Panoram Italia Montreal June/July 2016 by Panoram Italia Magazine

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

LIVING ITALIAN STYLE

BUILDING THE

ITALIANCANADIAN

HOME COVER: FRANCESCO PIETROPAOLO (1977) ONE OF US • UNO DI NOI • UN D’ENTRE NOUS JUNE / JULY 2016 • VOL.11 • NO.3

www.panoramitalia.com

LA CÔTE AMALFITAINE

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TABLE OF CONTENTS

JUNE / JULY 2016 Vol. 11 NO. 3 Cover Photo “Francesco Pietropaolo, 1977” Photo©Vincenzo Pietropaolo. Courtesy of the artist.

EDITORIAL . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . 12 Amarcord . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . 14 Words of Wisdom . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . 15 Paul Ronca: Making people laugh for a living. . . . . . . . . . . . . 16 Antonio D’Alfonso: An honorary multitalented artist . . . . . . . . 18

LIFE & PEOPLE

The Italian-Canadian Home Then and Now . . . . . . . . . . . . 20 From Paesano to Proprietor . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . 22 An Italian Imprint on Montreal’s Landscape . . . . . . . . . . . . 24 Living in Time Capsules . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . 26

CASETTA IN CANADA

Broccolini: Building a Solid Reputation . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . 30 Presti Homes: A True Italian Family Business . . . . . . . . . . 32 Rodimax: The Father of Nouveau Saint-Laurent . . . . . . . . 34 Quorum: Building Synergy . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . 36 Triad: The Power of Three . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . 38

MONTREAL BUILDERS: PART 1 OF 4

Euro Cup Schedule . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . 40

EURO 2016

LIVING ITALIAN STYLE . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . 46 FASHION . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . 48 DESIGN . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . 50

La côte amalfitaine . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . 52 6 Places to See on the Amalfi Coast . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . 55 The Isles of the region . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . 56 Top Flavours to Experience . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . 58 Recipe: Limoncello . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . 60 Recipe: La granita di Amalfi . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . 61 Ceramic Tradition of Vietri sul Mare . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . 62 La Repubblica Marina di Amalfi . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . 63 Navigating the Streets of Pompeii . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . 64

AMALFI COAST

Pompeii: Une experience au coeur de l’antiquité . . . . . . . 66 Eleganza: An Elegant Exhibition . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . 68

ARTS & CULTURE

Siamo tutti pellegrini… . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . 72 A Harmful Surprise . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . 73

EXECUTIVE PUBLISHER AND EDITOR Tony Zara

EDITORIAL DEPUTY EDITOR-IN-CHIEF Adam Zara

ASSOCIATE EDITOR Pal Di Iulio TORONTO MANAGING EDITOR Rita Simonetta

MONTREAL MANAGING EDITOR & WEB MANAGER Gabriel Riel-Salvatore BUSINESS DEVELOPMENT & COMMUNITY AFFAIRS Carole Gagliardi EDITORIAL INTERN Vittoria Zorfini

ITALIAN TRANSLATOR Claudia Buscemi Prestigiacomo PROOFREADERS Rossana Bruzzone Marie-Hélène L. Papillon Aurélie Ptito

ART DEPARTMENT ART DIRECTION David Ferreira Gabriel Riel-Salvatore

PHOTOGRAPHY Vincenzo D’Alto Fahri Yavuz

GRAPHIC DESIGN David Ferreira

ADVERTISING ADVERTISING ACCOUNT EXECUTIVES Terry Marziliano Anthony Zara

CONTRIBUTORS Agata De Santis • Domenico Capilongo • Sara Germanotta Sabrina Marandola • Antoine Tavaglione • Loretta N. Di Vita Joey Strizzi • Alessia Sara Domanico • Francesca Spizzirri Andrea Laudano • Claudia Buscemi Prestigiacomo • Mattia Bello Amanda Fulginiti • Natacha Boucher • Padre Nicola Di Narzo Pasquale Artuso

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EDITORIAL

Home is Where the Casetta and Castello Are Dalla casetta al castello

ow did it happen that our ItalianCanadian community, especially in the Greater Toronto and Montreal areas, went from arrangiarsi in affitto to casetta, casone, castello and back to a Roman invention: the condominium? It’s the story of sacrifice, struggle and sudore, love of family, casa propria and, it seems, forever increasing real estate prices. In this edition, we take a look at the movement of our community through time, space and styles, from inner city working-class immigrant areas to the ubiquitous suburban developments surrounding Canada’s two major metropolises. From a second floor flat, to sharing a house with the sister-in-law, to semi-detached, detached, split level, two storey, and back to ranch style bungalow or a condo. Why did most of the community live in the West End of Toronto or the East End of Montreal? What was the cultural predisposition to owning a casa? What were the “pushes” and “pulls” that made the community buy, fix, sell and move, on average, four times before moving to the eternal comfort of the “condominium crypt of afterlife” leaving the “casetta in Canada” to the children and grandchildren? Is the BMP (Banca di Mamma e Papà) really the most reliable and best financial institution?

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Why did most of the community live in the West End of Toronto or the East End of Montreal? What was the cultural predisposition to owning a casa?

La casa italo-canadese – da ieri a oggi

om'è successo che la comunità italocanadese, particolarmente nella GTA e a Montreal, è passata da arrangiarsi in affitto alla casetta, casona, castello per poi tornare ad una invenzione dei romani, il condominio? È una storia di sacrificio, fatica e sudore, di amore della famiglia, di casa propria e anche un po’ di prezzi che vanno soltanto verso l’alto. In questo numero diamo un’occhiata a come la nostra comunità si è mossa attraverso tempo, spazio, stili, dalle zone della città degli immigranti e della ‘classe operaia’ (come si diceva una volta) alle grandi ‘suburbia’ (periferie) che circondano le due maggiori città canadesi. Da un appartamentino al secondo piano si passa alla casa in comune con la cognata, poi alla semi-detached, detached, un piano (ma su diversi livelli), due piani, per arrivare al bungalow in stile ranch o a un condo. Perchè la maggior parte degli italocanadesi è andata a vivere nel West End di Toronto o nell’East End di Montreal? C’era una ‘predisposizione culturale’ a comprare casa? Quali erano le ragioni, i motivi buoni o cattivi che hanno spinto gli italocanadesi a comprare casa, ristrutturarla, venderla e traslocare in media quattro volte nella vita prima di stabilirsi per l’eternità nel comfort della cripta (in condominio), dopo aver doverosamente lasciato la “casetta in Canada” a figli e nipoti? Davvero la BMP (Banca di Mamma e Papà) è la più affidabile e migliore istituzione finanziaria? È stata la pressione dei nuovi e sempre mutevoli profili demografici nel cuore della città, o sono stati quei pifferai magici di immobiliaristi e costruttori

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Perchè la maggior parte degli italocanadesi è andata a vivere nel West End di Toronto o nell’East End di Montreal? C’era una ‘predisposizione culturale’ a comprare casa?

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The Italian-Canadian Home – Then and Now

Was it the push of new and ever-changing demographics in the city core or was it the pull of developers and builders who offered more ceramic tiles, bigger backyards, new and better mousetraps in the suburbs? Was the community keeping up with the Joneses, LeBlancs or maybe the Rossis? Were the Roman arches and four season’s statues along the way necessary, cultural statements of pride in heritage or just overkill? Was cement grey really our fathers’ favourite colour? Or was it the fact that la comare had already moved up to the new hot ’hood and you did not want to be left behind? Are fences and walls really needed in gated communities? And were plasticized couches and Chesterfield sofas in the family room museum really better than the new couch, which now serves as the favourite perch point for the pet poodle or cat? What are we going to do now that our children and grandchildren cannot afford to go back and live in the neighbourhood house that nonno bought for $15,000 in 1960 when the present bidding price war starts at $750,000? Suddenly, the “Casetta in Canada,” a song made famous by singers Gino Latilla and Carla Boni at the Sanremo Festival in 1957, doesn’t seem so small anymore. On the other hand, in some instances: “Aveva un castello in Canada,” is, in 2016, a better refrain and sounds like an euphemism for some of the monster houses now found across St. Laurent to Laval in Montreal or Mississauga to Markham in the GTA. It’s a reflection of the community’s economic success and climb up the social ladder. I may have more questions than answers but our writers will delve into this intricate aspect of our community’s history to try to understand how it all happened.

con le loro offerte di più ceramica, più ‘backyarda’, nuove e rivoluzionarie trappole per animali nei suburbs (sobborghi)? Gli italocanadesi riuscivano a stare alla pari con i Jones, i LeBlancs o al limite i Rossi? Gli archi romani e le statue ispirate alla Primavera di Botticelli nel vialetto erano una necessità, una dichiarazione di orgoglio per la propria cultura e radici – o semplicemente una pacchianata? Il grigio cemento era davvero il colore preferito dei nostri padri? O non era piuttosto il fatto che la comare aveva già traslocato nel nuovo quartiere alla moda, e noi non volevamo rimanere indietro? Steccati e muri sono davvero necessari nelle gated comunities (comunità chiuse)? E quei divani ricoperti di plastica, le poltrone chesterfield nel salotto museo erano davvero meglio del divano nuovo, che adesso serve come alloggio prediletto per il cucciolo preferito? Che possiamo fare ora che i nostri figli e nipoti non possono permettersi di tornare indietro e vivere nel quartiere, nella casa che nonno ha comprato per 15.000 dollari negli anni ’60 quando adesso l’offerta di partenza supera i 750.000? La casetta in Canada – canzone resa famosa da Gino Latilla al festival di Sanremo nel 1957 – non sembra più così ‘piccola’. In realtà, per molti nel 2016 un ritornello migliore sarebbe “aveva un castello in Canada”, dove castello è un eufemismo per le ‘monster homes’ che si trovano ora da St. Laurent a Laval, a Montreal, o da Mississauga a Markham, a Toronto. È vero, ho più domande che risposte: tocca ai nostri collaboratori scavare nella storia della nostra comunità per provare a capire come tutto ciò sia accaduto.

Grazie for your responses and suggestions for our new feature, AMARCORD.

Grazie anche per le vostre risposte e suggerimenti per la nuova sezione “Amarcord”.

Pace e bene. Pal Di Iulio Associate Editor

Visit our website www.panoramitalia.com to read our Toronto series of articles: The Italian-Canadian Home – Then and Now.

Visita il nostro sito web www.panoramitalia.com per leggere gli articoli di Toronto: Dalla casetta al castello: gli italocanadesi, la casa, la prosperità

Subscribe to our e-newsletter to receive exclusive weekly online content.

Iscriviti alla nostra e-newsletter per ricevere contenuti esclusivi ogni settimana.

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LIFE & PEOPLE

AMARCORD

1982 World Cup Celebrations Parade The street was awash with green, white and red like never before. The place I was so used to walking from Dufferin St in the east to Caledonia in the west had standing-room only. A flood of Italian pride and patriotism as never before seen in our adopted home was covering every inch of street and sidewalk as thousands of us came together to celebrate a well deserved victory. Amazing what a soccer ball can do! Silvio Calcagno, Toronto, Ontario

Cercatemi nel giardino I remember the pungent aroma of freshly laid manure wafting through my neighbourhood every spring. No triple mix for us; it had to be sheep’s manure delivered in a dilapidated old pick-up truck. This was Sudbury circa 1973; the juxtaposition of the hills coloured black by the sulphur of the Inco and Falconbridge smoke stacks and the lush, green gardens lovingly cultivated by families I knew. My father believed that the old ways were still the best ways and nothing tasted better than freshly-picked vegetables. My father loved his garden so much that his epitaph reads, “Cercatemi nel giardino.” Giovanna Lalonde, Sudbury, Ontario

The Tricolore Band Joe Gulini's’/Gulino’s 1964 photo shows The Tricolore Band who played at hundreds of Italian weddings in Toronto before disbanding in 1965. Some of those sposini may now be celebrating their 50th anniversary! Back then, their guests were lucky to get a panino, chicken leg, pizza and sausage, compared to today’s lavish antipasto buffet, multi-course dinner and sweet table. Most receptions were in small basements of churches like St. Sava on River Street, since few could afford the Knights of Columbus Hall on Sherbourne Street. The photo was submitted by Salvatore (Sal) Amenta, who played the accordion in trumpeter Sam Fronte’s band. Salvatore (Sal) Amenta, Stouffville, Ontario

Building Their Canadian Dream My parents Ada Pannunzio and Michele Travaglini building their Canadian dream in late 1960. So many fond memories from that BBQ and backyard family get-together. If only I had all the sausage and lamb chops cooked on that BBQ! Nick Travaglini, Montreal, Quebec

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Words of Wisdom

LIFE & PEOPLE

Text and Photos by Paul Salvatori

Name: Joe Menna Occupation: Auto Body Specialist City: Toronto (North York) When I was a kid, there was this Canadian family next to us – good hockey players and what have you. I wanted to fit in with them, right? But they used to call us names like “WOP,” “dago,” all that kind of stuff. I said to my mom, “Why is it that these guys don’t like us? I feel like we’re not as good as them. They make me feel bad.” She goes, “Listen to me and listen to me clearly. Those people you’re talking about, I think they still rent their house. They’ve been born and raised in this country. We’ve only been here three years. We already own this house. I think they’re going to be in a lot of trouble when we learn this language.”

Name: Elda Maraldo Occupation: Founder of Famee Furlane Toronto Women’s Auxiliary City: Toronto For me what’s important is making sure younger generations recognize that life, it’s a gift, but it’s tough. If you’re going to make it, you need to build character, learn the value of work, and sometimes that means staying in the struggle. If you flee from adversity, it’s not possible to really mature. It’s what makes a strong, independent person.

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Your jokes need to translate in all places and with all types of people.

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LIFE & PEOPLE

Paul Ronca Making people laugh for a living By Agata De Santis

ontreal’s Just for Laughs Festival is unquestionably the biggest comedy festival on the planet. One of the folks at the helm of that festival is Montreal’s own Paul Ronca. “I would never, never have thought I’d be doing this and working with people like this. And yet, that’s what I get to do today,” explains Ronca. “I’m in a position now where I decide who comes to this festival! After 20 years in this business, you do get used to it. But, every once in a while I stop and look back. Being a kid from St. Leonard doing stand up, I would never have thought this is where I’d be today. It’s surreal,” he continues. “I was an Italian kid growing up with immigrant parents. I wanted to be in show business, especially comedy. Growing up in St. Leonard at the time, it wasn’t like the west end where you saw people doing comedy and stand up. At the time this was a crazy path to take.” So Ronca did the “smart thing” and went to university and got a degree. He did eventually decide to pursue his passion. Ronca took a stand up comedy course and performed at his first Open Mic Night in 1994. He would dabble in stand up for the next six years. “I was good at it, but not great at it,” Ronca says. Instead, it turned out that his strong suit was producing comedy. In 2001, Ronca opened The Comedy Zone comedy club. His first collaboration with Just For Laughs was the Wiseguys show, which premiered in 2002 at his club. The previous year, he had unsuccessfully pitched the Wiseguys concept to the Just For Laughs team. The following year he boldly told the festival organizers: “We’re doing an Italian show. If you don’t agree, we’ll just do it ourselves.” Just For Laughs agreed. The seven shows sold out in just a few days. He would go on to help create other festival shows like Asian Invasion and The Sketch Show. In 2006, Ronca became a talent producer at Just for Laughs. A couple of years later he was running the festival’s Comedypro Conference, a four-day 16

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industry conference he was instrumental in creating. Some of the biggest names in comedy today have participated including Kevin Hart, Seth Rogen and Judd Apatow, just to name a few. The conference also offers a platform for up-and-comers in comedy, be it writers, producers, or talent, to pitch their project ideas to the pros and experts. Fast forward to 2016. Ronca’s director role at the festival sees him in charge of specialty programming, industry programming, and gala host programming. “Today my goal at Just For Laughs is to make sure we have the right balance.” Finding that balance has allowed him the opportunity to rub shoulders with some of the biggest names in comedy. Ronca is reluctant to name the “next” Italian-Canadian comic to watch out for. But he proudly adds that there is definitely a bright future for ItalianCanadians who choose stand up as a career path. “When we used to go out on road shows back in the day, Italian-Canadian comics were nonexistent. Now, there are so many doing it. There’s a bright future now for these comics,” Ronca comments. “What I’ve told a lot of comedians who dabble in ethnic comedy is, be careful when you travel with your comedy. It doesn’t necessarily travel well outside of say, Montreal,” he explains. “The POV from Montreal is very different to ethnics from other parts of Canada. Italian, Portuguese, Greek, you name it. The vision in Montreal tends to be the same, and often more so than an Italian say from New York or Toronto, but it’s different. Your jokes need to translate in all places and with all types of people,” Ronca continues. “Even though you’re killing in the St. Leonard club in front of 200 people, you might not kill in Sudbury. Because you come from that community, it’s easy for you to know what makes those people laugh. But you need to make people in Saskatchewan laugh too. That is the successful comic.”

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LIFE & PEOPLE

Photography by Elisabeth Pouyfaucon

Antonio D’Alfonso An honorary multitalented artist By Domenico Capilongo

here are the Italian-Canadian writers and artists? Do they exist? Do books that were very recognizable and distinctive and that will forever prove we read their books, watch their plays and movies, listen to their that we were here.” music, or appreciate their art? Can you even name one? In June, one Guernica Editions has published over 300 titles of poetry, fiction and essays of Canada’s most prolific writers and artists will be recognized with an honorary and is one of the most diverse and important Canadian publishing houses today. Doctorate of Letters by Athabasca University for his outstanding contributions Its current co-publisher, editor-in-chief and author, Michael Mirolla, had this to to Canadian culture, and he happens to be of Italian descent. He should be a say about D’Alfonso’s contributions: “Aside from his writing, Antonio has worked household name. He has written over forty books of poetry, novels and books tirelessly to bring books from the rest of the world to the attention of Canadians, of essays, done numerous translations from several different languages, made often ‘forcing’ those translations into spaces that others couldn’t see. These includinternational award-winning films and founded a thriving national publishing ed the publication of translations from authors such as Pasolini, Rimbaud, house. It is time you get to know Antonio D’Alfonso. Pirandello and Lorca. He is himself a translator of note, with a special emphasis on He started his writing career in the translating writers from Quebec. And, if seventies when he realized his own talents that isn’t enough, Antonio is also an If Canadian culture truly reflects the and the gifts of other writers of Italian accomplished and award-winning diversity of its citizens, then Antonio origin were not receiving the attention he filmmaker. Truthfully, Antonio shouldn't felt they deserved. I had a chance to have need for these kinds of endorsegave us 30 years of diverse voices, in interview him recently for the website ments. His oeuvre – as publisher, writer, English, French and Italian. italocanadese.com. D’Alfonso answered all editor, translator and filmmaker – should his questions with a masterful use of poetspeak for itself.” ry. When asked what it was like for him and others during the beginning of his D’Alfonso’s work transcends our many long held notions of identity, culture, career he said: poetics and narrative constructs. Here he explains what writing is for him: “I published my first book in 1973. It took five years before I started to “My work has always been commissioned. I have rarely sat down to write publish other writers. I was not aware we were Italians. Out of five books, three poetry. Or essays. Or a novel. Or a translation. Everything I have written was were by Italian-Canadians. Such a term did not exist back then. All I knew was commissioned. I have nothing to say. So many writers have written such great that we scanned objects differently. Not because of our content, our forms were works. Who am I to even dare walk into that citadel? Writing is a wager. A bet singular, therefore criticisable. It was not something obvious.” on something that is not necessary. It must not become an obsession. Illness D’Alfonso grew up in Montreal and moved to Toronto where he founded brings about illness.The writer is someone who asks questions, but does not Guernica Editions and co-founded the Association of Italian Canadian Writers, give answers. Writing is a question asked to the reader.” both of which helped publish some of Canada’s most important writers such as In recognizing Antonio D’Alfonso’s endless contributions to Canadian culture, Pier Giorgio Di Cicco, Mary Di Michele, Len Gasparini and Gianna Patriarca. Athabasca University has in turn acknowledged all the writers and artists who he When asked about D’Alfonso’s contributions to Canadian culture, Patriarca helped publish, mentored and encouraged. This recognition, therefore, shines a said, “He gave us the opportunity to have our work printed and validated. If light on all Italian-Canadian writers and artists who have given voice to the diverse Canadian culture truly reflects the diversity of its citizens, then Antonio gave us stories of our community’s past, present and future. It’s time to visit your local 30 years of diverse voices, in English, French and Italian, and created beautiful library, bookstore, theatre and gallery to learn their names and enjoy their work. 18

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CASETTA IN CANADA

La maison italo-canadienne La casa degli italo-canadesi Par Sara Germanotta

D’hier à aujourd’hui

ans le fameux vers d’oreille italien La Casetta in Canadà, Carla Boni et Gino Latilla chantent l’histoire d’un certain Martino qui se construit « una casetta piccolina in Canadà; con vasche, pesciolini e tanti fiori di lillà; e tutte le ragazze che passavano di là dicevano: “Che bella la casetta in Canadà!” ». Le morceau fut lancé au Festival de San Remo en 1957, et alors que les Italiens s’amusaient à chanter l’aventure de Martino au Canada, des milliers de leurs concitoyens expatriés s’évertuaient à mettre leurs sous de côté pour concrétiser ce rêve. Maria Speranza fait partie de ces rêveurs. Elle et son défunt mari, Pierino, ont émigré au Canada en 1964. Maria travaillait à la maison comme couturière avant de trouver un emploi dans le « quartier de la guenille » de Montréal (secteur Chabanel). Piero, pour sa part, était briqueteur. Le premier logement du couple était un petit « 3 ½ » de la rue Clark. « Nous avions deux petites filles à l’époque, qui couraient et sautaient partout », se souvient Speranza. « Le voisin du bas frappait du balai sur son plafond et nous criait de faire moins de bruit. Lorsque je suis tombée enceinte de mon fils, nous avons décidé de déménager. » Speranza explique comment en trois ans elle et son mari ont économisé assez d’argent pour finalement s’offrir leur première maison. C’était un duplex jumelé (semi-détaché) dans l’est de Montréal. « Nous avons payé la maison 32 000 $ en 1969. Nous n’avions pas de prêt hypothécaire ni quoi que ce soit du genre. Nous avons emprunté de l’argent à notre famille et avons tout payé d’un coup. Mon mari était très fier. » Speranza et son mari font partie des dizaines de milliers d’Italiens qui émigrèrent au Canada entre 1870 et 1970, selon la Société Pier 21 d’Halifax. La plupart de ces immigrants s’établirent dans les deux plus grandes villes du pays, Toronto et Montréal. 20

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Ieri e Oggi

ell’orecchiabile canzone italiana “la Casetta in Canada”, Carla Boni e Gino Latilla cantano di un tipo chiamato Martino che si costruisce per sè “una casetta piccolina in Canada: con vasche, pesciolini e tanti fiori di lillà; e tutte le ragazze che passavano di là dicevano: ‘Che bella la casetta in Canada!’” La canzone ha debuttato al Festival di San Remo nel 1957, e mentre gli italiani cantavano della casa in Canada di Martino, milioni di loro sradicati all’estero mettevano i soldi da parte per trasformare il loro sogno in realtà. Maria Speranza è uno di questi sognatori. Speranza e più tardi suo marito, Pierino, emigrarono dall’Italia verso il Canada nel 1964. Maria lavorava a casa come sarta e dopo trovò lavoro nel quartiere della moda di Montreal (zona Chabanel), Pierino era muratore. La coppia, per i primi anni in Canada viveva in un piccolo appartamento da tre stanze e mezzo su Clarke. “Avevamo due bimbe piccole, quando vivevamo in quell’appartamento, e loro volevano correre e saltare e fare molto rumore” ricorda Speranza. “Il vicino del piano di sotto batteva con la scopa sul soffitto e ci gridava di fare silenzio. Quando sono rimasta incinta di mio figlio abbiamo deciso che era tempo di andare via”. Speranza spiega che dopo 3 anni spesi a mettere soldi da parte, lei e suo marito hanno comprato la prima casa. Si trattava di un semi-detached duplex nella zona dell’est di Montreal. “Abbiamo pagato quella casa $32,000 nel 1969. Non abbiamo chiesto un mutuo o altro. Abbiamo preso i soldi in prestito dalla nostra famiglia. È stato pagato per intero. Mio marito era veramente orgoglioso”. Speranza e suo marito sono stati alcuni tra le migliaia di italiani emigrati in Canada tra il 1870 e il 1970, secondo il Pier 21 Society. Molti di questi immigrati italiani abitavano in città più grandi, come Toronto e Montreal.

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Bruno Ramirez, professore di storia all’Università di Montreal, che studia l’immigrazione italiana, dice che la prima ondata di italiani che vennero a Montreal risiedevano nell’area di Jean-Talon, che noi conosciamo come la Piccola Italia di Montreal. “Molti di questi nuovi immigrati erano uomini venuti prima delle loro mogli e dei loro figli” spiega Ramirez. Vivevano nelle pensioni o negli appartamenti in affitto e molti di loro lavoravano presso la Canadian Pacific Railway (CPR) Angus Shops”. La fabbrica CPR, uno dei più grandi produttori di locomotive al mondo, era situata nel quartiere Rosemont-La Petite-Patrie nella parte est della città. Secondo Ramirez è questo il motivo per cui molti italiani si sono spostati dalla Piccola Italia per andare più ad est lungo Jean-Talon verso St. Michel. “Era anche meno costoso vivere nella parte est di Montreal rispetto al west-end” spiega Ramirez “e una volta che arrivavano anche le mogli e i figli, avevano bisogno di più spazio.” Per andare incontro alla necessità della comunità di avere spazi più grandi dove vivere, dice Ramirez, molti lavoratori italiani, nel 1960, decisero di edificare le case secondo le precise esigenze degli italo-canadesi. “Essi iniziarono a costruire le case a schiera con i mattoncini bianchi che si vedono intorno a St. Leonard e Montreal-North,“ spiega Ramirez. “Questi costruttori conoscevano la mentalità italiana. Tutte le case avevano un cortile sul retro per far crescere un giardino. Costruirono la cantina nei sotterranei perché sapevano che gli italiani facevano il loro vino e la temperatura doveva essere quella giusta.” Queste abitazioni venivano chiamate “boîtes-à-l’italienne” (scatole all’italiana) dai franco-canadesi, che costituivano la maggior parte della popolazione

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Queste abitazioni venivano chiamate “boîtes-à-l’italienne” (scatole all’italiana) dai franco-canadesi, che costituivano la maggior parte della popolazione del east end di Montreal.

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Bruno Ramirez, professeur d’histoire à l’Université de Montréal, s’est intéressé à la vie de ces immigrants italiens. « La première vague d’immigrants italiens à Montréal s’est établie principalement dans le secteur Jean-Talon, qu’on connaît aujourd’hui comme la Petite Italie. Bon nombre de ces immigrants étaient des hommes venus ici sans leur femme ni leurs enfants », explique-t-il. « Ils résidaient dans des maisons de chambres ou louaient un appartement, et beaucoup travaillaient pour la Canadian Pacific Railway (CPR), dans le secteur dit des Shops Angus. » L’usine de la CPR, un des plus importants constructeurs de locomotives au monde, était située dans la partie est du quartier Rosemont–La PetitePatrie. Ramirez explique que c’est ce qui poussa plusieurs travailleurs italiens à déménager hors de la Petite Italie vers l’est, le long de la rue Jean-Talon, jusqu’à Saint-Michel. « C’était aussi beaucoup moins cher de vivre dans l’est de la ville, et lorsque les femmes et les enfants arrivaient, ils avaient évidemment besoin de plus d’espace », poursuit Ramirez. Afin de répondre au besoin de la communauté d’avoir accès à des foyers plus spacieux, Ramirez explique que dans les années 1960, plusieurs ouvriers décidèrent de construire des maisons qui correspondaient mieux au mode de vie des Italo-Canadiens. « Ils commencèrent à construire ces maisons en rangée faites de briques blanches qu’on trouve à Saint-Léonard et à Montréal-Nord. Ces constructeurs connaissaient la mentalité des Italiens. Toutes les maisons avaient une cour arrière où l’on pouvait cultiver un potager. Et elles avaient aussi une chambre froide au sous-sol, car ils savaient que les Italiens faisaient leur propre vin et avaient besoin d’une température adéquate à cette fin. » Ces logements étaient souvent appelés les « boîtes-à-l’italienne » par les Canadiens français, majoritaires dans l’est de Montréal. « Beaucoup de Canadiens français appréciaient les Italiens comme voisins, car ils prenaient soin de leur propriété, cultivaient des fleurs dans leur jardin et étaient généralement très propres », rappelle Ramirez. Nancy Forlini est agente immobilière depuis 30 ans. Elle s’est initiée au métier à la suite des pressions de son père, qui a fait carrière au CN et qui, dans ses temps morts, vendait des duplex à Saint-Léonard pour des entrepreneurs. « C’est drôle, car j’ai fini par vendre à Saint-Léonard des maisons que mon père a lui-même vendues dans les années 1960 », raconte Forlini. Aujourd’hui, toutefois, ce ne sont plus les mêmes personnes qui achètent les fameuses « boîtes-à-l’italienne ». « Les jeunes d’origine italienne ne recherchent pas la même chose que leurs parents à l’époque lorsqu’ils magasinent une maison. Ils ne veulent pas nécessairement d’un duplex ou d’un triplex, car ils ne veulent pas avoir à gérer des locataires », précise Forlini. « Ils tendent à préférer des maisons isolées ou des condos, afin de se simplifier la vie. » Forlini ajoute que les banlieues de Montréal, Laval en particulier, sont très prisées par la deuxième génération d’Italiens aujourd’hui en âge d’acheter une maison. « Vimont, Duvernay, Val-des-Brises sont tous des secteurs très populaires auprès des jeunes parents d’origine italienne. » Mais certains Italo-Canadiens sont aussi charmés par l’idée de retourner vivre en ville. « Beaucoup de parents dont les enfants ont quitté le nid familial ainsi que de jeunes professionnels qui veulent faire l’expérience de la vie urbaine cherchent des propriétés à Montréal. » Dario Evangelista est un jeune Italo-Montréalais qui a grandi en banlieue et qui a décidé d’acheter sa première maison en ville. « J’ai passé mon enfance à Duvernay, à Laval, dans une rue essentiellement italienne », explique Evangelista. « D’un côté de la rue habitaient mes grands-parents, mes oncles et mes cousins, ce qui s’avère être pas mal italien : la famille est tricotée serrée. De l’autre côté, résidaient mes zii (oncles), qui n’étaient pas formellement de la famille, mais qu’on appelait ainsi par respect. Tous les jardins sans exception contenaient un potager. » Quand vint le moment pour le jeune ingénieur de 29 ans de se procurer son propre logement, il fallait que ce soit dans un bel endroit offrant des services de proximité. Il a jeté son dévolu sur un condo au cœur de la Petite Italie. « La Piccola Italia vit une renaissance en ce moment. Pas nécessairement en tant que quartier italien en soi, bien que cette touche méditerranéenne demeure présente. C’est la ville, mais avec une vie de quartier – pas seulement une jungle de béton. » Evangeslista affirme qu’il éprouve une certaine nostalgie à vivre dans un quartier si riche, historiquement parlant, et si proche des racines de la communauté italienne de Montréal. « Ma grand-mère travaillait à la Casa d’Italia quand c’était encore un restaurant. C’est un endroit chargé d’histoire, un secteur où non seulement les Italiens, mais aussi beaucoup d’autres communautés se sont établies en premier », poursuit Evangelista. « Vivre ici me donne l’impression de contribuer à l’évolution de la ville. »

del east end di Montreal. “Molti franco-canadesi non potevano non apprezzare gli italiani come vicini perché essi curavano bene le loro case, crescevano i fiori nei loro giardini, erano molto puliti e i franco-canadesi ammiravano gli italiani per questo,” dice Ramirez. Nancy Forlini è un agente immobiliare di Montreal con quasi 30 anni di esperienza sul campo. È entrata in questo mondo sotto la spinta di suo padre, che ha speso gran parte della sua vita come impiegato ferroviario nella CN per poi finire col vendere per costruttori italiani dei duplex a St. Leonard. “È buffo perché anche io sono finita a vendere, su St. Leonard, case che all’inizio mio padre aveva venduto nel 1960” dice Forlini. Ma oggi non sono più le stesse persone a comprare le boîtes-à-l’italienne. “La nuova generazione di italiani non vuole le stesse comodità che cercavano i loro genitori al momento di comprare casa. Loro non comprano più i duplexes o i triplexes perchè non vogliono la responsabilità di dover trattare con gli inquilini,” spiega Forlini. “Essi tendono a preferire le singole abitazioni o i condomini per semplificare la loro vita.” Forlini dice anche che nelle periferie di Montreal – a Laval in particolare – vi sono molti italiani della seconda generazione che vogliono comprare casa. “Vimont, Duvernay, Val-des-Brises...Sono queste le aree preferite dagli italiani con figli piccoli. Ma molti stanno cercando anche di tornare a Montreal,” spiega Forlini. “Molti genitori rimasti soli e giovani professionisti che vogliono sperimentare la vita della città sono alla ricerca di immobili a Montreal.” Dario Evangelista è un giovane italo-canadese cresciuto in periferia e ha deciso di comprare la sua prima casa in città. “Da bambino vivevo a Duvernay, Laval, in una via perlopiù di italiani,” racconta Evangelista. “Da una parte abitavano i miei nonni, mia zia, mio zio e i miei cugini, che credo siano abbastanza italiani – la famiglia ti rimane vicino. Dall’altra parte vivevano gli zii, che non erano della famiglia, ma erano chiamati così in segno di rispetto. Il giardino era pieno di verdure in ogni cortile. Quando è venuto il tempo per il giovane ingegnere di 29 anni di prendere casa, cercava qualcosa in un’ottima posizione con tutti i servizi. Scelse un condominio moderno nel cuore della Piccola Italia a Montreal. “Ultimamente la Piccola Italia sta vivendo una nuova rinascita. Non solo come quartiere italiano, anche se quel tocco particolare rimane ancora. Evangelista dice di provare un senso di nostalgia vivendo in un’area così ricca di storia e così legata alle radici della comunità italiana di Montreal. “Mia nonna lavorava presso la Casa d’Italia quando era ancora un ristorante, c’è tanta storia qui. Questo è il posto dove gli italiani, ma anche molte altre comunità si sono stabiliti per primi,” dice Evangelista. “Vivere qui ti fa sentire come parte dell’evoluzione di questa città.” PANORAMITALIA.COM

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From Paesano to Proprietor How first generation Italian-Canadians sacrificed and saved to pave the way for their children By Sara Germanotta

father, Vincenzo Germanotta, was 23 years old when he immigrated to Canada from Sicily in 1965. His first Canadian home was a small apartment he shared with his sister, Carmela, and her family. They were six people – including three small children – living above a tavern at the corner of Jarry and de l’Épée. There was no sink in the bathroom so he remembers brushing his teeth and shaving in the kitchen sink. His bed was in the apartment’s entryway right beneath a sky light that leaked when it rained. “It was the only place we could find because no one wanted to rent to families with kids,” he explains. He spent most of his first years in Canada working. During the week he laboured as a carpenter, on the weekends he bussed tables at Caesar’s Palace – a bar on Hutchison and Jean-Talon. In total, he made about $70 per week. After about a year and a half he had saved up $3,000 – enough to put a down payment on a small triplex in east end Montreal. “I decided that if I was going to stay in Canada, I didn’t want to live hand to mouth,” says my dad Vincenzo, who is now 73 years old. “I found an old house on Bruchési and I decided to buy it.” With the help of his two brothers-in-law and some friends, he spent the summer of ’67 flipping the old triplex into an inhabitable property. “None of us had cars back then so we would ride the city bus with our shovels and brooms. We would sit at the back of the bus because we were so embarrassed,” he laughs. Dad made $10,000 in profit off that triplex and decided to get his real estate license. As a real estate agent, he needed a car to get around. In 1968, he bought a used five-year-old Chevy Impala. “The car was white and it was pretty rusted, so I would carry a can of spray paint in my car and do touchups,” he says. “My boss would always say ‘Germanotta, aren’t you embarrassed to show houses with such an ugly car?’ And I would tell him, ‘la casa porta la macchina, la macchina non porta la casa. ’ ” It’s this proud attitude of sacrifice and saving that my father shares with many first generation Italian-Canadians.

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Illustration by Dave Ferreira

Giuseppe DiBattista is the former head of the Fiducie CanadienneItalienne and founder of the Caisse Populaire Canadienne-Italienne. With more than 40 years of experience in the banking industry, DiBattista says he’s noticed a huge gap between first and second generation Italians when it comes to saving and investing money – especially when it comes to making big purchases, such as a car or a home. “When I started working in the banking industry, the thing that struck me about Italians is the first question they asked is if they could pay off their mortgage in full before it came due,” says the 79-year-old. “Many of these immigrants came from the poor Italian countryside and to own their own little piece of Canada was a big source of pride for them.” DiBattista remembers the long line of Italians in front of the bank tellers every Friday evening, eager to deposit their earnings for the week. “They were proud workers, they didn’t buy mansions, they took good care of their properties and they saved so their children could have better lives,” explains DiBattista. “Today, we see young Italians running around with brand new cars at 18 years old. In our day, no one had a car unless his or her house was paid off. I think the younger generation takes a lot for granted.”

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Many of these immigrants came from the poor Italian countryside and to own their own little piece of Canada was a big source of pride for them.

Anna Persichilli is a second generation Italian-Canadian. The 42-year-old is very grateful for the sacrifices her parents made. “My dad worked in construction all his life, mainly pouring concrete,” explains Persichilli. “Every time we walk around Montreal he always points out the sidewalks and streets he paved.” Persichilli says her father dreamed of being a mechanic but didn’t get the opportunity to pursue his dream. He did not want that to happen to his children. “My father told me I wasn’t getting married or leaving his house until I got my master’s degree,” laughs Persichilli, who is an art teacher for adults living with special needs. “And he never bought us anything unless we earned it. If I wanted a new computer, I had to get a 90 in math.” Persichilli admits she, like many second generation Italian-Canadians, are a lot quicker to spend their cash. “Some kids today are totally spoiled. If they want a new iPad, they get a new iPad,” continues Persichilli. “But my parents, because they worked so hard to get their stuff, they have a lot of pride. For us, the minute something breaks, we get a new one. It’s crazy the luxuries we have.” Those luxuries include, for many younger Italians, bigger houses complete with swimming pools and finished basements. But despite the relative affluence of their surroundings, Italian-Canadians such as Persichilli are aware that none of their success would be possible without the sacrifices of their parents. “The first time my father walked into my house, he cried,” remembers Persichilli. “I think it’s because it symbolizes his success, it’s his Oscar, his reward for giving up his dreams and saving and making it possible for us to live in a gorgeous house, with a new car and all the frills. Now it’s our job to make sure our kids don’t take any of this for granted.”

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photo©Vincenzo Pietropaolo.Courtesy of the artist.

An Italian Imprint on Montreal’s Landscape By Sabrina Marandola

It’s

no secret that Italians are famed for being builders. The Roman Empire featured some of the most incredible constructions of all time, from the Colosseum, to aqueducts to stone-covered roads all leading back to Rome. As the saying goes, “There is no looking at a building after seeing Italy.” Now, thousands of years later, even in modern Montreal in 2016, it turns out that there’s no looking at Montreal without seeing constructions built by Italians. If you’re a Montrealer of Italian origin, the odds are high that one of your relatives or ancestors played a role in making the Montreal landscape what it is today. Marco Patulli, 35, doesn’t need to travel very far from his home in Côte-desNeiges to see what his own father built in the city. His dad, Aurelio Patulli, an Italian immigrant from Le Marche, was a construction worker who specialized in masonry. “My dad and his partners worked on many things in the city. They mostly worked on making the stone structures of some of the houses in Westmount, Town of Mont-Royal, Hampstead and Outremont,” Patulli says. “Masons who specialized in stonework were few and far between back in the day, so the demand was quite high. On occasion, he would build more unique brick structures like, for example, St. Nikolas Tavelic Church in Côte-des-Neiges.” Italian immigrants like Aurelio Patulli didn’t only build homes and churches. Some of the first who arrived in Canada after the First World War settled in neighbourhoods near the railways, such as the Saint-Raymond sector that overlooked the Glen rail yards in Notre-Dame-de-Grâce. There, they were able to get work in the rail yards. Italians also built many of the roads and highways you drive on. James Franceschini, an immigrant from Abruzzo who came to Canada in 1905, founded Dufferin Construction. The company, registered in 1926, became very successful when it got into road-building. “He built the road from Montreal to Mont Tremblant – the Laurentian Autoroute,” James McCreath, Franceschini’s 24

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grandson, said in a 2011 interview for the project Italian-Canadians as Enemy Aliens: Memories of WWII. An Italian immigrant also played a big role in building the Montreal Metro system. Mario Spino was president of Spino Construction. His company worked on some major public projects including digging out tunnels for Montreal’s Metro, as well as hydroelectric projects up in James Bay. Santa Cabrini Hospital was also built by Italians, with Louis Donolo construction company being involved in the project. Italians didn’t only build infrastructure. In some cases, they even built entire neighbourhoods. For example, Rocco Di Zazzo, president of Rodimax, is known as the “Father of Nouveau Saint-Laurent.” Over the last 25 years, he built every townhouse, condo or luxury home in the Montreal neighbourhood that covers 25 million square feet. “We are hard workers, but you can’t say we built the city. Other people did their part too, but we are proud of where we are from and what we have accomplished,” Di Zazzo says. “There are about 300,000 Italians in the Montreal area, which has a total population of about three million. We contributed a lot when you look at the proportion.” Pierre Gauthier, associate professor of urban planning at Concordia University, says it’s clear that Italians have left their mark on some Montreal neighbourhoods. One just has to think of the duplex or triplex. “Everywhere we find this architecture, to me it’s clear that it’s built by Italians and by Italian companies,” Gauthier says. “I was always intrigued by the plex forms built in the ’60s and ’70s,” he says, adding that these homes are purely a Montreal phenomenon. “They were built by Italians, for Italians predominantly.” Head to Montreal’s east end borough of St. Leonard to see a perfect example of duplexes and triplexes lining street after street. “This area was planned to accommodate little bungalows in the ’60s and ’70s. But the Italian population moving in didn’t want to buy these bungalows. What happened instead is that

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BUREAU DES VENTES 5233 RUE DU SUREAU PIERREFONDS, H8Z 0B3

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If you’re a Montrealer of Italian origin, the odds are high that one of your relatives or ancestors played a role in making the Montreal landscape what it is today.

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they produced a new version of the plex – they are wider with two apartments on top and often have a little bachelor in the basement level.” These homes also had backyards, which allowed the Italian homeowner to plant gardens. “Economically speaking, it makes perfect sense. You can save money doing this, but in my opinion there’s also much more to it,” Gauthier says. “You can grow vegetables that are needed for your cuisine so that you can continue to cook the same type of food. So you keep alive this culinary culture.” Italians not only kept their culinary culture alive but also their building culture. Gauthier says Montreal is one of the few North American cities that has many buildings made out of concrete, rather than steel. This could be because many Italians, and other southern European immigrants, built the city. “Concrete is closer to the masonry culture that is characteristic of southern Europe, whereas steel stems from the wood-construction tradition [from northern Europe]. So some people noticed at some point how there was, proportionally, many more buildings built in concrete in Montreal than you would find in other similar North American cities.” For Patulli, whose father’s masonry skills contributed to completing some of today’s homes and churches in Montreal, none of it has gone unnoticed. “He was very hands-on with everything manual around the house. Fixing things, plumbing, landscaping – an original Do-It-Yourself man. My brothers and I would sometimes pick up things here and there that we used later on in life.” He is also grateful to his father for all his hard work in order to provide for the family. “I have to commend him for everything he’s done for us. Working in construction with a specialty in masonry is something I would never be able to do … It’s gruelling, manual work. Working outside during all four seasons in Montreal can be very taxing,” says Patulli, who works as an associate advisor for RBC Dominion Securities. “I think most of us tend to forget the struggles our parents had to overcome in order to provide us the best. Most came here with nothing from Italy and managed to build this amazing life for their kids. I would go as far as to say that the first generation Italians are cut from a different cloth... My dad always told my brothers and me that he always hoped that we would be more successful than he was. We are a reflection of our C parents and need to make them proud.”

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photo©Vincenzo Pietropaolo.Courtesy of the artist.

PHASE 3 EN CONSTRUCTION

À PARTIR DE 379,000$ PANORAMITALIA.COM

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Living in Time Capsules

Photographer shows unique perspective on the Italian-Canadian home By Loretta N. Di Vita

or Italian-Canadian immigrants and their descendants, the interiors featured in emerging artist Matthew Brooks’s photo series “Italian Homes” may seem so familiar that they’d hardly merit any special attention. But to Brooks, 25, who grew up in a suburban Winnipeg home with practical IKEAish furnishings and an unassuming beige-and-white colour scheme, the ornate interior of his Italian-Canadian girlfriend’s family home came as a startling – albeit delightful – discovery. “I remember the first time I walked into the Montreal North home; I just went blank because there was so much visual information. The homeowners themselves are not flamboyant in any way – modest, actually – so it was surprising that their home is so powerfully loud,” he says. Genuinely impressed by the home’s personality, Brooks took his camera inside its four walls, photographing the kitchen (make that both kitchens), bedrooms, and living areas. As he became more familiar with his girlfriend’s extended family and visited their places, he noticed that the dwellings were all decorated in the same manner; leitmotifs like onyx rotary phones, Venetian glass candies and copious religious iconography turned up from house to house. Uncovering these commonalities, he knew he had a series in his hands and proceeded to photograph the relatives’ houses too. “As an outsider, I was perplexed and intrigued by the spaces’ uniqueness,” he says, referring to a maximalist blend of mid-century furniture, Baroque decoration, drippy chandeliers and unrestrained display of ceramic trinkets. He recalls seeing “so many little things” set on tabletops or protected behind glass curio doors. What also struck him is the tendency among Italian-Canadian immigrants to duplicate rooms, where the fancier one is purely for show and the other is

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actually used for quotidian activities. “Given my interest in theatre sets, I was fascinated by certain rooms being, in a sense, performative – like the ubiquitous, infrequently-used upstairs kitchen,” he says. But it wasn’t only the curiosity of double rooms or the allure of brocade wallpaper and marble mosaic corridors that compelled Brooks to embark on the photo project; what fascinated him more was the impeccable vacuumsealed preservation of the household trappings, many of them dating back to the ’50s, ’60s and ’70s. “The photo project was a sociological thing for me,” he says. “I found it interesting how nothing has changed over so many years, and sometimes not even between generations. There’s something very particular about these homes – the way they’re frozen in time – and the owners’ proud reluctance to modify them.” Though the interiors are chockfull of elements recalling Italian grand living – luxe satiny textiles, velvet upholstered sofas, ceramic tiled floors (and walls) – Brooks believes that the intent behind the decor choices is not only about replicating an Italian ideal but also about indicating – in material terms – the immigrants’ new-world assimilation and success. “The spaces are full of little anecdotal objects that attest to an arrival of sorts. I think viewers of the same cultural background will find the images relatable,” says Brooks. Asked if the owners were wary to lay bare their homes to a photographer, he replies, “It was kind of flattering – validating even – for them to have an outsider come in and ask, ‘May I have this and share it?’” And sharing it is precisely what he’s doing – in the most ethical manner, thank you. The series could easily have veered toward a kitsch representation, but he

What also struck him is the tendency among ItalianCanadian immigrants to duplicate rooms, where the fancier one is purely for show and the other is actually used for quotidian activities.

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CASETTA IN CANADA

Photography by Matthew Brooks

was careful to maintain the homeowners’ dignity, photographing the interiors with near-sacrosanctity. As a result, the vignettes appear shrine-like. “I find the spaces very beautiful and representative of the house pride their inhabitants hold for them,” Brooks says. “When I photograph something, it’s because I have a very serious interest in it. I felt it was important to document these interiors – to preserve their history – before any eventual renovation or remodeling, or unthinkable demolition.” Although the settings look designed, they’re authentic. He stresses the fact that he merely documented them as they were, and didn’t interfere with the positioning of items – except in one instance, when he pulled out a vintage Electrolux vacuum from its basement hiding place to include in the series. Brooks felt it was important to pay homage to the venerable appliance responsible for keeping these spaces pristinely dust-free. “I cannot believe that even the vacuum cleaner has been kept since the late ’50s or early ’60s in mint functioning condition,” he remarks. A relative newcomer to the Québécois art scene, Brooks studied Fine Arts at Concordia University and plans to pursue graduate studies in Photography at the same school. After moving to Montreal from Manitoba three years ago, he would relish the opportunity to expand the series, if willing participants were to come forward. Does he see the series turning into a coffee table book? He’s certainly not averse to the idea, but thinks the large format prints are better displayed in their original size for maximum artistic impact. So, gallery exhibits would be ideal. For now, the young, dedicated photographer is content with the depth of the series and grateful for having had the privilege to capture these cherished interiors on film. To see the series, go to www.matthewbrooks.info and click on Italian Homes.

Last Phase

Buy Directly from Builder

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Quorum, Laval sur le Lac

Rodimax, Nouveau Saint-Laurent

Great Montreal Builders (Part 1 of 4) Over the next 4 issues, Panoram Italia will be profiling some of Montrealâ&#x20AC;&#x2122;s most notable Italian-Canadian developers. Triad, Ventura

Presti, Eden

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Broccolini, L'Avenue

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MONTREAL BUILDERS

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It takes stamina to ride out the lows, and patience, but more than that – dedication to its growth.

Photography by Vincenzo D’Alto

Building a Solid Reputation Joseph Broccolini

By Loretta N. Di Vita

It’s

hard not to be wowed by the Broccolini headquarters in Kirkland. Consider 209,400 square feet of office space, window-encased conference rooms, an overall lounge-like vibe and a digital board changing on cue to display staff birthday greetings or visiting clients’ logos (nice touch). And then there’s the on-site gym and the employee cafeteria offering fresh selections prepared by two in-house chefs – one of whom is a Broccolini. The place doesn’t just whisper “success”; it shouts it. Joseph Broccolini, VP, enters the sleek, brochure-worthy conference room, smiling gently. His calm demeanour is somewhat incongruous against the bright red swivel chair he rests on. “I don’t like to talk much about myself,” he says, with a reticence likely coming from humility rather than shyness. He’s “very serious” (he says so himself). And he’s also “very funny” (he says that too). Pressed to offer more, he tosses in “warm” and “kind.” It takes no effort whatsoever to believe him. “I turned sixty this year,” he adds. Now that’s tough to believe. The Broccolini building-development-real estate business began in 1949, when his father Donato, an Italian immigrant to Canada from the region of Abruzzo, built a single bungalow. The unassuming builder surely couldn’t have imagined at that time that his company would expand to three offices – Montreal, Ottawa and Toronto – employ 300, and put up L’Avenue – a 50-storey mixed-use glass tower in downtown Montreal. The business continues to be family-run, with a Broccolini at every water cooler: John, CEO; Paul, Executive VP; Anthony, COO; Michael, VP Business Development and Finance; and Teresa, in property management. Judging by appearances, it’s unimaginable that the Broccolini empire might ever have encountered any snags along the road to success. But, as Joseph Broccolini explains, the building industry is a difficult one to tackle. Jittery and reactive, a blip in the general economy can send it into a nervous fit. Besides industry challenges, there are the preoccupations associated with cementing and sustaining a big business of any sort. You’ll hear parents of growing children say that the bigger the kid gets, the bigger the problems; the same may hold true for a bigger business. It takes stamina to ride out the lows, and patience, but more than that – dedication to its growth. “From the outside look30

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ing in, people just see our company signs everywhere around the city. Sometimes you do well; sometimes not. It’s a tough industry – and a tough business – there’s the general economy, collections, hiring lawyers to collect the last ten percent,” says Broccolini. “Trust me, when I go home at night, I think about work; waking up in the middle of the night, I think of work. It never stops.” Where does he find his resolve? “I rely on my strong work sense, which I developed at a young age,” he says, praising his father and uncle as his paragons. He recounts how, as kids, he and his brothers would tag along to their dad’s construction sites during summer months to help out – maybe pick up nails dropped by carpenters. They’d also collect the empty soda bottles workers left behind and trade them in for cash. Budding entrepreneurs that they were, they’d convert the money into candy bars and more soda to sell to the workers the next day, beating the mobile canteen to the punch. Indeed, it didn’t take the young Broccolini long to discover the causal relationship between hard work and reward: “You work, you make money, you have a happy life.” Simple. But what he saw on those construction sites had an unexpected paradoxical impact on his own ambitions: “Seeing my father and other Italian men toil like that – the hardships associated with physical labor – I knew I didn’t want to do that forever.” Without minimizing his predecessors’ efforts, he says, “All immigrants make sacrifices. The difference is that new immigrants today have a readymade safety net, with welfare programs to support them, unlike my parents and their Italian peers, who had none.” And what happens when you’ve finally made it? “Life has been good to me both professionally and personally,” says the married father of three. “I’ve found balance. But when you’re Italian, successful, with a bit of money – public perception is that you’re crooked or connected.” Broccolini feels that transparency is key to quashing doubtful rumblings and dissolving persistent stereotypes. “It’s about changing negative societal perceptions,” he says, “but we need help from the community. Italian-Canadians need to get better organized, support each other, and have one voice.”

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FRUITERIE MILANO

VOTED MONTREAL’S BEST ITALIAN GROCERY STORE By Panoram Italia’s Readers

Thank You • Merci • Grazie

We are proud to welcome you to our grocery store. For more than 62 years Fruiterie Milano has offered you the best of Italian foods and products .

Benvenuti da noi ! Celia and Mario Zaurrini

FRUITERIE MILANO

6862 St Laurent, Montréal, QC H2S 3C7 • (514) 273-8558

www.fruiteriemilano.com

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With the construction boom in Montreal in full swing and a lot of word-of-mouth advertising from satisfied customers, business picked up quickly.

Photography by Vincenzo D’Alto

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MONTREAL BUILDERS

Presti Homes, a true Italian family business Paolo and Pasquale Presti

By Joey Strizzi

is often said in the corporate world that one should never go into business with family, but for the Prestis, that’s exactly how they got started. Pasquale (President) and his son Paolo (Vice-President) founded Presti Homes and Developments in 2002, and in a short time, went from building small, single homes with their own hands to developing entire streets and neighbourhoods. Although the company’s success came fairly quickly, it took almost 30 years in Canada to mold their winning recipe. Foundation of the family business Building was in the family blood line. Born in 1947 in Cattolica Eraclea, Sicily, Pasquale Presti grew up watching his father make plaster from rock caves, and although his family had their own orchard, his father continuously worked on homes in their small town, instilling within Pasquale a strong work ethic. In 1965, at 17, he immigrated to Germany, finding employment for three years in the construction industry before joining the military. After serving 15 months, Pasquale realized his first dream of coming to Canada on November 15, 1969. “It was a dream to come here,” he said. “The prospect of a better life was very appealing, but it wasn’t easy in the beginning.”

Working in Canada After marrying his wife Antonina in 1971, he settled into a career that would span the better part of three decades. He worked in cement finishing for 10 years as a plasterer and finally spent the last 18 years of his career as a foreman in the cement finishing division of a company that specialized in sidewalks and road building. And like any good Italian, he found extra work wherever he could. “In my life, I’ve always had two jobs,” explains the 68-year-old. “I worked full-time, but I always did extra work on the side to provide for my family. I literally worked every day of the week.” Most of that side work involved home renovations, but Presti even dabbled as a cinematographer in the early days of wedding videos. Wherever he saw an opportunity, he tried to take advantage of it. In 1985, he invested in real estate and built a small portfolio to continue to help support his family of four, but the opportunity to build his own home, which he says was a second dream of his, never materialized. “At 55, after many 32

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years of hard work, I decided it was time to retire.” He goes on to joke, “The funny thing is, during that whole time, I had always wanted to build homes for a living, but couldn’t find a partner. So instead, I had to make one (referring to his son) and actually retire before it would happen!” Father and son Paolo started working with his dad when he was old enough to hold camera wires or a paint brush. “I remember as early as the age of nine, I would help my dad on weekends and work summers in renovations,” says the younger Presti. “My dad worked a lot, so it was a way for us to spend time together.” As Paolo got older, he earned a degree in Engineering and Computer Science. After graduation, he found a good job and was well on his way to a successful career. But in his final year of school, Paolo got engaged and started looking to buy a home. His dad, however, made a proposal to his son to buy land and build themselves. So in 2000, the father-son duo not only planted the first post for Paolo’s new home in Auteuil, Laval, but they planted the seed that would bloom into a hugely successful business. “My dad was retired by then,” explains Presti’s VP, “but my experience with him inspired me to ask, ‘Hey Dad, why don’t we start our own business?’” The elder’s response: “I didn’t hesitate a second.” The birth of Presti Homes With the construction boom in Montreal in full swing and a lot of word-ofmouth advertising from satisfied customers, business picked up quickly and soon Presti went from building 10-15 homes a year to managing huge projects all around the city. Renaissance Vimont was their first significant build, where the streets are almost entirely lined with Presti homes. Now with a dynamic staff of 15, including Paolo’s wife Giuliana who handles all the company’s finances, Presti Homes is currently working on six different projects: condos in TMR, St. Leonard and Val-des Brises and homes in St. Laurent, Auteuil and Ste-Dorothée. “We’ve been blessed,” says Paolo humbly, “and because of that, we don’t take a single client for granted.”

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Photography by Vincenzo D’Alto

MONTREAL BUILDERS

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My story is the same story as all Italian immigrants – we looked for work and started off small.

The “Father of Nouveau Saint-Laurent” Rocco Di Zazzo

By Sabrina Marandola

e’s known as the “Father of Nouveau Saint-Laurent.” Rocco Di Zazzo, the white-haired, white-bearded 76-year-old, is the man behind every single rock, brick and blade of grass that you see in the Montreal neighbourhood totalling 25 million square feet. Di Zazzo, the president of Rodimax, has spent the last 25 years building the residential development, which boasts townhouses, semi-detached and detached homes, condos and luxury homes. Situated between Henri-Bourassa Blvd. to the north, Ernest-Hemingway Ave. to the south, Cavendish Blvd. to the east and Guénette St. to the west, the area also incorporates green spaces, bike paths, small lakes, parks and an elementary school. It’s difficult to imagine that the man leaving his imprint on the Montreal landscape actually grew up across the ocean, in poverty, in a small village in southern Italy. Born in 1940 in Rocca D’Evandro, in the province of Caserta in the Campania region, Di Zazzo remembers the bombs of the Second World War striking down. Money was tight – his parents couldn’t afford to send him to high school. Di Zazzo joined the seminary instead. “My parents were very poor but they showed me the right way to live: be good to yourself, be good to others and be resourceful and creative,” Di Zazzo says from his corner office with wall-to-wall windows. It’s a lesson he took to heart. Di Zazzo was 18 when he and his family immigrated to Montreal, and he was ready to take on any job to survive and make ends meet. “I did it all – I was a dishwasher, a taxi driver, a truck driver, I worked in a manufacturing plant,” Di Zazzo recalls. He insists, however, that his story is no different than that of others. “My story is the same story as all Italian immigrants – we looked for work and started off small.” Di Zazzo, who credits himself as being an eternal optimist, says his attitude helped him get ahead too. “You always have to find the bright side in every situation,” he says. “I know we are immigrants but it’s not a weakness. It was never a weakness for me to be an immigrant – I never felt I was less of a person. I always felt good and even if sometimes some immigrants say they were mistreated, that was never my experience.” While trying to get ahead himself, Di Zazzo wanted to help others too. He got together with some friends and within six months of immigrating to 34

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Montreal, he co-founded the Italo-Canadian Workers Union. “Immigrants did not have the services they do today. They could not go to hospitals, they had no social assistance,” Di Zazzo says. He kept working, landing a job at a masonry company and another at Beaver Asphalt, where he learned all about paving. He had seasonal jobs too, working as a landscaper during the summer months and, in winter, working as a real estate agent. At the same time, he completed a diploma in industrial design. All the ingredients were suddenly in place for a recipe for success. “As a real estate agent, I started to buy some lots of land and then I started building on them. The passion just developed. When you start working in a field that you love, you develop as a person too,” Di Zazzo says. The first house he built was on De Lorimier, near Fleury Street, followed soon after by another one on Charland. This was one of the first triplexes on the street. He went on to build not only single-family dwellings, but also bigger housing projects. His first major one was Habitation au Bord de l’Eau, in Montreal North, which had 100 units. That was in 1967. In the ’70s, he built Les Habitations Jardins d’Ahuntsic, the Westover in Côte Saint-Luc, Les Habitations Jardins Rosemont and Les Habitations Nouveau Bordeaux – all buildings of at least 100 units. Di Zazzo says he’s also very proud of the public projects he accomplished, which he knows are benefitting the community. The list includes Montreal’s Biotechnology Research Institute, Kirkland City Hall, the Centre d’Accueil Juif as well as a major renovation project at John Abbott College that involved removing and reinstalling the building’s cupola. Di Zazzo also felt it was important to give back to the community, not only via his work but also from his heart. The father of six and grandfather of 11, who himself lives in the Nouveau Saint-Laurent neighbourhood he built, donated a plot of land so that a school could be built. École primaire Trésor-du-Boisé, of the Marguerite-Bourgeoys School Board, now stands there, filled with 600 students. “I gave them the land for free because it’s something good for the neighbourhood. There are 28 classes there now from Kindergarten to Grade 6.” Di Zazzo says he has no plans to slow down. “For me, working is a pleasure. My next step is to continue doing what I’m doing and create other projects, play golf and have get-togethers with my grandchildren.”

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MONTREAL BUILDERS

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Peter Cosentini and Guy Laporte

Building Synergy By Loretta N. Di Vita

was through a matchmaker, of sorts, that Quorum Construction came to be. A mutual rough lumber supplier thought builders Peter Cosentini and Guy Laporte should hook up in business. After much prompting, Cosentini went to see Laporte to buy some land, but the deal never went through. A few years later, in 1993, they reconnected and decided to give it a whirl, forming Quorum – a building development enterprise. Like many success stories, theirs begins with a vision – and frugality. Cosentini says, “We were in a recession period, and set up Quorum in an eightby-eight office – just the two of us. Now, we have 30 direct employees and some 250 people working on various projects on an average day. And we’re here!” “Here” is the owners’ slick, light-drenched offices in the Quorum building overlooking the Lachine Canal, not far from happening Griffintown, where, incidentally, the builders were “the first ones in,” erecting the successful condo building, the William. Referring to themselves as “Mutt and Jeff,” Italian-Canadian Cosentini’s dynamic mile-a-minute style sharply contrasts Québécois Laporte’s restrained manner (only shed behind the wheel of his Prototype Lite race car, we might add). The duo admits that they approach executive decisions from very different perspectives. Still, as in any meant-to-be relationship – despite taking different routes – they seem to always arrive squarely at a shared conclusion. A happy place, as it were. Demystifying the principle of synergy, Cosentini says, “What he’s good at – I’m not; and what I’m good at – he’s not. “Laporte is the forecaster, finance whizz and design guy,” he says. And “extrovert Cosentini is the networker (on the golf course and off) and deal-maker extraordinaire,” says Laporte. Do they both agree on these characterizations? Why yes, of course, they do. “After nearly 25 years, you rub off on each other,” says Laporte. And apparently not only in terms of business tactic. He believes that his association with Cosentini, and, consequently, a wider Italian network, has rendered him “less conservative” – right down to snazzier wardrobe choices. Also, the respect that he’s always held for ‘family’ has grown exponentially, having had the opportunity to observe up close the Italian family dynamic. Speaking of Italian families, Cosentini’s “start” came when he bought half 36

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of his father-in-law’s eponymous construction company. Modest in scope, compared to Quorum, it was a formidable business with a squeaky clean reputation. Wanting to preserve his good name, the elder – before handing partial reigns to Cosentini, then a real estate agent – made it clear that his son-in-law had better not – how to put it delicately? – mess up. “He told me: ‘You have to respect people and you have to pay workers. If you have no intention of doing that, go do something else,’” recalls Cosentini. Laporte finds the courage and quick assimilation displayed by Italian immigrants of that era remarkable and personally inspiring. “I don’t think people today starting a career or business ever experience what the Italians did starting from scratch. Most arrived with only a suitcase, travel debts, and no command of the language. I certainly take my hat off to them.” Something that’s lost from that honourable generation, in Cosentini’s opinion, is personalized communication. “In those days, a promise was sealed with a handshake. If you had a problem, you banged it out until you found a way. Now everybody’s got a lawyer.” Quorum has covered a lot of ground, so to speak – mostly in Laval, Montreal North, the West Island – and has weathered its share of industry storms. It’s astounding, then, to hear Cosentini say, “Initially, it was supposed to be only one project; and we’re still here.” Laporte reinforces his partner’s remark: “A company that’s been around as long as us – doing what we do – always under the same name...that means something.” Indeed, they’ve come a long way, embarking now on Quorum’s “signature project”: a contemporary-luxe condo complex named LL, tucked between a river and a golf course – all within exclusive Laval-sur-le-Lac. But they agree (as usual) that their most meaningful project yet has to be an early, small one, in Ste-Anne-de-Bellevue, named after Cosentini’s daughter Kassandra – Kassy’s Bay. Therein, they also named one street, Maxime, for Laporte’s son. Today, Kassandra and Maxime hold executive positions within the organization. Kassandra is Vice-President (Head of Administration and Finance), and Maxime is Vice-President, Development and Marketing Strategies. Evidently, some projects pay tribute not only to a family’s past but also its future.

Photography by Vincenzo D’Alto

“

A company that’s been around as long as us – doing what we do – always under the same name...that means something.

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MONTREAL BUILDERS

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Charlie Albano, Alfonso Puccio and Sabino Grassi

The Power of Three By Loretta N. Di Vita

he number three has always been regarded as a symbol of solidity, so “triad” – a connection of three people or things – is the perfect descriptor for Construction TRIAD-APG, a longstanding building development company comprising three associates. Charlie Albano and Alfonso Puccio, operating principals, and Sabino Grassi, investing partner, are the keen businesspeople behind the name. Meeting the affable builders in their Saint-Laurent headquarters, we head downstairs to a basement-level conference room. Albano cracks an endearing inside joke, calling the office “the St. Leonard Duplex” – since the basement contains a kitchen. Their enthusiasm is practically contagious while sharing a company brochure. Flipping the pages, the breadth and diversity of TRIAD’s expertise in predominantly turnkey industrial-commercial, institutional, and residential work, dating back to its 1988 inception, becomes obvious. Among a long list of notable endeavours, there is the transformation of Les Trois Arches restaurant into a 73-unit condominium complex; the total facelift of an office tower flanking the Metropolitan highway; the $1.8-million Merck Frost daycare centre; a monumental church; a sprawling industrial park. They’ve also built or renovated around 1,000 residential units, including an astonishing 35,000-square-foot mansion – one of the three biggest homes in Quebec – whose owner’s identity the builders have sworn to keep secret. Albano chuckles, “My kids thought I was building it for John Travolta.” The partners buzz about TRIAD’s pet project, Ventura – a new lifestyle condo development that will “transform the landscape of Pointe-Claire” – but the conversation is more about humble beginnings, resilient partnerships, and the non-material rewards of well-played careers. It was Grassi’s wife in an exercise of “good intuition” that spurred the genesis of the company. She suggested to her husband – already the owner of a real estate business – that he align himself with brother-in law Puccio, a civil engineer and turnkey pioneer and longtime buddy Albano, who, though highly successful in a Chicago-based administrative role with a paper company, was sorely missing his hometown Montreal. The men met to discuss a partnership on December 27, 1987. Less than five months later, TRIAD was ready to roll. The company’s first project was the building of a church community centre. Albano says he feels “blessed” to have had the opportunity. (If the pun is 38

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intentional, he doesn’t let on.) Puccio laughs, “Every time we build a church, the priests say, ‘Give us a good price, and you’ll be ensured a place in heaven.’” Nearly 30 years later, the snapshot is one of an accomplished team bonded by good chemistry and commonality. The three are of Italian origin; Grassi is Canadian-born, and, coincidentally, both Albano and Puccio hail from Ribera, Sicily. In that nudge-nudge kind of way, they tease each other about construction “being in their Italian blood.” Grassi’s father was (surprise!) a builder. He recalls laughingly, “I grew up on construction sites. We never had a sidewalk in front of our house.” Puccio’s dad was a construction labourer – “always the first on the job, and the last to leave.” And, what about Albano? Well, he is Italian after all. It was paternal role modelling that sparked their own ambitions. They remember their fathers as the embodiments of a distinctly Italian new-immigrant work ethic. “I don’t know of any Italians who ever had trouble finding a job in the ’50s and ’60s, and that’s because they were known as responsible workers,” says Albano. Today, the partners navigate their business dealings with the same moral compass. Should there be any question about the authenticity of the impossibly well-adjusted team, the three partners attest that things truly are as rosy as they appear. “We’re just lucky,” Grassi says, downplaying the need to check one’s ego at the door when working in a team. Albano continues about the dynamics of partnership: “Partners are never 100 percent equal, but the relationship must be balanced.” Then he adds with characteristic humour, “One year Alfonso gets the extra vacation day; the next year I get it.” Clearly, their success is the result of no-nonsense hard work combined with determination, and – let’s face it – brain muscle, but behind the cloak of enterprising zeal, there’s ‘heart’. “Even during the ’90s recession, we kept employees on as long as we could, because the thought of them not providing for their families was too much of a psychological burden to bear,” says Albano. In true ‘snatch the pebble from the master’ form, Puccio’s son, a civil engineer, is presumptive successor; Grassi’s son, also in civil engineering, is slotted to come onboard; and Albano’s daughter oversees Ventura’s marketing and sales. As for legacy, they’re proud of how they’ve enhanced the spirit of many areas, leaving behind integral community-oriented buildings. Puccio sums it up nicely, recounting how his granddaughter would point to her daycare centre, joyously announcing to anyone in earshot: “My Nonno built that!”

Photography by Vincenzo D’Alto

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Nearly thirty years later, the snapshot is one of an accomplished team bonded by good chemistry and commonality.

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15:00

12:00

15:00

12:00

TIME

TEAMS

Romania

Northern Ireland

15:00

12:00

9:00

15:00

TIME

France

MATCH

June 22

June 18

June 14

June 14 DATE

Austria

June 21

June 17

June 13

June 12 DATE

Croatia

June 20

June 16

June 15

June 11

June 11 DATE

England

12:00

15:00

12:00

15:00

12:00 TIME

15:00

12:00

9:00

9:00 TIME

Russia

Slovakia

England

Russia

England

Wales

Iceland

Hungary

Portugal

Iceland

Portugal

Austria

Hungary

Czech Republic

Croatia

Spain

Czech Republic

Spain

Turkey

Czech Republic

15:00

9:00

15:00

12:00 TIME

Russia

TEAMS

Wales

England

Wales

Slovakia

Russia

Slovakia

Paris

CITY

Turkey

Toulouse

St-Etienne

Lens

Lille

Marseille

Bordeaux CITY

Wales

Lens

Bordeaux

Nice

St-Etienne

Austria

Portugal

Austria

Hungary

Iceland

Hungary

St-Denis

Lyon

Paris

Marseille

St-Etienne

Bordeaux

CITY

Portugal

Turkey

Spain

Turkey

Croatia

Czech Republic Toulouse

Croatia

Spain

Iceland

TEAMS

Slovakia

*All kick-off times are EST

GROUP

GROUP GROUP

MATCH SCHEDULE

MTL June/July 21-40_Layout 1 2016-05-30 2:21 PM Page 40

QUARTER-FINALS

ROUND OF 16

12:00

QF3

QF1

SF1

July 2

June 30

12:00

June 27

June 26

15:00

9:00

TIME

June 25

DATE

SEMI-FINALS

MATCH

July 6

15:00

FINAL Final

Lyon

15:00

Winner QF2

July 10

Winner match 7 Bordeaux

Marseille

St-Denis

Lille

Lens

Winner match 3

Runner-up D

3rd Place A/B/F

3rd Place B/E/F

CITY

Runner-up C St-Etienne

Winner QF1

Winner match 5

Winner match 1

Winner E

Winner C

Winner D

Runner-up A

TEAMS

Winner SF1

SF2

July 7

QF4

QF2 July 3

July 1

15:00

9:00

12:00

TIME

Winner SF2

St-Denis

Winner QF3

Marseille

Winner match 8

ROUND OF 16 QUARTER-FINALS Lille

Nice

Toulouse

Lyon

Paris

CITY

St-Denis

Runner-up F

Runner-up E

3rd Place C/D/E

3rd Place A/C/D

Winner match 6

TEAMS

Winner QF4

15:00 Winner match 4

Runner-up B

Winner F

Winner A

Winner B

15:00 Winner match 2

June 27

June 26

DATE

June 25

15:00

MATCH

MTL June/July 41-60_Layout 1 2016-05-30 2:25 PM Page 41

SEMI-FINALS

MTL June/July 41-60_Layout 1 2016-05-30 2:25 PM Page 42

EURO 2016

Gigi Buffon, Marco Verratti, Giorgio Chiellini and Manolo Gabbiadini posing with the new jersey of La Nazionale

2016 UEFA Euro Cup Italy looks to bounce back from poor performance at the World Cup By Joey Strizzi Gli Azzurri, les Bleus, la Furia Roja... In international football, with a few exceptions, European nations are considered to be the cream of the crop. And although the World Cup is the most important tournament on the planet, the UEFA European Championships, also played every four years, may showcase better competition. The 2016 UEFA Euros, made up of 24 qualifying teams from across the continent, kicks off on June 10 in France. For the Italian national team, winners of the title in 1968, this tournament represents opportunity for redemption following a lacklustre performance at the 2014 World Cup, hopefully rediscovering the form that propelled the Azzurri to the finals of the last edition of the Euros in 2012. Fresh format For the first time, the Euros will be contested by 24 teams, having been expanded from the 16-team format used since 1996. What this means is that the group stage will now consist of six groups of four teams, followed by three rounds of knockout games and then the final. The top two from each group still go through to the knockout stage, while the new format allows for the four best third-ranked sides to also progress. 42

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Group E Italy, the world’s 15th ranked team, will face some stiff competition in Group E, starting with Belgium, the second best country in the FIFA/ Coca-Cola rankings. With EPL stars Romelu Lukaku and Eden Hazard, and AS Roma’s Nainggolan on the roster, the Red Devils will be a force to be reckoned with. The Republic of Ireland (31) and Sweden (36) are always tough competition. The Irish have played Italia to a 1-3-1 record in five meetings since 2009, while Sweden presents a unique challenge with the likes of Zlatan Ibrahimović, one of the premier goal scorers in recent history. “Ibra” scored 53 goals in 54 games this past season with Paris St-Germain and has a knack for breaking Italian hearts, scoring wonder goals like his unbelievable back heel in the 2004 Euros (with his back to goal) that floated into the top corner and eliminated Italy during group play. He keeps going and going... One man that will be pivotal to Italy’s success is 38-year-old captain Gianluigi Buffon. Considered to be one of the finest goalkeepers in the history of the beautiful game, Buffon, like a fine wine it seems, has gotten better with age,

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EURO 2016

Coach Conte While questions remain about Buffon’s future, the 2016 Euros will definitely be the swan song for Coach Antonio Conte, who becomes the new bench boss at Chelsea F.C. following the tournament. Conte, winner of three consecutive Serie A titles with Juventus from 20122014, took over for Cesare Prandelli on a two-year deal after the dismal showing at the 2014 World Cup and has led his country to a 9-6-3 record since taking over. With only three losses in 18 games, it is most certain that he’d love to end his tenure with a title, so look for some interesting tactical decisions throughout the tournament. The Azzurri backline No surprises here. Italy’s backline will be strong, and knowing Conte’s penchant for sound defensive play, the Juve trio of Leonardo Bonucci, Andrea Barzagli and Giorgio Chiellini will be relied upon to carry the load, especially since “the Italian Mourinho” is inclined to play three at the back. Their experience and chemistry with club teammate Buffon will make it tough for any team to bulge the old onion bag. Youngsters Matteo Darmian (Man U.) and Mattia De Sciglio (AC Milan) are available to slot in if their manager has a change of heart and decides four defenders is the way to go. Centrocampisti A couple of injuries to key players in the midfield may leave La Nazionale short on depth. Juve’s Claudio Marchisio, who would have been relied upon heavily during this competition, suffered a torn ACL in April and is out for a long time. Rising star Marco Verratti hasn’t featured regularly for Paris St-Germain since January as he’s been in and out of lineup battling a groin injury.

Searching for scoring The biggest question mark for Conte’s side lies in its ability to find goals. During qualifying, Italy showed signs of difficulty in penetrating the final third, managing just 16 goals in 10 qualifying games – with five of those goals coming in a lopsided victory over Azerbaijan. Graziano Pelle, a traditional target man with Southampton, has been inconsistent when on national team duty. With Mario Balotelli’s fall from grace, the Azzurri don’t have a prototypical number 9 and Conte has resorted to adding Oriundi (foreign-born naturalized players) like Inter Milan’s Éder for help.

“

Earlier this year, “San Gigi” announced that he planned to retire from professional football in two years, making this his final appearance at this tournament. It could possibly be the last time the most capped player (156) in Italian football dons the blue jersey for his country.

“

helping Juventus win its 5th consecutive Scudetto this season. Earlier this year, “San Gigi” announced that he planned to retire from professional football in two years, making this his final appearance at this tournament. It could possibly be the last time the most capped player (156) in Italian football dons the blue jersey for his country. He has mentioned he’d like to emulate one of his heroes, Dino Zoff, who captained Italy to its 1982 World Cup victory as a 40-year-old keeper, but that remains to be seen.

Predictions and prognostications As defending World Cup champions, Germany will be THE team to beat in this tournament. Despite a tough road through qualifications, Die Mannschaft will get its act together and be the juggernaut that all pundits expect them to be, with Toni Kroos manning the midfield and shredding defences with his precision passing. Spain are the two-time defending Euro champs and will be looking to bounce back from their own disturbing performance at that same World Cup, while host country France is young and vibrant, and could surprise if its players can overcome an alleged blackmail scandal involving star striker Karim Benzema, who will be left off the roster. Despite its trouble scoring goals, La Nazionale went undefeated in 10 qualifying games (7-3-0) and demonstrated, as it always has, that it will field a formidable defensive lineup. If Pelle or any other striker can channel the spirit of Totò Schillaci and find their scoring touch, the Azzurri can do some damage.

PANORAMITALIA.COM

MTL June/July 41-60_Layout 1 2016-05-30 2:26 PM Page 44

EURO 2016

WHERE TO WATCH THE AZZURRI Best spots to catch the 2016 EURO CUP!

LA BELLA ITALIANA 5884 Jean Talon est , St. Leonard TV screens: 6 large HD screens Best dish: Pizza , Gnocchi Poutine, Pasta, Gelato Terrace: 40 pers. Approx Indoor capacity: 80 pers. Approx Reservations: (514) 254-4811

www.labellaitaliana.ca

Sanpresso

Ciociaro Sports Bar & Grill

3693 Blvd St Jean (Blue Haven Mall) Next to SAQ DDO

8868 Langelier, St. Leonard, QC TV screens: 11 HD screens Best dishes: “Cucci” steak and “Ciociaro burger” Terrace: Yes with HD screen (60 people) Capacity: 200 (ample parking) Reservations: (514) 324-3700

TV screens: 3 Large Screen Tv/s with HD sound Best dish(es): Italian sandwiches & salads Indoor Capacity: 75 Outdoor Capacity: 20 Reservations: (514) 624-0202

www.ciociarosportsbar.ca

Café Milano 5188 Jarry E (corner Lacordaire) St. Leonard, QC TV screens: 10 HD Best dish: Sausage sandwich, chicken salad Indoor capacity: 200 (ample parking) Terrace: Yes (100 people) Reservations: (514) 328-0561

www.cafemilano.ca 44

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Caffè Epoca 6778 St-Laurent Montreal, QC TV screens: 4 HD Best dish: Fusilli di casa con pomodoro, ricotta, salsiccia, basilico Indoor capacity: 150 Terrace: Yes with 2 screens (100 people) Reservations: (514) 276-6569

MTL June/July 41-60_Layout 1 2016-05-30 2:26 PM Page 45

Order Online!

Open Monday to Saturday

Since

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Products of Quebec – Grain fed – Air chilled Chicken • Turkey • Quail • Guinea Fowl • Duck • Goose • Pheasant • Pigeon Rabbit • Hare • Lamb • Venison • Bison • Wild Boar • Organic Chicken & Turkey

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Brochettes • Italian Sausage • Hambugers • Venison Steak • BBQ Ribs Portuguese Cornish Hen • Marinated Pork Tenderloin Free delivery for all purchases of $50 or more (Montreal)

514.843.6652 www.LVGF.ca

116 Rue Roy est. Montréal Qc. PANORAMITALIA.COM

MTL June/July 41-60_Layout 1 2016-05-30 2:26 PM Page 46

LIVING ITALIAN STYLE

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

Alessandro Del Negro Name: Alessandro Del Negro Nickname: Ali Occupation: Entrepreneur Age: 28 Generation: Third Dad’s side from: Latisana, Udine, Friuli Mom’s side from: Loria, Treviso, Veneto Raised in: Cartierville & Westmount Speaks: Italian, French, English Who do you speak Italian to? My grandmothers Passion: Architecture, building luxury homes, travelling and motorsports Goal in life: To build a villa at Lago di Como What’s your typical lunch? Roast beef sandwich on fresh Italian bread with mayo and some Bomba Italiana. Your best dish: Nonna’s gnocchi and lasagna as well as my mother’s ossobucco. Best Italian neighhourhood: Little Italy (Jean-Talon Market) Your favourite ItalianCanadian expression: “Mi raccomando!” Main difference between first generation and second/third: 46

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The first generation is hardworking and more persistent than the third generation. Who is your role model? My father Most important family value: Honesty and respect for one another Do you identify as ItalianCanadian or Canadian-Italian? Canadian-Italian What does Panoram Italia represent to you? It is a way for the Italian community in Montreal and surrounding areas to network and showcase its strengths. Best memory growing up Italian-Canadian: Helping my nonna make pasta and then helping my nonno make wine.

Jennifer Ruvo Name: Jennifer Ruvo Nickname: Jenn Occupation: Freelance Marketer & Founder of the SVR Children’s Foundation Age: 24 Generation: Third Dad’s side from: Castelgrande, Potenza, Basilicata Mom’s side from: Ortì, Reggio Calabria, Calabria Speaks: English, French, Italian Who do you speak Italian to? Family Passion: I fused my love for event planning and greater love for children to establish the Stefano Vito Ruvo (SVR) Children’s Foundation four years ago in honour of my remarkable cousin. My mission is to provide hope, compassion, and financial help to sick children and their families. Goal in life: To help smallmedium start-up businesses thrive via my namesake marketing agency; being a part of the making of something great is the most rewarding to me. Your best dish: Grilled Limoncello lamb chops. Shout out to my Dad, who taught me everything I know in the kitchen!

Your favourite ItalianCanadian expression: “Chi va piano va sano e va lontano” Main difference between first generation and second/third: While staying connected to their Italian roots, the second / third generations are also evolving as Canadians, therefore allowing both cultures to live on. Most important family value: Love, loyalty and respect. What does Panoram Italia represent to you? Keeping the Italian culture alive and uniting our Italian-Canadian community. Best memory growing up Italian-Canadian: Attending La Festa di Santa Maria each summer with my dad’s side of the family.

MTL June/July 41-60_Layout 1 2016-05-30 2:26 PM Page 47

Photography by Daniele Tomelleri

Makeup by Jennifer Low

Location Fiorellino Restaurant

Michele Rocco Name: Michele Rocco Nickname: Mikey, Micheluccio Occupation: General Manager Del Friscos Restaurants Age: 31 Generation: Second Dad from: Esperia, Frosinone, Lazio Mom from: Esperia, Frosinone, Lazio Raised in: St-Leonard Speaks: Italian, English and French Who do you speak Italian to? My Grandparents, Zia and Zio Passion: Too many! Cars, clothes, Italian wines, scotches, restaurants and real estate Goal in life: To become a successful real estate developer and restaurant owner. What’s your typical lunch? Italian cheeses, Italian cold cuts, olives, panini, and Italianstyle leftovers. Your best dish: Too many: lasagna, medaglioni… Best Italian neighhourhood: St. Leonard Your favourite ItalianCanadian expression: Ohhhh! Main difference between first generation and second/third: The language barrier and the true Italian culture experienced from being born and

raised in Italy versus Canada. Who is your role model? My father Most important family value: Love and respect your family by all means. And learn to listen to the elderly. Take what was given to you and grow it further. Do you identify as ItalianCanadian or Canadian-Italian? Italian-Canadian What does Panoram Italia represent to you? It’s a premier Italian-Canadian magazine Best memory growing up Italian-Canadian: Time spent with my beloved nonna Erminia and listening to all her stories about her life in Italy and watching TV with her.

LIVING ITALIAN STYLE

Melissa Iacono Name: Melissa Iacono Nickname: Meme Occupation: Account Manager Age: 26 Generation: Second Dad from: Cattolica Eraclea and Agrigento, Sicily Mom from: Cattolica Eraclea and Agrigento, Sicily Raised in: St. Leonard Speaks: English, French, Italian and Spanish Who do you speak Italian to? My parents and my nonna. Passion: To travel, live life to the fullest and gain knowledge because there is no greater power. Goal in life: To surpass all of life’s obstacles and be the best person I can be so that I can run a business built on my own success. What’s your typical lunch? Leftovers with some avocados. Your best dish: My nonna’s binulati and her homemade cannelloni. Best Italian neighhourhood: The one I was raised in: St. Leonard. Your favourite Italian-

Canadian expression: “Cose da cinema” Main difference between first generation and second/third: Adapting to ever-changing technology. Who is your role model? My parents Most important family value: Respect Do you identify as ItalianCanadian or Canadian-Italian? Italian-Canadian What does Panoram Italia represent to you? It’s a way to stay connected to our parents’ culture. Best memory growing up Italian-Canadian: Nonna cooking Sunday lunch for my parents and my four sisters. PANORAMITALIA.COM

MTL June/July 41-60_Layout 1 2016-05-30 2:26 PM Page 48

FASHION

Riviera 2.

Stock up on these key trends for summer before flocking to the seaside By Alessia Sara Domanico

PANORAMITALIA.COM

he glamour of Italy’s coastlines has been immortalized in hundreds of films and photo shoots. And it’s contagious as we ourselves as visitors to places like Sardinia, Amalfi or Puglia have found that we cannot resist becoming enveloped in the trends that the Italians are sporting. This is because they are winning styles that have stood the test of time. Just watch the beginning scenes from Michelangelo Antonioni’s L’Avventura – even though it was released in 1960 I’ll bet anyone with the least bit of fashion sense would kill to get the same look as the narcissistic characters en-route to their 5-star holiday. Ladies’ swimwear is very nostalgic this season with Tommy Hilfiger’s New York show paying an ode to the Swinging Sixties. When it comes to cover ups, there’s an arsenal of elegant linen cover-ups, light and airy dresses and hot wedges to show off those legs and that pedicure. Consider Italian designer Simona Barbieri whose Twin Set collection (www.twinset.ca) features sexy and romantic styles with a touch of bohemian chic. For something fun and flirty, customize your own Havaianas

MTL June/July 41-60_Layout 1 2016-05-30 2:26 PM Page 49

FASHION

a Romp 7.

with a little bling. Speaking of bling, you’ll need to go for some fuss free jewellery: cute thin, water-friendly bracelets such as the dainty numbers proposed by Monica Vinader or Links of London paired with colourful statement jewellery à la Pomellato. Finish it all off by investing in a chunky coral or turquoise necklace – a staple of the feminine boardwalk look. For the bag, make it light and make it fun – save the black leather bag for winter. The O Bag remains the ‘It’ style for women across the boot with its customizable handles and interiors. Not sold in Canada, so book a trip! Gents should focus a bit more on their swimming trunks as they are likely to be sporting them off of the sands with a T-Shirt and a collared-shirt to grab lunch or a coffee before calling it a day at the beach. The light and colourful linen suit is always a winner in this context as are sporty accessories like shades and backpacks from Dior and a big watch from Hugo Boss.

10.

L E G E N D 1. Dior

6. Lacoste

2. Dior

7. Hugo Boss

3. Billabong

8. Monica Vinader

4. Louis Vuitton

9. Cruciani

5. Pily Q

10. Simona Barbieri

PANORAMITALIA.COM

MTL June/July 41-60_Layout 1 2016-05-30 2:26 PM Page 50

DESIGN

Designing Double sofa - Roda

Sprucing up the patio with inspiration from Italian luxury furniture designers By Alessia Sara Domanico

the past issues of Panoram Italia, weâ&#x20AC;&#x2122;ve looked at outdoor lighting and gardening tools for brightening and manicuring our lawns and gardens. As summer descends upon us, we have now come to outdoor furniture: that all-important purchase for anyone determined to enjoy the spoils of summer from their own backyard. Now if you pride yourself on buying Made in Italy and want to make an extra special statement when you invite everyone round for a BBQ or aperitivo, youâ&#x20AC;&#x2122;re going to want to learn a bit about what these heavy-hitting furniture maisons are proposing for 2016. RODA is a brand that started in 1990 in Varese and strictly specializes in outdoor design. Their philosophy is to treat the outdoors as you would for interior design, allowing both the interior and exterior elements of your home to blend together in harmony. Their Double lounge chairs are timeless classic. They pack innovation with a 3D neting and aluminium frame upholstered in soft multi-layered polyurethane padding to ensure comfort and drain capacity in rainy conditions. Their iconic Dandy sofa collection designed by Rodolfo Dordoni brings the tradiAfra - Paola Lenti

PANORAMITALIA.COM

MTL June/July 41-60_Layout 1 2016-05-30 2:26 PM Page 51

DESIGN

Your Oasis Nido Tecnico - Paola Lenti Wabi Tecnico - Paola Lenti

tional sofa outside. Fabrics can be custom chosen as well to give you plenty of variety in terms of colour and texture. Finally, the structural and formal TEKA outdoor collection uses wood to bring a touch of rustic elegance to sofas, armchairs, dining and side tables using both outdoor fabrics and mesh. The outdoor collection from Paola Lenti, founded in 1994, is bent on bringing all aspects of domestic living outside. Modern art seems to have escaped the confines of a gallery and ended up on a deck. We particularly fancied the outdoor loveseats in the Afra collection, the swing sets and full scale cabanas that implement modular architecture to create visually stunning verandas and gazebos that stand the test of time and weather. Vertical plant walls really make this brand stand out for originality and transform the backyard into a cosmopolitan playground for adults. They do require extra care on the ownerâ&#x20AC;&#x2122;s part â&#x20AC;&#x201C; but could make for lovely planting pots for herbs. Oh, and did we mention that they have swing sets? Colourful and super stylish sets with minimal assembly required.

MONTREAL 4881 Boul. St-Laurent 514.849.8133

LAVAL 1750 Boul. Le Corbusier 450.934.1590

Dandy - Roda

Kitchens made in Italy with love! fellinidesigns.com PANORAMITALIA.COM

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AMALFI COAST

Photography by Travelista73

City of Positano, View of the dome of Santa Maria Assunta church

La côte amalfitaine La costiera amalfitana By Francesca Spizzirri @Travelista73

Perchés sur des parois rocheuses surplombant les eaux turquoise de la mer Tyrrhénienne, les villages de la côte amalfitaine ravissent par leur surprenante beauté.

In alto, sopra le acque azzurre del mar Tirreno su una serie di pareti rocciose vi sono le località marittime della Costiera Amalfitana.

côte amalfitaine correspond en tout point à l’idée qu’on se fait d’un été de rêve en Italie. Son charme fascine depuis longtemps écrivains et cinéastes et fait mourir d’envie des millions d’utilisateurs d’Instagram à l’échelle du globe. Toutefois, seule une visite des lieux permet d’apprécier pleinement la région, comme ces moments de fin d’été qu’on aimerait ne jamais voir finir. Treize villages se profilent sur la côte amalfitaine avec leurs terrasses abondamment fleuries et plantées de citronniers, agrippés entre ciel et mer, le long de falaises verdoyantes caractéristiques de cette portion méridionale de la péninsule de Sorrente, au sud de Naples. La côte s’étend sur 70 km, de Punta Campanella à Salerno, et comprend les ravissantes bourgades de Positano, d’Amalfi et de Ravello. Le littoral recèle de nombreux trésors, dont la ville de Vietri sul Mare, réputée pour ses fameuses céramiques. Cette destination prisée des gens riches et célèbres, des jeunes mariés et des touristes figure depuis 1997 sur la liste convoitée des paysages classés au patrimoine mondial de l’UNESCO. Le meilleur moyen de s’imprégner des splendeurs de la côte amalfitaine est par voie des mers, en voguant tranquillement le long de ses berges enchanteresses, baigné par le soleil méditerranéen. C’est la façon idéale d’accéder à ses plages secrètes et à ses restaurants de bord de mer, tel le Conca del Sogno à Nerano, un endroit parfait pour la pause du midi. Profitez-en pour vous laisser charmer par le parcours sinueux de la strada statale 163, le vent dans les cheveux et la mer se dérobant à vos pieds. Sorrente est un camp de base tout indiqué pour un séjour dans la région en vue d’explorer la côte. La ville compte plusieurs stations balnéaires, restaurants et ateliers d’artisanat qui agrémentent les rues d’objets faits à la main, de liqueur de Limoncello et d’autres produits souvent inspirés des fameux citrons locaux. Le promontoire sur lequel repose Sorrente jouit d’une vue incroyable sur la baie de

Costiera Amalfitana è ciò di cui sono fatti i sogni estivi. Molti hanno provato a catturare la sua seducente bellezza nella letteratura, nei film e su milioni di account Instagram da tutto il mondo. Tuttavia, per apprezzare veramente l’essenza della regione, essa deve essere vissuta, e lentamente assaporata come quei momenti di fine estate che vorresti non finissero mai. La Costiera Amalfitana è costituita da 13 villaggi traboccanti di fiori e alberi di limoni, magicamente sospesi tra lo scintillio del mare e le verdi montagne della costa meridionale della penisola sorrentina, a sud di Napoli. La costa si estende per 70 chilometri da Punta Campanella a Salerno, e comprende le caratteristiche città di Positano, Amalfi e Ravello. Molti tesori giacciono nascosti all’interno di questa celebre costa, tra cui la città di Vietri sul Mare, dove vengono prodotte le ceramiche colorate e le piastrelle della regione di fama mondiale. A questa località preferita dai ricchi e dai famosi, dagli sposi novelli e dai turisti, è stata assegnato un ambito posto nella lista del Patrimonio Mondiale dell’UNESCO nel 1997. Il modo migliore per cogliere a pieno lo splendore della Costiera Amalfitana è in mare, in barca lungo le rive incantevoli, crogiolandosi al sole immersi nello splendido paesaggio. Questo offre anche la possibilità di scoprire molte calette, spiagge nascoste e ristoranti isolati affacciati sul mare come a Conca del Sogno in Nerano, luogo perfetto per il pranzo. Fate un giro in macchina lungo le scogliere tortuose dell’esilarante Strada Statale 163 con il vento fra i capelli ed il mare che precipita sotto i piedi. Sorrento apre le porte alla Costiera Amalfitana e fornisce un’ottima partenza per esplorare la costa. La città è ricca di stabilimenti balneari, ristoranti e negozi artigianali che riempiono le strade affollate, dove si vende

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AMALFI COAST Naples et sur le Vésuve. Par temps clair, il est même possible d’apercevoir Pompéi, voire Capri. La région compte aussi une des cuisines « km 0 » (s’approvisionnant à proximité) les plus raffinées au monde. Au restaurant Lo Scoglio, admirez la vue tout en dégustant des spécialités locales. N’oubliez pas de vous attarder dans le port de Sorrente, d’où vous pourrez aussi organiser des visites vers les îles voisines de Capri, d’Ischia et de Procida. Plus au sud se trouve le joyau de la région, la légendaire ville de Positano, ses maisons construites à flanc de falaise cascadant jusqu’à la rive dans un panorama de tons ocre, terracotta et pastel, alors que les tuiles vert et or de la mosaïque du dôme de l’église Santa Maria Assunta miroitent sous un soleil radieux. Positano offre un environnement parfait pour s’adonner au dolce far niente. Détendez-vous sur les berges de la plage de cailloux de la Spiaggia Grande ou flânez dans les boutiques de la ville. Dégustez un rafraîchissant aperitivo, tel un Aperol Spritz, et délectez-vous de poissons frais à l’ombre des citronniers. Pour un divin régal, rendez-vous à la pâtisserie Zàgara pour essayer sa décadente Delizia al limone. En fin d’après-midi, dirigez-vous au Sirenuse Hotel pour siroter un cocktail ou vous offrir un repas au bord de la piscine sur la terrasse du restaurant, La Sponda, tout un savourant la vue. Située à l’entrée de la Valle dei Mulini se trouve la ravissante ville médiévale d’Amalfi, qui donne son nom à la côte. À une certaine époque, elle était le siège de la République maritime indépendante d’Amalfi, une des plus importantes puissances navales du 12e siècle. Les demeures reliées par des passages couverts et des volées d’escaliers rappellent cette époque historique. La place principale accueille un joli clocher, un cloître et l’élégante basilique Sant’Andrea, qui, du haut de son imposant escalier, sert de magnifique toile de fond aux nombreux cafés sis sur la place. Au Gran Caffè, l’endroit pour voir et être vu à Amalfi, prenez le temps de goûter un Campanello, le cocktail maison à base de Campari et de Limoncello. D’autres suggestions d’activités incluent un arrêt au Musée du papier fait main d’Amalfi, logé dans une papeterie du 13e siècle, ou une visite de l’éblouissante Grotta dello Smeraldo, une grotte marine semi-submergée dont les parois sont illuminées par une radieuse lumière émeraude générée par la réflexion du soleil. Perchée sur un fronton rocheux, juchée à 365 mètres au-dessus d’Amalfi et de la ville voisine d’Atrani, la ville de Ravello séduit avec ses jardins luxuriants, ses villas grandioses et ses points de vue à couper le souffle sur le golfe de Salerne. La

ogni tipo di sandali fatti a mano, limoncello, souvenir e altri prodotti tipici, molti a base di limone. La scogliera su cui si trova Sorrento si presenta come una meravigliosa terrazza e vanta vedute mozzafiato sulla baia di Napoli fino al Vesuvio. In una giornata limpida si possono vedere anche Pompei e Capri. Questa regione ha alcune delle più ricche e fresche cucine del mondo. Al Ristorante Lo Scoglio, godetevi la vista stupenda mentre gustate un piatto tra le specialità locali. Non dimenticate di vedere il porto di Sorrento, dove si può salpare per le isole vicine di Capri, Ischia e Procida. Più a sud si trova il fiore all’occhiello della regione, la leggendaria città di Positano, con le sue case arroccate che si tuffano giù fino alla riva in un panorama che integra colori pastello, ocra e terracotta, mentre l’oro e il verde dei mosaici della cupola della Chiesa di Santa Maria Assunta brillano sotto un cielo azzurro. Positano offre un ambiente suggestivo per vivere il dolce far niente. Passate il tempo sulla costa rocciosa di Spiaggia Grande o date un’occhiata ai negozi. Sorseggiate un fresco aperitivo, magari un Aperol Spritz, e mangiate pesce fresco sotto gli alberi di limone che fanno da baldacchino. Per una fetta di paradiso, andate alla pasticceria La Zàgara e provate la loro torta Delizia al Limone; poi concedetevi il leggendario Le Sirenuse Hotel e offritevi il lusso di un cocktail o un pranzo nel suo ristorante a bordo piscina, La Sponda, gustando la vista. Situata sulla bocca della montagna della Valle dei Mulini, Amalfi è la scintillante città medievale che dà il nome a questa famosa costiera. Una volta sede della Repubblica Marinara di Amalfi, è stata una delle grandi potenze navali del XII secolo. Le abitazioni del paese sono legate da passaggi coperti e da scalinate che richiamano il suo passato storico. La piazza principale ospita un impressionante chiostro, uno straordinario campanile e la strepitosa chiesa di Sant’Andrea che troneggia sopra una lunga scalinata e che offre un palcoscenico ai molti bar intorno alla piazza. Al Gran Caffè, il luogo di Amalfi per vedere ed essere visti, sorseggiate un Campanello, il loro cocktail tipico a base di Campari e Limoncello. Un altro luogo di interesse è il Museo di Amalfi ospitato in una vecchia cartiera del XIII secolo. Quattro chilometri a ovest di Amalfi, si vede la luminosa Grotta di Smeraldo, dove la luce verde smeraldo è riflessa magnificamente sulle pareti della caverna. Arroccata su un costone a 365 metri di altezza sopra Amalfi e vicino alla città di Atrani, la romantica cittadina collinare di Ravello è ricca di

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La côte amalfitaine correspond en tout point à l’idée qu’on se fait d’un été de rêve en Italie.

Photography by Michele Abbagnara

City of Atrani by night

La Costiera Amalfitana è ciò di cui sono fatti i sogni estivi.

plus belle perspective des environs s’admire du haut de la terrasse de la Villa Cimbrone, décorée de statues et de bustes néoclassiques. Au sud de la cathédrale et de la Piazza Duomo de Ravello se trouve une tour du 14e siècle qui marque l’entrée de la Villa Rufolo. Réputée pour ses jardins en paliers, baignés d’envoûtantes fragrances de citron, elle accueille aussi le festival d’été de musique classique et d’art de Ravello, un des plus anciens d’Italie. Chaque année, des mélomanes du monde entier s’y donnent rendez-vous pour écouter des performances à ciel ouvert sur des scènes offrant une vue imprenable. Une randonnée le long du Sentiero degli Dei (le sentier des dieux) s’avère incontournable! Abandonnez-vous dans l’immensité du ciel et de la mer qui domine les sentiers reliant les différentes localités de la péninsule de Sorrente. Le parcours débute à Bomerano, un hameau situé à 630 mètres au cœur des montagnes entre Sorrente et Amalfi, et se termine à Nocelle, où vous pourrez vous sustenter à foison. Le parcours pourra vous prendre près de 4,5 heures et vous fera découvrir une succession de paliers plantés de vignobles, d’oliveraies et de vergers de citronniers, ainsi que des gorges et des falaises abruptes – de quoi ravir les randonneurs les plus enthousiastes. Ayant autant à offrir, la côte amalfitaine continue sans surprise à attirer les visiteurs en quête d’un séjour de rêve à l’italienne.

giardini profumati, ville grandiose e incredibili vedute sul golfo di Salerno. Il miglior panorama si può ammirare dalla terrazza di Villa Cimbrone dell’ XI secolo, circondata da statue e da busti di stile classico. A sud della cattedrale e di piazza Duomo, una torre del XIV secolo marca l’entrata a Villa Rufolo. Famosa per i suoi giardini a cascata, dove le note del profumo di limone sono sospese in aria, essa ospita durante l’estate il Ravello Festival della Musica, uno dei più antichi in Italia. Gli amanti della musica si incontrano, anno dopo anno, per ascoltare i concerti all’aperto con vista spettacolare. Una passeggiata sul Sentiero degli Dei è da vedere! Perdetevi nella distesa del mare e del cielo lungo una rete di sentieri che collegano i diversi villaggi e città in tutta la penisola sorrentina. Il percorso inizia a Bomerano, un villaggio a 630 metri nelle montagne tra Sorrento ed Amalfi, e termina a Nocelle dove è possibile rilassarsi con un delizioso pasto. Il percorso dura circa 4.5 ore di camminata attraverso vigneti, alberi di limoni e di ulivi con vista su grotte e burroni, la perfetta avventura per gli appassionati di trekking. Con così tante cose da offrire, non è una sorpresa che la Costiera Amalfitana continui ad attirare visitatori che vogliono provare il perfetto sogno dell’estate italiana.

Nos visiteurs proviennent d’environ 70 pays, dont le Canada et les États-Unis en tête de peloton. Les touristes nord-américains représentent près de 20 % de l’ensemble des visites dans la région, et constituent de loin une de nos clientèles en plus forte croissance.

I nostri ospiti provengono da circa settanta Paesi, posizionando Canada e Stati Uniti fra i primi cinque. Il turismo nordamericano costituisce infatti il venti per cento del nostro totale, essendo uno dei più floridi sul nostro territorio

- Enza Cobalto, Assessore alla Cultura di Amalfi

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- Enza Cobalto, Assessore alla Cultura di Amalfi

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AMALFI COAST

Photography by Michele Abbagnara

Places to See on the Amalfi Coast

Ravello view from Villa Cimbrone

By Vittoria Zorfini

ll over the world, the Amalfi Coast is famous for its unique beauty. Amongst the array of historical monuments, holiday resorts, extraordinary views and terraces of citrus, grapes and olives, we have chosen the six must-see sites. You’ll feel like you’re dreaming with your eyes open on the most beautiful coast in the world.

1. The Church of Santa Maria Assunta in Positano Positano will win you over with its coloured houses, narrow streets and famous beaches. But reigning over the centre of the village is a true symbol of the coastline, the Church of Santa Maria Assunta. Legend has it that pirates who came from the East, carrying a sacred icon on their ships, heard a voice saying “posa, posa” (‘lay me down’). They saw it as a sign from the Madonna and decided to dock their ship on the mainland, where they then built the church dedicated to her. Today the Church of Santa Maria Assunta is one of the main attractions of the town; its dome is decorated with green and yellow tiles, standing out for its vivid colours and grandness. Inside the church you can see the Byzantine statue of the Black Madonna carrying her child, along with the reliquary bust of St. Vitus, one of the most famous works of Neapolitan goldsmith’s art. 2. Path of the Gods A walk down the Path of the Gods is enough to appreciate the full beauty of the Amalfi Coast. The journey begins in Bomberano, a neighbourhood of Agerola, and passes through Nocelle before arriving in Positano. An incredible and evocative historical walk named after the temples that, in Roman times, lined the entire route. Furthermore, the unspoiled nature of the Path of the Gods makes it almost timeless; you will walk through cultivated terraces, the ruins of ancient houses set in stone and stretches of woodland, and that’s not to mention the breathtaking views. There is also something for budding climbers, who can tackle one of the many challenging vertical trails. 3. Borgo di Furore Borgo di Furore, situated between Amalfi and Positano, is one of the most beautiful villages in Italy. Its famous Fiord, that gives way to an incredible little bay, hides one of the most enchanting beaches in the area. Borgo Furore, with its houses clinging to the rock, is also renowned for the murals that adorn the houses in the village. It’s also worth mentioning that Borgo hosts the High Diving World Championships. The athletes dive from the bridge that overlooks the Fiord from a height of 28 meters. 4. Conca dei Marini and Emerald Cove Conca dei Marini, a village in the province of Salerno, is a main attraction on a tour of the Amalfi Coast. From here you can admire Emerald Cove, so-called for its wonderful, intense green water that results from the reflection of the sun, making it one of a kind. Since 1956, a white ceramic Nativity scene can also be found on the seabed. 5. Vietri and the Ceramic museum Without doubt, one of the gems of the Amalfi Coast is the small village of Vietri. Along with Positano, it is one of the major centres of ceramic production in the area. Today, master ceramists hand down this tradition from generation to gener-

ation. Vietri is also home to the Museum of Ceramics, situated inside the Toretta Belvedere of the Villa Guariglia complex. 6. Ravello and Villa Cimbrone To admire the beauty of the entire Amalfi coastline you must go to Ravello, where the famous Villa Cimbrone is situated. This Villa of rare beauty is especially famous for its garden maze and incredible views. The Villa also has a magnificent terrace, deliberately named Terrazzo dell’Infinito (The Terrace of Infinity); imagine a natural balcony surrounded by marble busts, facing the sea and providing incredible views of the whole coast. Another main event of the area is the Ravello Festival, which from June to September accompanies visitors with music and the town’s best orchestras.

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AMALFI COAST

The Ceramic Tradition of Vietri sul Mare By Claudia Buscemi Prestigiacomo

andering around the village centre creates the impression of walking through an open-air exhibition, where the shop entrances, framed by spectacular ceramic panels, seem like gateways into a blaze of colour and craftsmanship. From the ornamental works given to the town by ceramists, to the Cathedral of San Giovanni Battista with its striking dome and bell tower decorated with yellow, green and blue tiles, to the Museum of Vietrese Ceramics at Villa Guariglia, ceramic art reigns supreme in this small town. The sea, fishermen and landscapes are all depicted in tiles; true replicas of splendour gradually revealed to visitors, who stop to admire shrines embedded in the walls of narrow streets which have seen the passing of centuries. The old and the new united by a unique mastery of ancient origin. The clay-rich coastline of the Amalfi Coast has certainly fostered Vietri’s hundred-year-old tradition. The first evidence of ceramics dates back to the 11th century, when symbolic names like Sergio Caccabellu had already appeared; a name which inevitably evokes the word “caccavella”, clay pot, which in turn derives from the Greek “càccabos”, terracotta pot. The hegemony in the production of ceramics from the 12th century is almost certainly due to the Norman duke Ruggero who decided to donate the port of Vietri to the Abbey of the Holy Trinity of Cava dei Tirreni. Taking advantage of this strategic position, the abbots converted the area into an indus-

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trial zone, producing and exporting materials for the abbey and for various other buildings. The demand and supremacy were such that, in the 17th century, objects for decoration and other uses began to be produced alongside the materials used mainly for building. Thanks to the arrival of skilled workers from Abruzzi, for example, the “riggiole” (tiles) were joined to create tableware, fonts and votive shrines, one of the oldest of which is still embedded in the wall of the Institute of the Sisters of Charity in Raito (a small neighbourhood of Vietri), where it’s been since 1627. This constant readaption of shapes and colours – a sort of reinvention – means that tradition, like every respected art form, has encountered new phases and embraced the ‘new’ so much so as to assume international nuances that make it special. Speaking to Tamara Rossetti, a ceramist and interior designer from Vietri sul Mare, ceramics have come so far that, as well as blue, yellow and orange, one of the most distinct colours is the splendid “manganese brown”, a colour that initially distinguished pharmaceutical vases and that “is still used despite being very difficult to use – like copper green that, when raw, is completely black.” Though industrialization may have favoured a modernization in production methods, the use of the lathe (the machine that ceramists use to shape their pieces) and the typical gleam of Vietrese varnish (the recipe for which is zealously guarded) remain strong principles for craftsmen. “The huge difference between handmade and industrial production, in addition to the use of highquality raw materials like the varnish (for which my husband Cosimo has a secret mixture), is the importance attributed to the design and to a meticulously neat decoration. It means that you don’t look at the quantity but at the quality of the ornament, at the clean brush strokes that are not just thrown together by chance,” continues Rossetti. When many foreign artists came to Vietri in the 20th century, the welcoming of a certain experimentalism enriched local traditions. Traditional, popular techniques were joined with elements from other traditions (for example the Nordic characters of Irene Kowaliska, from Poland) giving life to a naïve style with an international flavour. It is no coincidence that it was a German named Dölker who introduced one of the symbols of Vietrese ceramics, the “ciucciarello” (donkey). This continuous alternating between tradition and evolution has not been lost over the centuries. Not surprisingly we read on the website for the Institute of Vietrese Ceramics, “Ceramics of Vietri are the soul’s imagination, they are both betrayal and delivery to others, they are a story that has been rewritten everyday for five centuries.” Cosimo D’Urso, the husband of Rosetti and a multi-award winning potter, affirms, “though at times I create a modern design in order to invent something original, I have never neglected classic ceramics made with only a few decorations, but that never fade; like the Byzantine, the naïve of the German period, lemons, flowers, fish and geometric shapes.” D’Urso, who began his craft at the age of 16 by going to a shop owned by master craftsmen, adds that “the main teachers were the old ceramists who didn’t think about the time needed to carry out a piece, but about its level of beauty”. A beauty that can only be achieved through meticulous craftsmanship. “The potter’s job is the most difficult: mixing the clay, learning the rules, the position of the hands to ensure that the vase has a straight line. It is for this reason that 35 years ago there were many potters, but today only five of us remain,” concludes D’Urso.

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Gli amalfitani stabilirono una rete economico-commerciale alla quale l’Occidente deve invenzioni, tecniche e beni che trasformarono il volto dell’Europa.

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Storico centro cosmopolita sul Mediterraneo Mattia Bello

malfi è molto più di una località paradisiaca, baciata dal sole e dal mare. È uno scrigno di tesori artistici e culturali, legati ai tempi della Repubblica Marinara. Centro cosmopolita sul Mediterraneo, aveva una cartiera per la produzione della ‘carta a mano’, vide l’invenzione della bussola nautica e coniò una moneta propria, il tarì. Sono diverse le leggende che narrano la fondazione di Amalfi, e tutte ne indicano l’origine romana. Il nome ha estrazione latina: potrebbe derivare da Melfi, paese lucano abbandonato dai romani nel IV secolo d.C., o corrispondere al cognome “Amarfia” di una gens romana (I secolo d.C.). Molti romani in terra campana, per scampare alle orde barbariche, si rifugiarono sui Monti Lattari. Poi scesero ad Amalfi, che già nell’anno 596 era sede vescovile. La città compare nei documenti storici solo intorno al ’600, come fortezza per la difesa del Ducato romanico-bizantino di Napoli. Dotati di straordinarie capacità nautiche, a partire dall’VIII secolo gli amalfitani erano entrati nei principali centri portuali del Mediterraneo, creando colonie con botteghe e ospedali propri. Il primo settembre 839 fondarono una Repubblica autonoma, una sorta di monarchia ducale, per meglio difendersi dagli attacchi dei longobardi. Il Ducato di Amalfi comprendeva le odierne cittadine di Agerola, Atrani, Cetara, Conca dei Marini, Furore, Gragnano, Lettere, Minori, Maiori, Pimonte, Positano, Praiano, Ravello, Scala, Tramonti, Vietri sul Mare e l’isola di Capri. “Gli amalfitani stabilirono una rete economico-commerciale alla quale l’Occidente – fino all’Alto Medioevo un continente quasi “sottosviluppato” in confronto ai paesi orientali – deve invenzioni, tecniche e beni che trasformarono il volto dell’Europa”, afferma il dott. Giuseppe Cobalto, presidente del Centro di Cultura e Storia Amalfitana. Data la posizione geografica, questa città fu mediatrice tra le civiltà araba, bizantina e l’occidente romanico-germanico. Da Amalfi passarono la seta, il caffè, lo zucchero, i limoni, oggetti di oreficeria, l’arte della ceramica, oltre all’introduzione della carta e delle sue tecniche di fabbricazione nel XIII secolo. Testimonianza di quel periodo florido è l’Arsenale della Repubblica, attestato per la prima volta in un documento del 1059, dove venivano costruite le navi del Ducato di Amalfi. Al suo interno ha oggi sede il Museo della Bussola e del Ducato Marinaro, in cui è custodito il più antico statuto marittimo italiano. La Repubblica Marinara divenne così prospera che le potenze concorrenti tentarono a varie riprese di conquistarla. Amalfi perse la sua indipendenza nel 1131, entrando a far parte del Regno normanno della Sicilia, e fu superata nei commerci da Pisa e Genova. Il definitivo tramonto fu però segnato dalla guerra del Vespro, combattuta tra Angiolini e Aragonesi per il dominio dell’Italia meridionale. La città fu invasa più volte e subì la concorrenza catalana nel XV secolo. Le violente incursioni – dei saraceni e dei pirati – portarono alla costruzione di torri difensive e di avvistamento lungo tutta la costa amalfitana, da Vietri sul Mare a Positano. Una trentina di baluardi fu eretta dal IX al XVII secolo. Seguirono secoli di carestie, pestilenze e spopolamento. Agli inizi del 1800 Giuseppe Bonaparte rimase estasiato dalla meraviglia della Costiera Amalfitana, e decise di costruire una grande strada costiera che arrivasse alla

capitale Napoli. Da allora questi luoghi sono diventati straordinarie mete turistiche che l'Unesco tutela come Patrimonio dell'Umanità. “Il giorno del giudizio, per gli amalfitani che andranno in paradiso sarà un giorno come tutti gli altri”, scrisse il fine letterato toscano Renato Fucini nel 1877. “Come dare torto all’ode di Fucini? – commenta Enza Cobalto, Assessore alla Cultura di Amalfi – Fortunato e saggio è chi la sceglie come meta dei suoi viaggi”.

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

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Photography by Michele Abbagnara

La Repubblica Marinara di Amalfi

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AMALFI COAST Photography by Travelista73

Flavours of the Amalfi Coast

Scialatelli agli Scampi

10 typical dishes to experience

fter experiencing the beauty of the Amalfi Coast, all that’s left to do is sit down and sample some of the typical dishes of the region. Homegrown ingredients are the real highlight of this cuisine, and we’re going to show you some of the traditional recipes that you must try when visiting the Amalfi Coast. 1. Scialatelli Scialatelli is a type of fresh pasta typical of Amalfi and the Campania region. The name probably derives from a merging of two Neapolitan words: scialare (to enjoy) and padella (frying pan). Scialatelli is a type of short tagliatelle and is usually served in a seafood sauce. You can order this dish in any one of the traditional restaurants on the Amalfi Coast. 2. ’Ndunderi In Minori you must try ’ndunderi, a unique type of pasta shaped like small gnocchi. Made from flour, ricotta, eggs and Parmesan cheese, ’ndunderi is a typical dish prepared especially during celebrations in honour of Santa Trofimena, the patron saint of Minori. 3. Sarchiapone When passing through Atrani, a small seaside town near Amalfi, you must try sarchiapone. Typically prepared on the day of Santa Maria Maddalena, the patron saint of Atrani, this dish is formed of a long, stuffed pumpkin that, when cut, resembles cannelloni.

4. Risotto con agrumi e gamberetti The Amalfi Coast is well known for its citrus fruits, which are even used in primi piatti (starters). This is the case for risotto con agrumi e gamberetti (shrimp and citrus risotto), a dish you can sample in Minori. Citrus has always been a preferred flavour, with no exceptions; this fragrant risotto proves that theory. The combination of sour oranges and lemons with the taste of the prawns makes this a delicious dish with a summery scent. 5. Pigniatello all’amalfitana A seafood dish to whet the appetite; clams, squid, mussels and slightly spicy shrimp cooked in a “pignatiello” – a clay pot. A soup you cannot miss on the Amalfi Coast made even more special by the final touch, chili.

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6. Colatura di alici Colatura di alici from Cetara is an essential element in the Amalfi kitchen. The sauce seems to be directly descended from Garum of Roman times, a creamy amber-coloured fermented fish sauce. The colatura is produced through a very long procedure of fermenting anchovies in brine. The anchovies are harvested from March 25, at the feast of the Annunciation, until July 22, the day of Santa Maria Maddalena, but the sauce will only be ready in December in time for Christmas celebrations. Colatura di alici is mainly used as a sauce for spaghetti. 7. Limoncello With every respectable meal you can’t leave out the classic of classics: Limoncello. The most famous variety is made with Femminello lemons from Sorrento, or with the Amalfi Coast lemon known as Sfusato Amalfitano. Limoncello could only have originated here, where the lemons have a true richness; a blaze of colours that contrast with the blue of the ocean. Lemon peel is in fact the basis of this special digestif, made with essential oils, alcohol, water and sugar. 8. Sfogliatella Sfogliatella originates in Conca dei Marini. The idea came from a nun of the Santa Rosa convent who – in order to not waste any leftovers – decided to try to create something new; and so one of the delicacies of the Amalfi Coast was born. Sfogliatella is a flakey pastry that resembles the hood of a monk’s robe, filled with a cream made from lemon liqueur and dried fruit. A delicious dessert to savour on the Amalfi Coast. 9. Delizia al limone When you think of the Amalfi Coast, what immediately springs to mind is the Delizia al limone, an homage to the most famous fruit of the coastline. Domes of fluffy sponge cake enclose a velvety lemon cream, covered with a creamy frosting. The flavour is extraordinarily refreshing and the perfect end to a lunch or dinner. 10. Torta ricotta e pere If you have a sweet tooth, you must try the torta ricotta e pere (ricotta and pear tart), a timeless dessert in Amalfi bakeries. Let yourself be tempted by the two almond biscuit discs filled with a cream made of ricotta, cream, hazelnuts and of course pears. This is an ancient dessert, dating back to Egyptian times. Legend has it that the chef accidentally dropped caramelized pears into pastry and the combination turned out to be so delicious that it became a great classic of the Amalfi kitchen.

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emons are an indispensable part of life on the Amalfi Coast, where the fruits grow in abundance in beautiful terraced groves. The lemons in this region are world famous for their low acidic levels, sweetness and delicate flavour. Now that the summer is finally here, what better way to celebrate the much-deserved warm weather than with a refreshing homemade limoncello?

Ingredients

Ingredienti

• 1 litre water • 1 litre vodka • 1 kg sugar • 9 lemons

• 1 litro di acqua • 1 litro di vodka • 1 kg zucchero • 9 limoni

Instructions

Istruzioni

Clean and scrub lemons and then pat dry. Peel skin (avoiding pith as it will be too bitter). Place peels in a pitcher and pour vodka in. Then seal with plastic wrap. Let the mixture combine for four days at room temperature (although consider that for a stronger flavour, it’s best to let sit for up to a month).

Pulite e sbucciate i limoni e poi asciugateli. Bisogna togliere solo la buccia superficiale senza andare troppo a fondo (evitando la parte più interna, altrimenti il sapore risulterebbe amaro). Mettete in una brocca la scorza dei limoni e aggiungetevi la vodka. Sigillate poi il tutto con la pellicola trasparente. Lasciate riposare il composto per quattro giorni a temperatura ambiente (per ottenere un sapore più intenso lasciate la miscela a riposo per un massimo di un mese).

Heat water in a saucepan on medium heat (do not boil) and then stir in sugar until it dissolves. Let the syrup cool completely. Then pour into the lemon and alcohol infusion. Let sit overnight at room temperature. Discard the peels and then strain liquid into cold glass bottles. Seal and refrigerate until ready to serve (anywhere from a day to a month). 60

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limoni sono una parte indispensabile della vita nella Costiera Amalfitana, dove la frutta cresce in abbondanza sulle bellissime terrazze a schiera della costa. I limoni di questa regione sono famosi per il loro basso livello di acidità, la loro dolcezza e il loro sapore delicato. Ora che finalmente è arrivata l’estate, il modo migliore di festeggiare la tanto attesa calda stagione è con un rinfrescante limoncello fatto in casa.

Prendete una pentola e riempitela d’acqua da scaldare a fuoco medio, senza farla bollire, e aggiungete lo zucchero fino a quando non si scioglie. Lasciate poi che lo sciroppo si raffreddi del tutto. Versate poi l’infuso di limone e alcol. Lasciate riposare il tutto per una notte a temperatura ambiente. Togliete le bucce e poi filtrate il liquido nelle bottiglie di vetro fredde. Lasciatele in frigo fino al momento di portarle in tavola (da un giorno a un mese).

Photography by Alfio Giannotti

Limoncello

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AMALFI COAST

La granita di Amalfi Recipe courtesy of Andrea Laudano malfi’s famous granita is simple, refreshing and authentic. If you find yourself in the area, you cannot miss out on this delicacy, enjoyed by all ages. To tell us the three fundamental stages of making a good granita we asked Andrea Laudano, owner of the stall “Asciula” in Amalfi.

granita di Amalfi, semplice, rinfrescante e genuina. Se vi trovate da queste parti non potete perdervi questa delizia per i palati di tutte le età. Ci siamo fatti raccontare da Andrea Laudano, proprietario del chiosco “Asciula” ad Amalfi, i tre passi fondamentali per una buona granita.

Ingredients

Ingredienti

• 200ml (¾ cups) of juice from Amalfi lemons • 300ml (1 ¼ cups) of water • 200g (1 cup) of suga

• 200 ml di succo di limoni di Amalfi • 300 ml di acqua • 200 g di zucchero

Instructions

Istruzioni

Squeeze out the lemon juice and pour into a bowl. Add the water and sugar. Combine the mixture.

Dopo aver spremuto i limoni, versate il succo in un recipiente, aggiungete l’acqua e lo zucchero e mescolate il tutto.

Leave the mixture to rest in the freezer for 6-7 hours.

Lasciate il composto ottenuto riposare nel congelatore per circa 6-7 ore. Una volta ghiacciato, tiratelo fuori dal congelatore e cominciate a grattare con un gratta ghiaccio o una palettina. Mettete il composto della granita in un bicchiere da riempire bene bene fino all’orlo. A questo punto non resta che il tocco finale, mettete nel bicchiere una fetta di limone e il gioco è fatto!

Once frozen, take the mixture out of the freezer and use an ice scraper or palette knife to scrape the mixture to form ice crystals. Put the granita into a glass and fill to the brim. At this point, all that remains is the final touch; garnish the glass with a slice of lemon. To make things easier, an alternative method is to put the juice into an ice cube tray and freeze. When ready, put the ice cubes into a food processor and blend until they reach the desired consistency for the granita. * Andrea Laudano explains that the secret to an excellent granita is in the lemons. They absolutely must be from Amalfi. Andrea in fact cultivates his own lemon grove and so always has fresh lemons he can use in his recipes and, obviously, for granita. * Asciula’ in Amalfi dialect means “slide”. His stall has this name because it is situated on a downhill slope in Amalfi.

Per comodità, potete versare il succo nei recipienti per il ghiaccio e lasciare congelare. Quando sono pronti, versate i cubetti di ghiaccio nel frullatore e attivate il robot da cucina fino ad ottenere la desiderata granita. * Come ci spiega Andrea Laudano il segreto per un’ottima granita è nei limoni. Devono essere proprio quelli di Amalfi. Lui infatti ha un limoneto che coltiva e per questo ha sempre i limoni freschi da poter usare per le sue ricette e, ovviamente per la granita. * Asciula nel dialetto amalfitano vuol dire “la scivolata”. Il chiosco ha questo nome perché si trova in una discesa ad Amalfi.

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AMALFI COAST (AND SURROUNDINGS)

Photography by Archivio Fotografico, www.capritourism.com

The Isles of the Amalfi Coast Capri, Marina Piccola

By Francesca Spizzirri @Travelista73

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Photography by Archivio, www.isoladischianet

Capri With the glitz and glam of a chic resort town and an abundance of natural splendours, Capri’s beauty reigns supreme. For more than half a century, royals, artists, intellectuals and actors have all come to Capri to experience the quintessence of La Dolce Vita. Sailing around the island provides many photo-worthy opportunities of the famous Faraglioni rocks, limestone cliffs and numerous sea caves, among them the well-known Grotta Azzurra – its azure waters are incomparable. Once you arrive at Marina Grande, take the famous funicular up to Capri town while relishing the views. Then set out on a passeggiata through the town’s picturesque streets, where vibrant bougainvillea frame designer boutiques and the sweet scent of lemon blossoms fill the air. Treat yourself to a citrus granita from a local stand or a gelato at the renowned Gelateria Buonocore, both deliciously refreshing. At Canfora, browse the island’s bejewelled handmade sandals made famous by Jackie Onassis. Capri is home to many beautiful gardens like the Gardens of Augustus that offer splendid views of the Via Krupp criss-crossing its way to Marina Piccola and the jutting Faraglioni rocks. At Carthusia, purchase a fragrance scented with local flowers – it’s like taking Capri home in a bottle! In the charming Piazzetta, savour a glass of local Limoncello over lunch and immerse yourself in the art of people-watching. Afterwards, set out to Anacapri to ride the one seater chairlift to Monte Solaro, the highest point of the island. Keep your camera close as the aerial views are amazing! Later, stroll through the gardens at Villa San Michele and take in the panoramic vistas of Capri town and its harbour.

Ischia, View of Castello Aragonese

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AMALFI COAST (AND SURROUNDINGS) Photography by Archivio www.isoladischia.net

Ischia Unlike its famous neighbour on the Bay of Naples, the volcanic island of Ischia is everything Capri is not – old-world, rustic and authentic. The biggest of the islands, the Isola Verde (Green Island) is covered in greenery and bordered with white sand beaches. It is home to more than a hundred thermal springs and therapeutic muds said to have healing powers. At the Negombo Thermal Gardens, spend a day sunbathing, swimming, relaxing in one of the thermal pools or rejuvenating with a spa treatment. Embark on exciting adventures like hiking to the top of Monte Epomeo (789 metres high) from the village of Fontana for a bird’s eye view of the island and ocean beyond. Explore Castello Aragonese – a medieval castle built on a rock near the island in 474 BC, and take in the magical view of the sun setting over Ischia. Taste local wines at Casa D’Ambra, one of the island’s oldest vineyards, or take a leisurely stroll through the island’s craft shops and boutiques, eating Coniglio all’Ischitana (local rabbit stew and fresh seafood), and enjoying everyone’s favourite pastime—boating around the island, diving into crystalline waters and swimming into a grotto. Ischia, View on the bay from Castello Aragonese Photography by Alfio Giannotti

Procida The smallest of the islands in the Bay of Naples, Procida may be the most enchanting, in part because it remains untainted by mass tourism. Procida was created by the eruption of four now dormant volcanoes, and is located between Cape Miseno and the Isle of Ischia. Small enough to explore on foot, this sleepy Mediterranean fishing port provides visitors with an opportunity to witness authentic island living, a place where young children are out playing on its weathered streets and local fishermen return with the days, catch. Marina Grande, Marina Corricella and Marina di Chiaiolella are where you will find most of the action, along with an array of quaint seaside trattorias serving local fare. Procida is not an island you visit for cultural attractions, though the Abbey of San Michele Arcangelo is worth seeing. You come for l’ambiente, its charming atmosphere, which served as the backdrop to several cinematic masterpieces including the classic Il Postino and The Talented Mr. Ripley. Be sure to visit the beach at Pozzo Vecchio featured in Il Postino and the more popular Chiaiolella Beach and swim in the island’s cerulean waters.

Port of Procida

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AMALFI COAST (AND SURROUNDINGS)

Photography by Gabriel Riel-Salvatore

Walk Like a Roman Navigating the streets of Pompeii By Amanda Fulginiti

ompeii has become the lens through which we have come to understand an entire ancient civilization. The city was founded in 600 BC and became a thriving Roman trading post that is said to have served an estimated 20,000 residents with 30 brothels and 130 bars, restaurants and hotels, before it was wiped out in 79 AD after the eruption of neighbouring Mount Vesuvius. Rediscovered by archaeologists nearly 1,700 years later, it is now massively excavated and much of what is visible today is the vast expanse of its commercial town. But reliving the history of Pompeii can be a daunting task without a guide or a guidebook. Here are a few sites to consider as you traverse the streets of Pompeii. Enter the site at the Porta Marina, just past the ticket counter, where the original town gate stands. To the left you can still see the stone rings where ships were tied to the dock â&#x20AC;&#x201D; before the eruption, the sea came nearly to this point. Continuing past the port gate and past three very large stepping stones, the road will eventually open to the main square known as the Forum where Vesuvius can be seen from a haunting distance. It is interesting to note that the citizens of Pompeii did not realize they were living under a volcano as it had not erupted for over 1,200 years. This square was once lined with two-storey white marble buildings and the pedestals that still remain once held statues (now restored and displayed in the Archaeological Museum in Naples). At the far end of the piazza is the Temple of Jupiter. Known as the supreme god of the Roman pantheon, his white marble head can still be seen at the centre. Left of here stand the remains of the Basilica, whose layout went on to inspire many later Christian churches. To the right of the Temple, doors will lead to the market hall where two cases of cast Pompeiians can be found. It is estimated that somewhere around 2,000 Pompeii citizens were buried in volcanic debris. Archaeologists found a way of creating plaster molds of these caught Pompeiians, many of which are on display in the museum. The Baths of the Forum (the city had six in total) can be found through an arch behind the 64

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AMALFI COAST (AND SURROUNDINGS)

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It is estimated that somewhere around 2,000 Pompeii citizens were buried in volcanic debris.

temple. Across from the baths is what we today might call a fast food restaurant, flanked by a series of rectangular marble counters. The holes seen on top held the pots for the food. Another interesting spot just a few steps away is the House of the Tragic Poet, representing true Roman style. There is an atrium and a garden, even a lasting shrine to the gods and family ancestors. Most visitors get a good laugh out of the entrance way where the famous Cave Canem sign (“Beware of Dog”) mosaic can be seen. Another interesting site to check out is the House of the Faun, which is the largest home in Pompeii and where visitors can see a copy of the bronze statue known as the Dancing Faun, admired for its realistic movement and proportions (original in the Naples’ Archaeological Museum). Most tourists are quick to try to find the brothels, where remaining graffiti marks show gambling tallies and the exotic names of women. Downhill from the brothel is the Temple of Isis, used by Pompeii's Egyptian community, where a white stucco shrine once held holy water from the Nile. Exiting the temple you will find the last main destination, the Theater. It once sat 5,000 people in three sets of seats marking different prices. The most curious site to be seen is the Villa of Mysteries (very far northwest of the entrance) that features three almost perfectly intact Roman frescoes. The term “mysteries” typically refers to secret initiation rites of the Classical world. These were originally ceremonies to help individuals achieve adulthood. Since the majority of the figures are female, some believe it depicts the preparation of privileged girls into becoming married women. Some of Pompeii’s best art is in the Archaeological Museum, which also houses artifacts from two other cities (Stabiae and Herculaneum) that met their fate by way of Vesuvius. One of the most famous discoveries to be put on display is a mosaic depicting a battle with Alexander the Great (originally found at the House of the Faun). Aside from ancient treasures, the museum hosts the Farnese Collection, largely a group of marble Roman copies of classical Greek sculptures, which in most cases are the only surviving lost works by ancient Greek sculptors. So, get ready to don your toga and walk like a Roman, and see what this once great civilization still has to offer.

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ARTS & CULTURE

Une expérience multimédia au cœur de l’Antiquité romaine Par Natacha Boucher

usqu’au 5 septembre 2016, le Musée des beaux-arts de Montréal (MBAM) met en scène l’opulente vie pompéienne avec une exposition de grande envergure aux nouveaux défis scénographiques. Archéologie, technologie numérique et art contemporain s’allient afin de ranimer une société brusquement disparue. Pompéi, dans la mémoire collective, raconte l’histoire d’un volcan qui pétrifia de ses nuées ardentes une cité entière, l’enfouissant sous les cendres pendant des siècles. L’ébauche de ce récit se base sur le témoignage de Pline le Jeune,

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qui relate l’éruption dans deux lettres à l’historien romain Tacite, telle qu’observée depuis sa demeure, de l’autre côté de la baie de Naples, le 24 août de l’an 79 de notre ère. Redécouverte en 1748, la città antica ne nous livre toutefois ses témoignages les plus poignants que 100 ans plus tard (1863), grâce aux moulages en plâtre de l’archéologue Giuseppe Fiorelli. Ces macabres empreintes épousant les cavités laissées par les corps de citoyens carbonisés révèlent l’expression des victimes au moment exact de leur mort alors qu’elles furent

Photography by in situ / Bernard Fougères

Pompeii

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ARTS & CULTURE asphyxiées subitement par la chaleur sidérante d’un nuage pyroclastique. En entrevue à Radio-Canada, Nathalie Bondil, directrice et conservatrice en chef du MBAM, explique que ces statues dérobées de la mort « ont donné une dimension humaine qui ne peut qu’émouvoir, car elles évoquent des êtres à qui on s’attache et en qui on se reconnaît. » Figure mythique d’un désastre naturel dans la culture populaire, Pompéi a longtemps nourri le monde des arts et des lettres. C’est toutefois l’art de vivre des Pompéiens que l’archéologue et commissaire Laura Vigo aura voulu mettre en évidence dans cette exposition. Elle explique en entretien que « les visiteurs sont invités à se plonger dans la vie de Pompéi comme s’ils y étaient vraiment, mais contrairement aux Pompéiens, ils connaissent l’épilogue. La tragédie est dans l’air, mais n’est évoquée qu’à la fin du parcours. » D’entrée de jeu, l’exposition nous plonge dans le faste quotidien des citoyens de Pompéi. Nous saisissons, depuis les activités publiques de la rue jusqu’à la vie intime de la maison, un univers dominé par l’art, le jeu, la beauté, le plaisir et la dévotion. Plus de 220 artéfacts archéologiques d’un raffinement surprenant, en provenance du Museo Archeologico Nazionale di Napoli et de la Soprintendenza Pompei – bijoux, argenterie, mobilier, sculptures, armures, mosaïques et fresques –, nous initient à un mode de vie étonnamment semblable au nôtre. Un schisme évident à l’égard des plaisirs charnels se dessine toutefois entre nos deux époques. Contrairement à nous, la société romaine était beaucoup plus portée sur la chose et s’entourait de représentations et d’objets à connotation érotique avec candeur et naturel. Dès leur découverte au 18e siècle, ces artéfacts peu vertueux furent jugés trop explicites, puis confinés au légendaire gabinetto segreto à partir du 19e siècle. L’accès à la salle du MBAM où ils sont exposés est d’ailleurs accompagné d’une mise en garde. Bien de son temps, l’exposition utilise des bandes sonores et des projections numériques comme toiles de fond. Différents dispositifs multimédias et œuvres d’art contemporaines servent d’éléments de décors aux artéfacts millénaires présentés dans les différentes salles du parcours. Inspirée par une série de fresques animalières et paysagères retrouvées à Pompéi, la projection en négatif d’un jardin en subtil mouvement de Graphics eMotion contribue à nous réconcilier avec cette culture ancestrale.

LE SAVIEZ-VOUS ? SITE ARCHÉOLOGIQUE Les deux tiers du site archéologique de Pompéi sont excavés, soit 49 des 66 hectares. ÉRUPTIONS Depuis 1631, plus de 50 éruptions ont été compilées, la dernière datant de 1944. Les experts sont d’accord : le Vésuve est mûr pour une nouvelle éruption. POPULATION Aujourd’hui, environ 600 000 personnes habitent les 200 km2 de la zone la plus à risque à la base du Vésuve.

La deuxième moitié de l’exposition livre aux visiteurs différentes itérations de l’éruption vésuvienne. Une vidéo de six minutes de Graphics eMotion détaille les 24 heures du cataclysme au moyen d’une projection en 360° dans une salle où sont disposés une mosaïque antique représentant le meilleur ami de l’homme et un moule émouvant capturant les derniers instants d’un chien agonisant. Une autre vidéo, curieusement juxtaposée aux fameuses silhouettes humaines de Giuseppe Fiorelli, nous guide par intermittence dans l’œuvre glauque de l’artiste visuel Laurent Grasso. Le regard déshumanisé d’un drone capte en surplomb les ruines inhabitées de Pompéi et met en parallèle l’expression de détresse ultime des victimes – une expérience existentialiste sur le legs du genre humain qui nous fait prendre conscience que la mort nous guette à chaque instant. POMPEII est une exposition riche et complexe qui nous invite à prendre notre temps, et à plonger dans le passé pour mieux comprendre le présent. L'exposition Pompeii a lieu du 6 février au 5 septembre au Musée des beaux-arts de Montréal

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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ARTS & CULTURE

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Dolce & Gabbana, Ankle boots, 2000

Visitors will go away with a greater understanding of the path Italian fashion has taken over the last seventy years and public perceptions along the way.

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An Elegant By Loretta N. Di Vita

Photography by Gian Paolo Barbieri for Gianfranco Ferre

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ention the McCord Museum and one will likely picture Canadian artefacts like handstitched rawhide moccasins and probably not a pair of seductive Dolce & Gabbana embroidered ankle boots. Indeed, it is glamorous items such as the latter that await in Eleganza: Italian Fashion, From 1945 to Today – a travelling exhibition organised by the Victoria and Albert Museum (V&A) in London, presented at the McCord by Holt Renfrew. Created and curated by Sonnet Stanfill, Acting Senior Curator of 20th-century and contemporary fashion at the V&A, Eleganza showcases many famous Italian designers – some so famous that they have become veritable household names. Think Gucci, Valentino, Fendi, Armani, Missoni, and Prada – to name several. Represented alongside the familiar powerhouses are other celebrated designers, who despite success have remained under the popular radar, as well as new and emerging talents of Italian background, like Stella Jean and Fausto Puglisi, who blend contemporary brand sensibility with tradition. The exhibition, which includes newspaper articles, photographs, drawings, film clips and video interviews with select fashion-house representatives, traces the trajectory of Italian fashion since 1945 – a pivotal year for the industry – to present day. Its overarching theme focuses on the formulation of Italian fashion’s enduring and worldwide-recognized design identity. In addition, it raises questions about the industry’s future vis-à-vis competitive foreign manufacturing. Around one hundred sartorial concoctions of mostly womenswear, and some menswear, are on display for anyone who loves to ogle (and who doesn’t?) beautifully constructed dresses, suits and accessories. But beyond exquisitely tailored threads, there lies an important history lesson: explaining the birth and development of an enduring brand. “It is not just a visual spectacle; there is also a storyline,” says Cynthia Cooper, Curator of costume and textiles at the McCord Museum. “Visitors will go away with a greater understanding of the path Italian fashion has taken over the last seventy years and public perceptions along the way.” The story starts in 1945, at the end of the Second World War: a war-tattered Italy, seeking to regain collective spirit and nourish a starved economy, turned to marketing its fashion industry overseas. The Italian government, intent on stimulating the economy, actively encouraged international trade of its fashion resource, but it may have been a single enterprising individual – buying agent Giovanni Battista Giorgini – who was instrumental in making Italian fashion known outside of Italy – most significantly in North America. The dogged networker first hosted a fashion show at his Florence home in 1951, and later at the Sala Bianca inside the Florentine Palazzo Pitti (a video of the legendary fashion show is featured in the exhibition). Cooper explains how the marketing visionary “brought in North American buyers who were already in Europe for the Paris shows, so that they were able to see

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ARTS & CULTURE first-hand the quality of craftsmanship and materials Italian fashion is still known for. They immediately placed orders; by the mid 1950s, he had 500 buyers. Suddenly Italian fashion was very well known internationally.” Eleganza also examines how American and Italian filmmakers – partly by intent, partly by circumstance – triggered an international pang for Italian garments. In the 50s and 60s, many films were shot in Cinecittà because of affordable production rates. Legendary actors, of both Hollywood and Italian stock, like Elizabeth Taylor, Audrey Hepburn and sharp-suited Marcello Mastroianni, wore Italian garments on set, and just as importantly, off set around Italy: at Florence shops, Amalfitan resorts and other sites where paparazzi were quick to immortalize them. Due in large part to these high-visibility influencers, Italian fashion was propelled into the public realm, becoming analogous not only with high style, but high living. Consequently, anyone yearning for the widely romanticized fantasy of the dolce vita yearned for Italian clothing. Giving a capsule description of Eleganza, Cooper calls it “splashy, glamorous, a visual feast,” and in a self-referential wink, “elegant.” A wide variety of pieces that are emblematic of the qualities associated with Italian couture and the Made in Italy label – “constants such as sleek tailoring, fine textile and an effortless, elegant design sense” – are masterfully brought together. Among the delectable assortment, highlights not to be missed are renowned costume couturier Fernanda Gattinoni’s design worn by Audrey Hepburn in War and Peace (1956); Roberto Capucci’s show-stopping sculptural silk evening dress made in 1987-1988; and an exquisite 2014 Valentino creation – much beloved by the V&A itself. “I expect that people will just be wowed by the number of outstanding pieces of design and the quality of the craftsmanship,” promises Cooper.

Roberto Capucci, Evening dress, 1987-88

Eleganza: Italian Fashion, From 1945 to Today runs May 26 through September 25 at the McCord Museum, 690 Sherbrooke Ouest, Montreal.

Exhibition

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KIRSCH CANADA

Kirsch, Major Player in the Canadian-Italian Market With over seventy-five years of experience, David Kirsch For-warders Ltd. has set the standard in developing a door to door multimodal transport Services. From the freight booking, be it consolidation or full load, through to customs clearance and delivery, Kirsch has carved a niche for itself as the market leader.

DAVID KIRSCH OFFICES IN MONTREAL -TORONTO - VANCOUVER Dorval Québec 514 636-0233 Mississauga Ontario 905 678-6162

From left:

Dorothy Tonino Trade Lane Manager Frank Saravo president and CEO KIRSCH Canada, Giancarmine De Fabritiis Trade Lane Manager.

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Thunderbird Langley B.C. 604 371-2171

www.kirsch.ca info@kirsch.ca

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2015 FINANCIAL YEAR DISTRIBUTES DIVIDENDS TOTALLING $

1,052,788

to all its MEMBERS for a GRAND TOTAL of $ 27,052,430 until today CAISSE POPULAIRE DESJARDINS CANADIENNE ITALIENNE Proud to present these outstanding results of the 2015 financial year

• Total loans: $792,2 million • Total deposits: $898,3 million

• Total business volume: $1,690 billion • Net earnings after tax: $8 million

Mr. De Carolis with members of the board of Directors and board of Supervision

The members of the Caisse Populaire Desjardins Canadienne Italienne are part of a savings and credit cooperative, a solid and efficient financial institution that gives its members important privileges; being eligible for a yearly drawback return is one of them. In fact, Caisse Populaire Desjardins Canadienne Italienne shares part of its net earnings to all members that qualify. The excellent financial results of the 2015 fiscal year enable us to confirm that each of our member that qualify will get a percentage of the $1,052,788 dividends. This is an outstanding advantage that Caisse Populaire Desjardins Canadienne Italienne offers its members! Caisse Populaire Desjardins Canadienne Italienne is close to its members and listens to their needs. Open a Euro account and invest Euros in term deposits. Euros are available for you at any time at all our branches Caisse Populaire Desjardins Canadienne Italienne continues to encourage local initiatives by offering partnerships and financial support to non-profit organizations dedicated to the well-being of the community.

“Not only is it part of our mission but it is a true commitment of solidarity towards our community. We are proud to be an active partner since cooperation is the essence of the Caisse Populaire Desjardins Canadienne Italienne. Our financial participation has reached $123,900 in donations in 2015. Our involvement in helping community organizations is real and constant.” - Mariano A. De Carolis, general Manager. Many organizations that operate in sectors like education, culture, assistance to the needy, foundations and sports associations are witnesses of the close collaboration between the community and Caisse Populaire Desjardins Canadienne Italienne. Become a member. It is simple and easy! Open an account at one of our branches Enjoy the many benefits we offer you From now on, choose Caisse Populaire Desjardins Canadienne Italienne. We speak your language; we respect your needs.

Avanti…Insieme!

Online at www.desjardins.com

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ADVICE

Siamo tutti pellegrini… A

vete mai fatto un pellegrinaggio in vita vostra? Ci sono tante possibilità di realizzarne uno. Esistono parrocchie o gruppi che ne organizzano, ma ci sono anche molte persone che ci vanno in famiglia o con alcuni amici. Ci possiamo allora chiedere dove vanno e perché lo fanno… Cominciamo col perché e dopo potremo vedere assieme alcuni luoghi significativi. Spiegare il perché è un po’ complesso, in quanto ci possono essere vari motivi. Il primo Padre Nicola Di Narzo che vorrei evocare è un desiderio profondo di incontrare Dio. Infatti, la nostra vita su questa terra è un continuo peregrinare, un andare verso… verso che? Verso Dio! Per le persone di fede il cercare Dio diventa quasi un’ossessione, in senso positivo. Quest’ossessione è un desiderio della sua presenza, delle sue manifestazioni, della sua pace, della sua grazia. La preghiera nel quotidiano ci dà un po’ di questa presenza, la lettura della Parola di Dio anche, Lo troviamo spesso nel nostro prossimo che aiutiamo o magari che ci aiuta… ma con il nostro quotidiano frenetico, con le varie occupazioni, dobbiamo essere sinceri ed ammettere che Dio è purtroppo spesso la nostra ultima “priorità”… ci facciamo piani per la pensione o per le vacanze dicendoci che allora avremo più tempo e quindi pregheremo di più e via discorrendo, ma ci ritroviamo sovente ad ammettere che purtroppo non ci siamo riusciti. In questa prospettiva, il pellegrinaggio diventa allora un desiderio di ritrovarci in presenza di Dio, riservarci uno spazio consacrato solo a Lui. In realtà, più lo cerchiamo nella preghiera e nelle nostre azioni e più col tempo lo troveremo. Seguendo questo primo scopo, per i nostri pellegrinaggi viene subito dopo la motivazione forse più diffusa oggi, quella di farlo per ottenere una grazia particolare. Queste grazie possono essere di vari tipi: la salute nostra o di un nostro caro, un posto di lavoro o magari l’incontro con la principessa o con il principe azzurro della nostra vita. Così, le persone si recano allora nei posti significativi per ottenere queste grazie. Quando parliamo di pellegrinaggio, parliamo spesso anche di sacrificio. C’è chi percorrerà una distanza a piedi, chi lo farà a digiuno, chi offrirà denaro, chi compirà una rinuncia difficile, ad esempio si asterrà dal fumo per il tempo del pellegrinaggio oppure chi camminerà scalzo. Insomma, tanti sono i modi di offrire un fioretto per valorizzare la sollecitazione esercitata sulla Madonna, sul santo o su Dio stesso. Vediamo ora alcune fra le mete più popolari per i pellegrinaggi. Da un lato, ci sono quelli grandi come Santiago di Compostela, dove la gente può camminare durante quaranta giorni o scegliere di percorrere solo una parte. Dall’altra, ci sono tanti altri luoghi molto significativi in Italia, che alcuni

San Pietro, giubileo

raggiungeranno a piedi, altri in macchina per poi restare un tempo congruo. Di questi grandi luoghi italiani dobbiamo nominare per primo Assisi. Infatti, San Francesco attira a sé milioni di pellegrini ogni anno e questo si verifica dalla sua morte, nel 1226. Egli fu un grande santo e a lui sono attribuiti tanti miracoli. Nella stessa Assisi potremo trovare anche Santa Chiara, grande santa anch’ella, che fondò nello stesso spirito di San Francesco le monache clarisse. Tra i primi, avrei potuto nominare anche Sant’Antonio da Padova e San Pio da Pietrelcina, ma essendo figli spirituali entrambi di San Francesco, ho preferito citarli in seguito. Entrambi, il primo a Padova ed il secondo a San Giovanni Rotondo, attirano milioni di pellegrini. Roma rimane la sede principale per quanto riguarda la Chiesa… possiamo visitare le quattro basiliche e girando troveremo i sepolcri di tanti grandi santi come San Paolo, Santa Cecilia, San Giovanni Paolo II e via discorrendo. Come non pensare, poi, al nostro grande protettore San Michele Arcangelo? Vi è un grande santuario molto vicino a Padre Pio, scavato nella roccia dagli angeli stessi e dedicato a San Michele Arcangelo, dove molti si recano per trovare protezione in situazioni difficili. Inoltre, ricordiamo Lanciano, dove si trova uno dei più grandi miracoli eucaristici e dove possiamo contemplare ancora oggi il pane eucaristico diventato realmente carne ed il vino diventato sangue. Insomma, sono tanti i luoghi e vari santi locali nei nostri diversi paesini… sono anche molti i motivi per i quali possiamo fare un pellegrinaggio… l’importante è cercare sempre Dio lungo la nostra vita e bussando alla porta del suo cuore, perché non domandare aiuti per sollecitare il Suo intervento? E se facessimo un pellegrinaggio assieme, cari lettori? Vi piacerebbe?

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ADVICE

A Harmful Surprise Maria and Nicola purchase a duplex. On two separate occasions before the sale, they visited and carefully inspected the property, examining the walls, floors, ceilings, cupboards and closets. However, the main floor of the duplex was cluttered with furniture that hid Pasquale Artuso most of the walls. As for the closets and cupboards, they were full of the owners’ personal belongings. The basement was filled with lumber, boxes, old carpets and isolating material. The apartment on the second floor was uninhabited. Once the previous owners moved all of their belongings out and Maria and Nicola took possession of the property, they realized that the basement walls, which were once hidden by clutter, were covered in mold that was also found in closets and cupboards. After only a few days of living in their new home, they began suffering from respiratory difficulties and symptoms of extreme fatigue. Afraid that the mold was the cause of their sudden symptoms, they hired a microbiologist to analyze the quality of the air in their home. The results of the analysis were shocking. The home was infested with dangerous mold spores that could have a dangerous effect on the inhabitants’ health. What are Maria and Nicola’s legal recourses? The presence of dangerous mold spores in the walls of the home can be considered a latent defect if the situation respects the definition of a latent defect as defined by the Civil Code of Quebec.

Article 1726 of the Civil Code of Quebec states: “The seller is bound to warrant the buyer that the property and its accessories are, at the time of the sale, free of latent defects which render it unfit for the use for which it was intended or which so diminish its usefulness that the buyer would not have bought it or paid so high a price if he had been aware of them. The seller is not bound, however, to warrant against any latent defect known to the buyer or any apparent defect; an apparent defect is a defect that can be perceived by a prudent and diligent buyer without any need of expert assistance”. In order to have a latent defect, the following elements must exist: 1- The defect must be serious The defect must be serious to the point that had the buyer known the defect, he would not have purchased the property or would have purchased it at a lesser price. In most cases, Quebec courts have deemed that in a residential building, a defect that is hazardous to health is serious. 2- The defect was unknown to the buyer at the moment of sale Maria and Nicola were unaware of any mold problem at the moment of sale. The sellers did not mention such an issue and they did not see any symptoms of a mold problem when they inspected the property. 3-The defect had to be non-apparent and hidden at the moment of sale

The mold problem was hidden and non-apparent at the time of the sale because furniture and other objects covered the walls. It was only after the sale and once the previous owners had moved out that they could properly view the walls. The fact that they did not have a professional building inspector inspect the duplex before they purchased it does not necessarily invalidate their recourse against the sellers. 4-The defect had to exist before the sale The buyer can usually benefit from a presumption that the defect existed before the sale if he or she advises the seller of the defect in a short delay after the sale. Maria and Nicola can ask the Court for the cancellation of the sale or the reduction of the price of sale. This article provides general legal information and does not substitute consulting an attorney who can advise you on the particularities of your case.

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EVENTS

Gran Gala Molisano 2016 : un successo senza precedenti

Paolo di Laura Frattura, presidente della regione Molise

Sonia Benedetto, Tony Zara, Nancy Delle Donne e Lucia Salvatore

Nancy Rossi Lo scorso 7 maggio, si è tenuto nel centro congressi Plaza di Montreal, il Gran Gala Molisano 2016. L’evento organizzato dalla Federazione delle associazioni molisane del Québec, ha accolto più di 550 persone in un’atmosfera raffinata ed elegante, accompagnata dalla musica di diversi artisti, tra i quali il cantante italocanadese Marco Calliari. Impressionante la presenza degli invitati al tavolo d’onore: il console d’Italia a Montreal, Enrico Padula e consorte, il governatore del Molise Paolo Di LauraFrattura, l’onorevole Laura Venittelli, deputata al Parlamento italiano per la circoscrizione Molise, accompagnata dal marito, l’onorevole Francesca La Marca, deputata al Parlamento italiano per la circoscrizione estero Nord e Centro America, l’avvocato Nicola Di Iorio, deputato al Parlamento Canadese di origine molisana accompagnato dalla figlia Claudia, Tony Loffreda, vice-presidente della Royal Bank accompagnato dalla moglie Angela, e naturalmente il presidente della Federazione delle associazioni molisane in Quebec, l’imprenditore Tony Zara, accompagnato dalla moglie Angela.

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Erano inoltre presenti in sala i tanti sindaci molisani che hanno partecipato al Convegno dei sindaci molisani a Montreal e i Presidenti delle associazioni dei vari comuni molisani in Québec. Ecco la lista dei comuni partecipanti, rappresentati dal proprio sindaco: Casalciprano, Castelli Eliseo; Ferrazzano, Cerio Antonio; Jelsi, D’Amico Salvatore; Mirabello; Sannitico, Di Biase Luciano; San Giuliano di Puglia, Barbieri Luigi; Sant’Agapito, Di Pilla Giuseppe; Sant’Elia a Pianisi, Martino Stefano; Vinchiaturo, Valente Luigi. Queste invece le associazioni partecipanti: Santa Maria del Molise, Isernia, Ripabottoni, Agnone, Sant’Anna di Cantalupo, Gildone, Vinchiaturo, Guardialfiera, Jelsi, Campochiaro, Frosolone, Guglionesi, Casacalenda, Campodipietra, Duronia, San Giovanni in Galdo, Casalciprano, Mirabello Sannitico, Sant’Elia a Pianisi , Toro, Macchiagodena. Presenti inoltre Giovanni Rapanà, consigliere al comune di Montreal, Giovanna Giordano Presidente del Comites Quebec, Luca Marracino di Union Camere Molise, Maria Tirabbasso dell’ufficio Molisani nel mondo della Regione, Nancy Rossi dell’Agence Réseau-Italia, Gianni Meffe dell’associazione culturale Monongah, Antonio D’Ambrosio, Presidente del Museo Regionale dell’immigrazione e la figlia Giulia, ed infine il professor Norberto Lombardi, membro della CGIA. Molto nutrita anche la delegazione commerciale dal Molise: Cantina Catabbo famosa per i suoi vini di Tintilia, Omega Travel di Matrice che dispone di pullman di proprietà per far scoprire il Molise, La Piana dei Mulini, ristorante, albergo diffuso e residenza d’epoca sita a Colle D’Anchise, la Pentriatur, storica agenzia viaggi di Isernia specializzata nell’incoming in Molise, il caseificio Sassano con le sue gustosissime mozzarelle e Timperio, produttore di olio di oliva di Colletorto dal 1943. Tutti i presenti hanno avuto l’occasione di degustare un menú con prodotti molisani, particolarmente apprezzati i cavatelli dell’azienda Spighe Molisane, le Mozzarelle del caseificio Sassano, il tutto accompagnato dai vini della Cantina Catabbo di San Martino in Pensilis. E alla fine non poteva mancare un buon caffé della Domingo Caffé di Termoli. Altro momento forte della serata è stata l’assegnazione di due borse di studio a studenti di origine molisana e la prestazione canora del tenore Giuseppe Pirro di Jelsi che ha interpretato il Nessun Dorma ed ha regalato ai presenti tante emozioni. La serata è stata resa possibile grazie alle generose donazioni di aziende canadesi sensibili e vicine alla comunità molisana del Québec tra le quali: Royal Bank of Canada, la tipografia Accent Impression, la casa di moda Parasuco e Trispec, integratore di sistemi per le aziende, ed altri sponsor, troppo numerosi per essere qui elencati. Essenziale la partecipazione dei Molisani emigrati in Québec che hanno acquistato il proprio biglietto per essere presenti. La serata è stata organizzata da un comitato della Federazione delle Associazioni Molisane del Québec: Anna Colannino, Nancy Delle Donne, Giuseppe Vitale e Lucia Salvatore, il tutto sotto la guida del presidente Tony Zara e di Gennaro Panzera. A Prososito della Federazione delle associazioni molisane del Québec – Fondata nel 1983, questa Federazione raggruppa 30 associazioni del Molise. Ha la sede sociale presso il Centro Leonardo da Vinci, una magnifica struttura voluta dagli italiani nel cuore di St-Léonard, zona di Montreal ad alta densità italiana. L’attuale Presidente della Federazione è l’imprenditore Tony Zara, noto editore della città, originario di Guglionesi.

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EVENTS

Des Gens et des Événements

Le retour de Josée di Stasio

Vous connaissez des gens d’exception ou des événements qui méritent d’être connus ?

Carole Gagliardi

carole.gagliardi@panoramitalia.com

Un doctorat honoris causa à Isabella Rossellini L’Université du Québec à Montréal (UQAM) a honoré l’actrice et cinéaste Isabelle Rossellini en lui attribuant le 14 avril dernier le titre de docteure honoris causa. Par ce geste, l’Université veut souligner sa contribution remarquable Isabella Rossellini, docteure honoris causa au septième art en tant qu’actrice, scénariste, réalisatrice et productrice, ainsi que son engagement pour la sauvegarde de la biodiversité par la production de documentaires, de spectacles et de conférences sur le comportement animal qui ont atteint un très vaste public. Fille du réalisateur Roberto Rossellini et de l’actrice Ingrid Bergman, Isabella Rossellini est née le 18 juin 1952 à Rome. L’actrice italo-américaine est également connue pour sa carrière dans le mannequinat, notamment pour la marque Lancôme, dont elle a été l’égérie de 1983 à 1995. Elle s’est imposée au cinéma comme actrice en acceptant des rôles aux antipodes du glamour associé au monde des cosmétiques : Blue Velvet et Sailor et Lula, de David Lynch, Les vrais durs ne dansent pas, de Norman Mailer. Sa carrière d’actrice est riche et variée, l’actrice ayant interprété des rôles auprès de cinéastes anglo-saxons, italiens et français. Isabella Rossellini est également une femme engagée pour la protection de la nature et des animaux. Depuis une dizaine d’années, elle se passionne pour l’éthologie, la science du comportement animal. Elle est une amie fidèle de la Dre Jane Goodall et membre de l’Institut Jane Goodall France. En 2008, l’actrice a écrit et réalisé une série de huit courts métrages intitulée Green Porno, films dans lesquels elle interprétait, costumée, divers insectes afin d’illustrer leurs mœurs sexuelles. Elle a adapté son concept didactique à la scène dans un spectacle de 70 minutes intitulé Bestiaire d’amour, qu’elle a interprété, en italien et en anglais, dans une quarantaine de pays et qui a été présenté à la Place des Arts à Montréal en avril dernier. Ambassadrice nationale du Fonds américain de l’UNICEF, elle fait preuve d’un engagement social et philanthropique multiple et remarquable.

Josée di Stasio en bref 1. Qu’est-ce qui vous anime ? Beaucoup, beaucoup de choses… Ma curiosité. 2. Ce qui vous est le plus insupportable ? L’intimidation, l’injustice. 3. Qu’est-ce qui vous inspire le plus ? Les couleurs, la nature, les rencontres, les voyages. 4. Qu’est-ce qui vous rend le plus heureuse ? Les enfants. Je suis une bonne zia !

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People and Events

La sympathique animatrice de Télé-Québec et auteure des livres de recettes À la di Stasio, Pasta et cetera à la di Stasio et Le Carnet rouge a pris une pause santé de deux ans. Une pause au cours de laquelle on l’aura moins vue à la télé et au cours de laquelle elle a dû soigner un cancer du sein. « Aujourd’hui, je vais bien. Je suis en top shape, et je ne veux surtout pas faire un cas de ma maladie. Il y a des milliers de femmes qui, tout comme moi, doivent y faire face », nous confie la ravissante sexagénaire. Après le choc du diagnostic, trois chirurgies et des traitements, Josée di Stasio a combattu avec résilience. « Tout s’est super bien passé, j’étais fort bien entourée et appuyée, mais il s’ensuit inévitablement une remise en question. Je ressens une immense reconnaissance pour ce que je vis au jour le jour et je ne tiens rien pour acquis. Oui, je vis plus intensément les beaux moments, je vis dans le présent. C’est très certainement un choc dans une vie, je le vois comme une expérience qui peut avoir du positif. J’espère qu’il ne s’agit que d’un accident de parcours. » L’animatrice et gagnante de nombreux prix Gémeaux pour l’animation de son émission À la di Stasio n’a pas pour autant cessé de travailler. Au cours de ces deux années, elle a poursuivi l’écriture d’un projet télé destiné aux jeunes. Elle collabore au magazine VÉRO et travaille à une nouvelle émission de cuisine qui sera diffusée à l’automne à Télé-Québec. « Le concept traite du plaisir de manger en famille. Je me suis inspirée de la vie de tous les jours et je propose aussi des solutions pour manger en solo en évitant le bol de céréales. Les Italiens accordent une grande importance aux repas en famille, qui sont une source de plaisir et de réconfort et permettent de tisser des liens familiaux serrés », explique-t-elle. Josée di Stasio demeure fidèle à Télé-Québec, car, dit-elle : « J’y ai acquis une forme de liberté et de confiance que je ne peux retrouver nulle part ailleurs. C’est ici que j’ai commencé ma carrière et je m’y sens chez moi. »

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EVENTS

J’adore Rome : intrigues et bonnes adresses

La mode selon Antoinette Di Carlo

Isabelle Laflèche adore voyager. Ses romans visent bien sûr à distraire, mais ils sont devenus ces dernières années des ouvrages de référence de voyage fort utiles. Avocate de formation, Isabelle a pratiqué le droit pendant sept ans dans un grand cabinet de New York. Elle avait toutefois envie de développer sa créativité et a décidé de devenir écrivaine à la suite d’une rencontre fortuite. « Un soir, alors que je me promenais à Manhattan, une voyante m’a interpellée et m’a dit : “J’ai un message. Je dois vous parler. ” Elle m’a montré sa carte et m’a demandé de la suivre. Je ne sais pas ce qui m’a pris, mais je l’ai suivie. Quand nous sommes arrivées chez elle, elle a sorti sa boule de cristal et ses cartes de tarot et elle m’a dit : “ Vous passez à coté de votre destin. Vous devez écrire un roman, qui deviendra un best-seller planétaire. ” J’étais ébranlée, sceptique… Comment pouvait-elle savoir ? Six mois plus tard, j’ai donné ma démission et je suis retournée à Montréal. Je me suis inscrite à des cours d’écriture et là, j’ai compris que j’étais à ma place. J’ai écrit mon premier livre, J’adore New York, qui est devenu un best-seller après quatre ans de travail ardu », nous explique Isabelle, enthousiaste. Après le succès de J’adore New York, elle publie J’adore Paris puis, tout récemment, J’adore Rome. Ses romans racontent les aventures de l’avocate Catherine Lambert, qui vit en Europe dans un univers hautement fashionable dans le but de résoudre des enquêtes. « À Rome, j’ai été frappée par l’omniprésence du style. Hommes et femmes sont très chics et n’hésitent pas à porter des vêtements colorés, originaux et uniques. Je voulais placer mon personnage dans cet environnement, dans le milieu des voyages, des musées et des restos à la mode. Je raconte le côté moins reluisant de la mode : Prato et les ouvriers exploités, les vêtements griffés Made in Italy mais fabriqués en Asie, etc. Catherine fait enquête. Je veux promouvoir l’importance de maintenir les traditions, je dénonce le pronto moda, car les artisans locaux ferment boutique à cause des grandes chaînes. » J’adore Rome : enquête dans les bas-fonds du luxe, est aussi une source de bonnes adresses de restos et de boutiques qui existent réellement. Les lecteurs y retrouveront la brillante et très stylée Catherine Lambert, héroïne de J’adore New York et de J’adore Paris, le temps d’un week-end (modérément) romantique dans la Ville éternelle. J’adore Rome : enquête dans les bas-fonds du luxe, Éditions Québec Amérique. En vente en librairie.

L’atelier de couture d’Antoinette Di Carlo est situé au cœur de la Petite Italie. C’est ici qu’elle rêve et qu’elle crée les magnifiques robes haute couture cousues à la main qui font partie de sa collection. Ses couturières enfilent l’une après l’autre les perles et les pierres de strass, cousent les dentelles importées de France et d’Italie et les agencent sur les magnifiques tissus de crêpe de soie et d’organza qui se déclinent dans un camaïeu de blanc et de crème. Il en résulte des créations haut de gamme uniques que les mariées porteront lors du grand jour. Antoinette a choisi de s’installer dans la Petite Italie, car, dit-elle : « Je cherchais un endroit où je me sentirais bien et où ma fibre italienne pourrait vibrer. J’avais envie de faire revivre toute la créativité de mes origines. J’ai appris à coudre à la main à l’âge de huit ans. J’ai toujours aimé travailler de mes mains. Mes parents étaient des entrepreneurs en couture et j’ai donc appris l’aspect industriel de la mode. C’est un travail exigeant et dur, loin du glamour que la plupart des gens voient. Même si j’adorais la couture, j’ai étudié en relations industrielles à l’Université McGill. J’allais contre ma nature, mais, un an plus tard, je me suis inscrite à l’Académie internationale de la mode et du design. Je me suis immédiatement sentie à ma place. J’ai ensuite travaillé comme designer. Nous produisions les collections en Chine et je me rendais à New York chaque semaine. J’ai aussi travaillé pour Le Château et pour Terra Nostra, mais ma passion a toujours été la haute couture. » Après 15 ans à œuvrer dans l’industrie de la mode, Antoinette ressent le besoin irrésistible de faire le saut et de travailler à son compte. « Je dessinais et je créais le week-end, c’est là que j’étais le plus heureuse. » En 2011, elle ouvre un petit atelier d’à peine 300 pi2. Elle crée sa collection de robes de mariée composée de modèles uniques faits sur mesure, grâce à une technique des plus recherchées. Depuis, elle a ajouté à sa collection des robes de soirée, de première communion et de bouquetières. Elle accepte à l’occasion de reproduire les modèles préférés de ses clientes, mais y apporte toujours une touche personnelle. Elle a fait la une de magazines plus d’une fois avec des robes portées par la comédienne Sophie Prégent et l’animatrice Virginie Coussa. Ses créations sont portées par Natasha Gargiulo, Véronique Cloutier, Laurence Lebœuf, Sangita Patel et l’animatrice Cheryl Hickey. Mais, plus que tout, Antoinette Di Carlo est fière de perpétuer une tradition digne des plus grands artisans de la mode, un défi que peu de créateurs peuvent relever en cette période particulièrement difficile pour eux au Québec.

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EVENTS

La Jeune Chambre de commerce italienne a le vent dans les voiles La Jeune Chambre de commerce italienne au Canada a vu le jour il y a deux ans à la suite de l’initiative d’Orlando Napolitano et de ses collègues. Le trentenaire, aujourd’hui vice-président du développement des affaires à la Jeune Chambre, fait partie des espoirs de la relève qui prendront peut-être en main un jour le destin de la communauté. La Jeune Chambre a récemment organisé un premier événement de réseautage conjointement avec la Jeune Chambre de commerce juive de Montréal. « Les deux groupes sont très similaires. Nous organisons des soirées de networking afin de faire connaissance, d’échanger et de nous faire de nouveaux contacts; ensemble, nous serons toujours plus forts ! », explique Orlando, qui présente la communauté juive comme un modèle à suivre. « Je travaille dans une banque et j’évolue très près de De gauche à droite : Luigi Pastore, Elenora Eusepi, Orlando Napolitano, Jean-Philippe Martel. ce réseau. Les façons de faire de ses membres sont très efficaces, particulièrement en ce qui a trait à la recherche de commandites. Je dois dire qu’au groupes a permis de dégager des thèmes qui pourraient déboucher sur la départ, beaucoup doutaient du succès de notre projet, mais le résultat a été réalisation d’autres projets. Si vous êtes un(e) jeune professionnel(le) âgé(e) de moins de 40 ans et que véritablement positif sur toute la ligne! », poursuit-il. Plus de 160 jeunes membres ont assisté au cocktail, qui s’est tenu dans les vous désirez vous joindre au groupe de la Jeune Chambre de commerce italienne bureaux d’Ernst & Young. Cette première expérience réunissant les deux au Canada, contactez Orlando à o.napolitano@gmail.com.

Souvenirs d’un pionnier – hommage à Alfredo Gagliardi

La plaque souvenir apposée à l’entrée de la Résidence Gagliardi.

Un touchant hommage a été rendu à Alfredo Gagliardi, le 11 mai dernier, jour de l’anniversaire de naissance de l’homme d’affaires et grand communicateur de la communauté italienne de Montréal, décédé en 1985. La résidence de la Petite Italie qui porte son nom est l’une des 10 résidences pour personnes âgées du réseau En Harmonie. Terminée il y a sept ans, la Résidence Gagliardi arbore dorénavant une magnifique plaque, placée à l’entrée et sur laquelle est inscrit l’essentiel des réalisations de cet homme d’affaires qui a marqué sa communauté. Né à Montréal en 1920, Alfredo Gagliardi fut le premier Italo-Québécois à siéger à l’hôtel de ville de Montréal dans les années cinquante. Il fut aussi le fondateur du journal Corriere Italiano et le producteur-animateur de Teledomenica, la première émission de télévision en langue italienne au Québec. Alfredo Gagliardi a été un acteur important sur la scène communautaire et professionnelle italo-montréalaise. Il est aujourd’hui reconnu comme l’un de ses pionniers les plus marquants.

Silvie Di Pietro Branch Director Knowledge First Financial Inc. (514)-337-6980 silvie.dipietro@kff-pfs.ca PANORAMITALIA.COM

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Cook For The Cure, la croisade de Vince Lacroce

Stefano Faita

L’animateur spirituel et communautaire à la Commission scolaire EnglishMontréal Vince Lacroce prend son travail très au sérieux. Il organise depuis deux ans le formidable événement Cook for the Cure – Cuisiner pour la cause, qui vient en aide à la Société Alzheimer de Montréal. Cette année, 475 personnes ont participé à ce rendez-vous gastronomique qui a rallié un impressionnant groupe de chefs montréalais : Stefano Faita (Impasto et Gema), Ashley Thornton (de l’émission Les Chefs), Sergio Mattoscio (Industria), Vanessa Gianfrancesco (GustoTV), John Perotta (Dopo Cena), Guido Grasso (Sapori di Napoli), Nick De Palma (Inferno), Michael Forgione (Impasto et Gema) et Joe Mercuri (Restaurant Mercuri). Ces derniers ont jugé des recettes de famille cuisinées par des élèves du primaire et du secondaire. Le comité organisateur, composé d’enseignants et de directeurs de l’école secondaire Rosemount et des écoles primaires Gerald McShane et Nesbitt, a conçu le projet dans le cadre d’un programme scolaire interécoles. L’objectif du programme est de faire participer les élèves à un processus de création comprenant écriture, photographie, cuisine et autres activités liées à une histoire familiale. Le gala Cook for the Cure – Cuisiner pour la cause récompense les meilleures créations culinaires de la soirée et permet ainsi d’amasser des fonds au profit de la Société Alzheimer de Montréal. « La démence a volé la mémoire, la dignité et l’identité de ma grand-mère. C’est une horrible maladie qui ronge l’essence même d’un individu. J’ai voulu faire quelque chose en sa mémoire afin d’aider les personnes qui en sont atteintes », explique Vince Lacroce. En deux ans, le gala a permis d’amasser 26 700 $ et publie chaque année un livre de recettes conçu et réalisé par les élèves. www.cookforacure.wordpress.com

PANORAMITALIA.COM

Vince Lacroce

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