died “played” the Tom Cruise character in real life. and the Marines Kaffee defended were found not guilty of murder but dishonorably discharged. Unfortunately, the heroic young lieutenant‘s name was changed from Marcari to a more generic “American” one. According to Marcari, the most realistic part of the movie was the portrayal of the obstinate GITMO colonel, played by Jack Nicholson. “But … there was no ‘aha’ moment as in the film, in which the colonel slips up during cross examination and is himself arrested,” Marcari says. In reality, the colonel was not charged at all. However, the Marine officer, played by Kiefer Sutherland, who ordered the “code red,” was charged with conduct unbecoming an officer. Also, the officer who blew the whistle on the colonel did not commit suicide. Instead, he testified at the trial that “code reds” were an accepted part of the U.S. Marine Corps. And finally, Marcari shares the truth behind the film’s most famous quote, “You want the truth? You can’t handle the truth!” that Jack Nicholson’s character shouts, much to his regret. According to the American Film Institute, it ranks 29 out of the 100 best movie quotes of all-time, but, Marcari says, “It is also is the best line neither one of us ever said.” John William Del Russo, Sr. is immediate past president of the Roma Lodge #254, in Virginia Beach/Norfolk, the biggest lodge in Virginia.
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Donald Marcari, now a civilian, is a partner in the law firm, Marcari, Russotto, Spencer and Balaban, which has 13 law offices throughout Virginia and North Carolina. It is headquartered in Chesapeake, Virginia. He is also a member of the Sons of Italy Roma Lodge. ITALIAN AMERICA
Our Story
Italian American history and culture
Happy Saint Valentine’s Day By John William Del Russo, Sr.
We d o n ‘ t s a y H a p p y Patrick’s Day, do we? Then why is the standard greeting on February 14th “Happy Valentine‘s Day” even though the day commemorates Saint Valentine, who definitely earned his sainthood? In ancient Rome, he was called Valentinus from the Latin valens meaning “strong, worthy, and powerful.” It was a name given to several martyred saints of ancient Rome, but today, we remember only one St. Valentine. The widely accepted tradition is that St. Valentine was a Christian priest during the reign of
Emperor Claudius II in about 270 A.D. He secretly married Christian couples, and otherwise aided Christians that Claudius was persecuting. Valentinus was arrested, imprisoned and tortured. He was beheaded on February 14, 273 A.D. Let us then honor St. Valentine’s life which he sacrificed to promote love and understanding as we wish each other a Happy Saint Valentine‘s Day! [Learn more about St. Valentine – in Italian -- on page 5.] John William Del Russo, Sr. is immediate past president of Roma Lodge #254, Virginia Beach, VA.
New Jersey Women = Business! By Lisa Femia
Forget the housewives who perpetuate unflattering stereotypes of Italian American women and pick up a copy of Big Bold Business Advice from New Jersey Women Business Owners. Edited by Joyce Restaino, the book collects the experiences of 72 New Jersey women, 25 of them of Italian heritage, who offers tips, solutions and practical advice to women wanting to start a successful business. Maria Cucciniello, for example, is founder and CEO of The Hip Event, a public relations, marketing, and special events firm that works with clients in the fashion, beauty, hospitality, retail, and entertainment industries. She is also a top marketing executive with Saks Fifth Avenue, Neiman Marcus, and Hugo Boss. Another, Rosanna Imbriano, who was born in Italy, uses her marketing firm, R.I. Consulting to assist small and medium-size businesses increase their profits through strategic alliances. She also promotes Italian American culture and heritage as the marketing director at the Center for Italian and Italian American Culture (CIIAC), a nonprofit organization in Cedar Grove, NJ. Multi-tasker Pattie Simone is an entrepreneur, journalist, new media expert, and public speaker. She is CEO WINTER 2013 11 ITALIAN AMERICA
New Jersey’s women mean business! of WomenCentric, a tech start-up company that helps women in business and the professions network. Simone also is president of Marketing-Advantage and WriteCommunications, branding and new media agencies. Her advice on web marketing has been featured in MORE Magazine, the Wall Street Journal Small Business Report, MSNBC, ABC, and FOX5 TV. For more information, see www.bigboldbusiness.com.
DISCOUNTS GALORE! Visit www.osia.org’s “Market Place” section for special OSIA membership discounts on Italian products, language lessons, fine stationery products, genealogy research, travel and more! Also see pages 32-36 in this issue. ITALIAN AMERICA WINTER 2013 11
By Peter J. Ognibene
If variety is the spice of life, few have savored more of its flavors than Lorenzo Da Ponte (1749-1838). Born a Jew, he became a Catholic priest; fathered two children with a married mistress; then was a court poet; a grocer; and the first professor of Italian at Columbia University in New York City, where he helped found America’s first opera house. But he is best remembered for writing the libretti to three of Mozart’s greatest operas: Le Nozze di Figaro, Don Giovanni, and Così fan tutte.
Act One In his own life, Da Ponte experienced emotional tumult not unlike many of the characters he would create in his opera libretti. He was born Emanuele Conegliano, the WINTER 2013
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son of a Jewish leatherworker, in Ceneda (now Vittorio Veneto) in the Republic of Venice. When his widowed father converted to Catholicism to marry a young Catholic woman, the family took on Christian first names and the last name, Da Ponte, of the local bishop who baptized them and later arranged for Lorenzo and his brothers to study at a seminary. Ordained a priest in 1773, Da Ponte moved to Venice, where he lived by his wits; drained his purse gambling and fell in love with a married woman who gave him two children. He would later write: “My heart was not, and
Above: A portrait of Lorenzo Da Ponte [Courtesy of the Civic Museums of Vittorio Veneto. Reproduction prohibited.]
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is not perhaps, able to live without love … regardless of the many tricks and betrayals women have worked to my damage in the course of my life.” This highly personal revelation might lead one to speculate that Da Ponte’s own romantic escapades helped him bring to life his most famous opera character, Don Giovanni (aka “Don Juan”). In 1782, at age 33, Da Ponte made his way to Vienna, where he met Wolfgang Amadeus Mozart and Antonio Salieri, the court composer to the Austrian Emperor Joseph II, who soon named Da Ponte his court poet.
ACT TWO In 1785, Da Ponte began working with Mozart on Le Nozze di Figaro (The Marriage of Figaro), the first of his three collaborations with the young musical genius. Seven
Rosina Almaviva, mourning the slow ebb of the passion she once shared with her husband. With the success of Figaro, Da Ponte turned next to Don Giovanni. Later he would write that every day for two months, “I sat down at my table and did not leave it for twelve hours continuous – a bottle of Tokay to my right, a box of Seville [snuff] to my left, in the middle an inkwell.” Mozart himself conducted the premiere of Don Giovanni in Prague in 1787, where it was enthusiastically received. When the first performance in Vienna “did not please,” Da Ponte recalled, Emperor Joseph consoled him: “The opera is divine; I should even venture that it is more beautiful than Figaro. But such music is not meat for the teeth of my Viennese.” When Da Ponte reported the emperor’s remark to Mozart, the composer replied: “Give them time to chew on it.”
An engraving of The New York Opera Company, America’s first opera house, co-founded by Lorenzo Da Ponte in 1833.
A ticket for Le Nozze di Figaro that premiered May 1, 1786 in Prague, which Mozart himself conducted
years older and far more worldly than Mozart, Da Ponte brought to Figaro echoes of his own life: how it feels to be poor and at the mercy of the rich and well-born; the abyss that opens when the one you love proves false; the saving hand of the friend who is there when everyone else has turned away.
Their final collaboration, Così fan tutte (That’s How Women Are), premiered in Vienna on January 26, 1790, but Emperor Joseph never heard it. In failing health, he died within a month. When his brother, Leopold, became emperor, the palace cabal that had failed to undermine Da Ponte during Joseph’s reign succeeded in having him banished from Vienna.
With Da Ponte’s libretto, Mozart now had characters that his music could – and would – make immortal: the young page, Cherubino, who falls in love with every woman he sees; the wily servant Figaro, so much smarter than his master, the lustful Count Almaviva; Figaro’s fiancée Susanna, the equally clever maid and object of the Count’s advances; and finally, the wistful countess, WINTER 2013 13 ITALIAN AMERICA
ACT THREE In all, Da Ponte wrote libretti for 28 operas. Their sale was his main source of income, but only the three he created for Mozart are widely performed today. After leaving Vienna, Da Ponte again became an itinerant poet, traveling around Europe and eventually winding up in Trieste, ITALIAN AMERICA WINTER 2013 13
Da Ponte’s Legacy In the 19th century, Lorenzo Da Ponte did more than anyone else to introduce the language, literature and culture of Italy to the United States. Signs of his legacy are with us still:
The Don Giovanni playbill for the The main square in the town of opera’s Vienna premiere in 1788. Ceneda (now Vittorio Veneto) where Da Ponte was born.
where he met and married Ann Celestine Grahl. They lived in England before immigrating to the United States in 1805 with their four children. Da Ponte arrived in a country that had only a few hundred Italian émigrés, no Italian opera house and little interest in Italian culture. He did what he could to earn money for his family, becoming a grocer, selling medicinal remedies from the back of a cart and even hauling firewood. Through a chance encounter with Clement Clarke Moore, the son of the Episcopal bishop of New York City, and the purported author of ‘Twas the Night before Christmas, Da Ponte began teaching Italian to the children of the city’s most prosperous families. In 1825, Columbia College, now Columbia University, named Da Ponte its first professor of Italian – a post that came with an impressive title but no salary. He was the first to teach Dante in America. Da Ponte became an American citizen and turned impresario, bringing Italian singers and musicians to perform in New York City. His efforts led to America’s first opera house, the New York Opera Company, which opened in 1833 on Leonard Street in what is now the city’s Tribeca neighborhood. Disputes with the company’s financial backers resulted in Da Ponte being ostracized. However, he continued to teach, write poetry and rage in print now and then against his foes until his health began to fail. He died in 1838 at the age of 89.
• The Department of Italian at Columbia University established the Lorenzo Da Ponte Professor of Italian, a post currently held by Teodolinda Barolini, Ph.D., a world-renown Dante scholar and daughter of the award-winning novelist and essayist, Helen Barolini. • The Lorenzo Da Ponte Italian Library in the Department of Italian at UCLA, which publishes Italian books in English translation to stimulate the diffusion of Italian culture in the U.S. and other English-speaking countries. • Lorenzo Da Ponte Way, the recently renamed street where once stood this country’s first Italian opera house. Thanks to the energetic efforts of Frances Bologna and members of the American-Italian Cultural Roundtable, which she chairs, one can now find Da Ponte’s name on street signs at Church and Leonard Streets in Manhattan.
EPILOGUE Teacher, poet, librettist and opera impresario, Lorenzo Da Ponte’s life was filled with passion – sometimes failing, always striving, and ultimately coming to peace with his accomplishments and himself. Though the music in the operas sprang from the genius that was Mozart, the characters, their lives, and the passions that drove them to action came from Da Ponte, who brought the experience of his own tumultuous life to everything he ever did. And though, like Mozart, Da Ponte lies in an unmarked grave, his legacy endures in the words that flow and soar with the music of Mozart and continue to touch people year after year everywhere on earth. Peter J. Ognibene is a writer in Alexandria, Virginia. Contact him at pjognibene@gmail.com.
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The 2009 inauguration of Lorenzo Da Ponte Way in New York City. Seen here, Frances Bologna, president of the American-Italian Cultural Roundtable that spearheaded the initiative, and Mario Fratti, noted playwright and Da Ponte impersonator. ITALIAN AMERICA
How stereotyping shapes the public image of today’s Italian Americans. Send your contributions to ddesanctis@osia.org or mail to: “It’s Only a Movie,” Italian America Magazine, 219 E Street, NE, Washington, DC 20002. Include name and daytime telephone number. No telephone calls please. Mailed submissions cannot be acknowledged. Contributors’ names, when known, are in parenthesis. Compiled by Dona De Sanctis
• COLUMBUS CELEBRATIONS MARRED Vandals in Hazleton, PA defaced and damaged a statue of Columbus in the city’s Memorial Park last October. Although the graffiti painted on the statue’s platform washed off, a gooey, purple substance remains. The culprits have not yet been found. And in New Haven, CT, the Columbus Protestors 2012 Columbus Day parade was interrupted by a dozen protestors holding signs urging that the holiday be abolished. At 12% and 19% respectively, Pennsylvania and Connecticut are among the ten states with the most Italian Americans, according to the U.S. Census Bureau. Manny Alfano-One Voice Coalition, NJ • LOST IN TRANSLATION A December feature on the NPR program “All Things Considered” credited a certain “Juan Pablos” as the first printer in the New World after he published “A Short and Most Compendious Christian Doctrine” in 1539 in Mexico. But his real name was Giovanni Paoli, which was translated into Spanish when he went to live in Seville. Paoli was also the first to publish books in Native American languages. OSIA member Peter Tafuri of Scranton, PA sent a correction to NPR, which printed it on its blog. • DIRTY POLITICS During the 2012 race for a seat in the Florida State Senate last November, the Republican candidate Dorothy Hukill endorsed an ad on the radio funded by state Republicans that made fun of her
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Democratic opponent, Frank Bruno. It featured “Vinnie” and “Joey,” who spoke with the Brooklyn accent popularized by John Travolta in Saturday Night Fever, and called Bruno “Frankie Bruno, a political Dorothy Hukill boss in Volusia” who wants to tax everything in sight as well as taking expensive trips on the public dime. Bruno served for 12 years on the Volusia County Council and was later the city’s elected county manager. Hukill won the race. • GONE BUT NOT FORGOTTEN After six seasons, MTV’s “Jersey Shore” last year finally got consigned to TV’s dustbin where it belongs, but Italian American reality shows are still cash cows for television. Renewed for its second season is “Brooklyn 11223,” the Oxygen Network’s answer The cast of the late to “Jersey Shore,” which is set “Jersey Shore” in Bay Ridge, Brooklyn and follows twelve Italian American men and women in their mid-20’s. Then there’s the fourth season premiere of “Long Island Medium” on TLC, starring Theresa Caputo of Hicksville, New York, who claims to communicate with the dead. The deceased are apparently not put off by her bleached hair and acrylic nails. And coming soon to your living room is “Rambug,” A&E’s new reality show about a “brawny group of hard-working, over-the-top Italian exterminators from Brooklyn who dress in camouflage.” Does anyone have a problem recognizing the stereotyping going on here?
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Bulletin Board
What’s new: discounts, services and events
• GENEALOGY NEWS More than 5.5 million images for 11 Italian communities including Palermo have been recently added to the records collected by FamilySearchInternational. The information includes information from all over the world, including Italy, Australia, Canada, the USA, Europe and beyond. The site has more than 16 billion records. FamilySearch, the The Family Research Center in Utah largest genealogy organization in the world, is a non-profit organization, sponsored by the Mormon Church. Its services and resources are free at FamilySearch.org. See more info on inside front cover. • LA MIA STRADA (My Road) is a feature-length documentary on Italian American ethnicity and culture by linking ancient and contemporary Italian culture with its Italian-American c o u n te r p a r t. H o w fragile are the bonds that connect a family from generation to generation or from country to country? The stor y is told through the perspective of the film-maker, Michael Angelo DiLauro’s family journey from Abruzzo to America. Cost: $19.95 plus $3.00 shipping and handling. Contact: 724/775-3126. Email:mdilauro@verizon.net. Web: www.lamiastrada.org. • THE NATIONAL ITALIAN AMERICAN SPORTS HALL OF FAME [NIASHF]. Founded in 1978 by George Randazzo as the Italian American Boxing Hall of Fame to raise money for a struggling local Catholic youth program, the NIASHF received a boost from Don Ponte and, later, Jerry Colangelo, who helped turn it into a Hall of Fame, honoring all Italian American athletes. In Nov. 2012, it celebrated its 35th anniversary.
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Today, the non-profit, educational institution on Taylor Street in the heart of Chicago’s Little Italy has over 200 inductees. It has raised over $6 million for scholarships and charitable causes. Its sports memorabilia include Mario Andretti’s Indy 500 racecar, Rocky Marciano’s first heavyweight championship belt, Vince Lombardi’s last coat worn as coach of the Green Bay Packers, and swimmer Matt Biondi’s Olympic Gold Medals. Contact: 312/226-5566 or see www.niashf.org.
I Giullari di Piazza performing
A showcase in the NIASHF in Chicago • CONCERT The long-lost music of Alfred Morena (1893-1929) will have its world premiere at a recital Sunday, April 21 at 3 P.M. at the Bruno Walter Auditorium in New York City’s Lincoln Center. His son and namesake discovered his father’s piano and violin compositions after retiring from a fifty year engineering career. On the program songs and violin-piano accompaniment compositions by Morena and other composers. Performers are violinists Anna Heifetz and her nine-year old daughter, Michelle Stern; soprano Maureen Smith Setton; Composer Alfred Morena tenor Rinaldo Toglia; and pianist Mason Senft. The recital is sponsored by the National Italian American Foundation. Contact Gina Ghilardi at 202/939-3116 in DC. Email: gina@niaf.org
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Bulletin Board
What’s new: discounts, services and events
Sons of Italy Speakers Bureau Need a speaker for your club meeting or a special event? Contact these speakers directly. Some may require travel expenses and/or honorariums. More speakers are listed on the OSIA website: www.osia.org at “Studies in Culture.” To apply as a speaker, contact Dona De Sanctis at ddesanctis@osia.org. • CALIFORNIA WW II Vet and author Leon Weckstein speaks on his work with Italian partisans and how he saved the Leaning Tower of Pisa. Book signing of 200,000 Heroes. Contact: 805/496-0508 (CA). Email: LWeckstein@aol. com Website: www.LeonWeckstein.com Will travel. • FLORIDA & NORTH EAST Author/historian Mario Fumarola speaks on the difficulties early Italian immigrants overcame. Will do book signings. Contact: 610/3950631 (PA). Email: spqr@rcn.com. • ILLINOIS Sociology professors John & Maria Tenuto speak on media stereotyping of Italians and Italian Americans. Contact: 847/543-2537 (IL). Email: jtenuto@ clcillinois.edu. Website: www.clcillinois.edu. Will travel. • NEW JERSEY/NEW YORK Author John Lanza, who wrote Shot Down Over Italy, presents this true WW II story with slides and displays. Book signing. Contact: 973/226-8602 (NJ). Email: jwlanza@hotmail.com. Website: www.shotdownoveritaly.com. Will travel. • NEW YORK Playwright & author David Mercaldo speaks on the Italian American experience during the 20th century. Book signings. Contact: 718/979-5196 (NY). Email: skyline347@verizon.net. Website: www.davidmercaldo. com. Will travel. • PENNSYLVANIA Film-maker and media professor Michael Angelo DiLauro speaks on Italian American history and identity with screenings of his documentaries on these and other Italian American topics. Contact:
412/397-6822.Email:dilauro@rmu. edu. Website:www.prisonersamongus. com; www.lamiastrada.org. Will travel. • SOUTH CAROLINA Novelist Frank Pennisi speaks on growing up Italian in New York City and his latest book, Sciatu Mio that follows three generations of Sicilians from Italy to America. Book signings. Contact: 843/272-9997 (SC). Email: fpennisi@sc.rr.com • VIRGINIA US Army (ret.) Richard Rinaldo speaks on New York’s Little Italy and his book, Meatballs & Stickball. Book signing. Contact: 757/874-6048 (VA). Email: richrinaldo@cox.net. Will travel. • MIDWEST Author & journalist Paul Salsini speaks on his novels, set in Tuscany from WW II through the 1970s as well as his children’s book, Stefano and the Christmas Miracles. Contact: 414/964 8819 (WI). Email: psalsini@execpc.com. Website: www.ATuscanTrilogy.com • NORTHEAST/CANADA Genealogist & author Angelo Coniglio speaks on researching Sicilian and other Italian ancestors. Book signing of Lady of the Wheel. Contact: 716/832-3790 (NY). Email: genealogytips@aol.com. Website: www.bit.ly/racalmuto. Will travel. • WASHINGTON, DC/VA/MD Wine expert and mystery novelist, Dick Rosano speaks on wine, food, travel and Italian culture. Book signing of his new novel, Tuscan Blood. Contact: 240/888-8877 (MD). Email: dickrosano@comcast.net. Will travel.
Ask the Lawyer Advice on Italy’s Legal System
QUESTION: What Italian laws are the same for the entire country, and what laws vary by region? ANSWER: After the Italian Constitution was revised in 2001, both the central government and the regions can issue laws and decrees. Laws are issued by the Parliament, both federal and regional. Decrees are issued (a) by the President of the Italian Republic with parliamentary approval; (b) by the government on urgent matters or (c) by other institutions on specific mandates either by the Parliament or by the Government. Laws falling under the jurisdiction of the central government involve “public rights” -- foreign affairs, citizenship and immigration, religion, instruction and WINTER 2013 17 ITALIAN AMERICA
school, defense, elections, justice in general, social security, etc. Other important matters are reserved for the central government, but left to the 20 regions to implement, including health care, food, sport, transportation, communication, commerce. All legal matters not specifically reserved for the central government can be handled by regional governments. In some cases the central government may delegate to the regions laws it thinks belong at the regional level. Regional laws are valid and applicable only in the region where they have been issued. Giampaolo Girardi, Esq. is a 20-year member of the Italian Bar Association and the Managing Partner of Legal And Fiscal, a combined law and accounting firm headquartered in Rome. For U.S. contact and support, see www.ItalyLawyerForAmericans.com ITALIAN AMERICA WINTER 2013 17
Italy in
Beyond Hemingway Italy had been a partner with Germany and the Austro-Hungarian Empire in the World War I was one of the deadliest Triple Alliance, a mutual defense treaty conflicts in history. It began in 1914 signed in 1882. When the war began in and ended in 1918, with casualties, 1914, Italy, arguing that Germany and both military and civilian, numbering Austro-Hungary had been the aggresmore than 37 million. Nearly a century sors, withdrew from the pact and declared later, here in the United States, Italy’s itself neutral. In April 1915, after intense The first edition book cover of participation in “la Grande Guerra,” as Italians still call it, remains little-known Hemingway’s A Farewell to Arms diplomatic bargaining, Italy signed the secret Treaty of London and joined the and even less understood. In fact, all that most Americans know about Italy’s participation in Triple Entente -- Great Britain, France and Russia — in that war is its disastrous defeat at Caporetto, as told by exchange for the promise of long-coveted territories at Ernest Hemingway in his novel, A Farewell to Arms, which the end of the war.
By Richard N. Juliani
was turned into a movie twice in 1932 and again in 1957.
BEYOND HEMINGWAY The complicated saga of Italy in World War I goes far beyond Hemingway’s novel. When the war broke out in the summer of 1914 on the Western Front, it was expected to last only a few months. Early German advances in France almost achieved that outcome, but it soon became a protracted struggle in which huge combat losses produced only marginal gains of territory, often recovered by the other side by the next counterattack. WINTER WINTER 2013 2013
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Under the command of Field Marshall Luigi Cadorna, Italy formally entered the war on May 23, 1915. What came to be known as the First Battle of the Isonzo, named for the river on Italy’s eastern border, began about a month later.
THE BATTLES OF ISONZO During most of those battles, the Italian troops acquitted themselves honorably and heroically, whether in small skirmishes in the mountains, massive assaults of larger units in the plains below, or the incessant exchange ITALIAN ITALIAN AMERICA AMERICA
of artillery barrages, accompanied by poison gas. But by the summer of 1917, on the eve of the 12th Battle of the Isonzo, the fighting had cost many lives, while Italian troops had advanced only seven miles – and were still far from Trieste, the city they wanted to capture. By then, it also became impossible for them to hold their lines because England failed to supply the Italians with promised arms and ammunition. Cadorna’s efforts had produced only a stalemate against a resolute enemy. Aloof from and unpopular with his demoralized troops, Cadorna implemented the ancient Roman military practice of decimation, summarily executing one in ten men before firing squads to force his troops to obey orders. The executed men were innocent victims, not guilty of any crime or dereliction of duty, but arbitrarily selected to implement a cruelly insane policy. Decimation only further demoralized the troops.
At least 10 million troops died in WW I, among them 651,000 Italians
The 12th and final battle of Isonzo, called the Battle of Caporetto, was a disaster, resulting in nearly 40,000 Italian troops killed or wounded; 280,000 captured and 350,000 deserted. After this massive defeat, Cadorna was replaced by General Armando Diaz, a Neapolitan who quickly ingratiated himself with the dispirited men by visiting them at the front --“la prima linea.” His leadership soon helped to reverse the course of the war. Ironically, exactly one year to the day after Caporetto, on October 24, 1918, 51 Italian divisions, reinforced by British, French, Czech and American troops, launched an assault against 73 divisions of the Austro-Hungarian army, With a far more coordinated force ever previously put into the field, the Italians not only defeated the enemy, but utterly devastated its army, gaining a great victory in the Battle of Vittorio Veneto, the final engagement between Italy and the Austro-Hungarian Empire in “the war to end all wars.”
WW I soldiers in trenches and wearing gas masks as protection from poison gas, used for the first time in this war
THE WAR’S AFTERMATH As with many wars, it is uncertain whether the gains of World War I outweigh the losses. Although the combined total of military and civilian deaths of Italians did not approach the levels incurred by France, Great Britain, Russia, Germany and the Austro-Hungarian Empire, Italy’s losses were enormous on its own scale. Nearly 954,000 combat troops were wounded. The war took the lives of 651,000 military and 589,000 civilians -- almost 3.5% of Italy’s entire population. In contrast, the United States lost 117, 000 troops and 757 civilians. WINTER 2013 19 ITALIAN AMERICA
The mountainous Isonzo River region where Italians fought and died ITALIAN AMERICA WINTER 2013 19
A map of the Battle of Caporetto A poster from the first movie version of Hemingway’s novel in 1932
Field Marshall Luigi Cadorna, the unpopular Italian WW I Supreme Commander
Some historians believe that the war helped unify Italy for the first time since it had become a nation in 1861. The difficulties of drill instructors and officers to communicate with recruits, who spoke different dialects, reinforced the need for a national language. The war brought professional soldiers from northern Piedmont in contact with drafted peasants from the Mezzogiorno. The exigencies of mountain warfare threw elite Alpine troops from the Trentino with infantrymen and artillery gunners from the Abruzzi. They suffered together in the same trenches, fighting for their country. By the time the Armistice ended hostilities in on November 4, 1918, the Austrian Front had become the longest line of battle during the war. It had been made even more difficult by the region’s mountains, which made hauling artillery and waging warfare of any kind almost impossible.
A “MUTILIATED” VICTORY At the Versailles Peace Conference, Italy sought what it had been promised, thus fulfilling its vision of the proper boundaries and possessions of il bel Paese. Instead it was given only the South Tyrol, but not other territory which
it expected, which included Trieste and other parts of the Adriatic coast The disappointed Italian delegation withdrew from negotiations. Later, Italian scholars and politicians would call the war effort “una vittoria mutilata.” Italy’s enormous disappointment helped usher in an even darker and more costly chapter of her history --- sowing the seeds of Fascism and increasing the manpower drain through immigration to America. In his message to the nation on November 4, 1918, General Diaz praised the performance of his troops --“inferior in number and equipment, they had conducted themselves with unwavering faith and tenacious bravery.” His words are engraved on plaques found in almost every city and town of Italy, along with the names of the men who fell, as a reminder of the great sacrifice they had made for their country. Richard Juliani is a retired professor of sociology at Villanova; currently visiting scholar at the University of Pennsylvania; and author of Building Little Italy: Philadelphia’s Italians before Mass Migration (1998) and Priest, Parish and People: Saving the Faith in Philadelphia’s Little Italy (2007). Contact him at richard.juliani@villanova.edu.
FURTHER READING The First World War by John Keegan The White War: Life and Death on the Italian Front 1915-1919 by Mark Thompson Italy and the World War by Thomas Nelson Page. (Available in an on-line edition) WINTER WINTER2013 2013 20 20
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Giovinezza!
News for Young Italian Americans
Studying Abroad By Gina Cerruti
A student at the University of California, Santa Barbara, Gina studied in Italy last year under a 2012 Sons of Italy Foundation National Leadership Grant co-sponsored by the Sant’Anna InstituteSorrento Lingue (SASL) near Amalfi.
rivals Versailles. I also explored the ancient cities of Pompeii and Herculaneum and climbed Vesuvius. The rich and diverse culture of these cities and landmarks deeply impressed me.
In class I made friends with students Receiving a scholarship to study in Italy from Europe, Central America, Japan and was a life-changing experience. I plan to Australia as well as other Americans from teach Italian American history so my experiall over the United States. The courses ences at the SASL school both improved my included Italian, film, and archeology. The Sorrento Lingue scholarship winner Gina Cerruti. Italian and gave me a deeper understanding instructors were extremely motivated to of southern Italian history and culture. teach, while the diversity of the student I had visited my cousins in Tuscany many times, but body made Sorrento Lingue an exciting place to learn and didn’t know much about southern Italy. As part of my grow! studies, however, I visited many cities in Campania, including my favorite site, the Royal Palace in Caserta that
For information about SASL’s courses, tuition, and scholarships, see “Qua e Là” news briefs below.
Qua E Là “Here and There” offers briefs of interest to young Italian American. • The Sant’Anna Institute-Sorrento Lingue (SASL) on the Amalfi coast offers year-round courses in Italian, the humanities, architecture and other disciplines. Courses are in English except for those in Italian language and literature. Costs range from $4,815 to $14,200 and include tuition, housing, application fee, course materials and all student services. Application Deadlines: Summer 2013: April 1st. Fall 2013: July 14th. SIF/SASL scholarship deadline: February 28, 2013. For more information, contact Serena Vacca at serena@sorrentolingue.com. • The Italian American Studies program at Queens College in New York City now offers four graduatelevel courses applicable to Masters degrees in both Liberal Studies and Italian. The first course in Italian American literature began in January. Contact the Calandra Italian American Institute at 212/642-2094. • Italian and international students interested in Italian universities have a new research tool, UniversItaly, the first bilingual website listing all Italian univer-
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sity courses. Launched in January 2013, when at full capacity, students will be able to browse classes offered by colleges, academies, conservatories and technical schools; compare tuition fees; learn about scholarships; and services in either English or Italian. Foreign students can also register for the admission test for Italian medical schools. The test will be given in English next September in the U.S. and abroad. See www.universitaly.it • Colavita USA, a leading importer and distributor of Italian olive oil and other Italian specialty items, is partnering with the U.S. State Department and espnW in a Global Sports Mentoring Program that pairs women executives in the U.S. with emerging young women leaders around the globe. Since 2003, Colavita USA, in Edison, N.J. has sponsored professional cycling. Its women teams have ranked in the top 10 in the U.S. and have included Olympic champions. The firm’s assistant director of marketing, Nicole Jeannette, will work with Geraldine Bernardo of the Philippines to help advance her plans to create transition-to-work programs for athletes in her home country. See www.TeamColavita.com.
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By Dona De Sanctis
Before becoming mayor of New York City, Rudy Giuliani spent 25 years in the U.S. Justice Department, putting mobsters behind bars. In 2007, he was a serious presidential candidate for the Republican Party ticket. In 2011, he added a new credit to his illustrious résumé, -- as the first guest host of “Mob Week,” on the national cable network, AMC. Seems the former crime-fighter is a big fan of Mafia movies and always has been, he told viewers. Was Pogo right? Have we “met the enemy and he is us,”?
That’s Entertainment A casual survey of Italian Americans in the U.S. entertainment industry reveals that most actors, directors, writers and those very few producers who are of Italian descent appear to WINTER 2013
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be oblivious about how people of their shared heritage are portrayed by Hollywood and television. Among these entertainment figures is a small but powerful group of Italian Americans, who are immensely talented and successful to the point that any one of them could write his own ticket to produce, direct and/or star in a movie or TV series.
Could Pogo’s most famous quote apply to Italian Americans? [Written and illustrated by Walt Kelly]
Sadly, however, none has taken on the defamation issue perhaps because some of their most financially successful and critically acclaimed work perpetuates these stereotypes. Among these “movers and shakers” we find Martin Scorsese (“Goodfellas”); David Chase – born “De Cesare” (“The Sopranos”); and the “Godfather” triumvirate: Francis Ford Coppola, Al Pacino and Robert DeNiro. For his ITALIAN AMERICA
starring role as the disturbed Mafioso, Paul Vitti in “Analyze This”(1999), DeNiro made $8 million and then picked up another $20 million more when he reprised the role for “Analyze That” three years later. Why has not one of these Hollywood rainmakers ever used his immense clout to write, direct or produce a movie or television series that portrays Italian Americans without reference to the Mafia? When this writer asked Sylvester Stallone, he was refreshingly candid. “The Mafia theme is still a quick way to get a movie made or to get on TV, thanks to the success of ‘The Godfather,’ ” he said. So what can organizations like the Sons of Italy do to encourage casting characters with Italian last names as brain surgeons, astronauts or crime fighters instead of gangsters? “Not much,” Stallone said. “The power in Hollywood lies with the people
Francis Ford Coppola’s acclaimed “The Godfather” spawned many inferior mafia movies, such as “Married to the Mob.” WINTER 2013 23 ITALIAN AMERICA
In 2011, former crime fighter Rudy Giuliani hosted AMC’s “Mob Week,” featuring gangster movies past and present. in creative positions. It’s the Italian American writers and producers who will make the change come about. Like ‘Field of Dreams,’ if you build it, they will come so if you write it, they [the American public] will believe it.”
Who’s To Blame? Clearly, the problem lies with the writers and producers, who do not present Italian Americans in a positive, life-affirming light and not with the journey-men actors who play the roles that stereotype Italian Americans. Most of these actors are unlikely ever to become stars. They are character actors, like James Gandolfini, Vincent Pastore and Michael Imperioli, who, before their enormous success in “The Sopranos,” toiled for years in “the business,” largely unknown, trying to put bread on the table. Typecast by their own industry, these actors have little choice, but to accept the Mafia roles offered them since nothing else is available. Can you see James (aka Tony Soprano) Gandolfini playing a doctor, a lawyer or the president of the United States? For that reason, Italian American organizations like the Sons of Italy and its anti-defamation arm, the Commission for Social Justice, never attack the character actors who accept these roles.
Institutional Advocacy The situation is equally unsettling in some Italian American organizations, which are convinced “there’s no money” in anti-defamation. They believe, perhaps rightly, that if an Italian American organization is too vocal in its fight against stereotyping, it risks losing the support of Italian Americans at the corporate level, who are in a position to bring in considerable and much-needed funding for scholarships and other programs. They rightly point to the fact that many Italian American executives are
The cast of “The Sopranos” was made up of then-little-known Italian American character actors. men and women who, in a sense, have been shielded from the aftershocks of stereotyping. Some have denied their Italian roots by changing their last names or using a married “Anglo” name. Others have embraced their heritage and point to their professional success as proof that discrimination against Italian Americans does not exist. But whether Italian Americans are being denied housing, jobs, promotions or admission to top schools because of their heritage is beside the point. Such discrimination is hard to prove since we are part of the white majority so sociologists and other researchers do not study how stereotyping is affecting the average Italian American. continued on page 31 ITALIAN AMERICA WINTER 2013 23
OSIA Nation ®
MAKING A DIFFERENCE
osia mourns
NEW YORK
Our beloved Order lost many valuable and loyal members during 2012. Our prayers are with their families. They will never be forgotten.
During the summer of 2012, the New York Special Olympics asked the Gabriele D’Annunzio Lodge #321 of Schenectady to teach its athletes to play bocce. The lodge helped them start a training program; taught coaches the rules; instructed on making a court and allowed the athletes to practice on the lodge’s own court. The lodge’s students placed first in the regional games. Bocce is now a sport in the New York State Special Olympic Games.
ALFRED A. AFFINITO, OSIA’s national immediate past president, died of cancer Nov. 17, 2012. He was national president from 2007 to 2009 and also was president of the Pittsburg Lodge #1976 in Pittsburg, CA. Donations to his memory may be made to the Western Foundation. Please specify the Alfred A. Affinito Scholarship, and mail to the Grand Lodge of CA at 5051 Mission Street, San Francisco, CA 94112. Condolences may be sent to his wife, Jane Affinito at 2211 Railroad Avenue, Pittsburg, CA 94565. MARI BETZ, former first lady of the Grand Lodge of the Northwest and widow of former State President and National Trustee Don Betz died October 18, 2012. JANET CAPELLO, who received the 2007 Dr. Vincenzo Sellaro Award, OSIA’s highest honor, died December 7, 2012 in California. She joined the Order in 1949 and for 63 years was among its greatest champions, reports Grand Lodge of California President Maria Fassio Pignati. She was State Orator and Insurance Committee Chair. Janet belonged to the Beatrice Portinari #1626 and the Virgilio Lodge #1586 in Vallejo, CA. SALVATORE D’ALESSANDRO, who held OSIA offices as national 5th vice president, national trustee and state president of the Grand Lodge of Florida died October 14, 2012. As National Trustee, “Sal strongly supported the fund-raising efforts of both OSIA and the SIF,” says SIF President Vince Sarno. “We are grateful for his service to the Order.” RAY DETTORE, OSIA’s National Orator, died December 15, 2012. “We have lost a truly dedicated officer and a dear friend,” says OSIA National President Joseph DiTrapani. “We keep his mother, Christine and his sister, Deborah Angelo, in our thoughts and prayers.” In lieu of flowers, donations may be made to the Dettore/Angelo Memorial Scholarship Fund at 26 Forestwood Drive, Smithfield, RI 02917. TINA PIASIO, wife of former State President and National Trustee of Florida, Dennis Piasio, died March 11, 2012. “Her loss has been a shock throughout the state, and devastating to all who knew and loved her,” says OSIA National President Joseph DiTRAPANI. Condolences may be sent to Dennis and his family at 5187 Woodstone Circle East, Lake Worth, Florida 33463.
A Special Olympian learning bocce
california For promoting Italian language and culture, the Renaissance Lodge #2259 in Orange County was commended by the CA Consul General of Italy, Giuseppe Perrone and Italy’s ambassador to the U.S., Claudio Bisogniero, during the inauguration of the new Italian Consulate in Nov. 2012.
[L. to R] Comm. Frank DeSanctis, past national OSIA president; Consul General Perrone; Ambassador Bisogniero; and Paul Licata, M.D., the lodge’s head trustee. WINTER 2013
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ITALIAN AMERICA
OSIA Nation ®
OSIA LODGES AT WORK
Special recognition SALVATORE BELLINO, a WW II decorated Army veteran, who died at age 85 in 2005, will have his name engraved on the “National Purple Heart Hall of Honor” in New Windsor, NY. He earned 3 Purple Hearts and a Bronze Star for his wartime heroism and belonged to the Port St. Lucie Lodge #2594 in Florida. SANDRA CHIESA of the Columbia Lodge # 1940, San Mateo, CA helped raise $10,275 during the 2012 Komen Cancer Walk last September. She captained the team that raised the most money for the San Francisco event. This marked her 10th year in Walking for a Cure. So far this cancer survivor has raised $58,025 for the Komen organization. ROCKY MARCIANO was honored September 23, 2012 by the World Boxing Council with a statue to his memory in Brockton, MA, his hometown. He belonged to the Christopher Columbus Lodge #216. The dedication was on the 60th anniversary of Marciano’s winning the heavyweight championship and being the only undefeated heavyweight champion. He died in a plane crash in 1969 at age 45. THE NEW YORK STATE GRAND LODGE FOUNDATION donated $5,000 to the American Red Cross last November to assist the victims of Hurricane Sandy, reports Foundation President Thom Lupo.
GOT A GOOD STORY? Have you or your lodge done something remarkable that makes a difference to your community or promotes our heritage? Send details with your lodge’s name and number (photo optional) to: ITALIAN AMERICA Magazine, 219 E Street NE, Washington, DC 20002 or E-mail ddesanctis@osia.org. Include daytime phone number. Entries not acknowledged and photos not returned unless requested. WINTER 2013 25 ITALIAN AMERICA
PHILIP PRIVITERA, Esq. of the Greater Boston Renaissance Lodge #2614 was honored in Nov. 2012 by the West End Museum for his pro bono legal assistance that helped establish the museum. His family also funded the museum’s construction in memory of Privitera’s mother, Jennie “Jean” Privitera. Also last fall, he and his Privitera Family Charitable Foundation donated a statue of boxer Tony DeMarco, the 1955 world welterweight champion, to the National Italian American Sports Hall of Fame. JOHN SCARPATI, Sr. of the Piazza Nuova Lodge #2665 in Newtown, PA, was honored by the Hamilton Township in New Jersey for launching the Mercer County Italian American Festival in 1999. In 2012 an estimated 100,000 people attended the four-day event. JOSEPH SCIAME, OSIA National Past Chair 198788 and Vice President for Community Relations, St. John’s University, received a lifetime membership award from the National Association of Student Financial Aid Administrators for his 45 years in the field. BRAD WENSTRUP of the Cincinnatus Lodge #1191 in Cincinnati, OH, was elected to the U.S. Congress in the November 2012 elections. Congressman Wenstrup is Italian on his mother’s side and a decorated U.S. Army war hero (Bronze Star), which he earned in Operation Iraqi Freedom. He is the Republican representative of Ohio’s 2nd Congressional District.
OHIO Bad weather didn’t stop more than 4,000 people from par taking of the Cincinnatus Lodge #1191 annual Italian dinner, reports lodge president Ronald Panioto, who organizes this twice-a-year fundraising dinner to benefit Cincinnati’s 101-yearold Sacred Heart Catholic Church. Covered widely by the media, the ravioli dinner featured more than 200,000 home-made ravioli, 23,000
meatballs, 600 gallons of sauce plus bread, salad & dessert for $12 and raised more than $30,000 for the ancient church. ITALIAN AMERICA WINTER 2013 25
The Sons of Italy Foundation
®
HELPING THOSE IN NEED
Foundation Focus By Vincent Sarno, President The Sons of Italy Foundation As we leave the 2012 Christmas season and embark on a new year, it is customary to reflect on many things from which we should be grateful. We all know what this means on a personal level – our families, our health, and our country, leading the top of the list. But as president of the Sons of Italy Foundation (SIF), I also would point to the tremendous pride we all should feel as we near an organizational milestone that many people, in and outside the Sons of Italy and its foundation, once thought unattainable. In a relatively few short months, on May 23, 2013, we will celebrate our 25th Annual National Education & Leadership Awards (NELA) Gala. The Gala will take place at the prestigious National Building Museum in Washington, D.C., the site of quite a few other NELA Galas. In celebration of our 2013 Silver Anniversary, we are planning an event like no other before it, as we announce clearly to the philanthropic world that the SIF and the NELA Gala “are here to stay.” Most of us were not nearly so confident of the event’s longevity when we modestly launched it as a breakfast in 1988. At that time, the principal purpose was to provide a suitable public forum to present the SIF’s first National Leadership Grants (NLG) to twelve outstanding Italian American students, who were selected from an independent, national application process. To assure the integrity of the NLG Program, from the start the SIF relied upon outside selection committees comprised of educational professionals from leading academic institutions -- American and WINTER 2013
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Catholic Universities, Loyola College and Johns Hopkins, for example – to help select the grant recipients. The presentation of scholarships to young students has been an integral part of all subsequent NELA galas. And this rigorous and impartial selection process remains in place today, even as the NELA Gala has grown into one of the most highly respected and anticipated public functions in the nation. This year’s SIF’s Silver Anniversary Gala will honor some of the world’s most respected leaders: Fiat/Chrysler Group CEO Sergio Marchionne; General Colin L. Powell, USA (Ret.); actor and activist Gary Sinise; and will be presided over by our traditional Emcee, Joe Mantegna. At the time of this writing, the program is still in formation, with many more celebrities and world figures expected to participate. Most importantly, and noteworthy, is the reality of having sustained such a high quality, successful and prosperous event for a quarter of a century. Complex, multilayered and multifaceted events such as the NELA Gala, it is true, often take on a life and identity of their own. But they don’t just happen on their own. From the perspective of an OSIA past national president, the current SIF president for nearly four years, and an active Sons of Italy officer for the past 25 years, it strikes me as nothing short of miraculous that what began as a breakfast has morphed into one of the most highly touted annual traditions in our nation’s capital – the most powerful city in the world.
Washington, D.C.’s National Building Museum where the NELA Gala is traditionally celebrated.
I hope you will join us this spring on Mary 23rd to celebrate with us this important milestone in the history of our beloved Order. We need and appreciate your support. ITALIAN AMERICA
News from National
WHAT NATIONAL DOES FOR YOU
Sons of Italy Scholarships “We cannot teach people anything; we can only help them discover it themselves,” Galileo Galilei once said. To help young Italian Americans on their voyage of discovery, the Sons of Italy Foundation® (SIF) offers each year 10 to 12 National Leadership Grants (NLG). These are merit-based scholarships that range from $5,000 to $25,000. They include general study grants as well as study abroad awards. Eligible are U.S. citizens who have at least one Italian or Italian American grandparent and have been accepted in an undergraduate or graduate program at an accredited four-year academic institution for the 2013 Fall term. The 2013 NLG winners will be invited to attend the 25th Annual National Education & Leadership Awards (NELA) Gala in Washington, D.C. in May, where they will be recognized by hundreds of leaders in the Italian America community and in government, business, sports, labor, entertainment, the arts and the media. Previous SIF scholarship winners are not eligible. Specific scholarships may have additional eligibility requirements. The deadline for all NLG scholarships (unless otherwise noted) is February 28, 2013.
Italian Heritage Month Celebration
Last year’s NLG winners who were able to attend Harvard, Princeton and other outstanding institutions with help from the Sons of Italy Foundation. ® Through the Sons of Italy Foundation (SIF) and more than 650 state and local lodges, the Order Sons of Italy in America® (OSIA) has awarded nearly $51 million in scholarships to date. In addition to the National Leadership Grants, some OSIA local and state lodges offer scholarships. Please contact those lodges directly. All necessary information including a full list of OSIA lodges, NLG requirements and application forms are on the Sons of Italy website at www.osia.org.
Attention All Lodge Officers! Are your members complaining that they are not receiving their magazines? Here’s some information that might help them. As lodge officers, you must send the names and addresses of all new members to your state’s Grand Lodge. You also must inform your Grand Lodge of all address corrections and changes, too! It is best to do this every month. Grand Lodge contact information is listed at www. osia.org under “About OSIA” or call OSIA National at 202/547 2900.
Italy’s Ambassador to the U.S. Claudio Bisogniero greets OSIA National President Joseph DiTrapani (R) during a reception at the Italian Consulate in New York City last September that kicked off October’s Italian American Month. Also present were Italy’s Foreign Minister Giulio Terzi and local leaders of the Italian American community. The event was hosted by Italy’s Consul General of New York, Natalia Quintavalle. [Photo by Vito Catalano] WINTER 2013 27 ITALIAN AMERICA
Grand and Subordinate Lodges must observe the following deadlines in sending their updated mailing lists to ABR, which prepares the labels for our magazine mailings. They are: December 1 – winter issue March 1 – spring issue June 1 – summer issue Sept 1 – fall issue ITALIAN AMERICA WINTER 2013 27
®
The Commission for Social Justice
fighting defamation
The CSJ Perspective By SantinA Haemmerle, CSJ National President
I’d like to share with you a proposal offered by Past OSIA National President Paul S. Polo, which struck me as a sound fund-raising initiative for our Sons of Italy Commission for Social Justice. (CSJ). Paul’s solution is both simple and painless: a Recurring Giving Program for the CSJ. That program would allow supporters to set aside a monthly donation for the CSJ that is automatically charged to their credit cards. For as little as $10.00 or $20.00 monthly supporters would assure the survival and growth of our warmly respected CSJ. The good news is that the mechanism for a Recurring Giving Program is already in place. It is called the SIF
Recurring Giving Program and permits earmarking any monthly donation to a specific OSIA/SIF-related cause. That, of course, includes the CSJ. A supporter can easily sign up, earmark his or her contribution to the CSJ, and the entire donation will go directly to the CSJ. Best of all, there are no administrative fees. And such donations are tax-deductible. This is a simple and easy way for ardent anti-defamation supporters to demonstrate their commitment to the CSJ and to preserving its indispensable mission. Can we count on you?
Italian Dropped in Favor of Chinese Parents, teachers, and students are protesting a New York City school board decision that removes Italian as a required language for high school graduation in their district. Despite their objections, the North Shore school board in Glen Head, Long Island unanimously passed the motion last December and substituted Mandarin as a required world language requirement. Currently, students must learn French, Italian, Latin or Spanish to meet graduation requirements. The proposal was introduced by School Superintendent Edward Melnick because of “changing demographics and to help students complete globally.” However, Italian classes have the second-highest enrollment of the school’s language programs, according to Kathryn Grande, a former board member and teacher in the district. Enrico Annichiarico, chair of the New York State Sons of Italy CSJ, strongly criticized the change in a letter to the school board. “…your actions smack of discrimination and are insulting to the Italian American community,” he wrote.
understanding English grammar and the classics,” he said. Italian will be gradually phased out as a required language and be offered instead as an elective.
In reply, Superintendent Melnick said a district study indicated that Spanish and French along with Mandarin were “key languages,” needed to prepare students for the future. Latin was kept because it is considered “crucial to
New York City, including Long Island, has 3.4 million people of Italian heritage, which is among the largest concentrations in the world after Sao Paulo and Buenos Aires, according to the U.S. Census Bureau.
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John Laruccia, who helped introduce Italian into the North Shore School District curriculum, complains to a board member before the meeting last December. [Photo: Danielle Finkelstein, Newsday]
ITALIAN AMERICA
The Perfect Gift Looking for a unique present for family or friends? Give the gift of your rich Italian American heritage with a one-year subscription to Italian America magazine, the most widely read publication in the U.S. for people of Italian descent. We will contact your gift recipient telling him or her (or them) of your present. Fill out the form below and return to us ASAP.
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Letters to the Editor • I walked into my living room the other day, and found my 18 month-old daughter, Madeline, catching up on the Gala photos in Italian America Magazine. My wife and I thought you would enjoy seeing one of the new generation of subscribers! Tom P. Ambrosetti, Captain, US Army in Wiesbaden, Germany
• I read the Census article on Italian Americans, especially in white collar positions, that was in the fall 2012 issue, but I saw that I, along with thousands of other Italian Americans, were not mentioned. We are the artisans, the carpenters, masons, electricians, plumbers and other laborers who help build and maintain homes, offices, hospitals, schools and roads. We are proud craftsmen who have chosen to work with our hands. We should be recognized. Ben Sano, Albany, NY From the Editor: Please accept our apologies, Mr. Sano. We never meant to ignore the contributions of millions of other Italian Americans, whose talents, craftsmanship and cast-iron work ethic help make America such a remarkable nation.
CHECK IT OUT!
Visit your OSIA web site WWW.OSIA.ORG for updates on the latest OSIA news, reports & issues. WINTER 2013 29 ITALIAN AMERICA
ITALIAN AMERICA WINTER 2013 29
By Joseph DiTrapani, OSIA National President
The Sons of Italy is our nation’s biggest organization for people of Italian descent. To make it work more efficiently, your state and national officers, who make up the Supreme Council, meet regularly in Executive and Plenary Sessions as well as a biannual National Convention. Why do we meet? There are several reasons. First, we are mandated by OSIA Bylaws to conduct five Supreme Council meeting every two years. That is, we must convene one Executive and Plenary Session annually, and a National Convention every two years. There might be ways to change this, but it would require amendments to our national bylaws or, perhaps, with the application of advanced technology, the conducting of tele-conferences. The latter would require certain technological components, equipment and availability for each of the states and National Officers, so we would have to explore the operational and financial feasibility of each. A bylaw amendment would still be required. But there are reasons beyond a bylaw mandate for us to meet, face to face, several times over a two-year period. Communication is absolutely vital to the successful operations of a national membership organization. This especially applies to an organization where officials are elected by the members to represent them, their lodges and their interests. Lacking such regular personal contact and communication between and amongst a leadership board would eventually lead to the weakening and probably demise of a national organization. It is at the national meetings where all the policies, issues, programs and needs of the organization as an entire entity are critically reviewed, discussed and determined. The individual Grand Lodges and national officers, also, are offered an opportunity to discuss matters of importance to their constituencies. Equally important, the Sessions and National Conventions provide the optimal opportunity for review of the finances of OSIA/SIF/CSJ. We are a completely transparent organization, which is audited on a quarterly basis, and the meetings enable National Officers to offer suggestions, questions, and critiques of our financial spending habits and strategic financial planning. Thus, the Sessions and the National Conventions are not only very important, but are indispensable to the successful and appropriate operations of OSIA/SIF/CSJ. They serve another vital purpose. At its core, OSIA is a fraternal organization comprised of real people who are committed to a volunteer cause that they believe is important to their sense of community, ethnicity, culture and personal values. That’s why they are members. Fraternity and joint commitment to a national cause demand personal interactions, discussion and face to face gatherings where friendships and cooperation are formed. To be fair to our far-flung membership I have established that our required meetings be held around the country. [See the chart below.] Put simply, we meet in conferences to sustain the operations of our beloved national fraternal organization to make it work even better and more efficiently for you.
RECENT OSIA SESSIONS & CONVENTIONS February 2010 Plenary Session Charleston, South Carolina August 2010 Executive Session Cambridge, Massachusetts February 2011 Plenary Session Bonita Springs, Florida August 2011 National Convention Orlando, Florida February 2012 Plenary Session Baltimore, Maryland July-August 2012 Executive Session Chicago, Illinois February 2013 Plenary Session Newport Beach, California August 2013 National Convention Philadelphia, Pennsylvania WINTER WINTER 2013 2013 30 30
ITALIAN ITALIANAMERICA AMERICA
Italian America The Official Publication of
Was Pogo Right from page 23 The anecdotal evidence we receive at the Sons of Italy would indicate that it does, in fact, exist, but whether it does or doesn’t, the fact that Italian Americans are blatantly stereotyped on television, in the movies and in advertising is irrefutable, wrong and disrespectful.
Was Pogo Right? While it is unfair to blame the victim, Italian Americans and their organizations have to assume some of the responsibility for the frustratingly slow and relatively unsuccessful battle over several decades to end the stereotyping. The anti-defamation programs in the large national organizations are under-funded because the rank-and-file members do not contribute to anti-defamation campaigns or pressure their leaders to “beef up” anti-defamation efforts. Many clubs and organizations raise money for student scholarships rather than using the money to give grants to documentary film makers, doctoral students, authors, researchers, conference organizers, exhibitors, and other professionals who need money for projects that promote Italian American history, culture and outstanding personalities.
The Order Sons of Italy in America 219 E Street N.E. Washington, DC 20002 Tel: 202/547-2900 Web: www.osia.org OSIA National Executive Director Philip R. Piccigallo, Ph.D. Editor-in-Chief Dona De Sanctis, Ph.D. ddesanctis@osia.org Contributing Editors Carol Cummings John William Del Russo, Sr. Lisa Femia Richard Juliani Peter Ognibene Mary Rose Widmer Graphic Designers Krystyne Hayes Diane Vincent
So we can write indignant letters to the producers of TV shows and directors of Hollywood movies. We can complain to the manufacturers whose products are hyped using Italian American stereotypes. We can threaten, cajole or implore the media to treat us with more respect and compassion.
Italian America is the official publication of the Order Sons of Italy in America (OSIA), the largest and longest-established organization of American men and women of Italian heritage. Italian America provides timely information about OSIA, while reporting on individuals, institutions, issues, and events of current or historical significance in the Italian-American community nationwide.
But until we can speak with one voice against the stereotyping of Italian Americans and put our money where our mouth is, like Sisyphus, we will be pushing the same boulder uphill for eternity. Was Pogo right?
Italian America (ISSN: 1089-5043, USPS: 015-735) is published quarterly in the winter, spring, summer and fall by OSIA, 219 E St. NE, Washington, DC 20002. Periodicals postage paid at Washington, D.C., and at additional mailing offices. © 2013 Order Sons of Italy in America. All rights reserved. Reproduction by any method without permission of the editor is prohibited. Statements of fact and opinion are the responsibility of the authors and do not necessarily imply an opinion on the part of the officers, employees, or members of OSIA. Mention of a product or service in advertisements or text does not mean that it has been tested, approved or endorsed by OSIA, the Commission for Social Justice, or the Sons of Italy Foundation. Italian America accepts query letters and letters to the editor. Please do not send unsolicited manuscripts. Italian America assumes no responsibility for unsolicited materials. Annual subscriptions are $20, which are included in dues for OSIA members. Single copies are $2.98 each. OSIA MEMBERS: Please send address changes to your local lodge. Do not contact the OSIA National Office. POSTMASTER: Send address changes to Italian America, 219 E St. NE, Washington, DC 20002. Subscriptions are available through the OSIA National Office, 219 E Street, NE, Washington, DC 20002. OSIA membership information is available at (800) 552-OSIA or at www.osia.org. Archives are maintained at the Immigration History Research Center, University of Minnesota, St. Paul, Minn. Printing by Printing Solutions Inc., Sterling, Va. To advertise: Call Pat Rosso at 215/206-4678 or email her at pieassociates@comcast.net. Also see www.osia.org for advertising rates, specs, demographics, etc.
Dona De Sanctis, Ph.D. is editor in chief of Italian America magazine. Contact her at ddesanctis@osia.org.
Robert DeNiro starred as a Mafioso in “Analyze This,” and the sequel, “Analyze That.” WINTER 2013 31 ITALIAN AMERICA
ITALIAN AMERICA WINTER 2013 31
The Sons of Italy Shoppers Guide
How Italy came to be the Italy We know and love Immortalized in Rosalind Burgundy’s Etruscan Historical Novels
Available from: amazon.com
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Eat in a new culture. Swim in a new language.
PLAY AND LEARN
at a Minnesota summer camp!
• Register for Italian language programs! • 1, 2, and 4 week programs. High School Credit session available. • Scholarships available. For more information: ConcordiaLanguageVillages.org/scholarships
www.ItalianLanguageVillage.org ITALIAN AMERICA
GIVE THE GIFT OF HERITAGE Each item hand-picked to guarantee your child a friendly introduction to the language and culture of Italy. Toys & Books DVDs & CDs Clothing Pinocchio
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Remember! Sons of Italy members receive a special discount of 15%! Repeat advertisers also receive a discount. For more information, contact Pat Russo at 215/206-4678 or email her at pieassociates@comcast.net. ITALIAN AMERICA WINTER 2013 33
On The Bookshelf Books by and about Italian Americans
“Sciatu Mio,
you are the reason why I breathe.” By Frank J. Pennisi
A rich and multi-layered romantic novel. Historical events are interwoven with stories for control of the sulfur mines in Sicily, and the wars between the Irish and Italians for control of the N.Y. docks. “Family Tale Captivates with Sicilian intrique, romance, drana and history.” - SUN NEWS “A Riveting True Story...would make a Compelling movie.” - CREATESPACE “An Earnest, Vivid Portrait about a family that stands up to the Mafia.” - KIRKUS BOOK REVIEW And from Amazon.com Readers; “Pulls you in, I Loved It, Passionate, Emotional, Heartwarming”” Available on Amazon.com, Kindle and Major Book Stores
“Preserving Our Italian Heritage Cookbook” ** More than 100 authentic Italian recipes ** Easy-to-follow instructions to everyday meals ** Baking secrets to traditional holiday sweets ** How to plan and save on healthy Italian meals ** Discount on bulk orders of 24 or more books ** Now in its ninth printing!
Price: $18.45, including shipping. To order, send check payable to SONS OF ITALY FLORIDA FOUNDATION, 14 South Jupiter Avenue, Clearwater, FL 33755 - (PH: 727/447-6890) Or contact: vincenzad@verizon.net
REMINDER Order your books through OSIA and Amazon.com. Just go to www. osia.org, click on “Sons of Italy Book Club” and choose either a Book Club selection or another book. Orders are shipped within 24 hours. As a special bonus, Amazon.com will donate a percentage of book sales ordered on our site to OSIA.
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ITALIAN AMERICA
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TOUR INCLUDES: • Round Trip Airfare New York/ JFK to Turin (Inclusive of all current taxes and fuel surcharge) • 7 nights at ★★★★ hotel NH Ambasciatori • Breakfast and Dinner Daily (with wine and mineral water) • Wine Tasting at “La Cantina Gigi Rosso” • Truffle Hunting Followed by a Traditional Lunch • Wine Tasting at “Casa Vinicola Orsolani” • Lunch at a Local Restaurant in Cogne • Lunch and Wine Tasting at “Tenuta Montemagno”
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WINTER 2013 35 ITALIAN AMERICA
Puglia & Matera
Lecce • Otranto - Gallipoli Ostuni • Bari • Polvanera Winery Matera • Altamura • Trani Castel del Monte • Alberobello Polignano a Mare
DEPARTURE DATES: March 11, 2013 – $2999 • April 01, 2013 – $3199 • May 06, 2013 – $3199 • June 03, 2013 – $3499 • Sept. 09, 2013 – $3199 • Oct. 07, 2013 – $3199 • Single supplement cost $365
TOUR INCLUDES: • Airfare New York/JFK to Brindisi and Bari/New York JFK (Inclusive of all current taxes and fuel surcharge) • 2 nights at ★★★★ President Hotel - Lecce • 5 nights at ★★★★ Palace Hotel Bari • One Cooking Class Followed by Lunch • Wine Tasting at Polvanera Winery “Polvera Nera” • One Lunch at an Agriturismo
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ITALIAN AMERICA
Model: Mary O’Rourke; Stylist: Steven Linder; Hair and Makeup: Kyle Malone, kyledavidmalone.com; Photography: Bryan DeWitt Location Courtesy of The Private Residences at 400 Fifth Avenue; Dress and Earrings: Anna Sammarone, www.annasammarone.it
make a
WINTER 2013
STATEMENT Bring Colavita. Good taste is always in style.
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Elegant gift bag accessory ITALIAN AMERICA at colavita.com
Read It. Share It. Believe It. “A great read ...Bella.” —People
“Trigiani is a master.” —Washington Post
www.adrianatrigiani.com
For a signed bookplate, email adrianaasst@aol.com. 38 N OWINTER W I N2013 PA P ERBACK FROM
Scan to visit Adriana’s website to read an excerpt, find more information about her events, and follow her. ITALIAN AMERICA