Italian America Magazine - Winter 2019

Honoring Their Own The Stonecutters of Barre

The Founder of Fairbanks Felice Pedroni's Gold Discovery

The Art of 'Le Maschere' Behind the Masks of Carnevale

Saved By Saints

The Trip to Bologna that Healed a Life

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ITALIAN AMERICA

WINTER 2019

VOL. XXIV 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 a n d D a u g h t e r s o f I t a l y i n A m e r i c a ®

Features

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THE FOUNDER OF FAIRBANKS Felice Pedroni and His Gold Discovery

By David McCormick

HONORING THEIR OWN The Stonecutters of Barre

By Kevin M. Walsh

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THE ART OF ‘LE MASCHERE’ Behind the Mask of Carnevale

By Lisa Pike

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Saved by Saints

The Trip to Bologna that Healed a Life

By Miles Ryan Fisher

ON THE COVER: The 23-foot Italian Stonecutter that stands at the entrance of Barre, Vermont. (Kevin Walsh)

D e pa r t m e n t s 11 Bulletin Board

2 High Profile 3 National News 4 Oggi in Italia 5 Pagina Italiana 6 Mangia 7 Regions of Italy

12 Our Story 19 Speakers Bureau 20 Book Reviews 26 OSDIA Nation

31 From the National 32 Foundation Focus 33 Fighting Stereotypes 35 The Last Word 36 Piacere

Italian America is published by The Order Sons and daughters of Italy in America 219 E Street NE • Washington, DC 20002 • Phone: (202) 547-2900 • Web: www.osia.org Editor-in-Chief: Miles Ryan Fisher mfisher@osia.org Writers: Thelma Louise Stiles; David McCormick; James Pavoldi; Kevin M. Walsh; Lisa Pike Translator: Serena Lonigro Proofreaders: Peggy Daino, Marlene Palazzo Graphic Designer: Diane Vincent To advertise: Contact ItalianAmerica@osia.org (202) 547-2900

Italian America Magazine is published by the Order Sons and Daughters of Italy in America (OSDIA), the nation’s biggest and oldest organization for people of Italian heritage. To subscribe, see www.osia.org or call 1-800-552-6742.

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ITALIAN AMERICA

High Profile

Italian Americans making an impact

Stronger for Life

Ilaria Montagnani Leaves Her Comfort Zone Behind Ilaria Montagnani has never been one to stay in her comfort zone. In 1986, she left her home in Florence, Italy, and traveled to New York City at just 19 years old.

When she set foot in the city, she “fell in love with the energy of the city and all the possibilities it offered.”

“I came to America not speaking a word of English,” Ilaria said. So, like many Italian immigrants that came before her, she started learning English as quickly as possible while relying on other Italians to help her get work, which ranged from selling picture frames and jewelry to translating for individuals that included the late former President George H.W. Bush.

But Ilaria was determined to do more than survive.

She was determined to excel. She began pursuing a passion that had always been a part of her, though she’d yet to explore it: martial arts. She started learning the craft, and before long, started developing her own martial arts exercise programs, the first being Powerstrike Kickboxing.

In it, she bridged martial arts with fitness in a way that made it accessible to the average person.

New York City’s fitness community immediately embraced it. Classes filled up, and Ilaria expanded the program, creating a company called Powerstrike Inc. The company grew, and by age 38, Ilaria was standing on the sets of the “Today” show and “Good Morning America” to talk about Powerstrike. She was, as she puts it, “stronger for life.”

Then, two years ago at age 49, she detected a lump in her breast. At first, she was in denial. “My body felt invincible,” Ilaria said, explaining why she didn’t seek medical attention right away. But when her workouts began getting increasingly difficult, her strength declining sharply, she sought medical attention and received her diagnosis.

It was breast cancer.

Amidst doctor appointments and medical tests, she continued her daily routine as best as she could, but when she would enter the fitness room—her sanctuary—the cancer was constantly on her mind. “It was like punch, punch, cancer. Kick, kick, cancer. Squat, cancer,” she said.

She had a mastectomy, which completely removed the cancer. For the next ten years, however, she has to take medication with side effects that challenge her physical perWINTER 2019

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formance. “That’s what I’m facing every day now,” she said. “I’m understanding that it’s fine to be vulnerable.”

Rather than moving closer to a place of comfort, Ilaria moved even Ilaria Montagnani: Founder of further away from Powerstrike and Cancer Survivor. it. She has decided to film a documentary about what happens when the world of fitness and the world of cancer collide. “Exercise will make you stronger for whatever life throws at you,” she said. “And cancer was my turn to show how my own belief was going to help me.”

What fitness had taught her—the ability to cope with pain both physically and mentally—helped her face cancer and will now help her brave the documentary, openly exploring her vulnerability in a way that she’s never done before. “This is really the first step in expanding my horizons since Powerstrike,” Ilaria said.

Ultimately, she hopes the documentary inspires others to “find that bit of extra fight in them to face the challenges in life” and shows them that exercise is one of the most important tools in preparation. She hopes it encourages people to seek medical attention when they need it.

She hopes it shows people that it’s okay to be vulnerable.

And she hopes it encourages everyone to become the motto she’s always lived by: Stronger for Life.

Be “Stronger for Life” If you would like to support the completion of Ilaria’s “Stronger for Life” documentary through a financial contribution, please visit www.strongerforlife.film and click the Make a Donation button. All donations are tax deductible. If your corporation or organization would like to sponsor this film, email the fundraising team at info@powerstrike.com ITALIAN AMERICA

National News

Italian American issues and events

Sons of Italy Foundation Donates $100,000 in Earthquake Relief to Rebuild School in Muccia, Marche On October 29, 2018, the Sons of Italy Foundation (SIF), which is the philanthropic arm of the Order Sons and Daughters of Italy in America (OSDIA), presented $100,000 in Central Italy earthquake relief to the Andrea Bocelli Foundation for the rebuilding of a kindergarten and elementary school in Muccia, a town located in the Marche region of Italy.

The presentation took place at The Ritz-Carlton, Central Park in New York City by SIF President Joseph J. DiTrapani, OSDIA National First Vice President Nancy DiFiore Quinn, and OSDIA National Treasurer Thomas Lupo. There to accept the donation was Maestro Andrea Bocelli and his wife, Veronica.

The school in Muccia was one of many destructions caused by the earthquake that struck Central Italy on August 24, 2016. The earthquake killed nearly 300 people, and left thousands without access to basic necessities. The Marche region was the hardest hit region, with the Lazio, Umbria, and Abruzzo regions also being affected.

“OSDIA members responded immediately,” said SIF President DiTrapani. “Donations began pouring in, it was such an impressive sight of support. And we feel that this is the right project to put those donations toward—a project that our members will be proud of. One that supports children and education.”

(L. to R.) Veronica Berto Bocelli, SIF President Joseph J. DiTrapani, Maestro Andrea Bocelli, OSDIA National First Vice President Nancy DiFiore Quinn, and OSDIA National Treasurer Thomas Lupo.

The Italian Embassy in the United States helped facilitate the connection between the Sons of Italy Foundation and the Andrea Bocelli Foundation, who is spearheading the project to rebuild the school in Muccia, where 95% of the homes are still unfit for use. The project, which broke ground in September, will cost €1.5 million and is expected to be completed by June 2019.

“We are greatly indebted to the Italian Embassy in the United States for putting us in touch with the Andrea Bocelli Foundation,” said OSDIA President Vera Ferrara Girolami. “We look forward to a continued partnership in the future.”

The Mentoris Project Promotes Italian and Italian-American Achievements Funded by The Barbera Foundation, the Mentoris Project is creating a collection of biographies about Italian and Italian-American men and women who have altered the course of history. The subjects range from explorers, inventors, and scientists to creators and thinkers. This project is being done to inspire readers—especially young ones.

“We want readers to finish the book and say, ‘I can do something great, too,’” said Robert J. Barbera, Founder of The Barbera Foundation. “Or to put it another way, we want these books to be mentors for our readers.” This project supports his Foundation’s mission to “encourage and inspire young people to create a stronger future by supporting educational initiatives that foster an appreciation of history and culture.”

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With an impressive array of writers selected to write biographies that are deeply human in depicting extraordinary lives, the Mentoris Project hopes to use the power of storytelling as a guide, moral compass, and inspiration.

“These books chronicle the lives of people who contain the best that human beings can achieve,” Barbera said.

“We hope they inspire you to transcend your daily life with something that can only be called holy.”

This past fall, Robert Barbera was honored by the Order Sons & Daughters of Italy in America Grand Lodge of California at their 12th Humanitarian Leadership Awards & Charity Gala, where he received the Leadership Award.

Check out the Mentoris Project at www.mentorisproject.org and see their book ad on Page 21.

ITALIAN AMERICA WINTER 2019 3

Oggi in Italia

Italy’s news, politics, and culture

Out of Thin Air Birra Flea, a microbrewery located in Umbria, is now making the world’s first craft beer made of air: Sans Papiers – Biere de l’air (French for “Paperless – Beer of air”). Of course, the beer itself does not simply appear out of nowhere. “Beer is made of ninety percent water,” explained Alessandro Tozzi, a marketing spokesman for Birra Flea.

“We just extract water from the air.”

How does Birra Flea do this? They use a machine that condenses hot air into water and has the ability to produce more than 300 gallons of water per day. The water is then mixed with the other necessary ingredients—barley malt, hops, and yeast—to produce the beer. While compressed air has been used in beer production for such things as bottling, it has never been used as a means of providing a beer’s main ingredient.

However, it’s no surprise that Birra Flea would develop this method. After all, the microbrewery was founded in 2013 with an eco-friendly approach. The brewery is powered by solar panels, and the paper and plastic used in production are made of recycled material. Even the glasses used to serve beer at the brewery are made of recycled glass.

Birra Flea produces nine types of beer in all, just twenty percent of which gets exported. So if you find a bottle of Sans Papiers, it very well might have come out of thin air.

Thousands of Italian Santas Gather for Charity

Leaning Tower of Pisa Straightening Itself Out

In a smile-worthy story, thousands of Italian Santa Clauses gathered in Turin, Italy, on December 2nd to raise money for Regina Margherita Hospital, a children’s hospital in the city. The rally attracted 20,000 Santas clad in red and donning long white beards. Many arrived on bicycles and scooters, some that were even decorated with reindeer-like antlers.

Expert engineering is straightening the world-famous Leaning Tower of Pisa. “We installed a number of tubes underground, on the side that the Tower leans away from,” explained Roberto Cela, Technical Director of Opera della Primaziale Pisana, an organization that oversees Pisa’s main monuments. “We removed soil by drilling very carefully.

Thanks to this system, we recovered half a degree of lean.”

“Christmas is a magical time and a celebration,” said Turin Mayor Chiara Appendino, “but it’s also a time to be close to those in difficulty.” This message has clearly resonated with Italian Santas in Turin for years, as this year’s gathering was their ninth.

The 186-foot Leaning Tower, which was constructed during the Middle Ages in 1173, began leaning because the ground it was built upon proved to be too soft. In 1990, the Leaning Tower was closed to the public for 11 years because of safety concerns over its tilt, which had reached 15 feet from vertical. Thanks to an international committee’s work, the tower straightened 16 inches from 1993 until it reopened to the public in 2001. Since then, it has straightened another 1.5 inches.

Perhaps the most smile-worthy moment of this day came when one Santa got down on his knee, looked up at a Signorina Claus, and asked her if she’d be his Signora.

Measuring the tower’s lean is nothing new, however.

Annual measurements go back as far as 1911, and today’s measurements can occur as frequently as once every hour.

But no matter how much attention is given to the tower, its world-famous lean will, according to Celu, “never be completely straight.”

Of course, the objective is to make it safe for tourists to visit—not straight so they no longer have anything to hold up.

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ITALIAN AMERICA

Pagina Italiana

Per chi studia la nostra lingua

La lingua gioca brutti scherzo “The Language Plays Tricks” Written by Thelma Louise Stiles Translated by Serena Lonigro

Toscana, 1995 A Livorno, città portuale a sud-ovest di Pisa, in un un caldo ed afoso pomeriggio, lasciai incautamente aperte le finestre della mia camera da letto per correre alle prove con Rodolfo del Corona, un coro polifonico che esegue musica liturgica, arie e spiritual. Rientrando a casa quella sera, esausta ma felice, aprii la porta d’ingresso. Una volta dentro il mio appartamento, chiusi a chiave la porta e accesi la luce del corridoio. Qualcosa passò con un fruscio dietro la mia testa.

Correndo via dal mio appartamento, urlando, finì per fare un gran baccano sul pianerottolo del palazzo. Ero in preda alle convulsioni, sembrava che ballassi il tip-tap, il boogaloo, lo shimmy. Urla e strilli. In pratica, saltellavo da una parte all’altra, rendendomi ridicola. Nel giro di pochi secondi, diversi residenti si precipitarono fuori dai loro appartamenti. Circa quindici persone, mute ma in attesa, si riversarono sullo stretto pianerottolo e lungo la tromba delle scale, osservandomi.

Per porre fine a tutto quel dramma, un’anima coraggiosa avrebbe dovuto chiedere “Che succede?”. Ma nulla di tutto ciò accadde. Invece, un ragazzo e una ragazza mi si avvicinarono. I due avevano dovuto concludere che ero troppo spaventata per tornare nel mio appartamento.

Giovani e spericolati, sembravano decisi a scoprire cosa ci fosse di così inquietante in casa mia.

Muovendosi con cautela, i ragazzi forzarono la porta del mio appartamento, s’intrufolarono dentro e sbatterono la porta dietro di loro. Un brivido di eccitazione mista a paura corse lungo il mio corpo. I miei vicini si erano fatti silenziosi. Guardavamo tutti la porta d’ingresso, in attesa.

I secondi passarono. I miei pensieri vacillavano, spaziando dalla sensazione di pericolo al desiderio di riparo. Che cosa si muoveva nel mio apartamento, sibilando? Poteva farmi del male? Chi mi avrebbe offerto un rifugio? Miranda?

Marinella? Letizia e Giuliano?

da seguire, ma me ne feci un’idea. Tuttavia c’era qualcosa di terribilmente sbagliato. Qualcosa di orrido e bestiale, qualcosa capace di volare e di sfrecciarmi oltre, era ancora nel mio appartamento.

Finalmente i ragazzi iniziarono a parlarmi. Naturalmente, feci del mio meglio per concentrarmi, per ascoltare con attenzione, ma nella mia testa c’era quel rumore agghiacciante che non voleva andar via e interferiva con ogni mio tentativo di capire. I ragazzi stavano cercando, ne sono certa, di descrivere ciò che avevano visto nel mio appartamento, ma io continuavo a scuotere la testa, ad interromperli, ad urlare “Non capisco!”.

Sollevando le spalle con un sospiro, i due iniziarono a parlare lentamente, esagerando ogni sillaba di ogni parola, ma ancora una volta io dissi “Non capisco.” Sembrava che avessi due problemi fondamentali quella sera: non riuscivo a capire alcune delle parole che i ragazzi usavano; ed ero ancora presa dalla tremarella. Chi avrebbe mai immaginato che stavano cercando di dirmi che c’era un pipistrello nel mio appartamento? Continuavano a ripetere in italiano PIPISTRELLO, ma non riuscivo a capirli. La parola pipistrello aveva un suono così dolce, così innocuo. Alla fine, la ragazza alzò le braccia aperte al cielo e urlò “Vampira!”

Fu allora che capii!

Serena Lonigro was born and raised in Napoli. She graduated from the University of Naples “L’Orientale” with a degree in Foreign Languages and Literatures and now works in marketing and news media.

Adopt an Olive Tree

for one year from our groves in Calabria, Italy and we will send you the extra virgin olive oil from your tree after harvest.

You will also receive photos of your tree, an adoption certificate Fu allora che la porta iniziò ad aprirsi lentamente. and your tree is tagged with your name for the year!

Ritirandosi dal mio appartamento, i ragazzi sbatterono velocemente la porta, si girarono e iniziarono a sussurrare qualcosa ad alcuni degli uomini presenti. In men www.treolive.com The Perfect 413-224-2031 Italian Gift! che non si dica i miei vicini avevano iniziato a ridere e a parlare concitatamente. Quello che dicevano era difficile To read the English version, visit www.osia.org and sign in to access the digital copy of Italian America.

WINTERAMERICA 2019 5 ITALIAN

ITALIAN AMERICA WINTER 2019 5

Pagina Italiana

Per chi studia la nostra lingua

The Language Plays Tricks

by Thelma Louise Stiles

Tuscany 1995 One hot, muggy afternoon in Livorno, the Tuscan seaport southwest of Pisa, I foolishly left the windows open in my bedroom before running off to rehearse with Rodolfo del Corona, a community choir that performs liturgical music, arias, and spirituals. Returning home later that evening, exhausted but happy, I unlocked my front door. Once inside my apartment, I closed and locked the door and then switched on the hallway light. Something swished past my head.

Dashing from my apartment, screaming, I soon created an uproar in the hallway of my building. I tap-danced, boogalooed, and shimmied. I whooped and hollered.

Basically, I was all over the place, making a spectacle of myself. Within seconds, several residents came rushing out of their apartments. Some fifteen people, mute but expectant, were soon huddled together on the narrow landing and along the stairwell, observing me.

To put an end to all of the drama, some brave soul should have demanded, “What’s going on?” But nothing like that happened. Instead, a young boy and girl approached me. The two must have concluded that I was too terrified to return to my apartment. Young and foolhardy, they seemed willing to find out what was so disturbing inside my flat.

to follow. But I got the general idea. Something was still terribly wrong. Something creepy and crawly, something airborne and capable of zooming past me, was still inside my apartment.

Finally, the teenagers began speaking to me. Naturally, I tried my very best to focus, to listen carefully. But inside my head there was this roaring sound that would not go away, that kept interfering with my efforts to understand.

The kids were trying, I’m sure, to describe what they’d seen inside my apartment. But I kept shaking my head from side to side, kept interrupting them, kept yelling, “I don’t understand!”

Sighing, shrugging their shoulders, the two began speaking slowly, exaggerating each syllable of each word.

But, once again, it was “I don’t understand.” It seems I had two basic problems that evening: I couldn’t understand a few of the words the teenagers were using; and I was still busy tap-dancing. Who would have thought they were trying to tell me they’d found a BAT in my apartment? They kept repeating the word pipistrello. But I didn’t get it. The word pipistrello sounded so sweet, so benign. Finally, the young girl covered her hair with her hands and yelled, “Vampira!”

Then I got it.

Moving cautiously, the teenagers pried open the door to my apartment, sneaked inside, and slammed the door behind them. A frisson of excitement laced with fear rippled through my body. My neighbors grew quiet. We all watched the front door and waited. Seconds passed.

My mind was reeling, flitting from concerns about danger to concerns about shelter. What was zooming around in my apartment? Could it hurt me? Who would take me in?

Miranda? Marinella? Letizia and Giuliano?

And then the front door began to open in slow motion. Backing out of my apartment, the teenagers quickly slammed the door shut, whirled around, and began whispering to several of the men. In no time, my neighbors were laughing and talking excitedly. What they were saying was difficult

ITALIAN AMERICA

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Mangia!

Tiramisu Ingredients 2 ½ cups strong brewed coffee, room temperature 1 ½ tablespoons instant espresso powder 9 tablespoons dark rum 6 large egg yolks 2/3 cup (4 2/3 ounces) sugar 1/4 teaspoon salt 1 ½ pounds (3 cups) mascarpone cheese, chilled ¾ cup heavy cream, chilled 14 ounces dried ladyfingers 3 ½ tablespoons unsweetened cocoa powder ¼ cup grated semisweet or bittersweet chocolate (optional) • Combine coffee, espresso powder, and 5 tablespoons rum in wide bowl or baking dish until espresso dissolves.

• Using stand mixer fitted with whisk attachment, mix egg yolks at low speed until just combined. Add sugar and salt and mix at medium-high speed until pale yellow, 1 ½ to 2 minutes, scraping down sides of bowl as needed. Reduce speed to medium, add remaining ¼ cup rum, and mix at medium speed until just combined, 20 to 30 seconds; scrape bowl. Add mascarpone and mix until no lumps remain, 30 to 45 seconds, scraping down bowl as needed.

Transfer mixture to large bowl.

• In now-empty mixer bowl (no need to clean mixer bowl), whip cream on medium-low speed until foamy, about 1 minute. Increase speed to high and whip until A Culinary Journey stiff peaks form, 1 to 3 Featuring 100 Kitchen Tested Recipes minutes. Using rubber spatula, fold 1/3 whipped cream into mascarpone mixture to lighten, then gently fold in remaining whipped cream until no white streaks remain.

TASTING ITALY

• Working with 1 ladyfinger at a time, drop half of ladyfingers into coffee mixture, roll, remove, and transfer to 13 by 9-inch baking dish. (Do not submerge ladyfingers in coffee mixture; entire process should take no longer than 2 to 3 seconds for each cookie.) Arrange soaked cookies in single layer in baking dish, breaking or trimming ladyfingers as needed to fit neatly into dish.

• Spread half of mascarpone mixture over ladyfingers, spreading it to sides and into corners of dish, and smooth top. Place 2 tablespoons cocoa in fine-mesh strainer and dust cocoa over mascarpone. Repeat with remaining ladyfingers, mascarpone, and 1 ½ tablespoons cocoa to make second layer. Clean edges of dish, cover with plastic wrap, and refrigerate until set, at least 6 hours or up to 24 hours. Before serving, sprinkle with grated chocolate, if using.

Note: For a less potent rum flavor, reduce or omit rum.

FOREWORD BY JACK BISHOP

Tasting Italy explores recipes by region with a comprehensive look at each region’s food history and culture.

Follow Italian America magazine’s Facebook page to find out how you can win a copy of National Geographic’s Tasting Italy!

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ITALIAN AMERICA

Regions of Italy

Italy’s Twenty Regions

Emilia-Romagna The Foundation of Food Quite appropriately, Emilia-Romagna’s hyphenated name is derived from the union of the two historic regions called Emilia and Romagna. Although the EmiliaRomagna borders six different regions—more than that of any other region—it also has an eastern coastline that stretches about 55 miles along the Adriatic Sea. Emilia-Romagna is one of the wealthiest, most developed regions in Italy. It is regarded by many as having the highest quality of life, and with its combination of industry, history, seacoast, and food, it’s no surprise.

Emilia-Romagna is home to several famous automobile manufacturers, including Ferrari, Lamborghini, and Maserati. It is also home to the world famous motorcycle manufacturer, Ducati.

FUN FACT: When a child is born in Modena, some families make a batch of balsamic vinegar—which takes 25 years to age—so that the child will have something to inherit.

The capital of the region, Bologna, is known for its historical beauty and considered by many to be second only to Venice. The city’s architecture boasts an abundance of porticos and terracotta-tiled rooftops. It is also home to the oldest university in Europe, the University of Bologna, which was founded in 1088. Known for having very leftist political views, Bologna has the distinction of being the first city in the world to abolish slavery, announcing the liberation of all serfs on August 25, 1256 in the Piazza Maggiore.

Emilia-Romagna Capital: Bologna Population: 4.4 million (6th of the 20 regions) Size: 8,666 square miles (6th of the 20 regions) Provinces: Bologna, Ferrara, Forlì-Cesena, Modena, Parma, Piacenza, Ravenna, Reggio Emilia, Rimini In addition to the beauty of Bologna, Emilia-Romagna boasts other historic cities such as Modena, Parma, and Ferrara. It also has a coastline with several well-known resorts, including Cattolica and Rimini, making the region as scenic as it is historic.

However, it’s undoubtedly the food that overshadows all else in the region. Many world famous foods were founded in Emilia-Romagna. This includes prosciutto from Parma, balsamic vinegar from Modena, ParmigianoReggiano from Reggio-Emilia, Spaghetti Bolognese from Bologna, and tortellini pasta (a hot dispute between Bologna and Modena). In fact, there are 25 museums in Emilia-Romagna each dedicated to a specific food that was created in the region. Last year, FICO Eataly, the world’s largest food theme park, opened in Bologna.

Emilia-Romagna is often regarded as the “food capital” of Italy, and with its high quality of life, its well-preserved architectural history, and its long coastline, it’s not difficult to see why the region was named Lonely Planet’s 2018 Best Place to Visit in Europe.

Pizza Maggiore, the central square in Bologna, where the Basilica of San Petronio stands as the largest church built of bricks in the world. The main façade, which was being redone in the form of a Latin cross (and intended to outdo Saint Peter’s Basilica of Rome), remains unfinished. (kavalenkava) WINTERAMERICA 2019 7 ITALIAN

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Save th

Sons of Italy Founda

National Education & L

By David McCormick

A solitary, mustachioed man wearing a wide-brimmed hat probed alluvial deposits along a creek. He had trekked into unexplored territory within the Tanana River Valley, located in central Alaska, in search of his elusive quarry: gold.

Felice Pedroni, also known as Felix Pedro.

He began in New York and made his way through the Midwest before moving on to the silver mines of Colorado, up to the coal mines of Utah, and then to Washington State. In the spring of 1892, he set out with the Costa brothers—Giovanni and Francesco Costa—to explore Canada for gold.

After having little luck, they quit the area in the fall of the following year.

Then, in the winter of 1894, they traveled into Canada’s Yukon Territory, which borders Alaska to the east.

Again, they met with little success.

May 23

Gaylord National & Convention feet into the ground before heResort found

Felice Pedroni was better known by his Hispanicized name: Felix Pedro. It was a name he was most likely given by his American gold-seeking contemporaries, who had the habit of shortening or altering surnames into something more familiar and seemingly less foreign.

Pedroni’s search for gold carried him along an unknown stream that would become known as Pedro Creek. About a half-mile upstream he waded across to the opposite bank and began excavating. He dug ten

exactly what he was looking for.

Though he wasn’t born in the United States, Pedroni was no foreigner to rugged land, particularly that of the west. He was born in Fanano, Italy (Emilia-Romagna region), on April 15, 1858—a rugged community surrounded by the Modena Apennines. He grew up in a family that tilled the soil, producing just enough to subsist. This hardscrabble existence left him wanting more, so at age 23, he set sail for America.

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He arrived in 1881, embarking on a 20-year odyssey traveling westward.

Fairbanks waterfront in 1905. (University of Alaska, Fairbanks) WINTER 2019

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By 1895, continuing his pursuit for the precious metal, Pedroni had set his sights on the Tanana River Basin, located in the middle of Alaska.

Even when, in the summer of 1896, the news of a gold strike on a tributary in the Klondike (southeastern

Current-day Pedro Creek, where Pedroni made his gold discovery. (Darren Giles) ITALIAN AMERICA

he Date

ation's 31st Annual

Leadership Awards Gala

3, 2019

Chena Slough, a stream off the Chena River. The source of smoke was from E.T. Barnette, a trader from whom Pedroni had bought provisions. Barnette, who was trying to find a detour around a blocked Tanana River, had run aground. His boat, the Isabelle, had a cache of supplies, as he intended to set up a trading post farther east.

nette was credited as the founder of Fairbanks, yet it was Pedroni’s gold discovery that spurred the development of Fairbanks—and with that the Fairbanks Mining District.

Pedroni’s role did not go unrecognized in history, as he is honored by the City of Fairbanks as well as his birthplace of Fanano, Italy. In fact, in 2002, Fairbanks and Fanano became sister cities. However, the relationship between the two cities and their respective countries is not recent.

In 1952, the Italian Government presented the City of Fairbanks with a bust of Felice Pedroni. Two years later, a street in Fanano was christened in Pedroni’s name.

An old map of Tanana Valley, showing n Center ○Pedroni National Harbor, Maryland Upon seeing Barnette, Pedroni anthe area that traversed.

Alaska) ignited a stampede of rabid gold-seekers, Pedroni held steadfast.

He continued working the Tanana River Basin area, panning for gold in its tributaries and refusing to alter his course. At times, he prospected on his own. Other times, he did so in the company of fellow gold-hunters, Tom Gilmore and the Costa Brothers.

On July 22, 1902—the day he struck gold—Pedroni was working alone.

nounced that he’d struck gold. So Barnette decided where he’d run aground was where he’d stay—it would be the site of his trading post. This crude establishment along the banks of the Chena River would become known as the City of Fairbanks. By the following summer, the area was teeming with people, greenhorns, and seasoned prospectors alike.

DATES AND ANNOUNCEMENTS

After his discovery, Pedroni trekked back toward civilization, and as he did so, he spied a plume of smoke.

He realized it was coming from the

The plan to ordain the new community, Tanana, was turned aside when newly appointed Judge James Wickersham recommended they assign Senator Fairbanks’s name to the new township. Meanwhile, Bar-

Italian visitors at Felice Pedroni’s Monument on July 23, 2014. Adriano Pedroni, Felice’s brother’s great-grandson, stands on the right by the floral wreath.

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Each year, a “Felix Pedro Monument Rededication” takes place in Alaska at 16.1 Steese Highway. This memorial was first dedicated in 1952 by the Pioneers of Alaska. For the rededication held in 2014, five Italians traveled from Fanano to Fairbanks to participate in the ceremony. One of

The bust of Felice Pedroni that was presented by Italian Government to City of Fairbanks in 1952.

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The 2015 Golden Days Banner with Pedroni in the center.

them was Adriano Pedroni, Felice’s brother’s great-grandson.

clowns, filling the streets of historic Fairbanks.

But perhaps the greatest tribute the city of Fairbanks pays Pedroni happens every July when the streets are full of noisy revelers. It’s the City’s Golden Days, a five-day celebration during the third week of July that salutes its gold-rush history. The celebration originated in 1952, the year that the Fairbanks Chamber of Commerce first paid homage to the City’s mining tradition commemorating the halfcentury since Pedroni’s gold discovery.

The festivities pay tribute to Pedroni, the veritable patron of Fairbanks.

Pedroni, however, didn’t live to see any such celebration commemorating his gold discovery and the contribution it made to life in Alaska and the foundation of Fairbanks. He died at age 52 on July 22, 1910—eight years to the exact day he’d made his gold discovery.

Felice Pedroni was pronounced dead of a heart attack at St. Joseph’s Hospital in Fairbanks. However, his business partner, Vincenzo Gambiani, contested the cause of death, claiming that Pedroni didn’t suffer from heart problems. Gambiani suspected Pedroni’s wife, Mary Doran, of having a hand in his partner’s death. When Gambiani was on his own death bed years later, he was asked about Pedroni’s death. Unable to speak, he scrawled two words: moglie veleno. Wife poison.

More than a half-century after Pedroni died, his body was exhumed in Colma, California, and transported to Italy, where an autopsy was performed. According to hair samples, it was concluded that Pedroni was, in fact, murdered. His body was reburied, this time in the town from which he came: Fanano, Italy.

The celebration includes the Golden Days Street Fair, featuring food, gifts, musical entertainment, a Young Pioneers Kids Fair with pony rides and petting zoo, the Golden Heart Utilities Old Times Games, and more.

A gold nugget is hidden somewhere in Fairbanks for a lucky soul to ferret out during the ‘Search for the Poke of Gold Contest.’ The Great Bathtub Races are held at Pioneer Park with cash prizes going to the winners. And then there’s all 7,000 yellow quackers competing in the Rubber Duckie Race.

But the zenith of the five days of festivities is the Kinross Fort Knox Mine Grand Parade—the largest in Alaska with over 90 entries. The parade showcases marchers in old west costumes, floats, antique cars, and WINTER 2019

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Bulletin Board

What’s new: discounts, services and events

Congratulazioni, Maria!

Congratulations to Maria Iberti, winner of the Order Sons & Daughters of Italy in America (OSDIA) Do You Know Your Roots contest that was held in honor of Italian American Heritage Month last October. Maria was randomly selected from those who joined, gifted, or renewed their OSDIA At-Large Membership in October.

Maria’s father (Lupo) was born in the small town of Pontelandolfo in Naples while his father (Giuseppe) was working in Connecticut. Once Giuseppe had saved enough money, he sent for his wife (Vittoria) and Lupo.

However, by that time Lupo was 23 years old with a wife (Maria Concetta Fusco) and son (Michele) of his own.

Two years later, Lupo sent for Maria and Michele, and then after having two more boys (Giuseppe and Giovanni), Maria was born. (Maria’s parents then had three more children: Filomena, Antonio, and Teresa).

Maria’s parents, Lupo and Maria Concetta Mancini.

“They’re among a large group of pioneers that have

paved the way for our lives to be enriched with their contributions,” Maria wrote about her parents. “I have so much appreciation for the sacrifices, courage, and hard work that allows so many of us to have the better lives that were once dreamed of and that our ancestors strived for in L’America.”

Maria is choosing the My Maria Iberti, winner of Order Sons & Daughters Italian Family “5 Generaof Italy in America Do tions Back” Research Project, You Know Your Roots Contest. which will locate her ancestors’ names, occupations, where they grew up, and many more amazing historical details.”

Look for Maria’s results in Italian America’s Summer 2018 issue.

The Order Sons & Daughters of Italy in America would like to offer a special thanks to Bianca Ottone from My Italian Family for donating the research package. To find out more about your own roots, visit www.myitalianfamily. com. Remember that all OSDIA members can receive a 10% discount from My Italian Family.

Kelly Fisher Wins 2019 SIF T-Shirt Design Congratulations to Kelly Fisher from Swedesboro, New Jersey, for submitting the winning artwork of the 2019 Sons of Italy Foundation T-shirt Contest.

Kelly is a proud member of Carmel S. Morina Lodge #2580 in Pauls- Kelly Fisher’s winning design. boro, New Jersey. Her maternal great-grandparents (Stefan Lombardo and Angela Salvo) emigrated from Italy in 1920.

The contest runs from October to December, but it’s never too late to start thinking of the design that will win in 2020!

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Our Story

Italian American history and culture

The Simple Truth That’s Worth a Fortune An Italian Father’s Advice on Investing for Wealth

By James Pavoldi, ARM, ALCM

A 12-year-old boy was asked to sit down with his father.

His father was an Italian immigrant who had come to the United States with nothing.

“What I am about to say is so important, it must never be forgotten,” his father said. “It is the kind of information that that will change your life.” With that, the man outstretched his arms palm side up. “When I came to this country, I had nothing. I had no money, and nothing to sell except my hands, my sweat, and my heartbeats. Put your hands on top of mine and tell me what you feel.”

The boy placed his hands on his father’s upturned hands.

His father’s hands were heavily calloused and rough. The boy told his father that his hands felt like the bark of a tree.

“These are the hands that I sold,” his father said. “They have laid up over a million bricks and blocks. People were willing to pay me for my hands, and what they could do.

What I am about to tell you is worth a fortune. I’m about to tell you something that very few people your age ever hear, and even fewer understand. I almost feel as if I am telling you a great secret.”

At this point, the father poured himself a glass of wine and poured a small amount into a shot glass which he handed to his son. This was a ceremony, and it was designed to be etched into the boy’s mind. “Take a sip of wine. I want to show you something.”

The man and the boy took sips of wine, and the father continued his speech.

“Take this and look at it,” he said as he handed the boy an impressive looking certificate. “What you have in your

ith transportation

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Italian bricklayers on Frankford Avenue in Philadelphia, 1913. hand is the very first stock certificate that I ever owned.

They don’t issue them like this anymore. Now everything is done differently. Stocks are just numbers in an account.

But I saved this certificate so I could give it to you, and you will have it to show to your children. This is a very important part of your education, and it is your responsibility to pass it on. The certificate was issued from Coca Cola. It indicated that the holder of the certificate owned five shares of stock.”

“What you hold in your hand does not sweat like me.

It does not hurt like I do after a day of work. It doesn’t get rough and leathery as my hands are after years of lifting bricks to make money. No, it just produces income like a little money machine. If you own enough of these machines, they can make more money than your father’s hands. Do you understand this? Shares like these will pay for your college education. They will allow your mother and me to retire and enjoy life without backbreaking work.”

“I have always used a part of what these hands made to buy pieces of wonderful American companies. These are like very special machines because they make more of themselves the longer you own them. It is important that you understand this. Time multiplies these things, and they grow in numbers as the years go by. You must begin to buy money machines as early as you can because the longer you own them, the more they make of themselves.

This is a form of mathematical magic.”

(800) 222–4750 | clv@cord.edu | ConcordiaLanguageVillages.org

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man, who loses strength as he ages, these money machines gain strength and produce more as time passes. Money machines work for you nonstop. They work when you sleep, when you rise, and when you go about life. They work when you can no longer work yourself. It is your responsibility to accumulate them as early as possible so that this incredible process can begin.”

The father swallowed the last of the wine and set the empty glass down hard.

Italian immigrant bricklayers.

After taking another sip of wine, and instructing his son to do likewise, the father displayed a leather handled mason trowel to his son. “This trowel has laid up tens of thousands of bricks. It has helped me to make a lot of money, but it can only make money when it is in my hand and moved by my arm and my strength. I dip it into the mortar, I deposit the mix onto a brick and then use it to sweep away the excess. I tap the brick level with the handle. I do that over and over again until my trowel, my strength, the bricks, and mortar have made something that will last for generations.”

The father did all of this while making the exact moves with his trowel as if he were laying a row of bricks. This action was done with the smoothness and grace that comes from doing something hundreds of thousands of times.

He then continued.

“It is a good and honorable tool. It put food on our table and a roof over our heads, but it could do none of that without my hand, and the strength of my arm. When I wipe it clean, and set it in my work bag, it could stay there for a hundred years, and it will not make a penny.”

“You see this empty glass?” he asked his son. “This is what you will have in old age unless you do as I am instructing you. Never spend all that you make. Use some of your earnings to buy money machines. When I worked in the hot sun for ten hours a day, I invested two hours pay into money machines. Someday, those money machines will do all my work for me. I will rest in the shade, but I will keep this trowel to remind me of my humble beginnings.”

“There will always be a reason to postpone saving. Every one of those reasons lays out a path to poverty. It is a path well-trodden, and one you must never take. Let my words stay in your heart and mind. Do you understand?”

With that, the son drained the last few drops of wine from the shot glass. He set it down hard. Then, tipping it upside down for emphasis, he looked his father squarely in the eyes, and said, “Si, Papa. Io capisco.”

This story is an excerpt from the author’s recently published book, Investing Kindergarten: The $imple Truth That’s Worth a Fortune. For more information visit www.investingkindergarten.com.

“That is not the case with these money machines,” he said once again, indicating the stock certificate that he’d given his son. “They produce money day and night, week after week, year after year. They multiply and make more of themselves. Much like a plant that produces seeds to make more of itself, these money machines produce seeds called dividends that buy more and more shares for you as the years progress. Over a very long time, they can be worth millions. To them, time is magic. This magic is called compounding, and it is how a man like me, who started out poor, can eventually become wealthy. Unlike a WINTERAMERICA 2019 13 ITALIAN

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The Stonecutters of Barre

By Kevin M. Walsh

Visit Barre, Vermont, and you will be welcomed at the edge of downtown on North Main Street by a 23-foot high, 43-ton granite statue of a stonecutter. The text on the statue’s base proclaims the importance of Italian immigrants in Barre. It reads, “In honor of all Italian Americans whose achievements have enriched the social, cultural and civic vitality of this city, region and state.”

Barre, located in north central Vermont, has long been referred to as the “Granite Capital of the World.” Barre granite, famous for its unique gray color, is a very hard stone that is impervious to weather, making it a favorite choice for buildings, memorials—and gravestones.

In the late 1800s, expert Italian stonecutters started to follow in the footsteps of Scottish stoneworkers by immigrating to Barre to escape a shrinking job market at home.

They hoped to obtain one of Barre’s many stonecutting jobs, which paid more money in a town that also offered an opportunity to start one’s own business.

The “padrone system” (in Italian, padrone means the boss or manager) relied upon labor brokers to find talented stonecutters in Italy and match them with jobs in Barre. Many of the stonecutters who came to Barre were single, but even those who were married would come by themselves for the opportunity to get established. They saved the money they earned, and when they had enough, they sent for their families. Meanwhile, the single men relied upon the padrones or their family connections to find Italian women willing to travel to America to develop relationships with eligible bachelors.

Italians, especially from Italy’s northern areas, came to Barre by the thousands. From 1890 to 1900, Barre’s The 23-foot high, 43-ton granite statue of an Italian stonecutter pays homage to the Italian immigrants of Barre, Vermont.

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population increased substantially. By 1910, a significant percentage of this immigrant melting pot community was Italian. Recruiting efforts were aided by the fact that many of the newly arrived Italian immigrants felt comfortable in Barre, an area reminiscent of their home towns in Italy.

According to Todd Paton, Director of Visitor Services for the Rock of Ages Quarry, Italian culture flourished in Barre, especially in the city’s north end. Paton states that the local Italian community developed its own social clubs, opened its own stores, and started its own Italian language newspapers. Some immigrants formed an independent opera company, while others formed an Italian baseball team that went on to win the state championship in 1909.

The Italian stonecutters were good workers and quite skilled in their craft. They were also socially active, and a lot of them became very involved in political and labor union issues. Many Italian workers split into opposing factions of socialists and anarchists, which sometimes caused tensions to flare in Barre. These tensions heightened in 1903 at a labor gathering where both warring factions were present. A man suddenly pulled out a gun and shot into the crowd, killing a well-known and respected stonecutter named Elia Corti.

The Italian immigrants worked hard at a dangerous job.

In 1900, quarrying involved hard manual labor combined with the use of explosives. Once the cut granite reached the mill, machines processed the stone, producing a dust

that caused the deaths of many stonecutters. By 1920, the average life expectancy of a Barre granite stonecutter was less than that of the national average for men.

Many Italian stonecutters suffered and died from a lung disease called silicosis, nicknamed “the stone cutters tuberculosis.” Silicosis was caused by inhaling large amounts of silica found in the granite dust that filled the air of the enclosed factories. In her book Man Against Granite, author and historical researcher Mari Tomasi wrote that stonecutters’ wives recalled how “sometimes the smell of granite dust on their husband’s clothes would make them want to cry.” Italian stonecutters had avoided this dust problem in their homeland, where factories in the milder climate there could operate with open sides, permitting air flow and allowing most of the stone dust to filter outside.

Stonecutters’ deaths became so common that Saturday evening social events were regularly held to raise funds for needy families. In 1906, Italians formed the Societa di Mutuo Soccorso (the Society of Mutual Relief), a mutual aid society and fraternal community support group which helped provide affordable medical care and death benefits for families of those who succumbed to silicosis. Initially, membership in this group included only Italian men, or men who spoke Italian.

To honor their fellow Italian craftsmen, Barre stonecutters—and sometimes the ill men themselves—created large, elaborate gravestones to serve as permanent memorials

One of Barre’s granite quarries that helped make the town known as “The Granite Capital of the World.”

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to the skills, artistry, and dedicated work of those who died too young.

Barre’s cemeteries became outdoor granite art galleries, filled with wonderfully detailed and intricate gravestones honoring the Italian stonecutters.

Most notable among these cemeteries is one called Hope Cemetery.

Giuseppe Donati’s evocative On Maple Avenue a few gravestone. miles north of Barre’s downtown, several thousand gravestones, many of which are works of art, are spread out over Hope Cemetery’s 65 acres of winding roads and rolling hills. Thousands of tourists visit this cemetery each year to admire unique memorials, including carvings of airplanes, human figures and faces, a life size couple in bed (in their pajamas, or course), a huge soccer ball, chairs, angels, a race car, a book, and a bass violin. Other stones display intricate etchings of scenes such as a covered bridge, the canals of Venice, a tractor-trailer truck, a baseball player, and a country home.

One prominent stone is for Louis Brusa, an Italian stonecutter and labor activist. Brusa’s lifesized memorial, which he helped carve himself, Elia Corti, the Italian stonecutshows him exhausted and ter who was shot and killed at the 1903 labor rally.

OSIA members benefit from a 10% discount on all our services!

slumped in the arms of a comforting woman.

Another frequently visited gravestone is for Elia Corti, the stonecutter shot at the labor rally in 1903. His stone is a three-dimensional, lifesized carving of Corti’s entire body sitting on a large granite block, the tools of his trade surrounding him. And not to be missed is the stone for Giuseppe Donati, which Labor activist Louis Brusa. shows a man smoking and a woman’s face taking form in the smoke drifting up from the cigarette.

The life of an Italian stonecutter is summarized nicely in another novel by Mari Tomasi called Like Lesser Gods.

In the story, a stonecutter dying of silicosis explains to his doctor why he worked with the granite. Granite, he says, “is hard stone. Beautiful. Lasting. Always when I carve a name on a memorial, I feel, well, important. I carve the name and I say to myself, ‘from up there in heaven the Dio creates new life, and when he sees fit to take it away, then we stone cutters on earth take up where He left off.

We take up the chisel, we carve the name, we make a memory of that life.”

In taking up their chisels, Barre’s Italian stonecutters carved memorials that all but touch immortality.

Kevin Walsh is a civil trial attorney from the Boston, Massachusetts area. In his free time, he enjoys writing about and photographing New England history and travel topics.

All photos appearing in this article are compliments of the author.

Do You Ever Imagine Your Italian Ancestors?

Bring that vision to life with real history.

• Discover centuries of information about your roots through our research services onsite in Italy • Obtain your Italian Dual Citizenship by working with us to manage the application process.

For more information, visit www.myitalianfamily.com, or call 1-888-472-0171 WINTER 2019

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Speakers Bureau

learn more about your culture & history

Sons & Daughters of Italy Speakers Bureau Need a speaker for your club meeting or a special event? Contact these experts directly. Some may require travel expenses and/or honorariums. For more speakers see: www.osia.org at “Culture & History.” To apply as a speaker, contact Miles Fisher at mfisher@osia.org • CALIFORNIA Author and international speaker William Giovinazzo speaks about Italian and ItalianAmerican history and culture, including Italian’s literary heritage, especially Dante and The Divine Comedy.

He recently published Italianità: The Essence of Being Italian and Italian-American, which is reviewed in this issue of the magazine (page 20). His writing on Italian culture, history, and cuisine draw from his Italian-American upbringing as well as his travels throughout Italy. Book reading and signing. Contact: (949) 309-0137 Email: bill.gio724@gmail.com Website: www.italianita.blog Will also travel to: Anywhere United States

• MASSACHUSETTS Owner and Founder of Lazy Italian Culinary Adventures Francesca Montillo speaks about Italian culture, cuisine, travel safety, and first-time travelers to Italy. She recently published 5 Ingredient Italian: 101 Regional Classics Made Simple, highlighting regional dishes simplified for the American home cook.

Lecture and book signing. Contact: (617) 281-3117 Email: francesca@thelazyitalian.com Website: www.thelazyitalian.com Will also travel to: New England States

• FLORIDA Poet and Memoir author Nadia Steffé speaks about World War II in Istria, Italy, and about Italian migration and assimilation into countries like the United States, Canada, and Australia. She recently published her memoir—My Native Land Sings to Me—which is about her post-World War II experience emigrating from Istria with her family.

Book signing. Contact: (732) 429-9133 Email: nadiasteffe@mail.com Will also travel to: New Jersey; New York, California; Montreal; Toronto; Vancouver.

• MINNESOTA Author Deborah Andruccioli-Stevens speaks about her two novels: The Serpent’s Disciple and Holy Predator. The Serpent’s Disciple has won numerous awards, and Holy Predator is her recent release. Book signing. Contact: (612) 889-2301 Email: andrucc12@yahoo.com Website: www. deborahstevensauthor.com Will also travel to: Wisconsin; Florida

• MASSACHUSETTS Author Gina Fava speaks about all things Italian-American (food, culture, heritage, wine, books, art, entertainment, sports, tradition, and customs), travel, writing and publishing books, and studying abroad. She is the author of four published books set in Italy (The Race, The Sculptor, Formula, and Un Momento). A former lawyer and Bostonian Magazine columnist, Gina is the owner of wine stores on the South Shore of Massachusetts and is a regular speaker at book clubs and Italian-American organizations. Writing workshop and book signing. Contact: (508) 246-9770 Email: ginafava1@gmail.com Website: www.ginafava.com Will also travel to: Buffalo, New York and surrounding towns in Western New York; Rhode Island; New Hampshire.

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• NEW YORK Author and educator Mike DeLucia speaks about stereotypes and the plight it causes Italian Americans to face. He also speaks on his upcoming historical fiction novel based on the life of Hall of Fame basketball player, Angelo “Hank” Luisetti, who introduced the running one-handed shot (an early version of the jump shot) and is credited as being one of the game’s greatest innovators. Luisetti gained national attention for his new style of play during a game in which Stanford (his college) defeated #1 ranked Long Island University at Madison Square Garden in 1936. Luisetti was a part of the National Collegiate Basketball Hall of Fame’s inaugural class in 2006.

Book reading and signing. Contact: (914) 419-6969 Email: greentbooks@hotmail.com Website: www. booksbymikedelucia.com Will also travel to: Anywhere United States

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Book Reviews

WINTER 2019 selections

ITALIANITÀ: The Essence of Being Italian and Italian-American

By William Giovinazzo

In Italianità, author William Giovinazzo runs the gamut of everything that is Italian and Italian-American, from history and culture to customs and perspective. Giovinazzo manages to strike a tonal balance between the formal— such as the history of Italy’s unification—and the informal—such as the eating habits of Italian Americans.

In the first few chapters, Italianità focuses on history, taking readers through the complex history that led to Italy’s unification and then through the Italian Diaspora (prior to which more Italian immigrants lived in California than the entire East Coast). The book then delves into the struggles of early Italian immigrants, including those of the Southern Italians who landed in New Orleans to fill the vacuum created by freed slaves and were referred to as “White Negroes.”

Giovinazzo then transitions into culture and presents opinions that are certainly engaging. He analyzes the continuum of Italian stereotypes, explains why they developed, and tackles how Italians can be divided about their feelings toward certain stereotypes (such as those perpetuated by The Godfather and other mafia-related movies).

Throughout Italianità, Giovinazzo produces valuable little nuggets, whether that’s an insightful anecdote (the old man and the pear tree), a book to add to your reading list (Christ in Concrete by Pietro di Donato), or a health advocate’s unorthodox perspective (“I’d rather see you drink a glass of wine than a glass of milk”).

A book of history, anecdotes, culture, customs, and opinion, Italianità has a bit of everything, making it a delicious stew (not a melting pot!) of education, discussion, and pure reading pleasure. Italianità is a comprehensive look at all that makes an Italian and Italian American.

DID YOU KNOW? Just before the Risorgimento, Italians would allegedly yell “Viva Verdi!” as a cry for revolution against the Austrians.

Verdi stood for Vittorio Emanuele Re d’Italia (Victor Emmanuel, King of Italy).

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TONY’S WIFE

By Adriana Trigiani

As with her previous novels, author Adriana Trigiani brings Italian-American culture and struggles to the forefront in Tony’s Wife, her 14th novel. The story opens in pre-World War II Detroit on Henry Ford’s factory line, where a young man named Saverio Armandonada works alongside his father.

Trigiani brings the working man’s culture to life, a life that many Italian Americans lived in order to make their way. But it’s this life, one dedicated to hard labor, which makes Saverio’s father disown him when he chooses to pursue life as an entertainer instead.

Keep an Eye Out For… A reference to the Sons of Italy!

Saverio’s golden voice takes us into another world of Italian-American culture: big band and show business.

Though the golden days of big band music have since passed, Tony’s Wife brings them alive as if they never left.

While pursuing his dream to be a singer on the marquee, Saverio meets Chi Chi (Chiara) Donatelli in Sea Isle City, New Jersey, and a close relationship forms. But in the culture of show business, romantic relationships come and go, putting Saverio’s and Chi Chi’s relationship to the test.

While the story shows such reverence for former times, Tony’s Wife does not hesitate to highlight a time when gender roles were beginning to change. Much of this is embodied in Chi Chi’s character, a strong-willed woman who finds avenues to independence at a time before they were readily accessible to women.

What makes Trigiani’s writing so relatable is the way in which she incorporates Italian-American culture. It’s no surprise to see references made to football weddings, seamstress work, and the dilemma faced by many Italians who were compelled to change or shorten their names for show business.

With her well-honed skill for storytelling, Trigiani once again produces an absorbing novel infused with ItalianAmerican culture and, of course, Italian-American heart.

ITALIAN AMERICA

On The Bookshelf Books by and about Italian Americans

Visit www.osia.org to find a selection of recent books written by OSDIA members!

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“Man is least himself when he talks in his own person.

Give him a mask, and he will tell you the truth. ” Oscar Wilde

'

Behind the Mask of Carnevale

By Lisa Pike

My first trip to Italy was actually by chance. I met a young German woman on a train going from Cologne to Koblenz, and she invited me and the two other students I was travelling with to her house for lunch. While we were sitting around the table on a patio overlooking the Rhine, our new friend’s mother suggested visiting the city of Florence. Actually, she insisted on it. She herself had studied art WINTER 2019 (Ruslan Kalnitsky)

22

there as a young woman and was still in love with the city. Traveling through Europe only to miss Florence, she said, would be a real tragedy.

It was spring of 1990, not even one full year after the fall of the Berlin Wall. Amid discussions of the implications of this historic event and what the future might hold, our new friend’s mother sent us off in the direction of Italy. I spent the next two years living both in Florence and in its environs. For part of that time, I had the privilege and pleasure of learning ITALIAN AMERICA

The earliest recordings of Carnevale come from medieval Italy.

Marking the period just before Lent when devout Christians would forego the consumption of meat, Carnevale was a time of feast and public revelry. As a period of excess and overindulgence before the fast—the word’s origin is often thought to come from the combina-

Carnevale masks hanging at a store in St. Mark’s Square. (lapas77)

something about the art of le maschere (the masks).

When I wasn’t attending Italian language classes, I worked part-time in a small artisanal bottega specializing in the design, construction, and decoration of masks for the world-renowned Carnevale.

While the art of this type of maskmaking originated in Venice, the craft is also practiced in other Italian cities. The creation and use of masks themselves date back millennia. In his study of religion of the ancient Greeks, scholar Walter Burkert affirms the ceremonial and ritualistic use of masks was one of the oldest and universal human practices. Indeed, the oldest known mask is made of flint and dates back some 35,000 years. Serving many different purposes that ranged from disguising oneself from others to investing oneself with the authority of the divine, the creation and use of masks have helped humans make sense and meaning out of life. The realms of both play and power come together in the donning of a mask.

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After an apprenticeship amid stacks of plaster molds in the small bottega, I was responsible for creating the mask’s base. It is this base that would later be meticulously painted and decorated by other artists. From the mold itself to the final steps of adornment with gold leaf paper or paint, all work is carefully performed by hand. The molds are first fashioned by pouring plaster over a sculpted clay face and then left to dry. Once dry, they are overturned, and the original clay sculpture is scooped out with the fingers. The cavity that is left behind is then used to create the base of the mask through a specialized process of papier mâché.

Tearing a few dozen strips from a large sheet of thick, grey, almost cloth-like paper, and placing them beside a mixture of white glue and water, I prepared to work with the mold.

The Medico delle Peste, or Plague Doctor.

(Claudio Stocco)

tion of “carne” (meat) and “levare” (to lift, take away)—Carnevale also signals the temporary suspension of rigid social hierarchies and rules. With the use of a mask, for instance, women might enter those public places normally reserved for men. Engaging in such activities as gambling, women would be freed for a time from the roles and rules tied to their gender.

Similarly, the authority of signore over servant might be overlooked, with the upper and lower classes mixing freely. Last but not least, this time of sanctioned transgression included the unfettered union of illicit lovers, each protected by their disguise.

A Venetian mask made with papier mâché technique.

(Simone Padovani)

Making the base requires time and patience as each strip must be covered with the mixture and pressed into the crevices and contours of the cavity.

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surface. Since each mask is made by hand, no two masks are ever exactly the same.

An artisan working on a mask in a Carnevale store in Venice. (Goran Jakus)

Failure to do this step correctly—native Florentine and co-worker Luciano would remind me—means a defective mask that non si può salvare! It cannot be saved!

With the initial layer pressed and smoothed down into all crevices, the process of adding several more layers in the same manner begins. For certain types of masks, Luciano instructed me on how a small, densely-bristled brush should be used to ensure that the strips and subsequent layers adhere to each other. Held between thumb and forefinger, the brush is used to tap down several times on the moist paper in a series of short quick motions with medium pressure.

Removal of the masks is carried out when they are still semi-damp. Long wood worktables hold the drying masks awaiting cutting and application of the gomma lacca (shellac) that helps to provide a smooth surface for decoration. Along with acrylic paint, pieces of gold and silver sheets are torn, applied to different sections of the base, and then rubbed down with a soft cloth to create a smooth, shining WINTER 2019

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There are, however, a set of designs and consistent figures in the art of le maschere. These figures include: the Bauta, a squareshaped plain white mask protruding outward at the bottom so the wearer can eat and drink without revealing oneself; the Moretta, a small dark mask often worn by women that has a small button on the inside gripped by one’s teeth to hold it in place; the Gnaga, or cat mask; and lastly the Medico delle Peste, or Plague Doctor.

Other typical masks are derived from the 14th and 15th century theatrical troupes of La Commedia dell’arte.

Comprised of an ensemble of stock characters and set scenarios that the actors and actresses would then improvise, La Commedia dell’arte provides a series of characters still recognizable today: the witty Pantaleone, his colorful servant Arlecchino along with his lover Colombina, il Capitano, and the infamous Neapolitan character, Pulcinella.

A hand-drawn set of Venetian Carnevale masks. (feirin)

able, the strange and intriguing mask of the Plague Doctor is perhaps less well known. Resembling the head of a bird, the mask’s origins are of a very practical nature. Used during outbreaks of the Black Death, the mask served as protection from infected patients. Covering the face of the medico, the empty cavity of the long beak would be filled with various herbs that were thought to purify the air one breathed.

While the multi-colored designs so emblematic of La Commedia dell’arte are immediately identifi-

The traditional parade of Venetian masks in 2018’s Carnevale. (Gentian Polovina) ITALIAN AMERICA

In the introduction to his famous collection of tales The Decameron, Giovanni Boccaccio vividly describes this practice during an outbreak of the Plague in Florence: “…people moved about freely, holding in their hands a posy of flowers, or fragrant herbs, or one of a wide range of spices, which they applied at frequent intervals to their nostrils, thinking it an excellent idea to fortify the brain with smells of that particular sort.” Interestingly, however, it was the long cloak that most likely protected doctors attending the sick. Covered from head to toe and armed with a long stick used to remove blankets or bedclothes, the doctor could avoid being bitten by the true carriers of the disease: fleas.

Much has changed since my years spent making masks in Italy. One only has to do a cursory internet search now to find information about where to go to observe and learn the art of le maschere. It is even possible to book a holiday around this very activity, with both Venetian and Florentine artisans offering lodging along with workshops lasting one or two weeks.

In part, this is an effort to preserve a centuries-old craft amid the recent mass production of goods for a globalized market. In another sense, however, it is simply rich history coming together with rich cultural and artistic traditions in one of humanity’s most ancient activities: the making and wearing of a mask.

The cat is another important mask from this period. Keeping the population of the fleas’ host—the rat—at bay, the cat was revered as an essential part of every medieval Italian household.

Lisa Pike (lisa_pike@outlook.com) is the author of the novel My Grandmother’s Pill (Guernica Editions, 2014). She holds her doctorate in Comparative Literature and has lived in both Italy and France.

When? Celebrations begin in February, a few weeks before Shrove Tuesday, and include costumed parades, cultural events, concerts, firework displays, and masked balls. Carnevale always ends on Shrove Tuesday, the day before Ash Wednesday that marks the beginning of the 40-day period of Lent that precedes Easter.

History? Carnevale originated as a blend of pagan practices and Christianity, with earliest recordings of the festival dating back to the middle of 12thcentury Italy. Pagan festivals related to the harvest cycle.

When winter food stores became low, a short period of indulgence preceded a period of restraint until spring planting could begin again.

Christianity’s period of Lent marks the period of fasting and reflection in the desert that Jesus undertook in preparation for his public ministry.

Where? Carnevale celebrations occur throughout Italy. The largest and most renowned festival is in Venice, with Piazza San Marco as the main location for events. Venice also holds gondola and boat parades along its Grand Canal. Viareggio, a Tuscan coastal town along the Tyrrhenian Sea, is home to the next largest festival, followed by that of the city of Cento in the Emilia-Romagna region.

Other notable celebrations include: Ivrea (Piedmont) with its “Battle of the Oranges,” an event that re-enacts a medieval skirmish, the oranges replacing stones and other weapons Oristano (Sardinia) with its masked jousters competing in an event called La Sartiglia Acireale (Sicily), with its unique floats Pont St. Martin (Aosta Valley) with its chariot race, recalling the ancient Roman defeat of the Salassi, a Celticized Italic tribe

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OSDIA Nation

OSDIA LODGES AT WORK

massachusetts Boston’s famous North End now has its very own OSDIA lodge: The North End Lodge #2996. On October 25, 2018, OSDIA National President Vera Ferrara Girolami and Grand Lodge of Massachusetts State President Antonio Sestito swore in Lodge President Luigi Natale and the lodge’s new officers at Saint Leonard Church in Boston’s North End. Also there to take part and speak at the induction was Massachusetts State Senator and OSDIA National Third Vice President Joseph Boncore and his father, OSDIA National Past President Philip Boncore.

The North End Lodge will be focusing on several objectives in Boston’s North End, which has been Boston’s “Little Italy” since the 1800s.

Among those objectives are raising money for scholarships for children of the North End, supporting local sports organizations, starting a parade/block party, erecting a monument dedicated to Italian immigrants, and creating an Italian-American cultural center.

Triangle Sons of Italy Lodge #2817 of Raleigh sat in for the North Carolina-premiere of Filmmaker Mark Spano’s new feature-length documentary “Sicily: Land of Love & Strife.” The film was shown at The Cary Theater, and the money raised by the event will be used by the lodge for its work in feeding the homeless throughout the Raleigh/Durham/ Chapel Hill “Triangle” region of North Carolina.

The North End Lodge #2996 was sponsored by the Winthrop Mixed Lodge #2057.

“It was wonderful,” said Fran Giannuzzi, President of Lodge #2817, after the viewing. “The history, the beauty, the wine, the food—so wonderful to see. It sure did make a lot of people want to head to Sicily.”

After the film, Lodge #2817 members gathered for a buffet dinner in a local Italian restaurant as the second part of the fundraiser.

The sworn in members of North End Lodge #2996. (Photo by Rosario Scabin, Ross Photography)

washington Last summer, Bella Vita Lodge #2285 (of Olympia) member Gentian “Genny” Powell received a Recognition of Civil Merit Award from Angelo Caruso the mayor of Castel di Sangro, a town located in the Province of L’Aquila in the Abruzzo region.

Genny was presented the award in Italy during a formal ceremony in honor of her book—War Is Just Another Genny Powell displays her Rec- Day—which has ognition of Civil also been transMerit Award.

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north carolina

lated in Italian under the title La Mia Guerra.

The award is in gratitude for preserving the memories of the town’s dark times under Nazi occupation. An earlier award had been given to her when the town’s historian, Alessandro Teti, traveled to Washington State soon after her book was published.

During this return to Castel di Sangro, Genny visited the places where the horrors and happiness she experienced remain vivid to her.

Castel di Sangro was liberated by the West Nova Scotia Regiment of Canada, and the town has since established a War Museum to honor their valor.

The entire evening raised enough funds to provide three meals for 36 women at the Helen Wright Center for Women in Raleigh, a transitional housing shelter for single women without children in their care.

“Sicily: Land of Love & Strife” celebrates the island nation’s natural beauty, its passionate people and epic human struggles, the depth and diversity of its culture, the philosophic insights that originated in Sicily, and its wealth of historic sites—all facets of Sicily that have been obscured by the mysterious island nation’s association with organized crime. To find out more about the film, visit www. markspano.com Have you or your lodge done something remarkable that makes a difference to your community or promotes our heritage and Italian studies? If so, send details including your lodge’s name/number, a brief write-up, and digital photos of 300 dpi to Editor Miles Fisher at mfisher@osia.org

ITALIAN AMERICA

MAKING A DIFFERENCE

arizona

PEnnsylvania

The Albert Bilotti Lodge #2540 of Mesa had the pleasure of announcing the birth of a sixth-generation OSDIA baby this past year. Colin James Lopeman, who is the first child of member Samantha Plant Lopeman and her husband, Josh, was born on August 31. He was born five weeks early and spent the first two weeks of his life in the NICU. On November 21, Samantha brought Colin to the Bilotti Lodge meeting, where he was introduced to the membership … by his great-grandmother, Rose Milleria Leonard! (Rose is Lodge Orator.)

Also attending the November meeting was Colin’s grandmother, lodge member Jane Leonard Plant.

Colin James Lopeman: Colin James Lopeman, a sixth-generation of OSDIA, wears his onesie with a smile.

Lodge President Marianne DePalma presented Samantha with an OSDIA onesie for Colin, whose attendance made him the sixth generation of his maternal family to attend an OSDIA meeting. Colin’s great-great-great-grandfather, Luigi Milleria, came to the United States from Villasmundo, Sicily, in 1920.

His family settled in Omaha, Nebraska, where Luigi joined OSDIA’s Christoforo Colombo Lodge #1419 and was a member for many years prior to his death in 1966.

Luigi’s son, Sebastian (Colin’s great-great-grandfather), was also a member of the Christoforo Colombo Lodge for many years until his death in 1987. Sebastian’s daughter, Rose Milleria Leonard (Colin’s aforementioned great-grandmother), has been a member of the Albert Bilotti Lodge #2540 for 12 years, and her daughter, Jane Leonard Plant, has been a member for five years. Colin’s mother, Samantha Plant Lopeman, became a member of the lodge two years ago.

Thanks in part to the efforts of West Shore Lodge #2651 of Mechanisburg, the Pennsylvania State Senate officially proclaimed October as Italian American Heritage Month.

Senator John DiSanto initiated this endeavor, and on October 3, Italian Americans from several Central Pennsylvania organizations met at the Capitol Rotunda in Harrisburg to hear the proclamation read. The Pennsylvania State Senators involved were DiSanto, Jay Costa, Wayne Fontana, Scott Mart, John Sabatina, Mario Scavello, and Pat Stefano.

Pennsylvania State Senators with members of the state’s Italian-American community.

nebraska The Grand Lodge of Nebraska, Christoforo Colombo Lodge #1419 (of Omaha), American Italian Heritage Society, and Santa Lucia Festival Committee hosted “History Harvest Little Italy of Omaha” last October.

At the gathering, students and staff from the University of Nebraska at Lincoln Histor y Department conducted their ongoing History Harvest project that digitizes culWINTERAMERICA 2019 27 ITALIAN

tural heirlooms, diaries, images, letters, photographs, and recipes, along with interviews available online (http:// historyharvest.unl.edu/).

Professor Gerald Steinacher, who coordinated the harvest, said the family treasures harvested from Omaha’s Little Italy “highlight the diversity of Nebraska. Its history shows how immigrants have always cherished and held on to their culture.”

The History Harvest project preserving the Italian-American experience of faith, famiglia, and food for future generations to learn and enjoy.

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By Miles Ryan Fisher

“If I hadn’t gone to Bologna, I’d be in a wheelchair.”

Carrie Bennett was no stranger to pain. After all, she worked as a critical care nurse in the Emergency Room and Intensive Care Unit of St. Joseph Hospital in Fort Wayne, Indiana. A little more than two years ago, while walking down a stairwell at work, Carrie sustained a minor injury when she rolled her right ankle. At first, she didn’t think much of it. She worked the rest of her shift and went home. In the morning, she awoke with intense pain coursing through her entire leg.

“It felt like somebody was sawing my leg off,” she said.

She went to the bathroom and began vomiting. She looked down and her leg was discolored.

Still, she managed to go to work. When her co-workers saw her, however, they forced her to admit herself to the Emergency Room, where she was given antibiotics and pain medication. Neither worked. Then a doctor told her, “I think you have RSD.” Though she’d worked with patients suffering from all sorts of conditions, she’d never heard of the diagnosis. In fact, it was the first time that the doctor had ever issued it. Then Carrie’s heart dropped at what the doctor said next: “It’s incurable.”

The Two Towers of Bologna (called Garisenda and Asinelli), which were constructed in the 12th century.

Both towers lean, making the taller one—Asinelli Tower—the tallest leaning tower in Italy, at 318 feet. (Sergey Dzyuba) WINTER 2019

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According the McGill Pain Scale, what Carrie suffered from was some of the most excruciating pain one can experience.

Worse than unprepared childbirth.

Worse than amputation.

Worse than cancer.

It’s a debilitating chronic pain called Complex Regional Pain Syndrome (CRPS)—formerly known as Reflex Sympathetic Dystrophy (RSD)—a condition in which the nervous system malfunctions and sends intense pain signals to the brain long after whatever injury precipitated it has healed.

The pain grows disproportionate to that of the injury, making its sufferers writhe to the point that even a gentle touch is painful. In most cases, the pain remains localized, staying in the region of the body—usually a limb—where the injury occurred. The pain is so excruciating that some sufferers have had the affected limb amputated just to rid themselves of the pain. In Carrie’s case, however, the pain spread through her body, incapacitating her.

“Your whole world explodes,” Carrie said of CRPS. “It’s horrific.” She thought of her four children, her husband, her career. She even thought of ending her life—a thought that isn’t uncommon for those suffering from CRPS. In fact, two individuals who Carrie met after being diagnosed have done just that.

But she continued searching for treatment, and even though nothing effective was being developed in the United States, she discovered the place where hope existed: Bologna, Italy. Carrie found reports of a breakthrough therapy involving a drug named neridronate that was being developed in Bologna at Policlinico Sant’OrsolaMalpighi—the largest hospital in Italy with more than

EXPERT ITALIAN VACATION PLANNING, CUSTOMIZED FOR YOU. myitaliandestination.com

WINTERAMERICA 2019 29 ITALIAN

Dr. Nazzarena Malavolta and Case Manager Gaetano Dioguardi, with Tanya, Marty, and Carrie.

1,500 beds and 5,000 employees. A doctor there named Nazzarena Malavolta and her team had begun developing effective treatments for individuals suffering from CRPS. So Carrie sent a message to Dr. Malavolta in search of a miracle. And she received a message back: Come to Bologna and we will help you. After being evaluated by Dr. Malavolta to determine that the neridronate treatment was the correct treatment for her, Carrie began planning her trip to Bologna.

Of course, the trip to Bologna was not without expense.

Carrie’s healthcare company would not cover such a “radical” treatment in a foreign country. Never mind that the foreign country at hand was Italy and that Italy is ranked as the second healthiest country in the world1 (and healthiest in Europe) by the World Health Organization. “The forward thinking that Italy has with their medical treatment—they want to address things,” Carrie said. “They want their people to feel better.”

Carrie and her husband began planning the trip—booking flights to Bologna and a Bed & Breakfast close to the hospital. The total cost for the trip would be $5,000, which included the four treatments she would need at the hospital. Each of the treatments would cost just $200 apiece, far less expensive than what such treatment—if it were available—would cost in the United States.

Just three weeks after contacting Dr. Malavolta, Carrie and her husband were on their way to Bologna. She was just the fourth American to go over for the treatment, which consists of four two-hour infusions of neridronate, which pulls fluid out of the bones to block the pain receptors and then coats the bones. It stays there for seven years.

But as the doctor who’d diagnosed Carrie had originally said, there was no cure for what she had. In fact, there was no telling how much this treatment would help her—or if it would help at all, since every patient experienced differThe healthiest country, according to the World Health Organization, is Singapore. The United States, meanwhile, ranks 37th.

1

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bring my kids there,” she reflected. “I want to learn Italian so I can go there and enjoy it in a way that I couldn’t.”

After the four rounds of neridronate infusions, Carrie and her husband returned home and waited to see how her CRPS would respond to the treatment.

What Italy’s breakthrough therapy initially brought Carrie was hope.

What it left her with was a life reclaimed.

One of the entrances to Bologna’s Policlinico Sant’Orsola-Malpighi, the largest hospital in Italy.

ent levels of improvement. Still, it was her only hope, and even if it helped ease the pain by twenty or thirty percent, it would dramatically improve her quality of life.

Carrie and her husband landed in Bologna on a Tuesday, two days before her first infusion. The moment she and her husband first walked into the hospital, “we felt like we were supposed to be there,” Carrie recollected. She met Dr. Malavolta, who was as friendly in person as she was over email. “She puts her heart into helping people,” Carrie said.

A Thursday-Monday-Thursday-Monday treatment schedule afforded Carrie and her husband some time to explore Italy while she underwent treatment. During the week, they walked the streets of Bologna, in awe of the “sheer magnitude of its history.” They visited the Towers of Bologna and walked beneath the many porticos.

The first weekend, they visited Rome, touring the mustsee sites—the Spanish Steps, the Pantheon, the Colosseum, the Vatican. Carrie tossed a coin in the Trevi Fountain and made a wish to be healthy again. The second weekend—after Carrie had endured three of the infusions—they visited Venice. This trip however, proved to be too much for her, the treatment having depleted her energy. Though she was made it as far as the churches and shops in St. Mark’s Square, she spent most of the time horribly sick in bed. But in spite of this unfortunate way to see Italy for the first time, Italy’s beauty still overwhelmed her. “One day, I want to

Just five months after receiving the treatment in Bologna, Carrie was back at her job, working first in the office until she recovered enough to go back to critical care nursing and 12-hour shifts. As the pain lessened, Carrie rediscovered a life that had been taken from her. She started walking without a limp. She began attending concerts and fireworks displays without the noise causing her pain to flare. And perhaps best of all, she was able to put away the pain pills, no longer having to rely on 98% of her pain medication.

But the fight hasn’t ended for Carrie. Not while others are suffering from the same condition that threatened to take her life. She launched and maintains a Facebook group called “CRPS Neridronate Study Support Group” that’s dedicated to helping others with CRPS by acting as a forum and providing information about the treatment offered only in Italy. “We felt like we belonged there,” she tells them about her experience in Italy. “They want us to get better.”

More than two years removed from the trip that gave her back her life, the trip that made her life worth living again, Carrie still finds it difficult to put this into perspective, tearing up when asked to talk about what Dr. Malavolta and her team mean for her and other CRPS sufferers.

“They are saints for what they did,” she says through her tears. “They give us hope.”

Author’s Note: The neridronate treatment is not currently being offered at Policlinico Sant’Orsola-Malpighi in Bologna, but is currently being offered at Ente Ospedaliero Ospedali Gallierain in Genoa.

Miles Ryan Fisher (mfisher@osia.org) is the Editor-in-Chief of Italian America magazine.

A panoramic view of Bologna, Italy. (GoneWithTheWind) WINTER 2019

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ITALIAN AMERICA

From the National

WHAT NATIONAL DOES FOR YOU

From the President’s Desk

By Vera Ferrara Girolami

It warms my heart to see the generosity shown by our members.

Whatever the need—be it hurricanes, floods, tornados, earthquakes, and now disastrous fires— you always come through! You all have my personal thanks for what you do best: truly caring for your brothers and sisters!

Grand Lodges and many members from across the United States, have donated over $20,000 to help the victims of the recent California fires! I know that, if these victims could, each one of them would personally thank you. I would like to give a special thanks to Chico, California’s Vincenzo Bellini Lodge #2519 President Michael Coletti Smith for helping to distribute the funds to the fire victims.

One of the most memorable occasions I have been privileged to attend and serve as the Installing Officer was the induction, installation, and initiation of the North End Lodge #2996, in Boston, Massachusetts, on October 25.

Under the very able direction of Lodge President Luigi Natali and through the efforts of 60 new, very young members, this lodge will most certainly flourish and succeed!

Annual Fundraiser on Staten Island. It included an amazing luncheon followed by presentations and an array of many raffle prizes—an event not to be missed!

Then, on November 4, we took the train to the Grand Lodge of Connecticut to celebrate their 2nd Annual Columbus Luncheon and Meritorious Awards presentations.

Congratulations to Grand Lodge State President Neil Velleca, Jr. for a very enjoyable and successful afternoon.

Kudos to the new Chairperson of the Conference of Presidents, Aileen Riotto Sirey, Founder of the National Organization of Italian American Women. There is no doubt she will do great things for this organization!

The Sons of Italy Foundation Disaster Relief Fund has donated $100,000 to the Andrea Bocelli Foundation to rebuild a kindergarten and elementary school destroyed during the 2016 Central Italy earthquake in Muccia, a town located in the Marche region of Italy. Because of your donations and generosity great accomplishments are realized! You will read more about this in SIF President Joseph DiTrapani’s message on the following page.

We are preparing for the National Plenary Session to be held February 28 to March 3, 2019. It will be held in sunny San Diego, California, at the Hyatt at Mission Bay. This is a great opportunity to see your National Officers at work. Saturday evening we will have Supper Club entertainment by Frank DiSalvo, Vice-President of Palm Spring’s Dolly Sinatra Lodge #2400 and entertainer extraordinaire! If you are interested in attending, please call Katie at the National Office and she will help you.

After our time in Boston, First Gentleman Judge Al and I traveled to Methuen Lodge #902 to celebrate their 100th Anniversary. Lodge President Marguerite Ciuto should be very proud of their beautiful hall, which has indoor Bocce Ball Courts, a restaurant, and a dining area. The lodge has almost 500 members and is growing!

There is some exciting news regarding membership!

The overall membership increased in the 2nd quarter by the amount of 165 members! Little by little we can succeed!

We will always remember our visit to Massachusetts.

With the amazing welcome and dinner we received at the South Shore Lodge #1850 (in Hingham), a special tour of the State House by State Senator Joseph Boncore, the wonderful installation of the North End Lodge in beautifully restored St Leonard’s Church, the reception at the Boston Fisherman’s Club hosted by the ladies of the Winthrop Lodge #2057, and the 100th celebration in Methuen, we will never forget the lengths that so many went to in order to make our visit so personalized and special.

In assessing the last year and a half of this administration, I do believe we are meeting and achieving our goals.

Communication, transparency, fundraising, the NELA Gala, and membership were our focus. With formidable challenges all around us, magnified by many unknown demands coming in the future, I feel we are doing very well. If we continue to act with courage, determination, vision, and perhaps, most importantly, with the fervent resolve, our accomplishments will be reflected in our children and grandchildren!

On November 3, California State First Vice-President Arlene Nunziati and California Garibaldi-Meucci Chairperson Joy Bruno attended the Garibaldi-Meucci Museum WINTERAMERICA 2019 31 ITALIAN

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The Sons of Italy Foundation ®

HELPING THOSE IN NEED

A Tribute to Our Heritage

By Joseph DiTrapani, President

Even though it’s been two years, it doesn’t seem very long ago that the Central Italy earthquake struck. I remember the reports of devastation flooding the news. I also remember the envelopes with donations flooding our National Office. When Italy was in need, our lodges and members answered the call. Thanks to efforts from across the country, the Sons of Italy Foundation raised a significant amount of earthquake relief funds.

Now it’s time to put it to work. As efforts to rebuild the most affected towns are underway, I am proud to say that we have developed a wonderful partnership with the Andrea Bocelli Foundation. As you may have read on page three of this issue, the Sons of Italy Foundation has donated $100,000 to help rebuild a kindergarten and elementary school that was turned to rubble in Muccia, a town in the Marche region.

Just think, these children went to school one day, and the next day, their school no longer existed. But thanks to the Andrea Bocelli Foundation, thanks to substantial donations to such projects, and thanks to every individual who donated to the Sons of Italy Foundation’s earthquake relief fund, the healing can happen.

Healing will not happen overnight, but if we know one thing about our heritage, it’s that Italians are resilient. Our ancestors came here and worked tirelessly for a better life, and now we are in the position to give back to the land from which they came. How proud they would be of us, supporting this land with a project focused on helping children and aiding education.

Of course, this would not be possible without the wonderful work of the Andrea Bocelli Foundation. Many of you know just how unmatched Andrea Bocelli’s voice is, but what some of you may not know is just how much he gives back to Italy’s community. We are incredibly fortunate to have developed a partnership with his foundation, which provides us with the perfect avenue for contributing toward Italy-based projects.

Lastly, I would like to say grazie mille to all of those who donated to our earthquake relief fund. It was absolutely amazing to see the amount of donations that poured in after the earthquake struck, and if you were part of that effort, please know that the Sons of Italy Foundation’s substantial contribution to help rebuild a school would not have been possible without you.

Donate to the Sons of Italy Foundation’s Earthquake Relief Fund Now! www.osia.org/donate-sif The Sons of Italy Foundation Earthquake Relief History (SIF donation in parentheses)

2016 Central Italy earthquake ($100,000*) 2009 L’Aquila earthquake ($235,000) 1985 Mexico City earthquake ($30,000) 1980 Irpinia earthquake ($3 million) 1976 Friuli earthquake ($217,000) 1968 Sicily earthquake ($127,000) *Additional SIF donations pending

Save the Date Sons of Italy Foundation's 31st Annual

National Education & Leadership Awards Gala May 23, 2019

Gaylord National Resort & Convention Center ○ National Harbor, Maryland VISIT WWW.OSIA.ORG FOR UPDATES AND ANNOUNCEMENTS WINTER 2019

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The Commission for Social Justice

The CSJ Perspective

By Kevin Caira, President

I am proud to say that in November, the Columbus Statue standing in New York City’s Columbus Circle has been added to the National Register of Historic Places. This statue has stood there since 1892, through the great efforts of the Italian-American community, and it will continue to stand.

Yet with this gain comes someone already trying to take it away. Alexandria Ocasio-Cortez, who was elected to the U.S. House of Representatives by New York’s 14th District, has it on her agenda to replace Columbus Day as a Federal holiday with Election Day. The recognition of having Columbus Day celebrated as a Federal holiday was something that our parents, grandparents and members of both the Sons of Italy and Knights of Columbus worked so hard to achieve. And make no mistake about it, it was their way of combatting the prejudice that Italians faced in this country. Today, Americans of all nationalities should and do celebrate Columbus’ accomplishments of opening immigration to the North American continent.

Now, we have a newly elected official who doesn’t seem to care about the Italian-American community or how her changes may affect all ethnicities.

Let her know that we do care! Let her know we will not stand idly by in her attempt to take Columbus Day from the Italian-American community. Write to her at:

fighting defamation

Alexandria Ocasio-Cortez 229 Cannon HOB Washington, DC 20515 In addition to preserving Columbus Day, we have been working on a new initiative regarding the largest lynching in U.S. history that occurred in New Orleans. While many of us are familiar with the fact that the largest lynching in U.S. history involved Italian immigrants, many non-Italians are oblivious to this fact. We are working to change that.

The initiative is spearheaded by National CSJ Commissioner and New York State’s CSJ Chair John Fratta along with New York attorney and SOI member Michael Santo, who have made contact with the office of the Mayor of New Orleans, LaToya Cantrell. On behalf of the Order, they are pushing for a public apology to be made by the City of New Orleans and for a monument memorializing the atrocity to be placed on public property. The monument would be funded and constructed by the Commission for Social Justice.

It is our hope that the memorial will not only honor those who lost their lives in the lynching, but that it will also educate New Orleans residents and visitors about the kind of violent prejudice that Italian immigrants faced when they first came to the United States.

Lastly, our initiatives would not be possible without your help. Please consider sending in a donation with the form below to help fund the CSJ’s mission!

Sempre Avanti,

Celebrate Your Italian Heritage Join a Lodge Today!

Visit www.osia.org to find a lodge near you.

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Order Sons and Daughters of Italy in America

®

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ITALIAN AMERICA

Italian America®

Italian America Magazine is produced by the national headquarters of the Order Sons & Daughters of Italy in America®, 219 E Street NE, Washington, DC 20002.

Tel: 202/547-2900.

Email: nationaloffice@osia.org Editor-in-Chief Miles Ryan Fisher Administrative Assistant Emily Heinrich Bookkeeper Adam Jacobs Director, Operations and Programming Carly Jerome Project Coordinator Katie Vivian Italian America® is the official publication of the Order Sons & Daughters of Italy in America® (OSDIA), the largest and longest-established organization of American men and women of Italian heritage. Italian America provides timely information about OSDIA, while reporting on individuals, institutions, issues, and events of current or historical significance in the Italian-American community nationwide.

Italian America (ISSN: 1089-5043, USPS: 015-735) is published quarterly in the winter, spring, summer and fall

by OSDIA, 219 E Street NE, Washington, DC 20002.

Periodicals postage paid at Washington, D.C., and at additional mailing offices. ©2015 Order Sons & Daughters 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 OSDIA. Mention of a product or service in advertisements or text does not mean that it has been tested, approved or endorsed by OSDIA, 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 OSDIA members. Single copies are $4.95 each.OSDIA MEMBERS: Please send address changes to your local lodge. Do not contact the OSDIA National Office.

POSTMASTER: Send address changes to Italian America, 219 E Street NE, Washington, DC 20002. Subscriptions are available through the OSDIA National Office, 219 E Street, NE, Washington, DC 20002. OSDIA membership information is available at (800) 552-OSDIA or at www.

OSDIA.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: Contact ItalianAmerica@osia.org (202) 547-2900. Also see www.osia.org for advertising rates, specs, demographics, etc.

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By Miles Ryan Fisher Editor-in-Chief, Italian America Magazine

The story of how a trip to Italy gave Carrie Bennett her life back is a remarkable testament to why Italy’s healthcare system is ranked second in the world and the strides it makes to treat even the least known conditions. After all, who has heard of Complex Regional Pain Syndrome (CRPS)?

Unfortunately, the very reason I noticed this story is one that is all too familiar to me.

My best friend has suffered from CRPS for more than a decade. He has been bedridden for most of those years, the pain having spread throughout his body and rendered him immobile. Over the years, he’s undergone many radical treatments, including a ketamine-induced coma in Monterrey, Mexico. Life has been so unbearable for him that, like Carrie, he’s willing to try anything to get better.

I’ve witnessed his pain and how it has affected his life and that of his family. I’ve watched as time passes him by. I’ve watched as some of his friendships do, too. Life continues, and friends embark on new journeys—ones that don’t include him. A few of his old friends remain, and of these old friends, I am the constant. The friend he can always count on. The friend who will always be there for him.

After all, he and I have known each other since our first day of nursery school when we were three years old. As he puts it, we’ve known each other since before we knew ourselves. And he’s right. We’ve known each other since before our earliest memories. To abandon him would be to abandon where I come from, and with that, lose someone who cared about me for as long as I can remember.

I’ve noticed that it’s this same sort of mindset that draws us to learn about our ancestors. We seek out our family history to discover where we came from and show us those who cared about us before we were even born, those who endured hardship and struggle to bring us more opportunity in life.

Understanding the value of this is something that comes with age. When we’re young, we’re not as concerned with where we come from. After all, it’s hard to appreciate where we come from if we ourselves haven’t been here that long. But as we age, we begin to value history—which naturally beckons us to learn about our ancestors—in a way that we couldn’t when we were young. Because as we age, our own history develops.

This comes out every time I talk about spending time with Justin, and others tend to say something that I casually brush aside.

“You’re a really great friend for visiting him,” they say.

To which I always reply, “Of course I visit him. He’s my best friend.”

But what I’m really saying is: I value our history.

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Piacere! PLEASED TO MEET YOU, Joe

Joe Piscopo Joe Piscopo is a comedian, actor musician, and radio talk show host who is best known for his work on Saturday Night Live in the early 1980s. On the show, he became popular for his impersonations of Frank Sinatra and David Letterman. Joe’s success on Saturday Night Live catapulted him into Hollywood, starring alongside many notable actors, including Danny DeVito in Wise Guys, Michael Keaton in Johnny Dangerously, and Chuck Norris in Sidekicks.

Today, he hosts “Piscopo in the Morning,” a morning radio talk show on AM 970 The Answer (WNYM) in New York City.

His paternal grandfather, Rosario, came from Pratola Serra (Campania region), and his paternal grandmother’s side came from La Spezia (Liguria region). His maternal grandfather came from Salerno (Campania region). Joe was born and bred in New Jersey, and has since been awarded the Commendation Medal—New Jersey’s highest civilian award—for his support of the United States military.

Did you ever find out what Sinatra thought of your impersonation?

I did the impression on Saturday Night Live, but I wouldn’t do the impression at first out of respect for my father and for Mr. Sinatra. I finally did it once, and it actually caught on. But I always protected the Frank Sinatra name. Then I got invited to the Friars Club, where they were roasting Dean Martin, and Frank Sinatra is emceeing the event. He introduces me, “Here’s a kid, he’s from New Jersey, and he’s got impeccable taste,” referring to the impression I do of him. I was at the podium and I did the impression of him. He looks at me and goes, “Hey, that’s pretty good. That’s pretty good.” He’s got a cigarette in one hand, a Jack Daniels in the other, and I look at him and I say, “Hey, can I call you Frank?” And he looks at me and goes, “No.” It was a love affair ever since.

While you were on Saturday Night Live, you grew really close with Eddie Murphy. What was it like in the early 1980s for an Italian American and an African American to have such a tight friendship on prime time television?

That’s a great question, it’s never been posed to me like that. It was a thrill of my life to be with one of the most WINTER 2019

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talented people in the world. Eddie’s a comic genius, you can’t compare. We struck up the friendship, and we became best buddies. He took me out to Long Island, and I brought him out to Jersey.

So here I am, my family from an ethnic background and Eddie’s family from an ethnic background, and maybe it was because of the struggles of the ItalianAmerican community that I was able to understand my friend.

How did getting cancer at such a young age—just 30 years old— change your perspective on life?

They found papillary (thyroid) carcinoma, which is very aggressive. I didn’t tell anybody, only Eddie and my producer. Because back then if you had cancer, you were dying. It just changes your whole life, your whole perspective, your whole outlook. You begin concentrating on the things that matter. Your family. Your heritage.

Because everything can go away so quickly. That’s why I try to stay positive.

You’re very involved with Big Brothers Big Sisters organization.What attracted you to their mission?

In 1994, I met a man named Ray Chambers, a Wall Street icon who gave up all his business to help out his hometown Newark, New Jersey, where my parents are from. I asked him how I could help, and his eyes lit up and he took me into Newark and the Boys & Girls Club. We built a gym—Jersey Joe’s Gym—to help get at-risk children off the streets, and it’s just been my mission ever since.

You’re having us over for a big Italian dinner.

What’s on the menu?

Lasagna, first and foremost. My mom’s lasagna is my favorite food of all time. We have it for Thanksgiving. I make ziti the night before just in case we need more food, but it’s gotta be my mom’s lasagna. My favorite food.

Anytime. Anywhere.

What’s one piece of advice you’d give to the younger you?

Less fear, more humility. You’re scared that you gotta make it, and I wish I could’ve relaxed more. And then you should always practice humility. My family comes from Bloomfield Avenue in Newark. Where you come from, you should never forget that.

ITALIAN AMERICA

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WINTER 2019

ITALIAN AMERICA Purchases made using Near Field37 Communications (NFC), virtual wallets, or similar technology may not be eligible for higher category percentages.

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