Panoram Italia Montreal Feb/March 2016

THE ITALIAN-CANADIAN MAGAZINE MAILED TO HOMES IN THE GREATER MONTREAL AND OTTAWA AREAS

LIVING ITALIAN STYLE

SOLVING THE

GENEALOGY

PUZZLE TOUT SUR LES

ABRUZZES ONE OF US • UNA DI NOI • UNE D’ENTRE NOUS FEBRUARY / MARCH 2016 • VOL.11 • NO.1

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11

EDITORIAL

Discovering Ourselves

Alla scoperta di noi stessi T

he Natale festive season is very hectic: parties to attend, gifts to buy, relatives and friends to visit, preparation for invited guests and some of us even make it to church to celebrate the real reason for the rejoicing. After Natale there is a lull (thank Jesus) to reflect, give thanks for our abundance and plan for the next year.

It was a particularly reflective time for me. In the past 18 months I lost both my parents, became a nonno, stepped aside, after over 35 years, from my leadership role at Villa Charities cultural centre in Toronto, had a marriage in the family and joined the Panoram Italia team.

Since the theme of this issue is about genealogy, I decided to also review my own. Having visited the camposanto of my paese, Sant’Elia a Pianisi, on many occasions to pay respect to my ancestors, I could visually trace my roots for the past two centuries through the headstones on the burial plots.

Names such as Di Iulio, Di Iorio, Tartaglia, Colavita are of particular interest to me because I carry their genes. I also make it a habit of visiting the homes and lands owned by my ancestors to try to understand what their life might have been or perhaps what my own could have been!

“

if you do not know where you come from then you do not know where you are going.

Il

periodo di Natale è molto frenetico: feste alle quali partecipare, regali da comprare, parenti ed amici a cui far visita, organizzazione per gli invitati, ed alcuni di noi riescono addirittura ad andare in chiesa per celebrare il vero motivo del giubilo. Dopo Natale c’è un momento di quiete (Gesù, grazie!) per riflettere, per essere grati delle nostre ricchezze e fare progetti per l’anno seguente. È stato un periodo di particolare riflessione per me. Negli scorsi 18 mesi ho perduto entrambi i miei genitori, sono diventato nonno, mi sono fatto da parte, dopo più di 35 anni, dal ruolo di guida del centro culturale di Villa Charities di Toronto, ho partecipato ad un matrimonio in famiglia e mi sono unito al gruppo di Panoram Italia.

Poiché l’argomento di quest’uscita riguarda la genealogia, ho deciso di rivedere la mia. Avendo visitato in diverse occasioni il camposanto del mio paese, Sant’Elia a Pianisi, per rendere omaggio ai miei avi, ho potuto tracciare a vista, attraverso le lapidi delle sepolture, le mie radici fino a due secoli fa.

Nomi quali Di Iulio, Di Iorio, Tartaglia, Colavita sono di particolare interesse per me dato che ne possiedo i geni. Ho anche l’abitudine di visitare le case ed i terreni posseduti dai miei antenati per provare a comprendere come possano essere state le loro vite o forse come sarebbe potuta essere la mia!

Alcune persone dicono: “Pensa ad oggi e a domani e lasciati il passato alle spalle, sei in Canada adesso.” Vero, ma ho sempre pensato che se non sai da dove vieni, allora non sai dove vai.

“

Se non sai da dove vieni, allora non sai dove vai.

“

“

Some people say: “Think about today and tomorrow; leave the past behind, you are in Canada now.” True, but I always thought that if you do not know where you come from then you do not know where you are going.

Going further back into my family history through my municipio and Baptismal records, I was able to trace the origins of my family and town back to the 12th century when people from Planisium sought refuge and built a wall on the hillside for a better vantage point and protection. The town, named after its patron saint, was called Sant’Elia a Pianisi, located in the province of Campobasso, not to be confused with the other three or four towns in Italy that also bear the name Sant’Elia, the Prophet.

I was also able to guess why I, Palmacchio, have a name that is more unique than rare in Italy. (By the way there are five of us with that name in Toronto, first cousins all). De Palma was the name of the feudal family that ruled the area in the 12th century, and that name happens to coincide with my own family’s “soprannome.” My educated guess is that I am a direct descendent of the De Palma family.

But how about my ancestors before the 12th century? They would most certainly have been members of the Samnite tribes that inhabited the Benevento, Avellino, Campobasso to Termoli area of Molise and who defeated the Roman army at Le Forche Caudine in 321 BC. Perhaps my mind is wandering off too much in places that are too dusty! The questions of this article are “Do you know where you come from? Quo vadis? Do you know where you are going?” Hopefully our dossier on genealogy will spur some of you to ask those questions and discover the answers.

Spingendomi ulteriormente indietro nella storia della mia famiglia, attraverso il municipio d’appartenza ed i documenti del battesimo, sono stato in grado di tracciare le sue origini e quelle della città fino al XII secolo, quando gente proveniente da Planisium, alla ricerca di rifugio, costruì delle mura sul fianco della collina per proteggersi ed avere un punto d’osservazione migliore.

La città, chiamata Sant’Elia a Pianisi, come il suo santo patrono e da non confondere con gli altri tre-quattro paesini in Italia che portano lo stesso nome Sant’Elia, il Profeta, che si trova nella provincia di Campobasso.

Sono stato anche in grado di dedurre perché io, Palmacchio, porti un nome più unico che raro in Italia. (Ad ogni modo, siamo in cinque con questo nome a Toronto, tutti cugini primi).

De Palma era il nome della famiglia feudale che governava l’area nel XII secolo e vuole il caso che quel nome coincida con il soprannome della mia famiglia. La mia logica deduzione è che io sia un discendente diretto della famiglia De Palma.

Ma che dire dei miei antenati prima del XII secolo? Saranno stati con ogni probabilità membri delle tribù sannite che vivevano nelle aree molisane di Benevento, Avellino, Campobasso e Termoli e che sconfissero l’esercito romano durante la battaglia delle Forche Caudine nel 321a.C. Ma forse la mia mente sta divagando in luoghi troppo polverosi! Le domande di questo articolo sono: “Sapete da dove venite? Quo vadis? Sapete dove andate?” Magari il nostro dossier sulla genealogia spronerà qualcuno di voi a porsi queste domande ed a scoprirne le risposte.

Pace e bene, Pal Di Iulio Associate Editor Panoram Italia

Pace e bene, Pal Di Iulio Associate Editor Panoram Italia

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UNITAS

Community Chat T

Our Stories Matter

he FCCI kicked off 2016 with a theatre event, in collaboration with the CCPI-Casa d'Italia, which took place at the Centaur Theatre in January.

In Search of Mrs. Pirandello was a great success and featured emerging Italian Canadian artists who creatively underlined the importance of storytelling and the value of archives. This art form of storytelling is an ancient one and still effective.

We, Italian-Canadians, have a story to tell. The immigration of Italians in Montreal impacted the development of our city and has many untold stories. Where is it documented? For the Casa d’Italia, Oral history & Archives is the soul of its mission. An UNITAS partner that has a duty to safeguard our collective memory; the history of our Italian immigrants and honouring the men and women who paved the road for the generations that followed.

Our pioneers, who faced racism and discrimination, were resilient, tenacious and proud. Today, Italian-Canadians proudly wear the ‘tri-colore’, which is a sign that the price of freedom is the legacy of our forefathers. Documenting our history honours those who made a difference. Their stories matter, because we matter.

As Unitas takes flight, so does the commitment from all the partners to be a strong example of what our community can achieve while facing the challenges that await us in the future.

I wish you all an exciting 2016 and hope to see you at our upcoming events!

Sincerely, Joey Saputo President joey@fcciq.com

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LIFE & PEOPLE

A Step Toward Understanding

It’s

By Rita Simonetta

been a long journey, but for Steve Gregory, it’s all been worth it.

This past July, Gregory and his supporters took part in the second annual Walk for Remembrance and Peace in Italy, a project several years in the making.

The Montrealer founded the initiative with the goal of remembering the Canadian soldiers who lost their lives in Italy during the Second World War – and to educate those who know very little about this pivotal point in history.

“It was spectacular. There were 1,400 individuals who came to meet us – people from local businesses and schools,” Gregory recalls, adding that he already has plans to host the Walk this upcoming July 2016, which will mark the 73rd anniversary of the Canadian contribution.

Participants marched through dozens of Sicilians towns, retracing the steps taken by Canadian soldiers during the Second World War. It was in Sicily that 25,000 Canadian soldiers landed in July 1943, marking their first venture into southern Italy. The operations in and around Italy, which also included the Allied forces of Great Britain, France and the United States, has become known as the Italian Campaign. More than 93,000 Canadians helped push through the south to the north of Italy and force out the German army. Throughout the whole of the Italian Campaign, nearly 6,000 Canadian soldiers were killed; almost 600 died in Sicily alone. “We have to remember that those who fought for peace in Italy lost their lives,” said Gregory, who got the idea back in 2006.

His then 11-year-old son decided to do a school project about Canadian soldiers in the battle of Assoro (Sicily) during the Second World War. Much to both their dismay, there was virtually no information to be found. Later that year when Gregory and his family visited Catania, he saw a 26,000 square foot museum dedicated to the Allied landing with no mention of Canada. “It was the final straw,” recalls Gregory. “More Canadians landed in Sicily on July 10, 1943, than the Canadian landings on Day-D at Juno Beach.”

He realized he had to do something.

But there was a lot of work to be done. Gregory said he is indebted for the guidance and help he received from retired Canadian Armed Forces colonel Tony Battista, who Gregory calls “my biggest supporter.” Battista, who has more than 40 years experience in the Canadian military and now serves as the executive director of the Conference of Defence Associations, liaised with Italian authorities to get Gregory the access he needed. “I gave it my heart and soul,” said Battista, adding that he welcomed the opportunity to ensure Canadian wartime efforts in Sicily would be recognized. “They behaved in an incredibly professional manner. The story still remains largely untold. It’s certainly not told often enough.”

In the early stages of organizing the project, Gregory noticed Italian16

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Canadians and Italians had limited knowledge about the sacrifices and bravery of Canadian soldiers. Miscommunication, misunderstanding, a disconnection with history, and neglect were barriers to acknowledgement. And for the generation of Italians who endured the Second World War, suffering quietly seemed to be the norm. “Nobody talked about it,” Gregory said. “They were eager to leave the war behind and start fresh.”

But it also meant that the next generations were often kept in the dark about the crucial role Canadian soldiers played in Italy.

Gregory recalls walking through dozens of Sicilian towns requesting the names of those who died in the Second World War, so they could be honoured.

“Only one name was given,” Gregory said. “They simply didn’t know.” But he kept moving forward, word spread, and the initiative gained momentum. On July 2013, the inaugural Walk for Remembrance and Peace took place.

Throughout the 20-day march, participants walked through 18 towns in Sicily and laid markers for each of the Canadian soldiers. A memorial ceremony was held at the cemetery in Agira. More than 600 people took part, including local mayors and townspeople, Italian as well as Canadian troops, and volunteers.

Battista was on hand to witness the support. “Now, in many ways we have certainly put it in the conscience of both senior and younger Canadians about how the Canadians helped the local people and that legacy remains today,” he said.

The events were captured by Yukon-based filmmaker Max Fraser in Bond of Strangers, which was released in November 2015. Fraser has an intimate connection to the subject matter – his father was one of the 25,000 Canadian soldiers who landed in Sicily in 1943.

When he heard about the march, he immediately knew he wanted to be involved. “There was a lot of anticipation in terms of my own emotional journey,” he said. “I was really looking forward to seeing the places where my dad would have been in combat.”

As for his goals for the film, he said, “I hope it will travel well and will be seen by ever greater audiences to help in the cause of trying to get people to understand what happened and why it was so important and why they should remember it.”

July 2018 will mark the 75th anniversary of Canadian efforts in Sicily, and Gregory has high hopes the event will attract participation from all sides.

In the near future, he is also looking forward to replicating the Walk in Ortona (Abruzzo) and Cassino (Lazio), two other significant battlegrounds between Canadian soldiers and Nazi German forces.

Gregory is determined to bring the projects to fruition, one step at a time. “I’m trying to reclaim Canadian history,” he said, “and at the same time forge a deeper friendship between our countries.”

LIFE & PEOPLE

Linda Pagani Tells us how to make a better 4th grader

By Agata De Santis

Dr.

Linda Pagani’s research is shedding new light on the benefits of physical activity for young children. And it’s getting attention.

Last November, Pagani, a professor at Université de Montréal’s School of Psychoeducation, presented her research at a scientific symposium in Chicago organized by Coni-Italian National Olympic Committee USA and the Italian Cultural Institute. The Italian National Olympic Committee endorsed Pagani’s findings on childhood development in a widely circulated press release.

The presentation stemmed from a multi-year study that Pagani has been working on that looks at how childhood self-regulation skills and behaviours in the fourth grade can be predicted by structured and unstructured physical and nonphysical extracurricular activities at a young age. “I wanted to study what was needed for school readiness. We already knew that math, that is the preliminary knowledge of math, is important. Kids also need to have a good vocabulary, in any one language. But then there are other skills that are very important, like attention skills,” Pagani explains. “So then we asked, what about motor skills?” she continues. “Turns out it’s just as important to school readiness in children. Kindergarten motor skills predicted better reading comprehension at grade four. Then the question became what can parents do to improve motor skills?”

Pagani and her team looked at the extra-curricular activities that parents chose for their five-year-olds and how those decisions would affect the children in the long run. They divided the possibilities into four categories. The first was structured physical activities, like karate or dance, that included a leader or instructor of some sort. The second category was non-structural physical activities that involved no teacher or instructor, say a pick-up game with friends. Organized team sports fell into the third category. Lastly, extra curricular enrichment activities – music lessons, for example – fell into the fourth category.

The subjects come from the Quebec Longitudinal Study of Child Development. This study followed the progress of about 2000 children – born in 1997 and 1998 in Quebec – from birth until age fourteen in all aspects of their lives, 18

PANORAMITALIA.COM

offering researchers like Pagani an immense resource of statistical information.

Pagani’s study found that parents who chose either structured physical activities or team sports for their young children gave their children a better chance at good behaviour in the fourth grade. That good behaviour was judged by the children’s task work, collaboration skills, and their ability to respect social order. “We’re looking at something that parents are naturally making a decision about when their kids reach a certain age,” Pagani comments. “Aside from the physical benefits, structured physical activities or team sports just make better people. They help make better productive people. We’re not only influencing how kids will behave in class, but also how they will perform and how they will be in society,” she continues.

Pagani and her colleagues have published their findings in numerous academic journals, including Developmental Psychology, Mind, Brain, and Education, and the American Journal of Health Promotion.

Since 2005, Pagani has been a professor at the Université de Montréal’s School of Psychoeducation and a researcher at the CHU Sainte-Justine Research Center. Before getting her PhD in Educational Psychology, Pagani worked as a registered nurse for ten years.

Her work focuses on childhood development and the identification of factors that impact kids as they grow up, including physical activity. Pagani’s research also includes understanding the impact of poverty on children's adaptation potential and achievements. Her goal is to improve social and health policies in regards to children. “For every child that is born in Quebec, my concern is that they become productive, that they finish high school and make a contribution to society. I think it’s a deeply rooted value in my own belief system,” Pagani explains. “The dropout rate in Quebec is 34-35%. In Canada it’s 20%. We need to change that.”

For parents who are struggling to decide if the time and financial commitment needed to place their young children in sports or structured physical activities is worth it, for Pagani – whose own three children all have a black belt in karate – the answer is a resounding yes.

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LOVE LETTERS

Meeting the Love of Your Life Meeting your perfect match is the ultimate love story. We reached out to our readers to find the best stories out there.

We wanted to know where you first met, how it happened and why it was so special. Couples of all ages sent in their experiences. Grazie for all the wonderful recollections. We have included some of the most memorable ones. Viva l’amore!

Antonietta Abbatiello & Eric Grégoire, Montreal Ma conjointe et moi nous sommes rencontrés un soir de juillet 1990. C'était l'été de nos 14 ans lors d’une fête d'amis. Difficile à croire que nous soyons encore ensemble presqu'un quart de siècle plus tard. Ce n’est pas facile pour un p'tit Québécois d'arriver dans une famille italienne. Je dis souvent à la blague qu'en 2002, j'ai épousé ma conjointe et sa famille. Passage obligé? Je ne sais trop, mais une chose est certaine, je m'entends vraiment bien avec mes beaux-parents. Ils sont respectivement comme un deuxième père et une deuxième mère pour moi et je suis comme leur 3e enfant. Pareil pour les frères de ma conjointe. J'entends encore son nonno paternel qui me disait dans les années précédant notre mariage : « Piano, piano se ne va lontano » tout en cognant parallèlement ses deux index ensembles afin de nous représenter elle et moi. Avec le temps, j'ai appris l'italien (non è impeccabile, ma è abbastanza buono) et je me suis imprégné de cette culture qui, pour moi, est d’une grande richesse et qui fait désormais «parte di me ».

Aujourd'hui, Antonietta et moi sommes les heureux parents des deux beaux enfants : Chiara, 8 ans et Flavio, 16 mois. Jusqu’à maintenant, ma conjointe a vécu un parcours de vie plus difficile que le mien. Qu’on le veuille ou non, l’adversité rencontrée dans la vie rejailli sur le couple. Cet extrait de la chanson « Sei fantastica » de Max Pezzali résume bien mon admiration pour Anotnietta, car elle a su démontrer beaucoup de résilience face à ses épreuves.

Siamo qui / Tante vittorie, giorni bellissimi / Sconfitte stupide, giorni difficili / Tristezze ed euforia, gioie e dolori / Ma sento sempre che tu ci sei / Che anche quand'è dura non te ne vai / Che anche coi denti combatterai / Sempre accanto a me non mi abbandonerai / Sei fantastica, forte come il rock'n roll / Una scarica, uno shock elettrico / Sei la fonte di energia più potente che ci sia / Bomba atomica dritta nello stomaco Tania Romano, Montreal I met the love of my life 14 years ago. I was introduced to Dominic at a cousin’s house. I politely said hello to him and it ended there. I thought to myself, “What a snob.” Little did I know he had the same impression of me.

A few weeks later Dominic and I saw each other again and started spending more time with each other. We went out on our first date at Da Roberto’s where we ate ice cream and shared our first kiss. Little did we know that night would change the rest of our lives! After we dated for two years he was diagnosed with cancer. We made it through the good and the bad; it made our relationship stronger and we realized what both of us meant to each other! After eight years of marriage and two beautiful children he still manages to make me laugh, surprise me, drive me nuts, and support and encourage me. He never ceases to amaze me, and I love what we became together. I adore and love my husband more and more each day!

Isabella Trombetta & Matthew O’Neill, Rome & Montreal Both Matthew and I were in Vancouver for a Model UN conference four years ago, and we met right before the opening ceremony. In a room with 2,500 students from all over the world, destiny made our paths cross.

There was something about that first meeting that was special. Nobody could have ever thought that the way he made me laugh that night, and the goofy conversation that came after, were going to be the prelude to this beautiful love story.

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This whole time we’ve been travelling as much as possible to be together (Montreal, Reggio Calabria, Rome, Amsterdam, Sri Lanka, Brussels), especially thanks to the support of our families, and I must say that we could not be any luckier.

Despite the 6887 km distance between us, we are closer in heart than many other couples that live together. We are waiting to finish school to get our happy ending, but in the meantime we are living the best fairytale one could dream of.

Sabrina Virgilio, Montreal I met Matthew in our kindergarten class at age six. We soon became incredible friends throughout elementary school and then high school. Things really clicked and I had missed being around him so much. He asked me out on a date.

I was a little hesitant just because of our great history; I didn't want to lose him as a good friend. But I went with my gut feeling and now at age 23 I have been with my best friend for the last 10 years and we are inseparable. I love everything about him and wouldn’t change anything for the world. We hope to say I do in a couple years and we can’t wait to continue this love story together.

Silvana Agostino, Montreal I met Luca on the Internet on a rainy day on July 4, 1998. The Internet was fairly new and so there was so much to learn and explore. Luca and I started chatting and then e-mailing each other. After a few months we started talking on the phone. In May of 1999, I went to Italy to visit my grandparents in Campania. Luca drove six hours from northern Italy to Rome so we could meet in person. We spent one week together in Rome. We visited the city of love and fell in love! After one week, we each went our separate ways but continued talking on the phone. After a few days, Luca told me he was in love and couldn’t wait to see me again. He had just booked a flight to Montreal in August – we got married at the end of the month.

He moved to Montreal in October 2000, we got married in August 2002, and we now have two beautiful boys, ages 7 and 11!

Nadia Ciani, Richmond Hill, Ontario Dino is the love of my life. Over 20 years ago when I was 15 and he was 16 we met at a Halloween party at his high school gym. We went to different high schools but I was friends with a girl who lived on his street. I saw him dancing (with another girl) and asked my friend who he was. He was tall and handsome and I fell I love at first sight. She told me his name was Dino and he was her neighbour. I remember my exact words to her: “By the end of the night he will be my boyfriend.” And so it was. For four years we were inseparable. After those four years we broke up for many childhood reasons. Off we went to university and then work and we both got married to other people and had wonderful children in our first marriages. We both had two girls each in our respective marriages. Sadly, those marriages ended for us both.

After 20 years apart we found each other on LinkedIn and started an e-mail exchange. We had lunch one day, thinking we would just say hi. Love at first sight can happen twice in a lifetime. Now, more than three years since that lunch we are planning our wedding. The moral of the story is that the universe will unite you with another person if he or she really is the love of your life. I believe in love at first sight...it happened to me...twice!

GENEALOGY

Unearthing Our

The ABCs of genealogy L’ABC de la généalogie

By Sara Germanotta

A

merican philosopher George Santayana once said that “To know your future, you must first know your past.” Coming to an understanding about who we are and where we come from can take many forms, and for a lot of people, plotting their genealogical map is one way to learn more about themselves.

There are a multitude of tools out there that can help people build their family trees. The search can often begin at home with old photos and documents; local churches, hospitals, even cemeteries can also hold valuable clues to a family’s past. Once the paper trail ends, amateur sleuths can continue their detective work online, where a wealth of genealogical tools are available. Science has also helped many people unlock doors to their past with the availability of DNA testing.

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S

elon le philosophe américain George Santayana, « pour connaître son avenir, il faut d’abord connaître son passé ». Prendre conscience de qui l’on est et d’où l’on vient peut se faire de différentes façons et, pour bien des gens, explorer son ascendance est un bon moyen d’y parvenir.

Il existe une foule d’outils pour nous aider à reconstruire notre arbre généalogique. La recherche commence bien souvent à la maison à l’aide de vieilles photographies et autres documents. Les paroisses, les hôpitaux voire les cimetières peuvent aussi fournir de précieux indices sur le passé d’une famille. Une fois la piste papier épuisée, les apprentis détectives peuvent déployer leurs efforts sur Internet, où une myriade d’outils généalogiques sont à portée de main. La science contribue aussi à fournir aux gens des renseignements sur leur passé grâce aux tests d’ADN.

GENEALOGY

Suzanne Galaise’s ancestor, Severino Da Prato, born in 1835 in Fornaci di Barga, province of Lucca, with his daugther Celina her husband Jerry Lauzon, their children and Severino’s grand-children.

Mary Tedesco is a professional genealogist, speaker and author. She is also a host on the popular PBS TV series Genealogy Roadshow. A second generation Italian-American, Tedesco says she grew up listening to her grandparents’ tales about life in Italy, and her deep curiosity about each of the people behind these stories is what led her down the path toward becoming a professional genealogist. “In 2006, when I first began my genealogical journey, there were not a lot of resources for Italian genealogy. I took a very hands-on approach in learning how to do it – I got on a plane and flew to Italy to track down my ancestors. Very much an adventure,” explains the 40-year-old. “After gaining experience researching my own ancestors, I began taking clients and eventually started my business, ORIGINS ITALY.” Tedesco specialises in helping people in both the United States and Canada trace their Italian roots. She says her passion for genealogy goes far beyond mere names and dates. It’s about discovering stories and honouring the past. Tedesco has helped hundreds of people of Italian ancestry discover their origins, and she says there are many reasons why people are so interested in this type of information. “Exploring Italian ancestry is a way to reclaim a connection to Italy, especially after the immigrant generation in a family has passed away. Still others are curious if they have a royal line in the family, would like to know nonno’s immigration story, and countless other reasons.”

Tedesco says helping people discover their roots is always an amazing adventure because it often brings insight into people’s current lives. “I’ve seen numerous clients and Genealogy Roadshow guests react with laughter, tears, feelings of joy or pain, and countless other emotions to genealogical discoveries. I know several people who have found closure by uncovering a century-old family secret or felt at peace when they visited the plot of land their great grandfather farmed his entire life. Genealogy isn’t just about the information.

It’s about how these special discoveries impact each of us in a unique way,” says Tedesco.

Mary Tedesco, généalogiste professionnelle, auteure et conférencière, anime la populaire série télé Genealogy Roadshow sur la chaîne PBS TV. L’Italo-Américaine de deuxième génération explique que ses grands-parents lui racontaient toujours des histoires à propos de l’Italie, et que c’est sa passion profonde pour les personnages de ces récits de famille qui l’a poussée à entreprendre une carrière en généalogie. « En 2006, lorsque j’ai commencé à m’intéresser plus sérieusement à la généalogie, il existait peu de ressources sur la généalogie italienne. J’ai adopté une approche très proactive et me suis envolée pour l’Italie afin de retracer mes origines. Ç’a été toute une aventure », se rappelle la quadragénaire. « Après avoir gagné en expérience en fouillant mes propres racines, j’ai commencé à prendre des clients et j’ai fondé mon entreprise, ORIGINS ITALY. » Tedesco aide en particulier les Américains et les Canadiens à retracer leurs origines italiennes. Elle assure que sa passion pour la généalogie dépasse de loin la simple idée d’étudier des noms et des dates. C’est une façon de déterrer des histoires et d’honorer le passé. Tedesco a ainsi aidé des centaines de descendants d’Italiens à redécouvrir leurs origines. Elle note que plusieurs raisons poussent les gens à s’intéresser à ce type d’information : « Explorer son ascendance italienne est une façon de renouer avec l’Italie, surtout lorsque la génération immigrante d’une famille est décédée.

D’autres sont curieux de savoir si leur famille compte une lignée royale, d’autres encore veulent en apprendre davantage sur l’aventure migratoire de leur nonno [grand-père], et ainsi de suite. » Tedesco affirme qu’en aidant les gens à découvrir leurs racines, elle leur permet de vivre des expériences uniques et de mieux comprendre qui ils sont. « J’ai vu de nombreux clients et des invités au Genealogy Roadshow réagir en riant ou en pleurant, et éprouver toutes sortes d’émotions devant les révélations extraites de leur généalogie. J’ai côtoyé plusieurs personnes qui ont trouvé la paix intérieure après avoir finalement élucidé un secret de famille centenaire ou qui ont été profondément touchées par une visite sur PANORAMITALIA.COM

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GENEALOGY

amazing adventure because it often brings insight into people’s

“

current lives.

For those who are keen to discover their family’s history, Tedesco says the best place to start is right at home. Grandparents, aunts, uncles and other older relatives often hold a treasure trove of information and documentation about the history of a family. “It’s ideal to know your ancestral town or towns in Italy before beginning your search. Knowing your ancestors’ original names is also very helpf ul. If this information is not part of your family’s oral history, it is possible to find these details by researching records in Canada, the USA, and other countries where your ancestors may have lived.”

For Italian-Canadians living in Quebec, the Société généalogique canadienne-française (SGCF) is an organization that has access to a multitude of records and documents that can shed some light on the history of Quebecers of Italian descent. Suzanne Galaise, 48, is a genealogist and general director of the SGCF. She says church records are a great place to start searching for information. “Italian immigration to the province dates back to the 18th century when there were just a handful of Italians in Nouvelle France,” explains Galaise. “Most Italians are Roman Catholic and we have access to church records and civil records that can help people trace their family trees.”

Galaise, who has an Italian branch in her own family tree, says there are three main Italian parishes in Quebec: Notre-Damedu-Mont-Carmel, Notre-Dame-de-la-Défense and Notre-Damede-la-Consolata. Galaise says researching Catholic Church records will often provide the names of ancestors; their birth, baptism, marriage and death dates; occupations; and other important details about their lives.

Once amateur genealogists have exhausted the resources available to them in Canada, they can take their search online.

Mary Tedesco says there are several free websites, such as FamilySearch.org, which house a growing number of digitized Italian records, passenger manifests and immigration records, and countless other records and resources to help you with your search. But whatever road your genealogical journey takes you down, Tedesco admits that it can be an eye-opening and life-changing experience.

“Personally, I can tell you that genealogy changed the entire course of my life. I’m proud of what I do and am always excited to share this passion with others. I never take a minute of it for granted.”

Translation by Claudia Buscemi Prestigiacomo 24

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“ leurs racines leur permet

Aider les gens à découvrir

de vivre des expériences uniques et de mieux comprendre qui ils sont.

“

“ their roots is always an

Helping people discover

la terre qu’avait labourée leur arrière-grand-père sa vie entière. La généalogie dépasse la simple information. Ces découvertes nous marquent tous de façons différentes », assure Tedesco. À ceux qui souhaiteraient en savoir plus sur leur passé familial, Tedesco explique que le meilleur endroit où commencer ses recherches est à la maison.

Grands-parents, tantes, oncles et famille élargie constituent souvent une mine d’information et possèdent de nombreux documents sur l’histoire de la famille. « Il est aussi utile de connaître votre village ou vos villages d’origine en Italie avant d’entreprendre vos démarches », poursuit-elle. « Savoir le nom exact de vos ancêtres vous sera aussi d’une aide précieuse. Si cette information ne fait plus partie de l’histoire orale de la famille, il est possible de la trouver dans les registres du Canada, des États-Unis ou des autres pays où vos ancêtres auraient pu habiter. » Au Québec, la Société généalogique canadienne-française (SGCF) donne accès à une multitude de ressources qui peuvent aider à faire la lumière sur l’histoire d’ancêtres québécois d’origine italienne. Suzanne Galaise, généalogiste de 48 ans et directrice générale de la SGCF, précise que les registres des églises sont une bonne source pour entamer ses démarches. « L’immigration italienne dans le territoire qui est aujourd’hui le Québec remonte au 18e siècle, époque où seule une poignée d’Italiens vivaient en Nouvelle-France », explique Galaise. « La plupart des Italiens sont catholiques, et nous avons la chance d’avoir accès aux registres religieux et civils, qui sont fort utiles pour dresser son arbre généalogique. » Galaise, qui a elle-même une branche italienne dans son arbre généalogique, invite les gens à s’adresser aux trois principales paroisses italiennes au Québec dans le cadre de leurs recherches : Notre-Dame-du-Mont-Carmel, NotreDame-de-la-Défense et Notre-Dame-de-la-Consolata. Consulter les registres de l’Église catholique fournit souvent le nom de ses ancêtres, leurs dates de naissance, de baptême, de mariage et de décès, leur profession ou métier et d’autres éléments importants de leur vie.

Lorsque le généalogiste amateur a fini d’éplucher les ressources papier à sa disposition, il peut poursuivre ses recherches en ligne. Mary Tedesco explique que différents sites Web gratuits, dont FamilySearch.org, comptent un nombre croissant de documents numérisés liés à l’immigration.

Peu importe où vous mèneront vos recherches, Tedesco estime qu’elles comporteront fort probablement des surprises, parfois même marquantes. « Personnellement, je peux vous dire que la généalogie a changé ma vie. Je suis fière de ce que je fais et je partage toujours très volontiers ma passion avec les autres. Je ne tiens jamais mon travail pour acquis. »

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GENEALOGY

Make a Name for Yourself Tracing the origin of Italian ancestors might hold many surprises

By Sabrina Marandola

O

ur history books taught us that Christopher Columbus discovered the Americas, and John Cabot was the first explorer to claim parts of Canada. True, but let’s be more precise. The first three ships in 1492 to hit land on the western side of the Atlantic Ocean were led by Cristoforo Colombo. Five years later, it was fellow Italian explorer Giovanni Caboto who is believed to have landed in what is now Newfoundland, discovering Canada.

“His name is Jean Cabot in French and John Cabot in English. Go figure!” says Suzanne Galaise, the director general of the Société généalogique canadiennefrancaise located in Montreal.

Galaise is a genealogy expert who specializes in researching Italian ancestry. As early as 1497, ever since Giovanni Caboto was the first Italian to set foot on Canadian soil, Italian names have been changing in the New World.

Fast-forward more than 500 years, and you have families today who bear anglophone or francophone last names – perhaps never knowing their ancestors may have had Italian blood running through their veins.

How do you spell that?

Galaise says immigration played a major role in the modification of Italian names.

One significant factor was the language barrier. “They came here, to a land where there were francophones and anglophones. It wasn’t that the Italian immigrant wanted to change his name – it was that the people here didn’t understand the name properly. It’s a matter of pronunciation and spelling,” explains Galaise. “The person writing the registry just didn’t properly understand the name or didn’t know how to spell it.”

Add to that the fact that many Italian immigrants who came to Canada at the turn of the 20th century were illiterate, and therefore didn’t even know their name was spelt wrong on official documents. “Immigrants didn’t know how to read or write, so they couldn’t read the registry and correct it,” Galaise says.

According to Bruno Villata, professor of Classics, Modern Languages and Linguistics at Concordia University, when the language barrier was too high, immigrants’ last names were changed altogether. “In the past, when people had names that were incomprehensible, in some cases they were registered under the name of the town they were from,” he says.

Villata also adds that, in some cases – particularly soldiers who came to Canada – the newcomers were only known by their nicknames, and that’s how they were registered.

Nicknames Other times, however, Galaise found that some immigrants got nicknames once they were already living in Canada. “There’s one Quebecois family whose last name is L’Italien. Their ancestor was actually Stelle (as in Stella d’Italia). So some families became the Étoile families, but most became L’Italien because there were so few Italians in Quebec at the time that people nicknamed [the ancestor] L’Italien. The children then continued with that name.”

Although exact figures are not yet available on how common name changes were amongst Italian immigrants in Canada, Galaise is compiling data by going through records that date back more than 100 years. She’s starting in 1906, by analyzing the names of the couples who married that year in Montreal’s first church to serve the Italian community: Notre-Damedu-Mont-Carmel.

She then tried to track down the children of those Italian married couples via baptismal certificates. “I was able to retrace 27 baptisms of 55 couples. I saw some minor changes – possibly [spelling] mistakes made by the priest. Of the 27 baptisms, there was one major name change: Cappucilli became Cappa,” says Galaise, adding that not all name changes were unintentional or haphazard.

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GENEALOGY

“

“

Often in such cases, it was people who settled down in more rural areas. They would marry a francophone woman – her whole family was francophone – so they took a French name to integrate.

A matter of choice Some immigrants chose to change their surnames. “Names were shortened. For example, there is the name Giacomodonato. It’s so long that some families decided to make it just Giacomo,” she says. “This was at the turn of the 20th century. They arrived during the first wave of immigration around World War I. This was done really to make it easier to spell and to avoid confusion.”

For others, it was a matter of assimilation. Although they were few, some chose to translate their names altogether as a way to fit in. “It was less common, but a few of the very first Italians who came to Canada translated their name. Given that there were so few Italians here at the time, it was a way to go unnoticed and integrate into society,” Galaise says.

She found such examples, including the family name Giulia changing to Julien, and Giovanetti becoming Jovanite. “Often in such cases, it was people who settled down in more rural areas. They would marry a francophone woman – her whole family was francophone – so they took a French name to integrate.”

Galaise says name changes are just one extra twist and turn in the exciting journey of tracing one’s family tree – they’re not a dead end. “It makes searches a little more difficult because it requires more proof that it’s the same person. But in genealogy, we search using couples. There is always a man and a woman so it’s rare that both will have changed their names,” she says. “Sometimes it just requires more consideration. But there are always other elements that allow me to identify an individual: there is their first name, their age. If the person was married, I can search for the spouse. So it’s not impossible to trace back this person – not at all.”

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GENEALOGY

In His Great-Grandfather’s Footsteps

By Sara Germanotta

F

rancois-Xavier Panaccio is a fourth-generation Italian-Canadian. Born and raised in Montreal, the 35-year-old says there was not much, aside from his name, that differentiated him from the other neighbourhood kids who grew up on Côte-Sainte-Catherine Street in the Outremont district of Montreal. “Sometimes people would be surprised and curious when they heard my family name. I got called ‘Pinocchio’ a few times but that’s about it,” he recalls.

Panaccio says the only vestige of his family’s Italian roots was a meatball recipe that’s been handed down from generation to generation. “For us, food was really our only link to the Italian culture. My French-Canadian mother played a big role in passing on the family’s special meatball recipe. We call it ‘la sauce aux poulpettes’,” laughs Panaccio.

When Panaccio was in his early 20s, he started to get more curious about his Italian roots.

He says he reached a point in his life when he was starting to explore and define his own identity. The then 21-year-old decided to pursue a minor in Italian at Concordia University and started asking family members what they knew of the clan’s Italian origins. “I never got to know my Italian grandfather because he died when I was four years old.

But in speaking to some relatives, I learned that my great-grandfather immigrated to Canada in 1905 from Sant’Eusanio del Sangro, a small village in the Abruzzo region,” explains Panaccio.

The more he learned about his Italian heritage, the more curious he became about his great-grandfather’s reasons for leaving Italy. “At the time, I felt a sort of opposition between my Italian surname and my very Quebecois, very North American life. I was struggling to find myself and a part of me wanted to know why my great-grandfather left his life in Italy.”

In 2005, Panaccio’s quest for answers led him to participate in an exchange program at the University of L’Aquila. Not a big fan of flying, the young man

”

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decided to take a boat across the Atlantic – much like the voyage his greatgrandfather had embarked upon a century earlier. He found a cargo ship that was willing to take him on as a passenger and after eight days at sea, Panaccio arrived in Europe. “My experience on the ship was incredible. I was the only passenger on board. I had my own cabin with a double bed. I even had access to a lounge where I was able to watch the Titanic movie at the exact spot in the Atlantic where the ship went down. I would do it again in a heartbeat.”

While in Italy, Panaccio took the opportunity to visit his great-grandfather’s hometown. “I’ll never forget the afternoon I arrived in Sant’Eusanio del Sangro. The bus dropped me off on the small road that led up the mountain to the village,” he remembers. “I made my way to the main piazza where people were having a drink and playing chess. I asked if anyone knew anybody by the name of Panaccio. No one did.

It was a big disappointment.

But in seeing the town, I understood why my great-grandfather had left. There wasn’t much of a future there for a young 20-year-old.”

Looking back, Panaccio says visiting his great-grandfather’s village led him to a deeper understanding of himself. “I realized that I am more North American than I thought. The more I learned about my ancestors’ language and culture, the bigger the gap between us became,” explains Panaccio.

“This voyage helped me gain self-confidence. It helped fill a void in me and answered many questions. I am not Italian, but I am connected to my Italian roots to a certain extent.”

The Panaccio family continues to expand in Canada. The 35-year-old just welcomed his first child, a daughter, into the fold. He says he’s looking forward to sharing the family’s Italian backstory with his child. “One thing’s for sure, I will continue the family tradition of making pizzelle at Christmas and our famous sauce aux poulpettes. In fact, I think the poulpettes will stay in the family forever.”

Visiting his great-grandfather’s village led him to a deeper understanding of himself.

”

GENEALOGY

Finding the Missing Puzzle Piece

A cross-country quest to find a long-lost relative

W

By Sabrina Marandola

hen 21-year-old Myah Catherine Rose Wallace was browsing the Internet, she never thought it would lead to a cross-country family reunion with long-lost relatives. The Vancouver native was on a mission to find a missing puzzle piece in her family’s history – a quest driven by her grandmother’s inner turmoil. “My grandmother knew very little about her father even though she remembers him as a very important person in her life whom she loved very much,” says Wallace. Wallace’s mother, 51-year-old Angela Carroll-Wallace, encouraged her to try to find answers for her grandmother, Rose Marie. “Rose Marie knew very little of her father and missed having that knowledge. Myah wanted to find something for her that would give her [grandmother] some comfort and memory about her father.”

The stories and memories about Wallace’s great-grandfather were scarce. She only had a name to go by. “[My grandmother] only knew him as Nic Piperno.”

Wallace browsed the web, trying to find answers on genealogy sites such as Ancestry.ca.

Wallace and her mother investigated for months, even years, trying to match names and dates listed on official documents and registries.

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The missing puzzle piece to the family tree never fit…until one day they paid attention to a name that kept appearing: Domenico Piperno. “After years of searching the documents for a Nic Piperno, and many versions of the name that appear throughout the Canadian census and other documents, it dawned on me that the Domenico Piperno fit with all the details we knew – except that first name,” Carroll-Wallace said. “Myah had been looking for a Nicolas Piperno [but] it was Domenico – right in front of us.”

Domenico had always referred to himself as Nic, leaving family members to assume his name was Nicolas. With his proper name in hand, Wallace continued her research online, scanning documents and message boards. That’s when she noticed a family across the country, in Montreal, was also trying to find information about a man named Domenico Piperno.

Parallel universe In Montreal, 61-year-old Liza Garofalo Hetu also felt agitated every time she would think about the stories her late grandmother told her about her longlost brother. “My grandmother told me about her lost brother who left home

GENEALOGY

at 17 years old, and no one ever saw or heard from him again. I remember feeling so distraught for her, thinking how terrible it must be to not know what happened to him. I never forgot the desperation in her voice,” Garofalo Hetu says.

Family members in Montreal had all heard stories about how Nic Piperno was born in Montreal, and moved to Timmins, Ontario, in the late 1930s to work as a miner. He married Lillian Joyce Patterson, and raised five children until his death in 1961.

Despite having this detailed information, the family hit the same snag Wallace did in Vancouver – his name. “We just couldn’t find a Nicolas Piperno that fit with the data,” says Garofalo Hetu’s aunt, Antoinette Tozzi Bondi.

Tozzi Bondi was also searching on Ancestry.ca to help find answers about her uncle. “I remembered that there had been another name that was coming up throughout my search through the records. His name was Dominico Antonio Piperno ... We were tumbling on this name over and over, and then my mom (Piperno’s sister) had the realization that Dominico was Nicolas,” Tozzi Bondi says.

Domenico aka “Nic” Piperno pictured on left

“

Myah had been looking for a Nicolas Piperno [but] it was Domenico – right in front of us.

“

Tozzi Bondi, Garofalo Hetu and other relatives noticed a young woman in Vancouver – Myah Wallace – was searching for answers about the same name on Ancestry.ca “We contacted Myah and we quickly realized that we were family!” says Garofalo Hetu.

It wasn’t long before a family reunion was organized – almost 95 years after Domenico Piperno left Montreal and got lost from the branches of the family tree. Last August, Wallace, her mother and her grandmother flew from Vancouver to Montreal to meet about 30 Piperno relatives. “I will always remember the smiles on Myah’s and Rose Marie’s faces and their deep satisfaction in speaking with people that had only been names and dates on a page, receiving and giving hugs of welcome, having found part of their own history,” CarrollWallace says.

Garofalo Hetu agrees. “There was an immediate connection between everyone – we were sharing pictures and stories … We are sure to stay in touch.”

Wallace is proud she was able to offer her grandmother that missing puzzle piece about her family history. “My favourite moment and memory of the reunion was seeing my grandmother, Rose, so happy and so drawn to a group of strangers that looked like her and were welcoming to her. She was smiling and talking to everyone and it was so great to know that I had something to do with making that happen,” Wallace says. “I feel like Domenico would be happy his daughter found her family again.”

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LIVING ITALIAN STYLE

Go to panoramitalia.com and click on “Living Italian Style” to submit your profile!

Michael Johnny Barone Name: Michael Johnny Barone Occupation: Owner and Chef Ristorante La Molisana - Tablier Rouge Butcher Burger Bar Age: 27 Generation: Third Dad from: Jelsi, Molise & Cosenza, Calabria Mom from: Molfetta, Puglia & Cicala, Calabria Speaks: English, French, Italian, Spanish Raised in: Ahuntsic Clothes: Scotch and Soda shirt and pants Favourite boutique: I.Rags Passion: Cooking and working with my hands Goal in life: To have a cooking show and build a real estate empire.

Thing about you that would surprise most people: I like to sing.

Favourite restaurant: Mine Favourite dish: Penne Arrabiata Your best dish: Capesante con finocchio saltato e amaro Best caffè in Montreal: Caffè San Simeone Favourite aperitivo or vino: Negroni Favourite Italian saying: “Il buon giorno si vede dal mattino” 32

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You know you are ItalianCanadian if: You have a “corno symbol” around your neck.

Musical preference: Frank Sinatra Favourite Italian song: “A te” by Jovanotti Italian soccer team: Roma Best way to feel Italian in Montreal: Playing bocce in the park.

How long have you been reading Panoram? Since it came out when it was a yearly edition.

What you like most about Panoram: Its diverse articles about the different parts of Italy.

Best memory growing up Italian-Canadian: Going to nonna’s house and stealing polpette from the pot while she wasn’t looking.

Elena Cesare Name: Elena Cesare Nickname: Boho Occupation: Reporting analyst at a digital advertising agency Age: 24 Generation: Second Dad from: Caserta, Campania Mom from: Verona, Veneto Speaks: English, Italian, French Raised in: RDP Clothes: Anthropologie top, Paige denim and Zara shoes Favourite boutique: Anthropologie, Aritzia, Zara Fashion idol: Alexa Chung Passion: Making food, laughing, sleeping in, daydreaming, travelling, museums & pizza Goal in life: Make sure I go on as many adventures as I can.

Thing about you that would surprise most people: I listen to a lot more rap than I should.

Pet peeve: Basics: negative vibes Favourite dish: Anything with gluten Your best dish: My spaghetti carbonara Best caffè in Montreal: My dad’s cappuccino Preferred drinking establishment: Le Mal Nécessaire

Favourite Italian saying: “Tutti a tavola a mangiare” You know you are ItalianCanadian if: 90% of the times you call your mom, it’s to ask what’s for supper.

Favourite Italian song: “L’appuntamento” by Ornella Vanoni Best way to feel Italian in Montreal: Speaking Italian when you don’t want others to hear your conversation.

How long have you been reading Panoram?

Since 2010 What you like most about Panoram: It keeps the Italian legacy going strong in Montreal.

Best memory growing up Italian-Canadian: Helping my grandparents and parents make food.

Photography by Vincenzo D’Alto

Makeup by Jennifer Low

Location: Ristorante e Pizzeria Corneli

Massimo Di Rienzo Name: Massimo Di Rienzo Occupation: Real Estate Broker Age: 23 Generation: Third Dad from: Montorio (Campobasso), Molise Mom from: Caserta, Campania Speaks: English, French, Italian Raised in: Montreal Clothes: Zara Jeans, Simons le 31 turtle neck, Hugo Boss blazer Favourite boutique: Simons, Harry Rosen Favourite designer: Hugo Boss Fashion idol: Scott Disick Passion: Real estate, languages Goal in life: Happiness Thing about you that would surprise most people: I don’t know how to play briscola.

Pet peeve: People with bad breath Restaurant: Ristorante Beatrice Favourite dish: Seafood risotto Favourite aperitivo or vino: Jägermeister Describe your ideal night out in your city: Great evening out, supper at Bice, stroll through the casino and a classic 3 am stop at Lafleur on the way home.

Italian saying or quote: “Chi lascia la strada vecchia per la nuova sa quello che lascia ma non sa quello che trova.”

You know you are Italian when or if: Every supper ends with finocchio.

Last time you went to Italy: I've never been, sadly. Soon though.

Best Italian song: “Si turnasse a nascere” by Gigi D’Alessio Best Italian district in your city: RDP Best way to feel Italian in your city: Water the driveway and sidewalk for no reason.

How long have you been reading Panoram? Since it came out Best memory growing up Italian-Canadian: Eating stracciatella soup on snow days with my brother.

LIVING ITALIAN STYLE

Teresa Seminara Name: Teresa Seminara Occupation: Operations Manager & Graduate student in Education at McGill University Age: 26 Generation: Second Dad from: Maropati (Reggio Calabria), Calabria Mom from: Provvidenti (Campobasso), Molise Speaks: English, French, Italian, learning Arabic Raised in: Montreal Clothes: Banana Republic clothes and stilettos Favourite boutique: Banana Republic Fashion idol(s): Grace Kelly & Sophia Loren Goal in life: To live a healthy, happy and meaningful life.

Thing about you that would surprise most people: Having been appointed Master of Ceremony at two Humanitarian Leadership Conferences in Malaysia and Thailand.

Pet peeve: Litter and littering Favourite dish: Mom’s ricotta and meat cannelloni Best panino in Montreal: My sister makes awesome panini sandwiches, so why go anywhere else?

Favourite aperitivo or vino: Spritz Veneziano Favourite Italian saying: “Mangia bene, ridi spesso, ama molto” You know you are ItalianCanadian: When your sentences consist of a rich blend of English, French and Italian!

Favourite Italian city or town: Florence Musical preference: Blues Sexiest Italian: Nonna Annina, hands-down!

What you like most about Panoram: The Food & Wine & Travel sections Best memory growing up Italian-Canadian: In the kitchen, with the family, making homemade pasta, bread, pizza, wine, sausages and tomato sauce.

PANORAMITALIA.COM

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FASHION

Springin’ In Everything to help you get ready for the new season

By Alessia Sara Domanico

As

1.

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you dust those last snowflakes off your shoulders and start being optimistic that the cool air will soon turn mild, the time has also come to think about retiring that puffer jacket, hat, scarf and mitts and letting the best of spring 2016 into your life. So consider this article your springboard (pun intended) to find early inspiration for your seasonal shopping.

The general mood of the Resort and Spring/Summer 2016 collections was decidedly vibrant and sexy. Many a designer turned to Spain for a sense of warmth, which exuded through the clothes. From ruffles to off-shoulder numbers, tight pants for the gents and overall rich hues, we saw it everywhere from Michael Kors to Salvatore Ferragamo, Tory Burch and Diane von Furstenberg. These outfits will make for a dramatic transition into spring so tread with caution, once you’re in spring, there’s no going back. The bedroom vibe was also strongly felt throughout the major collections. Many a maison from Valentino to Dior was trying to pass lingerie for pret-a-porter.

Suede is the hot fabric of the season and also a way to play it safe in the shift from winter. Pick it up in a jacket, as seen with Burberry, or in a skirt that falls just below the knees as seen at Gucci. Accessories with fringe are also a good bet.

Speaking of accessories, the must-have for the ladies this coming season is the half-moon bag – an attractive crossbody that comfortably fits your daily essentials while also promoting ergonomics. For the men, it’s all about the hipster backpacks in leather or suede – practical and slim.

In terms of colour, you need to be brave because orange is back from fall and it is everywhere. You’d be pressed not to spot an orange handbag walking around London, Paris or Milan in spring – because if Michael (Kors) does it, then they all do. Salvatore Ferragamo, Prada and Gucci paid homage to the shocking hue in their ready to wear with great success. When it comes to patterns, the Scots would be proud to know that plaid is back in a major way, especially for the guys.

Look to Zegna, Dior and Burberry for cues, from light jackets to ties and shirts.

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1. Salvatore Ferragamo 2. Burberry 3. Tom Ford 4. Dior 5. Valentino 6. Fendi 7. Michael Kors 8. Paco Rabanne

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DESIGN

Foscarini WAVE room set

Foscarini FLIP room set

Foscarini Solar outdoor room set

Masiero EVA

Light it Up Illuminate your space with inspiration from the latest Italian designs

By Alessia Sara Domanico

We

have all come to know just how important artificial lighting can be for our mood, work ethic and overall environment. All it takes is a bit of harsh yellow fluorescent lighting or not enough natural lighting to flat out ruin a room. As businesses make the move towards more people-friendly lighting in the workplace, we should also be brightening up our own personal spaces with some soft lighting that comes in an attractively-fashioned container. If you aren’t sure where to start, here are some of the hottest new designs from some of the most respected Italian brands in lighting and homeware. The good news is that these brands can be found in Canada, so you can breathe easy over shipping and handling.

Suspended lighting can be intimidating, especially when we don’t have the 15foot ceilings of a Roman villa. Artemide has been clever with its Empatia product line by crafting large and transparent Venetian blown glass bulbs (no two are the same), which contain hanging LED light engines. While they do have the classic versions dangling on one foot wires, several models can be affixed directly to the ceiling, saving space with a contained hanging effect. For those with a bit more ‘dangling space,’ Oluce, Italy’s oldest lighting company (est. in 1945), has some slick propositions. Their cast aluminum ‘Kin’ lamps would look great in a set of three over a kitchen island. Keeping with a classic contemporary look is the Lustri collection from Aldo Bernardi. These suspended ceramic pendants come in plenty of different colours, patterns and styles to suit any type of suspension.

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For those in the market for high-end design, look no further than Foscarini, the lighting atelier that conceives, develops and produces lights.

This brand collaborates with a roster of talents and fashion brands such as Diesel. Their Wave set would add a modern psychedelic look to even the most plain of rooms, while the Flip design installed along the length of a wall gives off a nice set of stylish rays; think of it as the ultimate night light. For your parlour or patio, check out the brand’s Solar outdoor floor project: a contemporary hearth imagined for friends and family to gather around. The surface finishes can range from either indoor materials (glossy, dark wood) or outdoor (rusty and textured effect).

If you’re after a lavish look reminiscent of a grand ballroom, then the House of Masiero has both old-school and modern chandelier styles that exude grandeur. Their 9040 collection marries a fine metal base with decorated gold or silver leaf and bronze inserts and tops it off with a technical cone-shaped candelabrum with low voltage light bulbs to produce warm and efficient lighting that saves on energy. The bottom of the chandelier features crystal rhombus pendants in different colours for a regal finish. For something a little more of this decade, the Botero and Eva suspended lamps focus respectively on matte black or white metal that preserve a splendid outline, but give an understated timelessness.

ABRUZZO

The History and Landscape of Abruzzo Storia e paesaggi d’Abruzzo

Oratory of Santa Maria della Pieta in Rocca Calascio, Abruzzo

By Roberto Ciuffini

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ypically, one imagines Abruzzo as being an agricultural and pastoral region. The literary tradition of Italy, as exemplified by Gabriele D’Annuzio’s shepherds and Ignazio Silone’s boors, has solidified such stereotypes as to turn them into commonplace clichés,” explains History of Economics professor at the D’Annunzio University in Chieti and Pescara, Costantino Felice, in his book Il Mezzogiorno operoso (Hardworking Southern Italy).

Such a description of the Abruzzo landscape has been substantiated by a recent study undertaken by Marianna Boero, researcher in the Department of Communications Studies at the University of Teramo.

Boero analyzed the perception web users have of Abruzzo, focusing in particular on social networks, such as Facebook and Twitter, and revealed that Internet users tend to identify the region with mountains and the wilderness.

Hence the motto: “Abruzzo: the green heart of Europe.” Indeed, these catchwords are more than just a publicity stunt. With more than one-third of the landscape dedicated to national parks, the region has become synonymous with the protection of the environment. Being the largest area of unspoiled nature in Europe, Abruzzo is indeed the green heart of the Mediterranean.

Abruzzo is home to the highest level of protected areas in Italy. It has three important national parks: the National Park of Abruzzo, Lazio, and Molise; the National Park of the Maiella; and the National Park of the Gran Sasso and Monti della Laga, and many nature reserves and protected wildlife sanctuaries.

The varied landscape is undoubtedly the region’s principal attraction, responsible for its growing tourist industry.

The coastline is the main attraction for touristic holidays. New York’s Mayor, Bill de Blasio, during his stay in Abruzzo, spoke highly of Pescara, 38

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’immagine abituale che si ha dell’Abruzzo è quella di una regione agro-pastorale. È stata la grande tradizione letteraria, soprattutto quella dannunziana (con i pastori) e siloniana (con i cafoni) a imporre questo stereotipo, facendolo diventare senso comune e visione diffusa”, spiega Costantino Felice, docente di Storia dell’Economia presso l’Università D’Annunzio di Chieti-Pescara, nel suo ultimo libro Il Mezzogiorno operoso.

Questa proiezione idealtipica è stata confermata, di recente, anche da uno studio condotto da Marianna Boero, ricercatrice della Facoltà di Scienze della comunicazione dell’Università di Teramo. Analizzando la percezione dell’identità abruzzese sul web, setacciando in particolare i social network come Facebook e Twitter, la ricerca ha evidenziato come gli utenti di internet tendano a identificare l’immagine abruzzese soprattutto con la montagna e la natura selvaggia.

Da qui lo slogan “Abruzzo regione verde d'Europa”, che non è solo un facile claim pubblicitario. Con un terzo del proprio territorio destinato a parchi e riserve naturali, la regione esprime un primato culturale e civile nella protezione dell’ambiente e si colloca come maggiore area naturalistica d’Europa, vero cuore verde del Mediterraneo.

L’Abruzzo detiene il record nazionale delle aree naturali protette: tre parchi nazionali (il Parco Nazionale d'Abruzzo, Lazio e Molise, il Parco Nazionale della Maiella e il Parco Nazionale del Gran Sasso e Monti della Laga) e numerose aree protette e riserve naturali. È la varietà paesaggistica, infatti, il principale punto di forza dell’Abruzzo e il fattore di richiamo maggiore per la sua industria turistica ancora fiorente.

ABRUZZO La partita della villeggiatura abruzzese di qualità si gioca soprattutto lungo la costa. Il sindaco di New York Bill de Blasio, durante la sua vacanza in Abruzzo, l’estate scorsa, ha definito Pescara “una bella città”. Il capoluogo adriatico sorprende piacevolmente non solo per via delle sue spiagge ma anche per la sua vocazione sportiva, sulla quale la giunta guidata dal sindaco Marco Alessandrini ha puntato molto per fidelizzare i turisti. La città vanta il primato nazionale del maggior numero di palestre e piscine in rapporto alla popolazione e la scorsa estate ha ospitato manifestazioni importanti come i “Giochi del Mediterraneo sulla Spiaggia ”, che hanno visto la partecipazione dei Comitati Olimpici di 24 Paesi, e la gara dell’“Ironman Italy 2015”, che ha superato i 2 mila iscritti richiamando oltre 50 mila spettatori.

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Con un terzo del proprio territorio destinato a parchi, la regione esprime un primato culturale e civile nella protezione dell’ambiente.

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describing it as “a great city.” The region’s capital city, located on the Adriatic, offers a pleasing surprise not only for its beaches but also for its sports activities, which mayor Marco Alessandrini (who also sits on a special committee) counts on in order to encourage tourist loyalty.

Pescara boasts the most pools and gymnasiums in the country in relationship to its population. It hosted major sports tournaments like The Mediterranean Beach Games, at which twenty-four Olympic teams participated. It also organized the Ironman Italy 2015 competition where more than two thousand athletes appeared in front of over fifty thousand spectators.

In the Northern part of the region, the area of Teramo counts on cultural projects involving the restoration of historical buildings, such as the Torre Martinetti Bianchi, a tower dating back to the 15th century completely renovated and situated on the shores of Silvi Marina. Businesswoman Elisabetta Ruscitti was honoured with the title of “Superhost” a recognition given by Airbnb to deserving homeowners.

To the South, we find the Costa dei Trabocchi in the province of Chieti, which covers six miles along the coastline. Since November 2015, it has become a wildlife reserve, thereby opening a door to the development of eco-friendly tourism.

While the tourist industry on the coast is on the rise, the hinterland province of L’Aquila, which suffered a destructive earthquake in 2009, is still unstable.

The National Park of Abruzzo, Lazio, and Molise remains, however, one of the most visited by tourists from Italy and abroad according to a report written

by Ecotour 2015 for Turismo-Natura of Istat and Enit. As Camillo D’Alessandro, regional counsellor and director for Turismo, trasporto e Giubileo, (Tourism, Transport and Jubilee) explains, “This is the only European area where one can ski down a slope of two thousand metres and revel in the sea-view.”

Moreover, some promising signs are also rising out of these remote mountainous corners where a newfound typology of hotels, sought for their rustic surroundings, is on the rise.

In the Castel di Ieri arching over the massive Tiburtina Valeria in the heart of the Parco Sirente Velino, we find the paternal home of writer Elsa Morante – now owned and managed by the city – which has become a centre for study and artist residences.

In the National Park of the Gran Sasso and Monti della Laga, in the medieval town of San Stefan di Sessanio, there is the Sextantio Hotel with its

A Nord, nel Teramano, spiccano invece progetti legati alla cultura e al restauro di antichi edifici, come quello della Torre Martinetti Bianchi, un’antica torre del XV secolo completamente restaurata, situata sul litorale di Silvi Marina. L’imprenditrice Elisabetta Ruscitti si è aggiudicata il titolo di “superhost”, premio che Airbnb assegna ai proprietari di casa più meritevoli.

Verso Sud, invece, la Costa dei Trabocchi, che si estende per sei miglia marine lungo il litorale della provincia di Chieti, è diventata, a novembre 2015, parco naturale regionale, aprendo così la porta a uno sviluppo del turismo ecosostenibile.

Ma mentre sulla costa l’economia turistica è in crescita, resta ancora molto fragile nell’entroterra aquilano, penalizzato anche dal terremoto del 2009.

Il Parco Nazionale d’Abruzzo, Lazio e Molise, rimane fortunatamente, di gran lunga, il più frequentato dai turisti italiani e stranieri secondo il rapporto Ecotour 2015 sul Turismo-natura di Istat e Enit. “Questo è l’unico comprensorio d’Europa dove si scia a duemila metri di quota guardando il

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ABRUZZO

Sextantio Hotel in the medieval town of San Stefano di Sessanio

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With more than one-third of the landscape dedicated to national parks, the region has become synonymous with the protection of the environment.

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twenty-nine rooms, the creation of Daniele Kihlgren, a Milan businessman with Swedish origins. From the handcloths to the handmade bed sheets that adorn each hotel room, Kihlgren took inspiration from the 1920s photographs of Abruzzo by Swiss linguist, Paul Scheuermeier. “When I first came here fifteen years ago, the town was in total ruins. There were only twenty residents and they all believed I was crazy,” says Kihlgren. “Today people from the neighbouring towns work here. Tourists rush from across the world to visit. If the model is successful, it is because there was an absence of construction. I did the exact opposite of what we hear from Italy’s business motto: the economy only flourishes if real estate sprouts up.”

With its cultural variety and its multitude of landscapes, Abruzzo remains in large part an unexplored territory. Bordered by the Apennines on one side and the Adriatic on the other, Abruzzo has been isolated for a long time. It is only in recent years that it has begun to be rediscovered and valued. And perhaps it is this very fact that has made Abruzzo a place of beauty and fascination.

(English translation by Antonio D'Alfonso)

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mare,” spiega Camillo D’Alessandro, consigliere regionale con delega a Turismo, Trasporti e Giubileo.

Qualche segnale incoraggiante, tuttavia, arriva anche dai piccoli centri montani quasi disabitati dove si è sviluppata, gli ultimi anni, una nuova tipologia ricettiva che punta sul concetto degli alberghi diffusi in scenografie bucoliche di particolare pregio.

Il borgo di Castel di Ieri, arroccato sulla Tiburtina Valeria, nel cuore del Parco Sirente Velino, promuove studi e residenze per artisti ospitati nella casa paterna della scrittrice Elsa Morante, oggi di proprietà del Comune.

E nel Parco nazionale del Gran Sasso e Monti della Laga, nel borgo medievale di S. Stefano di Sessanio, troviamo Sextantio, albergo diffuso con 29 camere, fondato da Daniele Kihlgren, imprenditore milanese di origini svedesi.

Kihlgren, per concepire e arredare le stanze, dagli asciugamani alle coperte fatte a mano, si è ispirato alle foto scattate in Abruzzo negli anni Venti dal linguista svizzero Paul Scheuermeier. “Quando arrivai, più di 15 anni fa, il borgo era diroccato, ci abitavano venti persone. E tutti mi presero per matto”, racconta Kihlgren. “Oggi la gente della vallata viene qui a lavorare. E i turisti arrivano da tutto il mondo. Il modello funziona proprio perché non si è costruito: l’opposto del leit motiv italiano secondo cui l’economia va bene se l’edilizia tira”.

Regione variegata, dalle molteplici sfaccettature, l’Abruzzo rimane una terra in gran parte vergine e inesplorata. Incorniciato da una parte dall’Appennino e dall’altra dal mare, l’Abruzzo è rimasto a lungo discosto e appartato, e solo di recente ha iniziato a essere riscoperto e valorizzato. Ed è forse proprio in questa sua bellezza non ancora del tutto disvelata che risiede gran parte del suo fascino.

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ABRUZZO

7

cose da non perdere in Abruzzo Roberto Ciuffini

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atura rigogliosa e paesaggi mozzafiato, spiagge di sabbia candida e mare cristallino, montagne inaccessibili e borghi suggestivi – l’Abruzzo è una terra tutta da scoprire, con una varietà paesaggistica che ne rappresenta il punto di forza. Non a caso lo stemma della regione è suddiviso in tre larghe fasce trasversali: una bianca, a indicare le vette delle montagne innevate; una verde, a simboleggiare le dolci colline dell’entroterra, ed una blu, a rappresentare il mare Adriatico. Abbiamo selezionato per voi sette mete imperdibili in grado di mostrare tutta la ricchezza della storia, delle tradizioni e della cultura dell’Abruzzo.

Rocca Calascio Nel 2013 la fortezza di Rocca Calascio – una fortificazione medievale situata a 1464 metri d’altezza, all’interno del Parco Nazionale del Gran Sasso – è stata inserita dal National Geographic nella lista dei 15 castelli più belli al mondo. La costruzione originaria risale all’anno Mille. Una delle particolarità di questa

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grandiosa struttura, una volta usata come torre d’avvistamento, è quella di essere stata impiegata come set cinematografico in numerosi film, tra cui Ladyhawke, Il nome della rosa e, più di recente, di The American, con George Clooney. Sul sentiero che da Rocca Calascio porta a Santo Stefano di Sessanio, uno dei borghi più belli d’Italia, si trova anche la chiesa di Santa Maria della Pietà, un tempietto eretto tra il XVI e il XVII secolo.

Basilica di Santa Maria di Collemaggio Le origini di questa basilica – il monumento religioso più significativo dell’Aquila e uno dei più importanti di tutto l’Abruzzo – risalgono al 1287. La chiesa fu costruita per volere di un frate, Pietro del Morrone, che proprio qui, il 29 agosto del 1294, venne incoronato Papa con il nome di Celestino V. Santa Maria di Collemaggio custodisce la prima Porta Santa al mondo ed ogni anno ospita un giubileo molto singolare che rievoca il corteo della ‘Bolla della Perdonanza.’ In quell’occasione –

ABRUZZO correva l’anno 1294 – Celestino V concesse l’indulgenza plenaria a tutti coloro i quali si fossero pentiti, attraversando la Porta Santa, nelle giornate del 28 e del 29 agosto. Gravemente danneggiata dal terremoto del 6 aprile 2009, la chiesa sarà restaurata grazie a una donazione dell’Eni (Ente Nazionale Idrocarburi).

Scanno e Lago di Scanno Scanno “la perla d’Abruzzo” incastonata nell’Alta Valle del Sagittario, in provincia dell’Aquila, prende il nome dal luogo su cui sorge. Il borgo, incorniciato da montagne verdi di pini, con l’omonimo lago adagiato ai suoi piedi, è un gioiello architettonico, edificato grazie alle ricchezze dell’aristocrazia terriera. Le famiglie importanti gareggiavano per affermare il proprio prestigio con la costruzione di imponenti palazzi, arricchiti e decorati con gli elementi più vari: portali, colonne, archi, cornicioni, angeli, putti, balconi, trifore. La bellezza di questo paese si scopre addentrandosi senza meta nei suoi vicoli, dove è piacevole farsi sorprendere da un particolare curioso, un dettaglio architettonico, una visione inaspettata. Scanno è da scoprire così, lasciandosi trasportare dal piacere degli occhi.

Costa dei Trabocchi La costa meridionale abruzzese, nel tratto che va da Ortona fino a San Salvo, abbandona l’interminabile distesa sabbiosa per una natura più selvatica, fatta di calette, insenature verdeggianti e vedute panoramiche che mutano a ogni curva della Strada Nazionale Adriatica. Qui il litorale è punteggiato da macchine da pesca su palafitta che Gabriele D’Annunzio paragonò a “ragni colossali”. Sono i trabocchi, sopravvissuti da secoli alla forza del mare. Da qualche anno alcuni di essi sono stati trasformati in romantici ristoranti, vere vetrine turistiche della gastronomia abruzzese. La Costa dei trabocchi è anche ricca di riserve naturali importanti come Punta Aderci e Punta Penna, nei pressi di Vasto, o la Lecceta di Torino di Sangro. Per il viaggiatore esigente e attivo, la zona rappresenta la porta verso la conoscenza più vera dell’ambiente, della cultura e delle tradizioni abruzzesi.

Fortezza di Civitella del Tronto La Fortezza di Civitella del Tronto, che sovrasta l’omonimo comune situato nella provincia di Teramo, è un esempio interessante di architettura militare medievale, tra i più grandi e maestosi d’Europa. La sua forma ellittica caratteristica possiede un’estensione di 25,000 mq e una lunghezza di oltre 500 metri. La fortezza, con i suoi bastioni, camminamenti, piazze d’armi e alloggiamenti, fu una delle piazzaforti difensive più importanti del Viceregno di Napoli. Il complesso, ricordato anche per essere stato l’ultimo baluardo borbonico del Regno delle Due Sicilie ad arrendersi all’esercito piemontese il 20 marzo 1861, tre giorni dopo l'incoronazione del Re d'Italia Vittorio Emanuele II, è attualmente il sito turistico più visitato d’Abruzzo.

Eremo di San Bartolomeo in Legio Letteralmente scavato all’interno di uno sperone roccioso a circa 700 metri sul livello del mare, l’eremo si trova nel comune di Roccamorice, in provincia di Pescara, immerso nel silenzio dei boschi della Maiella e del Morrone. Eretto prima dell’anno Mille d.C., intorno al 1270 fu restaurato da Pietro da Morrone, futuro Papa Celestino V, il quale vi visse in ritiro tra il 1274 ed il 1276. In Abruzzo, le cui montagne costituiscono un luogo ideale per la vita ascetica (Petrarca le definì “domus Christi”), si contano più di cento eremi, la maggior parte dei quali si trovano proprio sulla Maiella.

The hermitage of San Bartolomeo in Legio

Village of Scanno, Province of L’Aquila

Castello Piccolomini e Gole di Celano Nel cuore della Marsica, Celano è una tappa obbligata se si vuole coniugare storia e natura. Nelle vie del suo centro storico si respira un’atmosfera fiabesca grazie alla presenza del medievale castello Piccolomini che domina la piana del Fucino. Ma sono le Gole di Celano-Aielli ad offrire un autentico percorso delle meraviglie. Le Gole costituiscono il canyon più noto e frequentato dell’Appennino Centrale e uno dei più suggestivi d’Italia. La valle molto profonda scavata dal torrente La Foce possiede spettacolari pareti di roccia che, nei punti più alti, superano i 200 metri di altezza. Tra la vegetazione fitta e le cascatelle d’acqua non è raro imbattersi in aquile reali, nibbi e grifoni, che qui nidificano.

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ABRUZZO

Travelling with Taste in Abruzzo Simple cuisine, mouth-watering flavours

By Robert De Viti (Food and wine critic for L’Espresso magazine guide)

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bruzzo is famous for its incredibly diversified gastronomy. Be it from the sea or from the land, the cuisine in Abruzzo is known for being “unpretentious and simple” because it makes use of local ingredients and is the result of minimal elaboration. Yet there is immense creativity in the many recipes that produce extraordinarily tasty dishes.

The recurrent protagonist of the region’s cuisine is pasta, especially spaghetti alla chitarra (a staple of Abruzzo), produced with a special contraption, appropriately known as the chittara (guitar): a rectangular frame of beechwood and thin one millimetre steel strings. The pasta is then seasoned with lamb sauce or a simple tomato and basil sauce. Many kinds of pasta are made without eggs, such as gnocchi, lasagne, and the “strozzapreti” (small gnocchi of flour and potatoes). Typical fare from the city of Teramo and its neighbouring towns are “scrippelle” (rolled crepes) prepared in chicken broth, or used for lasagna.

The mountains of Abruzzo provide the ideal environment for sheepfarming, which produces exquisite cheeses like pecorino, made according to centuries-old traditions. Pecorino can be enjoyed aged or seasoned with spices and oil or preserved in oil with spices.

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Lamb is usually served “incaporchiato” (pronounced inkaporkiato), namely boiled in water. Pork is also ubiquitous across the region. The local specialties include meat and liver sausage, smoked prosciutto (ham), ventricina, which can be consumed like small salami or spread on a slice of bread, or liver mortadella that can be mild, spicy, or mixed with honey and candied fruit.

From the mountains we make our way down to the region’s Adriatic blue seas where we find rockfish, octopus, sole, shrimp, and other shellfish that are served in a feast of recipes, ranging from soups with diverse spices and ingredients, fish broths, to sauces flavoured with ubiquitous hot peppers and fresh tomato.

Restaurants in Abruzzo - A mixture of tradition and modernity Above and beyond this abundance, the cuisine from Abruzzo is constantly evolving and is nowadays taking measured steps toward modernity, encouraging legendary cooks and the new generation of restaurateurs to embrace new culinary challenges.

Quality is the keyword in regards to ingredients and client hospitality,

ABRUZZO

Spaghetti alla chitarra

together with affordable costs – be it in restaurants or in hotels. “What might be missing today is an integrated system which could interconnect wine-makers, the food industry, restaurateurs, and hoteliers into an organic marketing consortium for the region,” suggests Chef Niko Romito, forty-one-year-old proprietor of Reale restaurant, a 3 Michelin starred institution rated 19,5/20 in I Ristoranti d’Italia guide published by L’Espresso. It is located in Castel di Sangro, 120 kilometres south of L’Aquila. “Especially in the interior parts, Abruzzo is unlike other Italian regions because it can take advantage of pristine lands, which still provide authentic products. Quality produce is integral to a cook. This is the reason why, as a chef, I cannot neglect being in continual contact with producers, farmers, and shepherds of the region.”

Besides Romito’s Reale (the only 3 Michelin starred restaurant in the region), there are six other Michelin starred restaurants in Abruzzo : Magione Papale with Chef William Zonfa (L’Aquila); Villa Maiella of the Tinari cousins, Giuseppe and Angela (Guardiagrele); the Metrò belonging to Nicola Fossaceca (San Salvo); the Bandiera of Marcello Spadone (Civitella Casanova); and the Café les Paillotes owned by Matteo Iannacone (Pescara). This fact alone places the region in tenth place in the ranking of notable centres of Italian gastronomy.

In addition to these stellar establishments, Abruzzo has been awarded

nine recognitions in the Bib Gourmand guide that acknowledged restaurants that guarantee top-notch meals, faithful to the traditions of the land, with menus that promise complete meals costing less than 35 EUROS. Restaurants worthy of particular mention are: The Trattoria Trita Pepe in Manopello Scalo, where one can taste excellent pork loin marinated in black sesame and pepper sauce; the Taverna 58 in Pescara, which provides traditional meals such as pecora al tegame (lean sheep meat in a pan); the Locanda del Baron in Caramanica, its speciality b eing ravioli stuffed with ricotta cheese, black pig’s guanciale and pecorino, grilled sheep ribs, and ricotta mousse covered with sainfoin honey; the Madonnina in Opi, with its offerings of grilled meats and a generous selection of cold meats, cheeses and freshly baked pastries; the Taverna de li Caldora in Pacentro, famous for its leg of lamb with herbs from the Majella; the Clemente in Sulmona, where one must not miss its pappardelle with creamy ricotta, guanciale, pecorino, and saffron; the Osteria dal Moro in Giulianova with its appetizing mixture of fried foods; the Bacucco d’Oro in Pineto that serves traditional meals such as spaghetti alla chittara and meatballs and the typical rosted bacalà (cod); and last but not least, the 3 Archi in Notaresco that serves chitarrina all’abruzze (thin pasta), shoulder of lamb and a pizza dolce (sweet pizza).

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ABRUZZO

Pallotte cacio e uova Pallotte cacio e uova, sheep’s milk cheese and egg balls, is an exquisite dish inspired by Abruzzo’s traditional cucina povera (poor man’s cusine). The dough is obtained by combining a little bit of stale bread breadcrumbs, semi-aged pecorino cheese (crumbled or coarsely grated), and well-beaten eggs.

Le pallotte cacio e uova, a base di formaggio di pecora ed uova, sono un piatto squisito della cucina povera della tradizione abruzzese. Si tratta di un impasto composto da poca mollica di pane, formaggio pecorino poco stagionato, sbriciolato o grattugiato Ingredients (serves 4) / Ingredienti (per 4 persone)

For the sauce / Per il condimento • 400 g ripe tomatoes / 400 g di pomodori maturi • 1 garlic clove, finely chopped / 1 spicchio di aglio • ½ onion, finely chopped / ½ cipolla • Basil / Basilico • 3 Tbsps. extra-virgin olive oil / 3 cucchiai di olio extravergine • Salt and pepper to taste / Sale e pepe qb 46

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Instructions for the sauce In a large pan, heat the oil and sauté the finely chopped garlic and onion. Add the tomato (fresh or tomato sauce in a bottle), and a glass of water, then cook for about ten minutes. Once the water evaporates, add some basil and complete the cooking time. Transfer the fried tiny pallotte to the sauce and simmer for a few minutes, stirring occasionally. Serve pallotte cheese and eggs on a plate garnished with basil sprigs.

Istruzioni per le Pallotte Bagnate il pane raffermo nel latte finché non otterrete un composto omogeneo.

Successivamente, strizzate il composto, in modo da eliminare il latte. In una ciotola, mescolate le uova con il pecorino grattuggiato, un poco di prezzemolo tritato finemente, l’aglio tritato ed un pizzico di pepe; quindi, lasciate riposare per un’ora.

Formate delle pallotte e friggetele in olio extravergine (o un buon olio di semi di arachide) ad una temperatura medio-alta; quindi, mettetele su della carta assorbente per eliminare l’olio.

Istruzioni per il condimento In una padella larga versate l’olio e soffriggete l’aglio e la cipolla tritati. Aggiungete il pomodoro (fresco o in bottiglia), un bicchiere d’acqua e cuocete per circa dieci minuti. Una volta evaporata l’acqua, aggiungete del basilico e terminate la cottura.

Unite le pallotte fritte al sugo e lasciate cuocere a fuoco lento per qualche minuto, mescolando di tanto in tanto. Servite le pallotte cacio e uova decorando il piatto con rametti di basilico.

Recipes translated by Claudia Buscemi Prestigiacomo

For the Pallotte • 400 g stale bread / 400 g di pane raffermo • 300 g pecorino cheese / 300 g di formaggio pecorino • 4 eggs / 4 uova • 1 garlic clove, finely chopped / 1 spicchio di aglio • 1 glass of milk / 1 bicchiere di latte • 1 Tbsp. minced parsley / 1 cucchiaio di prezzemolo tritato • Extra-virgin olive oil / Olio extravergine di oliva • Salt and pepper to taste / Sale e pepe qb

Instructions for the Pallotte Soak the stale bread in milk until you obtain a uniform mixture. Squeeze the mixture to eliminate milk. In a mixing bowl, combine the eggs with the grated pecorino cheese, a little bit of minced parsley, the finely chopped garlic, and a pinch of pepper. Let the mixture rest for one hour. Shape the mixture into tiny balls and fry in extra-virgin olive oil (or a high-quality peanut oil) over medium-high heat. Then place them on a paper towel so the excess oil drips off.

ABRUZZO

Arrosticini (aka spiducci)

Arrosticini (“Rustelle” in the hinterland of Pescara, where the tradition is stronger) is a typical street food from Abruzzo. These delicious skewers are traditionally made with small chunks of ovine meat (sheep or mutton) but also lamb or even pork.

Gli arrosticini (“rustelle” nell’entroterra pescarese, dove la tradizione è più radicata), sono uno ‘street food’ tipicamente abruzzese. Questi deliziosi spiedini sono tradizionalmente fatti con piccoli tocchi di carne ovina (pecora o castrato) ma, alle volte, anche di agnello o di maiale.

Instructions The meat selected has to be of a very high quality with about a quarter of fat, and cut into small cubes.

In a bowl, mix six tablespoons of oil with four tablespoons of white vinegar or lemon, the rosemary sprigs and salt to taste. Cut the meat into small chunks and marinate for about 30 minutes.

Thread the meat cubes onto the skewers, alternating one piece of lean meat to a very fatty chunk to keep the meat moist and tasty.

Put arrosticini on a hot grill and cook for about 5-7 minutes, turning them on each side. The best way to cook arrosticini is the traditional “fornacella”, a special charcoal barbecue with a long and narrow rectangular shape. There are also some skewer racks adapted for traditional barbecues.

Serve arrosticini very hot with a drizzle of lemon juice and a sprinkle of salt. Arrosticini’s inseparable companions are a bruschetta and a glass of a good Montepulciano d’Abruzzo wine.

Istruzioni Ingredients / Ingredienti • 12 – 20 wooden or metal skewers / 12-20 spiedini di legno o di metallo • 700 g lamb or sheep meat cut into little cubes / 700 g carne di pecora o di agnello tagliati a cubetti • 2 rosemary sprigs / 2 rametti di rosmarino • 1 lemon or 60 ml white vinegar / 1 limone o 60 ml aceto bianco • Salt to taste / Sale qb • Olive oil / Olio d’oliva

La carne selezionata deve essere di primissima qualità, con circa ¼ di grasso, e tagliata a cubetti.

In una ciotola, mescolate sei cucchiai d’olio con quattro cucchiai di aceto bianco, i rametti di rosmarino e sale quanto basta. Tagliate la carne a tocchettini piccolini e fatela marinare per circa 30 minuti.

Infilzate i cubetti negli spiedini, alternando un bocconcino di carne magra a uno invece molto grasso così da mantenere la carne morbida e saporita.

Disponete gli arrosticini sulla griglia del forno ben caldo e cuoceteli per circa 5-7 minuti girandoli su ogni lato. Il modo migliore per cuocere gli arrosticini è la “fornacella”, un barbecue alla brace di forma stretta e lunga. In alternativa, esistono anche griglie adatte ai barbecue tradizionali.

Servite gli arrosticini caldissimi con una spruzzata di limone e con una spolverata di sale. Compagni inseparabili degli arrosticini sono una bruschetta di pane casereccio e un bicchiere di buon Montepulciano d’Abruzzo.

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ABRUZZO

Piazza Duomo, L’Aquila

L’Aquila 7 anni dopo Luci e ombre di una ricostruzione Roberto Ciuffini

La

prima impressione che ha chi visita L’Aquila – sette anni dopo la tragica notte del 6 aprile che costò la vita a 309 persone – non è più quella di una città inanimata, ma quella di un luogo in cui è tornata a scorrere la vita.

Le centinaia di gru che svettano dal centro storico, visibili già arrivando dall’autostrada per Roma, sono il segno tangibile che la città sta pian piano rinascendo, come l’Araba Fenice, l’uccello mitologico che risorgeva dalle proprie ceneri dopo la morte.

A certificare questa ripresa sono anzitutto i dati sulla ricostruzione forniti dal Comune: il 98% delle periferie è completato, più di 50 mila persone sono rientrate nelle loro abitazioni e in centro si contano oltre 350 aggregati (ognuno dei quali formato da decine di edifici) da cui sono partiti i lavori.

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Dopo anni di fondi fatti arrivare con il contagocce, il Governo ha finalmente stanziato la cifra necessaria a garantire un flusso di finanziamenti costante: 6 miliardi di euro, spalmati fino al 2019.

Relegata per tanto tempo a problema locale, la ricostruzione dell’Aquila è tornata a essere una questione nazionale. Lo ha ribadito anche il presidente della Repubblica, Sergio Mattarella, nella visita tenuta in città lo scorso 16 novembre: “L’Aquila è una sfida che interessa l’intero Paese. Dalla ricostruzione del suo tessuto urbano è in gioco la capacità di confermare il modello Italia”.

Il Comune ha scelto di iniziare dal rifacimento dell’asse centrale, quello in cui oggi si possono ammirare i primi palazzi risanati. La ricostruzione dei monumenti di interesse storico e artistico, comprese le chiese, è gestita direttamente dalle sedi distaccate del ministero dei Beni culturali ed è quella che sta marciando più velocemente.

ABRUZZO È l’architetto Alessandra Vittorini, direttrice della Soprintendenza unica per il Cratere, a fornire qualche numero: “700 milioni di euro spesi, 600 per il patrimonio privato e 100 per quello pubblico. 80 cantieri pubblici e 120 privati attivi, di cui un terzo già completato o in via di ultimazione”. A maggio scorso è stata riaperta al pubblico la chiesa di S. Bernardino, una delle più importanti della città, e nel 2017 tornerà agibile, grazie all’Eni che pagherà il restauro, S. Maria di Collemaggio, la basilica fatta costruire da papa Celestino V e che ospita la prima Porta Santa del mondo.

Ma se nel centro storico è tutto un fiorire di cantieri, non si può dire lo stesso per le oltre trenta frazioni del Comune e per gli altri 56 Comuni del cosiddetto Cratere sismico.

In questi borghi i ritardi sono ancora molti e nei nuovi villaggi satellite, sorti intorno alle rovine dei vecchi paesi, mancano piazze, luoghi di ritrovo e di passeggio.

Si vive nei Map (moduli abitativi provvisori) o negli insediamenti del Progetto Case, che, oltre a essere privi di servizi, iniziano anche a mostrare i primi segni di cedimento strutturale.

Rimettere a posto solo le case e gli edifici non è sufficiente. Se non vuole diventare un museo a cielo aperto, L’Aquila deve provare a ricostruirsi anche

dell’Istituto Nazionale di Fisica Nucleare (i più grandi laboratori sotterranei del mondo) e il Gran Sasso Science Institute, la scuola internazionale di dottorato nata dopo il terremoto.

L’Università dell’Aquila, del resto, ospita già, al suo interno, strutture diventate fiori all’occhiello nell’ambito della ricerca applicata.

Una di queste è potuta nascere grazie a una donazione di 2 milioni di dollari fatta dall’Abruzzo Earthquake Relief Fund (Aerf) di Toronto. Si tratta del Centro di Ricerca in Diagnostica Molecolare e Terapia inaugurato nel maggio 2013 alla presenza del senatore Consiglio Di Nino (rappresentante dell'Aerf).

“L’Aerf ” spiega Pal Di Iulio, ex direttore del Colombus Centre di Toronto, “ha deciso di finanziare un laboratorio perché subito dopo il terremoto c’era la paura che studenti, professori e ricercatori potessero trasferirsi altrove, creando un grande vuoto”.

Sono molti i progetti e le iniziative benefiche finanziate grazie alla generosità del Canada. Il governo federale ha stanziato 5 milioni di dollari per la costruzione di un centro polivalente – dotato di palestra, sale studio e sale conferenza – utilizzato dagli universitari; mentre la comunità di Montreal, insieme a quella di Hamilton, Ottawa e Toronto, tramite il

come città del futuro. Una città dall’alta qualità della vita, attrattiva e appetibile soprattutto per i giovani.

Per la ripresa economica, il Governo ha stanziato 400 milioni di euro, che serviranno soprattutto ad attrarre nuove imprese: startup e aziende ad alto tasso di innovazione tecnologica.

Il fulcro attorno al quale ruoterà questo processo sarà l’università, da sempre vero motore economico della città.

Dopo un lungo periodo di esenzione, dallo scorso anno gli studenti universitari sono tornati a pagare le tasse. Una misura che ha avuto contraccolpi significativi, causando un calo delle iscrizioni (diminuite del 12,8%) e delle immatricolazioni (crollate del 39%). Dati che, però, non sembrano preoccupare più di tanto i vertici dell’ateneo. “Ce lo aspettavamo,” è stata la replica della rettrice Paola Inverardi, che è disposta a sacrificare qualche iscritto in cambio di un’offerta formativa più selettiva e di migliori servizi per gli studenti.

L’obiettivo a lungo termine è mettere l’università al centro di un nuovo polo di eccellenza che includerà anche altre strutture altamente specializzate presenti sul territorio – come i Laboratori Nazionali del Gran Sasso

Consiglio degli italo-canadesi del Quebec, ha raccolto 880 mila euro che sono serviti a finanziare la costruzione del villaggio map di Onna, una delle frazioni più colpite dal terremoto. Ma la rinascita dell'Aquila passa anche dal ritorno alla vita dei suoi luoghi di cultura.

Lo scorso 19 dicembre, alla presenza del ministro dei Beni Culturali Dario Franceschini, è stata inaugurata nei locali dell’ex mattatoio comunale la nuova sede del Museo nazionale d’Abruzzo. Ospitato fino al 6 aprile 2009 in un’ala del cinquecentesco Castello Aragonese (ancora inagibile), il museo ha riaperto i battenti nell’ex area industriale dismessa e appositamente riqualificata, situata a due passi dalla Fontana delle 99 Cannelle, monumento della città. La collezione del museo va dall’archeologia al XVIII secolo ed è ricca di opere di grande valore: una su tutte, il Trittico di Beffi, capolavoro del gotico internazionale.

L’Aquila, sette anni dopo, è una città in cui molto è stato fatto, ma molto resta ancora da fare. È un luogo in cui le cicatrici del trauma sono ancora visibili, ma è anche una città laboratorio, una riserva straordinaria di opportunità, che spetterà in primis ai suoi abitanti non sprecare.

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ABRUZZO

The Abruzzesi of Montreal Gli abruzzesi di Montreal

By Agata De Santis

F

or almost 47 years, the Abruzzesi of Montreal have come together to celebrate and embrace the traditions of their homeland. The Associazione Famiglia Abruzzese di Montreal has made those gatherings a reality.

The Association was founded in 1969. Its members come from the Italian provinces of Pescara, L’Aquila, Chieti, and Teramo, all in Abruzzo. Although membership had been in decline in recent years, the Association presently boasts over 300 members. “The Association was created to keep together the Abruzzesi, to come together socially, to keep the traditions going,” president Guido Piccone explains.

Originally from the town of Torricella Peligna, in the province of Chieti, Piccone has held the post of president since 2003.

Over the years the Association has run a number of activities and events, most notably, the annual Festa di San Gabriele in the first week of July at Madonna Di Pompei Church and Hirondelles Park, and the annual Babbo Natale festivities for its youngest members.

The Association’s social calendar also includes a trip to the Cabane à sucre, an annual community picnic in Mascouche, two religious pilgrimages, one to Sainte-Anne-de-Beaupré in Quebec and the other to the Notre-Dame de la Salette Sanctuary in Massachusetts, an annual Messa per i Defunti, and the occasional performance from an Abruzzese artist.

In 1981, the Association purchased a building at 4222 Boulevard Gouin Est in Montreal-North. A modest two-storey building, the space continues to be the group’s headquarters and gathering space for some of its activities. The space also holds a small library with books on the Abruzzese cultural history and customs.

The Association was able to purchase the building through fundraising efforts. But Piccone admits that the Board of Directors has decided to put the building up for sale as city taxes are rising at an exuberant rate.

If and when the building is sold, members will continue to gather in the space for an occasional bingo night, a game of Scopa or Briscola, or other organized activities. “We used to have weekly Bingo nights and card playing 50

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Da quasi 47 anni, gli abruzzesi di Montreal si riuniscono per celebrare ed abbracciare le tradizioni della loro terra natia. L’Associazione Famiglia Abruzzese di Montreal rende quegli incontri una realtà.

L’Associazione è stata fondata nel 1969. I suoi soci giungono dalle province italiane di Pescara, L’Aquila, Chieti e Teramo. Tutte in Abruzzo. Sebbene le iscrizioni siano diminuite negli ultimi anni, l’associazione conta attualmente oltre 300 membri. “L’Associazione è stata creata per mantenere uniti gli abruzzesi, per riunirsi, per portare avanti le tradizioni,” spiega il presidente Guido Piccone.

Originario del paesino di Torricella Peligna, nella provincia di Chieti, Piccone ricopre il ruolo di presidente dal 2003.

Nel corso degli anni l’Associazione ha organizzato un certo numero di attività ed eventi, in particolar modo la festa annuale di San Gabriele, la prima settimana di luglio nella Chiesa della Madonna di Pompei ed al Parco Hirondelles; nonché, le celebrazioni annuali di Babbo Natale per i suoi soci più giovani.

Il calendario degli eventi sociali include anche una gita alla Cabane à sucre, un picnic annuale della comunità a Mascouche; due pellegrinaggi religiosi, uno a Sainte-Anne-de-Beaupré in Quebec e l’altro al santuario di Notre-Dame de la Salette in Massachusetts; una messa annuale per i Defunti e, occasionalmente, lo spettacolo di un artista abruzzese.

Nel 1981 l’Associazione ha acquistato un edificio al 4222 di Boulevard Gouin Est a Montreal-Nord. Un immobile modesto a due piani la cui superficie continua ad essere il quartier generale del gruppo e il luogo d’incontro per alcune delle attività. Lo spazio include anche una piccola biblioteca con libri sulla storia culturale e le tradizioni dell’Abruzzo.

L’Associazione è stata in grado di acquistare lo stabile attraverso raccolte di fondi. Piccone, tuttavia, ammette che il consiglio d’amministrazione ha deciso di mettere lo stabile in vendita a causa dell’aumento esorbitanti delle tasse municipali .

Se e quando l’edificio si venderà, i soci continueranno ad incontrarsi, sporadicamente, per una serata di bingo, per una partita a scopa, briscola o per altre attività organizzate.

ARTS & CULTURE

una vita per il vetro Da Murano alla Sandra Ainsley Gallery di Toronto

raneità, personale, nei limiti del possibile,” afferma, spiegando perché le sue opere facciano parlare di un nuovo Rinascimento.

Basta dare un’occhiata a uno dei video in rete che lo riprendono al lavoro, per immaginare l’emozione e le sensazioni di cui parla. Il maestro e i suoi collaboratori, la sua “piazza” (termine muranese che indica una squadra generalmente di 2-3 persone), sono in perfetta sintonia. “Una volta qualcuno lavorava da solo e faceva cose meravigliose. Io non l’ho mai fatto e non mi diverte farlo.

Per me è molto soddisfacente il lavoro di squadra che è, inoltre, un modo per creare artisti nuovi. Ci vuole una comunione d’intenti. Con i miei assistenti lavoro volentieri. Credo ci sia bisogno di questa complicità.”

Artisti del calibro di Tagliapietra, riconosciuti a livello internazionale, aiutano sicuramente un antico mestiere, un’arte che rischia di trasformarsi drasticamente, se non addirittura di scomparire. “Penso che il vetro soffiato non goda al momento di buona salute perché è cambiato l’assetto sociale di Murano e di tutto l’ambiente europeo. Il vetro, nell’artigianato, è stato messo in crisi dall’avvento delle macchine. Tuttavia, la materia vetro vivrà per sempre, sia sotto l’aspetto culturale che artistico,” spiega. “Murano non gode di buona salute, perché siamo passati da una fabbrica in cui si dispensava cultura a dei piccoli studi dove dei maestri, seppur bravi ed eccezionali, lavorano da soli. Lo studio crea una specie di monocultura. Si trasmette una tecnica che però è una sola. Al contrario, in fabbrica lavoravano contemporaneamente 10-12 maestri con tecniche diverse. Un giovane le apprendeva e poi sceglieva secondo le proprie attitudini.”

Tagliapietra crede che per proteggere questa tradizione sia indispensabile fare cultura. Secondo lui bisognerebbe rimodellare la stessa Murano creando, magari, un museo d’arte moderna, che sia anche luogo di studio, punto d’incontro internazionale volto a rivitalizzare l’arte attraverso la sua conoscenza storica. Del resto, sin dalla fine degli anni ’70, questa sua apertu-

ra lo ha portato a collaborazioni internazionali che lo hanno impegnato dall’America all’Europa, dall’Asia all’Oceania. “Bisogna essere un po’ più aperti con un approccio più internazionale. Bisogna abbracciare il nuovo portando con sé il vecchio, la tradizione, come esperienza tecnica,” conclude, ottimista e fiducioso.

Lino Tagliapietra alla Sandra Ainsley Gallery : dal 16 marzo al 14 maggio, 2016 www.sandraainsleygallery.com

*Certaines conditions s’appliquent, Visiter www.lexim.ca pour plus d’info.

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ARTS & CULTURE

The Many Musical Faces of

Paul Cargnello

By Agata De Santis

“B

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Photography by Tristan Brand

asically I just eat, sleep and breathe art,” Montreal singer/songwriter Paul Cargnello muses as he begins to list what he’ll be up to this year.

This month, Cargnello and his brother Christopher – also known as the Skinny Bros – are set to release Party Gras, a New Orleans themed full-length album featuring collaborations with over a dozen local and international artists, including James Di Salvio of Bran Van 3000 fame, local Montreal artists Sarah MK and Coral Eagan, Nomadic Massive, and Lee Oskar from War. “The album features songs we wrote for other people to sing,” Cargnello explains. “I obviously believe in what I do. But I don’t believe I’m the right singer for all that I write. So my brother and I made a list of singers that would be perfect for our songs. And then we went out and contacted them.”

Much to their surprise, many of the singers they contacted agreed to be part of the album. “Lee Oskar, for example. We had performed together on a Bad News Brown tribute song. We got to be friends. And so we contacted him to see if he wanted to play on the record. He said yes,” Cargnello comments. “We also finally got to collaborate with James Di Salvio.”

“My Baby Go Fait Dodo”, the first single off the album, was released on Mardi Gras (February 9).

Later this year, Cargnello will release his 11th solo album. This is his first French-language album since 2012. “In the last year I decided that it would be time to do another French album,” Cargnello explains.

Intense Cité is also a collaborative project, this time between Cargnello and lyricist Siou. The collaboration began when Montreal’s L’Itinéraire Magazine approached Cargnello to participate in a program that coupled established artists with people suffering homelessness to work together on a song. Cargnello has been a long-time community activist and spokesperson for Sac À Dos and other anti-poverty initiatives. He gladly accepted the challenge. “I didn’t want to stop at one song,” Cargnello explains. “So we did a whole record together. We worked on it for about a year. It’s all of his lyrics and I’m interpreting his lyrics.

This is going to be a revenue stream for Siou. It’s really going to help him directly,” he adds.

His last solo album was released in 2014. The Hardest Part Is You May Never Know saw Cargnello team up with fellow punk rock survivors Stomp Records. The album showcased his influences and was a hybrid of new punk, rock and blues.

Cargnello has been writing, performing and touring since the age of fifteen. His first band, The Vendettas, was a staple in the local Montreal indie music scene for over five years. In 2003, Cargnello released his first solo album, Lightweight Romeo. He would soon go on to release numerous English- and French-language albums that have won him critical and commercial acclaim. His French-language albums in particular have brought him success in both Quebec and France. His 2007 single, “Une Rose Noire,” reached the Top 10 charts in Quebec.

In 2012, Cargnello started Skinny Bros with brother Christopher.

Together, the brothers also act as music composers and house band for The Street Speaks on MAtv. When he’s not working on his own music, Cargnello is producing the work of both upcoming and established artists in his newly minted studio space. “Up to now I’ve been recording at home in my living room and dining room. It’s an interesting ambiance because I never leave my home.

But I don’t want to always be at home. I want to be able to escape my work environment,” Cargnello laughs. “It’s a really interesting juxtaposition. I will meet thousands of people when I’m touring. I become a social animal. Then sometimes I’m at home recording with no social contact.”

The Skinny Bros will be officially launching their new album, Party Gras, on February 18 at Bleury-Bar à Vinyle in Montreal. The album will be available on vinyl and as a digital download. Paul Cargnello’s new solo album is set for release later this year.

ADVICE

La Risurrezione di Cristo… fondamento della nostra fede Nicola Di Narzo

N

ella mentalità odierna, il Natale è diventato un po’ il centro dell’attenzione, per una certa euforia nei preparativi e soprattutto nello shopping.

In effetti, la nascita di Gesù Cristo è un fondamento indispensabile della nostra fede: ci ricorda che Dio è venuto nel nostro mondo e si è fatto carne per assumere la nostra natura umana e quindi redimerla. Ma cosa sarebbe il valore della nostra fede se Gesù, fattosi carne, morto per amore nostro, non fosse risorto? Dove sarebbe la nostra speranza?

La nostra fede sarebbe vana, come dice San Paolo (1 Cor, 15-18). La Risurrezione è un evento fondamentale, un cardine della nostra fede, poiché ci ricorda che Gesù Cristo, quell’uomo nato in mezzo a noi, che ha risuscitato i morti e guarito i malati, che è stato flagellato, coronato di spine, crocifisso e morto per amore nostro, è anche Dio. Egli, infatti, ha potere sulla vita e sulla morte ed è vivo in mezzo a noi, nonostante che gli uomini credessero di averlo fatto fuori.

La Risurrezione di Cristo è dunque un grido di vittoria sul peccato e sulla morte, e ci ricorda che Dio è più forte del male che ci circonda e ne uscirà sempre vittorioso.

La vigilia Pasquale fa memoria di questa vittoria, in tutta la liturgia. È, infatti, la celebrazione più lunga dell’anno: può durare quasi due ore ed anche di più, a seconda dei canti e delle letture.

Aspettando il tramonto, si prepara fuori un fuoco che viene benedetto e nel quale si accende il cero pasquale che simboleggia la luce della Risurrezione, la vittoria della luce sulle tenebre. Si entra allora in una chiesa buia e poco a poco, ad ogni “Lumen Christi” (luce di Cristo) cantato, si accendono le candele per giungere finalmente nel santuario della chiesa dove si canta “l’Exultet” (canto di vittoria del Cristo Risorto).

All’inizio della celebrazione, nella penombra, ci sono sette letture dell’Antico Testamento che ci aiutano a ricordare il piano di salvezza di Dio nella storia dell’umanità e fanno memoria dei sette giorni della creazione, che rispecchiano i sette giorni della settimana. Si canta allora il “Gloria”, le cui parole esprimono lodi e richiamano le fondamenta della nostra fede nella Trinità (Padre, Figlio e Spirito Santo).

Durante il canto del “Gloria”, si accendono le luci della Chiesa e si suonano le campane, rimaste mute durante tutta la Quaresima. C’è poi un’ottava lettura, questa volta del Nuovo Testamento, che ci ricorda che dopo il settimo giorno vi è l’ottavo giorno, il giorno nuovo della Risurrezione.

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Risurrezione del Cristo, Piero della Francesca (c. 1450)

Si conclude quindi con la lettura del Vangelo ed il resto della celebrazione eucaristica, con eventualmente dei battesimi. Tutta la cerimonia diventa allora un elogio della Potenza di Dio Padre che ha mandato Suo Figlio nel mondo per amor nostro. Gesù è morto e Risorto per la remissione dei nostri peccati ci invia lo Spirito Santo come protettore fino al giorno del Suo ritorno.

Lungo l’anno, il cero pasquale della vigilia ci accompagna e viene acceso al momento dei battesimi ed anche nei funerali, per ricordarci che la morte non ha vinto sulla nostra umanità, ma che Cristo promette la vita eterna a chi crede e spera in Lui. Ci ricorda anche che la nostra fede non è basata su concetti teorici, né su supposizioni o oggetti vari, ma sulla persona di Cristo, che è sempre vivo in mezzo a noi, anche se non in forma visibile.

La prossima volta che visiterete delle chiese (soprattutto di epoca antica), vi invito ad andare a vedere il battistero. La sua forma ottagonale richiama il concetto degli otto giorni al quale ho fatto riferimento qui sopra. Spesso, vi troverete sette scalini per entrarvi e otto per uscirne. Tutto per ricordare che siamo stati battezzati nella morte di Cristo, ma saremo anche vivi grazie alla Sua Risurrezione.

Il Dio di Gesù Cristo è dunque un Dio vivo che ci promette la vita e non la morte, la vittoria e non la sconfitta quando poniamo in Lui tutta la nostra speranza. Egli ci interpella a restare sempre saldi nella fede sapendo che un giorno, come Gesù è asceso al cielo, così tornerà in mezzo a noi per la venuta del Regno di Dio (cf. Att 1, 9-11). Dobbiamo rimanere nella gioiosa attesa della Sua venuta e pregare affinché già adesso possiamo costruire questo regno nel nostro mondo, essendo testimoni, in modo concreto, dell’Amore immenso di Dio.

Quando il testamento è impugnato

N

egli ultimi anni il nostro studio legale ha rilasciato consulenze alla numerosa clientela che richiedeva di impugnare il testamento di un genitore, oppure di ricevere un mandato di rappresentanza dai successibili per opporsi alle richieste altrui.

La capacità di testare, dovuta all’età, è una delle cause più frequenti d’impugnazione. Accingiamoci, pertanto, a evidenziare la normativa di legge e la giurisprudenza più recente dei tribunali.

Gli articoli 703 e seguenti del Codice Civile del Québec determinano la natura e la forma testamentaria, nonché la capacità di testare.

La normativa codicistica presume che ogni persona maggiore d’età possieda la capacità richiesta per dettare o redigere le ultime volontà testamentarie, la quale viene presa in considerazione nel momento stesso della dettatura o redazione.

Quali sono i motivi di impugnazione testamentaria?

Quelli che vengono più frequentemente invocati dinanzi al tribunale sono: 1) la capacità di testare del “de cuius”; 2) la captazione d’eredità, ossia il raggiro colpevole posto in essere per indurre qualcuno a disporre per testamento in proprio favore; 3) i vizi formali del testamento; 4) il testamento redatto congiuntamente a un’altra persona; 5) l’indegnità a succedere degli eredi.

Per quanto concerne il primo motivo, i tribunali hanno chiaramente riconosciuto la presunzione della capacità di testare in seno ad ogni persona adulta. Pertanto, il fatto che un individuo anziano non possa provvedere ai propri interessi, perché incapace d’intendere e volere, viene meno. Salvo addurre una o più prove “prima facie”, con indizi gravi, precisi e concordanti che mettano in dubbio questa presunzione.

ADVICE Quindi un semplice dubbio, o un’ipotesi, non sono sufficienti per inficiare la validità di un testamento. Una volta che queste prove “prima facie” sono ammesse dal tribunale, la persona che desidera far riconoscere la validità del testamento deve, a sua volta, dimostrare la capacità d’intendere e volere del testatore.

Difatti, per impugnare un testamento non è necessario provare in modo assoluto l’incapacità d’intendere e volere del testatore nel momento stesso della redazione, bensì è sufficiente accertarne l’esistenza prima e dopo.

Vige un principio molto importante per cui il testamento è nullo se il testatore non abbia potuto comprendere o avere una cognizione adeguata dell’atto posto e che non abbia potuto valutarne la portata e le conseguenze.

Diversi clienti ci hanno posto una domanda di grande interesse: come porre gli accorgimenti necessari affinché, dopo il decesso, il testamento non venga impugnato o, in subordine, l’impugnazione sia meno efficace possibile?

Consigliamo di redigere il testamento dinanzi ad un notaio di fiducia del quale avete già usufruito per altri servizi professionali, ciò non eviterà un’eventuale impugnazione, ma sarà comunque più difficile, giacché si dovrà dimostrare il falso in atto pubblico.

Ancora un altro accorgimento da prendere: qualora il testatore abbia dei problemi di salute al momento della redazione del testamento, si può richiedere al medico di fiducia un’attestazione concernente la capacità d’intendere e volere.

Questa rubrica legale contiene un’informazione giuridica generale e non sostituisce i consigli di un avvocato, che terrà conto delle particolarità del vostro caso.

Pasquale Artuso Avvocato di Fiducia Consolato Generale d’Italia Caroline Francoeur Avvocatessa

Valérie Carrier Avvocatessa

Julie Therrien Avvocatessa

Elena Milioto Avvocatessa

Steven Campese Avvocato

T.: 514.259.7090 F.:514.256.6907 artmars@securenet.net

Pierre Fugère Avvocato - diritto criminale e penale Joseph W. Allen Avvocato dal 1976 diritto dell’immigrazione

Complexe Le Baron, 6020, rue Jean-Talon Est, bureau 630 Montréal (Québec) Canada H1S 3B1

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EVENTS

Des Gens et des Événements People and Events Vous connaissez des gens d’exception ou des événements qui méritent d’être connus ?

Carole Gagliardi

carole.gagliardi@panoramitalia.com

Claudia Iacono

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L’énergie contagieuse de Claudia Iacono Claudia Iacono a le vent dans les voiles. La jeune femme de 31 ans, mère de Sonny James, sept ans, et de Gineva, trois ans, possède une énergie débordante et contagieuse qui se ressent instantanément lorsqu’on met les pieds dans son commerce, le Salon Deauville.

Troisième d’une famille de cinq filles toutes plus jolies les unes que les autres, Claudia se définit comme ayant une vieille âme. « Mes amies », dit-elle, « sont toutes beaucoup plus âgées que moi. Depuis que je suis petite, les gens “matures” m’attirent. Auprès d’eux, j’apprends, et c’est ce qui m’anime. » Elle est de ces personnes qui sont continuellement dans l’action. « C’est ma force. Lorsque je prends une décision, je fonce et je suis sûre de moi. » À la fois forte et sensible, elle assure être à l’écoute de ses employés. Elle se dit privilégiée d’être aussi très proche de ses sœurs. « Nous sommes toutes différentes les unes des autres. Je ne juge personne, je suis une fille très positive, et c’est l’action qui me porte. » Claudia Iacono travaille fort, très fort, et elle a de grandes ambitions qu’elle entend réaliser. Son histoire est toute récente. Lorsqu’elle était âgée de 25 ans, jeune femme rêvant d’être un jour à la tête d’un empire de beauté, elle achète le Salon Deauville, une institution à Montréal. Six ans plus tard, elle en a plus que doublé le chiffre d’affaires et a fait passer le nombre de ses employés de 27 à 62 !

Claudia a mille et un projets et adore ce qu’elle fait. Le soir, après avoir mis les enfants au lit, elle se met au travail. Elle lit, s’informe sur le milieu et dessine ce qui pourrait devenir sa collection de vêtements 2016-2017. Car Claudia a étudié le design au Collège Marie-Victorin. Elle a lancé la marque Clan & Van avec une partenaire en proposant une collection de robes de soirée.

Son attirance pour l’esthétisme et la mode lui vient de sa mère, et son instinct lui vient de son père, un homme d’affaires généreux, respectueux et ouvert. Claudia raconte qu’elle s’inspire du triangle de l’évolution : les notions d’intégrité et de responsabilité sont omniprésentes dans sa façon de gérer le commerce. « Mes employés sont mes partenaires. Ils doivent être heureux dans leur milieu de travail.

C’est ce qui me permet de réaliser mes projets. Les débuts n’ont pas été faciles.

Personne n’arrivait à me suivre. J’ai appris avec le temps, et l’expérience m’a dicté une vision à long terme. J’ai beaucoup d’idées. Je ne suis jamais satisfaite… » Claudia travaille en équipe avec son mari Anthony et rêve d’ouvrir un Salon de beauté en Floride. « Si tout va bien, ce sera la porte d’entrée pour un déploiement aux États-Unis. » Salon Deauville Spa, www.salondeauville.com

EVENTS

Rencontre avec Nicola Di Iorio L’avocat Nicola Di Iorio est le nouveau député du Parti libéral du Canada dans la circonscription de Saint-Léonard–Saint-Michel.

Il remplace le député Massimo Pacetti, expulsé du caucus libéral. Nicola Di Iorio est associé chez Langlois Kronström Desjardins, où il fait partie de l’équipe de droit du travail et de l’emploi. Il est diplômé en droit de l’Université de Sherbrooke et possède une maîtrise en droit de Columbia University. Me Di Iorio enseigne le droit du travail, le droit administratif et les libertés publiques dans divers établissements, dont l’Université McGill et l’École de formation professionnelle du Barreau du Québec.

Il est coauteur de deux ouvrages sur les normes du travail. Un des meilleurs avocats canadiens en droit du travail et de l’emploi selon le répertoire The Best Lawyers in Canada, il est l’un des membres fondateurs ainsi que membre du conseil d’administration du Centre Leonardo Da Vinci et de la Fondation communautaire canadienne-italienne du Québec. Nicola Di Iorio s’est fait connaître en devenant le

champion de la lutte contre l’alcool au volant, après avoir failli perdre sa fille, Claudia Di Iorio, dans un accident en 2010.

1. Vous êtes un avocat réputé spécialisé en droit du travail.

Pourquoi avoir pris la décision de vous lancer en politique ?

Je suis très fier de mes racines italiennes. Mon sentiment d’appartenance à la communauté italienne a beaucoup joué. Cette communauté mérite d’être reconnue et traitée à sa juste valeur. Je suis aussi très fier de mon attachement à Montréal, au Québec et au Canada.

2. En tant que nouveau député de Saint-Léonard–Saint Michel vous héritez d’un lourd passé.

Comment allez-vous redonner aux Italiens la réputation qu’ils méritent ?

Cristoforo Colombo, Amerigo Vespucci, Giovanni Caboto et tous les autres qui nous ont précédés sont ceux qui doivent nous inspirer, nous guider et nous accompagner.

3. La crédibilité des politiciens en général est mise à rude épreuve. Serez-vous en mesure de changer cette perception ?

Le Canada compte plus de 1,5 million d’Italiens. Rien qu’au Québec, nous sommes plus de 300 000. Par leurs actions, les Italiens et les Italiennes ont construit ce pays et continuent de le développer. Ces personnes ont les valeurs de tête et de cœur qui ont fait du Canada l’un des meilleurs endroits qui soient.

C’est avec elles que je veux bâtir le Canada de demain. La perception dépend de tous nos gestes, les grands comme les petits.

4. Quels sont les dossiers que vous avez l’intention de prioriser ?

L’économie et la sécurité.

5. Comment allez-vous vous y prendre ?

Dans un premier temps, il faut observer, écouter, étudier. Il ne s’agit pas de rechercher l’attention mais de travailler diligemment, même si c’est loin des projecteurs.

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EVENTS

Sam Scalia, président de la campagne de financement du Programme des bourses d’études de la CIBPA Samcon est un nom bien connu de beaucoup de Montréalais. Cette entreprise, fondée en 1991 par Sam Scalia, se spécialise en construction résidentielle (condos) et est présente dans de nombreux arrondissements de Montréal, où les tours d’habitation qu’elle a érigées ont contribué à dynamiser et à revitaliser de multiples secteurs.

Sam Scalia, qui détient une maîtrise en administration des affaires de l’Université McGill, raconte qu’à ses débuts Samcon réalisait des projets de trois étages comptant huit logements. Dix ans plus tard, l’entrepreneur est passé à 5, à 8, puis à 15 étages. Actuellement, Samcon construit un immeuble de 24 étages au centre-ville de Montréal. Chaque année, le constructeur bâtit près de 400 condos, pour un total de plus de 4 000 unités depuis 1991.

Issu d’une famille de constructeurs, Sam Scalia raconte avoir appris le métier de son père alors qu’il travaillait à ses côtés comme contremaître. Sam Scalia est aussi un père de famille engagé et fier de ses quatre enfants. L’homme d’affaires est impliqué depuis plus de 20 ans auprès de l’Association des gens d’affaires et professionnels italo-canadiens du Québec (CIBPA) et figure parmi les plus généreux donateurs de son Programme des bourses d’études. Il a d’ailleurs accepté la présidence de la campagne de financement de ce Programme pour 2016. « L’instruction nous permet d’élargir nos connaissances ; elle nous permet d’accéder à une meilleure compréhension du monde qui nous entoure et de son fonctionnement. » Au cours de sa présidence, Sam Scalia compte travailler auprès de la communauté afin d’assurer la pérennité du Programme en créant un Fonds de dotation, et pour atteindre ses objectifs, il vise à obtenir un engagement à plus long terme des donateurs. « La communauté doit s’impliquer afin d’assurer l’avenir de ce Programme. Il n’est pas juste, à mon avis, que des Photography by lucbouvrette.com

Béatrice Pearson Marrelli

étudiants brillants et passionnés ne reçoivent pas d’aide financière pour poursuivre leurs études lorsqu’ils en ont besoin. Il faut que ceux qui en ont les moyens puissent les aider, et je souhaite que nous réussissions à en soutenir un nombre encore plus grand. »

Parcours d’une élégante Ce joli titre d’une exposition en cours au Musée du costume et du textile du Québec a retenu mon attention. Piquée par la curiosité, je m’y suis donc rendue. Bien que succincte, l’exposition présente différents courants qui ont marqué la mode sur plusieurs décennies, grâce à la collection de vêtements offerts par la très coquette Beatrice Marrelli Pearson.

Fille d’immigrants italiens, Beatrice Marrelli Pearson naît à Montréal à la fin des années 30. Influencée dès son jeune âge par sa grand-mère et sa mère, toutes deux couturières, elle sent grandir chez elle au fil des années un amour pour le textile et la mode. « L’élégance est quelque chose d’intangible », dit-elle, « et est guidée par la confiance en soi et la connaissance du moi profond. » Béatrice Pearson Marrelli a offert au Musée plus de 550 vêtements et accessoires.

Achetés en boutique de luxe ou d’occasion, certains sont les créations de madame Pearson, et chaque pièce raconte l’histoire de cette femme élégante et avant-gardiste.

Parcours d’une élégante est en cours jusqu’au 1er mai 2016.

Information : mctq.org. 514 419-2300

Série Grand L60 Kubota

0%pour 5 ans Financement

La gamme Grand L60 a été remodelée pour obtenir des émissions plus propres,une économie de consommation de carburant exceptionnelle et un confort agréable.

www.kubotamontreal.com

Kubota Montréal 18980 TransCanada, Baie D'Urfé (Montréal), QC Téléphone: 514-457-4333 Télécopieur: 514-457-2875

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EVENTS

Charles Argento, un grand bâtisseur La Fondation de l’Hôpital Santa Cabrini a nommé monsieur Charles Argento Grand Bâtisseur, reconnaissant ainsi publiquement l’engagement et la générosité hors du commun de son président. Cette nomination, une première du Programme de reconnaissance de la Fondation, a été proposée par le Dr Albert Chiricosta, vice-président et cofondateur de la Fondation.

Membre du conseil d’administration depuis novembre 2007, Charles Argento assume la présidence de la Fondation depuis février 2012. Il a lancé le premier Tirage populaire, une activité permettant d’acquérir de nombreux appareils à la fine pointe de la technologie. Il a modernisé la structure du bureau de direction et a sollicité de nombreux dons auprès d’entreprises et de fondations privées. Il a aussi mis en œuvre la première Campagne majeure de la Fondation, qui vise à assurer la pérennité de l’organisme.

Son leadership et sa grande expérience ont permis l’adoption de politiques rigoureuses dans la gestion quotidienne et dans l’octroi des contrats de biens et de services requis dans le cadre des activités de financement. Monsieur Argento a admirablement piloté le dossier du financement Charles Argento reçoit des mains du dr. Albert Chiricosta l’Hommage Grand Bâtisseur de l’aménagement du Centre de lutte contre le cancer, un projet de deux millions de dollars, entièrement payé par la depuis 22 ans. Cette activité a permis de remettre près d’un million de dollars à Fondation Santa Cabrini. En plus d’assumer la vice-présidence de Sept Frères des organismes de bienfaisance depuis 1994, dont une partie importante à la Construction G2 inc., Charles Argento est président du Groupe Ercolé. La Fondation Santa Cabrini. famille Argento s’implique dans l’organisation d’un tournoi de golf annuel Biagio Pagano est un homme enthousiaste, généreux et plein d’espoir. Survivant d’un cancer de la gorge survenu en 2004, il raconte qu’il ne se passe pas un jour sans qu’il pense à la maladie et à la chance qu’il a de lui survivre.

Lors de l’entrevue qu’il nous accorde, sa voix est enrouée ; il est inquiet, mais positif. Son dévouement est impressionnant. Biagio est très actif au sein de Cents of Hope et du Programme d’oncologie pour adolescents et jeunes adultes de l’Hôpital général juif. Il organise des campagnes de financement et participe chaque année à plusieurs événements afin de venir en aide aux personnes atteintes de cancer. « Il est important de sensibiliser les jeunes et de leur apporter le soutien et l’écoute dont ils ont tant besoin », dit-il, « car ils vivent une période difficile de leur vie, et la maladie ne fait que l’aggraver. Vivre avec le cancer, c’est terrifiant. Autrefois, on perdait les amis des amis des amis… Aujourd’hui, on perd nos amis proches. Lorsqu’une personne est atteinte du cancer, il faut en prendre soin, être présent, l’écouter, lui cuisiner des plats réconfortants et surtout, lui raconter des histoires de survivants. Être en santé est un privilège. Il faut donner et aider.

Plus je donne, mieux je me porte ! Je ne suis peut-être pas là où je souhaitais être, mais je suis là où on a besoin de moi. » Biagio Pagano se joindra à la première édition annuelle d’UneMarche pour vaincre le cancer, qui aura lieu le samedi 20 août 2016. Connu jusqu’ici sous le nom de Week-end pour vaincre les cancers féminins, l’événement a déjà amassé plus de 58,1 millions de dollars pour le Centre du cancer Segal de l’Hôpital général juif. Il portera désormais un nouveau nom, aura une portée plus large et permettra à chaque marcheur d’amasser les fonds pour le type de cancer de son choix.

Biagio Pagano

Giovanni Goffredo, Pamela Pagano (Miss Teen Quebec 2014), Biagio Pagano et Maria Corsi

La marche se déroulera en une seule journée sur un parcours de 25 km. L’inscription est ouverte au public : www.unemarche.ca ou 514 393-9255 (WALK).

8330 Pascal Gagnon, St-Léonard, Qc H1P 1Y4 F (514) 326-1635

T (514) 326-7888

contact@groupeatlanta.ca www.groupeatlanta.ca MEMBRE DE L’APCHQ • LlC. R.B.Q.: 1750-6148-39

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