Panoram Italia Toronto Aug/Sept 2015

THE ITALIAN-CANADIAN MAGAZINE MAILED TO HOMES & BUSINESSES IN THE GREATER TORONTO AREA

LIVING ITALIAN STYLE

ITALIANCANADIAN ASSOCIATIONS

THE ITALIAN

JOURNEY

TO AUSTRALIA

AUGUST / SEPTEMBER 2015 • VOL.5 • NO.4

PM42992015

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TABLE OF CONTENTS

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AUGUST / SEPTEMBER 2015 Vol. 5 NO. 4 PUBLISHER’S NOTE . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . 11 LIFE & PEOPLE Villa Charities Renovation Project. . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . 12 Dr. Fred Gentili . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . 14 Future Leader: Leila Anna Ouji . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . 17 Michele Arcamone . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . 18 John Seca’s Prize-Winning Zucchini . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . 19

VILLA CHARITIES . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . 22 FASHION . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . 26 LIVING ITALIAN STYLE . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . 28 SEASONAL RECIPES . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . 30

EXECUTIVE PUBLISHER & EDITOR Tony Zara

EDITORIAL DEPUTY EDITOR-IN-CHIEF Adam Zara MONTREAL TORONTO MANAGING EDITOR MANAGING EDITOR & WEB MANAGER Rita Simonetta Gabriel Riel-Salvatore ITALIAN PROOFREADER TRANSLATOR Claudia Buscemi Prestigiacomo Aurelie Ptito

ART DEPARTMENT ART DIRECTION & GRAPHIC DESIGN David Ferreira

FOOD . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . 34 ASSOCIATIONS Italian Associations . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . 36 Promoting our Roots . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . 38 Passing the Torch . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . 40 Gli Azzurri . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . 42 Dialetti d’Italia . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . 44 Like a Real Paesano. . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . 46

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ITALIAN AUSTRALIA Pioneers of Multiculturalism . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . 48 Journey to the End of the World . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . 52 The Little Italies Down Under . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . 55 The New Phase of Italian Immigration . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . 56 Common Language Bonds . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . 57

MAKEUP Desi Varano

PHOTOGRAPHY Gregory Varano Giulio Muratori

ADVERTISING ACCOUNT EXECUTIVE Anthony Zara

ACCOUNT EXECUTIVE Gianpietro Nagliati-Bravi

CONTRIBUTORS Maggie Abou-Rizk • Rebecca Alberico • Antonio D’Alfonso Danila Di Croce • Sal Difalco • Alessia Sara Domanico Beatrice Fantoni • Maria Luisa Ierfino-Adornato • Chelsea Lecce Sabrina Marandola • Sarah Mastroianni • Romina Monaco 26 Duncan Street, Toronto, Ontario, Canada M5V 2B9 Tel.: 1.844.ITALIA.1 or by e-mail at: info@panoramitalia.com Legal deposit - Bibliothèque nationale du Québec / National Library of Canada - ISSN: 1916-6389

ARTS & CULTURE

Distribution par / by

Nino Ricci . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . 58 Publications Mail Agreement #40981004

EVENTS . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . 59

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ONE MORE DAY . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . 62

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PUBLISHER’S NOTE

Italian Associations in Canada

As

president of the Federazione delle Associazioni Molisane del Quebec the subject of “associazionismo” is near and dear to my heart.

Italian associations have a long history in the Italian community of Canada. As a matter of fact, their vibrancy or lack thereof is directly related to the state of the Italian culture in this country.

We can trace Italian-Canadian associations back to the beginning of Italian immigration.

However, their heydays were in the second half of the 20th century to coincide with the largest wave of immigration, which took place in the 1950s and 1960s. Our parents and grandparents felt comfort in meeting their “paesani” as often as they could to keep in touch with their friends and traditions. These associations also provided support for the latest arrivals to help them find their way in this new land.

A great example of their success is the 50 or more associations that were created by the Molisani of Quebec in the 25 years after the Second World War. Our parents and grandparents were very passionate about maintaining a deep connection with the motherland.

My generation, the so called baby boomers, who either came from Italy at a very young age, or were born here soon after their parents’ arrival, were not so keen on participating in “our parents” outings. As children we had very little choice but to attend.

As time went on, we did everything to avoid them. Watching our parents dance a tango, listening to old Italian music or getting our cheeks pinched by every paesano in the hall was never our idea of fun even if the food was amazing. And to make matters worse, they never saw the need to adapt their events to what would attract us. Hence the disconnection.

In the end, our parents gave up on the new generations and continued to do the same old, same old. Nostalgia has always dominated. A good meal, nice Italian music, a good workout on the dance floor and all at $50.00 a person if you were willing to compromise with the hall and do the event on a Sunday afternoon.

Needless to say, this led to the loss of a few generations who rarely participated, thus effectively transforming these associations into old age clubs over the years. By the time I became president of the F.A.M.Q. in June 2014, the Molisani of Quebec had less than half of the associations they once did, and at least half of those are on life support.

Because of this, my board and I decided to focus our entire mandate on the singular mission of attracting younger generations and families to join and hopefully take over these vital entities. There is no denying that this is a monumental task. So the question became, how can we set the stage for success? How can we encourage the 20-, 30and 40 year-olds to participate, feel a sense of belonging, and actively take on the responsibility of perpetuating our wonderful culture into the distant future?

After long reflections and discussions, myself and the board as well as learned members of our community decided that the answer was to focus on the needs and wants of these new generations.

Our first Gran Gala last February was organized to attract a much younger crowd and over 500 people attended. We gave a number of bursaries to deserving students. We are organizing subsidized trips back to the homeland for under 25s. We are in the process of organizing Friday night dinners for young families, at a subsidized price, to introduce them to our traditional food as well as other paesani of their age group. Networking with like-minded individuals is also a great plus.

A vision for the future is the first step to success. But in order to execute the strategy we require funding.

To fill our coffers we decided to appeal to the business class and organized two major fundraising events per year. Our first year proved to be very successful with most of the funds coming from the baby boomer generation. We just needed to remind them of the importance of maintaining our culture and traditions and they obliged in great numbers.

To be perfectly honest, engaging younger generations in our associations and federations is a daunting task. However, if we can convince even a small percentage of the hundreds of thousands amongst us to take part, we will have accomplished our mission.

Maintaining our culture, language and traditions is a responsibility that we must all embrace and share.

Let us not go down in history as the generation that dropped the ball. Ask yourself what YOU can do and respond!

Tony Zara Publisher 10

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PUBLISHER’S NOTE

L'associazionismo Italiano in Canada Q

uale presidente della Federazione delle Associazioni Molisane del Quebec, il tema dell'associazionismo mi è caro e lo porto nel cuore.

Le associazioni hanno una lunga storia nella comunità italiana in Canada. Di fatto, la loro vitalità, o mancanza di essa, è direttamente proporzionale allo stato della cultura italiana in Canada.

Le associazioni italocanadesi risalgono ai tempi della prima immigrazione dall'Italia. I loro giorni migliori, però, sono stati quelli della seconda metà del secolo scorso, a partire dall'arrivo, negli anni '50 e 60, della più grande ondata di immigrati.

I nostri nonni, i nostri genitori trovavano grande comfort nel ritrovarsi con i 'paesani' il più spesso possibile, per rimanere legati agli amici e alle tradizioni. Aspettavano con impazienza questi eventi: addirittura più di quanto noi facciamo con una cena tra intimi amici. Queste associazioni hanno anche fornito supporto ai nuovi arrivati nel trovare la propria strada in questo Paese.

Un grande esempio del successo di queste associazioni sono le 50 o più create dai molisani del Quebec nei 25 anni dopo la Seconda Guerra Mondiale. I nostri genitori ed i nostri nonni hanno amato profondamente questa forte connessione con la madrepatria.

Quelli della mia generazione, i cosiddetti baby boomers, giunti qui dall'Italia da piccolissimi, o nati poco dopo l'arrivo dei genitori in Canada, non erano così entusiasti di partecipare alle serate ‘dei genitori’. Da bambini non avevamo altra scelta che partecipare. Col passare del tempo, le abbiamo provate tutte per non andare. Guardare i nostri genitori ballare un tango, ascolta musica italiana d'annata, prendere un buffetto sulla guancia da ogni ‘paesano’ in sala non era la nostra idea di divertimento – anche se il cibo era da favola. E a peggiorare le cose, non hanno mai sentito il bisogno di cambiare i loro eventi per venire incontro alla nostra generazione. Da qui, il distacco.

Alla fine i nostri genitori hanno abbandonato l'idea di coinvolgere i giovani, e hanno continuato a fare sempre come al solito. Ha sempre vinto la nostalgia. Una buona cena, un pò di musica italiana, quattro salti sulla pista da ballo, tutto a 50 dollari a persona, se hai voglia di trattare con la sala e programmare l'evento di domenica pomeriggio.

Facile prevedere il seguito: nel corso degli anni, la mancata partecipazione delle giovani generazioni ha trasformato queste associazioni in circoli per anziani. Quando sono diventato presidente della F.A.M.Q. nel giugno 2014, ai molisani del Quebec erano rimaste meno della metà delle associazioni di un tempo. Metà di queste tirano avanti in condizioni di pura sopravvivenza.

Per questo, il consiglio ed io abbiamo deciso di dedicare il nostro mandato all'unica missione di attrarre le generazioni, le famiglie più giovani con l'augurio che prendano in mano queste associazioni così importanti. Inutile nasconderselo: è un impegno gravoso. Così il problema è diventato: cosa possiamo fare per riuscirci? Come possiamo convincere i 20, 30, 40enni a partecipare, a coltivare un senso di appartenenza, e a prendere su di sè il compito di perpetuare la nostra meravigliosa cultura nel futuro?

Grazie al dialogo ed alla riflessione all’interno del consiglio e dopo aver ascoltato voci influenti della comunità, abbiamo deciso che la risposta stava nel concentrarsi sui bisogni e sui desideri di queste nuove generazioni.

Il nostro primo Gala, lo scorso febbraio, è stato organizzato con l'obiettivo di attirare un pubblico molto più giovane, ed eravamo in più di 500. Abbiamo istituito varie borse di studio destinate a studenti meritevoli. Stiamo organizzando viaggi in Italia per gli under 25, sostenendone in parte i costi. Stiamo organizzando le cene del Venerdì per le famiglie giovani, a prezzo agevolato, per far conoscere le nostre tradizioni gastronomiche e far incontrare tra loro ‘paesani’ della stessa età. Anche far crescere una rete di persone che la pensano nello stesso modo è molto positivo.

Avere una prospettiva per il futuro è il primo passo verso il successo. Ma per mettere in pratica questa strategia, sono necessarie risorse.

Per aumentare le risorse disponibili abbiamo deciso di chiamare a raccolta il mondo degli affari con due grandi eventi di raccolta fondi all'anno. Il nostro primo anno è stato un grande successo, con la maggior parte dei fondi raccolti tra i baby boomers. È bastato ricordare loro l’importanza di mantenere la nostra cultura, le nostre tradizioni, per vederli rispondere in gran numero.

Per essere sinceri, coinvolgere le generazioni più giovani nella vita delle nostra associazioni e federazioni è un compito che fa tremare i polsi. Non riusciremo mai a convincere tutti che partecipare sia altro che un esercizio di futilità. Tuttavia, se possiamo convincere anche una piccola percentuale delle centinaia di migliaia di appartenenti alla nostra comunità, avremo compiuto la nostra missione.

Mantenere la nostra cultura, la lingua, le tradizioni è una responsabilità che tutti dobbiamo sottoscrivere e condividere.

Non passiamo alla storia come la generazione che ha abbandonato la partita.

Chiedete a VOI STESSI cosa potete fare, e rispondete!

Mr. Joseph Rizzotto

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When this happens, you should know your rights.

A person who is attacked or bitten by a dog has the right to be compensated. In Ontario, the law regarding dog attacks is called the Dog Owners’ Liability Act. If a person or their pet is injured by another dog, the injured person has to prove the dog caused the injuries and identify the owner. The dog’s owner then becomes responsible to compensate the injured person.

There are many things that courts consider when deciding on the amount of compensation. These include how the injuries affected your life, future medical care needed, any loss of income, etc.

In addition to financial compensation, courts may also protect the public by ordering: • The dog owner take specific control measure (muzzle the dog) • That the owner stop from further dog ownership for a certain period of time • Sterilization of the dog • The owner pay a fine • The dog be destroyed Most homeowner insurance policies cover owners of dog attacks but you should check your own individual policy, as each policy is different. The law and courts with respect to dog attacks can get complicated and confusing. You need an experienced lawyer to help and work for you.

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Tony Zara Editore PANORAMITALIA.COM

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LIFE & PEOPLE Presenting the model of Villa Colombo at the official unveiling in May 1974 .(Toronto Star)

L to R : Joseph D. Carrier ,Alfredo De Gasperis ,(both deceased since) Rudolph P. Bratty and Anthony Fusco. After the purchase of land from the Sisters of the Good Shepherd this presentation signaled the beginning of community development by Villa Charities ,then ICBC , at Lawrence and Dufferin campus which in time would include Columbus Centre, Caboto Terrace and Casa del Zotto.

A Social and Educational Hub Under One Roof Villa Charities renovation project gets underway

T

By Chelsea Lecce

he Italian-Canadian community of Toronto is one step closer to having a new social hub and high school under one roof to celebrate Italian culture and foster education. In June, Villa Charities, which operates the Columbus Centre, and the Toronto Catholic District School Board (TCDSB) finalized a land purchase agreement to make way for construction of a revitalized Dante Alighieri Academy High School and a reinvisioned Columbus

Centre for Culture and the Arts. The facility is estimated to be open by 2018.

The $60 million state-of-the-art project will be the first of its kind in Canada with a mission to bring together cultural arts and education in a central part of Toronto. “We want this one big building to be iconic, representative and welcoming,” says Villa Charities CEO, Pal Di Iulio.

With the Columbus Centre being the pinpoint between Yorkdale Shopping

By popular demand we've opened our second location in Woodbridge - MARKET LANE -

In Yorkville since 1999 140 Woodbridge Ave, Vaughan, ON (905) 605-8775

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140 Cumberland St., Toronto, ON (416) 975-1100

w w w. d i m m i b a r. c o m

LIFE & PEOPLE

Mall, TTC subway stations, and major highways, the new school and centre will also remain within the same Metropolitan Toronto area. The multi-use complex will be built on the north-west corner of the Columbus Centre’s current location on Lawrence Avenue West.

Villa Charities and the TCDSB announced this development project in December 2012, under the recognition that the Dufferin Street and Lawrence Avenue West neighborhood was in need of an update to its cultural, educational and recreational assets. “The Columbus Centre is over 40 years old, and as the neighborhood surrounding us and the community we attract is changing, we want to keep up with them by continuing to refresh our appeal by being modern, but not losing our Italian touch,” says Di Iulio. “We have decided to do so by partnering up with the school board to bring the community something exciting and new.”

Dante Alighieri Academy’s enrollment has been overcapacity for years, which has required it to rent space at the Columbus Centre and nearby schools. The new complex, which will include modernized classrooms, will make it possible for the school’s 1,300 students to be housed in one location.

One of the hopes for the multi-purpose building is that it will attract the Italian community back into the city and preserve the renaissance of the Columbus Centre. “I would like the new building and school to draw more members of our Italian and Italian-Canadian community such that Villa Charities and the new Columbus Centre become more relevant to that community,” says Villa Charities chair Nina Perfetto.

As an active volunteer for Villa Charities, Perfetto is hoping that the completed project will provide the younger generations with a reason and place to volunteer, as she says they are the ones who can maintain the Italian culture.

The complex will include shared use of a theatre, dance studios, and expanded fitness and music facilities. The classrooms, theatre and dance studios, which will be utilized by students during the day, will accommodate public programs and entertainment in the evenings. “We don’t want the building to just sit there like all the fancy dishes and furniture your Nonna keeps in the dining room,” Di Iulio jokingly says. “We want everyone to enjoy and appreciate what it will have to offer.”

Villa Charities today.

Villa Charities circa 1977

DREAMS ROMANCE MEMORIES

CUSTOM DESIGNING FOR ALL OCCASIONS

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LIFE & PEOPLE

Dr.

Gen

Always looking forward

By Beatrice Fantoni

T

he love of a good challenge is what brought Dr. Fred Gentili to perform complex brain surgeries. “I’ve always wanted challenges,” says Gentili, a neurosurgeon at the Toronto Western Hospital, which is part of the University Health Network, and a professor of neurosurgery at the University of Toronto.

Gentili operates on brain tumours at the base of the brain and skull – a very complex and delicate area. Despite advances in medicine and technology, the brain remains an incredible and complex field, says Gentili, whose career spans three decades. “Like all of medicine, it has to do with patients,” Gentili says. “The most rewarding thing is to do these very difficult brain operations and see you’ve done something for your patients.”

In the 1980s, Gentili pioneered what many consider to be a groundbreaking technique to remove tumours from the more delicate areas of the brain and skull, such as the ear canal and major arteries – tumours that up to that point were considered inoperable.

More recently, he developed an endoscopic surgical technique to remove tumours from the base of the brain through the nasal passage. Doctors the 14

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world over seek him out to learn this new surgical approach. “These techniques are much better for the patient,” Gentili says, adding that while he still performs open skull surgeries, in some cases, the less invasive approach works best, particularly for certain benign tumours (One of Gentili’s colleagues describes the extremely delicate surgery as trying to pick up spaghetti with chopsticks through a roll of paper towels from which the cardboard tube has been removed).

The Italian-born neurosurgeon speaks frankly about the most demanding parts of his work. Even with the best technical expertise, there are still some patients he and his colleagues can’t cure, and this is perhaps the most difficult thing about what he does, Gentili says. The solution lies in more research: “We need to learn more about these tumours.”

Gentili was born in Sarnano, Italy, and moved to Toronto with his family as a child, eventually going on to study medicine at the University of Toronto.

But he’s kept his ties to Italy and returns to his ancestral home in Sarnano each year – something he likens to having a cottage up north. “I consider it a significant link to my past,” he says.

LIFE & PEOPLE

Fred Photography by C. Leonio

tili

Gentili has taught surgeons all over the world, including in his native Italy, where the University of Messina awarded him a gold medal for his work in the field of neurosurgery.

Gentili, who is also a founding member of the North American Skull Base Society, has helped reshape the field of neurosurgery, but he is careful to acknowledge those of his colleagues who are reticent to use new surgery techniques that deviate from time-tested approaches.

But in medicine, there are advances every week, he notes, so physicians are constantly learning. “That’s the key to any endeavour in life,” Gentili says.

“Always be open to new things.”

While Gentili spends the bulk of his time as a neurosurgeon, he also teaches the next generation of doctors at the University of Toronto’s medical school. There’s no question the field – and medicine in general – have changed tremendously since he began.

“Surgery is driven by technology and the difference between then and now is like night and day,” he shares. “It’s almost a different specialty.”

And even though neurosurgery is still as tough as it ever was, requiring a decade of specialized training and very demanding work hours, the thinking among doctors is changing. “You have to have a balance.”

After so many years absorbed in his work, Gentili says he’s now starting to think seriously about where he’s headed next. Focusing more on research and teaching appeals to him.

Leisure travel (rather than travelling to medical conferences and teaching stints) would be a hobby of choice, as would reading – something he gets to do very little of unless it’s medical literature. And he would like to spend more time with his family.

With so many years and myriad experiences lived, Gentili says he can’t pinpoint a single moment that helped shape his life and career. If anything, his parents deserve credit for showing him the importance of hard work. “You have to find your passion,” Gentili says. “Find it, know that’s what you want to do, and don’t let anyone stop you.”

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FUTURE LEADER

Embracing Different Points of View No limits to learning for PhD graduate Leila Anna Ouji

By Rebecca Alberico

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Photography by Giulio Muratori

hile many would shudder at the idea of spending 11 years in university, Leila Anna Ouji enjoyed every minute studying one of her passions: her culture. The 30-year-old recently completed her PhD in Italian Studies at the University of Toronto, where she spent five years completing her thesis on Orientalism in Dante, a topic that holds a world of significance for her because of her dynamic roots – Ouji’s mother was born and raised in Monteroni di Lecce in Puglia, Italy, and her father is from Shiraz, Iran.

She admits it’s difficult for most people to wrap their heads around the union of her two backgrounds. “There are a lot of people who are afraid of things that seem different, but a lot of the time things that seem different really aren’t,” she says. Ouji always believed her two cultures meshed well – even her last name has some Italian flair. “It’s pronounced like the Italian word ‘oggi,’” she jokes. “Once people get that, it’s much easier.”

Ouji’s parents have been happily married for over 40 years, which she attributes to their unconditional compassion and respect for one another. “Where people are willing to learn about another culture and another religion, there is room for their own personal growth,” she says. The Ouji family takes frequent trips to their ancestral home in the countryside or “la campagna,” just 30 minutes outside of Lecce. It’s an emotional experience and fulfilling tradition, one that Ouji hopes to continue with her own family in the future.

As a child, she grew up around a strong Persian influence, as none of her maternal relatives live in Toronto. Although her mother always spoke to her in Italian and exposed her to the culture, Ouji chose to pursue her educational career in Italian Studies as a way to foster an even deeper connection with her Italian roots.

After her Masters was nearly complete, Ouji was encouraged by one of her professors to apply for her PhD. Her thesis examined how Dante portrays the Muslim ‘other.’ She focused on a canto in the Inferno where Dante encounters the prophet Muhammed, a scene that was depicted negatively in the text. Many critics have interpreted the scene as evidence that Dante was anti-Islam. Ouji’s research shows this to be untrue. Rather, she argued that Dante was against division.

While she worked on her thesis, her family proved to be of great help. “I was able to speak to my Mom about the Italian cultural component, or the things that were going on in the middle Ages in Italy – she is very knowledgeable about that.” Similarly, she turned to her father for insight on Islam.

While working on her PhD, Ouji taught Italian Language courses, as well as Dante’s Divina Commedia. She often involved herself in various cultural initiatives at U of T, including organizing an international conference in the Italian Department, which attracted contributors from all around the world. In 2011, she was a keynote speaker at the 10th Annual International Languages Symposium at Don Bosco Catholic Secondary School, encouraging students to pursue the study of a second language.

Perhaps what’s most striking about Ouji is her humility. She is grateful for her numerous scholarships and accolades, but she wants others to recognize that although education is important, there is more to life. It wasn’t until her second year into her PhD program that she understood the importance of searching for some level of balance. “You have to be a well-rounded person,” she says. “I didn’t want school to be the only thing that defined me.”

Besides her academic achievements, Ouji prides herself on being an active volunteer in the community. One organization she holds particularly close to her heart is Camp BUCKO, which provides an opportunity for children recovering from burn injuries to meet other children who have been through similar situations. As a leader, Ouji provides emotional and physical support to children as they learn to deal with their injuries in a safe haven.

By her own choice, Ouji is currently focusing her full-time career in a completely different field. As a relationship manager for a software company in Toronto, she says she feels fulfilled. “It’s not about doing something directly related to what you studied, but rather finding the skill set from what you learned and being able to apply that to different things,” she says.

After years of juggling a busy schedule, Ouji can’t give up the pace, “I think where there is too much structure and regularity one tends to become complacent.” In the near future, she hopes to continue teaching Italian courses at the University of Toronto and sharing the passion she has for her culture. Ouji also anticipates further developing a part of her thesis that focuses on Dante’s interaction with the Jewish faith.

It has been an exciting year for Ouji, who got married this past October and recently purchased her first home with her new husband. She makes certain to acknowledge the unconditional support of her wonderful husband, family and friends, “It’s cliché, but I really couldn’t have done it without them.”

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LIFE & PEOPLE

Navigating the World Michele Arcamone talks about approaching life and business with an open mind

By Maria Luisa Ierfino-Adornato

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ith impressive corporate executive positions under his belt and an international mindset, Michele Arcamone has always considered himself a global citizen. Proud of his Italian-Canadian roots, his identity transcends economic, geographic or political borders, and he remains a strong advocate of world citizenship. With extensive operations experience in North America, first-hand knowledge of global markets in Europe and Asia, proven skills in program management and lean manufacturing, Arcamone rose to the top of his profession, occupying important positions as Vice-President of GM’s Powertrain Europe in Torino, from 2007 to 2011, and President & CEO of GM in Seoul, Korea, from 2009 to 2012.

After a highly successful 30-year career in the automotive industry delivering multiple multi-billion dollar projects, in 2012, Arcamone was appointed President, Bombardier Commercial Aircraft, where two CSeries maiden flights (CS100 and CS300) successfully took place under his leadership. Now he actively mentors business students and is exploring a number of possible career avenues, as he reflects on the next chapter of his life.

Panoram Italia: How would you describe yourself?

Michele Arcamone: I am the proud husband of Lizbeth, a Mexican-born corporate lawyer, and the father of a little girl and two grown-up sons. I was born and raised in Montreal North and my parents are Italian immigrants who worked very hard, and sacrificed much, so that I could benefit from a good education and have a better life.

My mother came to Canada from the province of Matera in Basilicata and my father came from the island of Ischia, near the northern end of the Gulf of Naples.

I am very proud of their journey and success. I obtained my undergraduate degree from Concordia University, followed by a Diploma in Management at McGill University, where General Motors (GM) hired me on campus in 1980.

PI: What was unique about your professional career path?

MA: I started as a GM Plant Manager at the Ste-Thérèse assembly facility, and was the first Quebecer to be appointed Site Director there. That role had been reserved for Canadians from Ontario or for Americans. Next, I accepted to work at the GM headquarters in Detroit. Americans usually come up to Canada to run our organizations. I served as Plant Manager of Powertrain in Flint and Livonia, Michigan.

Those were tough years for GM and for the local communities and I tried to keep it ‘human’. From the States I moved to Europe and then to Asia. My life would never be the same again!

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PI: What brought you to Bombardier Aerospace after a long career in the automotive industry?

MA: In the automotive industry new cars are delivered to the market every week around the world. In aerospace, a new aircraft is launched every 10-15 years, so I was excited to be appointed President of Bombardier Commercial Aircraft in 2012, and thrilled about the innovative CSeries aircraft program in Mirabel. Yes, I have fulfilled all of my professional dreams, even if I still dream about owning a Maserati, that masterpiece of Italian design! Kidding aside, it’s great to be back at home in Canada.

PI: What are you particularly proud of in your career?

MA: Having served as the Chairman of the Supervisory Board of GM Powertrain in Uzbekistan, where we helped the employees establish their own Powertrain plant and helped to bring the Politecnico di Torino to Central Asia. I will continue to promote education for sustainable development worldwide. And, the utmost respect was bestowed upon me when I was made an honorary Korean, draped in the traditional Hanbok ceremonial garments of the country.

PI: Could you expand on what it means to be a Citizen of the World?

MA: I look forward to the day when Passports are stamped: WORLD CITIZEN. I truly feel like a member of the global community. Don’t misunderstand me, I am proud to be Canadian and proud of my Italian roots.

There is, however, much more than nationality, race, or religion that defines us and binds us as human beings.

PI: What’s the most important lesson you have learned from your extraordinary experience?

MA: Humility. To keep an open mind, to listen, and to learn from others. I like to say that we have two ears to do twice as much listening rather than talking. I learned that if more people had the opportunity to travel, to embrace diversity, and to appreciate different cultures, many of the conflicts in the world would cease to exist. Mentoring the next generation to be world citizens, while keeping the needs of the planet in mind, is my way of giving back to society. I like to think that I am a citizen of the world and that in the end, we all come from that same village.

LIFE & PEOPLE

A Green Thumb and a Golden Touch John Seca’s prize-winning zucchini tower above the rest

By Sal Difalco

If

during the last weeks of August, you happen across John Seca’s otherwise tranquil and orderly Etobicoke backyard, you’ll encounter several alien and somewhat disturbing pale green excrescences, hanging like elephantine limbs from a makeshift pergola. Fear not. You haven’t stumbled onto a genetic experiment gone wrong – a vegetable version of Doctor Moreau’s vivisections – or a contemporary incarnation of Invasion of The Body Snatchers. No beings will hatch from these pods.

What Seca has managed to cultivate, with alarming if not monstrous efficacy, is the Sicilian zucchini, aka the cucuzza, that southern Italian favourite. In pursuit of his unusual hobbyhorse, he has managed to win yearly competitions, co-sponsored by Dean Myers and CHIN Radio, six times.

His first winner measured 8 feet 3 inches. No misprint. Still, Seca likes to be discreet about his dominance.

Born in Fossacesia, in Chieti, Abruzzo, to a family of contadini, Seca learned basic horticulture at a young age. Now a spry 76, he landed in Canada at the age of 15, joining his father who had emigrated in 1951. Seca, a hairstylist who still works with longstanding clients, says it all started innocently enough. “In 2001 my cousin Mario showed me a jungle of 30 or 40 large cucuzzi hanging in his backyard.

My God, I thought, what is this?”

A venerable Italian summer vegetable, the cucuzza (lagenaria siceraria) is eaten and prepared like zucchini, but unlike zucchini is not a true squash; it’s a gourd. It grows long and slender, has pale green skin, white flesh, and white flowers rather than yellow like squash. Cucuzza is also known as cocoziello, and related to the calabash, suzza melon, zuzza, New Guinea bean, and Tasmania bean. The proper name of the competition variety is “Collins Long” gourd. To grow to their full lengths cucuzzi need to dangle from pergolas, scaffolds, or clotheslines.

Seca’s cousin explained that the cucuzzi were being grown not for eating – the fruit tastes best picked young, no more than 12 inches – but for competition.

Curious, Seca attended one, but found contestants tightlipped about growing the pale green behemoths. Despite heading into the unknown, Seca took up the hobby with limited initial success; but by 2004, after much trial and error, his cucuzzi had eclipsed 8 feet.

At another competition, he met up with Alan Eaton, a former championship

pumpkin grower, who had grown a cucuzza 9 feet 6 inches long. “We got talking,” Seca recalls, “and I found out he’d crossed his cucuzza with a Serbian variety, and produced larger fruit with darker green skin. We exchanged seeds.

He pollinated my female plants with his males – I prefer the slimness and pale green of the Sicilian cucuzza, but hybrids are more robust. Alan’s hybrids started breaking world records year after year.”

Eaton, who lives in Richmond Hill, sells seeds worldwide – evidencing growing international interest in a subculture that was once the gentle pastime of retired nonnos. “It’s really taken off,” Seca says, “with contests in Germany, Australia, Denmark, Japan. And the growers want Canadian seed.”

Indeed, the current world record holder – an implausible 11 feet 9.5 inches, from a Nova Scotia farm – traces its provenance back to the Seca and Eaton hybrid. “That was the Secretariat of the championship cucuzzi,” Seca quips. “But we’re starting to keep genetic records like horse breeders do. And as with horses, we take the best from year to year, cross them, and keep pushing the envelope.”

Two years ago, using a hybrid of his latest seed and the world record holder’s, Seca grew a cucuzza that measured a staggering 10 feet 2.5 inches. “People ask me, John, what’s the secret?

I offer advice about soil, proper watering, even give seeds. But even with the best seeds and soil there’s a bit of magic involved, and prayer, in the ‘kissing’ of the male and female plants. For instance, the flowers open by 9 in the evening and fade by morning. You have a narrow window of time to pollinate. It’s not always successful.”

Seca has two sons, Michael, 54, and Ron, 51, and has been passing on his magic to the latter. Ron, who has grown gourds in his uncle’s backyard for three years, and has already placed second in competitions, agrees that mastering the art of pollination is tricky. “Distinguishing males from females was impossible,” he laughs. “I remember the first time I tried, it took 10 nights before these little cucuzzi emerged.” “It’s simple but delicate work,” Seca concedes. “And It gives me immense satisfaction. This is my passion.”

He pauses. “Yes, there are times in the middle of the night when you’re out there with the raccoons and question what you’re doing. But in the end you do it for love. And when it’s time, the females must be kissed.”

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GRADUATES

Congratulations to all our graduates!

Auguri ai nostri laureati e diplomati!

Stephanie Provato University of Windsor Law School Juris Doctor of Law 2015

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Joseph Alexander Filice University of Ottawa Juris Doctor JD 2015

Sylvia Maria Mancini University of Toronto Specialist in Psychology 2015

Laura Spagnuolo George Brown College Denturism 2015

Amanda Zuliani Ryerson University Architectural Science 2015

Marco Anthony Di Stefano University of Guelph - Humber Honours BBA 2015

Rachel Sirianni Wilfred Laurier University Bachelor of Arts 2015

Aleksandra Elena Giammarco McMaster University Sociology and Religious Studies 2015

Nikki Serrani University of Toronto Honours Bachelor of Arts 2015

Catherine Accardi TMS School High School Graduate 2015

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Alexander Gargaro Ivey Business School Western University Honours Business Administration 2015

Milla Marie D'Onofrio Queen’s University Bachelor of Education 2015

Emanuela M.Tarzia Loretto Abbey CSS High School Graduate 2015

ADVERTORIAL

The Legacy of TMS School

By Rosanna Bonura

Enabling students to make their mark in an ever-changing world

Class of 2015

Investing in your child’s education is one of the most important factors in ensuring and securing a successful future for them. The decision to enrol in the private school system has several positive aspects and TMS School has been proof of that for the past 50 years. As one of North America’s largest Montessori and IB schools, it has played a substantial role in shaping the future of education and transforming students into leaders of tomorrow. An internationally renowned school, TMS was established in 1961 as Toronto Montessori Schools by Ms. Helma Trass with an initial enrolment of only 12 students. Today, TMS School is home to two Richmond Hill campuses: Bayview and Elgin Mills.

F

uelling each child’s desire to learn, TMS has been instrumental in enabling students to achieve success on their own terms through a specific method of education which sets them above and apart in the private school sector. For children from 18 months to 3 years, TMS offers flagship Montessori Toddler and “Children’s House” Programs where students learn to be productive and engaged through a solid and substantial foundation, developing critical learning. These initial and important years transition into their combination of Montessori Elementary, Grades 1 to 6.

TMS is also recognized for being an International Baccalaureate (IB) World School, which is supported by their International Baccalaureate Middle Years Programme from Grade 7 to 10, followed by the International Baccalaureate Diploma Programme in Grades 11 and 12. These specifically catered programs make TMS the top choice for parents wishing to enrol their children in a private school. The unique combination of flagship Montessori and IB Programs make it a unique and highly effective approach allowing students to experience an enriched education.

TMS’ seamless program prepares students for an ever-changing and uncertain world. Discerning parents recognize that the world has changed and schools need to advance as well. Simply ensuring the development of strong basic skills and the memorization of a body of information is no longer an effective strategy for preparing students to define their own successful path through university, career and life.

With programs that encourage and inspire students to strive in Academics, Arts, Athletics and Citizenship, the TMS approach nurtures responsibility and resourcefulness at every age by matching learning and instruction to the developmental needs of each student as an individual. Moving forward to post-secondary education, TMS ensures that their graduating students are well prepared for the world of university and careers. Close and expert guidance allows students to use their own foundation to build higher level thinking, communication, and advocacy skills, making TMS students amongst the most confident and capable around the globe.

At TMS each student sees how every day’s learning is important and engages enthusiastically in a curriculum that develops broad-based critical and creative thinking skills.

Students are equipped with the knowledge and attitudes that promote their ability and construct lives that are engaging, rewarding and meaningful (TMS 2015).

Graduates of TMS are a testament to the well-rounded foundation established over the course of their education, which helps them to become resourceful and well-adjusted young adults.

TMS goes far beyond the ordinary to help prepare their students to define and achieve success on their terms in a complex, competitive and ever changing world. They are ready to realize their full potential as happy and fulfilled individuals.

In addition to their programs, TMS is also a lab school for the Toronto Montessori Institute (TMI), a teacher training facility. These are the same educators that make part of the highly qualified team at TMS that includes committed, expert Montessori, Specialist and International Baccalaureate (IB) educators with valuable expertise and experiences.

The TMS record shows that they have been very successful in attracting an effective mix of excellent faculty and staff members at all levels. Toddler, Children’s House and Elementary teachers have earned Montessori, ECE and/or Ontario College of Teachers credentials. Many have training and experience teaching at different levels that assists to ensure seamless transitions across levels. College teachers have earned teaching degrees and often have experience teaching IB, Advanced Placement and other enriched programs from a variety of independent schools.

Positive and successful learning is only enhanced by a well-appointed learning facility and TMS offers students an environment where they can excel comfortably with every resource available to them. The Bayview Campus is home to the TMS flagship Montessori programs: Toddlers (18 months to 3 years), Children’s House (3-5 years), and Elementary (Grades 1-6). It is an impressive nine-acre campus that boasts an outdoor heated swimming pool, artificial skating rink, library, fully equipped science and computer laboratories, instrumental music and art rooms, a drama/dance studio, a stage, full gymnasium, basketball courts, playing field, volleyball court, specialized playgrounds and both indoor and outdoor climbing walls.

The TMS Elgin Mills Campus, home to Grade 7 to 12 students, is a state-of-the-art facility offering a pleasant learning environment for students with well organized and generously sized classrooms. Each student is equipped with his/her own laptop, and facilities include science labs with attached preparation rooms to ensure that science is learned in a hands-on fashion. The library serves as a true learning centre supporting traditional and technological research and promotes a love of literature and reading. A dedicated music room with two attached practice rooms and a dedicated art room promote excellence in each student’s artistic endeavours. A full size double gym and new athletic playing field encourage the development of healthy bodies, athletic competition, and lifelong student recreational activities. As a campus dedicated to the education of adolescents, a large student commons area is also part of the facility, which further fosters students’ enthusiasm for learning and building healthy relationships. The area acts as the main gathering place for students to enjoy meals, events, and group work.

“The TMS spirit is encouraged by the facility in many ways and the student commons area continues to enhance the development of close bonds and ties that mean so much to each of us at the School,” says Ann Bianco-Harvey, TMS School Director of Communications.

Equip your child with the skills, knowledge and attitude that promotes their ability to engage in and achieve lives that are rewarding and meaningful. Experience the energy and purpose of the TMS community and the effectiveness of their unique programs.

Parents are highly encouraged and welcome to visit the campuses. To learn more about TMS and to arrange a tour, visit www.tmsschool.ca or call 905 889 6882 Ext. 2230

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A NEW Columbus Centre, a Revitalized Campus A note to the Villa Charities community from Villa Charities CEO Pal Di Iulio Villa Charities is proud and excited to embark on a major revitalization of our Lawrence-Dufferin campus. The area surrounding the campus has changed since we began developing the site more than 40 years ago, and is expected to evolve rapidly in the near future. The Columbus Centre has served our community well for two generations. Age, however, has caught up to our facilities, which today are costly and inefficient to operate.

Project Overview It is time for us to renew so that we can meet the needs and expectations of the next two generations. The new building will house modern and dramatically improved facilities, benefitting members, visitors, staff and the community alike.

Villa Charities is partnering with the Toronto Catholic District School Board (TCDSB) for this project. The new complex will be home to a NEW Columbus Centre and a new Dante Alighieri Academy. The facility will include separate sections for exclusive use by each party, accessed by separate entrances, along with shared-use spaces such as classrooms. Partnering makes sense from both a financial and operational perspective: a single set of shared facilities will be used throughout weekdays, evenings and weekends.

At the 1978 annual general meeting of the ICBC (renamed Villa Charities in 1994), an architectural model of the campus, including the proposed Columbus Centre, was presented to members by (L-R) ICBC Vice-President Joe Chiappetta, President Tony Fusco, Executive Director Paul Ariemma, Governor Elio Rosati, Chair Joe Carrier, Pal Di Iulio and Celeste Iacobelli.

Temporary Construction Impacts We anticipate that construction work will begin in 15-18 months. The existing Columbus Centre and all of its facilities will remain unchanged until then. Our goal is to enable service continuity throughout the project.

After Project Completion: the NEW Columbus Centre Almost all current programs will be offered in the NEW Columbus Centre.

More efficient use of space will allow for growth of our programs and services. We are exploring opportunities in conjunction with the TCDSB to expand our child care services. In addition, a proposed new theatre will make new programming possible.

The construction will be staged in a way that allows many existing facilities to operate without interruption, including dance, music, art, yoga and culinary classes, child care services and administration. For facilities that cannot be kept open during construction – athletics, aquatics and Caffè Cinquecento – we will provide temporary facilities where feasible.

We are confident that the prospect of greatly improved facilities will continue to earn the loyalty of current Columbus Centre members and users, and attract new ones. Villa Charities, a culturally sensitive community organization, will continue to share our Italian heritage with the Greater Toronto Area.

The NEW Columbus Centre is expected to be completed about two years after the project begins.

Grazie for your ongoing friendship and support,

Food, Family & Friends – Grazie to Pizza Nova for 20 Years of Support Pizza Nova’s annual golf tournament in support of Villa Charities marked its 20th consecutive year in 2015, bringing the event’s fundraising total to more than $500,000. The amount raised this year was a record $54,900, all of which will go toward Villa Charities’ care for seniors, cultural programs and other community services.

“From all of us at Villa Charities, I offer a heartfelt grazie to Pizza Nova, the Primucci family and their friends and business partners for two decades of committed support,” says Pal Di Iulio, Villa Charities’ President and CEO. “It is important to give back to the community and to support institutions like Villa Charities that enrich so many people’s lives,” says Domenic Primucci, President of Pizza Nova. “That’s why we are proud to host the golf tournament and to contribute to Villa Charities’ success.”

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Villa Charities CEO Pal Di Iulio (2nd from L) gratefully accepts a cheque from the 2015 Pizza Nova golf tournament from (L-R) Domenic, Sam, Gemma, Lori and Michael Primucci.

Gardens Bridge Generations at Columbus Centre Summer Day Camps The simple pleasure of gardening has become a surprise hit at the Columbus Centre Summer Day Camps.

Campers have discovered the delight of planting vegetables and flowers, and watching them grow. The activity brings the kids together with some nonnos and a nonna, who share their gardening secrets.

Our thanks to the Home Depot stores at Caledonia and Billy Bishop Way and Home Hardware on Dufferin for their generous donations of soil, seeds and planter boxes.

There are still some spots available in the August/early September day camps. Activities include Visual Arts & Crafts, Cartoon & Animation, Dance, Kitchen, Karate, Soccer, Ultimate Sports and combo camp packages. There is something for almost any kid aged four to 16 years old.

Our camps offer: • Full day and half day options • Extended care and hot lunch • Qualified instructors & counsellors

• Indoor and outdoor facilities • Low counselor to camper ratio • Excursions and special on-site presentations

For more information or to register, call 416-789-7011 ext. 244/248 or email cultural@villacharities.com.

Columbus Centre School of Music Unveils Scholarship Program Maguire, Zoe Roiati-Antonucci, Francesca Sellito, Simon Ventura-Cabiddu and Alessandro Vitalone.

Columbus Centre School of Music has unveiled a new music scholarship program. The program kicked off at the school’s recent year-end music recitals, where 17 students received scholarship awards recognizing exceptional talent, dedication and passion for music.

For more than 40 years across the GTA, Villa Charities has provided care for seniors and offered educational and cultural programs in music, dance, visual arts, culinary arts, athletics, and much more.

The awards are offered to students enrolled in full-year music programs at the Columbus Centre, in two categories: Music Excellence and Music Spirit.

The Villa Charities family includes Villa Colombo Services for Seniors in Toronto; Villa Colombo Vaughan/Di Poce Centre; Caboto Terrace, Casa Del Zotto and Casa Abruzzo apartments for independent seniors; the Columbus Centre; and J.D. Carrier Art Gallery.

This year, eight students won Music Excellence prizes, which award $200 scholarships toward future music tuition fees: Ella Agostino, Christian Boni, Michelle Di Marco, Bianca Grossi, Cassius Lucchetta, Zoe RoiatiAntonucci, Siena Roppo and Tara Seeber. Another nine students received the Music Spirit prize, which awards $25 each toward tuition: Kera Mae Alforque, Michael Canonaco, Olivia Constanzo, Maiya Kfouf, Chiara

For more information, visit www.villacharities.com

S P E C I A L

This special section is published by Villa Charities.

Music scholarship winner Michelle Di Marco with instructor Mila Germanovsky

S E C T I O N

Michelle Di Marco, a piano student who received an Excellence Award, said she was honoured to have been among the first scholarship recipients.

Michelle is grateful for the inspiration and guidance she has received from Columbus Centre music instructor Mila Germanovsky: “Ms. Mila not only teaches you how to play, but also how to think like a musician.”

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Dalla Nostra Cucina: Ristorante Boccaccio’s Costata di Vitello Costata di Vitello (Centre Cut Veal Chop) is a popular Italian dish that has long been a favourite at Ristorante Boccaccio, in the Columbus Centre.

Here, our chefs share their Italian-style approach to the classic veal chop.

This simple preparation produces tasty results!

Purchase good quality veal chops at your butcher or grocery store. The chops are available Frenched, which means the bone has been cleaned for the classic restaurant-style look.

Recipe • Marinate the veal chops in lemon, olive oil, chopped garlic and simple herbs like rosemary for 15-30 minutes.

• Preheat oven to 450F. • Heat an oven-proof skillet (cast iron works well) over mediumhigh heat with enough olive oil to coat the pan.

• Sprinkle with salt and pepper, then sear the chops to brown one side.

• Flip the veal over and place skillet in the oven for about 10 to 12 minutes.

• Test for doneness by touching the meat with your fingertips (it will feel hot but it’s the best method). The more “give” from the meat, the rarer it will be.

You can serve many contorni (side dishes) with Costata di Vitello.

For distinctly Italian flavours, try rapini sautéed in garlic and olive oil.

high quality, affordably-priced Italian wines. Our menu features fresh, in-season ingredients prepared by a team of experienced chefs.

Enjoy this tasty recipe at home, or have it prepared by our chefs at Ristorante Boccaccio. We offer fine Italian dining along with a selection of

We invite you to make Ristorante Boccaccio part of your dining tradition: call 416-789-5555 to make a reservation.

Villa Charities’ Golf and Cycling Events Achieve Record Success

Vanessa Torchetti with her dad, Gabriele of Lady York Foods, at the 2015 golf tournament.

Villa Charities’ Annual Golf Classic and Giro cycling events set new records in 2015.

The fundraising totals for each event – approximately $171,000 for Giro and $113,000 for the Golf Classic – surpassed previous benchmarks. With a record 260 riders, this year’s Giro brought the ride’s fundraising total over nine years to more than $842,000.

The success of both events owes a great debt to the many sponsors, in-kind donors and participants who together generously contributed 24

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funds, prizes, food and more. Their popularity with participants has grown as well thanks to those contributions, great venues and the efforts of many volunteers.

The events generate funds for the Villa Charities Foundation, in turn supporting Villa Charities’ seniors, cultural and other community programs.

Save the dates: Giro’s 10th anniversary is set for May 29, 2016; Villa Charities 40th Annual Golf Classic will be held on June 21, 2016. We look forward to seeing you there!

Food, Service and Passion: Creating Extraordinary Events Photo courtesy of Azure Blue

For over 40 years, the Columbus Event Centre (CEC) has been producing extraordinary weddings, social celebrations and corporate events.

As you walk through the CEC’s main banquet facilities – Carrier Art Gallery, Sala Caboto Ballroom and beautiful gardens – you will notice that these are not your common event spaces. The atmosphere is full of life, passion and excitement. The walls are graced by original artwork.

The events produced are equally distinct, with Italian flair, authentic Italian cuisine and staff who understand that hospitality involves going above and beyond client expectations.

The Columbus Events Centre team (L-R): Jorge Ortiz, Banquet Manager; Ruben Andre, Banquet Manager; Gino Marchetti, Executive Chef; Paola Marcoccio, Director of Events; Agostino Chioran, Director of Operations; Sabrina Chioran, Sales Consultant; Sarah DiVito, Administrator/Sales Consultant.

“Our goal is to produce flawless events that are executed with passion,” says Paola Marcoccio, Director of Events. “From the initial client meeting, we are there every step of the way during the planning process through to event day. We want every client to have a perfect and stress-free experience.”

A big part of CEC’s success in achieving that comes from the phenomenal service provided by the many long-serving staff members. The CEC’s low staff turnover rate is virtually unheard of in the hospitality industry: Executive Chef Gino Marchetti has been with CEC for 26 years; Director of Operations Agostino Chioran for 30 years; and some of the servers for more than 20 years. ”Our clients have high expectations for their events,” Marcoccio remarks.

“The CEC’s combination of unique facilities, exceptional service and phenomenal cuisine allows us to surpass those expectations.”

It is no surprise that, after more than four decades, CEC continues to be one of the most sought after and highly regarded venues in the GTA.

UPCOMING EVENTS

What’s Next for Columbus Event Centre The CEC has plans for an even bigger and brighter future. The upcoming revitalization of the Columbus Centre will significantly expand and enhance CEC’s event space. The redevelopment begins in 15 to 18 months; in the meantime, clients can continue to book events in the Art Gallery, Columbus Room, boardrooms and gardens. Sala Caboto Ballroom and private garden, located nearby at 40 Playfair Ave., will remain in normal operation throughout construction.

Carrier Gallery • Riding Through the Americas*: now to Aug. 11 • Forests of Chile*: Aug. 13-24 *Celebrating the Toronto 2015 Pan Am & Parapan Am Games • Academy of Realist Art: now to Aug. 21 • Susie Kim: Aug. 18-31 • Andrzej Tarasiuk: Sept. 3-Oct. 5 • Perceptions (four artists): Sept. 3-Oct. 5 • Sami Suomalainen: Sept. 3-Oct. 5 • Albert Slark Workshop: Sept. 3-Oct. 5

DanzArts Toronto open now • Fall term classes start Sept. 14 • Registration

Music • Early

bird registration: Aug. 10-21 • Fall term classes start Sept. 14 Cooking Summer Heat: Aug. 18 • Taste of Tuscany: Aug. 25 • Pasta Making: Sept. 18 • Elegance and Comfort: Sept. 25 • Indian

A Venue for Every Occasion Whether a wedding, social gathering, business meeting or other event – large or small, indoor or outdoor – CEC has a wide variety of facilities to accommodate your needs.

In the Columbus Centre, the venues include: • Carrier Art Gallery – up to 300 guests • Columbus Room – up to 150 guests • Main boardroom – up to 40 guests • Boccaccio Boardroom – up to 22 guests The nearby Sala Caboto Ballroom at 40 Playfair Ave. can accommodate up to 400 guests.

A/V equipment is available for all banquet rooms through Sound X Entertainment. www.columbuseventcentre.com

www.villacharities.com

The Columbus Event Centre is located at Dufferin and Lawrence, in Toronto. Please contact a sales consultant at 647-259-5471 for more details, a consultation or to book your event.

Art • One-Day Workshop: Aug. 15 • Painting Workshop: Mon. evgs Sept. 14-Nov. 23 • Painting & Drawing Workshop: Tues. aft’s Sept. 15-Nov. 17 • Painting & Drawing Workshop: Tues. evgs Sept. 15-Nov. 17 Summer Day Camps and camps: now to Sept. 4

Aquatics Fall Registration • Members/family: Sept. 1 • Non-members: Sept. 3 Athletics Fall Registration Sept. 8 • Non-members: Sept. 10 • Members/family:

• Registration

www.villacharities.com PANORAMITALIA.COM

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FASHION

Fall In

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The shift out of summer doesn’t have to be traumatic, take it one step at a time

By Alessia Sara Domanico

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If

the Italians have one thing down pat, it’s dressing seasonally appropriate. While the weather may do what it will, you’ll be hard pressed to catch one wearing sandals outside of the June – second week of September (at the latest!) time frame. In western countries, people have a tendency to take their own approach on how to dress, and when it’s time for autumn, we are all guilty of either jumping the gun on layers or remaining blissfully ignorant to the falling leaves and continuing to don flip flops and cut-off shorts. Rather than play wardrobe roulette, take some helpful cues from our friends to the east as we work our way back into cooler temperatures.

Ladies, your style inspiration on Pinterest should be Giovanna Battaglia, a homegrown success that has become a global fashion heavyweight. Battaglia is a fashion editor at the likes of W and Vogue Japan as well as a part-time muse to many of the industry’s top creative directors. She has an effortless elegance that can transition impeccably from summer to fall. She’ll

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pair chunky sweaters and turtlenecks with below the knee skirts and heels to even out the seasonal balance. She also knows how to pick the right colours and prints to make the shift: mid-tones, nothing pastel, but nothing too dark either and sober prints (paisley, stripes) that still give a nod to summer, but show a step in the right direction.

A loose-fitting cashmere sweater over jeans with ballerina f lats, a leather bomber jacket over a light dress paired with boots, or a richly-hued blouse paired with Capri pants, a blazer and loafers – now these are some surefire crossover clothing compilations.

Maschi, gentlemen, the male celebrities of the fashion world have better handbags than your girlfriends and wear androgynous vests that sweep the floor – kind of like a glammed up Buddhist monk if you will… Suffice it to say, we will have to look outside of fashion’s inner circle for your perfect get-up icon: enter Pierfrancesco Favino, an exceptionally talented actor that has made a name for himself in Italy and abroad, having most recently appeared in the Netflix series Marco Polo as the title character’s father Niccolò.

With that perfect blend of scruff and dark features, Favino keeps it simple: white shirt, no tie, with the top two buttons undone, and paired with a classic black, navy or grey suit, and graphic T-shirts paired with leather jackets and denim.

Navy blue is a man’s best friend in this transitional phase, especially as a total look. Ties can age you instantly, so unless you’ve got a boyish look or no choice in the matter, keep it in the closet until October. Light knitwear in the form of jackets will also add that touch of European class everyone is looking to replicate. Best of luck in your endeavours!

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L E G E N D

FASHION

1. Giovanna Battaglia 2. Cesare Paciotti 3. Christian Louboutin 4. Pierfrancesco Favino 5. Marni 6. Hermes 7. M Missoni 8. Valentino

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LIVING ITALIAN STYLE

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

Joshua Pivato

Arielle Di Iulio

Nickname: Mimo Occupation: Lead singer of The Weird & The Wonderful / Film and TV Actor Age: 22 Generation: Third Dad’s side from: Treviso, Veneto Mom’s side from: Ireland and England Speaks: English & some Italian Raised in: Toronto

Occupation: Law Student at the University of Toronto Age: 22 Generation: Third Dad’s side from: Pescara, Abruzzo Mom’s side from: Nova Scotia (Acadian) Speaks: English Raised in: Mississauga

Clothes: Guess V-neck, Le Chateau vest, Le Chateau pants Favourite boutique: Ray Brown Fashion Fashion idol: Steve Tyler Goal in life: To entertain and inspire Thing about you that would surprise most people: Before deciding on a career as an entertainer, I wanted to be an archaeologist. Well... Indiana Jones to be precise.

Favourite restaurant: Via Allegro Favourite dish: Gnocchi Gorgonzola Your best dish: My Veal Saltimbocca Best pizza in Toronto: Terroni Favourite vino: Prosecco, which is from my Nonna’s hometown.

Clothes: Club Monaco crop top, J. Crew pants, Calvin Klein shoes Favourite boutique: Topshop Fashion idol: Miranda Kerr Passion: Performing arts (singing, dancing, and acting) Goal in life: To be a positive influence on every individual I encounter professionally and personally.

Pet peeve: Wasting time Favourite restaurant: Colossus Greek Taverna Favourite dish: My nonna’s cannelloni ai formaggi Your best dish: My baked salmon with quinoa salad and roasted peppers Favourite vino: My nonno’s vino rosso Favourite Italian saying: “Bella di nonna!”

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Favourite Italian saying: “Dai” – because it sounds hilarious to those who don’t know its meaning.

You know you are ItalianCanadian if: Mamma, mass and mangia supersede most anything.

Favourite Italian song: Parla piu piano by Gianni Morandi Italian soccer team: AC Milan Sexiest Italian: Marisa Tomei What you like most about Panoram: The consistent and out-of-thebox exposure of Italian culture and youth to other generations.

Best memory growing up Italian-Canadian: Attending the Veneto Club picnics with my close and extended family.

You know you are ItalianCanadian if: You need to take a nap to recuperate from a family meal.

Musical preference: Everything except for country Favourite Italian song: Ti Amo by Umberto Tozzi Italian soccer team: Juventus F.C. Sexiest Italian: Claudio Marchisio What you like most about Panoram: Reading about the variety of ways that ItalianCanadians are contributing to their fields and to society.

Best memory growing up Italian-Canadian: My nonna teaching me how to make her signature dishes and desserts.

Photography by Giulio Muratori

Kayla Celeste Daneal

Gina Cellucci

Nickname: Kayluci Occupation: Neuroscience student at U of T Scarborough Age: 20 Generation: Second Dad from: Baghdad, Iraq Mom from: Pescara, Abruzzo Speaks: English, Italian & French Raised in: Woodbridge Clothes: Honey dress, Aldo shoes Favourite boutique: Honey Fashion idol: Anne Hathaway Goal in life: To become a neurosurgeon and save lives.

Thing about you that would surprise most people: I don’t like chocolate Pet peeve: When people don’t answer text messages Favourite dish: Eggplant parmigiana Your best dish: My penne alla vodka Best pizza in Toronto: Nonna’s pizza of course!

Best caffè in Toronto: MoRoCo Chocolat Best panino in Toronto: Via Panini Favourite aperitivo: Amaretto

LIVING ITALIAN STYLE

Makeup by: Monica De Las Casas Rosati

Preferred drinking establishment: Stori Aperitivo Bar Last time you went to Italy: March 2011 Favourite Italian city: Venice Musical preference: EDM Favourite Italian song: Ti Amo by Umberto Tozzi Sexiest Italian: Claudio Marchisio Best way to feel Italian in Toronto: Going shopping at Italian stores with your nonni.

What you like most about Panoram: It showcases many talented Italians living in Canada and makes me feel proud to be a fellow ItalianCanadian.

Best memory growing up Italian-Canadian: Partying on St. Clair West when Italy won the World Cup in 2006.

Nickname: Gi, Ginevra, Netti Occupation: Completing my undergraduate degree at U of T / U of T Personal Trainer and Athletic Facility Assistant Age: 24 Generation: Third Dad’s side from: Frosinone, Lazio Mom’s side from: Catanzaro & Vibo Valentia, Calabria Speaks: English, Italian, some French & Spanish Raised in: Mississauga Clothes: H&M sweater and top, Aritzia jeans, Zara scarf, Steve Madden boots Favourite boutique: BCBG Fashion idol: Valentino Passion: Fitness, health and well-being Goal in life: To attain a career that I will genuinely love.

Thing about you that would surprise most people: I’m obsessed with big trucks.

Pet peeve: My curly hair Best pizza in Toronto: My ma’s homemade pizza.

Best panino in Toronto: Negroni Panini Favourite aperitivo: Martini Rosso Vermouth Preferred drinking establishment: Bier Market

Favourite Italian saying: “Vivi. Ama. Ridi.”

You know you are ItalianCanadian if: You go to Italian mass on Sundays with Nonna.

Musical preference: Tech House, Deep House, Trance, Euro, Italian Classics Favourite Italian song: Tu sei l’unica donna per me by Alan Sorrenti How long have you been reading Panoram?

5 years Best memory growing up Italian-Canadian: Nonno Sgro playing the harmonica on the veranda, Nonno Cellucci singing Babiere di Siviglia

by Rossini.

PANORAMITALIA.COM

29

RECIPES

Photography by Giulio Muratori

Italian Squash Gnocchi with Tomato Meat Sauce (Serves 8)

R

ecipes prepared by Pino DiCerbo. DiCerbo has had a passion for cooking for as long as he can remember and credits his Neapolitan mother for instilling the value of fresh ingredients.

The Mississauga stay-at-home dad finished in the Top 6 during the inaugural season of MasterChef Canada, and since then he has shared his love of food with others by teaching cooking classes and catering. He is an active supporter of Brandan’s Eye Research Foundation.

For the Meat Sauce Ingredients • 1 onion, finely chopped • 1 carrot, finely chopped • 1 celery, finely chopped • 2 garlic cloves, finely chopped • 250 g ground beef • 2 1/2 cups sauce or strained tomatoes • 2 tbsp. extra virgin olive oil • 6-8 basil leaves • Salt and black pepper to taste Instructions Place a heavy bottomed saucepan on medium heat. Once hot, add oil, onions, carrots, celery, garlic, salt and pepper. Cook vegetables until tender and soft, about 8-10 minutes. Add ground beef and increase heat to medium-high. Stir meat into vegetables and cook until well browned, about 10 minutes, making sure to stir often. Add tomato sauce, 1/2 cup water and basil. Stir, reduce heat to low and simmer, partially covered, for at least 20 minutes.

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For the Squash Gnocchi Ingredients • 500 g Italian squash or yellow zucchini, halved and cut into 1/2 inch pieces • 500 g all-purpose flour • 1 egg, lightly beaten • 1/4 cup Parmigiano-Reggiano cheese, grated • 1/2 teaspoon salt • 1/4 teaspoon freshly ground black pepper To assemble in ramekins (see below) • 1 cup mozzarella cheese, shredded • 1/3 cup Parmigiano-Reggiano cheese, grated • Bunch of basil leaves, for garnishing Instructions Place squash in a large pot and add 1/3 cup of water. On medium-high heat with lid on, steam squash until soft and very tender, about 10-12 minutes. Strain well in colander. With the back of a spoon, gently press squash against colander squeezing out more water. Allow to cool slightly.

Puree squash with food processor or mash very well with a fork. Place into a large bowl. Add remaining ingredients and mix with a spoon until combined.

Transfer onto a lightly floured surface and knead until well combined. Cover with bowl or towel.

Cut dough into 8 pieces and cover. One at a time, roll out into ropes about ½ inch thick. Cut into 1/2 inch pieces and form into desired shapes. Lightly toss with flour and place on a lightly floured sheet pan. Make sure they do not touch.

Cover with towel and allow to dry slightly from 20 minutes up to 3 hours.

Bring a large pot of salted water to a boil. Add gnocchi and stir. Cook gnocchi until they start floating to the top. Drain well, reserving 1/2 cup pasta water, and place gnocchi into a large bowl. Add pasta water and meat sauce. Stir to combine. Add 1/2 of the cheeses and stir.

Place into 8 ramekins (5 ounce) and equally top with remaining cheese. Bake in pre-heated 425oF oven for 15 minutes or until golden brown. Garnish with basil and serve.

(Italiano a pagina 33)

RECIPES

Grilled Flank Steak and Cherry Tomatoes with Farro and Roasted Acorn (Serves 4)

With the end of the hot season comes an opportunity to enjoy vegetables such as eggplant and Italian squash at their peak.

For Farro and Roasted Acorn Squash Ingredients • 1 cup farro (Italian grain similar to spelt) • 1 small to medium acorn squash, 1/4 inch cubed • 1 small red onion, chopped • 4 garlic cloves, crushed • 1 lemon, rind only • 10 sage leaves • 3 tbsp. extra virgin olive oil • Salt and freshly ground black pepper to taste • 1/4 cup parsley, chopped • 1/4 cup extra virgin olive oil Instructions Cook 1 cup of raw farro to package directions. Drain well and set aside in a large bowl.

For Flank Steak and Cherry Tomatoes Ingredients • 1 flank steak • 1 tbsp. paprika • 1/2 tbsp. dry oregano • 1/2 tbsp. onion powder • 1/2 tbsp. garlic powder • 1/2 tsp. dry thyme • 1/4 tsp. hot pepper powder • 1 tbsp. olive oil • 1/2 pint cherry tomatoes • 2 cloves garlic, crushed • 2 tbsp. extra virgin olive oil • Pinch of dry oregano and thyme • Salt and pepper to taste Instructions In a small bowl, combine paprika, oregano, onion and garlic powder, thyme and hot pepper. Mix well. Rub one tablespoon of olive oil over both sides of flank steak and cover with spice mixture. Let sit for 15 minutes. Alternatively, cover and refrigerate for 3-4 hours.

Preheat oven to 425oF.

Using a long piece of tin foil, fold it to make a boat-like dish. Place tomatoes in dish and add crushed garlic, 2 tablespoons olive oil, pinch of oregano and thyme, and salt and pepper. Place on BBQ with medium heat for about 8 minutes.

On a baking sheet lined with parchment paper, toss acorn squash, onion, garlic, lemon rind and sage with 3 tablespoons of extra virgin olive oil and season with salt and pepper.

Preheat BBQ on high heat. Season flank steak with salt and pepper just before grilling. Cook for 4-5 minutes on both sides or until desired internal temperature. Allow to rest for 5 minutes before slicing.

Roast in oven for 25 minutes or until golden brown, tossing halfway through.

When done, place into bowl with farro. Add 1/4 cup parsley and 1/4 cup olive oil. Mix and season to taste.

Thinly slice across the grain and place on serving platter. Top with grilled tomatoes and cooking juices from tomatoes. Garnish with fresh basil.

(Italiano a pagina 33) PANORAMITALIA.COM

31

RECIPES

Eggplant Oreganata with Fresh Pesto and Toasted Pine Nuts (Serves 4-6)

For the Eggplant Oreganata

For the Pesto Ingredients • 1 bunch basil leaves (washed and dried) • 1/2 bunch parsley leaves (washed and dried) • 1 garlic clove, finely chopped • 3 tbsp. toasted pine nuts (divided) • 1/4 cup Parmigiano cheese, freshly grated • 1/4 cup extra virgin olive oil • Salt and freshly ground black pepper Instructions Place basil, parsley, garlic and 2 tablespoons of the pine nuts in a food processor. Pulse while slowly pouring in the olive oil until the pesto is thoroughly pureed. Add the cheese, salt and pepper, and pulse until combined.

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Ingredients • 1 medium eggplant • 2 cups day-old bread, cut into 1/8 inch cubes • 2 plum tomatoes, finely chopped • 1/2 cup mozzarella cheese, shredded • 1/2 cup Parmigiano-Reggiano cheese, grated (divided) • 1/3 cup fully cured Italian sausage, finely chopped • 1 green onion, finely chopped • 1 garlic clove, finely chopped • 1 tbsp. dry oregano • 4 tbsp. extra-virgin olive oil (divided) • Salt and freshly ground black pepper to taste Instructions Preheat oven to 400oF. In a large bowl, combine fresh bread crumbs, tomatoes, mozzarella, 1/2 of the Parmigiano-Reggiano, cured sausage, garlic, onion, oregano and 2 tablespoons of oil. Season with salt and pepper to taste then lightly toss. Set aside.

Cut eggplant into 1/4 inch round slices. Line a baking sheet with parchment paper. Lightly cover the parchment with 1 tablespoon of oil. Arrange eggplant slices on baking sheet and lightly season with salt and pepper.

Evenly top eggplant slices with mixture. Let mixture fall freely, do not compress.

Finish by topping with remaining Parmigiano-Reggiano and olive oil.

Bake at 400oF for 30 minutes. Arrange on serving dish, drizzle pesto over top, and sprinkle with remaining pine nuts.

(Italiano a pagina 33)

RECIPES

Gnocchi di zucchini al sugo di carne (8 porzioni)

Per il ragù di carne Ingredienti • 1 cipolla, tritata finemente • 1 carota, tritata finemente • 1 sedano, tritato finemente • 2 spicchi d’aglio, sminuzzati finemente • 250 g di carne di manzo macinata • 2 1/2 cup di salsa o di passata di pomodoro • 2 cucchiai di olio extravergine d’oliva • 6-8 foglie di basilico • Sale e pepe a piacere Istruzioni Riscaldare una casseruola pesante a temperatura moderata. Una volta calda, aggiungere l’olio, le cipolle, le carote, il sedano, l’aglio, il sale e il pepe.

Lasciar cuocere il soffritto per circa 8-10 minuti, finché tenero e soffice. Aggiungere il manzo macinato ed alzare la temperatura a medio-alta.

Aggiungere mescolando la carne al soffritto per circa 10 minuti, finché ben rosolata, assicurandosi di mescolare spesso. Aggiungere la salsa di pomodoro, ½ cup di acqua e il basilico. Mescolare, ridurre la temperatura al minimo e cuocere a fuoco lento, tenendo la casseruola parzialmente coperta per almeno 20 minuti.

Per gli gnocchi di zucchini Ingredienti • 500 g di zucchini verdi o gialli, divisi a metà e tagliati in pezzi di ½" • 500 g di farina multiuso • 1 uovo, leggermente sbattuto • 1/4 cup di Parmigiano Reggiano grattugiato • 1/2 cucchiaino di sale • 1/4 cucchiaino di pepe nero appena macinato • Per la disposizione nei pirottini (vedere in basso) • 1 cup di mozzarella sfilacciata • 1/3 cup di Parmigiano Reggiano grattugiato • Ciuffetti di basilico per guarnire Istruzioni Mettere gli zucchini in una pentola capiente ed aggiungere 1/3 cup di acqua. A temperatura medioalta chiusi con un coperchio, sbollentare gli zucchini per circa 10-12 minuti, finché soffici e molto teneri.

Scolare bene con uno scolapasta. Con il retro di un cucchiaio, schiacchiare gentilmente gli zucchini contro lo scolapasta per eliminare l’acqua in più. Lasciarli raffreddare lentamente.

Passare gli zucchini con un frullatore o schiacciarli molto bene con una forchetta. Versarli in una ciotola capiente. Aggiungere il resto degli ingredenti e mescolarli con un cucchiaio finché ben amalgamati.

Trasferire il tutto su una superficie leggermente spolverata di farina ed impastare finché ben amalgamato. Ricoprire con la ciotola o con una tovaglia.

Tagliare l’impasto in 8 pezzi e coprire. Uno alla volta, spianare in filoni dello spessore di circa ½ inch. Tagliare in pezzi da ½ inch e modellare a piacimento. Rigirarli gentilmente sulla farina e posizionarli su una teglia bassa da forno leggermente spolverata di farina. Assicurarsi che non si tocchino tra loro. Coprire con una tovaglia e lasciarli asciugare un po’, da 20 minuti a 3 ore.

Far bollire dell’acqua salata in una pentola grande. Aggiungere gli gnocchi e mescolare. Lasciar cuocere gli gnocchi finché cominciano a galleggiare.

Scolare bene conservando ½ cup di acqua di cottura e versare gli gnocchi in una grande ciotola.

Aggiungere l’acqua di cottura e il sugo di carne.

Mescolare per amalgamare. Aggiungere metà dei formaggi e mescolare.

Disporre negli 8 pirottini (5 oncie) e distribuire il formaggio rimanente in parti uguali. Lasciar cuocere in forno preriscaldato a 425ºF per 15 minuti o finché dorati. Guarnire con basilico e servire.

Tagliata alla griglia e pomodorini ciliegino con farro e zucchina arrostita (4 porzioni)

Per il farro e la zucchina arrostita Ingredienti • 1 cup di Farro (grano italiano simile allo “spelt”) • 1 zucchina medio-grande, a cubetti di 1/4 inch • 1 cipolla rossa piccola, tritata • 4 spicchi d’aglio, pestati • 1 limone, solo la buccia • 10 foglie di salvia • 3 cucchiai di olio extravergine d’oliva • Sale e pepe nero appena macinato a piacere • 1/4 cup di prezzemolo, tritato • 1/4 cup di olio extravergine d’oliva Istruzioni Cuocere 1 cup di farro crudo seguendo le indicazioni riportate sulla confezione. Scolare bene e mettere da parte in una grande ciotola.

Preriscaldare il forno a 425ºF. Su una teglia bassa disporre la carta da forno, mescolare la zucchina, la cipolla, l’aglio, la buccia di limone e la salvia con 3 cucchiai di olio extravergine d’oliva e condire con sale e pepe.

Arrostire al forno per 25 minuti o finché raggiunta la doratura, girare a metà cottura. Una volta cotti, mettere nella ciotola assieme al farro.

Aggiungere ¼ cup di prezzemolo e ¼ cup di olio d’oliva. Mescolare e condire a piacere.

Per la tagliata e i pomodorini ciliegino Ingredienti • 1 tagliata di manzo • 1 cucchiaio di paprika • 1/2 cucchiaio di origano secco • 1/2 cucchiaio di polvere di cipolla • 1/2 polvere d’aglio • 1/2 cucchiaino di timo secco • 1/4 cucchiaino di polvere di peperoncino • 1 cucchiaio di olio d’oliva • 1/2 pinta di pomodorini ciliegino • 2 spicchi d’aglio, schiacciati • 2 cucchiai di olio extravergine d’oliva • Pugnetto di origano e timo • Sale e pepe a piacere Istruzioni In una ciotola piccola, unire la paprika, l’origano, la cipolla, la polvere d’aglio e cipolla, il timo, e il peperoncino. Mescolare bene. Spennellare un cucchiaio di olio d’oliva su entrambi i lati della tagliata e ricoprire con la miscela di spezie. Lasciar riposare per 15 minuti. In alternativa, coprire e refrigerare per 3-4 ore.

Usando un foglio lungo di carta d’alluminio, ripiegare per formare una sorta di piatto a forma di barchetta. Posizionare i pomodorini e aggiungere

l’aglio schiacciato, 2 cucchiai di olio d’oliva, una manciata di origano, timo, sale e pepe. Disporre sul barbecue a temperatura media per circa 8 minuti.

Preriscaldare il barbecue a temperatura alta.

Condire la tagliata con sale e pepe poco prima di grigliarla. Cuocere per 4-5minuti per lato o finché si raggiunge la temperatura interna desiderata.

Lasciar riposare per 5 minuti prima di affettare.

Tagliare trasversalmente in fette sottili da posizionare su un piatto da portata. Ricoprire con i pomodorini grigliati e il sughetto di cottura dei pomodorini. Guarnire con il basilico fresco.

Melanzane origanate con pesto fresco e pinoli tostati (4-6 porzioni)

Per il pesto Ingredienti • 1 manciata di foglie di basilico (lavate ed asciugate) • 1/2 manciata di foglie di prezzemolo (lavate ed asciugate) • 1 spicchio d’aglio, finemente sminuzzato • 3 cucchiai di pinoli tostati (separati) • 1/4 cup di Parmigiano, appena grattugiato • 1/4 cup di olio extravergine d’oliva • Sale e pepe nero appena macinato Istruzioni Mettere il basilico, il prezzemolo, l’aglio e due cucchiai di pinoli in un frullatore. Batterli aggiungendo lentamente l’olio d’oliva finché il pesto è ben ridotto in crema. Aggiungere il formaggio, il sale, il pepe e battere finché amalgamati.

Per l’origanata di melanzane Ingredienti • 1 melanzana media • 2 cups di pane leggermente raffermo tagliato in cubetti da 1/8 inch • 2 pomodori San Marzano, finemente sminuzzati • 1/2 cup di mozzarella sfilacciata • 1/2 cup di Parmigiano Reggiano, grattugiato (separato) • 1/3 cup di salame completamente stagionato, tagliato in piccoli pezzi • 1 cipollotto, finemente tritato • 1 spicchio d’aglio, finemente sminuzzato • 1 cucchiaio di origano • 4 cucchiai di olio extravergine d’oliva (separati) • Sale e pepe nero appena macinato a piacere Modalità di preparazione Preriscaldare il forno a 400ºF. In una grande ciotola, unire il pane grattugiato fresco, i pomodori, la mozzarella, metà del Parmigiano, il salame stagionato, l’aglio, la cipolla, l’origano e 2 cucchiai di olio. Condire con sale e pepe a piacere e mescolare delicatamente. Mettere da parte.

Tagliare la melanzana in fette rotonde da 1/4 inch. Coprire una teglia bassa con carta da forno.

Intingere delicatamente la carta da forno con un cucchiaio di olio. Disporre le fettine di melanzana sulla carta da forno e condire delicatamente con sale e pepe.

Coprire con l’intruglio le fette di melanzana in modo uniforme. Lasciar scivolare l’intruglio liberamente, senza pressare. Concludere ricoprendo con il Parmigiano Reggiano e l’olio rimasti.

Cuocere in forno a 400ºF per 30 minuti.

Disporre su un piatto da portata, spruzzare il pesto sulla superficie e spargere i pinoli rimasti.

PANORAMITALIA.COM

33

FOOD

Peaches and Cream in house mascarpone and caramelized peaches.

(Serves 6-8)

Anthony Lavorato Anthony Lavorato lives in Newmarket. He graduated from George Brown’s Italian Post Graduate program in 2015. He is excited to head to Milan, Italy, where he will join chef Andrea Berton’s team. “I’m thrilled to have the opportunity to return to Italy and cook in Chef Berton’s restaurant. I’m looking forward not only to cooking, but to develop a deeper understanding of Italy’s history, traditions and cuisine.”

For the caramelized peaches Ingredients • 3 tbsp. sugar • 3 peaches

For the mascarpone Ingredients • 4 cups 35% cream • 2 tbsp. lemon juice • Kosher salt (optional)

Instructions Pour cream into a saucepan and bring to a simmer. Maintain the cream at 190°F for roughly 3 minutes. Once this is done, remove from heat and add in your lemon juice. Stir to fully mix the two. Set aside until cooled to room temperature.

• Aceto Balsamico, TT • 3 sprigs thyme

Instructions Cut the peaches into uniform segments or rings.

Preheat oven to 350°F

Pour mixture into a chinois/strainer lined with cheesecloth over a bowl. Set in refrigerator for 6 - 9 hours.

Put the sugar in a uniform layer into a pan over medium heat. Do not stir or move the pan. Once caramel begins to brown, stir gently. When the caramel is browned uniformly, whisk in a chunk of butter.

Scrape cheese off of cheesecloth and put into a container. Store for up to a week.

After butter has been added, de-glaze with aceto balsamico and a splash of

water. This is to prevent the caramel from getting too thick in the oven.

Add the peaches to the pan and toss them around a little to coat them evenly with the sauce.

Cook the peaches in the oven for about 7-10 minutes. They should still have some crisp texture left. DON’T overcook them.

Serve the peaches with a scoop of your freshly made mascarpone and a 10- or 12-year old aged Balsamico and thyme leaves.

Sicilian Cannoli with Ricotta Mousse, Pistacchio

(Serves 6-8)

Steph Hayward Steph Hayward lives in Toronto. She graduated from the George Brown College Italian Chef Program in 2015. She is presently working as a pastry chef at Rosedale Golf Club.

“I’ve chosen this recipe because it/s 100% Italian, but it can be realized with almost 100% Canadian ingredients. I learned a lot about Italian pastry during my stage at Alma and in Sicily, and I love the chance to put together the best of Italian creativity and pastry tradition with the highest quality Canadian ingredients.”.”

Ingredients Cannoli • 250 g 00 flour • 125 g red wine • 40 g shortening • 1 g cinnamon • Salt 34

Garnish • Sorrel leaves • Cocoa nibs • Cinnamon • Icing sugar • Cherries

PANORAMITALIA.COM

Ricotta mousse • 400 g ricotta • 200 g milk • 50 g sugar • 6 g gelatin • 20 g kirsch liqueur • 250 g cream

Pistachio crumble • 250 g 00 flour • 250 g butter • 250 g sugar • 225 g pistachio flour • 20 g pistachio paste

Sweet ricotta • 500 g ricotta • 150 g sugar

Sugar tuile • 100 g isomalt • 100 g glucose • 100 g fondant

Marsala gelato • 1 l milk • 180 g marsala

Cherry coulis • 400 g cherries • 40 g sugar • 8 g gelatin

FOOD Photo by Scot Woods, Chef/Professor, GBC

“Sotto una buona stella” with Andrea Berton and Rob Gentile

M

Chef Andrea Berton (left) and Chef Dario Tomaselli of George Brown College.

ichelin starred chef and Milan Expo Chef Ambassador Andrea Berton together with Toronto chef Rob Gentile created an exceptional Italian culinary experience for a small crowd of food lovers on June 14 at Buca Yorkville in Toronto.

After the Stuzzichini (Parmigiana di melanzane, Fiore di zucca, Farinata wine: Prosecco N.V. Extra dry Tenuta Sant’Anna - Veneto), Chef Gentile opened with raw B.C. spot prawns, crema di burrata, sweet pea, pickled radish crustacean oil, mountain mint (Passerina 2013 Bosco - Abruzzo).

Chef Berton then served his “Risotto alle erbe,” aged Acquerello rice, crema di taggiasche, powdered caper and scallop (Vermentino di Gallura 2012 'Fontanaliras' Cantina Monti - Sardegna), followed by B.C. black cod, russet potato, sweet pea, brodo di prosciutto (Rosso di Valtellina 2010 Plozza – Lombardia).

Desserts started with “latte e miele” by Gentile: Rosewood estates honey and pollinated wildflowers, cherry-scented clover water, fermented buttermilk. Berton closed the evening with the most realistic “uovo”: white chocolate, yogurt and mango mousse assembled to look exactly like a soft-boiled egg. Once the shell was Instructions Cannoli In a large bowl combine flour and salt.

Work in lard until evenly blended. Gradually work in the wine to form a dough.

Vac-pac and leave to rest.

Pull dough out of fridge before use to allow dough to come up to temperature.

Roll out in pasta machine.

Cut into thin strips and wrap loosely around metal mold.

Deep fry at 350°F. Dust cannoli with cinnamon and icing sugar.

Marsala gelato Scald milk and add in sugar.

Whisk in marsala, strain and cool.

Churn through ice cream machine.

Pistachio crumble Combine all ingredients in bowl.

Cook at 350°F until golden.

Sweet ricotta Dry out ricotta cheese.

Blend together sugar and ricotta until smooth.

gently broken there was a perfectly textured egg-white, until the yolk appeared and poured slowly on the plate. A real egg to the eye, an exquisite dessert to the palate.

“The highest quality of the ingredients should be expected,” Berton told Panoram Italia. “But the added value is to transform them into an interesting dish, something that creates curiosity. So my research goes toward a type of cooking where ingredients become visible in an instant impact, a very immediate way.”

Andrea Berton started his career at Gualtiero Marchesi’s restaurant in Via Bonvesin della Riva, in Milan. His training continued in some of the best restaurants in the world, including Louis XV in Monaco, under the guidance of Chef Alain Ducasse.

Between 1997 and 2001, he was chef at La Taverna, in Colloredo di Monte Albano, near Udine in north-eastern Italy, which, during his tenure, was awarded its first Michelin star. He returned to Marchesi as Group Executive Chef. Then in 2005 he moved to the Ristorante Trussardi Alla Scala, in Milan, which gained a Michelin star in 2008, with a second added just one year later.

On December 13, 2013, Berton launched Ristorante Berton, where the cuisine is based on instantly-recognizable flavours. His outstanding dedication and professional skill as a chef were recognized less than a year later: in November 2014, Ristorante Sugar tuille Berton was awarded a Michelin star. “It’s the Combine ingredients (adding just enough water to first time that I’ve come to Toronto to cook,” moisten them). says Berton. “I found great interest for food, Cook to 160 in pot and then lay out on silk pad. especially Italian food,” says Berton. “Italian cuisine generates great curiosity, which quite Cool down until solid and break apart and blend often becomes an interest toward Italy.” until it becomes a powder.

Berton, who was in Toronto as a guest of Store in dry condition.

George Brown College, said of the school, “I Before needed, sprinkle on silk pad and bake at found great quality, reliability, a spirit of great 325°F until melted. Sprinkle with lemon zest and let professionalism and attention to my presentacool. Use immediately. tion.”

The dinner was the second installment of “Sotto una buona stella,” a six-part dinRicotta mousse ner and cultural series, presented by the Soften gelatin in cold water.

Consulate General of Italy in Toronto, the Italian Cultural Institute and The King Heat the sugar and milk in a saucepan until 175°F. Street Food Company. Celebrating Italy’s Blend ricotta until smooth and combine with milk. rich culinary expertise, “Sotto una buona stella” is bringing six of Italy’s top chefs to Add the gelatin, stirring until fully dissolved. the city. The next event is scheduled on Allow to cool while whipping cream until soft peaks.

November 5. Proceeds from all dinners go Once milk mixture has cooled fold in whipped towards funding not-for-profit, food-relatcream and kirsch liqueur. ed initiatives in Toronto.

Pipe cannoli molds lined with parchment paper and place in freezer.

Remove right before use.

Special collaboration with George Brown College Italian Chef School

Place in bowl and vac-pac until shiny and dense.

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ASSOCIATIONS

Italian Associations

By Sabrina Marandola

The building blocks of Canada’s Italian community

W

hen was the last time you went to an Italian association party? When you try to bring your children or teenagers with you, do you get the eye-roll?

While many youths may consider town-based Italian associations nothing more than an Old Folks’ Club, here’s another perspective: Before there were Canadian employment laws, there were Italian associations to protect Italian immigrant workers; before there were frequent flyer miles, there were Italian associations to recreate a piece of Italy on Canadian soil; before there were online dating websites, there were Italian associations where young immigrants gathered to meet others without a language barrier. “Town-based associations are a recreation of a piece of an Italian town in Canada. They are an emotional universe,” says Bruno Ramirez, Professor of History at Université de Montréal. The first Italian associations in Canada were formed as early as the 1870s in Montreal and the 1880s in Toronto – the first building blocks upon which today’s Italian-Canadian community was built. “These ethnic associations were very authentic, they were formed by paesani themselves. They recreated a cultural universe in which they could maintain alive their traditions and sense of identity,” says Ramirez, who is of Sicilian origin. His research shows that by 1921, Canada had almost 67,000 Italian immigrants – with almost two-thirds of them settling in Ontario and Quebec.

With our grandparents and great-grandparents looking for shelter and work in a new land where they didn’t speak the language, it’s no surprise that the very first Italian associations served as “mutual aid societies.” They helped the first immigrants during a time when the labour market was unstable and working conditions were harsh. “Within an association, most people knew each other – some even knew each other from their village in Italy – so there was that trust. They could have face-to-face relationships,” Ramirez says.

At the turn of the 20th century, the majority of Italian immigrants turned to the Order Sons of Italy. Founded in 1904 in New York, it is the oldest Italian association to exist. The organization branched out into Canada, with its first office 36

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Gli elementi costitutivi della comunità italiana in Canada

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uando è stata l’ultima volta in cui siete andati alla festa di un’associazione italiana? Quando provate a portarvi dietro i vostri figli, bambini o adolescenti, alzano gli occhi?

Mentre molti giovani considerano le associazioni culturali legate a città italiane nient’altro che circoli di vecchietti, eccovi un altro punto di vista: ancor prima che vi fossero leggi canadesi sul lavoro, c’erano già associazioni italiane per la tutela dei lavoratori italiani immigrati. Prima che ci fossero le raccolte punti frequent flyer, vi erano già associazioni italiane che ricreavano un pezzo d’Italia in territorio canadese. Prima che ci fossero siti web per gli incontri, c’erano associazioni italiane nelle quali i giovani immigrati si riunivano per incontrare gli altri senza barriere linguistiche. “Le associazioni di paese sono una riproduzione in Canada di aspetti di città italiane. Sono un universo emotivo”, dice Bruno Ramirez, professore di Storia all’Università di Montreal. Le prime associazioni italiane in Canada vennero costituite già negli anni ‘70 del 1800 a Montreal e negli anni ‘80 del 1800 a Toronto – i primi mattoncini sui quali si è costruita l’odierna comunità italo-canadese.

“Queste associazioni etniche erano davvero autentiche – erano formate dagli stessi compaesani. Ricreavano un universo culturale nel quale potevano mantenere vive le proprie tradizioni ed il proprio senso di identità”, dice Ramirez, di origine siciliana. La sua ricerca mostra che nel 1921, il Canada ospitava quasi 67.000 immigrati italiani – con quasi i due terzi residenti in Ontario e Quebec.

Con i nostri nonni e bisnonni alla ricerca di rifugio e lavoro in una nuova terra della quale non parlavano la lingua, non ci si sorprende che le prime associazioni italiane fungessero da “società di mutuo soccorso”. Aiutavano i primi immigrati in un periodo in cui il mercato del lavoro era instabile e le condizioni lavorative dure.

“All’interno di un’associazione, la maggior parte delle persone si conosceva – alcuni si conoscevano addirittura già nel paese di origine in Italia – per cui c’era quella fiducia. Potevano intrattenere dei rapporti faccia a faccia”, dice Ramirez.

All’inizio del ventesimo secolo, la maggior parte degli immigrati italiani si rivolse all’Ordine Figli d’Italia. Fondato nel 1904 a New York, è l’associazione italiana più antica che esiste ancora in Canada. L’organizzazione si è ramificata in

ASSOCIATIONS opening in Sault Ste. Marie, Ontario in 1914, followed by an office in Montreal, Quebec in 1919. “Across Canada, if you look at any city, the most important group was the Order Sons of Italy,” says Joe Fratino, president of the Order Sons of Italy in Montreal. The Order would offer financial support to its members, for anything from purchasing a house to helping foot the bill for funeral costs.

Smaller town associations would also do the same. L’Associazione Casacalendese, Montreal’s second-oldest association after the Order Sons of Italy, used to collect money as early as 1924 – including an emergency mortgage fund – to help new immigrants. A fund was created to help its members purchase a house, buy life insurance or pay for a funeral,” says Vincenzo Ranellucci, president of the Associazione Casacalendese.

As more immigrants arrived to Canada, the number of Italian associations grew. By 1940, the Order had 24 branches across Canada. To this day, some members still have insurance policies with the Order. “About 200 of our members who are over 80 years old still have life insurance with us,” Fratino says.

The days before Tinder Helping immigrants with insurance policies or mortgages wasn’t the only thing to come out of Italian associations. While today’s youth can try to find love with the click of a button or the swipe of a screen, our grandparents and great-grandparents never had an app – but they did have an Italian association to turn to. “The associations were a cultural space that allowed people to meet. This led to many marriages,” Ramirez says.

The numbers in his research are eye-opening and reveal the marriage patterns practiced by Italian immigrants. The odds are that if you are ItalianCanadian, you are alive today because someone in your family likely met through an Italian association. “Between 1906 and 1915, two out of three Italian marriages performed in the two Italian parishes of Montreal (Madonna di Monte Carmelo) involved spouses coming from the same region,” Ramirez says, adding that in more than half of those cases, the two spouses came from the same provincial area.

All about identity As decades passed, the number of Italian immigrants strengthened – and so did Canadian laws. The federal and provincial governments introduced welfare, social assistance programs, medical benefits and workers’ compensation. With laws in place to protect workers, the role of Italian associations also shifted. They went from being mutual aid societies to becoming cultural groups.

In the 1950s and ’60s, the number of associations and regional clubs grew, and the sense of region-based identity was revived. “By the time Canadian laws came in, the associations needed to regroup. There was a pride in one’s place of origin and the associations became mostly religious and leisure-based, and this is very much still true today,” Ramirez says.

A perfect example is Villa Charities, an organization that began in 1971 with the intent of creating a seniors home. That blossomed into what now includes associations and affiliates that engage the GTA’s Italian-Canadian community through arts, fitness and culture. “It is certainly the largest non-profit ItalianCanadian community organization based on budgets, employees and programs offered,” says Pal Di Iulio, CEO of Villa Charities.

Its programs and institutions include senior and long-term care residences (Villa Colombo), child care programs, restaurants and arts, language and fitness courses. “These services and buildings speak for our community 24/7, rather than just when there is a problem or complaint against an issue,” adds Di Iulio, who is also the CEO of the Columbus Centre.

The centre, which was built in 1980, welcomes about 100,000 visitors every year. It boasts an art gallery, culinary classes, language courses, fitness courses, and a piazza where people can gather for a coffee or a bite to eat.

The centre – while exposing Italian language, culture and products to Ontarians – also made sure that the local Italian-Canadian cultural content was reflected and promoted.

That is still the goal as Villa Charities looks forward. Di Iulio says it’s important that programs and services continue to reflect the needs of the community.

That’s why just two months ago, Villa Charities and the Toronto Catholic District School Board announced the finalization of a land purchase agreement for the construction of a new facility in Toronto’s Lawrence-Dufferin area for Dante Alighieri Academy high school.

Slated for completion by 2018, the $60-million redevelopment project is seen as the first of its kind in Canada. It will allow all of Alighieri’s 1,300 students to be housed under one roof, while sharing a theatre, dance studios, arts and music facilities.

The project is an example of how Italian associations maintain cultural roots.

“Identities are not monolithic things: in one moment, one can have a Canadian identity…or an Italian-town identity,” says Ramirez. “Associations keep alive that link – they keep alive an element of identity.” Think about that the next time you are invited to an Italian association party.

Canada, con l’apertura del suo primo ufficio a Sault Ste. Marie, Ontario, nel 1914, seguito da un ufficio a Montreal, Quebec, nel 1919. “In tutto il Canada, se si considera ogni città, il gruppo più importante era quello dell’Ordine Figli d’Italia”, dice Joe Fratino, presidente dell’Ordine Figli d’Italia di Montreal. L’Ordine offriva supporto finanziario ai suoi membri, per ogni cosa dall’acquisto di una casa o per fronteggiare i costi di un funerale.

Le associazioni delle città più piccole facevano lo stesso. L’Associazione Casacalendese, la seconda associazione più antica di Montreal dopo l’Ordine Figli d’Italia, raccoglieva soldi già dal 1924 – compreso un fondo di emergenza per il mutuo – per aiutare i nuovi immigrati. “Un fondo fu creato per aiutare i suoi membri a comprare una casa, stipulare l’assicurazione sulla vita o pagare un funerale”, dice Vincenzo Ranellucci, presidente dell’Associazione Casacalendese.

Con l’arrivo in Canada di ulteriori immigrati, il numero delle associazioni Italiane crebbe. Ne1 1940, l’Ordine aveva 24 sedi in tutto il Canada. Ad oggi, alcuni membri hanno ancora polizze assicurative con l’Ordine. “Circa 200 dei nostri membri ultraottuagenari hanno ancora l’assicurazione sulla vita con noi”, dice Fratino.

I tempi prima di Tinder Aiutare immigrati con polizze assicurative o mutui non fu l’unica trovata pioneristica delle associazioni italiane. Mentre i giovani d’oggi possono tentare di trovare l’amore con un clic di tasto o scorrendo uno schermo, i nostri nonni e bisnonni non hanno mai avuto un’applicazione, ma avevano un’associazione italiana a cui rivolgersi. “Le associazioni erano uno spazio culturale che consentiva alle persone di incontrarsi. Questo condusse a molti matrimoni”, dice Ramirez.

I numeri della sua ricerca sono rivelatori e mostrano gli schemi ai fini matrimoniali adottati dagli immigrati italiani. Se siete italo-canadesi, ci sono buine probabilità che esistiate oggi perché qualcuno della vostra famiglia si è conosciuto attraverso un’associazione italiana. “Tra il 1906 e il 1915, due matrimoni italiani su tre celebrati nelle due parrocchie italiane di Montreal (Madonna di Monte Carmelo), coinvolgevano sposi originari della stessa regione”, dice Ramirez, aggiungendo che in più della metà di quei casi, gli sposi venivano dalla stessa provincia.

Tutta una questione d’identità Con il passare dei decenni, il numero di immigrati italiani si è rafforzato – e lo stesso dicasi per le leggi canadesi. I governi federale e provinciale hanno introdotto i sussidi pubblici, i programmi di assistenza sociale, i sussidi per l’assistenza sanitaria e il salario dei lavoratori. Con le leggi in atto a tutela dei lavoratori, anche il ruolo delle associazioni italiane ha cambiato direzione. Sono passate dall’essere società di mutuo soccorso a diventare gruppi culturali.

Negli anni 50 e 60, il numero di associazioni e circoli regionali crebbe ed il senso d’identità regionale fu rinvigorito. “Quando le leggi canadesi entrarono in vigore, le associazioni dovettero riorganizzarsi. Si provava orgoglio verso il proprio luogo di origine e le associazioni si dedicarono prevalentemente alla religione ed al tempo libero – e ciò è vitale ancora oggi”, dice Ramirez.

Un esempio perfetto è Villa Charities, un’organizzazione sorta nel 1971 con l’intento di creare una casa per anziani. Quell’idea si è evoluta in ciò che oggi include associazioni ed affiliati che coinvolgono la comunità italo-canadese della GTA attraverso l’arte, lo sport e la cultura. “È certamente la maggiore organizzazione no profit della comunità italo-canadese in termini di budget, impiegati e programmi offerti”, sostiene Pal Di Iulio, CEO di Villa Charities.

Le sue istituzioni e programmi includono residenze per anziani ed assistenza a lungo termine (Villa Colombo), programmi di asili nido, ristoranti ed arte, corsi di lingua e fitness. “Questi servizi e strutture parlano a nome della nostra comunità 24 ore su 24, sette giorni su sette, piuttosto che solo quando c’è un problema o una lamentela”, aggiunge Di Iulio, che è anche il CEO del Columbus Centre.

Il centro, costruito nel 1980, accoglie circa 100.000 visitatori l’anno. Ospita una galleria d’arte, lezioni di cucina, corsi di lingua, corsi di fitness ed una piazza nella quale la gente può incontrarsi per un caffè o per mangiare un boccone.

Il centro – nell’esibire la lingua, la cultura e i prodotti italiani agli ontariani – ha anche fatto sì che la cultura italo-canadese locale fosse rispecchiata e promossa. È quello ancor oggi l’obiettivo al quale punta Villa Charities. Di Iulio dice che è importante che i programmi ed i servizi continuino a rispecchiare le esigenze della comunità. È quello il motivo per cui proprio due mesi fa, Villa Charities ed il Toronto Catholic School Board hanno annunciato la finalizzazione di un accordo d’acquisto di un terreno, per la costruzione di una nuova struttura nella zona di Lawrence e Dufferin a Toronto per la scuola superiore Dante Alighieri Academy.

Con un completamento dei lavori previsto per il 2018, il progetto di riqualifica da 60 milioni di dollari è considerato il primo di questo genere in Canada. Consentirà ai 1.300 studenti di tutti i centri Alighieri di essere ospitati sotto un unico tetto, condividendo un teatro, scuole di danza e strutture per l’arte e la musica.

Il progetto è un esempio di come le associazioni italiane mantengano le proprie radici culturali. “Le identità non sono cose monolitiche: Allo stesso momento, si può avere un’identità canadese, un’identità montrealese… o l’identità di una città italiana,” dice Ramirez. “Le associazioni mantengono vivo quel legame – mantengono vivo il fattore identità”.

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ASSOCIATIONS Photos courtesy of the Trentino Club of Toronto

Circolo Trentino

Promoting our Roots

Keeping Italian culture alive among generations

By Danila Di Croce

O

ften it is said that the Italian community is “dying out” in Canada.

With one of the main waves of Italian immigration to Canada occurring between the years of 1950-1970, it is a fact that the Italian immigration community is in its senior years.

However, according to Italian associations such as The Trentino Club of Toronto and the Federazione Laziale dell’Ontario, both of whom just celebrated anniversaries of 50 and 30 years respectively, “dying out” is far from the truth.

In fact, this is an especially exciting time for the two associations. With changes and new ideas, the clubs and its members are busier than ever. “As long as you keep doing things, innovating, you move ahead,” explains vice-president of the Trentino Club of Toronto, Ivo Finotti, who is also coordinator for Trentino del Mondo, a non-profit organization that provides funds to all the Trentini clubs in the world.

The Trentino Club’s recent celebration, a 50th anniversary gala with over 700 attendees, was a symbol of the passion and vibrancy this cultural community shares. According to club president David Corazza, “There are over 3,000

Trentini in Toronto.” The club, which hosts six dinners a year and a picnic in the summer, now has a waiting list for their events. Finotti says that the “older generation used to call up the night before and say they were coming, now they can’t get in!”

He credits much of the club’s recent growth and expansion to modernized communication efforts such as Facebook, their website and their digital newsletter. “We send an email once a week; our email list has gone from 0 to 300 names. It’s all about staying connected to people.”

This type of perseverance and determination to uphold and celebrate one’s Italian heritage is exactly what has helped Italian clubs and associations survive.

The Lazio Federation of Ontario, which originally was formed in 1985 under the name The Lazio Federation of Canada, is another shining example.

The Federation acts as an umbrella for the various Lazio cultural groups in Toronto. As Rocco Grossi, treasurer of the Federation, explains, “There are about 40 Laziale clubs that participate in the Federation. Each club varies in size from 100 to 500.” Initially, those groups were formed individually to socialize

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Before it was about immigrants helping immigrants, but now it’s about business networking, keeping the culture alive, keeping the dialect alive.

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among paesani or carry on local traditions specific to each town. However, members eventually realized strength in numbers and joined in the founding of the Federation in 1985.

The club has worked hard to make a name for itself through its efforts in showcasing and promoting all that is Laziale, whether that be cultural, educational or commercial. “[The Federation] has concentrated on the development of the region’s culture with theatre productions sponsored by the region and various municipalities,” Grossi states. “It has organized exhibitions of the region’s beauty and its many traditional foods and regional products. It has also made possible the visits to Canada of many political, cultural and religious Italian dignitaries.” While their hard work is benefiting current members of the associations, both groups are fully aware that their determination must be relayed to the youth community if they want to survive.

As a result, the Lazio Federation of Ontario is offering scholarships to youth and incorporating this group when awarding certificates of merit for distinguished endeavours. Moreover, for the last four years, the Federation has teamed up with the Italian Contemporary Film Festival (ICFF), so that youth (and older members) can enjoy Italian culture through cinema.

As for the Trentini, they have started a youth group within their organization. “We are always looking to include the younger generation,” says Finotti.

He notices that youth are involved in a different way, and that changes the club.

“The younger guys are doing more networking and that is helping the club grow. Before it was about immigrants helping immigrants, but now it’s about

business networking, keeping the culture alive, keeping the dialect alive.”

One youth member enjoys coming to the club to hear the seniors speak, as it reminds him of his nonno; another member, Finotti’s daughter, helped to design a sticker for the club’s 50th anniversary, which members placed on their cars. His daughter also helped to facilitate the creation of a very special work for the children in the organization. “We designed a colouring book, based on a story book, La Festa della Signora Polenta, from our region,” Finotti explains.

“My daughter had the idea to have the story translated into English and include the original coloured illustrations, which were done by fourth graders from the region, along with black and white stencils of the photos to be used as colouring pages for the kids.” The club is organizing the printing of the book, which will be given out to the children at Christmas.

It’s ideas like these that keep the club strong and benefit it in the long run.

“We are not afraid to try new things; for example, we changed our newsletter to colour and our membership increased,” notes Finotti.

Grossi is of the same opinion: “Although some may feel that the new generation might find it difficult to relate to the Italianità that this and other federations promote and stand for, we believe that if we adapt to meet the new reality of the Italian-Canadian society by connecting with the Italy/Lazio of today, with its abundance of culture, magnificent beauty, delectable food, in vogue fashion and distinguished personalities from all walks of life, without abandoning our familiar customs and traditions, we will not only survive but definitely flourish.”

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ASSOCIATIONS

Passing the

Torch

New generations, new traditions

By Danila Di Croce

M

any young Italian-Canadians pride themselves on their heritage.

But sometimes they don’t connect with their culture beyond the obligatory waving of the Italian flag during the World Cup or enjoying espressos and cannoli. They might lament that they wished they had learned the language, visited Italy, or learned more about their roots; however, somehow, it just never happened.

Two organizations, 20-Somethings, the youth committee within Famèe Furlane Toronto, and Avanti, the youth committee within Order Sons of Italy: Hamilton-Trieste Lodge, are trying to change that. They are working hard to connect young Italian-Canadians to their heritage and to ensure that these young people don’t miss out on the traditions previous generations have worked so hard to maintain.

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According to 26-year-old Anthony Chiarelli, Vice-President of Avanti’s operations, the group’s main focus is to “[bring] a rejuvenation of Italian culture and heritage to today’s eager young Italians within the Hamilton community.” They intend to do so by hosting a variety of events, including dinner dances, cooking classes and excursions, such as their upcoming event on August 12 at Mills Hardware in downtown Hamilton.

20-Somethings has similar goals in mind. The group organizes monthly gettogethers for youth of Friulian descent, as well as various social events such as their annual “Very Furlan Christmas,” and the recent “Aperitivo Night.” This event, which was sponsored by Campari and hosted by Radio DJ Tony Monaco, invited not only Friulian youth, but Italian-Canadian youth from other regions as well.

Group member Mileah Radocchia, 22, explains that 20-Somethings “envisions the

ASSOCIATIONS

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As young members looking to the older generation, it is quite inspirational to see the growth of the Italian image within Canada.

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future of our Italian community as a tight-knit community that comes together to share the lively experiences of our culture and heritage.”

Although both groups have started their own avenues for ItalianCanadian youth, they acknowledge the importance of the paths set before them by older generations. Both youth committees are heavily involved in the original clubs by attending club meetings, helping to plan and execute events, and promoting the clubs and their social activities.

Twenty-one-year-old Lucas Costanzo, Committee Chair of Avanti, defines the older Italian associations as inspiring. “As young members looking to the older generation, it is quite inspirational to see the growth of the Italian image within Canada... without the hard work and determination of past generations, the Italian heritage and traditions would not be as greatly recognized as they are today.”

According to 20-Somethings member Olivia Radocchia, 25, “The youth see the older associations as a necessary part of the community; they serve as a role model for our own group, and they uphold tradition, culture and language in the community.”

Speaking of language, both groups admit that while youth members admire the Italian language and sometimes speak it to each other, they primarily communicate in English. However, Chiarelli states, “I think that the youth realize that as generations pass, there is always the possibility that parts of our culture and heritage can be lost. Our group believes that Italian language is a key part of our culture, and it is something that we want to keep alive in our organization and in our community.” Consequently, the Order Sons of Italy lodge has recently started Italian classes for beginners, as well as those looking to advance their Italian language skills. Members of the Famèe Furlane organization maintain the language by offering dialect classes for those interested.

While both groups focus on maintaining connections with the ItalianCanadian youth in their community, they often work with young Italian

immigrants as well. This has been beneficial to the groups in learning more about their native Italian counterparts. Costanzo explains, “Oftentimes, there have been young individuals who have recently immigrated to Canada or are living here on an exchange... these individuals have aided the [ItalianCanadian] demographic in understanding the ways of the young generation living in Italy.” According to Olivia Radocchia, in 20-Somethings, some young Italian immigrants become members and even organize events.

When asked how they envision the future for Italian-Canadian youth organizations, both groups remain positive and have big goals for their communities. “Avanti promises to act as a trendsetter within the Hamilton community,” Chiarelli states, “capitalizing on the wants and desires of the new Italian-Canadian generation looking for an outlet to celebrate in the accomplishments of both past and present generations.”

Olivia Radocchia expects youth to take a stronger stand: “I envision youth planning more events, sticking together as a community, and continuing to uphold the values and traditions of our parents and grandparents.”

Mileah Radocchia agrees with this vision, further explaining that participation in the community created by the association is of utmost importance for the continuation of Italian traditions. “It is through cultural traditions such as food and music that bring a familiar sense of comfort, which we, our parents and grandparents have grown up with.”

It’s clear that there’s a strong desire to continue the work of older generations in preserving the Italian heritage brought over to Canada many years ago. While the older Italian immigrant generations have continued their traditions naturally and made their mark in a foreign land, it’s now an opportunity for Italian-Canadian youth to pay homage to those traditions, which have helped shape who they are today.

As Costanzo states, “We as ‘i giovanni ragazzi’ must be thankful and look to the past with great pride, and ensure only the best going forward.”

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ASSOCIATIONS

Tarantella West

Gli Azzurri dancers keep Italian culture alive in Calgary I ballerini Gli Azzurri mantengono viva la cultura italiana a Calgary

By Sal Difalco

D

iscussions of Italians and Italian culture in Canada typically focus on well-established communities flourishing in Montreal and the GTA. Understandable, given the sheer number of Italian-Canadians living in those large cities. But a careful look across Canada reveals that little pockets, enclaves, and coteries of Italian culture thrive in just about every nook and cranny of this country.

Mention Calgary, Alberta, and – thanks to the iconic Calgary Stampede – images of Stetson hats, cowboy boots, leather chaps, and a spirited hoedown come to mind, not fazzoletti, aprons, dirndl skirts, and a kicking tarantella. But if you set your Google map to 3811 Edmonton Trail in the north-east quadrant of Calgary, you’ll track down Gli Azzurri Studio, and if you’re lucky you’ll find a dedicated group of dancers going through their tarantella paces.

The Calgary Italian Folk Dancers – Gli Azzurri – is a non-profit dance company dedicated to preserving and honouring Italian culture through dance and music. Established in 1987, the group has performed throughout Alberta, British Columbia, Nova Scotia and abroad, and was featured at the 1988 Calgary Winter Olympic Games. The group has performed for and with Italian peers overseas in 1998 and 2005, and recently received recognition by dancing at Disney Performing Arts OnStage.

Tiziana Chappell (née Galambos), 33, artistic director of Gli Azzurri since 2005, notes the group was inaugurated for the 1988 Calgary Olympics.

“The idea was to showcase Calgary’s Italian heritage in the Olympics through folk dancing,” she says. “It was initiated by Calgary’s Italian community, and the Calgary Italian Club, which has been active since the 1950s.

And it took off from there. Now we have 42 dancers, and 5 different groups, ranging in age from 4 to 22.”

Chappell, along with dance instructors Anna Galambos, 35, (Chappell’s sister), and Rosa Petrillo, 33, started dancing as children and have been part of the group ever since. Chappell is a native Calgarian, but her parents come from Molise. “The Italian community in Calgary is quite mixed,” she observes. “Calabrese, Sicilian, Neapolitan, you name it. Our dances reflect that as we perform tarantellas from several regions. And since traditional costumes cost so much, we make our own, true to these regions. We use Google for that,” she admits with a laugh.

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Le

conversazioni sugli italiani e sulla cultura italiana in Canada, generalmente, si concentrano sulle comunità radicate a Montreal e nella GTA. Comprensibile, considerato il numero di italo-canadesi che vive in quelle grandi città. Ma uno sguardo attento su tutto il Canada rivela che capannelli, enclavi e gruppetti di cultura italiana fioriscono più o meno in ogni nicchia e fessura di questo paese. Menzionate Calgary, Alberta, e – grazie all’iconico Calgary Stampede – verranno in mente immagini di cappelli Stetson, di stivali da cowboy, di copripantaloni in pelle e dell’animata square dance piuttosto che di fazzoletti, di grembiuli, di gonne tradizionali e di una vivace tarantella. Ma se impostate la vostra mappa di Google sull’indirizzo 3811 Edmonton Trail, nel quadrante nord-est di Calgary, scoverete la scuola di danza Gli Azzurri, e se siete fortunati incontrerete un gruppo di zelanti ballerini alle prese con i loro passi di tarantella.

Il Calgary Italian Folk Dancers – Gli Azzurri – è un’associazione no-profit che si dedica alla tutela ed al riconoscimento della cultura italiana attraverso la danza e la musica.

Fondato nel 1987, il gruppo si è esibito in tutta l’Alberta, la British Columbia, la Nova Scotia ed all’estero, ed è apparso nel 1988 ai Giochi olimpici invernali di Calgary. Il gruppo si è esibito per e con colleghi italiani all’estero nel 1998 e nel 2005 e, di recente, ha ottenuto riconoscimento ballando al Disney Performing Arts OnStage.

Tiziana Chappell (alla nascita Galambos), 33 anni, direttore artistico di Gli Azzurri dal 2005, precisa che il gruppo fu lanciato in occasione delle Olimpiadi di Calgary del 1988. “L’idea era quella di mostrare attraverso il ballo folcloristico il patrimonio italiano di Calgary in occasione delle Olimpiadi” – afferma. “Fu iniziato dalla comunità italiana di Calgary e dal Calgary Italian Club, attivo dagli anni ’50. E da lì è decollato. Adesso contiamo 42 ballerini e 5 diversi gruppi, di età variabile tra i 4 ed i 22 anni”.

Chappell, insieme alle istruttrici di ballo Anna Galambos, 35 anni (sorella di Chappell), e Rosa Petrillo, 33 anni, ha cominciato a ballare da bambina e fa parte del gruppo da allora. Chappell è nata a Calgary, ma i suoi genitori vengono dal Molise. “La comunità italiana di Calgary è abbastanza variegata” – osserva.

“Calabresi, siciliani, napoletani, fai tu. I nostri balli riflettono questa varietà, dato che ci esibiamo con tarantelle di regioni diverse. E poichè i costumi tradizionali costano tanto, ce li facciamo da soli, rimanendo fedeli a queste regioni. Per farlo,

ASSOCIATIONS Grace Lupi, president of Gli Azzurri for the past nine years, agrees that the Italian community in Calgary is surprisingly varied. “My parents are from Lazio,” she cites as an example. “And because of this variety, we strive to represent different regions.”

Lupi’s daughters, Nicoletta, 17, and Daniella, 15, have been involved with the group since they were children. “They still dance,” she says. “And we hear how the younger generation can be distracted and indifferent to things like this, but I’ve seen young people take on the dancing with a lot of passion.

Our dedicated instructors, Tiziana, Anna and Rosa, who all grew up with the group, now pass on their skills and enthusiasm to the youth.”

A homemaker and part-time decorator, Lupi wears many hats as president, guiding and directing, costume-des igning, fundraising, organizing galas, all with the mission to keep her Italian cultural heritage alive, particularly as the immigrant population ages. And it’s a tradition certainly worth preserving.

Dance has been integral to Italian culture since the days of Dante, whose coeval Giovanni del Virgilio made the earliest mention of Italian folk dance.

The first Italian dance manuals were composed as far back as the 15th century. Of course, when we talk about Italian folk dancing, the tarantella, in all its regional adaptations, predominates. Originally created to mimic the seizures of tarantula bite victims (called tarantolati), the tarantella was believed to act as an antivenin. “Well,” says Chappell, “we do the traditional tarantella, with regional flavours from Naples, Sicily, Puglia and so on. But we’ve allowed an influence of modern dance with the older groups, to keep them engaged. We recently arranged a dance to Umberto Tozzi’s “Ti Amo.” So, we try to keep it fresh, without getting too carried away.” “Gli Azzurri is important,” says Lupi. “The pride and passion of the dance group, the involved parents and community – it’s become a focal point. And I know that far more Italians live in cities like Toronto,” she adds, “but we’re very tight-knit, and the traditions will endure.”

The group’s next major engagement is slated for the August long weekend in Thunder Bay, to celebrate the 25th anniversary of Italian Heritage in a place as far flung as Calgary, and as vital to Italian-Canadian culture.

usiamo Google” – ammette ridendo.

Grace Lupi, presidente de Gli Azzurri negli ultimi 9 anni, concorda sul fatto che la comunità italiana di Calgary sia incredibilmente variegata. “I miei genitori vengono dal Lazio” – cita come esempio. “E per via di questa varietà, ci sforziamo di rappresentare diverse regioni”.

Le figlie di Lupi, Nicoletta, 17 anni, e Daniella, 15 anni, fanno parte del gruppo sin da bambine. “Ballano ancora” – dice. “Si sente dire che la generazione più giovane sia distratta e indifferente dinnanzi a cose come queste, ma vedo giovani cominciare a ballare con molta passione. Le nostre scrupolose istruttrici, Tiziana, Anna e Rosa, cresciute assieme al gruppo, trasmettono il proprio entusiamo ai giovani”.

Casalinga e decoratrice part-time, Lupi riveste molti ruoli come presidente, consigliando e dirigendo, disegnando i costumi, raccogliendo fondi, organizzando serate di gala, il tutto con la missione di mantenere vivo il proprio lascito culturale italiano, soprattutto man mano che la generazione di immigrati invecchia. Ed è sicuramente una tradizione che vale la pena preservare.

Il ballo è parte integrante della cultura italiana sin dai tempi di Dante, il cui contemporaneo Giovanni del Virgilio fece il primo riferimento al ballo folcloristico italiano. I primi manuali di ballo furono composti nel XV secolo. Di certo, quando si parla di ballo popolare italiano, la tarantella, in tutti i suoi adattamenti regionali, predomina. Creata in origine per mimare le convulsioni delle vittime di morsi di tarantola (chiamati tarantolati), si credeva che la tarantella funzionasse come “antidoto”.

“Beh” – dice Chappell – “balliamo la tarantella tradizionale, con sfumature regionali napoletane, siciliane, pugliesi e via dicendo. Tuttavia, ammettiamo l’influenza di balli moderni tra i vecchi gruppi, per continuare a coinvolgerli. Di recente abbiamo adattato un ballo alla canzone “Ti Amo” di Umberto Tozzi. In questo modo, cerchiamo di mantenere un tono fresco, senza discostarci troppo. Il gruppo Gli Azzurri è importante” – dice Lupi”. L’orgoglio e la passione del gruppo di ballo, il coinvolgimento dei genitori e della comunità è diventato un punto focale. E lo so che molti più italiani vivono in città come Toronto” – aggiunge –“ma noi siamo molto affiatati e le tradizioni continueranno”.

La prossima grande esibizione del gruppo è programmata per il fine settimana lungo di Agosto a Thunder Bay, per celebrare il venticinquesimo anniversario dell’eredità italiana in una località tanto remota quanto Calgary e tuttavia così vitale per la cultura italo-canadese.

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Dialetti d’Italia Questione di sfumature

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Claudia Buscemi Prestigiacomo

uella dei dialetti d’Italia, il paese europeo che ne vanta un primato numerico di fatto inquantificabile, è una storia affascinante e complessa, difficile da riassumere senza il timore di omettere elementi che rendano loro giustizia.

Con il termine “dialetto”, comunemente, si fa riferimento alle lingue tipiche di una regione, con sfumature ed elementi variabili da città a città e, addirittura, da quartiere a quartiere. Può risultare difficoltoso intavolare una conversazione in due dialetti diversi, senza correre il rischio di provocare incomprensioni. Le differenze sono tali che se un torinese parlasse di una “tota” (ragazza), un napoletano non penserebbe ad una “guagliona,” né un siciliano ad una “picciuttiedda.” Così pure, se una nonna marchigiana, una umbra e una emiliana volessero stendere l’impasto per una crostata usando un mattarello, avrebbero qualche difficoltà a trovarlo se lo chiamassero rispettivamente “rasagnol”, “lasagnolo” e “canela”. Eppure l’interazione è stata possibile per secoli, grazie anche ad un elemento comune: il latino. Pensare che i dialetti siano un’alterazione dell’italiano è

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errato. Se nel caso dell’inglese americano o australiano si parla di varianti di quello britannico, nel caso dei dialetti e dell’italiano, usando una similitudine, si tratta di un rapporto di fratellanza.

Sebbene sia difficile dire con certezza quanti dialetti ci siano in Italia, in ambito accademico si distinguono solitamente tre gruppi principali: i dialetti settentrionali, il toscano e i dialetti centro-meridionali. Vi sono poi “lingue minoritarie” di diversa origine, come il friulano e il sardo per citarne alcune, riconosciute da vere e proprie leggi.

I dialetti settentrionali, alcuni dei quali definiti “gallo-italici” per le analogie con il francese, comprendono quelli lombardi, piemontesi, emiliani, romagnoli, liguri e veneti. Il toscano è parlato in Toscana, con l’esclusione di alcune aree, e si distingue anche per la “gorgia”, il suono aspirato di alcune consonanti, come in “casa/hasa.” Infine, vi sono per l’appunto i dialetti del centro-meridione, accomunati, ad esempio, dalla trasformazione di “nd” in “nn,” come in “mondo/munno.”

ASSOCIATIONS

Perché queste differenze? Quando gli antichi Romani si insediarono nella penisola, si trovarono a interagire con popolazioni già presenti. Fu inevitabile, per quanto il latino fosse dichiarato lingua ufficiale, l’influenza dei numerosi codici linguistici preesistenti. Più tardi, con la caduta dell’Impero Romano d’Occidente (476 d.C.), sotto l’influenza di nuovi conquistatori in diverse zone della penisola e nelle isole (Goti, Normanni, etc...), le differenze diventarono ancor più evidenti. Nacque così un numero impressionante di varianti, chiamate lingue volgari (dal latino “volgo” popolo).

Verso il 1200-1300, con la nascita del ceto borghese, classe intermediaria tra gli esponenti dei ceti più colti che conoscevano il latino e quelli più umili che, al contrario, ne ignoravano il significato, si fece sempre più pressante il bisogno di sostituire il volgare al latino.

Anche in letteratura molto presto cominciò un acceso dibattito nel tentativo di trovare, tra i tanti volgari, quello “illustre” che potesse fungere da cardine. In tal senso, un’attenta analisi delle lingue parlate dagli “Ytali” fu offerta da Dante Alighieri, ritenuto uno dei padri dell’italiano. Fu un lungo dibattito quello che si spinse fin oltre il 1500, con alcuni che ritenevano il toscano una lingua unitaria, dato il successo in letteratura e la presenza di elementi comuni con gli altri volgari; altri che invece volevano si creasse una nuova lingua prendendo spunto da tutti i dialetti. Fu proprio nel 1500 che, per distinguere il volgare toscano dalle altre lingue volgari, si usò il termine “dialetto”(dal greco “lingua parlata”).

Nel parlato, tuttavia, la maggioranza della popolazione, indipendentemente dallo status sociale, continuò a preferire il proprio dialetto al toscano-italiano fino a molto tempo dopo l’Unità d’Italia (1861).

Solo nella seconda metà del 1900 l’italiano cominciò a sostituirsi ai dialetti. È a questo punto che subentra la differenza tra gli italiani emigrati in Canada tra il 1950-1960 e quelli degli ultimi anni.

Dopo la Seconda guerra mondiale, i cambiamenti socio-culturali in Italia furono enormi: sempre più giovani frequentavano la scuola, sempre più famiglie potevano permettersi di acquistare un televisore. Tutto ciò ha contribuito notevolmente alla diffusione dell’italiano, a discapito del dialetto.

Per alcuni, addirittura, il dialetto cominciò ad essere considerato un elemento di disturbo, poiché intaccava la propria immagine di individuo educato e culturalmente al passo con i tempi.

“Parla in italiano! Quando crescerai, parlerai pure il dialetto!” – dicevano molte mamme negli anni ‘80. Amici e parenti concordano. Molti tra quelli che parlano il dialetto oggi, napoletano, palermitano o torinese che sia, possono farlo grazie alla familiarità acquisita ascoltando genitori e nonni discutere durante l’infanzia. Da adulti, raggiunta una conoscenza dell’italiano ottimale, abbiamo cominciato dunque ad usarlo in situazioni informali per “rendere l’idea” o scherzare tra amici! Così quando l’amica torinese mi ha scritto: “Anduma a mange’ staseira?”, da palermitana, non ho potuto fare a meno di risponderle: “Se, ci putemu iri a manciari!” Entrambe sapevamo di aver suscitato il sorriso dell’altra.

Grazie anche ad organizzazioni internazionali come l’UNESCO, che parlano di “lingua napoletana, siciliana, veneta...” invece che di “dialetti”, si assiste finalmente a un’inversione di marcia. Sempre più artisti ricorrono al proprio dialetto, riscuotendo successo al livello nazionale, forse perché, come spiega un musicista siciliano, Roy Paci, in un’intervista pubblicata da La Repubblica : “Cantare in dialetto non è una scelta esotica”, ma desiderio di esprimere un pensiero che nasce in dialetto e che perderebbe parte della sua intensità se tradotto in italiano. Sono proprio queste sfumature, queste nuance a conferire ai dialetti un valore inestimabile.

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Photography by Bruno Mediati

Italian men playing cards, Tillemont Park Saint-Michel, 1979

Like a Real Paesano

By Antonio D’Alfonso

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apisc’, paesa’? Of course, you understand, but do you, really? Do you grasp what is being said to you? You might understand if you come from the same block, from the old country. Otherwise, you know it is all satire and it has nothing to do with you. When you are familiar with the term, then you nod and say, ‘What do you mean exactly?’

How often do you hear phrases like “Oh, Italian-Canadians from Toronto are not like Italian-Canadians from Montreal.” Having lived twenty years in Toronto, I admit that it is true: we are not the same kind of Italians. Even when two ItalianCanadians come from the same town in Italy, we still admit, “My cousin from Brampton is so different from my cousin in Saint-Leonard.”

Would your cousin in Woodbridge be the same sort of paesano as your

cousin from Saint-Michel? Now this is the question to ask yourself. Who do you call a paesano? And why?

The words pais and paes originate from pagensis (meaning countryside, territory) and pagus (town, bourg). These words evolved to signify peasant and the territory around the village. Much later, the concepts grew to embrace the modern concept of town and the castle, usually found in the centre of the hamlet. In time, these notions led to the abstract idea of patria (fatherland, motherland), not from any Italian dialect, but from Spanish. It was thus a foreign concept probably introduced by Spanish landowners to identify their Italian serfs. It was the usual we-versus-they discourse. This differentiation of people subtly brings about a distinction of value and quality.

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Appellations such as this suggest that one is congratulatory, and the other is degrading. This important point brings us to the term villano that is linked to the word pagano, referring to the uneducated peasant. Paesano quite literally identifies self and the other as contadini. Nevertheless, it is not so much an area that becomes the parameter of identity, but the profession.

One doubts very much that the landowner would salute his serf as paesano. He most surely addressed the serf pagano, who would, in turn, greet his boss with such titles as Dottore or Professore (when the landowner was educated).

The boss would never, not even ironically, salute his worker as a paesano. There is a layer of lifestyle that distinguishes one from the other. Anyone who has spent time in Italy has heard a worker jokingly acknowledge another as dotto’ (rarely, professor’). ‘Dotto’, t’offro un caffè?’ Imagine the same man accosting his boss with such words!

A paesan’ can never be a landowner, a person with means, a boss. A paesan’ is synonymous with being a cafone, and not a benestante (a well-to-do person).

This signification is carried on in the Spanish paisano used to define ‘a citizen/person of the state of California of mixed Spanish and Native American ancestry’. In Italian, no peasant would approach another peasant saying, ‘Com’è stai, cafo’?’

Social designations move horizontally, scarcely vertically. Persons from the same social class alone can designate another as a paesano. Many consider paesano as another label for compatriot. It is not. Being a compatriot eliminates cultural, religious, linguistic, and caste difference. Persons are united by a real or imaginary feeling of belonging to a social club free of disparity: a sentiment at the antipodes to being a paesano.

Paesano as a tag conceals a deep paradox. An Italian-Montrealer might

toast with an Italian-Torontonian if Pirlo scores a goal for the Azzurri. Sharing Italian roots might enable both men to jump over any barrier for a second or two of happiness. But soon distance would fall back in between them. The two men might clink glasses after finding out that they are both from the Abruzzo region.

But such a coincidence would still not make them paesani.

Indeed, a fixed geographical location is never enough to bring Italians together. Territory identification alone does not sit well with Italians. Craft and working skills are the appropriate incentives to bring men and women under the same umbrella. A woman could announce to her parents that her boyfriend is the son of a paesano only if her parents and her boyfriend’s parents shared a similar occupation. A woman would never call her boyfriend a paesano if he were the child of the landowner for which her father or mother had worked in Abruzzo.

Earth-tilling serfs had to move to fresh fields. This is probably one reason why it is so difficult for Italians to draw solid family trees as, for instance, is the case with other communities. Italian genetic trees usually stop at the beginning of the eighteenth century, when all gets blurred, uncertain, and unreliable.

Being a paesano is one of the many valid positions that permits one to claim participation in a complex, diversified community assuredly not bound by blood relationship.

Calling a man a paesano is an invitation to social communion. Such consent of righteousness, meekness, and toleration is a stamp of approval.

Paesano, in other words, provides people with the moral license of total alliance. Paesano certifies intimacy and distance, exogamy instead of endogamy. Instead of calling for sameness, paesano guarantees men and women a passport to a diversified future.

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ITALIAN AUSTRALIA

Group of migrants on MV Toscana at Trieste, Italy, 1954. Australian National Maritime Museum - Collection Gift from Barbara Alysen. ANMM has a permanent exhibition dedicated to Australia’s migration history called Passengers.

Pioneers of Multiculturalism Pionieri del multi culturalismo The Italian journey in Australia Il viaggio degli italiani in Australia

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By Maggie Abou-Rizk

lthough best recognized for their contribution to food and fashion, the legacy of Italian immigrants to Australia is significantly more profound.

According to Professor Loretta Baldassar, an expert on Italian migration to Australia, “Italians changed the colour of Australia. Because they were hard workers and generally good citizens, they made the shift from assimilation to multiculturalism more possible.” Representing the largest number of non-British immigrants to Australia, Italian newcomers overcame continued hostility and prejudice as “non-whites” to become the true pioneers of Australian multiculturalism.

New Italy The earliest arrivals of Italians in Australia were limited in number, comprising explorers, missionaries, and a small number of labour migrants. In 1881, 217 immigrants from Veneto and Fruili arrived as refugees in Australia after a failed attempt to set up a new colony in the Pacific Islands. Threatened by the development of non-English speaking immigrant ghettos, the government hired out the 48

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ebbene meglio riconosciuti per il loro contributo in cucina e nella moda, il lascito degli immigrati all’Australia è decisamente più profondo.

Secondo la professoressa Loretta Baldassar, esperta di emigrazione italiano in Australia, “gli italiani hanno letteralmente cambiato il colore dell’Australia. Poiché erano grandi lavoratori ed in genere buoni cittadini, hanno reso il passaggio dall’assimilazione al multiculturalismo più fattibile”.

Rappresentando il numero più alto di immigrati non britannici in Australia, i neoarrivati italiani superarorono un’ostilità e un pregiudizio continui in quanto “non bianchi” fino a diventare i veri pionieri del multiculturalismo australiano.

La nuova Italia I primi arrivi di italiani in Australia furono in numero circoscritto e inclusero esploratori, missionari e un modesto numero di immigrati lavoratori. Nel 1881, 217 immigrati dal Veneto e dal Friuli arrivarono come rifiugiati in Australia dopo un tentativo fallito di metter su una nuova colonia nelle isole del Pacifico.

Minacciato dallo sviluppo di ghetti di immigrati che non parlavano inglese, il

ITALIAN AUSTRALIA families to English-speaking employers at a salary of £30 for 12 months.

Nonetheless, the Italian bond triumphed, and by 1882, the majority of the refugees had reconvened and formed Australia’s first Italian group settlement known as “New Italy” (now Woodburn) along the Richmond River in northern New South Wales. Initially called “La Cella Venezia,” the community thrived on land dismissed by British colonists as barren and unproductive. In 1891, based on the impressive farming skills shown by the New Italy community, the Queensland government agreed to assisted passages from Italy to help with the labour shortage in the sugar cane industry. However, the government insisted on “whiter” Italians from north of Livorno to ensure they would more easily assimilate with the predominantly white Australian community. Even then, the 300 Piedmontese, Lombards and Veneti were the government’s last option, after attempts to recruit “fairer” British, German and Scandinavian immigrants failed. Coupled with immigrants lured by the gold rushes of Victoria and Western Australia in the 1850s and 1890s, an Italian presence started to sprout across Australia, largely in the mining and sugar cane industries. At the same time, resentment towards Italians began to rise, with many Australians threatened by the Italians’ willingness to work harder for lower pay.

America and Canada close shop For many Italians fleeing their homeland in search of better opportunities after the Second World War, the immigration restrictions imposed by the United States and Canada propelled them to the Land Down Under.

America had severely restricted its intake of Italian immigrants and Canada’s new Immigration Act of 1919 refused immigrants from Italy as a WWI enemy.

Australia’s need for workers prevented such extreme immigration restrictions.

However, the government limited Italian migration to 2% of “white” Englishspeaking arrivals to appease public discontent and pacify concerns that Italians would undermine the Anglo-Australian character of the population. While the Australian Census of 1921 recorded 8,135 Italians residing in the country, by 1930 another 30,000 had arrived. Between 1922 and 1930, 84% of Italian immigrants were men. In the years from 1931 and 1940, the proportion of female Italian migrants surged to 43% with many wives, girlfriends, mothers and sisters joining their families. The strong farming skills of many Italians led two-thirds to settle in rural Australia, working in agriculture, mining and railway-building projects. The

governo fece assumere le famiglie a datori di lavoro che parlavano inglese al prezzo di 30 sterline per 12 mesi. Ciononostante, il legame italiano prevalse e, per il 1882, la maggioranza dei rifugiati si era riunita formando il primo insediamento di italiani noto come “Nuova Italia” (oggi Woodburn) lungo il fiume Richmond, nel nord del Nuovo Galles del Sud. Chiamata inizialmente “La Cella Venezia”, la comunità prosperò in una terra abbandonata dai coloni britannici in quanto brulla e non fertile. Nel 1891, grazie alle notevoli abilità agrarie mostrate dalla comunità di Nuova Italia, il governo del Queensland acconsentì all’immigrazione assistita dall’Italia per superare la carenza di manodopera nel settore della canna da zucchero. Tuttavia, il governo insistette per gli italiani “più bianchi” delle aree a nord di Livorno per essere sicuro che si integrassero più facilmente nella comunità australiana prevalentemente bianca.

Anche in quel caso, i 300 piemontesi, lombardi e veneti furono l’ultima scelta per il governo, dopo che erano falliti i tentativi di recrutare immigrati britannici, tedeschi e scandinavi “più chiari”. Assieme ad immigrati attratti dalla corsa all’oro di Victoria e dell’Australia occidentale del 1850 e del 1890, la presenza italiana cominciò a fiorire in tutta l’Australia, prevalentemente nell’industria mineraria e della canna da zucchero. Nello stesso tempo, cominciò a nascere un risentimento verso gli italiani, da parte di molti australiani minacciati dalla volontà degli italiani di lavorare di più con una paga inferiore.

Porte blindate per America e Canada Per molti italiani in fuga dalla loro patria alla ricerca di migliori opportunità dopo la Seconda guerra mondiale, le restrizioni imposte all’immigrazione dagli Stati Uniti e dal Canada, li spinsero verso la terra australiana. L’America aveva drasticamente ridotto la propria accoglienza agli immigrati italiani e l’Immigration Act canadese del 1919 rifiutò gli immigrati dall’Italia in quanto nemica durante la Prima guerra mondiale. Il bisogno di manodopera dell’Australia evitò tali restrizioni estreme riguardo all’immigrazione. Tuttavia, il governo limitò l’emigrazione italiana al 2% degli arrivi di “bianchi” anglofoni per placare il malcontento pubblico e sedare le preoccupazioni secondo cui gli italiani minacciavano il carattere anglo-australiano della popolazione. Mentre il censimento australiano del 1921 riporta 8.135 italiani residenti nel paese, nel 1930 ne erano arrivati altri 30.000. Tra il 1922 e il 1930, l’84% degli immigrati italiani era costituito da uomini. Negli anni intercorsi tra il 1931 e il 1940, la

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ITALIAN AUSTRALIA remaining worked in the construction, food and garment industries in urban areas, with over half being self-employed. Nonetheless, the Australian community maintained a perception of the cultural inferiority of Italians as peasants who led primitive lifestyles. Continued hostilities towards the large number of Italian arrivals fuelled both the Fascist movement in Australia and the social segregation of Italians, which in turn encouraged further prejudice. Consequently, with the outbreak of the Second World War, over 4,700 Italians were interned across Australia as a threat to national security, with the largest number in Queensland followed by Western Australia.

Populate or perish The near invasion of Australia by Japan during the Second World War exposed the vulnerability of Australia’s defense and saw a major shift in policy from restricting migration to the “populate or perish” catch cry. Australia’s need for population growth and a lack of preferred immigrants from northern Europe encouraged the resumption of diplomatic relations with Italy and the consideration of Italian migrants. According to Baldassar, “post-war emigration was to be the major and most significant role Australia played in the history of the wider Italian diaspora.”

Italy became the major single source country of non-British migrants to Australia.

In particular, the introduction of the 1951 bilateral accord of the Assisted Migration Scheme facilitated huge numbers of Italian migration to Australia.

Between 1951 and 1968, around 42,000 Italians arrived under this accord on the condition that they took whatever work and accommodation was offered for a period of two years. The Assisted Migration Scheme, along with migration through family chains, saw the Italian-born population of Australia rise from 33,632 in 1947 to 120,000 in 1954. The population further expanded to 228,000 by 1961, reaching a peak of 289,476 by 1971. Unlike earlier periods of migration, the majority of post-war immigrants came from the southern parts of Italy including Sicily, Calabria, Abruzzo and Campania. As a result of this mass migration, Italian immigrants began to have a significant influence on Australian culture. A change in government in the 1970s saw a shift in immigration policies, embracing the idea of a multicultural Australia and finally recognizing the positive contribution of Italians to Australian society.

percentuale dell’immigrazione femminile dall’Italia salì al 43% con molte mogli, fidanzate e sorelle che si ricongiungevano con le proprie famiglie. Le grandi abilità agricole di molti italiani, ne spinse due terzi a insediarsi nell’Australia rurale, a lavorare nell’agricoltura, e nei progetti minerari e ferroviari. I restanti lavorarono nell’industria edile, della ristorazione e tessile delle aree urbane, con oltre la metà a lavorare in proprio. Ciononostante, la comunità australiana mantenne la propria percezione dell’inferiorità culturale degli italiani, visti come cafoni che conducevano uno stile di vita primitivo. Le continue ostilità verso il gran numero di arrivi di italiani fomentò sia il movimento fascista in Australia, che la segregazione sociale degli italiani, incoraggiando a turno ulteriori pregiudizi. Di conseguenza, con lo scoppio della Seconda guerra mondiale, oltre 4.700 italiani furono internati in tutta l’Australia in quanto minaccia alla sicurezza nazionale, con il numero maggiore nel Queensland seguito da quello dell’Australia occidentale.

Popolare o morire L’imminente invasione dell’Australia da parte del Giappone durante la Seconda guerra mondiale mise in evidenza la vulnerabilità della difesa australiana e registrò un grande passaggio dalla politica di restrizione all’immigrazione allo slogan “popolare o morire”. Il bisogno dell’Australia di una crescita demografica, e la carenza di immigrati preferibilmente dal nord Europa, incoraggiò la riapertura delle relazioni diplomatiche con l’Italia ed la considerazione verso gli immigrati italiani. Secondo Baldassar, “l’emigrazione post-bellica si è rivelata la parte rilevante e più significativa avuta dall’Australia nella storia di una più ampia emigrazione italiana”. L’Italia divenne la sola maggiore fonte di migranti non britannici verso l’Australia. In particolare, l’introduzione dell’accordo bilaterale sul Piano di Emigrazione Assistita del 1951 facilitò una quantità enorme di emigrazioni italiane in Australia.

Tra il 1951 e il 1956, circa 42.000 italiani arrivarono con questo accordo, a condizione che accettassero qualsiasi lavoro e sistemazione fossero offerti loro per un periodo di due anni. Il Piano di Emigrazione Assistita, assieme all’emigrazione basata sui rapporti familiari, vide la popolazione di nativi italiani in Australia salire da 33.632 nel 1947 a 120.000 nel 1954. La popolazione crebbe ulteriormente fino a 228.000 entro il 1961, raggiungendo un picco di 289.476 nel 1971. A differenza dei periodi migratori precedenti, la maggior parte degli immigrati del dopo guerra proveniva dalle zone meridionali dell’Italia, incluse Sicilia, Calabria, Abruzzo e Campania. Come risultato di questa emigrazione di massa, gli immigrati italiani cominciarono ad esercitare una notevole influenza sulla cultura australiana. Un cambiamento nel governo negli anni ’70 vide uno cambio direzionale nelle politiche sull’immigrazione, abbracciando l’idea di un’Australia multiculturale e riconoscendo infine il contributo positivo degli italiani alla società australiana.

The new Italian boom With almost 1 million Australians of Italian descent, Italians continue to represent the largest ancestry group in Australia apart from the UK, totalling 4.6% of the entire Australian population. While the large majority of Italian-born Australians live between New South Wales and Victoria (68.8%), significant numbers can also be found across South Australia, Western Australia and Queensland. More recently, the European economic crisis and downturn in the Italian economy is inspiring a new influx of Italians to Australia. From 2012-2013, more than 20,000 Italians Il boom di nuovi italiani arrived in Australia, exceeding Con quasi 1 milione di the number of Italians that australiani di discendenza arrived in 1950-1951 during the italiana, gli italiani continuano post-Second World War boom. a rappresentare il gruppo di From 2012-2013, almost 16,000 discendenza comune maggiore “working holiday” visas were in Australia a parte quello dal issued to Italian citizens Regno Unito, costituendo il between the ages of 18 and 30, 4.6% dell’intera popolazione up 66% from the previous year. australiana. Se la stragrande Antonio Caroli, from maggioranza degli australiani Italy’s Puglia region, moved to di origine italiana vive tra il Australia on his 12-month Nuovo Galles del Sud e working holiday visa in 2011 Victoria (68.8%), un numero and again in 2014. “For many significativo si trova anche young Italians, there’s a belief nell’Australia del sud, that you cannot dictate your nell’Australia occidentale e nel own future in Italy. We grow up Queensland. Più di recente, la with the idea of the “raccomancrisi economica europea e il dazione,” poorly paid jobs and declino dell’economia italiana New Italy Community c1917. Courtesy of the New Italy Museum Inc. the impossibility for young coustanno incoraggiando un ples to marry and buy a house,” he explains. “There’s this idea that Australia is a nuovo afflusso di italiani in Australia. Dal 2012 e il 2013, più di 20.000 italiani place where you can find a job and get rich and have a good life.” Whereas once sono arrivati in Australia, superando il numero di italiani arrivati nel 1950-1951 the Australian government was forced to open its doors to immigrants to survive, durante il boom del secondo dopo guerra. Tra il 2012-2013, circa 16.000 visti the tables have turned dramatically. With Australia now widely recognized as a “vacanza-lavoro” sono stati rilasciati a cittadini italiani di età compresa tra i 18 place of opportunity and economic stability, many from both Italy and across the e i 30 anni, il 66% in più rispetto all’anno precedente. world dream of immigrating to the Land Down Under. “It’s hard to get an employAntonio Caroli, dalla regione italiana della Puglia, si è trasferito in er to sponsor you to stay in Australia and Australian citizenship is practically Australia con il suo visto “vacanza-lavoro” di 12 mesi nel 2011 e di nuovo nel impossible,” says Caroli, who has since returned to Italy. However, for the many 2014. “Molti giovani italiani sono convinti che non sia possibile costruire un Italian pioneers who persevered through the early hardships of Australian life, the futuro in Italia. Cresciamo con l’idea della raccomandazione, dei lavori pagati gamble seems to have paid off. poco e dell’impossibilità per le giovani coppie di sposarsi e comprare casa” – 50

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ITALIAN AUSTRALIA (Seguito del pezzo in italiano...) spiega. “C’è questa convinzione che l’Australia sia il paese in cui puoi trovare un lavoro, diventare ricco e fare una bella vita”. Mentre una volta il governo australiano per sopravvivere è stato costretto ad aprire le proprie porte agli immigrati, la situazione si è ribaltata drasticamente. Essendo l’Australia adesso largamente vista come una terra di opportunità e stabilità economica, molti, sia dall’Italia che dal resto del mondo, sognano di emigrare in terra australiana. “È difficile trovare un datore di lavoro che ti sponsorizzi per farti rimanere in Australia ed ottenere la cittadinanza australiana è praticamente impossibile”, spiega Caroli, che è dunque tornato in Italia. Ad ogni modo, per molti pionieri italiani che hanno resistito attraverso le prime difficoltà della vita australiana, la scommessa sembra essere stata vinta.

Italian immigration in Australia 390,810 Italians emigrated to Australia between 1949 and 2000 Australia counts 916,121 people of Italian origin, totalling 4.6% of its total population

Main areas of Italian settlement Main cities National Capital Source: Australian Brureau of Statistics, 2011 Census.

"Immigration: Federation to Century's End 1901–2000" (PDF (64 PAGES)).

Department of Immigration and Multicultural Affairs. October 2001.

Mr and Mrs G. Fin. at the arrival of the Italian president Saragat at Sydney’s Mascot Airport, NSW 1967. Courtesy of the Fin family.

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Journey to the End of the World Viaggio ai confini del mondo Maggie Abou-Rizk

How Australia became home to In che modo l’Australia è diventata casa per oltre 250.000 italiani over 250,000 Italians after the dopo la Seconda guerra mondiale.

Second World War

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hen the Italian region of Pola, Istria (now Pula, Croatia) was handed over to the former Yugoslavia after the Second World War, Nello Bacchia, like many Italians, took what few possessions he could carry and left. Arriving in Monfalcone in search of work, he found his wife Livia, but not a sense of belonging. So when he saw assisted passages to North America and Australia advertised, Bacchia immediately signed up.

The tall and athletic young man dreamed of going to America to play basketball. However, destiny had other plans, and on April 18, 1950, he and his wife instead boarded a ship bound for Australia. “They ended up in Australia instead of America or Canada simply because there was availability on that ship first,” says daughter Barbara Davie.

The Bacchias arrived in Port Melbourne on May 12, 1950, but little did they know that the geographic location of the single room they rented would greatly contribute to their migration experience. Despite the large numbers of Italian immigrants moving to Melbourne – peaking at 121,000 in 1971 – the majority settled in the northern suburbs. For the Bacchias, the eastern suburb of Box Hill provided no sense of Italian community. “I felt different to others, but in a bad way,” says Davie. “To be different in those days was a reason to be teased and bullied. My parents spoke with a funny accent and I remember I was embarrassed to speak in Italian in public because people would stare.”

In 1970, while holidaying in Italy, a business opportunity presented itself and Nello Bacchia jumped at the chance to return to his homeland.

“Even after 20 years, my parents still didn’t feel Australian,” explains Davie.

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uando la regione di Pola, Istria (oggi Pula, Croazia) fu ceduta all’ex Jugoslavia dopo la Seconda guerra mondiale, Nello Bacchia, come molti italiani, prese con sé i pochi beni che poteva portare e partì. Arrivato a Monfalcone in cerca di lavoro, trovò sua moglie Livia, ma non un senso di appartenenza. Così, quando vide pubblicizzata l’emigrazione assistita per il Nord America e l’Australia, Bacchia fece richiesta. Il giovane alto ed atletico sognava di andare a giocare a pallacanestro in America. Tuttavia il destino aveva altri piani ed il 18 aprile 1950, lui e sua moglie si imbarcarono su una nave diretta in Australia. “Sono finiti in Australia invece che in America o Canada solo perché ci fu per prima disponibilità su quella nave” – dice la figlia Barbara Davie.

I Bacchia arrivarono al porto di Melbourne il 12 maggio 1950, senza ben sapere che la posizione geografica della stanza singola affittata avrebbe inciso fortemente sulla loro esperienza migratoria. Nonostante il gran numero di immigrati italiani trasferitisi a Melbourne – con un picco di 121.000 nel 1971 – la maggioranza si insediò nei sobborghi settentrionali. Per i Bacchia, il sobborgo di Box Hill, a Est, non dava la sensazione di comunità italiana. “Mi sentivo diversa dagli altri, ma in senso brutto” – dice Davie. “Essere diversi a quei tempi era un motivo per essere presi in giro e subire bullismo. I miei genitori parlavano con un accento strano e ricordo che mi imbarazzava parlare in italiano in pubblico perché la gente fissava.”

Nel 1970, mentre erano in vacanza in Italia, si presentò un’opportunità di lavoro e Nello Bacchia colse l’occasione al volo per tornare nella sua patria.

“Persino 20 anni dopo, i miei genitori non si sentivano ancora australiani” – spiega Davie. Nonostante questa convinzione, la famiglia resistette solo due anni prima

ITALIAN AUSTRALIA Despite this belief, the family survived only two years before deciding to return to Australia. “Living in a cramped Italian-style apartment, struggling with business opportunities and the unstable political landscape were too much to handle,” says Davie. This time, it was Livia that insisted they return to Australia. “Things are different when you arrive in a new country, but when you go back to your roots, people and things have also changed,” explains Davie. Her father, feeling neither Italian nor Australian, would often say “non siamo né carne né pesce.”

However, over time, his fondness for Australia grew. “He didn’t like the concept of the ‘bella figura’ and liked that in Australia no one cared what you wore or how you looked – it was more about who you were,” says Davie.

“And he thanked my mum to his dying days for making him return because he thought that the Italian economic and political situation would have been impossible to deal with.” In fact, in 2000, on the 50th anniversary of his arrival at the end of the world, Bacchia used the local newspaper to publically declare his appreciation for Australia and the opportunities it had provided to him and his family. In the days to follow, he received bittersweet responses from the Australian public acknowledging the positive contribution of Italian culture, traditions and food to Australian society. At the time of his passing in 2012, Bacchia had truly embraced Australia as his home.

Despite a difficult beginning, Marianna Faro also has no regrets about moving to Australia. “It was tough at the start but it was all worth it,” she says. She and her husband Camelo, who both hail from Sicily’s San Fillipo D’Agira, made the move to Australia because of necessity as opposed to big dreams. “I knew nothing about Australia before I immigrated,” says Faro, “but things were so hard in Catania that we were willing to try it for better or worse.” In 1962, 10 months after her husband had left for Sydney, Faro followed suit with their six-year-old daughter Rosalia (Lea) in tow. “We arrived in Sydney by ship and moved into one room in a house which we rented for two and a half years. The first few years were very hard,” explains Faro. “We had to repay the travel fares, plus pay rent and save a deposit for our own house.” She began working as a machinist, earning 2 pounds sterling (CAD$3) per week. “In the beginning, I had no idea how to use an electric sewing machine. Once I accidentally sewed over my finger, but quickly wrapped it in bandages and pretended nothing had happened so I wouldn’t lose my job.”

di decidere di ritornare in Australia. “Vivere in un appartamento angusto all’italiana, con le difficoltà delle opportunità di lavoro e una situazione politica instabile era troppo da gestire” – dice Davie. Questa volta, fu Livia ad insistere per ritornare in Australia. “Le cose sono diverse quando arrivi in un paese nuovo, ma quando ritorni alle tue origini, anche le persone e le cose sono cambiate” – spiega Davie.

Suo padre, non sentendosi né italiano né australiano, diceva spesso: “non siamo né carne né pesce.”

Faro Family, circa 1980s

Tuttavia, il suo affetto per l’Australia crebbe con il tempo. “Non gli piaceva il concetto di “fare bella figura” e gli piaceva che in Australia non importasse a nessuno di cosa uno indossasse o di come sembrasse, ci si preoccupava di più di come uno fosse” – afferma Davie. “Ha ringraziato mia mamma fino alla fine per averlo fatto ritornare poiché riteneva che la situazione economica e politica dell’Italia sarebbe stata impossibile da gestire”. Di fatto, nel 2000, per il 50esimo anniversario del suo arrivo ai confini del mondo, Bacchia ha usato il giornale locale per dichiarare pubblicamente la sua riconoscenza verso l’Australia e le opportunità che questa aveva offerto sia a lui che alla sua famiglia. Nei giorni seguenti, ha ricevuto risposte dolci amare dal pubblico australiano il quale riconosceva il contributo

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Bacchia Family, circa 1960s

As the eldest of eight children, Faro also struggled with being away from her family. “I would only receive one letter a month from them. Even when we eventually got a phone, it was too expensive to call!”

But the language barrier posed the biggest problem for Faro. “These days you have huge supermarkets where you can find everything. You just see it and buy it. Back in those days, you needed to ask for things. I didn’t speak English so I used to mime with my hands and then say yes or no as the cashier would try to guess by showing me different products.”

Even then, Italian ingredients weren’t readily accessible. “We had to make almost everything ourselves,” explains Faro, “pasta, bread, biscotti, salami, tomato paste, wine and grappa.” However, the absence of Italian foods ensured that the tradition of Italian cooking would be passed down through the Faro family.

Faro’s daughter Lea recalls, “We used to have to take a day off school once a year to help make tomato passata, and the tradition still continues!”

The four Faro children also distinctly remember their father’s prized vegetable garden. “There was barely any space to run around with most of the backyard being occupied by tomatoes, cucumbers, chilli, spinach, artichokes and zucchini,” says Lea. So impressive was their Italian vegetable garden that it eventually won an award from the local city council. Lea fondly notes that her father, who passed away in 1999, created an efficient and impressive system. “He developed numerous contraptions to ensure that his garden was always well watered including connecting the water off-run from the washing machine in the laundry.”

However, the comfort of Italian food at home translated to racism in the schoolyard for Lea. “The other schoolkids would tease me for having Italian bread filled with things like mortadella and salami for lunch. They’d laugh and call me names like ‘dago’ and ‘wog’ and tell me to go back to my own country,” she says. Fortunately, the Faro’s following three children would not have to endure the same fate. Over the space of one short decade, the view towards Italian immigrants would change dramatically. With the concept of multiculturalism being embraced across Australia, diverse cultures were seen as a positive influence on the nation. “I don’t remember experiencing racism at all,” says Lea’s sister Grace Savoldi, who attended school 10 years after her older sibling.

Reflecting on her decision and the struggles endured by her family, Marianna Faro has no regrets about migrating to Australia. “I’ve got all my family and I see them happy and that makes me happy,” she says, surrounded by four generations of Italian-Australians in her Sydney backyard.

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positivo apportato dalla cultura, dalle tradizioni e dalla cucina italiana alla società australiana. Al momento della sua dipartita nel 2012, Bacchia aveva davvero accettato l’Australia come la sua casa.

Nonostante l’inizio difficile, anche Marianna Faro non rimpiange di essersi trasferita in Australia. “È stata dura all’inizio ma ne è valsa la pena” – dice. Lei e suo marito Carmelo, entrambi originari di San Filippo D’Agira in Sicilia, si trasferirono in Australia per necessità, più che per grandi sogni. “Non sapevo nulla dell’Australia prima di emigrare” – dice Faro – “ma le cose erano così difficili a Catania che eravamo disposti a provarci nel bene e nel male”. Nel 1962, 10 mesi dopo che suo marito era partito per Sydney, Faro fece lo stesso, con la loro figlia di sei anni, Rosalia (Lea), al seguito.

“Siamo arrivati a Sydney in nave e ci siamo trasferiti in una stanza di una casa che affittammo per due anni e mezzo. I primi anni furono davvero duri” – spiega Faro. “Dovevamo ripagare il costo del viaggio, in più pagare l’affitto e raccogliere i soldi della caparra per una casa nostra”. Cominciò a lavorare come macchinista, guadagnando 2 sterline (3$ canadesi) a settimana. “All’inizio, non avevo idea di come utilizzare una macchina da cucire elettrica. Una volta accidentalmente mi sono cucita il dito, ma immediatamente l’ho avvolto in una benda fingendo che nulla fosse successo per non perdere il mio lavoro.”

Essendo la maggiore di otto figli, Faro inoltre ebbe difficoltà a stare lontana dalla propria famiglia. “Ricevevo solo una lettera al mese da loro. Anche quando alla fine avevamo un telefono, costava troppo chiamare!”

Ma furono le barriere linguistiche a rappresentare il problema più grande per Faro. “Oggigiorno ci sono supermercati enormi dove puoi trovare di tutto.

Semplicemente vedi e compri. A quei tempi, le cose le dovevi chiedere. Non parlavo inglese per cui mimavo con le mani e poi dicevo sì o no al cassiere che nel frattempo cercava di indovinare mostrandomi diversi prodotti”.

Inoltre allora gli ingredienti italiani non erano facilmente reperibili.

“Dovevamo farci quasi tutto da soli” – spiega Faro – “pasta, pane, biscotti, salame, concentrato di pomodoro, vino e grappa”. Tuttavia, l’assenza di cibi italiani ha fatto si che la tradizione culinaria italiana fosse tramandata all’interno della famiglia Faro.

La figlia dei Faro, Lea, ricorda: “Ci prendevamo un giorno di vacanza da scuola una volta l’anno per aiutare a preparare la passata di pomodoro e la tradizione continua ancora!”

Inoltre i quattro figli dei Faro ricordano distintamente il prezioso orto del padre. “C’era appena spazio per correre tutt’intorno, giacché gran parte del giardino era occupata da pomodori, cetrioli, peperoncino, spinaci, carciofi e zucchini”, dice Lea. Il loro orto italiano era talmente notevole che vinse un premio da parte del consiglio cittadino locale. Lea sottolinea con affetto che suo padre, spirato nel 1999, aveva creato un sistema ragguardevole ed efficiente. “Aveva sviluppato numerosi congegni per assicurarsi che il suo orto fosse sempre ben irrigato, tra i quali quello di connettersi allo scarico dell’acqua della lavatrice in lavanderia”.

Tuttavia, la comodità del cibo italiano a casa, per Lea, si traduceva in razzismo nel cortile della scuola. “Gli altri compagni di scuola mi prendevano in giro per il fatto di mangiare per pranzo pane italiano imbottito con cose tipo mortadella e salame. Ridevano e mi chiamavano con appellativi tipo “dago” e “wog” e mi dicevano di tornarmene al mio paese” – dice.

Per fortuna, gli altri tre figli dei Faro non hanno dovuto subire lo stesso destino. Nel breve arco di un decennio, la considerazione verso gli immigrati italiani cambiò radicalmente. Grazie al concetto di multiculturalismo accolto in tutta l’Australia, le diverse culture furono viste come un’influenza positiva per il paese.

“Non ricordo per nulla di aver subito razzismo” – dice la sorella minore di Lea, Grace Savoldi, la quale frequentò la scuola dieci anni dopo la sorella maggiore.

Riflettendo sulla sua decisione e le difficoltà affrontate dalla propria famiglia, Marianna Faro non ha rimpianti riguardo all’emigrazione in Australia. “Ho tutta la mia famiglia, li vedo felici e questo mi rende felice” – dice, circondata da quattro generazioni di italo-australiani nel suo giardino di Sydney.

Faro Family, today

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reproduced with the permission of the City of Melbourne

The Little Italies Down Under

Discover three places in Australia that make you feel Italian

By Maggie Abou-Rizk Lygon Street, Carlton, Victoria in teaching the Italian language, retaining the culture, and providing communihen the 2014 World Pizza Championships were held in Parma, ty services to local Italians. “While we’re no longer meeting Italian immigrants Italy, no one would have guessed that the title of world’s best at ports with welcome hampers, we still play an important role, particularly in margherita pizza would go to Australian chef Johnny Di aged care services for the many Italian-born immigrants living in the area,” says Francesco, from a little pizzeria on Lygon Street called 400 Gradi. Francesco’s Thomas Comporeale, general manager of Co.As.It. “Although traditionally prize-winning pizza, which beat out more than 600 competitors from 35 Italian families take care of their grandparents, that becomes really hard in a countries, was a reminder to the world of Australia’s strong retention of the place like Sydney, which is so big and where children have moved away from the Italian culture since the mass-migration of the 1950s. “I have Italian cousins area, ” he explains.

Despite this trend, Comporeale still believes Norton Street that migrated to America and Brazil and I think the Italian-Australians, parretains its title as Sydney’s Little Italy. “It remains the symbolic home of the ticularly here in Melbourne, have held onto the Italian culture a lot more,” Italian community.

The nostalgia that’s associated with it brings Italians back says Angelo Pricoli, director of the 2013 documentary Lygon Street, si parla here for a coffee or to buy their groceries and to reconnect with their past.” italiano. The film, which has screened at international film festivals in both Italy and Canada, focuses on Australia’s most famous Little Italy and its influFremantle, Perth, Western Australia ence on Australian culture. “Lygon Street very quickly grew as the meeting Fremantle’s Little Italy place for Italian immigrants. There was a need for them to feel at home and grew out of the huge numsoon little Italian restaurants, barbers and cafés started to emerge,” explains ber of Italian immigrants Pricoli. When Australia’s first coffee machine was installed in Lygon Street in arriving from the coastal the 1950s to the delight of the Italians, many Australians remained suspicious. regions of Molfetta, in “To them it looked like a nuclear reactor,” says Pricoli. Nowadays, Lygon Puglia, and Sicily’s Capo Street continues to buzz with the sounds and smells of Italy. “It’s still the D’Orlando.

Coming from Italian headquarters of Australia,” notes Giancarlo Caprioli, owner of the fishing communities, the University Café, Lygon Street’s oldest café. “People still come to have their Italian migrants are widely morning coffee, reminisce about the past, and enjoy typical Italian dishes.” recognized for pioneering the multi-million dollar Norton Street, Sydney, New South Wales (NSW) fishing industry in the Every October, around 125,000 people converge on Sydney’s Little Italy to region.

“Their contribucelebrate the one-day Norton Street Italian Festa. Considered Australia’s largest tion was so great that a community festival, the event overflows with stalls offering Italian produce, bronze artwork called the cooking demonstrations from both Italian professionals and local nonnas, as Fisherman’s Memorial was well as Sydney’s largest collection of vintage and contemporary Italian-made erected in their memory cars. Throughout the rest of the year, Norton Street maintains its Italian flavour along the harbour in 2005,” Fremantle Madonna Di Martiri most visibly through the 12,000 square metre Italian Forum. Built in the says John Alberti, Vicearchitecture and style of a traPresident of the Italian Club Fremantle. However, the Italian contribution to fishditional Italian piazza, the ing is most evident in the tradition of the annual Blessing of the Fleet. Since its Forum houses numerous introduction in 1948, the event involves the procession of two statues of the Virgin Italian restaurants and cafés, Mary, one of which was donated by the town of Capo d’Orlando, from the local an Italian bookstore, boubasilica to the waterfront.

The statues are taken aboard fishing boats that lap the tiques, and of course, a huge harbour while the archbishop performs a blessing for a bountiful year and the safe fountain as its centrepiece. Yet return of the fishermen.

Running for 67 years, the ancient Catholic tradition draws Norton Street’s most notable thousands of people to Fremantle’s shores and has previously attracted the likes of advocate of the Italian culture the Australian Prime Minister.

Yet Fremantle’s Little Italy is known for more than does not come in the form of its fishing influence.

In the town centre, the “cappuccino strip” is famed for its restaurants or festivals. excellent coffee, alfresco dining areas, and as a place for locals to meet to catch up Established in 1968, Co.As.It on the news.

“Times have definitely changed, ” says Alberti, “but you can still get (Comitato Assistenza Italiani) great, authentic Italian food at these restaurants. ” continues to play a pivotal role

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Reproduced with the permission of The Italian Club Fremantle

Reproduced with the permission of Leichhardt Library Service

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Australia

Il nuovo El Dorado dell’immigrazione italiana?

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Claudia Buscemi Prestigiacomo

econdo un rapporto stilato da Michele Grigoletti e Silvia Pianelli di Australia Solo Andata – gruppo di ricerca con sede a Melbourne – nel giugno del 2014, 20.920 italiani erano in Australia con un permesso temporaneo. In 16.045 possedevano un Working Holiday Visa, il 163% in più rispetto al giugno del 2011. Un altro dato sorprendente rivela che “il fenomeno migratorio che ha visto arrivare in Australia più di 20.000 giovani italiani, supera da 2 anni la quota di italiani emigrati in Australia nel 1950-51”. È davvero un’ondata migratoria?

Il Working Holiday Visa non garantisce la residenza permanente. È infatti un permesso di studio-lavoro temporaneo per giovani residenti in Italia, tra i 18 e i 31 anni, desiderosi di fare un’esperienza internazionale lavorando. Vale un anno, ed è rinnovabile se si lavora per almeno 88 giorni nelle fattorie delle zone rurali. Seppur il Canada offra lo stesso visto, le differenze sono notevoli. Per esempio, nel 2014 il Canada ha rilasciato solo 1.000 visti (una cifra quindici volte inferiore a quella dell’Australia) e il visto dura solo sei mesi.

Chi vuole trasferirsi in modo definitivo avrebbe altre opzioni, con processi selettivi più rigidi (studi, esperienza lavorativa, conoscenza della lingua). Seppur in molti pensino che il Working Holiday Visa favorisca una futuro trasferimento definitivo, la delusione purtroppo non tarda ad arrivare e solo il 2% circa di chi arriva rimane nella terra dei canguri.

Chi parte per l’Australia? “È difficile identificare un profilo. Ogni persona ha la sua storia” – spiega Ilaria Gianfagna di Just Australia, agenzia con base a Melbourne e attiva su tutto il territorio australiano, nata nel 2014 con l’obiettivo di aiutare chi vuole trasferirsi a 16.000 km di distanza dall’Italia. “A differenza di quanto accadeva in passato” – continua – “bisogna veramente emergere, conoscere bene la lingua e avere una professione in mano, nonché anni di studio e di lavoro comprovabile. In molti partono e purtroppo in pochi rimangono...” Evidentemente, tra il dire e il fare c’è di mezzo il mare. Non solo metaforicamente. “Cervelli in fuga” e crisi economica?

“Avevo già vissuto all’estero e l’Australia sembrava una meta diversa dall’Europa. È un altro mondo, sotto tanti punti di vista. Sia io che Stefano (partner di Just Australia, n.d.r.) non siamo partiti arrabbiati o delusi dall’Italia, come spesso succede [...]. Avevamo un buon lavoro e una vita avviata a Udine” – racconta Ilaria.

Come loro, molti partono solo spinti dal desiderio di cambiamento, dalla voglia di mettersi alla prova. Riscoprirsi, confermare che “tutto il mondo è paese”, ovvero dimostrare con la propria esperienza il contrario.

Oltre a giovanissimi che vogliono imparare l’inglese e neolaureati partiti subito dopo gli studi, Ilaria sottolinea che “sorprendentemente, ci sono famiglie 56

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intere che partono e spesso sono quelle che ce la fanno, forse perché la posta in gioco è più alta”. È probabile che, avventurandosi con i figli, si avverta l’urgenza di riuscire e di dare un senso al distacco da nonni, zii e cugini che purtroppo s’impone loro. La responsabilità e l’obbligo morale nei loro confronti possono rivelarsi tanto motivanti, quanto devastanti.

Ci si rimette in gioco aspettando risultati che, talvolta, si fanno attendere.

Serve un buon equilibrio tra ambizioni personali e prospettive reali. Come ben spiega Ilaria: “È facile perdersi d’animo così lontani dagli affetti e da casa, però chi è determinato, disposto a ricominciare, ad imparare e a lavorare duro, di solito ce la fa...”

Filippo Ciancimino, direttore vendite nel mondo della nautica, ha lasciato la Sicilia nel 2004, per migliorare il proprio inglese e cercare d’inserirsi in un nuovo ambiente. “Il sistema italiano corrotto e senza futuro mi spinse a trasferirmi a Melbourne. La voglia di ricominciare mi diede il coraggio di avventurarmi in un paese così lontano e all’apparenza così diverso” – spiega.

Il suo impatto con l’Australia è stato positivo. “È facile abituarsi in un paese la cui coscienza civile è elevata” – racconta – “Feci immediatamente amicizia con persone eccezionali, che hanno reso il mio inserimento qui molto più semplice.”

Una storia di successo, fatta di traguardi, qualche rinuncia e tanti progetti.

“Non avevo piani quando ho lasciato l’Italia. Tutto si è evoluto qui. La cosa più difficile è stata allontanarmi dalla famiglia e dagli amici. Qui mi sono sposato e ho raggiunto obiettivi lavorativi che non mi sarei sognato di raggiungere...”

Tra ieri ed oggi, Ilaria spiega che, secondo molti italiani della vecchia generazione, prima “era tutto molto più semplice, se non altro dal punto di vista lavorativo”. Immagineremmo il contrario nell’era della globalizzazione, di Internet e dell’inglese studiato a scuola.

Il suocero di Filippo ancora bambino arrivò a fare tre lavori contemporaneamente. Insieme si forgiava un paese nuovo, costruendo anche il proprio futuro. Come in Canada, il tenore di vita di molti italiani di seconda e terza generazione dimostra che i predecessori hanno abbondantemente raggiunto i loro obiettivi.

Il permesso studio-lavoro, e in particolare l’esperienza in fattoria, hanno recentemente suscitato scalpore, per una serie di articoli di denuncia del Corriere della Sera ed altri quotidiani. Si parlava di “nuovi schiavi italiani” e di abusi. Poco dopo, le stesse testate hanno dato voce a chi in fattoria aveva fatto, invece, un’esperienza illuminante. Ci si chiede se ne valga la pena. Da alcune interviste raccolte da Grigoletti e Pianelli per un progetto in collaborazione con la Fondazione Migrantes, “88 Giorni”, sembrerebbe di sì. Più che un’ emigrazione, tuttavia, il fenomeno ricorda un’iniziazione. Un viaggio di scoperta e crescita che comunque cambia per sempre.

ITALIAN AUSTRALIA

Common Ground “We speaka good English in Australia and Canada”

W

By Rita Simonetta

hat’s the best way for an Italian-Australian to get to Canada? A first or second generation Italian-Australian (and a sprinkling of the third generation who grew up with nonni) might likely dole out the following advice (in an Australian accent, of course): “It’s going to be a heck of a long viaggio and the ticchetta won’t be cippe, but if you’re smarto, you better go to the storo to buy your agida medication because if your agida acts up on that bloody long flight, you won’t be api. Oh, and airplane food is no good, but don’t worry, try to sneak in a sangawich that nonna made for you.”

Sound familiar, eh? Now ask an Italian-Canadian his or her advice for getting Down Under. Whether he or she hails from Toronto, Hamilton, Vaughan, LaSalle or Saint-Leonard (and any other part of Canada with a sizeable Italian population), those idiosyncratic expressions that merge Italian and English will largely be the same. “It’s something that came out of the contact between particular groups of speakers that did not have knowledge of English,” explains Associate Professor Antonia Rubino of the Department of Italian Studies at the University of Sydney in Australia.

Italians in Canada refer to it as “Italiese,” while Italians in Australia have coined it “Italo-Australian.” “A discussion about Italo-Australian came to the forefront in the early 1980s,” says Rubino. “The phenomenon was wellresearched and a dictionary was even created.”

So although Australia and Canada are half a world away (Sydney, Australia, for instance, is 14 hours ahead of Toronto and Montreal), the two countries share striking parallels when it comes to how we speak. And that’s a reflection of the cultural links between the two Italian communities. The peak of Italian immigration to Australia was in the 1950s and 1960s; the same is true in Canada, with Italian-Australians now in their third and fourth generations – a mirror to the situation among Italian-Canadians.

Moreover, the largest wave of Italian immigrants to Australia came from southern regions such as Sicily, Calabria, and Campania, in addition to Abruzzo, Molise and Veneto. It’s a similar situation in Canada with most Italian-Canadians tracing their roots to Calabria and Sicily, in addition to Abruzzo, Molise and Friuli.

These similarities in migration have created a synergy when it comes to styles of speaking. It’s one of the elements that made Italian-Australian

comedian Joe Avati a hit in Canada when he first burst on the scene 15 years ago with his stories of Italian-Australians (particularly the first generation of nonnos and nonnas) navigating through life in an English environment.

And the jokes and observational experiences were always anchored on the use of language, namely the mix of Italian and English, which often led to confusion and misunderstanding for the non-initiated. “We all used to talk like that,” says Avati, 41. “We definitely knew it was something we had invented.”

The comedian, who was raised in a large Italian neighbourhood in Sydney and now calls Melbourne home, says that these experiences are still relevant today.

He points out that he often notices multi-generations of fans at his concerts, including young people who have discovered his stand-up through social media. “The third generation who have grown up with their nonni can relate,” he says.

But Rubino points out that this linguistic melting pot shared among Italian-Canadians and Italian-Australians does have an expiry date. “It’s a transitional phase,” she says, adding that as the first generation of Italians in both countries pass on, the hybrid words that were often the source of much bemusement will also disappear. The third and fourth generations, who are now firmly entrenched in their respective countries, will no longer have any need to use them.

But as one door closes, another opens with a renewed interest in dialect, which is something that Rubino says she is noticing more among second and third generations of Italian-Australians.

Rubino, who was born and raised in Sicily, has focused on the enduring importance of dialects in her book Trilingual Talk in Sicilian-Australian Migrant Families, and explains that “there is an emotional attachment because dialect is the family language and the second and third generations identify it with their nonni.”

But the unlikely marriage between Italian and English in both countries is not gone yet, much to the delight of Joe Avati and millions of Italians in Australia as well as Canada who run errands at the “storo” and tend to their gardens in the “backyarda.” “It’s our own little language,” Avati says. “It gives us a sense of identity.”

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ARTS & CULTURE

A Writer’s

Life Photo by Rafy

Nino Ricci on his new novel and the creative process

By Sarah Mastroianni

At

the outset of his career, Nino Ricci, who was born in Leamington, Ontario, to Molisan parents, didn’t want to be known as an “Italian-Canadian writer.” “It was the last thing I wanted,” he says, because he feared he would “end up in some little category” and because, at the time, “as an ethnic writer it was very hard to be heard.” A Trillium Award, two Governor General Awards for Fiction, and a whole host of other recognition later, it’s safe to say that Nino Ricci has had no problem making himself heard.

Ricci didn’t start out wanting to be a writer, however.

“Initially, I wanted to be a priest,” he admits. “But already by the third or fourth grade I had a reputation for being a reader and also a writer. I wrote stories.”

Earning his first Governor General’s Award for Fiction for his 1991 breakout novel, Lives of the Saints, Ricci’s career as a writer and teacher hit the ground running. “I’ve been incredibly fortunate and privileged as a writer,” Ricci says. “It’s very rare that you get to follow your dream and do exactly what you want in life, and I’ve mostly been able to do that.”

Since the success of Lives of the Saints, he has published four more novels, two non-fiction books, and has taught writing and been the writer-in-residence at a variety of institutions, most recently at the University of Toronto Scarborough. “[Teaching] is the one job my résumé qualifies me for,” says Ricci. “I love being with the students and it’s the one thing that gets me out in the world.”

But dedicating some time to teaching hasn’t stopped him from writing.

The author’s newest novel, Sleep, hits bookstores on September 22. In it, Ricci recounts the story of David Pace, an Italian-Canadian professor and writer who finds himself on a collision course after he is diagnosed with a sleep disorder. The novel follows David in his increasingly difficult and dangerous struggle to both literally stay awake, but also live his life in a state of engaged wakefulness – a challenge that in this day and age, according to Ricci, many people face.

If there seem to be some cursory similarities between Ricci and his newest protagonist, it’s because there are. When asked where the idea for Sleep 58

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came from, he answers: “It was a combination of different things,” citing, among other things, the difficult life writers face and his own frustration with the book world.

Additionally, “I had been diagnosed with this mild sleep disorder,” he explains, “and it got me thinking about sleep and some of the metaphorical senses of being asleep. There’s the sleep of life that so many people lead, the increasing need for outrageous stimulation.”

Fans of Ricci’s know that most of his previous work has an historical aspect to it; but not so with Sleep, which is set in the present day. This latest work is the fruit of his desire to “write something contemporary” and “capture something about how we’re living today.”

But he’s quick to point out that despite his ideas and planning, “Most books are not a matter of choice, really.” He likens his ideas to seeds growing into plants. “They might be weeds – you don’t know – but the only way to get rid of them is by writing them. Sometimes it’s a way of getting to the next book.”

And getting to the next book is exactly what he’s done.

“I’ve already started on another novel,” Ricci notes.

Although he won’t reveal what it’s about, he says he hopes to finish a draft of it soon. “It’s good to have something on the go when you have something else coming out,” he says.

But does his work leave much time for anything other than writing? Ricci admits that it doesn’t. “When I think of my non-writing activities, they’re ones that revolve around my family,” he explains, “like taking my son fencing and going on vacation.”

He and his wife, Erika de Vasconcelos, who is also a writer, have three children. “We try and do a big summer vacation every year, go to Europe every second year to get some culture. I enjoy going to Molise because it’s untouristed. It’s great food and great weather,” Ricci says. “I love going back to my home region whenever I can.”

When asked about his plans for the future, “I’d like to retire for a while,” is Ricci’s answer. In the next breath, however, the author pushes that idea aside. “But I have about 15 or 20 writing projects sort of sketched out,” he admits. “This lifetime won’t be enough to finish them all.”

EVENTS

Castello Italia Guests gathered at the second annual Castello Italia event on May 31 to celebrate Italian culture in grand style. Held at the historic Casa Loma in Toronto, the occasion kicked off Italian Heritage Month in Ontario and showcased delectable cuisine, aromatic wines, art exhibits and automotive displays. The event, which was a collaboration between

By Romina Monaco Nick Di Donato of the Liberty Entertainment Group and a large number of Italian-Canadian organizations, also raised proceeds benefiting Italian language education.

“I’m very happy that it was another successful and memorable year. It was a team effort that made this possible and I really enjoyed working with all the Italian organizations as well as Castello Italia co-chairs, Nick Di Donato and Giuseppe Pastorelli,” said organizer and National Congress of Italian Canadians past president, Fabio Gesufatto.

Pastorelli, Consul General of Italy, not only volunteered his time but was also joined by Toronto Mayor John Tory, Minister Steven Del Duca, and countless other dignitaries in publicly expressing their gratitude to the ItalianCanadian community and drawing attention to their many contributions.

The fun-filled afternoon featured live musical entertainment. “Every performer we had this year was outstanding, especially Arianna Bergamaschi who came to Canada exclusively for this event,” explained Gesufatto. An Italian singer, actress and television presenter, Bergamaschi voiced her admiration of the Italian-Canadian community and its continuous efforts to pass down its

Arianna Bergamaschi

legacy. “When I’m here I feel more Italian than I do when I’m back at home,” she readily admitted to audience members. Another superstar on-hand signing autographs and snapping photos for frenzied fans was Toronto FC soccer player Sebastian Giovinco.

Vaughan City Hall and Queen’s Park Salute Italian Heritage Month It was a double celebration when crowds gathered in June to kick off Italian Heritage Month in Ontario and help raise the Italian flag in tribute to Italy’s Festa Della Repubblica. The ceremonies, which were organized by the National Congress of Italian Canadians - Toronto District, were held at Vaughan City Hall and Queen’s Park to acknowledge the important contributions made by Italian-Canadians.

Vaughan hosted the flag-raising on June 1 with council members, Consul General of Italy Giuseppe Pastorelli, and Vaughan Mayor Maurizio Bevilacqua, who reminisced about his youth as an immigrant boy arriving from Abruzzo with his family in 1970.

The next day, MPP Laura Albanese and members of the Ontario Legislature gathered to hoist the flag outside of Queen’s Park. “Thank you for helping us build a great province. Grazie,” said Speaker of the House Dave Levac, who recalled his past career in education when he taught many students of Italian background.

Ontario Premier Kathleen Wynne recited the names of numerous ItalianCanadian officials in order to illustrate the community’s representation at various levels of government. She also spoke of the Italian-Canadian “spirit and zest for life.”

Also on hand at Queen’s Park was Consul General of Italy, Giuseppe Pastorelli, who described Italian-Canadians as a “broad and resilient community.”

The fanfare included Alpine and Bersaglieri military troops parading in a show of solidarity as well as a ceremonial cake-cutting and traditional food for all to enjoy.

Ordine al Merito & Youth Achievement Awards

Award recipients Matthew Efthimiadis, Louie Santaguida, and Gina Valle.

Italian-Canadians across the GTA gathered in Vaughan to honour their very own at the 27th Annual Ordine al Merito & Youth Achievement Awards. The gala dinner, which was hosted by the National Congress of Italian Canadians - Toronto District (NCIC) and held May 29, praised the achievements and philanthropic contributions made by community members. Receiving the evening’s first Ordine al Merito was Diversity Matters founder, Gina Valle. By creating this important organization, Valle has managed to raise awareness of the challenges associated with living in a multicultural society. Valle also speaks several languages and holds a PhD in Teacher Education & Multicultural studies from the University of Toronto.

Developer Louie Santaguida was recognized by the NCIC for his tireless efforts regarding green technology. Not only is this community leader dedicated to minimizing the impact of carbon footprints on the environment, he also uses his resources to enhance the lives of those less fortunate. His support extends to homeless youth at Covenant House as well as donations to the Hospital for Sick Children. Meanwhile, honoured with the Youth Achievement Award was UOIT engineering student, Matthew Efthimiades. This rising star of Greek and Italian origin is active in the Italian community of Oshawa and has organized anti-bullying initiatives, community food drives, environmental conferences and coaches youth soccer.

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EVENTS

ICCO Business Excellence Awards

ICFF Film Festival

Photo by Life Through a Lens

Photo by Alberto Diamante

Showcasing the best in Italian cinema at selected Ontario and Quebec theatres was the much-anticipated Italian Contemporary Film Festival (ICFF).

Held June 11-19, the festival, which is only in its fourth edition, has grown leaps and bounds, attracting a record-breaking audience of 29,000 people.

“Attendance numbers have increased a lot and the films were really loved by audiences,” said Artistic Director Cristiano De Florentiis, who, along with Managing Director Maurizio Magnifico, founded and launched ICFF in Toronto with an understanding that there was an appetite for Italian film in Canada. “Most of the Italian community had a nostalgic relationship with Italy, but not a modern one. We wanted to do something that was mainstream and a sharing of today's culture. Toronto is also a city with a big Italian component and one that loves film,” he further explained.

Considered the largest of its kind and recognized internationally, the festival screens feature films, documentaries and shorts while commemorating noted individuals in the movie industry. On hand to receive ICFF’s People’s Choice Award for best picture was Noi e la Giulia director Edoardo Leo. Also in attendance were legendary actors Roberto Benigni and Nicoletta Braschi, who were honoured with Lifetime Achievement Awards at Toronto’s Roy Thompson Hall. “Benigni was fantastic,” said an elated De Florentiis. “He was happy and honoured. It was the first time he’s ever accepted a retrospective on his career and he did it here at the ICFF.”

Left to right - Claudia Barbiero (ICCO Italy Office Manager), Giorgio Tinelli (ICCO Interim Director of Trade), Tiziana Tedesco (ICCO Interim Executive Director), Tony Cipriani (ICCO Office Manager), Faria Hoque (ICCO Membership & Business Development Officer), Claudia Romeo (ICCO Intern), Julia Kats (ICCO BEA Assistant), Simone Orioli (ICCO Intern) Sam Ciccolini (BEA 2015 Master of Ceremonies), and George Visintin (ICCO President)

Prominent business, political and cultural leaders gathered in Toronto for the Italian Chamber of Commerce of Ontario’s (ICCO) 13th Annual Business Excellence Awards. The gala dinner, which was held May 21, honoured the most outstanding and innovative leaders in the business community.

“I was not expecting this. My work and what I do come naturally to me. You don’t do all of this for recognition. You do it because it’s part of who you are,” said ICCO Community Building Award recipient, Domenic Meffe. As founder and president of the Monte Carlo Inns hotel chain, Meffe is also known for his extensive charity work including his commitment to preserving Italian culture through various art and literary mediums. “When we build a hotel in a city, it’s important to us that we get involved at every level of that community,” he explained.

Other recipients included Carlo Baldassarra (Greenpark Group of Companies), John Nalli (People Store Staffing Solutions Inc.), Dr. Agostino Pierro (Hospital for Sick Children), Sharolyn Mathieu Vettese (SMV Energy Solutions), Mike Di Donato and Family (FAEMA Canada), and the Honourable Sandra Pupatello. Along with an eloquent speech by Toronto Mayor John Tory, the evening also paid homage to Italian culture with the recreation of an Italian mercato displaying an array of fruit, vegetables and traditional cuisine. Reminiscent of a bygone era, guests feasted in the market square while musician Claudio Santaluce played the organetto.

CIBPA Master Chef Italia

Chef Nino Cioffi

Julie Miguel and Irene Matys 60

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Chef Saverio Macri

The Canadian Italian Business and Professional Association (CIBPA) of Toronto has long prided itself on providing new ways to network and collaborate, and on June 25, they incorporated the best of Italian food into the mix with their second annual Master Chef Italia event. “It was well-received and our members really enjoyed themselves,” said Anna Santoli, Events Coordinator at CIBPA Toronto.

Chef booths were set up on the grounds of Casa Loma so guests enjoyed the gardens while sampling a range of dishes from lobster ravioli to desserts like dark chocolate truffles.

On hand was Fina Scroppo, chef and author of The Healthy Italian, Saverio Macri, Executive Chef at Cibo Wine Bar, Julie Miguel (MasterChef Canada contestant) food blogger Irene Matys, as well as Chef Nino Cioffi of Sorrento Ristorante and Marco Pezzelli of Avlyn Gardens Ristorante. Also participating was Grande Cheese.

“About 100 people attended,” said Santoli. “We are going to keep it as an annual event and are already looking forward to next year.”

Nick & Nadia Di Donato, Liberty Group with Eddy Burello, CIPBA President and Diana Panacci, CIBPA Executice Director

CIBPA Past President Joseph Chiappetta with his wife Florence and guests

EVENTS

Vaughan Film Festival Awards Show

Mayor Bevilacqua with Nikki Yanofsky and members of City Council: Mario Ferri, Gino Rosati, Michael Di Biase, Rosanna DeFrancesca, Sandra Yeung Racco, Marilyn Iafrate, and Alan Shefman

From left: Mark Pagliaroli (VFF Co-founder), Rick Campanelli (ET Canada), Paul Lewis (President Discovery Channel Canada), Michael Madsen, Antonio Ienco (VFF Co-founder)

Not only has Vaughan gone through a physical transformation in the last several years with changes made to its cityscape, but there has also been a spiritual shift in its leadership. The city celebrated this newfound spirit of generosity at the elegant and zen-like Sen5e in the City 2015 Mayor’s Gala on June 4.

“I’ve been in so-called politics for 27 years. I really don’t like politics but I love public service,” confessed Mayor Maurizio Bevilacqua to his 1,000 guests.

Following a thunderous applause he added, “You learn a great deal about humility, giving of yourself for a greater cause and being a servant leader.” Now in his second term the popular mayor is beginning to bear the fruits of his labour with initiatives such as the York-Spadina Subway Extension, Highway 427 expansion, Vaughan Metropolitan Centre (the city’s future downtown core) and the Mackenzie Vaughan Hospital steadily coming to fruition.

“Tonight I’m very pleased to announce that the City of Vaughan and the Vaughan Health Campus of Care have executed an agreement and the city will be soon be getting its own Vaughan Hospital,” confirmed Bevilacqua. Not only are forces uniting to bring forth the facility, a record-breaking $320,000 raised at the gala’s live auction will go toward its development. “This type of donation will go a long way and help give us that wonderful hospital that the citizens of Vaughan justly deserve,” he stated. Since 2011 the Mayor’s Gala, along with the Mayor’s Golf Classic, has raised over $3.3 million benefitting over 100 not-forprofit and community organizations. Besides raising funds for special causes, the event, which was emceed by actor Stefano Di Matteo, also included a performance by multi-platinum singer, Nikki Yanofsky.

Proving to be one of the biggest and most sensational events of the year, the 3rd Annual Vaughan Film Festival (VFF) presented its four-day movie extravaganza in pure Hollywood fashion. From May 25-28, jet-setting celebrities, renowned filmmakers, and countless other industry professionals filled theatres, mingled at exclusive after-parties, and greeted fans on the red carpet during the VFF Awards Show finale.

“It’s growing in the direction we always expected,” said Antonio Ienco, who co-founded VFF along with business partner, Mark Pagliaroli. “The city is grasping the importance of the VFF and its contribution to the international film community,” he added, explaining that the sold-out event places Vaughan on the world film industry map.

“This third annual festival, also known as our ‘trilogy year,’ has undoubtedly been our most successful and we’re looking forward to showing everyone what’s to come,” said Pagliaroli.

Showcasing both Canadian and international short films, the festival also recognizes those who support the independent film scene. Headlining the VFF Awards Show and on hand to receive the Independent Leadership Award was Hollywood actor Michael Madsen, who is best known for his roles in Donnie Brasco, Reservoir Dogs and Kill Bill. Also in attendance were VFF Best Actress nominee Amy Jo Johnson of Flashpoint and the short film Lines, as well as Emmy-winning sound mixer, Frank Morrone. The event also supports the arts community by offering seminars and granting scholarships and bursaries to young filmmakers, students and educational institutions in the city of Vaughan.

Photo by Daytripper Photo

Vaughan Mayor’s Gala

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61

ONE MORE DAY

One More Day with a loved one Giuseppe Salvatore Crocitti In 2006 I lost my father, Giuseppe Salvatore Crocitti. He was also my mentor and friend. He was the type of person who could make anyone feel at ease with his genuine warmth, make anyone laugh with his natural knack at storytelling, and make anyone feel smart and capable with his simple advice and instruction. He was always altruistic, never selfish. He was always understanding, never judgmental. He was always encouraging, never a pessimist.

If I could spend one more day with a dearly departed one it would be with my Dad, just so I could have that one more bit of crucial advice, that one more illuminating pearl of wisdom, to hear just one more funny story, and just simply to shake his hand one more time Roberto Crocitti

Nonno Armando

Giovanna Trasente

My grandfather, Armando, was the strongest, greatest man I have ever known. He was taken from us all too suddenly in January 2013 after a short fight with lung cancer.

If I had but just 24 short hours with my grandfather, I would recreate those summers I spent with him in his hometown in southern Italy. He came alive when he visited his home in Italy; it was a magical, beautiful thing to see.

I’d accompany him on one of his famous early-bird walks around the paese (he’s the only person in the world that could wake me up at 5am). I wouldn’t fight him when he offers to treat me to a pastry at the local bar and I would smile graciously when he offers me a gelato. I would do all this and more while listening intently to each one of his stories, memorizing his words and recording to memory his animated facial expressions and infectious laughter.

I miss your words, your warnings, your constant worrying and your incessant need to feed me. You are the best man I've ever known and I carry your memory with me everywhere, everyday, always.

Ti voglio tanto bene Nonno, sempre.

Laura De Sanctis 62

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If I had one more day with my mom, we would spend it singing Backstreet Boy’ songs, while baking and laughing. We would spend time together baking her amazing banana-walnut chocolate chip cookies and carrot cake with cream cheese frosting. Also, we would sing Mamma Mia karaoke songs! She loved to sing along and dance without a care in the world. I would hug her and tell her how much I love her, how much I admire her strength, and appreciate everything she has ever done for me. She is forever missed and always in my heart.

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2960 Dufferin St. • Toronto, ON (416) 789-7661

Domenico Librandi Rocco Tarulli Mario Saroli Alfonso Pisapia Adelmo Minoli Giovanna Lamacchia Frank Venezia Emma Faratro Caterina Furlano Francesco Manna Sante Mazzulla Carmela Martino Giovanna Greco Maria Vucossa Pietra Giglio

www.bernardofuneralhomes.com

855 Albion Rd. • Toronto, ON (416) 747-7231

Panoram Italia’s Treasures of Italy Tours BOOKED ONLY THROUGH PANORAM ITALIA MAGAZINE EXCLUSIVE TO PANORAM ITALIA READERS

Tour Italy with Panoram Italia in September, 2015!

ONLY 8 PLACES LEFT!

15 Days - 14 Nights Venice Florence Montecatini Cinque Terre Siena

San Gimignano Assisi Sorrento Rome

Departure: September 4, 2015 Price: $3995 per person for double occupancy (taxes incl.)

Includes

• Direct flight to Venice and return from Rome • Guided tours of Venice, Florence, Siena, Assisi and Rome • Boat trip to the islands of Murano and Burano

• Air conditioned coach • 14-night accommodation in 4-star hotels • Wine and olive oil tasting in San Gimignano • 13 dinners and daily breakfast

In Collaboration with

For booking information please contact: info@panoramitalia.com 1 855 866 2151