Toronto Vol.1 No.4

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BUON NATALE!

DEC 2011/JAN 2012• VOL.1• NO.4

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

SKATING THE EXTRA MILE ONE OF US • UNO DI NOI •

Mark De Montis

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This prestigious recognition is a testament to our employees, our clients and the investors who have chosen the National Bank as a financial partner. Your confidence in our institution, year after year, has made this achievement possible. Thank you.

Questo prestigioso riconoscimento è una testimonianza per i nostri impiegati, i nostri clienti e gli azionisti che hanno scelto la National Bank come loro partner finanziario. È la vostra fiducia, anno dopo anno, nel nostro istituto che ha reso possibile questo traguardo. Grazie.

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Comments

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Send us your thoughts and comments.

Inviateci i vostri commenti e suggerimenti.

I came across the Aug/Sept issue of Panoram Italia at a friend’s house, and enjoyed reading the many interesting articles, especially the ones related to Italian immigrants. Being of Italian descent, I read with interest about Italy's 150th anniversary.

Panoram Italia is a beautifully laid out magazine with very interesting articles, ads, and general information.

Tanya Webster, Bolton, Ontario I am a new recipient of your magazine. You truly live up to your title, colourfully representing all aspects of Italian-Canadian life – culture, tradition, up-to-date fashions, and culinary delights. I do enjoy reading about various regions of Italy, as well as your historical essays, such as the one in the October/November issue on Mussolini. Your description of Toronto’s Corso Italia is very enticing and alluring.

My wife and I are soon to visit our son in Woodbridge and I have noted many venues you describe. Keep up you excellent work.

Bernardo De Francesco, Carleton Place, Ontario As a devoted follower of Panoram's creative and genuine publications, it is with enthusiasm that I enjoy sharing your magazine with my Jewish friends!

So, soak it up PanoramItalia and gush over the fact that not only does your magazine touch the lives of your loyal Italian subscribers but that as well of Jewish natives who indescribably share common similarity in our Italian moral and cultural ways.

Vania De Gregorio, Westmount, Quebec

It is with the greatest pleasure that I express my gratitude and appreciation for Panoram Italia. Now, in its third issue - AUGURI! A most impressive magazine - one which Italians are and should be proud of. You’ve expressed history, culture, design and much more. Wishing you continued GREAT SUCCESS! Bridgette Elias, Toronto RE: Ninalee Craig: An Icon Recaptured, Vol.1 No.3 It could not have been timelier for me to come across your magazine this weekend while in Toronto. I have just returned from a two week trip to Florence and was totally intrigued by the feature on the lovely Miss Craig. I had just seen the famous photo American Girl in Italy by her friend Ruth Orkin, while enjoying an espresso at Giubbe Rosse in the Piazza della Repubblica. I had no idea this lovely and fascinating lady was now a resident of Toronto, and that I should by serendipity learn all about her upon my return home to Canada. I have truly enjoyed your magazine, and hope to receive every issue. It reinforces everything that I hold dear to my heart as an ItalianCanadian, and I can also practice reading my Italian!

Nella Miller, Jordan, Ontario Una rivista veramente interessante, complimenti. Ho letto insieme a mio marito la prima edizione ricevuta da nostro figlio. La troviamo molto informativa. Grazie per la vicinanza che ci fate sentire ancora di piu’ con la nostra Italia. Auguri per un lungo successo. Cordialmente, Lydia Aloisio, Newmarket, Ontario Alla lodevole redazione, il primo numero di Panoram Italia che ho ricevuto, è stato la prima rivista che ho letto dalla prima all’ultima pagina. L’ho apprezzata tanto, tra la storia, l’attualità, la moda. Io so che anche i miei figli ne godranno. La mia nipotina di sette anni farrà profitto essendo bilingue -un giorno lei mi disse, nonna tu mi insegnerai l’italiano e io ti insegnerò il francese. In tutto questo è un’ondata di aria fresca ci abbonerò anche i miei figli. Ognuno può arrichirsi di cultura.

Teresa Zaccagnini, Toronto

PUBLISHER AND EDITOR Tony Zara EDITOR-IN-CHIEF Filippo Salvatore MANAGING EDITOR Viviana Laperchia DEPUTY EDITOR-IN-CHIEF Adam Zara MONTREAL MANAGING EDITOR Gabriel Riel-Salvatore

PHOTOGRAPHY Gregory Varano

VICE PRESIDENT – MARKETING & SALES Earl Weiner ADVERTISING & BUSINESS DEVELOPMENT MANAGER Bruna Ruggiero ADVERTISING SALES EXECUTIVE - DISTRIBUTION MANAGER Dom Fiore

ART DIRECTION David Ferreira GRAPHIC DESIGN David Ferreira Manon Massé PROOFREADER Marisa Pellegrino

CONTRIBUTORS Alessia Sara Domanico Jennifer Galati Alessio Galletti Tommaso Altrui Ola Mazzuca Claudia Ficca Daniele Bozzelli

Dante Di Iulio Gaia Massai Alessandro Bozzelli Carlo Raponi Stefan Morrone Luciano Maiatico Letizia Tesi Michael Harrison

Subscription Form/Tuscany Contest ..9

Editorial From the Publisher’s Desk ......... 10 Editor-in-Chief ........................... 11 James Franceschini’s Myrtle Villa .12

Cover Story

Lea-Catherine Szacka Tommaso Altrui Laura Ghiandoni Stefanie Polsinelli Salvatore Garau Rita Simonetta Monica Gerli

Food and Wine Cooking for Friends .............. 32-33 Homemade Christmas .................. 34 Bollicine .................................... 35 Il Panforte ................................... 38 Cake Boss – Buddy Valastro ....... 39 Advertorial: Agrimondo ........ 40-41

Mark DeMontis: Skating the Extra Mile .................................. 14 Mark DeMontis: ......................... 15

Lifestyle

Italia 150o Anniversario

Arts and Culture

Italy: 1945 - present ............. 16-17

L’arte della maiolica ................... 46 Il Volo ................................................. 47 Audio Playground ....................... 48 Alessandra Gonzalez – Quidam .. 49 Luigi Ferrara – Digifest ............... 50 Padre Bressani ............................ 51 Red, Hot & Green ....................... 52

Life and People Hospice Vaughan ....................... 18 MP Julian Fantino ..................... 19 Muratore di Roseto ................... 20 Angelo Persichilli ....................... 21 George Marcello – Italian Terry Fox .......................... 22 Future Leaders: Nick Vescio .......... 23 Domenico Pietropaolo .............. 24 Advertorial: Dr. Nick C. Fedele ... 25 Mayor Maurizio Bevilacqua......... 26 One More Day ............................ 27

Travel Milan’s Piazza del Duomo ......... 28-29 Il Presepe in Italia ...................... 30 Skiing in Cortina ....................... 31

Living Italian Style ................. 42-43 Fashion: Baby it’s Cold Outside . 44-45

Weddings Newlyweds 2010-2011 ......... 54-55

Community and Events CIBPA 59th President’s Ball .. 56-57 Venetian Ball 2011 ................ 58-59 Various Events ............................ 60

Sports Cesare Prandelli ......................... 61

We look forward to hearing from you!

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Draw: January

6, 2012

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More details, terms and conditions at www.panoramitalia.com Dear reader, Panoram Italia magazine will be mailed to a selected group of ItalianCanadian households and businesses, in the Greater Toronto Area, for an extended promotional period, free of charge. If you wish to modify your subscription or add someone to our mailing list, please either refer to our website www.panoramitalia.com or fill out and mail in the following form to 26 Duncan Street, Toronto, On. M5V 2B9.

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Panoram Italia and Transat Holidays, in cooperation with Slow Food Italia, are sending one lucky winner and a guest to beautiful Tuscany, Italy, for a unique one-week experience. The two will be wined and dined throughout the majestic region, with stops including Florence, Siena, San Gimignano, the hills of Chianti, Montepulciano, Pienza and Montalcino.

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Ed i t o r i a l

10

BuonNatale!

By Tony Zara

From the Publisher’s Desk

By the time we deliver this fourth Toronto edition you, the reader, will probably be well immersed in the Christmas season. We, at Panoram Italia magazine, feel an extreme sense of pride to be sharing our first Christmas with you. es, we are still here. More importantly, we are growing in both content and advertising. Many of you have given us a vote of confidence by subscribing. We all need to be grateful for all our successes and, of course, take the time to thank the Lord for all our blessings.

Amidst all the hustle and bustle let us all take a moment to reflect on the true meaning of the season. Those of us who came from the mother land and experienced a totally different way of celebrating “Il Santo Natale” should never give up on reminding the Canadian-born generations of a time where the gesture of giving was more important than the gift itself.

Since we had very little, a simple orange, dried fig, or confetti in our Christmas stocking was enough to experience joy. Of course, the alternative was quite unpleasant to those who were naughty. A cup or two of good old fashioned charcoal, usually readily available in every home, would wind up in their stocking by the fireplace.

Today, we are well into the fourth generation of Italian-Canadians and most have

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no idea what it feels like to go without.

We tend to lavish our children and grandchildren with gifts, just because.

Justifying our actions comes easy.

Statements such as, “I went without and there is no way my loved ones will” serve our purpose. We seldom consider that giving an undeserving present might instill a harmful sense of entitlement in them.

I remember our first Christmas in Canada as if it were yesterday. It was 1962 and we were here just a few months. My mother had brought her beloved nativity scene from Italy. She made sure to set it up in our living room for all to see. In the middle of the scene, in front of the Christ Jesus, was a little donation plate. As was the custom, this would be a Christmas in Italy, circa 1959 symbol of giving.

A few days before Christmas, we were visited by my father’s old friend and his family. He had emigrated years earlier and was already well established. Naturally, our nativity scene caught his eye. One could tell that it reminded him of a time gone by.

Without hesitation, he went into his pocket, took out a ten dollar bill and proceeded to place it in the donation plate. It was his way of giving my father and mother a little boost without humiliating them. I will never forget this spontaneous gesture. It was an act of giving in its purest form. Especially, considering, that ten dollars, then, was a significant sum. One could feed a family of four for a week.

In the spirit of the season, using my father’s friend as an example, I invite all to encourage our children to perform an act of kindness towards our fellow man. We can all spare a little to make someone in need happy. You may then send us a note describing this gesture and we will publish the best examples in our next issue.

Buon santo Natale and may the light of the Lord shine on you all. v

Babies of the Year Don’t forget to send us your newborn baby pictures for our February/March 2012 issue! Details on page 53

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Ed i t o r i a l

11

Mario Monti: Italy’s surgeon?

By Filippo Salvatore

On Wednesday November 16, 2011, Italy’s Prime Minister Mario Monti unveiled the country's new government. His 16-member cabinet is made up of respected experts and academics rather than politicians, in a bid to reassure markets that Italy will stick to its pledge to make difficult financial reforms. onti himself, a former European Central Bank economist, will take over the finance ministry.

Antonio Catrìcala, the current head of Italy's anti-trust regulator, becomes his Deputy Prime Minister.

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Other key appointments include: • The chief executive of Italy's biggest retail bank Intesa SanPaolo, Corrado Passera, as Minister of Infrastructure and Economic Development; • Social security expert Elsa Fornero as Minister of Labour and Welfare; • Italy's current ambassador to Washington, Giulio Terzi di Sant'Agata, as Foreign Minister; • Law Professor Paola Severino as Justice Minister; • Public finance expert Piero Giarda as Minister for Relations with Parliament.

Monti explained in a news conference after his swearing-in ceremony at Quirinale that non-politicians had been chosen in order to prioritize swift reforms.

Rumour had it that Gianni Letta, former Deputy Prime Minister in Silvio Berlusconi’s center-right government, that had emerged in the 2008 national elections, and former Prime Minister Giuliano Amato would be included in Prof. Monti’s cabinet. Those rumours turned out to be unfounded.

"The absence of political personalities, Premier Monti explained, in the government will help rather than hinder a solid base of support for the government in parliament and in the political parties, because it will remove one ground for disagreement."

Monti's refusal to appoint any of his predecessor's close collaborators demonstrates his determination to establish himself as a political innovator.

Mark this date: November 2011 will be remembered in history books as a crucial month, as a divide, in contemporary Italian history.

On 11/11/11 Italy’s Second Republic, closely associated with the political tenure of Silvio Berlusconi as Premier, came to an end. As a result of a profound economic crisis both within the Eurozone and in the entire western economic system, Italy, burdened with a huge public debt, became the target of stock market speculators. They are afraid that the country will not be able to pay its debts and will soon default. Of course former Premier Berlusconi’s loss of credibility at the international level, as a result of his volatile personality,

his numerous gaffes and his sexual shenanigans with under-age prostitutes, rendered the situation even worse and brought the country on the edge of bankruptcy.

Faced with internal and international pressure, Silvio Berlusconi reluctantly accepted to tender his resignation. Luckily for Italy, the President of the Italian Republic Giorgio Napolitano was up to the task and showed his statesmanship. He was skilfully able to find a solution to a very grave situation, the worst the country faced since the end of WWII. President Napolitano was also successful in convincing Italy’s rancorous political parties to realize the gravity that the country was called upon to tackle and to agree that a government of national security, above and beyond ideological allegiance, was needed. As a result, a confidence vote both in the Senate and in the Chamber of Deputies easily sanctioned the legitimacy of Prof. Monti’s government.

Prime Minister Churchill promised ‘blood, toil, tears and sweat’ to his countrymen in a very desperate situation in 1940, namely the possible invasion of England by Hitler’s troops. Mario Monti did not go that far, but he did say that Italy very soon needs to undergo drastic and profound structural changes.

Here is a partial list of the changes he plans to implement: • The abolition of the privileges that the so-called Casta enjoys; • The reduction of the number of elected members at the national, regional, provincial and municipal level and the elimination of redundant statefinanced agencies; • The pension age will be raised to 67 years; • The collection of taxes will be made more stringent and accountable; • Well-to-do people will have to pay higher taxes on their property;

Of course let us keep in mind that Mario Monti is only a human being and the program of reforms he wants to bring about will encounter many hurdles by lobbies and professional politicians. Nonetheless, I believe that the long-needed reforms Italy will have to undergo - which were never implemented in past decades for electoral fear or opportunism - will be at the core of the Monti’s tenure as Prime Minister.

Although Mario Monti and his team can be viewed as a ‘technocratic’ kind of government, they will inevitably play a major political role and conflicts with professional politicians will be inevitable. When their interests will be threatened or abolished, politicians will insist on the fact that they are the true expression of the electorate - incorrect because all of them have been appointed by their respective party leader - and therefore are not willing to go along with decisions taken by technocrats.

Premier Monti, will have to tread carefully and gain the support of the Italian population by example. A simple, down-to-earth and no-nonsense type of approach in the exercise of power will have to be the trade-mark of his government. If he targets corruption, privileges, and corporate fringe-benefits and fosters transparency, accountability and honesty, he will have the right arguments and public support will remain on his side.

In the coming 18 months, Italy will be a country where a new, efficient and reliable form of democracy will be put into practice. Will it suffice to cure a social cancer that has spread to almost every limb? Mario Monti, at least in his intentions, does not intend to use palliatives. He wants to be the surgeon that amputates sick limbs. Let us wish him to be successful in his difficult social operation. Italy has many metastases that need to be removed to become again a healthy, prosperous reality. v

• Tax evasion will become more difficult by means of a series of checks and double checks; • Bureaucracy, law enforcement and tribunals will be obliged to move to the internet age and use digital means in their dealings with the citizenry; • Meritocracy rather than raccomandazione will become the base for hiring and promotion; • And the list goes on.

The Berlusconi era comes to an end

Myrtle Villa Estate

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12

Ed i t o r i a l

and James Franceschini’s Legacy

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Myrtle Villa, Residence of James Franceschini, Archives of Ontario

By Michael Harrison

On June 10, 1940, the day Italy declared war on Great Britain, James Franceschini, prominent industrialist, and owner of Dufferin Construction and the Dufferin Shipbuilding Companies, sat in the Halifax office of Premier Angus L. Macdonald of Nova Scotia discussing road projects, and the work his companies were doing on behalf of Canada’s war effort. hree days later in Toronto, as Franceschini sat at his desk in his Fleet Street office, he would be arrested as an enemy alien by two Royal Canadian Mounted Police officers. And so began years of unwarranted persecution and despair for Franceschini as he strove to clear the family name and rebuild his business empire.

James Franceschini was born in Pescara, Italy in 1890 and immigrated to Canada in 1906 as a poor teenager. After working as a labourer for a number of years he became a contractor, founded Dufferin Construction and prospered. In 1913, he married Annie Pinkham and their only child Myrtle was born circa 1921.

Originally the family lived on Dufferin Street in Toronto, but in 1925 Franceschini purchased a large lakefront estate on Mimico Beach. Upon taking possession of the property, Franceschini undertook a wholesale rebuilding of the estate, adding many buildings and renovating the main house. The estate was renamed Myrtle Villa in honour of Franceschini’s only child, and the initials “MV” were added to the wrought iron gates along the Lake Shore Road (now Lake Shore Blvd West).

By 1939 James Franceschini had one of the largest private horse stables and training facilities in the country. He bred winning hackney horses and ponies which won many awards from shows in Canada and the United States.

With the outbreak of hostilities in 1939 Franceschini wrote to the federal government and put his entire business at the service of Canada’s war effort. In March 1940, he incorporated the Dufferin Shipbuilding Company and soon after was awarded a contract by the federal government for the construction of four minesweepers.

On June 13, 1940, however, Franceschini was arrested by the RCMP as an enemy alien, and transported to an internment camp in northern Ontario. It was a stunning shock for Franceschini. All of his property was seized by the Custodian of Enemy Property, an office of the federal government. In what can only be considered as a personal attack on Franceschini, the Custodian of Enemy Property struck at Myrtle Villa, selling his beloved show horses and the entire contents of his greenhouses.

Suffering from cancer, he was released in 1941 due to his poor health. After undergoing surgery in Toronto he began the process of rebuilding his business empire.

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A judicial inquiry would later lead to his complete exoneration. Franceschini retired to his country estate in Mont Tremblant, Quebec where he died on September 16, 1960 at the age of 70.

In 1950, the Myrtle Villa estate was sold to Longo Construction who developed it into the Amedeo Garden Court Apartment complex. Amedeo and Lawrence Longo could have demolished all the buildings and started with a cleared site, but instead chose to integrate many of the historical buildings and landscaping features of the estate into their final design.

Today, much remains of the Franceschini estate. On April 1, 2011, the Toronto Preservation Board adopted a report from the Toronto Planning Department recommending that the historical buildings and garden be designated under the Ontario Heritage Act. Designation under the act will ensure that the buildings and garden will be protected as part of the redevelopment of the site currently under consideration by Longo Properties. However, when the report proceeded to Etobicoke-York Community Council on April 21, 2011, a decision was deferred and will be considered later this year as part of the larger planning study of the Mimico area known as Mimico 2020.

The careful and sensitive incorporation of the heritage structures and landscaping features into a future development will link the past with the present, and make for a unique, interesting and highly marketable project. The historic features of the estate should provide a good starting point for the redevelopment of the property just as they did over 60 years ago when the Longo family developed the Amedeo Garden Court apartment complex integrating the historically significant components of the estate into the 1950 design.

The wonderful thing about this estate is the story that it tells, of which the most important is that of personal freedoms and human rights. I cannot think of a better “teachable moment” than for people to be able to stand in front of the Franceschini mansion and reflect on the fact that even a man who had obtained such wealth could be arbitrarily denied his human rights, be jailed and have his property seized for no other reason than being Italian. If it could happen to him it could happen to anyone unless we are vigilant about our personal freedoms and the consequences of prejudice.

Protecting and preserving the Franceschini estate as part of the redevelopment of the property would ensure that that important story is never forgotten. v To support the integration of the historic buildings and gardens into the redevelopment of the Franceschini estate, contact Michael Harrison at mimicohistory@hotmail.com

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Myrtle Villa, courtesy of City of Toronto, Heritage Preservation Services

Illustrations by David Ferreira

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Skating

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Cover Story

14

Mark De Montis the Extra

Mile

"I'm just a typical 24 year old guy."

These were the words echoed by Mark De Montis a few days after taking on his most recent awe-inspiring charity drive entitled Halifax 2 Toronto. He inline skated from Pier 21, in Halifax, to Weston Lions Arena in Toronto in 64 days across five provinces. The purpose was to raise funds and awareness for Courage Canada, a nationally registered charitable organization founded by Mark in 2008 that provides opportunities for the visually impaired to skate and play hockey.

The catch: he’s visually impaired himself. ark's dream as a child, like many children growing up in Canada, was to play in the National Hockey League. At the age of 17, after having signed a one-year AAA hockey contract with the hopes of playing in the NCAA, Mark was diagnosed with Leber's Optic Neuropathy (LHOP). This condition brings about the degeneration of retinal cells that leads to an acute loss of central vision; in other words, it left him legally blind.

Funded through corporate sponsorship, public donations, fundraising events, and campaigns, Courage Canada works with youth and adults through learn-to-skate programs, hockey schools, and tournaments. Mark uses his big inline skating campaigns to bring national attention to his cause and is a motivational speaker in schools and communities – to share his story and to bring awareness to this initiative – as well as spokesperson for Accessible Media.

Shortly after the inception of Courage Canada in 2009, Mark planned his first campaign, The Quest to the West. He inline skated from Toronto across five provinces and 5,000 kilometres to Vancouver, capturing the attention of corporate sponsors and local media. Mark was able to raise $60,000 but he didn’t take all the credit: "My parents, brother Luca and friends are extremely supportive of Courage Canada and of the awareness I want to bring – I couldn’t have done it without them.

My ultimate goal is to allow for people that experience what I went through to know that they are not alone and that they can still enjoy skating and playing hockey."

This year, Mark also launched The Courage Carolina Project at NHL All-Star Weekend in Raleigh, North Carolina, in collaboration with NC State University’s Faculty of Textile Engineering. The goal is to create a universal puck for Blind Hockey – a sport played exclusively in North America which differs from traditional hockey with some rules appropriately created for visually impaired players. A large rattling

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Photographer: Gregory Varano Hair & Make-up: Desi Varano

By Daniele Bozzelli

puck helps players locate themselves on the ice; truly remarkable to behold.

Preparation for the second big campaign began right after his return from Vancouver. On top of raising funds for his cause, the journey from Halifax 2 Toronto would pay tribute to his Italian background and the historical Italian-Canadian immigrant experience. In fact, in 1957 Mark's father took the journey from Italy to Canada and entered through Pier 21 in Halifax, along with his mother Candida, his brother Frank and his sister Rita, in search of a better life.

The skate started from the Canadian Museum of Immigration at Pier 21. On August 13, 2011, Mark was presented with a brick from the Museum. Upon his return to the Weston Lions Arena Toronto on October 15, 2011, he presented the brick to his parents.

"I wanted to retrace my roots. I am very proud of my Italian identity. My parents (Massimo De Montis and Sandi Di Mauro, respectively from Ozieri, Sardegna and Catania, Sicilia) have always been there for me and I wanted to show my appreciation to them. Just like many others who came to this country, they had the courage to overcome many obstacles and provide for my family."

Despite not being able to fulfill his dream of playing in the NHL, Mark has helped realize the dreams of many other youths and adults through dedication and hard work. Recipient of the Terry Fox Humanitarian Award in 2005, Mark De Montis’ humble ways of leading and (skating) by example truly represent an inspirational and tenacious individual that still claims to be "just a typical 24 year old." v www.couragecanada.ca www.MarkDeMontis.com

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Pattini

Cover Story

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Mark De Montis Una Speranza sui Daniele Bozzelli

"Sono un semplice ragazzo di 24 anni”.

Queste sono le parole pronunciate da Mark De Montis qualche giorno dopo aver intrapreso una delle sue più recenti e sensazionali campagne di beneficenza intitolata Halifax 2 Toronto: per ben 64 giorni, Mark ha pattinato dal Pier 21 di Halifax alla Weston Lions Arena di Toronto, attraverso quattro province, con lo scopo di raccogliere fondi e promuovere Courage Canada, un’organizzazione caritatevole riconosciuta a livello nazionale. Mark l’ha fondata nel 2008 per offire ai non vedenti l’opportunità di pattinare e giocare a hockey. La straordinarietà è che anche lui è un non vedente.

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l sogno di Mark da bambino, come tanti altri in Canada, era di giocare nella National Hockey League. All’età di 17 anni, dopo aver firmato un contratto di hockey AAA di un anno con la speranza di giocare nella NCAA, a Mark fu diagnosticata la neuropatia ottica ereditaria di Leber (LHOP). Questa patologia comporta la degene-razione delle cellule della retina e porta ad una grave perdita della visione centrale. In poche parole, si tratta di una patologia che lo ha reso legalmente cieco.

Finanziata da sponsor commerciali, donazioni pubbliche, eventi per la raccolta di fondi e campagne, Courage Canada opera per giovani e adulti attraverso programmi di insegnamento di pattinaggio, scuole di hockey e tornei. Mark utilizza le sue campagne sui pattini in linea per attirare l’attenzione nazionale verso la sua causa che condivide e promuove, come portavoce di Accessible Media, anche nelle scuole e nella comunità.

Nel 2009, poco dopo il lancio di Courage Canada, Mark ha pianificato la sua prima campagna, The Quest to the West, per pattinare attraverso cinque province e per 5000 km, da Toronto fino a Vancouver, guadagnandosi l’attenzione di sponsor commerciali e dei media locali. Mark è riuscito a raccogliere $60.000, ma il merito non è stato solamente suo: "I miei genitori, mio fratello Luca e i miei amici sono stati di grande supporto per Courage Canada e per la causa che voglio promuovere.

Non ce l’avrei fatta senza di loro. Il mio fine ultimo è far sapere, a coloro che hanno affrontato quello che ho dovuto affrontare io, che non sono soli e che possono ancora provare il piacere di pattinare e di giocare a hockey”.

Quest’anno, Mark ha lanciato un’altra iniziativa: The Courage Carolina Project in occasione del weekend NHL All-Star a Raleigh, in North Carolina, in collaborazione con la Facoltà di ingegneria tessile dello stato del North Carolina per creare un disco universale per il Blind Hockey (hockey per ciechi, uno sport praticato esclusivamente in Nord America, che si differenzia dall’hockey tradizionale per

alcune regole create specificamente per i non vedenti). Un grande disco emette un suono che aiuta i giocatori a individuarsi sul ghiaccio. Davvero degno di essere visto.

La preparazione per la seconda campagna è iniziata subito dopo il suo ritorno da Vancouver. Oltre a raccogliere fondi per Courage Canada, il viaggio Halifax 2 Toronto ha reso omaggio anche alle sue origini italiane e alla storica esperienza migratoria italo-canadese. Infatti, nel 1957, il padre di Mark ha intrapreso il viaggio dall’Italia al Canada. È sbarcato al Pier 21 di Halifax, insieme a sua madre Candida, suo fratello Frank e sua sorella Rita, alla ricerca di una vita migliore.

Il viaggio di Mark, per ovvie ragioni, è iniziato dal Museo Canadese dell’Immigrazione del Pier 21. Il 13 agosto 2011, gli è stato consegnato un mattone del museo che ha presentato ai suoi genitori al suo ritorno alla Weston Lions Arena di Toronto il 15 ottobre 2011.

"Volevo riscoprire le mie radici. Sono davvero fiero della mia identità italiana.

I miei genitori (n.d.r. Massimo De Montis e Sandi Di Mauro, rispettivamente di Ozieri, in Sardegna e Catania, in Sicilia) sono sempre stati lì per me e volevo dimostrargli la mia gratitudine. Come tanti altri immigrati, hanno avuto il coraggio di superare molti ostacoli e dare un futuro alla mia famiglia”.

Nonostante non abbia potuto coronare il suo sogno di giocare nella NHL, Mark ha aiutato a realizzare i sogni di molti altri giovani e adulti attraverso l’impegno e il duro lavoro. Vincitore del Premio Umanitario Terry Fox nel 2005, l’umile modo di guidare (e pattinare) di Mark De Montis sono l’esempio di una persona tenace e di ispirazione, che tuttora si considera “un semplice ragazzo di 24 anni”. v www.couragecanada.ca www.MarkDeMontis.com

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Italy

History of 1861-2011

from 1945 to the present

Alcide De Gasperi

Aldo Moro

By Filippo Salvatore

The First Republic (1946-1992) 1945 - The immediate post-war period In April 1945, at the end of the WWII, Italy recovered its freedom but the scars left by the fight between fascist and anti-fascist political forces were deep. Resistance groups, mostly of the Left (Communists and Socialists) were settling old scores, with weekly killings and assassinations. The political system had to be completely redesigned.

Fascism was suppressed, and new parties emerged. The leading ones were the Christian Democrats led by Alcide De Gasperi (1881-1954), the Socialists led by Pietro Nenni, the Social Democrats led by Giuseppe Saragat, and the Communists led

by Palmiro Togliatti (1893-1964). In June 1945, an all-party government (including the Communists) was formed, headed by Christian Democrat Alcide De Gasperi. As a result of its military defeat Italy was stripped of its colonial possessions (Ethiopia, Eritrea, Libya and the Dodecanese Islands). Alcide De Gasperi became Premier in 1945 and served until 1953.

King Vittorio Emanuele III’s abdication

Enrico Berlinguer

Sandro Pertini

Part 4 of 4

Bettino Craxi

Silvio Berlusconi

1946 - Italy becomes a Republic In 1946, King Vittorio Emanuele III abdicated in favour of his son, Umberto II. On June 2, 1946, a referendum was held to decide whether Italy should remain a monarchy or become a republic. Twelve million voted for the republic and 10 for the monarchy. Women were granted the right to vote for the first time and participated in the plebiscite. As a result, Italy became a republic, and King Umberto II went into exile.

In the 1946 national elections the 556 members of Parliament became part of the Constituent Assembly, with 207 Christian Democrats, 115 Socialists, and 104 Communists. A new constitution was written, setting up a parliamentary democracy. The 1929 Concordat with the Vatican was continued, but Catholicism stopped being the official state religion. The new Republic kept some economic institutions set up during the fascist era: the Institute for Industrial Reconstruction (IRI) and Eni, (Ente Nazionale Idrocarburi) the national oil company. Enrico Mattei, became its chairman and played a significant role in bringing back Italian reconstruction on its rails and heading economic development.

In 1947, after a visit of Prime Minister De Gasperi in the USA, the Left leaning parties (Socialists and Communists) were expelled from the government because they seemed to harbour insurrectionary designs. Economic chaos continued, with large-scale strikes in 1947.

On a historic election held on April 18, 1948, the Democrazia Cristiana emerged as the main political party with 48,8% of the vote.The Fronte Popolare did much poorer than expected with only 31% of the vote. The Socialists received just 10% of the vote and were brought under the domination of the PCI (Partito Comunista Italiano), much larger. This was the birth of the so-called ‘Italian anomaly’ which lasted for decades. The 1948 elections ended the immediate postwar era and set up the framework of government for the following

Referendum campaign in Milan 1946

45 years: a blocked parliamentary system, with the DC always in government and the PCI always in opposition. Cabinets were very short (usually less than one year) and reshuffles involved the same politicians in different combinations.

Italy loses La Venezia Giulia By 1950, the economy had to a large extent stabilized, with the industrialized North far more prosperous than the the rural South, the Mezzogiorno. Under the terms of the Paris Peace Treaty, the Northeastern border, La Venezia Giulia, corresponding to the area of Istria, was annexed by Yugoslavia. The Italian population, about 350,000 people, had been expelled or forced to leave to avoid being killed, from the prewar boundaries. Only in 2005 the question of the foibe killings and the massive exodus were officially recognized as a tragic page of recent Italian history. The dispute for the possession of the area around the city of Trieste between Italy and Yugoslavi

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was settled only in 1954. Italy retained Trieste, but most of the peninsula of Venezia Giulia went to Yugoslavia.

In 1949, Italy was a charter member of the North Atlantic Treaty Organization (NATO) - the western Military alliance. It was a crucial, strategic decision. Italy became part of the ‘free’, capitalist world. This blocked the establishment of a Sovietstyle dictatorship, but also made the alternation of power impossible. Italy remained till the fall of the Berlin wall in 1989 a ‘blocked democracy’. The recovery of the Italian economy in the 1950’s was helped through the Marshall Plan. Italy was a founding member in 1956 of the European Economic Community which today is known as the European Union. In 1955 it became a member of the United Nations.

1950s - Reconstruction and the economic boom In the 1950s and 1960s the country enjoyed prolonged economic growth, accompanied by a dramatic rise in the standard of living of ordinary Italians. Through land reform and industrial development, the country gradually achieved prosperity, although the south remained depressed.

Political stability, however, proved difficult because of the large number of small political parties that formed coalition governments with the Christian Democrats (DC). Throughout the 1960’s the Christian Democrats, the largest party, formed a series of coalitions. The Communists, the second largest party, were systematically excluded from the coalitions for strategic reasons. In 1956 and 1968 Russian troops re-established order in their satellite countries, Hungary and Czechoslovakia.

1960s - Fanfani, Moro and the Center Left In 1958, Christian Democrat leader and economist Amintore Fanfani invited the Socialists of Pietro Nenni that had distanced themselves from the Communists, to become part of a center-left Government.His reformist platform was picked up by Aldo Moro who formed a center-left government with Nenni in 1964 and implemented many reforms: nationalization of electric power, obligatory school attendance until age 14, withholding tax on stock dividends.

During the late 1960’s demands for social reforms led to widespread strikes and student demonstrations in 1968 and 1969.The national government took steps to restore order, and in 1970 it established regional governments with jurisdiction over many matters formerly under central control. With the government unable to agree on austerity measures, Italy was left on the brink of economic disaster in 1973.

In addition, many controversial issues continued to divide the country, such as the dispute over the enactment of a 1970 law legalizing divorce. The matter was settled in 1974 with a referendum that made divorce legal. During the 1970’s, the country was governed by a series of coalitions made virtually powerless by internal dissension and having little popular support. The Communist party made significant electoral gains during the decade. Italy, heavily dependent on imported oil, was hit by sharp increases in the world price of oil during the Six Days War between Egypt and Israel. A high rate of inflation also plagued the economy.

1970s - The Red Brigades and the historical compromise Political instability and acts of terrorism characterized the 1970s. Known as the Anni di Piombo (a reference to the lead bullets used by terrorists) this period was characterized by widespread social conflicts and terrorist acts carried out by extra-

parliamentary movements such as the most famous and ruthless group, the Brigate Rosse (The Red Brigades) founded by Renato Curcio. The abduction and assassination of DC Prime Minister Aldo Moro in 1978 was the most spectacular. Moro’s death put an end to the compromesso storico or historic compromise, based upon the notion of convergenze parallele (parallel convergences) between the DC and the PCI. Enrico Berlinguer’s communists had increasingly been moving away from Russian influence and had come up with a form of ‘comunismo dal volto umano’ and ‘comunismo latino’. The PCI was becoming increasingly a reformist rather than a ‘revolutionary’ party.

1980s - Bettino Craxi’s Socialists in power In the 1980s, for the first time, two governments were managed by a republican Giovanni Spadolini (198182) and by a socialist Bettino Craxi (1983-87) rather than by a Christian Democrat. Moreover, another socialist and a Resitance leader, Sandro Pertini was elected President of the Italian Republic.

In 1976, the PCI gradually increased their votes thanks to Enrico Berlinguer. The Socialists (PSI), led

by Bettino Craxi, became more and more critical of the communists and their link to the Soviet Union.

Craxi favoured and allowed US President Ronald Reagan to position Pershing missiles in Italy. Craxi’s strategy worked. The PCI slowly began losing support, especially after the sudden death of Berlinguer. The PSI allied itself with the DC and three smaller parties and formed the Pentapartito that ruled till 1992.

The Second Republic (1992-2011…)

1990s, Tangentopoli, Mafia and the Second Republic In 1992, Bettino Craxi, associated by many to widespread corruption, is greeted by a salvo of coins as a sign of loathing by protesters. From 1992 to 1994, Italy faced significant challenges as voters disenchanted with political paralysis, massive government debt, extensive corruption, and organized crime’s consider-able influence collectively called the political system Tangentopoli (bribe-city).

As Tangentopoli was under a set of judicial investigations known as Mani Pulite (Clean Hands) led by a young and tough magistrate Antonio Di Pietro. Voters Antonio Di Pietro demanded political, economic, and ethical reforms. The Tangentopoli scandals involved all major parties, but especially those in the government coalition: between 1992 and 1994 the DC underwent a severe crisis and split into several small groups such as the Italian Peoples’s Party and the Christian Democratic Center. The PSI (along with other minor governing parties) was completely wiped out of the political scene.

Two prominent magistrates Giovanni Falcone and Paolo Borsellino, who were looking into corruption and the links between politics and organized crime in Sicily, are assassinated. An explosion destroyed Falcone’s car by a remote-control bomb set up by the Corleonesi clan in May 1992, on the motorway, near the town of Capaci. On July 9 of the same year, his colleague Paolo Borsellino is killed as well by a mafia car-bomb in Palermo.

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1994 - Berlusconi’s Forza Italia The 1994 elections swept Milanese media tycoon and real-estate broker Silvio Berlusconi, founder of a new party, Forza Italia, and leader of the Polo delle Liberta’ (Pole of Freedoms coalition) into office as Prime Minister. Berlusconi, however, was forced to step down in December 1994 when Umberto Bossi’s Lega Nord, a crucial ally, withdrew its support. The Berlusconi government was succeeded by a technical government headed

by Prime Minister Lamberto Dini, which left office in early 1996.

The April 1996 national elections sanctioned the victory of a centre-left coalition under the leadership Giovanni Falcone of economist Romano Prodi. Prodi’s first government became the third-longest to stay in power.

He had to resign when he had narrowly lost a vote of confidence in October 1998. A new government was formed by Massimo D’Alema leader of the Democratici della Sinistra (Democrats of the Left, a new name of former communists). In April 2000, as a result of a poor showing of his coalition in regional elections, D’Alema was forced to resign.

The following centre-left government, was headed by a former socialist Giuliano Amato from April 2000 till June 2001. Amato Paolo Borsellino had already served as Prime Minister in 1992-93.

2000s - The new millennium : between Romano Prodi and Silvio Berlusconi In the 2001 elections, the centre-right coalition headed by Silvio Berlusconi was able to regain power and keep it for a complete five-year mandate, (the longest government in post-war Italy). The elections in 2006 saw the return to power of the center-left coalition L’Unione made up of eleven parties.

Romano Prodi became Premier again. His victory was very slim in the Senate, also due to the new proportional electoral law introduced in 2005. In the first year of his government, Prodi had followed a cautious policy of economic liberalization and reduction of public debt. His government fell when it lost the support of a tiny centrist party led by Clemente Mastella.

In 2008, Silvio Berlusconi won again in a snap election with the Popolo della Libertà (People of the Freedom) party -a fusion of his previous Forza Italia party and of Gianfranco Fini’s Alleanza Nazionale- against Walter Veltroni of the Partito Democratico (Democratic Party).

2011 - The end of Berlusconi’s Regime On November 8, 2011, the Italian Lower House sanctioned the end of Silvio Berlusconi as Prime Minister of Italy by way of non-confidence vote.

On November 11, Silvio Berlusconi rendered his resignation and on November 16, Economist Mario Monti became the new Prime Minister of the country, possibly until 2013 (see page 11 for more). v

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Hospice Vaughan, a light for the community

By Stefan Morrone

Honorary Co-Chair Remo Niceforo captured the essence of Hospice Vaughan with the final words of his speech at the annual Vaughan Hospice Giving Thanks Gala: “Give light and people will find their way.” ospice Vaughan is a non-profit community organization that provides grief and bereavement services to members of the community who are anticipating, or have experienced, the loss of a loved one. Hospice provides support that helps make a difficult life both manageable and meaningful for individuals and their families through in-home volunteer visiting, drop-in support groups, individual grief counselling, telephone support and counselling. The organization was established in 1955 to assist those individuals and their families during the last stage of life. Its programs encourage involvement of family and friends in care, taking into account all the needs of the clients’ physical, emotional and spiritual well-being.

Each year, Hospice Vaughan holds an annual “Giving Thanks Gala” to express their gratitude for the support of the community and continued recognition of its important service. This year the annual Gala was held on October 14, at the Terrace Banquet Hall in Vaughan. The gala elicited a large turnout from the community, including notable members such as Mayor Maurizio Bevilacqua. In fact, community support for the gala was overwhelmingly positive.

“This event is the embodiment of the true spirit of generosity in the City of Vaughan,” said the mayor. He is a strong believer in the services that Hospice provides and believes that more people need to stand behind the organization and support it in order to help Vaughan grow.

Volunteers Domenic Oppedeisano and Marissa Chattarbaul have been working at Hospice for over one year and enjoy the work that they do. “It’s an experience, really…when you see your clients it opens up your eyes,” says Domenic.

Both are just two of the many volunteers who give their time each day to help individuals

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SALE ENDS D

From left: John Amendola (President), Lucy Cardile (Director), Alessandra Piccolo (Special Event Coordinator-Board Member), Almerinda Casciato (Board Member), Maria Tatangelo (Treasurer), Mary Grace Tatangelo (Board Member), Lucia Lisozzi (Secretary), Angelina Macri (Past President), Francis Caldarola (Vice President).

Courtesy of SNAP, Woodbridge

at Hospice through support groups, specifically teenagers. Domenic and Marissa greatly enjoy working at Hospice, and they aspire to use the skills they have learned in other areas of their lives.

Despite the praise that Hospice receives, many believe it needs to be more exposed to the public because it remains relatively unknown. “It would be wonderful if everyone knew about Hospice, where it is and what we do,” said John Amendola, President of the Board of Directors. “We provide a vital service, one that oftentimes goes unnoticed.” John states that individuals who need help are unaware of the existence of Hospice Vaughan or are unwilling to seek help because of their pride.

Juliana, a high school student, was referred to Hospice through her school guidance department after her father passed away. She entered the grief counselling support groups and really appreciated the help she received. She is a strong advocate for others who are suffering to use Hospice as well. “I knew they were going to be there for me every single week,” she said.

Hospice Vaughan provides a person who is suffering with someone who will be there for them, someone they can talk to, and most importantly, trust. This is the core of the organization; they are committed to helping people on the path through the last and most difficult stages of life and ensuring that nobody in our community faces these obstacles alone or unaided. v

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WE S RD TON .

“Service Satisfaction Since 1959”

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Julian Fantino Rising through the ranks: from simple cop to Federal Minister

By Carlo Raponi

The Hon. Julian Fantino, Canada’s Associate Minister of National Defence, has held numerous high profile positions throughout his career: Police Chief of London, Toronto and York Region as well as Commissioner of the Ontario Provincial Police and Ontario Commissioner of Emergency Management.

Adding to this list of achievements is Minister Fantino’s acclaimed autobiography entitled Duty: The Life of a Cop, a straightforward re-telling of Fantino’s arrival in Canada from Italy, along with his various positions and eventual ascension through the ranks of the Police Force.

Panoram Italia: How difficult was it to leave Italy at such a young age and try to fit into Canadian society? What was your family’s livelihood in Italy?

Minister Julian Fantino: It was tough initially on me and my family. We came from a Northern Italian town called Vendoglio in Friuli. We were involved in farming as my father was a seasonal worker and it came to a certain point where he wanted to search for a different kind of reality for our family. In 1952, my father came to Canada sponsored by relatives who had come years before him. My mother and I followed in 1953 when I was 11 years old.

PI: What are your first recollections of coming to Canada?

JF: My first experience with Canada was at Pier 21. From there we took the long train ride to Toronto, which is where we settled. I found myself very much alone and saddened by all of the family and friends that I left behind. Arriving here not speaking the language and losing all familiar surroundings made it particularly hard to integrate. It was the apprenticeship of becoming Canadian. It was very hard, not only for me but also for the rest of my family.

PI: Was becoming a police officer always one of your goals?

JF: Not specifically, no. Initially I focused on more technology-based jobs but eventually became a security officer at Simpson’s and Steinberg’s Miracle Mart. I soon achieved a management position and the opportunity with the police was there.

Through friends and associations with police officers I decided to join the Toronto Police Force. I was accepted in 1968 and then went to the Police Academy in 1969, graduating that same year.

PI: Did your immigrant background affect your position in the Police Force at all?

JF: It was mixed, as some people were very welcoming, while others were not. At that time there were officers who fought in Italy during WWII and they held certain prejudices. There was always the odd person that was discriminatory. I didn’t find it stifling at all, I had to persevere.

PI: What were some of the most memorable cases throughout your career?

JF: As I rose through the ranks, I eventually became a detective and worked eight years on the homicide squad. It was very prestigious and demanding work and you had to

All about freshness

www.yangsushi.com

Source: forces.gc.ca

be good at it. Many cases ended up in the Supreme Court of Canada on appeal, and I had to adjust to working in that environment. Those cases were particularly memorable, ranging from murders of children to murders of police officers. They were heart wrenching. I always tried to do the best I could and it was recognized by my superiors.

This support allowed me to grow and rise through the Police Force ranks.

PI: What values did you carry with you from your Italian upbringing?

JF: I attribute a lot of the success to the honest and hardworking values that my parents instilled within me at a young age. They not only instructed me, but inspired me through their actions. I always held the sacrifices that they made very close to me, and I never forgot them. I wanted to ensure that I didn’t squander my opportunities, and used the values my parents gave me to do great work.

PI: You entered politics on January 4, 2011 as Vaughan's MP and Minister of State for Seniors. Did you always have an interest in politics?

JF: No, I never did actually. I was approached many times, but I never focused directly on it as something I wanted to pursue after policing. However, after all of my years enforcing the law, I felt that being on the inside of the decision making process of justice was very interesting.

PI: Being an influential Italian-Canadian who is known and respected nationwide, how does it feel looking back on everything you have achieved?

JF: It’s definitely very humbling. Without the support of my community and my family it wouldn’t be possible. You have to put it into perspective. Coming to this country as a young immigrant boy, not knowing the language or customs, you find yourself in a hostile reality. To be able to rise from all that and become a Minister of the Crown is very humbling. It’s more of a tribute to the greatness of this country than it is to one individual person. Public service is about giving back to the people who supported you. I am grateful for the opportunity I have been given and I wish everyone a happy holiday season. v

905-761-0268

3255 RUTHERFORD ROAD. Unit 15-18 Concord. Ont. L4K 5Y5

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Il Muratore di Roseto

By Luciano Maiatico

Alessandro Maiatico, a brick layer, left Roseto Valfortore (Foggia) twice before 1965. In his quest for a better life together with his new bride Dina, Canada was his third destination after France and Germany. “Non toccare quella valigia, qui non mi piace! (Don’t touch that suitcase, I don’t like it here!)” he recalls telling his sister-in-law’s husband, soon after arriving in Toronto.

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lose to half a century later, Roseto is still in Alessandro’s heart. It’s the place where he spent the best part of his youth. It’s there that he first learned to kick a soccer ball, stole eggs from farmers to trade for cigarettes, chased after downed German aircrafts to rummage through the debris in search of something valuable, apprenticed with the muratori during the day and hid in the shadows of the dimly lit stradella to catch a glimpse of a signorina by night. Roseto was the perfect backdrop for life, though limited for the accomplishment of future dreams.

Throughout his years spent in Canada, his home town remained a source of worship for the artistically inclined Alessandro. Numerous paintings of his village decorate his home and a large 10 x 30 foot mural he painted of the main street decorates Roseto Club’s dining area, so that all Rosetani can imagine themselves sitting ‘in mezzo alla piazza.’

It was not until the 1990’s rolled around that Alessandro began what would become one of his greatest works - a scale model of the town of Roseto.

The first segment, approximately one square foot, consisted of il largo del castello, or main square. Using small boxes, foam packaging and papier-mâché, he sculpted the square out of his memories, complete with the castle, the monument and the arch that leads to la Chiesa Madre. He finished the model by painting each building in the colours he remembered from when he would run through the arch as a child.

Unlike the real Roseto, the population of which was growing smaller, his model began to grow bigger in size. Next to il largo he recreated the main piazza in all its glory, with the buildings that lined the main street on each side, and the traini (horse carts) whittled,

painted and set in place. Alessandro knew that a piazza would not be complete without people walking up and down, so he added miniature human figures.

Piece by piece the town expanded to include every single detail. Church steeples sprung up, exactly as they are located in the real town; back alleys; cobblestoned stradelle; the Fontana Vecchia with its emblems, faucets and basins, and ladies washing their clothes, with donkeys pausing for a drink on the way back from i campi.

When giardini, scale e alberi were all standing in their original positions, the town was finally completely constructed to scale. Alessandro even figured out that if he separated a piece of cardboard in two, the curled center was a perfect match for clay tile roofing used in Italy.

After four years of dedicated work, the model town of Roseto had reached a size of approximately 4 x 9 feet. It quickly became the highlight of the community’s yearly St. Anthony Feast – much like the statue of the Patron Saint which emerges once per year for all to gaze upon. Placed at the center of Roseto Club’s reception hall, people gather around it to point out all the shops and houses they remember from their vacations. Others recall the gardens they once owned, and grandparents show their grandchildren the houses in which they grew up in.

The scale model of Roseto Valfortore was initially a way for Alessandro to express his love for his home town, and quickly became a way to keep it alive in the minds of new generations. The conception of this remarkable gem not only provided an image of Roseto frozen in time, it also cemented Alessandro Maiatico’s legacy as ‘il muratore di Roseto’. v

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Angelo Persichilli: "Basta volerlo e lavorare duro" Intervista al nuovo direttore delle comunicazioni del Primo Ministro Stephen Harper Letizia Tesi

“Ci ho messo mezzo secondo a dire di sì. Una proposta del genere non si può rifiutare”. Molisano, immigrato in Canada nel 1975 per amore, sposato con due figli, Angelo Persichilli è il primo italiano nominato direttore delle comunicazioni di un primo ministro canadese.

Prime Minister Stephen Harper & Angelo Persichilli

Panoram Italia: È uno degli incarichi più prestigiosi del paese. Se l’aspettava?

Angelo Persichilli: Assolutamente no.

PI: Ha fatto il giornalista tutta la vita, prima con Il Tempo, Il Corriere Canadese, Omni Tv e poi come editorialista per il Toronto Sun, The Hill Times e il Toronto Star. Come si sente dall’altra parte?

AP: Il giornalismo non è una professione: è una droga, una passione. Ovviamente ce l’avrò sempre nel sangue. Ho cambiato lavoro, sì, ma non il centro del mio interesse: la politica. Come giornalista sono sempre stato incuriosito dai meccanismi che presiedono le scelte politiche. Quando stai dall’altra parte ti arrivano i comunicati stampa, la punta dell’iceberg. Dopo trenta anni di cronaca politica volevo capire quello che sta sotto, volevo vedere l’iceberg. Se tornassi a fare il giornalista niente sarebbe più come prima.

PI: Cosa rappresenta la nomina di un immigrato a capo delle comunicazioni del primo ministro?

AP: È un messaggio di grande apertura, del Canada in generale e di Stephen Harper in particolare, verso tutti gli immigrati, anche se spesso si usa questa definizione in modo improprio. È la dimostrazione che il Canada offre la possibilità di raggiungere qualsiasi traguardo a chiunque: basta volerlo e lavorare duro.

PI: La sua storia è diversa da quella della maggior parte degli italiani immigrati in Canada. Lei è arrivato qui per amore…

AP: Volevo andare all’estero per imparare l’inglese, poi Lina è venuta in vacanza nel mio paese e mi sono detto: perché non in Canada? Sì, la verità è che sono venuto qui per lei e poi sono rimasto.

PI: Contro la volontà dei suoi genitori…

AP: Assolutamente, soprattutto di mio padre. Ma nel 1973 l’immigrazione aveva un altro valore. E poi per i genitori anche se diventi presidente degli Stati Uniti il desiderio più grande resta averti accanto.

PI: Qual è stata la sua parabola professionale?

AP: Venendo in Canada senza conoscere l’inglese, gli unici posti dove si poteva fare il giornalista erano Il Corriere Canadese e la Chin Radio. Sono rimasto al Corriere, che all’epoca era la voce della comunità. Mi occupavo della cronaca della comunità e l’ho semplicemente seguita. Per anni è rimasta giustamente chiusa in se stessa per consolidarsi economicamente e poi ha cominciato ad aprirsi per conquistarsi spazi sociali, culturali e politici in ambienti più ampi ed io l’ho seguita. Mi sono integrato come ha saputo fare la comunità. Ovviamente integrazione non vuol dire perdere le proprie radici, che non vanno mai rinnegate.

PI: Che cosa ha portato in Canada della cultura italiana?

AP: Una volta feci la stessa domanda all’ex giudice della Corte suprema, Frank Iacobucci. Rispose: vorrei portare in Canada la creatività degli italiani e in Italia il senso civico dei canadesi. Sono completamente d’accordo.

PI: Che cosa ha assorbito della cultura canadese?

AP: Il rispetto per il prossimo.

PI: Il consiglio dato ai suoi figli per incoraggiarli nel mondo del lavoro?

AP: Innanzitutto avere le idee chiare. Una volta messo a fuoco l’obiettivo, il Canada darà loro la possibilità di raggiungerlo. L’importante è non girare a vuoto e chiedersi sempre: dove voglio essere fra cinque, dieci anni? Bisogna avere idee e programmi chiari altrimenti si semina sulle pietre. Quando sono in difficoltà e devo prendere una decisione, mi metto dalla parte della persona che dovrà subirla. Se non riesco ad accettare quella decisione vuol dire che non posso imporla nemmeno agli altri. Capire gli altri è importante perché è un modo per capire se stessi. Noi siamo gli altri.

PI: Quando si volta indietro, il suo viaggio è come lo immaginava?

AP: Il viaggio, per essere interessante, te lo devi inventare giorno per giorno. Ho sempre saputo esattamente quello che volevo, ma dal punto di vista tattico ho lasciato spazio alla creatività. Però, bisogna sapere dove si è diretti perché se non conosci la meta sei un giullare che si esibisce di fronte al miglior offerente.

L’individuo, poi, si giudica nel complesso e soprattutto nel quotidiano. I successi e le sconfitte sono importanti, ma più importante è quello che sei nella vita di tutti i giorni.

PI: Le manca l’Italia?

AP: A parte la famiglia?

PI: Intendo se ha nostalgia…

AP: No, non ce l’ho. Ma appena torno in Italia è come se non fossi mai partito.

PI: Orgoglioso di essere molisano?

AP: Certamente. Come sono orgoglioso delle mie radici culturali italiane. Però mi sento canadese.

PI: Lei dice che si devono fare programmi. Era questo il suo dieci anni fa?

AP: A dir la verità no, ma se chiama il primo ministro…

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George Marcello, 22

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il Terry Fox italo-canadese.

Salvato da un trapianto, ha percorso il Canada per promuovere le donazioni Letizia Tesi

“Ma che minchia fai a camminare come un cane?”

Neppure sua madre all’inizio capiva perché si fosse messo a camminare per il Canada, dopo un trapianto, dicendo di voler raccogliere fondi per le disfunzioni al fegato. Nemmeno lui aveva idea di quale fosse la meta. uando ha cominciato il suo viaggio George Marcello non sapeva che avrebbe fondato una delle più grandi organizzazioni a livello mondiale a favore della donazione di organi, Step by step, e salvato centinaia di vite. A farlo andare avanti all’inizio, passo dopo passo, era solo un’ostinazione interiore capace di resistere anche alla più forte disapprovazione materna.

Nel 1992 una malattia al fegato gli aveva lasciato due anni di vita. L’unica salvezza era un trapianto. Il fegato è arrivato quando ormai i dottori gli avevano dato solo due giorni di vita. “È stato un regalo”, racconta George, “ma non avevo mai smesso di sperarci”. Dopo quell’esperienza, una rinascita da ogni punto di vista, George ha iniziato a camminare per ringraziare il suo anonimo donatore e raccogliere fondi prima per le malattie al fegato, poi per aumentare la consapevolezza verso la donazione degli organi.

“Camminare era l’unica cosa che potevo fare e mi sono messo in marcia con uno zaino e il mio amico, Sam Vinci. Non avevo una meta, la mia unica guida era Dio”. All’inizio è andato avanti alla ricerca costante di un segno che gli indicasse la strada, fra battute d’arresto e rinunce.

Il viaggio vero e proprio del Terry Fox italiano, infatti, è iniziato nel 2000, con un itinerario attraverso l’Ontario, che visto a posteriori disegna sulla cartina il perimetro di un fegato: 50 città in quattro mesi per un totale di 2700 chilometri. Poi a giugno dello stesso anno una “maratona” di 760 giorni, 12 mila chilometri e 35 milioni di passi, che lo ha portato fino in British Columbia, dove ha ricevuto una telefonata dal Vaticano.

Il 5 settembre del 2001 George era inginocchiato davanti a Papa Giovanni Paolo II, che ha benedetto la Torch of Life, il dono di uno sconosciuto, che il fondatore di Step by step ha trasformato nel simbolo del suo cammino. Da allora la torcia ha viaggiato per centinaia di chilometri, passando nelle mani di migliaia di ragazzi, proprio come aveva chiesto di fare il Papa. Nel 2005, però, George ha avuto una ricaduta mentre era in Francia per svolgere una ricerca sulle politiche europee sulla donazione di organi. I dottori, quella volta, gli avevano dato un mese di vita. “Ho supplicato mio fratello di venirmi a prendere. Volevo tornare a morire in Canada”.

Il 27 luglio, il giorno del suo 50esimo compleanno, George ha ricevuto per la seconda volta un nuovo fegato. Cinque giorni dopo era già a Queen’s Park per presentare i risultati della sua ricerca e nel 2007 ha dato il via a una campagna che ha coinvolto centinaia di studenti in Canada e negli Stati Uniti.

Dopo undici anni di cammino, la Torch of Life continua a illuminare di speranza la vita chi è in attesa di un trapianto. In lista c’è anche Leonardo Kosarew, molto conosciuto nella comunità italiana di Toronto, colpito pochi mesi fa da una forma di leucemia, che sta combattendo con grande coraggio, dignità e ottimismo.

Ha bisogno, però, di un trapianto di midollo. “La ricerca è cominciata – spiega la moglie Donata Morandi – Quest’esperienza ha solo rafforzato quello in cui credo da sempre: sono donatrice da tanti anni. Leonardo ha bisogno di molte trasfusioni.

Ogni goccia di sangue è una goccia di vita e le persone che le hanno donate sono angeli. La battaglia per la donazione è fondamentale e spero che sempre più persone se ne rendano conto”.

Al fianco di George Marcello c’è anche il Congresso Nazionale degli Italocanadesi. “Ognuno di noi ha il potere di aiutare il prossimo – dice Michael Tibollo, presidente del Distretto di Toronto – Con un estremo gesto di altruismo si può restituire la vita a un altro essere umano”. Come hanno fatto Reginald Green e Ismael Khatib con gli organi dei loro figli, tutti e due uccisi per errore: Nicholas, 9 anni, morto nel 1994 dopo un agguato mentre era in vacanza in Calabria, e Ahmed, dodicenne palestinese ucciso da un soldato israeliano nel 2005. Reginald e Ismael si sono incontrati a Toronto per la prima volta il mese scorso e insieme hanno portato la Torch of life, che è pronta per partire per un nuovo viaggio intorno al mondo. George Marcello ha deciso di dedicare The Student Torch Relay alla memoria di Ahmed, la cui morte ha restituito la vita a molti bambini israeliani. v

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Papa Giovanni Paolo II e Geroge Marcello

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Nick Vescio:

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Inspiration through Sports and Education

By Alessandro Bozzelli

Born in Toronto to an Italian father from Lamezia Terme (Catanzaro) and a Taiwanese mother, 30-year-old Nicola (Nick) Vescio is a recent graduate of the concurrent Education program and Kinesiology program at York University, a former Football coach for York and the University of Toronto, as well as a former football player at Concordia University in Montreal. n 2008, Nick founded a non-profit organization named Big Hearts 4 Fresh Starts during his tenure at York University. The organization encourages active lifestyle habits among underprivileged youth, especially those in atrisk communities, by providing used sporting goods and equipment. “The idea of equity is the reason Big Hearts exists. My hope is to try to increase education by providing an opportunity to participate in sports by decreasing the financial expenses of those in need,” he says. He accomplishes this by distributing sports equipment to individual children, youth programs, schools, camps, community centers and low-income families across the Greater Toronto Area, in other parts of Ontario and as far as Uganda. He also provided hockey equipment to a native community in Northern Ontario. Nick has managed to build strong relationships between Big Hearts 4 Fresh Starts and Kids Sport, Right to Play, and Motivate Canada.

When not working under the umbrella of Big Hearts Nick is committed to supporting his community through his involvement with various sports programs at teaching placements such as Earl Grey Senior Public School and Riverdale Collegiate. He has provided adolescents with a positive learning environment beyond the classroom.

These extracurricular activities help individuals develop invaluable skills that prepare them for life. His goal is

Photographer: Gregory Varano

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simple: “I seek to offer students a venue to learn more about themselves, experience the benefits of working in a team environment, and leading a healthy lifestyle through a variety of hobbies, including sports, music and other student-lead initiatives.” Nick has managed to create a strong nexus between the three things he loves the most in life: sports, teaching, and helping under-privileged children.

Prior to 2008, Nick had worked as the Executive Director for The Ontario Blind Sports Association (OBSA).

OBSA plans, promotes, co-ordinates, and sanctions events and activities designed to stimulate and assist the further development of sports programs for blind and visually impaired athletes in Ontario.

Nick is currently pursuing professional teaching opportunities and continuing to work to expand his Big Hearts 4 Fresh Starts organization. He looks forward to bringing his passion for teaching, lifelong education, and experience with extra-curricular programs to other school boards.

By definition, a leader is a person who is a role model and guides or inspires others. Nick is certainly loyal to his commitment: he guides and inspires the future generations of his community. Nick Vescio truly is a current and Future Leader. v

A proud history of staffing the factory, restaurant, banquet facility, hotel, clerical and general labour industries for over 15 years within GTA.

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Domenico Pietropaolo

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alla guida del St. Michael’s College Alessio Galletti

Il suo primo lavoro al St. Michael's College, “temporaneo e occasionale”, era spostare libri. “Se solo avessi saputo che per diventare Principal bastava rimanere in giro abbastanza a lungo...”. Domenico Pietropaolo non rinuncia né all'ironia né alla modestia nel giorno nel quale viene ufficialmente investito della carica più prestigiosa della University of St. Michael's College, davanti ai colleghi, agli amici e ai suoi cari. Nel suo discorso non manca, però, di sottolineare l'alta tradizione accademica che è stato chiamato a rappresentare e che si farà carico di difendere per i prossimi cinque anni. Un grande onore per lui, ma anche per la comunità italo-canadese, spiega, che per la prima volta vede un proprio esponente in un ruolo tanto prestigioso. Una comunità nella quale lui, arrivato a dieci anni dalla Calabria, racconta di essersi formato e della quale continua oggi a sentirsi parte. sono proprio le sue origini quelle che forse hanno influenzato di più la sua carriera, partita in modo insolito per un umanista, con un Bachelor of Science. "Studiavo matematica e fisica, cose come la meccanica quantistica e le equazioni differenziali", racconta Pietropaolo. Ma ben prima “del mezzo del cammin di sua vita” è stata la lingua di Dante a riportarlo sulla "diritta via", insieme alla passione per il teatro: "È stata una decisione che è maturata lentamente. L'interesse c’era da tempo, ma all'inizio credevo di poter fare tutto contemporaneamente: la letteratura e il teatro erano il passatempo, l'interesse serio era quello scientifico. Poco alla volta, però, mi sono accorto che il rapporto si era invertito".

Intrapresi formalmente gli studi umanistici, Pietropaolo non ci ha messo molto a distinguersi non solo nello studio della letteratura del tardo Medioevo, ma anche in quello della teoria del teatro. Prima ancora di essere nominato direttore del dipartimento di Italianistica e poi Principal del St. Michael's College, è stato anche il primo italo-canadese a dirigere il centro studi teatrali, “di solito affidato a studiosi shakespeariani”. Una lunga serie di successi per lui che dal St. Michael's dice con affetto di non essersi “mai mosso” e che deve ringraziare anche per avergli fatto incontrare la donna che è poi diventata sua moglie.

Dopo anni di soddisfazioni, ora ha davanti una nuova sfida che lo onora molto.

Una sfida che non ha cercato, ma che ha raccolto con entusiasmo e con la ferma volontà di preservare la tradizione di eccellenza accademica del college, che lo ha accolto come studente e non lo ha più lasciato andare.

Le direttrici lungo le quali intende muoversi vanno già delineandosi: se da una parte vuole un più stretto contatto tra le materie umanistiche e quelle scientifiche, applicando metodi d'indagine quantitativi allo studio della letteratura, dall'altra spera di consolidare il programma dedicato ai mass media, in fortissima crescita. Poi c’è da portare avanti il lavoro per la creazione di partnership con università europee che favoriscano programmi di scambio sia per i professori che per gli studenti, oltre a collaborazioni internazionali su grandi progetti di ricerca. In mente ha rapporti con prestigiose istituzioni italiane, come quello già avviato con l'Orientale di Napoli, ma anche con strutture irlandesi e scozzesi, per creare quei “contatti diretti” capaci di rafforzare il già noto programma di studi celtici del St. Michael’s. Pietropaolo non nasconde che sì, quelli che lo aspettano saranno cinque anni impegnativi, anche perché non vuole rinunciare del tutto a fare ricerca nonostante la nomina a Principal.

Ma si sente forte del sostegno dei colleghi “che mi hanno accolto calorosamente quando ho esposto loro i miei progetti e sono dispostissimi a lavorare con me per dare al college quella dimensione internazionale che merita”. E sa che potrà anche contare sull’aiuto degli studenti, che al nuovo Principal hanno subito riservato “una bella accoglienza” e hanno fatto capire di essere pronti a fare la loro parte. “Si è già stabilito un rapporto di collaborazione che a me fa molto piacere”, dice Pietropaolo parlando dell’incontro con le organizzazioni che rappresentano i quasi cinquemila iscritti al St. Michael’s. “A me piace incontrarli in giro per il campus e parlarci direttamente. Per me è una grande soddisfazione avere un rapporto amichevole, cordiale e aperto con loro”.

In fondo, si ricorda ancora di quando spostava libri ed era uno di loro. v

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Professor Domenico Pietropaolo

Da sinistra: Anne Anderson, presidente e vicedirettrice della University of St. Michael's College, Domenico Pietropaolo e Thomas C. Collins, Arcivescovo di Toronto Photo Credit: © 2011 - St. Michael’s College in the University of Toronto

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Toronto Dec-Jan 17-32_Layout 1 11-11-28 9:59 AM Page 25

Li fe &People - A dvertorial

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Dr. Nick C. Fedele 26 years of dental care and counting

“I wanted my office to feel more like a home than an institution and this one just felt right.”

Dr. Nick C. Fedele never really knew the career he would choose until his wife Anne (then girlfriend at the time) suggested Dentistry while in University. “I knew I excelled in Math and Science but really wasn’t sure how that would fit into a career choice.” He had a passion for learning, an aptitude for working well with his hands and a great love of people. After attending McMaster University and doing well on the dental aptitude test, another Dental Student was born at the University of Toronto. His love for learning persists to this day: “Just when you think you know it all, there is always something new and exciting in the dental field to keep you on your toes.”

Humble beginnings Dr. Fedele, like so many others of his generation, came from humble beginnings. “I nearly didn’t make it to Canada,” he explains, “my mother was pregnant with me on her flight from Italy and the plane had engine trouble and had to make an emergency landing! Luckily we made it!” As a young child of immigrants, he struggled with the English language and the customs and traditions of a new country. “My father Vincenzo picked up English much easier than my mother Nella who was self taught thanks to General Hospital,” he says with a smile. Young Nick would persevere and eventually finish top of his class, thanks to outstanding teachers like Mr. Formusa and Mr. Griffin. “Looking back on my childhood, I think that being scared of going to the dentist definitely made me more aware of how to improve the dental experience for my patients.”

Comfort and support Dr. Fedele always dreamed of owning his own office.

In this case it turned out to be a beautifully renovated 100-year-old house. “I wanted my office to feel more like a home than an institution and this one just felt right. It was in an older part of Woodbridge, where a good portion of the neighbours had lived in the area for over 40 years. We want our patients to feel comfortable and we do our utmost to welcome them into our home.”

None of this could be possible without the incredible staff he feels truly blessed to work with everyday.

“We are all like a family; I have some staff members that

have been with me for over 20 years and some that have just started. I could never think for one second that any of this was possible without the strength and support of each and every one of them.”

Dentistry done right According to Dr. Fedele, today’s Dentistry should not feel like it did 20 years ago. “You must be willing to listen, take that information, digest it and use it for the betterment of your patients. The technology and advancement made in Dentistry is what keeps me excited and what I have the privilege of looking forward to every day.” A few of these advancements include:

• Using much less radiation with digital radiographs • Making crowns in office within two hours with the CEREC 3D • Whitening teeth in-office within one hour • Oral pre-cancer screenings • Computer generated smile design simulation • White composite or porcelain restorations • Use of lasers in conjunction with/or instead of drills • Replacing missing teeth with implants • Advanced screening and treatment of periodontal disease

“I am truly blessed” “I have had the privilege of caring for, in some cases, four generations of families,” Dr. Fedele states. “It is especially satisfying to see children grow up into adults and have their own children become part of our office.

That’s what it’s all about: families entrusting you with their families.”

“There is no better satisfaction then to have a patient come to us very apprehensive and leave confident, trusting, comfortable and happy.” His enthusiasm has not faltered and he looks forward to continuing what he loves. “The trust and support of my patients, staff and family keeps me loving what I do.”

“To my patients my heartfelt thank you for the confidence you have placed in me. To Rosanna, Ivana, Olga, Connie, Anna M, Mara, Anna V, Nicole, and Samantha, thanks for making each day that much better. To my parents and my brothers and sisters, thank you for your love and support. To my boys Nicholas and Christian, follow your dreams, and to my wife Anne, I love you for your love, unwavering support and believing in me.”

7790 Kipling Avenue, Woodbridge, Ontario, L4L 1Z3 905-265-9590

www.drfedeledentistry.com

“Smile, it’s healthy”

TM

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Maurizio Bevilacqua:

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Mayor of Vaughan

‘Vaughan is the place to be’ -a fitting slogan for a city with the highest growth rate in North America, with 9,000 businesses and a population well over 300,000 residents.

By Viviana Laperchia

On October 25, 2010, Maurizio Bevilacqua, former Member of Parliament and candidate for leadership of the Liberal Party, was elected Mayor after resigning his seat in the House of Commons.

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he Vaughan Accord, an agreement on reforms to prevent corruption and mismanagement, was introduced by Mayor Bevilacqua at the beginning of 2011 and signed by all the Members of Council for the 2010-2014 term of office. The Accord is the corner-stone of his mandate. “It commits us to providing stable, transparent and effective governance, focused on achieving excellence,” said Bevilacqua in a speech at the Vaughan Chamber of Commerce last February.

With nearly twenty-five years of experience in public life, Maurizio Bevilacqua found his calling very early on. “I came to Canada at age 10. That I was sitting in the House of Commons 18 years later is a tribute to the openness of this country. For me, public life is not a job. It’s my vocation and vocations speak of values,” he says.

Son of a small business owner who sought to rebuild his life in Canada, Bevilacqua immigrated with his family from Sulmona, Abruzzo to Toronto in 1970.

Young Maurizio soon realized the true nature of his adoptive city: “We’re a multicultural, pluralistic society. While we express ourselves in over 70 different languages, the major preoccupations and challenges we face as people are very similar,” he explains.

Besides fiscal accountability, job creation for students and for the emerging work force is another one of Mayor Bevilacqua’s priorities. This was part of the message in a video promoting Vaughan, featuring students reiterating his inaugural speech. The city, in other words, is keen on investing in its youth.

When 12-year-old student Hannah Godefa reached out for support for her charity project, Bevilacqua did not hesitate to connect to her cause. Hanna’s Pencil Mountain aimed to collect 200,000 pencils for the children of Ethiopia. “My purpose is to serve the public,” he says, “you can’t lead just behind your desk; you have to be out there,

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reach out to people.”

Mayor Bevilacqua is also committed to helping needy organizations such as Hospice Vaughan and Alternatives with fundraising, and regularly participates in the city’s culturally diverse events. “You need to show respect and appreciation for what people do.” Being mayor is not just a legal definition as one finds in the precepts of the City Hall, he explains.

The inauguration of Vaughan’s sparkling new City Hall this past September 25 represented a significant change in the style of administration. Unlike past years, the City opened its doors to 2,000 people with music and entertainment. From the mayor’s inaugural speech: “A building is, after all just a building. It is the people inside it who bring it to life, and give it purpose beyond what it was created for.”

Vaughan’s modern City Hall is the reflection of the city’s human and social reality: a reality in constant evolution, and one that Mayor Maurizio Bevilacqua will strive to better for its future citizens. v

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One More Day

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What would you do if you had one more day to spend with a deceased loved one?

Giuseppe Giannone My father, my friend

Nonno Orlando Filippone My nonno Orlando was a man of few words, a very wise man, yet very humble. If I could have one more day with him, I would be sure that our time together would be well spent. I would do all things my grandfather loved to do.

For starters, we’d set off to our family country place; my grandfather was always in his best moods there. He would sit on this big rock that was in front of the garden, just like he’d always do, as if it was his throne, for he was the king of the garden. I would work tirelessly at perfecting it for him, making sure that everything was in its place, ready to go. And he would be there on his rock, happy about how we were going to bring life to this garden.

As the day would wind to an end, I would have one last glass of wine with nonno and thank him for everything he had taught me and how honoured I am to carry his name.

Love your grandson, Orlando Filippone

If I could spend one more day with you I would insist on sharing a glass or two of good homemade wine just like we used to make together.

As I gaze at you in this picture, which was taken in Italy in 1948 when you were only 23, I realize how I have become like you. Just as you taught us love, compassion and generosity, my brother Frank and I reflect these values on to others.

If I had one more day I would tell you of the many travels that I have done since your passing in 2006. I would tell you of Barbara and our 25th wedding anniversary in Italy. When I saw "Giuseppe" written on a wall outside a Church in Naples I knew you were with me.

When I turned 50 years old on a cruise in Mexico and the shipboard band played one of your favorite songs "Spanish Eyes" every night, I knew you were with me.

If we shared one more day together, I would take you to the great garden mom still looks after every year and we’d eat one of those wonderful pizzas she still makes from scratch.

I love you papà and thanks for making me the person I am today.

Until we meet again, Love always, Vito Giannone

With fondest memories of my mom-in-law, Rosa Pasculli (June 9, 1919 – December 10, 2003) As I begin to write this tribute I am so overcome with emotion I can hardly breathe or swallow past the constriction in my throat.

I am First Nations Canadian and I married into a large Italian family.

Mom was the mother of ten children.

She and my father-in-law with their family immigrated to Canada in July, 1965. My father-in-law was accidently killed at his job site in December 1966, leaving mom to raise nine of the children on her own.

In 1967, she purchased her home in the St. Clair and Dufferin area and completed the task of educating and developing independent adults. She suffered their failures, celebrated their triumphs, participated in each of their weddings and shared the joy of their children entering the family and attending the milestones her grandchildren achieved.

Mom worked hard to accomplish her goals, and what a pleasant surprise when she accepted our invitation to travel to Florida on vacation. This was an opportunity for my children and each of us, to enjoy nonna's/mom's company in

a relaxed atmosphere. We went up to Disney World and I was amazed when she went on the rides and what a laugh, in the Haunted House when the ghoul limped up, leaned forward and frightened her.

This is one of the stories that is told during our get-togethers, in fact everyone has a favourite memory and as we listen to each other relate and re-create the scenes, the humour and actions, bring her so near it is as though she is present.

She was a very fair and optimistic person, and with such a large family I'm sure she heard many trials and tribulations as time passed. She never judged anyone, she didn't take sides, and she listened and led the conversation in a manner that would prompt you to arrive at your resolution to the problem.

Mom was the personality who kept the family united and in communication with each other, therefore if I were granted one more day with mom, I would invite the seventy-plus members of our family to dinner so that she and her family would once again exchange conversations and share laughter. The family would be together, creating collectibles of good memories, in an album of smiling faces.

Rest gently dear mom, Sandra Pasculli

Want to share your story? Send your ‘One More Day’ submission to info@panoramitalia.com along with a picture. The best entries will appear in our February / March issue.

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Piazza del Duomo Tra vel

The Heart of Milan:

Léa-Catherine Szacka

Piazza del Duomo is the cultural and commercial center of Milan. Bordered by the Galleria Vittorio Emanuele II and the Milan Cathedal, the Piazza is the true heart of the city and a popular gathering place for both locals and tourists.

Since 2010, the square is also home to the Museo del Novecento, a museum dedicated to twentieth century art. hile Galleria Vittorio Emanuele II is indeed a covered commercial complex, it bears no resemblance to ugly shopping centers typical of the postmodern era.

Conceived as the envy of all European metropolises, it was in 1859 that the idea for an indoor shopping mall, linking Piazza del Duomo with Piazza della Scala, took root. An architectural competition was then organized to select its future creator. No less than 176 architects entered the competition from which the young Giuseppe Mengoni eventually emerged victorious. Tragically, this architectural genius lost his life after falling from the gallery’s dome during an inspection on December 30, 1877.

From the gallery’s walkway, one can spot eclectic design features, including elements typical of Milan’s late nineteenth century, as well as grotesque caryatids.

Today, Galleria Vittorio Emanuele II is home to many luxury boutiques from such famous designers Louis Vuitton, Prada, and Borsalino, as well as cafes, grand hotels, luxury restaurants, and even a McDonald’s!

Eight years after London’s Crystal Palace demonstrated how impressive a largescale glass and iron structure could be, Milan’s civic leaders sought to erect something of equal stature in honour of the city’s standing as the heart of the industrial revolution on the Italian peninsula. The iconic Galleria Vittorio Emanuele II, with its vaulting dome of iron and glass, was also said to be among Gustave Eiffel’s inspirations for his landmark Parisian tower.

Work on the gallery began in 1865, with King Vittorio Emanuele II of Savoy laying the first stone. Though the gallery was opened only two years later, it took an additional decade to fully complete the project. Over the years, the gallery became a

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Arengario Palace, the city has revived a site that had until recently been neglected. The museum’s proposed itinerary is a chronicle of Italian art’s major periods, starting from the beginning of the century, and culminating in 1968, a symbolic year in European history.

Thus, between culture, religion and shopping, Piazza del Duomo is a destination not to be overlooked. There’s something for everyone, so make sure to catch a glimpse of it when you visit Milan. v

theater for many important milestones in Milanese history. Since the early twentieth century, its cafes have annually given way to the Salone di Milano (Milan Furniture Fair). In 1910, futurist Umberto Boccioni depicted the site’s shoppers and pedestrians in one of his famous paintings. And, in August 1943, the Galleria was severely damaged in an Allied Forces air raid.

Piazza del Duomo is also known for the splendid Milan Cathedral (Duomo di Milano). Built between the fourteenth and sixteenth centuries, this Gothic and neo-Gothic cathedral features a rooftop observatory, from which tourists can not only admire breathtaking views of the main square and surrounding urban fabric, but also the impressive pinnacles, spires, and flying buttresses that decorate the top of the cathedral.

At the south end of the Piazza, near the Palazzo dell'Arengario (built in late 50s), the recently erected Museo del Novecento has brought new life into the square. With of over 3500 square meters of floor space and 400 twentieth century works of art on display, the museum (opened in December 2010) allows visitors to admire one of Italy’s greatest collections. Along with the renovations brought to

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Il Presepe in Italia:

Tra vel

una tradizione antica famosa in tutto il mondo

Tommaso Altrui

Ancora adesso ricordo quella fredda sera di dicembre quando avevo 6 anni e passeggiavo con la mia famiglia nel cuore di Napoli in Via San Gregorio Armeno, una piccola stradina piena di botteghe, negozi e bancarelle. Pastori, presepi, decorazioni natalizie, statuine in legno, in gesso e in terracotta. Presepi in miniatura o giganti, spettacoli con attori da strada vestiti d’epoca, accompagnati da un sottofondo musicale prodotto dal mandolino del vecchio signore affacciato alla sua finestra. Ed io ero così felice insieme ai miei fratelli nel cercare quel personaggio diverso che avesse reso il nostro presepe ancora più speciale.

“Quest’anno faremo il più bel presepe di tutti gli anni”, diceva ripetutamente mio padre. a cos’è il presepe? Il presepe, detto anche mangiatoia o culla, è la scena della Natività Cristiana, e si pensa sia stata creata da San Francesco d'Assisi nel XIII secolo a Greccio, un paesino a nord di Roma. In genere, raffigura Gesù, Maria e Giuseppe in una stalla, accompagnati da un bue e un asinello. A volte la scena comprende personaggi e alcune caratteristiche della storia della natività biblica, dai vangeli del Nuovo Testamento di Luca e Matteo, tra cui i Tre Re Magi, i pastori, gli angeli e la stella di Betlemme.

San Francesco, che ha riproposto la scena con personaggi dal vivo, utilizzò la natività per trasmettere l'idea della nascita del Bambin Gesù. E così anche le chiese cattoliche presto cominciarono a creare le loro scene proprio a Natale. La tradizione si diffuse rapidamente in tutta Italia ed Europa.

Nel XVIII secolo a Napoli, al culmine del periodo barocco, la Natività si sviluppò come una vera e propria arte. Finanziati dalla monarchia, gli artisti locali trasformavano il presepe in un’elaborata scena drammatica, piena di personaggi tra cui re, angeli, pastori e musicisti, in diversi tipi di materiali, ed i vestiti erano dipinti a mano con i migliori tessuti. Noti scultori venivano spesso commissionati per creare le scene. Il presepe è così considerato non solo un modo più religioso di celebrare la nascita di Gesù Bambino, ma è diventato con il tempo anche una tradizione e una rappresentazione artistica del Natale.

A Roma, ad esempio, passeggiando per il centro si possono visitare le chiese e

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ammirare i loro presepi. Il più antico presepe risale al 1280 ed è considerato uno dei più grandi tesori della Basilica romana di Santa Maria Maggiore. Ma la scena della Natività più famosa di Roma, si trova nella Chiesa di Santa Maria d'Aracoeli, sul Campidoglio. La statua a grandezza naturale del Santo Bambino, è stata ricavata in un piccolo uliveto poco fuori la città di Gerusalemme nel quale Gesù Cristo, secondo i Vangeli, si ritirò dopo l’ultima cena prima di essere tradito ed arrestato. Tuttora si considera che tale statua sia dotata di guarigione miracolosa. Infatti, il Santo Bambino è stato realmente assunto dalla chiesa per portare conforto ai malati e ai moribondi. Ora viene conservata in una teca di vetro nella sacrestia, ornata di gioielli e oggetti preziosi donati dai fedeli. Il giorno di Natale, il Santo Bambino è calato nel Presepe circondato da decine di pastori come schiere di angeli che vegliano su di lui sotto un magnifico cielo stellato.

Ci sono poi diverse chiese con presepi permanenti. Il più imponente è nella Basilica dei Santi Medici Cosma e Damiano in Alberobello (BA).

L’ampio presepe napoletano del 1700 è esposto in uno degli ambienti del chiostro dove la scena della Natività comprende centinaia di figure, angeli e personaggi di ogni ceto che rappresentano simultaneamente religiosità, sentimento e solidarietà.

Questo è lo scopo principale di ogni Presepe: diffondere principalmente il messaggio cristiano e riprodurre la nascita di Gesù Bambino attraverso l’utilizzo di diversi personaggi.

Dicembre è arrivato e con la mia famiglia aspettiamo con ansia l’apertura di quella vecchia scatola, che con tanta cura abbiamo portato dall’Italia, per fare, anche quest’anno, il “Presepe piu bello di Via San Gregorio Armeno, Napoli tutti gli anni”. v

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Cortina d’Ampezzo,

31

Ski VIP

Italy’s favourite ski destination in the Dolomites

By Alessia Sara Domanico

If skiing and snowboarding are on your agenda this winter but you haven’t picked the spot yet, take a beat, because we’ve dreamed up a special white Christmas in the Dolomites. Mont Tremblant and Blue Mountain will always be there, but how many times can you head back to the office after the break and tell your co-workers that you just spent the last two weeks gliding down a Unesco World Heritage site?

ormed 200 million years ago, these mountains in the Italian Alps offer some of the best skiing on Earth. Located between the Trentino and Veneto regions, the Dolomites are an hour and a half north of Venice and there are plenty of different transportation services available to head straight there from Venice’s Marco Polo airport.

Like every Italian region, the people of the Dolomites take great pride in preserving their culture, which can most noticeably be heard in the local Ladin language – a derivative of Latin that was developed when the Romans occupied the area in the first century B.C. Nowadays, come vacation time, Canadians, Americans, the French, Germans and countless other ski enthusiasts occupy the ‘pale mountains’ named after Déodat Tancrè de Gratet de Dolomieu, the French mineralogist who was the first to classify the rock’s carbonate characteristics.

The number of different areas to choose from can get overwhelming, but the classic Cortina D’Ampezzo, aka the ‘queen of the Dolomites,’ is perfect for firsttimers. Cortina, a preferred VIP ski spot (the Barilla family has been going for ages), is described as a mix between St. Moritz and Aspen. Its secluded atmosphere makes it seem as if nothing else in the world exists, and with all the perks of exceptional skiing along with Italian hospitality, it’s a winning combination.

Home of Italy’s first Winter Olympics in 1956, Cortina has stayed a favourite among skiers for its reliable snow record from late November through April and its well-maintained slopes. It covers 120 kilometres of slopes that reach over 3,000 metres in altitude. Alpine skiing excursions in Cortina come in lots of different forms to suit your style. Opt for a ski tour where you’ll have the chance to race down the same tracks used for the 1956 Olympics: The Pista Olympia (downhill racing), Pista Vitelli (Giant Slalom) and Pista ‘a’ Cole Druscié (Slalom). Another unique tour offered in Cortina is The First World War Tour which is suitable for skiers of all ages. The trek takes you out along the

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Dolomite frontline from war times where you’ll ski amidst tunnels and loopholes built by the Italian, Austro-Hungarian and German troops.

Cortina has something for every level starting from beginner with intensive ski schools, equipment rentals and Alpine guides that can lead you through more challenging areas. For intermediate and expert skiers there are cross-country skiing centres as well as NordicSki circuits (where the heel and boot are not fixed to the skis) where you can take a crack at more challenging pursuits like ski jumping.

Back in town there are plenty of ways to enjoy your down time off the slopes with a village that is teeming with wine bars, restaurants and art galleries.

Corso Italia is your shopping destination with upscale boutiques carrying the best European labels and local artisan shops. v

Where to shop: Le Noir Stocks must have brands like Christian Louboutin, Lanvin and Azzedine Alaia Corso Italia 76/78 www.lenoirboutique.it Art House - Souvenirs and local products Corso Italia, 96 Tel. +39 0436 863 898 Brunello Cucinelli A luxury Italian brand best known for its cashmere clothing Via Roma, 1 www.brunellocucinelli.com Franz Kraler Inside this wood-lined interior you’ll find Fendi handbags and stilettos from Dolce&Gabbana among other fashion goodies Corso Italia, 107 www.franzkraler.it

Where to eat: Lovat This pasticceria is the perfect breakfast spot for a cappuccino and brioche Corso Italia, 65 Tel. +39 0436 3307 Enoteca Order a ‘tagliere’ lunch of sliced cold cuts and cheeses accompanied by a wine from their 700-strong cellar Via del Mercato, 5 Tel. +39 0436 3048 Tivoli An intimate Michelin-starred restaurant that specializes in wild game dishes like lamb and pork. A favourite among well-known Italian politicians and actors Via Lacedel, 34 Tel. +39 0436 866 400 www.ristorantetivoli.it

Useful Links: Men's 30 km free handicap pursuit race

www.dolomiti-unesco.org www.dolomiti.org

Cooking For Friends :

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Food & Wine

32

Easy Holiday Entertaining

Recipes and Photography by Claudia Ficca

See more recipes at www.panoramitalia.com

Italian holiday gatherings are all about great food and great company.

Celebrate this season with your loved ones by indulging in an array of mouth watering canapés. These elegant finger foods are delicious, easy to make and look spectacular.

Crostini 3 Ways To make crostini: Preheat oven to 375°F. Arrange baguette slices on baking sheet, brush each slice with a little olive oil. Toast in oven until golden, turning once, about 9 minutes in total. Cool.

Pear and Gorgonzola

1.

This classic flavour combination will start a party in your mouth! The rich buttery flavour of the Gorgonzola with the sweet crunch of the pears and the smooth velvety honey makes this crostini a crowd favorite.

Ingredients (Servings about 12 crostini) 1 baguette, sliced 1/2 inch at an angle 1 Bartlett pear, halved, cored and thinly sliced 1 piece of Gorgonzola cheese (about 150gr), sliced into 12 pieces 3 Tbsp honey

Directions Layer each crostini with a slice of Gorgonzola cheese, then add two slices of pear and drizzle the tops with honey before serving.

2.

Sweet Pea, Pine Nut and Speck Sweet, nutty and smokey. This crostini has a few preparatory steps like toasting the pine-nuts and making the crispy speck, but the extra effort will be appreciated by your taste buds.

Ingredients (Servings about 12 crostini) 1 baguette, sliced 1/2 inch at an angle 1 package frozen peas, thawed (454 grams) 1 garlic clove, minced 1/2 cup pine-nuts, toasted 1/2 cup Parmigiano, grated 1 teaspoon Kosher salt 1/4 teaspoon freshly ground black pepper, plus extra for seasoning 1/3 cup extra virgin olive oil 4 slices speck

Directions Heat a large skillet to medium heat, add pine nuts. Stir the nuts continuously.

As the nuts start turning brown, remove them from heat and transfer immediately into a dish. Let cool.

Preheat oven at 3500 F. Place slices of speck on an aluminum foil-lined baking sheet. Bake for about 10 minutes, remove from oven. Let cool and then brake into pieces.

In the food processor, pulse together the peas, garlic, toasted pine nuts, Parmigiano, salt and pepper. While you are pulsing, slowly pour the olive oil until well combined, about 1 minute.

Top each crostini with 1 Tbsp of pea pesto and garnish with pieces of speck.

3.

Mushroom and Goat Cheese The garlic sautéed mushrooms and the tangy goat cheese flavour work together perfectly on the crispy baguette.

Ingredients (Servings about 12 crostini) 1 baguette, sliced at an angle in 1/2 inch 2 Tbsp extra virgin olive oil + more for drizzling 2 cloves garlic, minced 8 cups thinly sliced mixed mushrooms 1-1/2 lb (750 g) (I used king and brown button mushrooms, but feel free to use whatever is available: oyster, shiitake, chanterelles) 1 tsp fresh thyme 1 cup crumbled soft goat cheese Kosher salt Freshly ground black pepper

Directions In large skillet, heat oil over medium-high heat. Add sliced mushrooms; sauté until the mushrooms are golden and the liquid has evaporated, about 7 minutes. Add minced garlic; sauté 1 minute. Add fresh thyme, salt and pepper. Remove from heat.

Top each crostini with 1 Tbsp mushroom mixture and crumble some goat cheese over the mushrooms, drizzle with olive oil just before serving. Serve warm or at room temperature

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Food & Wine

Fennel, Mandarine and Pomegranate Salad

Panna Cotta with Pomegranate Jelly

Lighten the holiday meal with this fresh, festive and colourful salad.

This eye-catching dessert is very easy to make and can be made a day or two before your event.

Ingredients (Makes 8 to 12 canapĂŠ serving)

Ingredients (Makes 12 to 15 shot glass servings)

Pomegranate Jelly Ingredients

1 1/2 cups milk + 1/4 cup 2 cups heavy cream 3/4 cups sugar 4 teaspoons unflavoured gelatin 1/2 vanilla bean, split and seeds scraped

3 teaspoons unflavoured powdered gelatin 1/3 cup (80 ml) cold water 2 cups Pomegranate Juice 1/2 cup granulated white sugar, or to taste

Directions

Directions

Place the gelatin in bowl and add 1/4 cup milk, stir to combine and set aside for 5 minutes. Pour milk mixture into a saucepan and stir over medium heat just until the gelatin dissolves about 5 minutes. Do not let the liquid reach a boil.

Add 1/2 cup milk, cream, sugar, vanilla bean and seeds and cook on medium heat for 7 minutes.

Remove from heat and let sit for 10 minutes.

Pass the mixture through a fine mesh sieve into a measuring cup with a pour spout.

To achieve the tilted look, place the shot glasses at an angle in an egg carton. Carefully pour the panna cotta into tall shot glasses, filling 3/4 of the glass. Chill in refrigerator for 4 hours.

Sprinkle the gelatin over 1/3 cup of cold water.

Let this mixture sit for about five to ten minutes. Meanwhile, in a saucepan, heat the pomegranate juice and sugar on medium-high heat, stirring constantly to dissolve the sugar.

Do not let boil. Stir the softened gelatin into the hot juice and place this mixture over a low heat and stir constantly until the gelatin has completely dissolved. Remove from heat and let cool for about 10 minutes. Remove the panna cotta from egg carton and place on nonslip flat surface. Pour equal amounts of the pomegranate jelly over the panna cotta and refrigerate about 2 - 4 hours or until set. Top with pomegranate seeds when ready to serve.

1 large fennel bulb, trimmed and thinly sliced (reserve some fennel frons) 3 mandarine oranges, supremes.

1 seeded pomegranate (the trick here is to de-seed it in a bowl of water - the seeds will sink to the bottom and your hands won’t get stained) 1/4 cup olive oil 3 Tbsp juice from mandarins Salt and pepper

Directions Start by making the mandarine supremes. Using a sharp paring knife, cut off the ends, then remove skin in strips working from top to bottom. Cut along the side of the membrane to remove the sections of the citrus fruit. Set the supremes aside. Squeeze what is left of the mandarine over a strainer and reserve juice. Whisk 3 Tbsp of mandarine juice with olive oil and salt.

Assemble your salads by layering fennel slices, topping with mandarin supremes and pomegranate seeds. Drizzle the vinaigrette and top with fennel frons.

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Homemade Christmas

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34

Food & Wine

Recipe and photography by Claudia Ficca

It’s the season to give! Turn your kitchen into Santa's workshop and give the gift of Holiday baking.

Chocolate and Hazelnuts Mini Panettoni If you’ve never attempted to make Panettone, I suggest you team up with a friend as it’s a daylong process. This was my first attempt and it turned out better than I could have hoped considering the fact that I modified three recipes to create something to call my own. For guidance and inspiration, I turned to many sources: First I opened my Giorgio Locatelli cookbook to find that, although he dedicates two full pages to romanticize the art of Panettone making, he fails to offer a recipe. This made me hesitate. If a Michelin Star Chef leaves the Panettone making to the pros, why should I even attempt it? After looking through many recipes online and watching a few Panettone making videos, my fear was gone and I was excited to get started. I decided not to try to recreate the classic Panettone but opted to make one with my favourite ingredients: chocolate and hazelnuts.

Panettone 1/3 cup warm water 2 envelopes of active dry yeast (1 tablespoon in each envelope) 4 cups all purpose flour, plus more for dusting 1/2 cup warm milk 2/3 cup granulated sugar 4 large whole eggs 2 large egg yolks 1/4 tsp salt 1 tsp pure vanilla extract 3/4 cup cold unsalted butter, plus more for brushing over Pannetone 1 cup roasted hazelnuts, chopped in halves 1 cup semi-sweet chocolate chips Freshly grated zest of 2 oranges 12 mini paper panettoni molds

Sponge: With a fork, dissolve 1 envelope of yeast in 1/3 cup warm water in a bowl. Then let stand until foamy, 5 to 10 minutes. Add 1/2 cup flour and stir to make very loose dough. Cover bowl with plastic wrap. Let stand in a warm place until doubled in bulk, about 30 minutes.

Milk Mixture: In another bowl, pour warm milk and sprinkle with remaining envelope of yeast. Stir with a fork until yeast has dissolved, then let stand 5 to 10 minutes.

Egg Mixture: Meanwhile, whisk together sugar, whole eggs, 2 egg yolks, salt, and vanilla.

Whisk in milk mixture.

Directions: In a large bowl, beat butter and remaining 3 1/2 cups flour with a mixer on medium speed until mixture is crumbly. Reduce speed to low, and gradually add egg mixture. Raise speed to medium, and beat until smooth.

Add SPONGE, and beat on medium-high speed until dough is elastic and long strands form when it's stretched, about 5 minutes (it will still be very sticky). Stir in orange zest, hazelnuts and chocolate chips. Transfer to a buttered bowl, and cover with buttered plastic wrap. Let dough stand in a warm place until doubled in bulk, about 2 hours.

Preheat oven to 400 degrees F, with rack in lower third. Turn dough out onto a floured surface, and divide into 12 portions. Knead a few times and shape into balls. Drop each ball into a paper Panettone mold, transfer to a rimmed baking sheet, and loosely cover with buttered plastic wrap. Let rise in a warm place until dough reaches edge of mold, 30 to 45 minutes.

Melt 2 Tbsp butter. Cut an X in the top of each ball with a sharp knife and brush tops with butter.

Bake 10 minutes at 400 degrees F. Reduce heat to 350 degrees F and bake until tops are golden brown and rise above rims of molds, about 15 minutes. Transfer Panettoni to a cooling rack.

Enjoy at room temperature. Be sure that the breads have cooled completely before wrapping them and they can be stored for a couple of days.

To give the Panettone as a gift, tie a red ribbon around it and make a bow. I gave mine away in Christmas paper bags. They can also be presented in a box or wrapped with clear cellophane.

Bollicine

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Food & Wine

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By Gaia Massai

A New Year’s Eve toast would not be the same without a glass of chilled Spumante. You can bet that most Italian dinner tables will have a bottle or two of this bubbly wine ready to be popped at the stroke of midnight.

CRISTINA ASCHERI MOSCATO D'ASTI 2010 Ascheri Giacomo Piedmont $16.95 (Vintages #746479) In this aromatic Moscato the sweetness is well balanced by the bubbles and the acidity. Rich and harmonious wine with notes of melon and apricot.

A

lthough many would assume that Champagne was the original sparkling wine, the Romans had been making it thousands of years before its French counterpart was ever introduced. There are many types of spumante, ranging from the driest (Brut) to the sweetest (Demi-Sec), depending on the quantity of residual sugar left by fermentation. Spumante is produced following two methods: the first is metodo classico or metodo tradizionale (called methode Champenoise in French) where fermentation takes place in the bottle. This method is ideal for obtaining Brut and Extra-Dry spumante like the ones from the Franciacorta area. The second is metodo charmat or tank method, where fermentation occurs in a sealed tank. This more flexible method - hence more popular - also allows for the production of Sec, Demi-Sec and aromatic spumante like Moscato d’Asti, as well as Prosecco di Conegliano -Valdobbiadene.

As you ring in the New Year, enjoy one of these fine recommendations, and don’t forget: rubbing a few drops of spumante behind your ears - as you would with perfume - is said to bring good luck in the coming year! v

NINO FRANCO PROSECCO VALDOBBIADENE SUPERIORE DOCG BRUT Nino Franco Veneto $18.95 (Vintages # 349662) Stray yellow wine with a fine and persisting foam. Delicate nose displaying charming pear aromas mixed with smooth anise and camomile. Dry, crispy white wine with a refreshing acidity.

GIAVI CONEGLIANO VALDOBBIADENE PROSECCO SUPERIORE Tenuta Giavi Veneto $14.65 (Vintages #209569) Straw yellow, dry and medium bodied with fine and persistent perlage. At the nose it presents fresh floral notes, with hints of pear and popcorn.

Visit www.panoramitalia.com for hundreds of wine reviews.

Toronto Dec-Jan 33-48_Layout 1 11-11-28 10:02 AM Page 36

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Food & Wine

F

dal Medioevo, il classico dolce toscano delle feste Gaia Massai

Dicembre è il mese delle feste per eccellenza.

Alle festività religiose seguono, specialmente nella tradizione italiana, una serie di occasioni per ritrovarsi con amici e parenti intorno alla tavola imbandita e rendere omaggio allo spirito festivo con interminabili banchetti. l menù, generoso e confortante come solo i sapori dell’infanzia possono essere, varia su base regionale ma solitamente in ogni casa si ripete invariato: le ricette tramandate di generazione in generazione rafforzano il legame con le radici e sono un modo per ricordare i nostri cari. La medesima ricetta si presta ad infinite variazioni e viene preparata in modo unico da ogni famiglia. Nonostante la “libertà di interpretazione”, sulle tavole natalizie troviamo alcuni piatti immancabili, che rappresentano i punti fermi del desinare delle feste.

Su tutte le tavole toscane, per esempio, non può mancare il panforte. Dolce senese di forma circolare, basso e compatto a base di frutta candita, spezie, mandorle, miele e zucchero, sembra sia nato dall'evoluzione nei secoli del più antico "melatello" o “pane melato”- un dolce di farina, frutta secca, acqua e mele. Il nome deriva infatti proprio dalla presenza delle mele: il “melatello” ammuffiva rapidamente acquistando un odore acido e quindi “forte” (dal latino “fortis” che vuol dire, appunto, acido).

Nella seconda metà del XIII secolo le spezie iniziarono a giungere dall’Oriente.

Il loro ampio uso nelle vivande, soprattutto del pepe, portò alla nascita dei primi pani speziati o “panes pepatos”, nei quali erano state eliminate le mele. Panpepato quindi in origine era sinonimo di panforte. Negli archivi di Stato Senesi è custodita una pergamena datata 7 Febbraio 1205, in cui è espresso l'obbligo da parte di servi e coloni a pagare una tassa a favore delle monache del Monastero di Montecellesi (oggi Montecelso) sotto forma di panes melatos et pepatos. Nel 1370 il panforte era già un prodotto senese da esportazione, consumato in tutta Italia sulle tavole dei nobili durante le festività. Oltre alle sue presunte qualità afrodisiache, questo "pane" venne utilizzato anche come “cibo d’emergenza” dalle affamate milizie senesi, durante l'assedio dei fiorentini che causò la caduta della repubblica (1555). Per tradizione, diciassette sono gli ingredienti che compongono l'odierno panforte, come dal 1675 diciassette sono le contrade del Palio di Siena.

Nel tempo, la ricetta tradizionale del panforte o panpepato ha subito diverse correzioni, che l’hanno reso più dolce e meno speziato. Tra le tipologie di panforte che si trovano oggi sul mercato, il panforte “Margherita” è considerato il panforte classico dei nostri tempi e fu creato in onore della visita senese della Regina Margherita nel 1879. Tra gli ingredienti base troviamo miele, mandorle, noci, cannella, noce moscata, chiodi di garofano, zucca candita, cedro e scorza d’arancia canditi. Questo panforte è ricoperto di zucchero vanigliato ed ha un gusto più delicato rispetto al panforte “nero” o panpepato che invece è ricoperto da una miscela di vari tipi di pepe e presenta un gusto più deciso e speziato.

Oltre alle testimonianze storiche, non mancano numerose leggende sull’origine del panforte. Una racconta che il panforte sia stato inventato nel Medioevo da una monaca - Sorella Berta - preoccupata per le condizioni di salute dei senesi debilitati per l'assedio della città. Ella preparò un dolce altamente energetico impastando miele, canditi, mandorle, spezie e molto zenzero.

Un’altra leggenda, di carattere più romantico, vuole che l’invenzione del panforte sia opera di una certa suor Ginevra, chiusasi per amore in convento. Mentre era intenta alla preparazione del “pan melato” a base di frutta secca e canditi, sentì giungere dalla strada sotto al monastero la voce dell’amato, Messer Giannetto da Perugia, da lei creduto morto durante le Crociate: per l’emozione iniziò ad aggiungere in modo incontrollato un insieme di spezie e pepe, creando un dolce dal gusto piccante e dal profumo intenso.

Quale che sia la vera origine del panforte, questo antico dolce servito a fette e accompagnato da un buon Vinsanto è un’icona delle feste natalizie, non solo in Toscana, ma immancabile su tutte le tavole italiane.

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Buone Feste e buon appetito! v

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Food & Wine

Family Takes theCake

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For Buddy Valastro,

By Jenny Galati

Customized t-shirts, painted faces, signs and books in hand, even a few tears - this was the scene at Canada’s Baking and Sweets Show in Toronto, where Cake Boss, Buddy Valastro, made an appearance this past Fall. Panoram Italia caught up with the beloved baker from Hoboken, N.J., on National Strawberry Cream Pie Day no less, and discovered an even sweeter side to the king of confections; he is a simple family man at heart.

Panoram Italia: Buddy Valastro and Cake Boss have become household names not only in North America, but in other continents as well. How do you feel about your celebrity status?

Buddy Valastro: Well, to know that the show is on in 180 countries all over the world and that it does well is amazing to me. I honestly still don’t feel like a celebrity; I feel like a baker from Hoboken, N.J. The one thing that intrigues me is that the show does well wherever it airs.

PI: In the past three years, through the lenses of TLC cameras, we have all watched you celebrate birthdays and holidays with your family, we have seen you have a baby and even have surgery. What made you decide to open up not only your business, but your life to millions of viewers?

BV: When I first started the show, it was to tell people about my business. When I started to see that the show started to bring families together every week, I wanted to let them into my family.

I began to see that the fans would come from all over, especially from Canada – they’re the biggest die-hard fans! I want them to know that, yes, I am a baker and a master at what I do, but if you cut me, I bleed. With the birth of my son, I wanted them to know those first thoughts that went through my mind when I saw him.

PI: You’ve made elaborate wedding cakes including live doves, a cake to form part of a drag queen’s outfit, a life size model of your wife, a flushing toilet and everything and anything in between. What has been the hardest cake you’ve had to bake and what has been your most memorable one?

BV: The hardest cake we ever made was definitely the Nascar cake. The most memorable was probably the life size replica of my wife because of the fact that I had to get it just right. On my way to work I would give her a hug and basically try to feel her out to get proportions because I had to sculpt her out of cake. The best cake I’ve ever made was the Transformer cake. I actually cried when I looked at that cake afterwards. It was 5 o’ clock in the morning, I had worked 18 hours straight.

I wish my dad was there to see that cake.

PI: Is there a cake that you still have on your bucket list to make, that would be your dream to create?

BV: One of my bucket list cakes was a cake for Oprah Winfrey to present to her on her show. I did that and I was very, very excited about it. The second bucket list request is definitely to make a cake for a President of the United States. Maybe I can do it for the Canadian Prime Minister!

PI: On many occasions we have seen the charitable contributions that you make and seen some of the wonderful organizations to which you have committed your time and talent. How important is giving back?

BV: My parents raised me and taught me to give. My mom always used to go to food drives and we were part of an association to help blind kids. My dad taught me to always give to the homeless and at the bakery, we live by the model that everything that is leftover at the end of the night is donated to a homeless shelter. Last Thanksgiving, I went to the homeless shelter with my son to bring some pies over after work. The lady from the shelter called me out in front of the whole audience and said ‘Here’s Buddy Valastro, Cake Boss! He’s doing what he’s always done for Hoboken!’

I’m also a big advocate for the Make a Wish Foundation. This year I’m getting a National Award for Celebrity of the Year along with Justin Bieber. Just seeing the happiness on the children’s faces, it’s touching.

PI: Last year we watched you and your family go back to your roots in Italy. How important is your Italian heritage in your life and what is your favourite part about being Italian?

BV: I was raised in a very old fashioned Italian household. My favourite part of being Italian is definitely the food. For me, it’s the best food and when you go to Italy, it’s even better. I’ve eaten in a couple of great Italian restaurants in Canada as well. I’m very proud of being Italian-American and of all the accomplishments Italians have made in fashion, in food, in art, in history.

PI: A successful bake shop that has put Hoboken N.J. on the map, with a 3-hour wait to get in, several highly rated television shows, a best- selling book and another one on the way, over 3 million fans on Facebook and a string of sold out personal appearances are just some of your triumphs. What’s next for the Cake Boss?

BV: The sky’s the limit! I feel like people are put in situations for a reason. I don’t know what my sole purpose is, maybe to reiterate how important family is through my TV show. I’m pretty damn proud of my accomplishments, being 34 years old, but to tell you the truth, the accomplishment I’m most proud of is my family. v

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European Flavors Food & Wine

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The Mediterranean diet is a healthy eating style thanks to its mix of wholesome foods and a wealth of quality products used to create exceptional cuisine. One of the predominant characteristics of the Mediterranean diet is that it is composed predominantly of fresh, natural, unprocessed foods, such as raw fruits and vegetables of the highest quality. he European Flavors campaign seeks to present the various benefits of eating healthy and quality fresh produce, as found in the traditional Mediterranean diet, which is highly regarded as being effective for maintaining a healthy body. The aim is to promote the extraordinary flavors, benefits and characteristics of both fresh and unprocessed European fruits and vegetables, produced according to Italian styles and traditions, and inspired by simple yet healthy cuisine. The delicious products of the European Flavors / Saveurs d’Europe campaign are Italian grown KIWIFRUIT, PEARS, CITRUS, and PLUMS.

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European Flavors Spotlight:

Delicious Italian Plums There are thousands of varieties of plums from all around the world, all differing in size, shape, and flavor. Each variety falls into a different category : yellow, green, black, and red.

Italy grows various types of plums, and its most known grown variety is called Angelino, and falls into the black plum category. Angelino plums have a reddish-black exterior skin, and they are round to heart-shaped. The inside flesh is amber-yellow colored, very juicy and the flavor is mildly tangy and sweet. Italian Angelino plums are available to us Canadians from September to January.

In Italy, the Angelino plums grow in Emilia Romagna, Lazio, Campania, and Basilicata, where plums are referred to by two names : “prugna” and “susina”. Both words are synonyms.

Health-wise, Italian plums are an excellent source of dietary fiber, vitamins A and C, and potassium. They also have very little calories and contain more antioxidants than any other fruit.

In other words, Italian plums make for a healthy snack or ingredient!

European Flavors Available at: Sobeys, Metro, Sobeys Urban Fresh, Foodland, FreshCo., Price Chopper, Food Basics.

Panna cotta con susine alla vaniglia Ingredients (serves 6) Panna Cotta mixture: 3 tablespoons water 1 tablespoon unflavored powdered gelatin 3 cups heavy cream 1 cup whole milk 1/2 vanilla bean, split lengthwise 1/3 cup honey 1 tbs sugar Vanilla poached plums : 1 lb plums, washed (about 6-7 plums) ¾ cup sugar 1 cup water 1 cinnamon stick 1 vanilla bean, split

Directions: In a small bowl, combine the water and gelatin and let soak about 10 minutes (do not stir). Meanwhile, in a medium saucepan, heat the cream, milk, vanilla bean, honey and sugar to a simmer over medium heat, stirring occasionally to dissolve the honey and sugar. As soon as it simmers, turn off the heat and add the gelatin mixture, stirring to dissolve the gelatin. If the gelatin doesn't completely dissolve in 3 minutes, return the mixture to the heat and warm gently until dissolved. Pour the mixture into 6 to 8 dessert cups.

Chill uncovered, for 24 hours.

Vanilla poached plums : Slice the plums and remove the stones. Add the sugar into a saucepan with water, cinnamon and vanilla.

Gently heat until the sugar dissolves. Add the fruit into the saucepan. Bring the mixture to the boil, then let it simmer for 5-10 minutes, or until the plums are soft. Leave to cool slightly.

Suggested Serving: Once the panna cotta is ready, serve chilled and top with the poached plum mix directly in the dessert cups.

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Discover the benefits of a healthy Meditarranean style diet.

Fresh fruits and vegeables from Europe in your diet can help you feel better and look great!

Agri-Mondo is a Canadian major importer of the finest European fresh fruits, such as Italian Kiwis, Plums, Pears, and Citrus. Agri-Mondo carries the highest quality produce, and imports only top European labels.

Discover the benefits of a healthy Meditarranean style diet.

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Living Italian Style

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Lifestyle

David Di Gregorio

Elena Santini Nickname: Di Greg Occupation: Articling student at Dale Lessmann LLP Age: 27 Generation: Second Mom and dad from: Limosano, Molise Speaks: English, Italian, learning Spanish Raised in: Toronto

Nickname: El, Shells, Elenuccia, Elenina, Kermy, Elenerd Occupation: Architectural Designer, Construction Project Manager Age: 28 Generation: First Mom & Dad from: Livorno, Tuscany Speaks: English & Italian Raised in: Woodbridge & Tuscany

Passion: Serie A Clothes: Suit and shirt custom made, tie – Zegna, shoes – Bally, scarf - Vintage Boutique: Ermanno Restaurant: Frank’s kitchen Favourite dish: Pasta of any kind Absolute must in the pantry: Nutella Type of drink: Scotch Favourite Italian saying or quote: “La classe è classe” Last time you went to Italy: Summer 2011 Place you must go back to at least one more time in your life: Santa Margherita Ligure Favourite band: The Shins Best Italian movie: Umberto D Italian soccer team: A.S. Roma

Passion: Design, Food, Art and Music Clothes: Dress - “Lipsy London” from Mendocino, shoes - Jessica Simpson Favourite designer: John Galliano, Alexander McQueen Boutique: TNT, Five o Seven Restaurant: Buca Favourite dish: Gnocchi alla Romana Absolute must in the pantry: Nutella Type of wine/drink: Greco di Tufo, Mimosa Favourite Italian saying or quote: “Senza lilleri non si lallera” Favourite band: Metric Best Italian movie: Johnny Stecchino Italian soccer team: Fiorentina Sexiest Italian: Marco Borriello

Sexiest Italian: Martina Stella Dream car: Audi R8 What you like most about our magazine: Gives young Italian-Canadians a chance to participate in the broader community and showcase their talents Suburbs or downtown: Downtown Best way to feel Italian in Toronto: Watch Atalanta and Lecce play to a scoreless draw in an empty stadium with your friends at 9 a.m. on St. Clair Mare o montagna: Mare Thing about you that would surprise most people: I have the complete discography of Paola e Chiara Best coffee in Toronto: Fresh Start Best pizza in Toronto: QMP

You know you are Italian when or if: A quick coffee lasts longer than an hour Favourite thing to do in Toronto: Hang out with friends You know you were raised Italian when: The wooden spoon became an object of fear Italian artist or actor you would like to meet: Alex Del Piero Favourite flavour of gelato: Mango Favourite Italian song: Mareluna - Pino Daniele Favourite Italian city: Catania If never visited, which city would you like to visit: Mantova Best memory growing up as Italian: Sunday lunches at my nonna’s house

Photographer: Gregory Varano Make-up: Desi Varano Location: Courtesy of Angela Panigas, President of The Sultan's Tent and Café Moroc

Dream car: Maserati Granturismo What you like most about our magazine: It showcases the beauty of our Italian community Best way to feel Italian in Toronto: Eating dinner at Buca Thing about you that would surprise most people: My tenacity and perseverance Best coffee in Toronto: Zaza Espresso Bar, Yorkville Best pizza in Toronto: Motorino Pet peeve: People who know it all, but yet talk nothing but nonsense You know you are Italian when or if: You get excited when your parents bring cheese back from Italy Favourite thing to do in Toronto: Dinner and drinks with good friends

You know you were raised Italian when: You sing “O Sole Mio” in the shower Italian artist or actor you would like to meet: Roberto Benigni Favourite flavour of gelato: Bacio Favourite Italian song: Tu vuo fa l’americano – Renato Carosone Favourite Italian city: Firenze If never visited, which city would you like to visit: Santa Teresa Gallura, Sardegna Best memory growing up as Italian: Summers in Italy Favourite thing about being Italian: Being instilled with the passion for life, art and culture Plans for the holidays: Good food combined with a fine wine and the company of loved ones

See all past profiles on panoramitalia.com

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Lifestyle

43

Teresa De Luca

Giancarlo Soppelsa Occupation: Lawyer at Cassels Brock & Blackwell LLP Age: 26 Generation: Second Dad from: Belluno, Veneto Mom from: Roma, Lazio Speaks: English, French, Italian Raised in: Woodbridge and Toronto Passion: Travel Clothes: Blazer - Givenchy, Top - H&M, Pants - H&M, Shoes - Tod’s suede polacchino, Scarf: Sandro Favourite designer: SMITH! Boutique: Type Books Restaurant: Colborne Lane Favourite dish: My mother’s casunziei (beet and potato purée in freshly-made ravioli in a light poppy seed butter sauce) Absolute must in the pantry: Ursini extra virgin olive oil Type of wine/drink: NuitsSaint-Georges (Burgundy) Favourite Italian saying or quote: “Ultima sigaretta” from La coscienza di Zeno by Italo Svevo Last time you went to Italy: December 2009 Favourite band: Radiohead

Best Italian movie: 8 ½ by Fellini Italian soccer team: A.S. Roma Sexiest Italian: Paola Iezzi Dream car: 1954 Mercedes-Benz 300SL Mare o montagna: As my father’s people hail from the Dolomites, montagna Thing about you that would surprise most people: I’m a mild anglophile Best coffee in Toronto: Sense Appeal Best pizza in Toronto: QMP Pet peeve: Lazy people You know you are Italian when or if: You complain about Italy Your fashion idol: The cool Milanese kids that hang out in Brera Favourite thing to do in Toronto: Going to hipster bars and restaurants

You know you were raised Italian when: You think discussing your Holiday meal itinerary in some detail is perfectly normal Italian artist or actor you would like to meet: Francesco Vezzoli and Marco Brambilla Favourite flavour of gelato: Pistacchio Favourite Italian song: Ancora tu - Lucio Battisti Favourite Italian city: Rome Best memory growing up as Italian: I’d be lying if I didn’t say the 2006 World Cup victory Favourite thing about being Italian: Being the descendent of such an all-encompassing culture Plans for the Holidays: We’re at my parents’ place on Christmas Eve and at my zia’s for Christmas day lunch

Nickname: Tère, Tree Occupation: Student at York University (Honours BA in History) Age: 21 Generation: Third Dad from: Montalto Uffugo, Calabria Mom from: Guardiaregia, Molise Speaks: English, Italian (dialect) Raised in: Woodbridge Passion: The visual arts and travel Clothes: Blouse - Alexandra Bartlett, Jeans – Forever 21 Favourite designer: Alviero Martini Boutique: Lucky Brand Jeans Restaurant: Farro Ristorante Favourite dish: Nonno’s eggplant parmigiana Absolute must in the pantry: Nutella Type of wine: Homemade!

Favourite Italian saying or quote: “Mo Mangia!”

Italian soccer team: Juventus Sexiest Italian: Luca Argentero Favourite band: U2 What you like most about our magazine: It is a great way of promoting and exploring Toronto’s Italian

community and culture Best way to feel Italian in Toronto: Attending Fiera or Taste of Little Italy on College Thing about you that would surprise most people: I have never owned a credit card Best coffee in Toronto: Golden Wheat Bakery Best pizza in Toronto: My dad’s Pet peeve: Waking up early You know you are Italian when or if: Half of your backyard is a vegetable garden Favourite thing to do in Toronto: Visit the AGO You know you were raised Italian when: Speaking loudly is completely normal Italian artist or actor you would like to meet: Andrea Bocelli

To be considered for a photoshoot in future Living Italian Style sections, simply like Panoram Italian on Facebook, and express your interest on our wall. An administrator will get back to you with further details.

Best memory growing up as Italian: Watching my brother (the first of my generation) get married. I could not have imagined a more perfect day.

Spaghetti o penne: Penne Favourite flavour of gelato: Limone Favourite Italian song: Rose rosse per te – Massimo Ranieri Favourite Italian city: Florence Best memory growing up as Italian: Waiting for the Befana Favourite thing about being Italian: Being part of a culture with great traditions, art, landscape, history, passion, food and values Favourite Italian city: Florence Plans for the holidays: Eat and eat and eat some more!

Baby it’s

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44

Lifestyle

cold O Stuart Weitzman

By Alessia Sara Domanico

This season, it’s what’s on the outside that counts, so bundle up with the hottest trends nce the cold sweeps into our fair city, we have to be armed with the right goods to get us through the season. One of the most important principles to remember is to stop sweating the outfit and start thinking about outerwear. With inside spaces well heated, you can still manage a fall ensemble. Layers are key – wear a camisole or T-shirt underneath a pullover, cover with a hoodie or blazer and finish off with either a skirt and stockings, leggings or jeans and voilá you’re ready for anything!

What we are more focused on for winter is the cover-up, because this is what we’ll be seen wearing 24/7: in the car, on the metro, walking through the mall or meeting friends for lattes. We suggest having a few solid coats to break up the monotony and suit different occasions. A heavy black or grey knee-length trench is always a classic. We fancied Versace’s version with bold military shoulders and golden belts. The good news is that Versace’s new collection for H&M means we can have Donatella’s designs for less. Colour is also refreshing. Opt for a colourful coat or pick up vibrant scarves, hats, gloves and even furs.

Coordinate your coat with a large leather handbag or a crossbody that will endure harsh conditions. When it comes to shoes, style and sensibility are a combo that we can readily find nowadays in footwear, so have fun with lace-ups, knee-high boots and chunky heels that can stand their own against the icy pavement. v

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Versace

Tory Burch

Suzy Shier

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Outside

Lifestyle

Tod's - Gommino

Michael Kors

Stuart Weitzman

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Sergio Rossi

Tory Burch

Tod's

Tory Burch

Alison Sheri

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A rts

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& Cu l tu re

L’arte della maiolica e la tradizione amatoria Laura Ghiandoni

Quella sera Stevene le avrebbe finalmente regalato un pegno d’amore: un piatto di ceramica su cui era dipinto il viso di lei. Sarebbe stato un regalo inatteso, e per non rovinare la sorpresa, il maestro ceramista aveva dipinto il ritratto, soltanto basandosi sulle brevi descrizioni di lui, il futuro fidanzato. a figura femminile era disegnata con tratto sicuro, aveva i capelli raccolti e al lato del viso scendevano dei riccioli lunghi. I seni erano formosi e trattenuti dal corsetto, scivolavano in armonia con la rotondità del piatto. Sul cartiglio che attraversava il blu intenso dello sfondo c’era scritto “JULIABELLA”.

Stevene sapeva che il valore simbolico dell’oggetto era pari al valore estetico.

Perché con il piatto in mano, avvolto in una bella stoffa, si sarebbe presentato quella sera stessa alla famiglia di Julia, per chiederla in moglie.

Così voleva la tradizione e così facevano tanti a quei tempi nel suo paese. Gli capitava spesso di fermarsi a osservare, tra i vari oggetti esposti in casa, il piatto che suo padre aveva fatto dipingere dallo stesso maiolicaro del paese vent’anni prima.

Chissà se in futuro avrebbe potuto regalarne uno simile alla sua bella Julia.

La tradizione del vasellame amatorio ha origine a Casteldurante (Urbania, Le Marche) nel Rinascimento e poi si è diffuso in tutta Italia.

A quei tempi, regalare un utensile di ceramica era una forma di comunicazione immediata, significava voler esprimere una gentilezza verso la persona amata, attraverso un linguaggio di simboli e allegorie disegnate sull’oggetto (piatti, coppe, vasi, utensili, versatoi).

A indicare l’amore nelle sue varie espressioni, la simbologia amatoria comprendeva il cuore, disegnato con le arterie, molto simile ad un frutto offerto a due mani. Poteva essere sanguinante, oppure colpito da una freccia, oppure alato, ma anche nelle sembianze di una coppa, dalla quale bere.

Anche gli animali rappresentati sugli utensili, avevano di solito un significato simbolico. Un augurio di fertilità era rappresentato dalla coniglia gravida, una scimmia indicava la lascivia, un cane la fedeltà.

La tradizione del vasellame amatorio o matrimoniale (gamelio) era molto comune sia tra il popolo che nella nobiltà, ma con la fine dell’Umanesimo, questa bella tradizione andrà affievolendosi fino a scomparire. Casteldurante (oggi, Urbania), continuerà ancora a lungo ad essere la capitale della ceramica grazie ai suoi famosissimi istoriati (maioliche su cui sono dipinte le storia dell’antichità), i quali giungeranno a tutte le corti dell’Italia del 1500.

La ceramica rimarrà fino agli inizi del 1900 il materiale essenziale per la produzione di tantissimi utensili d’uso quotidiano: piatti, pentole, vasi per la raccolta dell’uva, del grano, eccetera. Su questo si basava la maggior parte della produzione all’interno delle botteghe, fino all’invenzione e all’ultilizzo massiccio di nuovi materiali,

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quali la plastica e i metalli che si approprieranno di questa parte di mercato.

Le botteghe dei vasai per sopravvivere al cambiamento dovranno allora abbandonare la produzione degli oggetti di tradizione e uso contadino, per passare alla produzione di ceramiche dette “bianche”, decorative e raffinate.

Grottaglie, in provincia di Taranto, è un paese della Puglia che con successo ha superato questa conversione. Nel 1887 la fondazione della scuola d’arte Calò ridonerà entusiasmo alla produzione locale.

Come Grottaglie e Casteldurante, un totale di 35 città italiane dal 1980 si sono unite all’associazione Città della Ceramica Italiana (AICC), allo scopo di tutelare la ceramica artistica e di qualità; valorizzarne la tradizione attraverso un circuito di iniziative e di musei, tra cui i Musei Civici di Pesaro e il Museo Internazionale di Faenza*, per conservare e portare in itinere gli esemplari della tradizione.

Lo scopo dell’associazione, inoltre, è di dare sostegno ad una professione, quella del vasaio, che in sé conserva e perpetua un’abilità secolare a cui è profondamente legata la nostra storia comune.

Questa professione, attraverso i suoi preziosi e funzionali manufatti di ceramica, mantiene viva una tradizione plurisecolare e ci fa sognare del giovane Stevene, che contento del piatto per la sua Julia, cammina verso la dimora della fanciulla, sorridendo con gli occhi e con il cuore. v *che ci hanno gentilmente concesso di riprendere con mezzo fotografico i manufatti.

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A Musical Flight Around the World

By Ola Mazzuca

It’s a cool fall evening in Toronto and the three Italian teenagers who make up Il Volo are at Massey Hall, entering a one-hour warm-up with their vocal coach before meeting fans, young and old, backstage. “You can see that Italian heritage is still alive with the fans, even though they are not in Italy,” says 18year-old tenor Piero Barone.

he trio formed during the 2009 season of Ti Lascio Una Canzone, a musical variety show where vocalists compete by performing songs that have shaped Italian music. Their rendition of Neapolitan favourite “O Sole Mio” garnered thousands of YouTube hits and the attention of Milanese Tony Renis, who produced Il Volo’s self-titled debut with Humberto Gatica in 2010. The release, which was recorded at the legendary Abbey Road Studios in London, England, sold 23,000 copies in the first week, peaking at number one on the Billboard Classical Albums chart.

“We are like three brothers,” Barone says of the chemistry between his fellow Tenor Ignazio Boschetto, 17, and Baritone Gianluca Ginoble, 16. Though siblings in music, the group hails from Sicily and Abruzzo (Boschetto grew up in Bologna) where they developed their skills and garnered inspiration from the traditional music sung and played in their respective households. Barone regards family as a primary support system: “Our families have always believed in Il Volo,” he says. “They have been a big part in allowing us to pursue our dreams as a group.”

Highlights for 2011 include being nominated for two Latin Grammy Awards in the Best Group Vocal Pop Album and Best New Artist categories, as well as a special cameo appearance on the HBO series finale of Entourage. The flight of their career had initially been elevated by Italian superstar Andrea Bocelli, who dedicated a motivational message to Ginoble before his victory performance of “Il Mare Calmo Della Sera” on Ti Lascio Una Canzone.

In 2010, legendary producer Quincy Jones requested that the group sing on his charity single “We Are the World

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25 for Haiti,” where they were the only Italian musicians among 80 international artists. The trio met Céline Dion and Elton John at the recording in Hollywood, describing their guidance as “sacred,” treasuring it like gold. “All of the advice we have been receiving from famous musicians is saved in a box with a lock and key,” he says.

Though the group has enjoyed visiting major American cities from New York to Miami, they try to stick close to home in meal choices. “Our least favourite thing is the food,” Barone says. “So we try to eat at Italian restaurants.” He says that “staggered schooling and separation from family” have been other challenging aspects of the tour.

Despite a hectic schedule, Barone wishes to sing with his comrades “per tutta la vita insieme” (together for life) as the group strives to accumulate accolades and continue touring. “The whole world comes together to experience this musical genre - it leaves all listeners smiling,” he says.

Barone encourages Il Volo’s Canadian following to “never lose sight of their heritage,” by continuing to celebrate culture through language and tradition. “We are already doing this by traveling the world and sharing our music,” he says.

With Il Volo comes a much needed infusion of italianità in North America’s current pop culture market. The young Italians have thus far succeeded in capturing the imagination of thousands with their operatic prowess and dashing charisma. “When we sing, we are one soul,” Barone says, “three different sentiments, emotions and voices with one common goal.” v

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Audio Playground

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Music is fun and games to this chart-climbing Italian Canadian trio

By Stefanie Polsinelli

If Audio Playground isn’t on your radar yet, it will be soon. The trio behind the Canadian dance music group – Gino Baggio, Anthony Gitto and Sam Venneri – is working hard to ensure its tunes rule your playlist. ormed in 2009, the trio came to know one another through their mutual fondness for dance beats and their quest to create a unique musical experience. “We chose the name ‘Audio Playground’ because for us, it’s all about having fun with music,” says Venneri. Thus far, the group has focused on dance tracks, but refuses to label its sound. One thing is certain: whatever the group releases will have you on your feet.

Already a household name in Europe, where the group plans on recording its debut album in early 2012, Audio Playground is well on its way to conquering the North American market. Shortly after they formed, the trio broke onto the scene with a dance cover of the hit ‘80s song ‘A Little Respect’ by the British duo Erasure. That song topped the Canadian singles sales charts for six weeks, besting some of the biggest acts in music: Lady Gaga, Madonna, The Black Eyed Peas and U2. In 2010, the group released its second single, ‘Shadows’, and it was another fan favourite, reaching eighth spot on the USA Billboard dance/electronic single sales chart.

Their latest single, ‘Famous’, is their biggest hit yet, and features Canada’s original king of hip hop,

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Kardinal Offishall. He was so enamored by Audio Playground’s DRC (Sam Venneri), Rubix (Gino Baggio) and Anthony Gitto.

Styled by MEXX. Photo: Alan Martin, Refraction Arts (www.refractionarts.ca). sound that he agreed to perform on the track without the group having yet released an album.

“We have fun with what we do and never lose sight of Major radio stations across Canada, including why we started this initiative in the first place.” The CHUM FM (Toronto), Virgin Radio 99.9 (Toronto), group has been fortunate to get nods from industry Virgin Radio 96 (Montreal) and The Beat 94.5 insiders from its formation, but the men fully recog(Vancouver) have picked up the track for their Top40 nize that smaller support systems have had a large playlists and it’s currently climbing the charts with a impact on their accomplishments. “The support of speed seldom seen for new acts. The group is such a the Italian-Canadian community has always been a hit in French Canada that they recorded a version of very important aspect of our success,” says Baggio. the song with popular Quebec hip hop artist Randy “Our proud relatives spreading the word about us and Raymond and it’s already a bestseller in that province. helping us find opportunities was the basis for Achievements like these would be impressive for any our growth.” artist. That each recording session, video shoot and Knowing full-well how fickle success can be, meeting pertaining to Audio Playground is conductAudio Playground is grateful for its achievements and ed after work hours to accommodate each member’s cautiously looks toward the future. “We want to confulltime job, is astounding. tinue having fun and putting out hit records that we The trio’s down-to-earth, traditional upbringing can be proud of,” says Baggio. “And while doing so, if may be the key to what separates them from other we can leave our mark in pop culture – especially in music talents. “We're true to who we are,” says Gitto.

Canada – all the better.” v

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Costumes: Dominique Lemieux ©2011 Cirque du Soleil

Finito il provino, a Montréal nel quartier generale del Cirque du Soleil, ha chiamato il suo (ex) ragazzo e ha detto: “Non credo sia andata bene. Non ci spero per niente”. Il giorno stesso è ripartita per Roma e la sera successiva ha ricevuto via email il contratto di ingaggio: era stata scelta fra oltre 2000 persone come protagonista di Quidam. “Ho cominciato a urlare di gioia e a saltare per tutta la casa”, racconta la cantante Alessandra Gonzalez, 23 anni di Roma, che nello spettacolo interpreta Zoé, una bambina annoiata e trascurata dai genitori che si rifugia in un mondo fantastico.

Photos: Matt Beard

Letizia Tesi

i sono iscritta per caso al casting del Cirque du Soleil su Facebook e dopo tre giorni è uscito l’annuncio per Quidam. Cercavano una ragazza maggiorenne, che dimostrasse più o meno 15 anni, con una voce da soprano, bassa un metro e cinquanta, insomma una nana come me (ride). Proviamo, mi sono detta, sembro io.

Dopo un mese e mezzo ero a Montréal per il provino”.

Quidam è un pronome latino, categoria “indefiniti”: vuol dire “qualcuno”, “un tale” sospeso in una totale astrattezza, come un passante senza volto e senza nome. “È quello che siamo un po’ tutti per il resto del mondo, Quidam”, dice Alessandra con l’entusiasmo di chi, invece, un ruolo e un posto nel mondo ce l’ha. La sua Zoé sta in scena dall’inizio alla fine: “Non faccio nessuna acrobazia. Ma corro, salto e canto canzoni senza senso, apparentemente, perché scritte in una lingua magica, intraducibile, ma capace di trasmettere la forza delle emozioni”. È la “lingua del Cirque”, un esperanto di suoni in cui ognuno sente un’eco dei propri, che non ha la pretesa di dire niente e comunica a tutti l’indicibile. “È il contesto a dare significato ai testi – spiega Alessandra – all’inizio, però, anch’io non capivo e ho chiesto se era possibile avere una traduzione… che gaffe!”.

Quidam è andato in scena per la prima volta a Vancouver a marzo, “un debutto traumatico”, ride la protagonista. Per lei, unica italiana su un cast di 105 artisti, era anche la prima volta davanti a un pubblico così numeroso. “Avevo un mal di gola tremendo e un po’ di febbre. Ero stata due mesi a Montréal in mezzo alla neve, un freddo terribile. Mi sono trascinata l’influenza fino a marzo. Prima di entrare in scena

“M

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ero terrorizzata, ma è stato indimenticabile. Alla fine si sono alzati tutti: urlavano, battevano le mani. Non lo scorderò mai. Ho ancora molta paura prima di ogni spettacolo. Allora chiudo gli occhi, faccio un bel respiro e mi butto in scena”. Poi la magia del circo la rapisce completamente: “Le luci, gli effetti speciali, gli artisti mi trascinano nel mondo di Quidam. Non si può fare altrimenti. Il circo è davvero un po’ magico”.

La sera del debutto, purtroppo, a vederla non c’era nessuno dei suoi parenti. La mamma Antonella è andata a Ottawa. “Alla fine dello spettacolo si è messa a piangere e mi ha detto: sei nata per fare questo”. Ed è proprio sua madre la persona che le è stata più vicina: “È lei che ha passato notti insonni a consolarmi quando mi prendeva lo sconforto, che ha investito tempo e soldi per me. Per qualsiasi cosa, sempre, c’è la mamma”.

Cantare è il sogno di Alessandra fin da quando era piccola: “Mio padre era un cantante lirico. Il canto l’ho sempre avuto nel cuore”. Prima di partire per il Canada aveva fatto tanti provini e recitato in vari musical anche parti importanti, che, però, non bastavano a pagare l’affitto. “Questo mestiere non ti dà da mangiare, non in Italia almeno, ma è quello che amo fare e non importa se devo arrangiarmi con altri lavoretti”. Infatti Alessandra in Italia ha fatto di tutto: commessa, animatrice, hostess nelle fiere. Ha perfino consegnato volantini porta a porta.

“Ho fatto quello che capitava. La situazione in Italia è così, non ci sono soldi e la prima cosa a cui la gente rinuncia è il superfluo.

Quando fai fatica ad arrivare alla fine del mese o a pagare le bollette, il teatro, purtroppo, è il superfluo”.

Per ora, però, Alessandra non deve più fare i conti con affitto e bollette. Vive nel magico mondo di Quidam, un sogno che il Cirque du Soleil e il suo amore per il canto hanno trasformato in realtà. “È passato quasi un anno da quando sono entrata nel circo ed è come se fosse ieri. Mi sembra un sogno e non mi voglio svegliare”. v

"Il circo dei miei sogni"

Da Roma a Montréal, la storia di Alessandra Gonzalez, protagonista di Quidam

& Cu l tu re

Lo spettacolo arriverà a Toronto il 20 dicembre 2011. Maggiori informazioni su date e biglietti al sito www.cirquedusoleil.com

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Luigi Ferrara:

By Alessio Galletti

Back for the future

It's difficult to ignore that Toronto is emerging as a digital arts capital, but letting the world know about it, that's a different story - one that begins with Luigi Ferrara, Director of the Centre for Art and Design at the George Brown College. Born and raised in Canada, with origins in Abruzzo, Ferrara revived this year's Digifest showcasing digital arts and innovations made in Canada.

Maria Grazia Mattei and Luigi Ferrara

he event he had originally imagined at the dawn of the new millennium in order to create a space for interaction among different disciplines is slated to become much more than that in the coming years. If the original concept of Digifest was to discuss and share experiences on how the shift to the binary code had transformed many sectors, in its second life the festival aims to also be an international appointment for the industry.

In 2001, Digifest focused on the overlapping boundaries between different arts because “the code” was emerging as a new way to work with many different disciplines, from photography to video games, architecture and animation. “We felt that at that time it was not important to create an event for every field, but one that would have brought them together to discuss what they had in common,” says Ferrara.

Ten years later, interaction among innovators is still an important component of the formula, but the festival aims to be a major event for an industry that is a pillar of the economic development strategy for Queen's Park and City Hall. “Toronto has always been a big innovator in communications,” says Ferrara, and it also has a long tradition of attention to the evolution of media.

To recognize that, every year Digifest will induct a Canadian digital art innovator, starting with Vincent John Vincent, Italian-Canadian co-founder of GestureTek and the first Digital Pioneer to be part of the new museum inside the gaming incubator.

In the 100th anniversary of McLuhan's birth, the city is among those leading the way in two crucial sectors, mobile app development and the gaming industry, but in order to continue “we have to create an ecology to support it,” he explains.

The goal that Ferrara has set for the event is ambitious: “We want it to eventually

be as big as TIFF, but for digital arts,” he says.

A look at the first edition, which kicked off during the last week of October with the support of the Italian Cultural Institute, shows that the festival certainly seems to be on the right path to becoming an international event. Not only were there many speakers from all over Canada and the U.S. to discuss the evolution of art, design and media, but names like Paolo Rosa of Studio Azzurro, Tom Igoe of Arduino, Rebecca Allen of Nokia, and new media artist Maurice Benayoun, also took the stage in partnership with Meet the Media Guru.

That Milanese Maria Grazia Mattei is a founding partner of the Toronto festival is just another sign of the special relationship between Ontario and Lombardia, says Ferrara. “A relationship that we want to build even stronger looking forward to Expo 2015,” he adds.

TIFF with its Nexus Project, Applied Arts magazine, T.O. Jam and the Sony Centre for the Performing Arts were other founding partners ready to back the event right from its inception. The latter served as the venue for six original works of art commissioned for the festival on its innovative Ziris Wall system.

Aiming to promote what is being made in Ontario in terms of games and animation, Digifest also created the First Person Show, an exhibition area where companies were able to set up their own space for free to showcase themselves during the event.

And for next year, Ferrara has bigger plans: a competition that will reward the best innovators in town. If you're interested, you better hurry up! v

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Padre Bressani:

un gesuita italiano nel Canada del Seicento Professor Francesco Guardiani

Salvatore Garau

“Padre Bressani: the early Canada seen from Italy”: questo il titolo della conferenza che Francesco Guardiani, professore di Italiano all’Università di Toronto, ha tenuto all’Istituto Italiano di Cultura lo scorso ottobre, in occasione della pubblicazione del suo ultimo libro. Il professor Guardiani ha recentemente curato una riedizione della “Breve Relatione”, pubblicata nel 1653 dal gesuita e missionario italiano Francesco Giuseppe Bressani. Guardiani è rimasto affascinato dalla figura di Padre Bressani e, nella sua introduzione alla “Breve Relatione”, offre un’interpretazione originale e convincente dell’opera del religioso italiano. ato a Roma nel 1612, Bressani entra nella Compagnia di Gesù nel 1626, lo stesso anno in cui la colossale Basilica di San Pietro viene consacrata da Papa Urbano VIII. Sono anni in cui, col sostegno dei papi, i Gesuiti stanno giocando un ruolo

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fondamentale per propagare la fede cristiana in America, in Africa e in Asia. Ed è così che Bressani, da Parigi, arriva in Canada per recarsi nella missione degli Huroni.

Catturato nel 1644 da una banda di Irochesi, Bressani viene torturato per due mesi: le violenze si tramuteranno in danni permanenti alle mani e al resto del corpo.

Bressani viene successivamente riscattato dagli Olandesi, riesce a far ritorno in Francia ma già nel 1645 è nuovamente in Canada per continuare il suo lavoro presso la missione degli Huroni. Il contesto in cui Padre Bressani si trova ad operare è però estremamente complesso, anche a causa delle continue tensioni tra Huroni e Irochesi.

Bressani tenta di svolgere il ruolo di mediatore partecipando alle discussioni di pace ma la situazione precipita definitivamente nello spazio di un paio d’anni. Gli Huroni, già decimati dalle malattie introdotte dagli Europei, soccombono definitivamente agli Irochesi, militarmente superiori in seguito all’acquisizione di armi europee.

L’avventura di Padre Bressani in Canada termina nel 1650 quando, in seguito alla distruzione della missione, il religioso decide di tornare in Italia.

La storia di Bressani in Canada è dunque la storia di un fallimento.

L’interpretazione di Guardiani ci restituisce però la sorprendente modernità della figura del gesuita italiano. Innanzitutto, Guardiani sottolinea la capacità di scrittura di Bressani: una prosa limpida ed elegante, senza eccessi stilistici. Oltre allo stile, c’è poi la modernità dei contenuti. Il punto di vista di Bressani è storico e antropologico: nella prima parte della “Breve Relatione”, laddove descrive il Canada e le popolazioni indigene, il gesuita italiano dimostra una volontà di comprensione che va ben oltre gli obiettivi e le esigenze dell’evangelizzazione. Bressani descrive gli usi e i costumi degli Huroni, la loro organizzazione e le loro credenze senza pregiudizi, facendo anzi emergere i molti aspetti che, ai suoi occhi, rendono gli Huroni degni di ammirazione.

Ciò che emerge dalla “Breve Relatione” è il rispetto dovuto ad ogni essere umano al di là delle esigenze dell’evangelizzazione, come precisa Guardiani. Un atteggiamento, questo, largamente diffuso nel diciassettesimo secolo fra Gesuiti: attraverso un uso innovativo della stampa, la Compagnia di Gesù cavalca la rivoluzione in corso finendo per rendere la dimensione educativa del suo operato persino predominante rispetto a quella religiosa. Bressani è un interprete di quel nuovo modo di vedere il mondo razionalmente: scienziato, astronomo e cartografo, oltre che missionario, riesce a descrivere con grande precisione una eclissi lunare e ad elaborare una mappa molto accurata del Canada.

L’impatto della modernità europea sulla sorte delle popolazioni indigene è stato distruttivo. Eppure, nonostante l’esito drammatico di quell’incontro-scontro, Guardiani suggerisce che quella dei Gesuiti in Nord America vada comunque considerata una pagina storica altamente positiva. v

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chry 105.5 fm

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The Sound of the New Italian Generation

by Dante Di Iuilo

Walking through York University on a warm fall night, the campus bristles with multiculturalism. The music heard throughout is as culturally diverse as those listening to it. he singer’s raspy voice playing on CHRY 105.5 FM is somewhat familiar: it’s Zucchero.

No, he didn’t stick around from his tour; his song “Bacco Perbacco” is the first on Italian-Canadian radio show Red, Hot & Green’s playlist.

As convivial co-hosts Lucy and Chiara prepare for the show inside of the studio, their producer, Mr. Coffee Bean (Alexander Sgroi) percolates his thoughts to decide which song to play next.

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8: 10 p.m. Giorgia – Il mio giorno migliore…

Lucy Cerone was born in Canada to a Calabrese mother and an Abruzzese father. A proud Italian-Canadian, radio has always been her first love and after studying Radio TV at Ryerson, she thought that joining the show would be a reflection of her two passions.

Chiara Conetta was also born in Canada to Italian parents from Sora (Frosinone) and moved back to Italy at a young age. Having grown up in Italy but returning to Toronto for university, Chiara has lived crucial parts of her life feeling Canadian in Italy and Italian in Canada, though ultimately experiencing the best of both worlds.

Lucy has been with the show for 17 years, while Chiara has participated for 9.

The show was originally founded by Carla and Dan Amodio in 1994. At that time, there was already a large Italian population at York, but no radio show that reflected this. Several other ethnic groups aired their music, and a culture as influential as the Italian one deserved its own radio show too. However, while the majority of Italianbased media in Toronto spoke to the older generation, the founders of Red, Hot & Green aimed to communicate with the young generation, showcasing contemporary Italian and Canadian music. Mr. Coffee Bean spins his next track.

8: 30 p.m. Jovanotti – Megamix…

For the past 17 years, Red, Hot & Green has been the voice for young ItalianCanadians at York campus. Starting off as a half-hour show on Monday nights, it has since progressed to an hour-and-a-half show on Tuesday nights while garnering a

From left to right: Mr. Coffee Bean, Chiara and Lucy

sizeable following. Some past highlights include interviews with Laura Pausini, Zucchero, Ligabue and Paolo Vallesi, and the show was also the first to play great ItalianCanadian artists such as Juno Award and Canadian Folk Music Award-winning Domenic Mancuso.

8:45 p.m. Fabri Fibra – Tranne te…

Keeping the culture alive through younger generations was the original mandate and still continues to be the first mission of Red, Hot & Green. On this particular evening, Joseph Frascà, President of the University of Toronto Italian-Canadian Association (UTICA), is invited to speak about the association and to promote its Halloween party, in collaboration with Federazione Canadese Italiana (FCI), the Italian club at York. Unlike everywhere else on the radio, two universities unite along the same frequency.

9:05 p.m. Subsonica – Incantevole…

The best of contemporary Italian music, good conversation and news airs on CHRY 105.5FM every Tuesday night from 8 to 9:30 p.m. Lucy, Chiara and Mr. Coffee Bean are always looking for volunteers, young talent and spicy ideas to put the “Hot” in Red, Hot & Green.

Time for one last song and it’s a Canadian.

9:20 p.m. Eric Mattei - No Boundaries. v redhotandgreen@hotmail.com

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At this point, you have to make a decision to start a personal injury claim. It is no easy matter. It is not a game…big insurance companies are almost always involved.

Insurance companies create mazes that one has to go through to access benefits and compensation.

They play with your health, peace of mind and future. The Rizzotto Law Firm with years of experience helping injured people, will guide you through the maze. They help you access tiers of benefits and compensation.

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If you or your family members have been injured, you have rights that need protecting within the time limits permitted by law.

It would be in your best interest at this point to hire a trained professional lawyer to help you obtain the maximum benefits and compensation for your losses. Even the playing field.

Joseph J. Rizzotto, B.A.(Hons), M.A., LL.B., LL.M. of the Rizzotto Law Firm is such a lawyer and has many years of experience dealing with insurance companies and claims. “It is important to hire someone that will carefully review and research each case individually in order that the appropriate action is taken quickly and is effective. Knowledge is key.”

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Toronto Dec-Jan 49-64_Layout 1 11-11-28 10:09 AM Page 53

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47-Catherine Bilotto & Alexandre Lafrance-Drouin July 16, 2011

48-Elisa Ferrara & Roberto Sciacca June 25, 2011

49-Jennifer Mancini & Ian Schofield October 1, 2011

25-Carmela Aloisi & Anthony Delle Donne July 3, 2010

31-Sarah Meffe & Anthony Di Re May 28, 2011

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26-Sonya Catalano & Jonathan Delle Donne June 25, 2011

27-Sofia Di Nezza & Benedetto Matteo May 28, 2011

28-Mirella Di Pasquale & Enrico Coccia September 18, 2010

32-Judith CĂ´tĂŠ & Fernando Paglione May 21, 2011

33-Daniela Gucciardo & Alexandre Ritchot May 29, 2010

34-Melissa Mancuso & Christopher Dimakos September 24, 2011

38-Tanya Luongo & Franco Subrani September 10, 2011

39-Catherine Verdone & Donato Terrone October 15, 2011

40-Melissa Gaudet & David Varano August 27, 2011

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President’s Ball Events

CIBPA 59th Annual

ngenuity and initiative were buzzwords throughout the evening of October 15 when the Canadian Italian Business and Professional Association of Toronto (CIBPA) tipped its hat to its 59th Annual President’s Ball. The event, which was held at Le Parc Banquet & Conference Centre in Thornhill, was a chance to single out five ItalianCanadians who have become successful in their respective fields but have never lost sight of their cultural roots. Newly appointed CIBPA Toronto President Mario Paura presided over the ceremonies.

Sergio Marchionne, the CEO of Fiat S.p.A & Chrysler Group LLC, was presented with the President’s Award, while the Community Leader Award went to Michael DeGasperis, who serves as Chair of the Board of Directors, Vaughan

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Health Campus of Care and President and CEO of Arista Homes. The Business Excellence nod went to Lou Biffis, President of Nottawasaga Resort, while the Professional Excellence Award was taken by Teresa Cascioli, who is the former CEO of Lakeport Brewery Income Fund and founder of the Teresa Cascioli Charitable Foundation. Finally, Luciano Volpe, Managing Partner of SLV International and first Future Leader of the Toronto edition of Panoram Italia, took home the Next Generation Award, after a fitting introduction by our Publisher and Editor, Tony Zara.

Sam and Donna Ciccolini, who are well-known names in the Italian-Canadian business community, were this year’s Honourary Chairpersons. (Rita Simonetta) v

President’s Award: Nick Orlando, Danny Infusino, recipient Sergio Marchionne & Mario Paura

Next Generation Award: John Fabbro, recipient Luciano Volpe, Mario Paura & Tony Zara

Community Leader Award recipient Michael DeGasperis & family

Professional Excellence Award: Ferris Rafauli, John Finnigan, recipient Teresa Cascioli & Mario Paura

Adam Zara, Viviana Laperchia & Dante Di Iulio

Rocco Cacciacarro, Marisa Bonofiglio, Christina Iacobelli, Dr. Julia Fabiano & Tonino Giallonardo

Business Excellence Award: Eddy Burello, Assunta Biffis, recipient Lou Biffis & Mario Paura

CIBPA Immediate Past President Jason Sordi & Monica Bosnjak

Lucia & Anthony Gennaro (CIBPA Vice President)

CIBPA board of directors

Angelo Persichilli & wife

CIBPA Director Tony Amendola & Senator Consiglio Di Nino

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Events

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Susie Andriano, Silvana Paura & Annalisa Orsini

Kathy & CIBPA Director Lui Cossidente

Mirella & Joe Volpe

Tony Cipriani, Elena Dell’Osbel & Giorgio Tinelli

Steven Colaluca & Adilia De Jesus with Pina & Tony Colaluca

Paul & Lucy Aiello

Panoram Italia Publisher Tony Zara

Dom Fiore, Angelo Persichilli & Tony Zara

Canadian Italian Business and Professional Association of Toronto “What about the Future of the CIBPA— The new passionate team at the CIBPA under my leadership and guidance understands, embraces and sources our history and we intend on weaving that history into every fiber of this association’s future—a future that is very bright.

My ask is simple-Don’t just TALK about getting involved, but DO IT. Come out and experience our events.”

C. Mario Paura CIBPA, President & CEO

Donna Ciccolini, Sister Zhilda, Sister Speranza, Sister Maria, Sister Fiorenza & Sam Ciccolini

CIBPA OF TORONTO CONGRATULATES OUR 2011 AWARDS OF EXCELLENCE RECIPIENTS!

Juliana, Mario & Silvana Paura

Frances and Fortunato Gratta

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Events

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f Brazil has its Carnival and New Orleans boasts Mardi Gras, Toronto has its own party of the year in the form of the 2011 Venetian Ball. The annual Italian-themed extravaganza is now fully entrenched as the premiere fundraising event of the year, and its most recent 18th edition on Saturday, October 20, raised a record-breaking $1.25 million. The money will go towards the Villa Charities Foundation, an ItalianCanadian family of organizations that focuses on improving quality of life for seniors and helping those with intellectual disabilities and mental illness.

Co-Chairs Rudy Bratty and Tony Gagliano outdid themselves by including a star-studded lineup of entertainment such as Measha Brueggergosman,

2011

Rufus Wainwright and Martina Sorbara, as well as a surprise appearance by the Canadian Tenors.

The elegant Four Seasons for the Performing Arts played host to the black tie and gown event that saw 500 revelers delighting in sampling from a bevy of food stations from the city’s top restaurants, taking in an auction as well as dancing the night away.

The party atmosphere was turned up a notch this year as the event marked the 40th anniversary of Villa Charities and the 150th anniversary of the unification of Italy. (Rita Simonetta) v

Madeline Zito, Rufus Wainwright & Lucy Turrin

Peter & Dureen Cipriani with John & Pamela Zipay

Italian Ambassador to Canada Andrea Meloni with Consul General of Italy in Toronto Gianni Bardini & his wife Carmencita Bardini

Mikey & Laurie, Rob & Angela, Loretto & Enza, Domenic & Anna Primucci

Chiara & Giacomo Fagnola

Anita Bussoli & Maurizio Bevilacqua, Mayor of Vaughan

Pal Di Iulio & Toni Ciccarelli

Chairs Rudy Bratty & Tony Gagliano, CEO St-Joseph Communications

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Events

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Sam Ciccolini with Donna & Luciano Galasso

Pal Di Iulio, Randi & Earl Weiner with Anne Simone

Singer James Valenti & Nina Wang

The Canadian Tenors

Aldo Di Filice with Alexandra & Cam Di Prata

Anna & Cav. Anthony Avola

Abby Gianforth & Chris Benedetti with Paul & Lisa Pellegrini

Lucas & Amanda Sorbara

Mario & Sandra Racco

Mauro Baldassarra, Mary Mauti & Lou Buzzelli

Brett Polegato, Lauren & Richard Margison

Josephine & Nick Torchetti with Stephen Mozzo

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Events

Terzo convegno mondiale dei Giovani Friulani Corregionale Nord America

Dal 21 al 23 ottobre 2011, presso l’hotel Hyatt Regency di Toronto, si è svolto un workshop organizzato dalla Regione Friuli Venezia Giulia in collaborazione con le seguenti associazioni rappresentanti i cittadini italiani residenti in Nord America: A.L.E.F. (Associazione Lavoratori Emigranti di Friuli Venezia Giulia), E.F.A.S.C.E. (Ente Friulano Assistenza Sociale Culturale Emigranti), E.R.A.P.L.E. (Ente Regionale Alci per i problemi dei Lavoratori Emigranti), Giuliani nel Mondo e Unione Emigranti Sloveni del Friuli Venezia Giulia con l’Ente Friuli nel Mondo.

Identità, lingua e cultura; finanza ricerca innovazione e apprendimento; comunicazione ed informazione. Questi i temi sviluppati da esperti del settore facenti parte di istituzioni pubbliche e private italiane e residenti in Nord America, con la partecipazione di Paolo Canciani e del Ministro Regionale per lo Sport e la Cultura dell’Unione Europea e delle Relazioni Internazionali, Dott. Elio De Anna.

Roberto Siagri, presidente della Eurotech S.p.A. di Amaro (UD), con una ventennale esperienza nel mondo tecnologico, incoraggia i giovani presenti “non pretendete di avere i fondi per le vostre idee, trovateli!” Sergio Marchi, ex Ambasciatore del Canada presso la World Trade Organization di Ginevra, spiega che chi aspira a diventare leader, deve saper dare alla comunità dove vive. Il Canada, tuti concordano, è un territorio tuttora in espansione, con un’economia forte, un sistema finanziario solido e con moltissime opportunità per coloro che le sanno cogliere.

(Monica Gerli)

Awards evening at the Department of Languages, U of T Mississauga

The language of Dante, Umberto Eco and Luciano Pavarotti was given a standing ovation at the University of Toronto Department of Language Studies Annual Awards Evening and Music Gala. The event, which took place on Friday, September. 30, was a chance to honour the achievements of the undergraduate and graduate students at the University of Toronto Mississauga. Along with the study of Italian, the department also offers programs in French Arabic, Chinese, European Studies, German, Hindi, Latin, Persian, and Spanish, as well as Language Teaching and Learning to its more than 3,000 students. And it was a night for these students to shine as more than 60 awards in the various fields of study were presented; winners of the Italian Awards (pictured above) were Danielle Sparkman, Michael Vincent Cristiano, Sonia Laura De Marco, Anjeza Rexha, Lais Gorgatti, Justyna Jablonska, Luigi Giangrande, Jenna Spagnuolo, Elessia Dell’Unto, Joshua Anthony Romano, Alanah Jordan Inglese, Kathleen Julia Penrice.

The night began with welcoming remarks by Prof. Michael Lettieri, the Chair of the Department of Language Studies who also introduced Amy Mullin, Academic Dean and Vice-Principal. In keeping with the mosaic of cultures and languages studied at the school, the event included many musical performances in an array of languages.

(Rita Simonetta)

Considering that there are approximately 500,000 Italians living in Toronto and that Italian is one of the top five languages spoken throughout the city, it’s no surprise that the 11th annual Italian Language Week in the World was a big hit this October.

The Italian Cultural Institute in Toronto event, which ran from October 14 to 21, had a special agenda this year: Italy’s 150th unification.

Italy blew out its 150 candles and Canadians of Italian descent across the ocean cheered on as the Institute hosted a multitude of programs ranging from conferences, theatrical performances, book collections, as well as films and documentaries dedicated to all things green, white and red. Among the many events presented was a screening of the documentary Saturnia, an homage to the ship that over 50 years ago gave 260,000 Italian immigrants a brand new life in Canada, as well the conference “Italian Unification: Language, Literature and Education” (hosted in collaboration with the University of Toronto Department of Italian Studies). (Rita Simonetta)

MP Fantino celebrates Canada’s National Seniors Day

Considering that Canada has about 4.2 million senior citizens and that this number is expected to hit 9.8 million by 2036, it’s no wonder that seniors are being given their proper due by the nation’s government.

And there were plenty of reasons to celebrate on October 1 when Vaughan MP Julian Fantino joined participants at the Famee Furlane Centre in Woodridge on the occasion of Canada’s National Seniors Day. It was the first time the event had been celebrated since the Harper government proclaimed National Seniors Day in November of 2010. Fantino, who serves as Associate Minister of National Defence, was also on hand to applaud the long list of Conservative programs for seniors. The initiatives include a GIS top-up, an increase of $10 million over two years for the New Horizons for Seniors Program and a $50 million increase over two years to extend the Targeted Initiative for Older Workers program until 2013-2014. (Rita Simonetta)

The 16th edition of A Tasting of Wines from Italy was held at Roy Thompson Hall on October 31, 2011.

With 67 producers, 14 regions and more than 300 wines to taste, this annual event is the premier event for Italian wines in Ontario. The Italian Trade Commission, with the auspices of the Consulate General of Italy, hosted this impressive showcase starting with a wine reception for the media and VIP, followed by a walk-around tasting open to the members of the hospitality industry. Despite an increasing and competitive wine market in Ontario, Italian wines continue to be rated among the finest in the world and are the No. 1 source of imported wine sold in Ontario, commanding 17 percent of the market share.

Italian Trade Commissioner Mr. Ascal Bova purports demand for Italian wines in Ontario as being stronger than ever. This is largely due in part to what Mr. Bova describes as the “popularity of Italian cuisine and the connection to Italy’s image as a country of rich cultural influence and lifestyle.”

Italian wines consistently lead the industry in growth and sales and remain the first choice for Canadian customers because of its wide diversity and quality. (Gaia Massai)

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Sports

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RISING FROM THE ASHES Cesare Prandelli’s path to Euro 2012

By Dante Di Iulio

From lifting the World Cup in 2006 to failing to make it out of the group stages in South Africa, the Italian game went from riches to rags in one fell swoop. Since the appointment of Cesare Prandelli, a wind of change has swept through the Italian game thanks to his (r)evolutionary approach to the national team. Prandelli was given carte blanche with his new team and aims to forge its identity through Meritocracy. electing the right mix of youth and experience, he has chosen the best players available to him, while maintaining balance on the field and in the dressing room. In just over a year, the results are remarkable.

Securing their ticket to Euro 2012 with two games to spare, while conceding two goals and keeping eight clean sheets, the Azzurri collected 26 points from a possible 30. The numbers are especially notable, given that they come so soon after one of

S

Mario Balotelli

the darkest chapters in the nation’s footballing history. Group C wasn’t filled with the most difficult opponents; however the Azzurri took no game lightly, fielding the best XI available in an attempt to show the footballing world that they meant business.

Using the 4-3-1-2 system, Prandelli’s team possesses a robust defence, a versatile midfield and a fluid attack, making them a serious contender in Ukraine and Poland in June, 2012.

Goalkeeper Gigi Buffon is a rock, and his experience and leadership have been a guiding light for this team throughout the qualifying campaign. With Sirigu and De Sanctis as backups, the Azzurri are confident between the sticks. Prandelli has developed younger defenders during his tenure, and with eight clean sheets and two goals conceded, the defence is brimming with confidence. Ranocchia and Chiellini have formed an excellent partnership, while Bonucci, Astori and Barzagli have slotted in nicely when called upon. His fullback options aren’t as robust, selecting from Maggio, Cassani, Balzaretti and Criscito.

Some question Prandelli’s reluctance to utilize Milan’s Ignazio Abate, who has developed into a superb right back. However,

Chiellini’s stellar performances in the left-back position for Juventus provide an interesting option to Prandelli. Using Chiellini on the left flank allows the team’s formation to switch to a 3-4-3 when in attack, allowing the right back to push up more freely. As a result, Italy will have more speed on the counter and will be more dangerous on set-pieces as Ranocchia, Bonucci and Chiellini are superb in the air.

Prandelli has a wealth of options to choose from in midfield. He’s attempted to emulate the Barcelona-style system, emphasizing possession of the ball and interchanging positions.

He’s usually opted to play De Rossi-Pirlo with Thiago Motta, Aquilani, Marchisio or Nocerino to their left, and Montolivo taking the trequartista position. All capable of maintaining possession, passing, defending and scoring, they have, at times, faced difficulty when breaking through the final third, especially against deep-lying defensive teams. They were able to beat Spain, tie Germany and go unbeaten in qualifying and if this team goes far, it will rest on the shoulders of these versatile playmakers.

Nine strikers were tested during qualifying but in the final straight he settled on his favoured partnership, a combination that promised both invention and clinical finishing. This partnership has, however, been torn apart as Giuseppe Rossi and Antonio Cassano both require surgery and will be out for at least six months, and possibly the Euros. Thankfully, Mario Balotelli’s clinical finishing for Manchester City provides Prandelli with a goalscoring talent unseen since Roberto Baggio. The Italian faithful will hope that Super Mario has his Euro 2012 opponents lamenting “Why always him?” To fill the void left by Cassano and Rossi, Prandelli will look to the likes of: Pazzini, Giovinco, Matri, Osvaldo and (maybe) Totò Di Natale to help bring the boys in blue to victory.

Considering the disastrous showing in South Africa from which Prandelli was chosen to replace Marcello Lippi, the former Fiorentina mister has achieved remarkable things in a relatively short period of time. The trip to Poland and Ukraine is just a few months away, and while it’s right for optimism to have replaced pessimism within the Giro Azzurro, it’s also sensible to remain within the realms of reality. Winning the European Championship is an immense challenge that not only entails breaking Spain’s seeming invincibility, but also depends on how their young players deal with such a huge stage. v

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