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A Skiing Novice Hits the Italian Alps

2012-01-22T17:10:00.018-05:00

When I say novice, I mean novice. Allow me to explain. I tend to hibernate all winter, much like a bear. But once the warm weather arrives, it’s a different story. I’ve never met a beach I didn’t like. Packing for my ideal vacation involves bathing suits, flip flops, sun dresses and tanning lotion. The hotter the weather, the better. I notice humidity, but it doesn’t interfere with my day.

However, none of this stopped me from joining a ski trip to the Italian Alps.

First thing was a call to my Sister the Skier to borrow her clothes. “Sure!” she said, “come right over.” So I did. She was thrilled to share her skiing excitement. There was long thermal underwear, ski pants and a shirt with

Maybe I can't ski, but I can pose.

sleeves that hooked over my thumbs to prevent wind from whipping up my arm. It was here that trepidation started to creep into my tropical soul. There were special socks with padding designed for comfort in ski boots. (I was warned not to wear these in regular shoes; I have no idea why.) There was a hooded ski jacket with special interior pockets for money & ID. “Why would I need ID?” I wanted to ask. But when visions flashed through my mind of being lost among the Italian Alpine trees, freezing and waiting for a Saint Bernard with a cask of brandy, too cold to move my jaw and say my name, I decided not to ask.

The wardrobe extravaganza wasn’t done. There were special gloves with compartments to slip something called a ski pass. There were little squares of hand warmers wrapped in gold foil in case the gloves weren’t warm enough. There was a knit woolen hat that fit snugly on my head, guaranteed to produce hours of hat hair. Then there was the gator. This wide circle of fleece slips over the head and rests around the neck. Yes, this is on top of the special shirt, turtleneck, jacket and hood. “In case it’s really cold, damp and windy, this comes in handy!” said my Sister the Skier, in a joyful tone more appropriate to lending me a diamond necklace for the Oscars than spending an afternoon in the blinding cold. But this kind of baffling enthusiasm, I would soon learn, is typical of ski lovers. She offered her goggles. I declined, saying that my wrap-around style sun glasses should work just fine. Of course, I had no idea. I just needed to say ‘no’ to something. I was being buried in bad news.

Arrival in Italy: I meet my compatriots and I’m desperately seeking other novices. I meet two beginners, but no novices. Instead, I mostly meet dyed in the wool veteran ski club members. Their individual and collective enthusiasm is contagious, although I have no idea why. I find myself looking forward to cold and snow. I wonder if I’ve gone insane.

Not very convincing, is it?

Day One of Skiing: It’s early morning when I amble to our communal breakfast in my Suit of Many Layers. It’s an effort to bend my elbow to feed myself. “Are you skiing today?” Several people ask me. “Of course!” I answer, under the heady effects of ski-loving Kool-Aid. It seems foggy outside to me, but no one else mentions it. I conclude that it must not be an issue.

We make our way to the ski shop where I hang behind and watch the veterans navigate the equipment. Everyone knows what they want. Everyone knows what to do with what they get. Everyone can’t get out of the shop fast enough and onto the slopes, which are increasingly obscured by the fog. I watch their smiling faces as one by one they hoist a pair of skis onto one shoulder, an arm casually thrown over the front for counter-balance, both poles in the other hand. It all looks easy, smooth and cool. I’m excited because soon, I will look just like them.

I wait until everyone in my group has their equipment, as I am in no hurry. I enter the shop and catch the eye of an unsuspecting staff member. He naturally expects me to be as knowledgeable as everyone else in my group. He is in denial when I am not. He has a hard time believing how clueless I am. His denial prolongs the process and makes me irritable. I keep asking for help anyway, as I have no option. Finally, he gets it. He helps me into the ski boots and locks me in. I can’t believe how uncomfortable they feel. “They’re really tight; is this normal?” I ask. “Yes.” I stand. “I can’t straighten my legs; is this normal?” “Yes.” But I instinctively try to straighten them anyway, and feel a shooting pain up the back of my calves with every step. I look out the window and the fog is now so thick that I can’t see the mountain, which as I recall is about 100 steps away and straight up. I can’t imagine 100 steps in the fog with this pain shooting up the back of my leg. In this moment, I can’t imagine why anybody skis.

He hands me the skis and poles and is happy to see me go. I slowly and painfully make my way outside. Someone takes pity on me and says “If you walk heel-toe, it’s easier.” I try it and it is easier. Not easy; easier. Not painless; easier. I decide to take what I can get.

Now it’s time to throw the skis over my shoulder and look cool. But like every other aspect of this experience, it’s harder than it looks. The skis are heavy and slippery; traits you want on the slopes but not on your shoulder. (This may explain why skis are worn and not carried during the skiing experience.) The skis are held together back-to-back at the bindings, so the bindings are facing out. And they’re uncomfortable. And they’re smack in the middle of the skis, so I slide them in front of my shoulder. This is more comfortable but now I’m struggling to balance them. I finally get them set and step out with my first heel-toe and the skis slip completely off my shoulder. But that’s OK, I can catch them with my other hand. Oh, no I can’t. I have a pair of poles in that hand. Now skis and poles crash to the ground. I decide the shoulder-carry is too cool for me right now. Instead, I hold the skis vertically in one hand, poles in the other. I am mystified why anyone would consider this a good time.

I slowly make my way toward what I hope is the bunny slope. I can’t really tell because the fog is now so thick that the mountain has disappeared. I just travel haltingly in the direction of other skiers. Finally, I can make out a kiosk and the other 2 “beginners” in my group. I catch up to within shouting distance of them. They are above me on an incline and I can’t imagine how I’ll get there. I’m now off the pavement and on the snow, where I believe the skis were meant to be. So I drop them and realize I have no idea how to get them on. My friend Cindy, who thinks she’s a beginner but is soon revealed to be an intermediate, shouts instructions on how to attach the skis.

Me with my intrepid skiing friends: Cindy Bigras, Susan Van Allen & Lisa del Percio.

Riccardo, our instructor, shouts in my direction and demonstrates the horizontal, incremental creep one performs to move up a small incline. I imitate him and snail my way up. It’s then that I notice individual drops of blood in the snow. I am horrified. Who is bleeding? How were they injured? My eyes follow the crimson drops that lead to a man lying on his side, propped up on his elbow, looking more like he’s on a couch across from a TV than losing vital life fluids in the frozen earth. I realize he’s had a nose bleed and is collecting himself. His skis are still on and he looks OK, certainly calmer than me. It’s another example of the ever-optimistic skier. No need to get off the slopes; just wait until the bleeding stops, pop back up and swoosh down the mountain.

Dear Lord, take me to the beach.

Italian Dance Competition for New Choreographers

2011-11-27T13:50:00.003-05:00

The Alto Jonio Dance Company from the town of Villapiana, Calabria, is coming to NYC looking for emerging choreographic talent. On December 26 and 27, 2011, a competition will be held at New York City Center Studios, 130 West 56th Street in Manhattan for the best of the best.

The competition will consist of 2 separate pieces for each contestant: a solo and a trio or duet. Performances will take place on December 26 with callbacks on December 27.
The winner will be flown to Villapiana during its annual dance Festival in July, 2012 and be awarded the title of Alto Jonio Dance – Emerging Choreographer, as well as free room, board and tuition to study and perform during the Festival. Visit altojonicodance.com for full details and registration information.

The jury panel for the New York competition will include Antonio Fini, Michael Mao, founder and Artistic Director of Michael Mao Dance Company, Kevin Alpert and Nicola Iervasi, respectively the Executive Director and Artistic Director of Mare Nostrum Elements Movement Theater, Virginie Maecenas, former first dancer of the Martha Graham Dance Company and now Director of the Martha Graham School of Contemporary Dance and Noa Guy, internationally renowned musician and composer.

The Alto Jonio Dance Company is the latest endeavor by its artistic director, Antonio Fini, and is already making a name for itself. Its premier festival held in Villapiana last summer featured dance luminaries such as Donatello Iacobellis, choreographer with the MOMIX dance company, one of the world’s most famous companies.

While At The Table No One Grows Old

2011-11-27T11:43:00.006-05:00

“You must visit Nonna. She lives in the village and seldom has visitors, but she absolutely makes the best dolci!” An enthusiastic endorsement like this prompted many journeys for Francine Segan, food historian, author and speaker, in her search for the very best Italian sweets. These treasured recipes are now in her latest book, Dolci, Italy’s Sweets.

Ms. Segan wanted to collect not only the recipes from generations past but also the ones served today in contemporary Italian kitchens. She met with famous chefs, contacted infamous Italian bloggers and visited the kitchens of Italian grandmothers. Her book guides us through Italy’s hills and valleys, nooks and crannies, as she cooks, tastes and records these luscious desserts.

Ms. Segan celebrated the launch of the book at The National Arts Club in the Gramercy Park section of Manhattan on November 10, 2011. Always an engaging speaker, she recounted stories of her latest trips to Italy and her search for divine desserts. She told of one Nonna who kept Francine in her kitchen for 6 hours until she “got the recipes right”. Still, I can think of worse ways to spend a day than in a warm cucina filled with aromas of chocolate and fruit.

The book is beautifully illustrated and the recipes are taken from all over Italy. Chapters are devoted to after-dinner liqueurs and special coffees. Ms. Segan includes a smattering of history and folklore among the dolci, as well as some of her favorite Italian food proverbs. For example, instead of an apple a day keeps the doctor away, due dita di vino e’ una pedata al medico (two fingers of wine is a kick in the butt to the doctor). And my personal favorite: a tavola non s’invecchia (while at the table no one grows old).

You can purchase Dolci: Italy’s Sweets at amazon.com. To learn more about Francine Segan, visit francinesegan.com.

2011-10-16T10:27:00.008-04:00

A famous face turns and smiles broadly. A camera clicks. A bulb flashes. A moment in time is preserved forever. This ritual occurred countless times in 1950’s Italy. The paparazzi, who would not be so named until Fellini’s La Dolce Vita film in 1960, chronicled every celebrity arrival, shopping spree, bacchanal, stolen private moment and eventual departure. The Italian public, still recovering and psychologically escaping from the ravages of WWII, seemed to have an insatiable appetite for the celebrities in their midst. Celebrities symbolized an Italy moving forward, progressing toward a better future. Not only did Italy send its famous to Hollywood, but Hollywood also came to Italy, specifically to film at Cinecitta’.

La Dolce Vita – 1950 – 1960; Stars and Celebrities in the Italian Fifties is a photographic exhibition celebrating this unique period. Italy was reveling in the peace of the mid-20th century. It had time to be frivolous and a strong desire to distance itself from the horrors of war. It feasted on the wild and wealthy lives of the famous. This hunger was fed by a steady diet of movie magazines, fattened by gossip columnists and photojournalists.

Photographs are tricks of light. They capture the image in front of the camera, but that’s only the beginning. Photographs also reveal something about the person behind the camera and the society in which they both exist. At the Dolce Vita exhibition, all of these elements are in play. At first glance, the images are captivating because of the celebrities they showcase. But with closer inspection the images reveal what is around the celebrity: the fans, the looks of adoration, the autograph books offered in hope of capturing in writing what the camera captured in light.

The women’s dresses, jewelry, shoes, gloves and purses and the men’s shirts, ties, suits and sweaters tell a story. And not only of the celebrity but more interestingly, of who surrounds them. They perch on vespas, sit at café tables, dance in nightclubs. They look happy, surprised and a little uncomfortable. This is Italy at a unique moment, on the cusp of an era that would move faster and faster toward an unknown future. Fascinated by images and stories of celebrity decadence, what scandalized Italians then feels almost quaint now. This is an Italy that existed for a time and is no more.

The exhibition is curated by Marco Panella, promoted by Ministro del Turismo, Cinecitta’ and Artix. Consisting of 84 black and white images, most have never been seen in public before. They are on display throughout Eataly, 200 5th Avenue in Manhattan, hanging from the ceiling rafters throughout the store. The exhibition lasts until November 14.

After you’ve been beguiled by the Italy of the ‘50’s, delight your stomach with dinner at nearby SD26 located at 19 East 26th Street. This is the latest restaurant run by Tony and Marisa May, the same father/daughter team who served New York at San Domenico’s Restaurant on Central Park South since 1988. SD26 serves contemporary Italian cuisine with a 750 labels Wine List. When I dined there I met Matt Dillon. Maybe I brought some of that celebrity-vibe with me from the Dolce Vita exhibition.

Naples – You Won’t Believe It Until You See It

2011-10-09T13:06:00.019-04:00

Naples – what can I say that you haven’t already heard? It’s crowded, noisy, hectic, colorful. It has the Bay, Vesuvius and the world’s best pizza. Here’s something you may not have heard: Naples is a destination. Yes, you read that right. Not just a place to travel through on your way to Capri or Sorrento. Naples is an almost unbelievable combination of high and low, sweet and sour, rough and smooth. Naples has to be experienced, and not just for a few hours. Spend some time in this one of a kind city and I’ll bet you’ll be smitten.

I stayed at the Grand Hotel Santa Lucia on the breathtaking Via Partenope. It’s elegantly appointed in an old world style and the staff really goes the extra mile for its guests. The rooms are spacious and quiet. At night I turned off the air conditioner and threw open the French doors to allow the sounds of Naples to wash over me while I slept. In the morning, I opened the curtains to see the sun’s rays over the Bay of Naples, Mount Vesuvius, the islands of Capri and Ischia, the Comencini marina with its brightly colored fishing boats and the Castel dell’Ovo (more about that later). Room price includes full breakfast served in a sunlit room off the lobby.

You can always grab a late-morning cappuccino at Gran Caffe Gambrinus on Via Chiaia. Perhaps Naples’ most storied café, it was a hub of elite literary life in the early 20th century. The surroundings are opulent, complete with chandeliers and a grand piano. Imagine yourself swapping stories with Ernest Hemingway (a frequent patron) while you indulge in gelato, pastry and specialty chocolate creations.

Naples is a truly urban multi-cultural Italian environment. Narrow streets, graffiti, fast cars, buzzing vespas. This isn’t Tuscany, baby. It’s something else - more challenging, more surprising, maybe more frustrating. As a tourist in any big city, you have to keep your eyes and ears open. But you should be doing that anyway, to take in what Naples offers the intrepid traveler. Storefronts line Spaccanapoli in the historic district, offering treasures of artisanal craftsmanship alongside tourist chatskis. You have to learn the difference. Trattorias, gellaterias, pizzerias; it doesn’t stop. There’s plenty to do, whether it’s out on the street, inside a centuries-old structure, on the waves, underwater or underground.

Here’s just a summary:

The Capodimonte Museum. Built during the reign of Charles VII of Naples and Sicily, this Bourbon palazzo is home to a vast collection of artistic treasures. Paintings from the 13th – 18th centuries include stunning works by major names like El Greco, Caravaggio, Titian and Raphael. Part of the Farnese collection of sculpture is housed here, as well as furniture, porcelain and majolica gathered from royal residences.

Naples National Archeological Museum. This is considered by many to be Italy’s most important archeological museum, and in Italy, that’s saying a lot. Its holdings include marbles, bronzes and mosaics from Greek and Roman antiquity. It houses Italy’s third largest Egyptian art collection and an impressive collection of Roman erotic art.
http://www.marketplace.it/museo.nazionale/emuseo_home.htm

Cappella Sansevero. Also known as the Chapel of Santa Maria della Pieta, this small space in Naples’ historic district is bursting with work from some of Italy’s best 18th century artists. Here you can be mesmerized by the quiet, mournful beauty of Sanmartino’s Veiled Christ, while being surrounded by majestic Baroque sculpture. www.museosansevero.it

Castel dell’Ovo. The Castle is named for the legend that the poet Virgil placed an egg in its foundation and, as long as the egg is unbroken, the Castle will survive. The spaces within the Castle are marked with stone archways and afford beautiful views of the Bay of Naples on one side and the charming marina on the other. The Castle hosts art exhibitions, conferences and weddings. The long, bricked causeway leading to the Castle is a popular spot for wedding pictures.

Agnano Spa. This beautiful spa is located just outside of Naples and easily reached by train. Located in a volcanic crater, the area’s hot springs soothed the aching muscles of ancient Greeks and Romans alike. The spa includes natural tuft stone formations that create 5 separate dry heat sauna experiences, progressing from mild to OMG it’s hot! But don’t worry, it’s nothing a dip in one of the indoor or outdoor pools can’t cure. Or perhaps a mud treatment. Or perhaps a meal in the delectable restaurant.

Cuma. Located northwest of Naples, this was the first Greek settlement on Italy’s mainland when it was considered Magna Grecia (Greater Greece). Dating back to probably the 8th century B.C., it was the seat of the Cumaean Sibyl, the prophetess presiding over the Oracle of Apollo. A large crater lake nearby was a mythological entrance to the underworld. Today Cuma is a fascinating archeological site open to the public.

Pompei. About 40 minutes outside of Naples, Pompei is a must see. No matter how jaded a tourist you might think you are, Pompei will amaze you. It’s larger than you expect and the sheer number of details illustrating ancient daily living invite you to consider your place in civilization’s continuum. Buy your water/souvenirs before you reach the site.

What to do underground:
Subterranean Naples. Visit the city below the city. Remnants of ancient Greece and Rome survive in the form of aquaducts, cisterns and winding tunnels emptying into large cavities. During the bombardment of WWII, many Neapolitans moved here to protect themselves. These days, the stone labyrinth hosts daily tours and classical musical concerts.

San Gennaro Catacombs. This is an underground Pagan and Christian burial site dating back to the 3rd century. Unlike the Roman catacombs, these are spacious and (believe it or not) airy, allowing you to stand up straight as you walk among some of the oldest and most evocative frescos in Italy. The Catacombs were consecrated to San Gennaro in the 5th century, when his remains found a home here. The Catacombs house a church, a baptismal font and of course, graves. The complete cycle of life and death was commemorated here. Take a tour with one of their impressively knowledgeable guides and emerge into the sunlight a little wiser.

What to do on the water:
Take one of the entertainment boats docked in the Bay of Naples marina and sail gracefully onto the water for an unforgettable evening. Appetizers and cool breezes above deck, followed by a full course dinner below. After dinner, return above deck for dancing to a live band and delighting in the glow of the full moon (when I was there). This is a popular date spot for the locals; why shouldn’t it be for you, too?

What to do underwater:
Go snorkeling or scuba diving in ancient waters and peek into Roman villas from centuries past. Statutes, pillars, pottery, even tile floors remain in the depths to be enjoyed. You can explore the underwater cities of Baia and Portus Julius in a glass-bottom boat at Baia Underwater Park, if getting wet isn’t your thing.
centrosubcampiflegrei.it

How to get there:
Meridiana Eurofly has frequent, conveniently scheduled flights direct to Naples Airport from JFK.

The Italian Roots of Tango

2011-06-07T19:12:00.005-04:00

The Italian roots of Tango. I confess; I never know there were any. I’ve always thought of Tango as a supremely Argentine creation, practiced in dark dance halls with low-ceilings filled with cigarette smoke and perspiration. It turns out this image isn’t far from the truth, but I forgot one vital component: the effect of Italian immigration to Buenos Aires, the birthplace of Tango.

I had the pleasure of discussing this phenomenon with Eduardo Tami, master flautist and star of the international Tango scene (eduardotami.com.ar). He has recorded numerous Tango CD’s and regularly tours the world with his own band or as a featured performer with other world-class musicians. Tami is a native of Buenos Aires, born of Italian immigrant parents. He has first-hand knowledge of Italian musical influences on Tango melodies and dance.

Large numbers of Italian immigrants reached South American shores in the late 19th and early 20th centuries. Notes Tami, “Immigration was encouraged by South American countries who offered land to new arrivals. They wanted to attract professionals, artists and business people, but these people were comfortable in their own countries. Instead, the poor and undereducated answered the call.” These immigrants arrived mainly in the ports of Buenos Aires and soon learned that the promises of land were empty. Too poor or hopeless to return home, they remained in city. Says Tami, “By 1905, there were about 3 million Italian immigrants in Buenos Aires.”

This infusion of Italians, mostly from Naples and nearby areas, greatly impacted the development of Argentine Tango. Neapolitans brought their lyrical style of violin and dancing across the ocean with them. They settled in the same poverty-stricken neighborhoods where Tango was already the music of heartache and longing. They sang and played, danced and blended their traditions with the local population and in so doing, altered the direction of an art form. Speaking of the Italian influence on Tango, iconic musician Jose Libertella observed, “Tango started in brothels and the poorest sections of town. It’s the music of immigrants. It’s of emotional people going through emotional times.”

Libertella arrived in Buenos Aires from Italy in 1934 and became a maestro on the bandeneon, sometimes called the Argentine accordion. Legend says the first bandeneon was abandoned by a German sailor in an Argentine pawn shop. “The first time I heard it played it seemed magical to me.” Libertella spun this magic on the Tango, and together with his Sexteto Mayor Orchestra, is credited with “breathing life into the Tango Argentino.”

But Libertella in turn credits many Italian artists with giving the definitive form to Tango. Ernesto Sabato, actress Tita Merello, lyricist Homero Manzi (changed from Manzioni) and the father of Tango, Carlos Gardel. Musicians like Carlos di Sarli, Alfredo DiAngelis and Rodolfo Biagi. Since Libertella’s time, the magnificent composer and musician Astor Piazzola continues to celebrate the tradition of Tango and evolve it into the future with musical experimentation.

Tell It Like It Is: Franca Sozzani Shapes Vogue Italia

2011-05-30T12:38:00.002-04:00

“Fashion is fashion and art is art. You create one work of art and it goes down in history. It is not a product that has to sell millions. But fashion is.” So spoke Franca Sozzani, Editor in Chief of Vogue Italia. It is this kind of thinking that allowed Sozzani to transform the magazine from a predictable catalogue into one of the world’s premier fashion publications.

It was standing room only at NYU’s Casa Italiana as Vogue Italia took center stage. Sozzani spoke candidly of her triumphs and missteps in her 23 years at the helm of Vogue Italia. Joining her in the discussion were Grazia d'Annunzio, US Special Projects Editor, Vogue Italia, Eugenia Paulicelli, Professor of Italian and Comparative Literature, co-Director of The Concentration in Fashion Studies at the Graduate Center, CUNY and Dr. Stefano Albertini, Director of Casa Italiana Zerilli-Marimo’.

Sozzani described the state of Vogue Italia when she took the reins in 1988, “It was a fashion catalogue. The same designers were presented every month, page after page, always in the same order.” Sozzani shook things up and created something very different. “It was hard for the first 2 years. The designers weren’t happy because they weren’t getting the same level of attention and stories as before. The advertisers who liked the catalogue format left the magazine altogether.” It wasn’t until the February, 1990 issue that featured Madonna as a modern Marilyn Monroe that Sozzani’s vision was vindicated. The cover created much needed positive buzz for Vogue Italia and its new style began to catch on.

One of Sozzani’s priorities is to present the magazine in a way that attracts attention. She explained, “To me, all fashion magazines look alike, especially with digital cameras and Photoshop. Everyone thinks they’re a fashion photographer. But there is more to it than that. We all use the same models and the same clothes. Fashion magazines look good, but flat.”

To make Vogue Italia stand out, she collaborated with renowned photographer Steven Meisel. “Steven appreciates women and knows fashion. He carries the history of fashion in his head. He gives an identity to the magazine.” Since his arrival in 1988, Meisel shoots 12 covers a year for Vogue Italia, a rare honor in the capricious fashion industry.

Sozzani deliberately emphasizes images in the magazine because it is a form of universal communication, not dependent upon whether a reader understands Italian. “At the same time,” she declares, “the magazine is not a photographer’s portfolio.” She keeps her eye on the delicate balance between artistic freedom and product marketing. She describes fashion as “artsy” rather than as art. “Fashion is fashion and art is art. You create one work of art and it goes down in history. It is not a product that has to sell millions. But fashion is.”

Sozzani has never been shy about presenting her point of view in Vogue Italia. This has placed the magazine at the forefront of social issues. One of these is race. Sozzani told the story of watching a runway show where she found the models indistinguishable from one another; all of them tall, blonde, wispy, long-haired and White. “The only one who impressed me was Kedebe from Ethiopia, so beautiful and alive.” Sozzani decided to dedicate an issue to celebrating Black beauty, using all Black models. “The biggest problem I had was convincing those around me that it was a good idea.” The July 2008 issue took 6 months to complete and was published with 4 different covers, each featuring a different model. “This was the first time we had to reprint an issue. Usually there are always some left over that you have to throw away. But this one had to be reprinted to keep up with demand.” Since then, Sozzani has seen an increase in the use of Black models by agencies and in runway shows.

Certain aspects of the fashion industry clearly disturb Sozzani. She admires past Super Models who exhibited a healthy body, like Cindy Crawford and Naomi Campbell. The ever-decreasing ages of current models presents a different image. “These girls are 14, 15 years old. They are not women. They can’t wear women’s clothes or move like women. They move like kids, teenagers.” Nevertheless, these underdeveloped bodies are dressed, made up and photographed like grown women and presented as the way grown women should look. This came to a head when Sozzani discovered that hundreds of pro-anorexia websites and blogs encourage young people to engage in anorexia as a lifestyle choice. To combat this, Sozzani established Vogue Italia’s Anti-Anorexia Campaign. The Campaign supports various organizations that help victims of this condition to regain their healthy bodies and perspectives. There is a petition on Vogue Italia’s website to close pro-anorexia sites and blogs.

Vogue Italia’s website, vogue.it, launched in February, 2010 and currently draws 1,000,000 unique visitors a month. Rather than competing with the magazine, both formats seem to be growing together. Magazine sales increased 27% since September, 2010 and 21% since January 2011. One reason for this is probably Sozzani’s “Editor’s Notes” blog. Her frequent posts allow people to connect with her and get to know her. She has recently compiled her blog posts (in Italian) in a book called “I Capprici della Moda” (“The Whims of Fashion”).

Recently the site launched PhotoVogue, a place for young, aspiring fashion photographers to show their work. Currently, over 1600 photographs can be accessed in these online portfolios. This allows an otherwise unattainable level of connection with gallery owners and agents. Vogue Italia is planning to host an exhibition of the best 100 photographs.

Six years ago the magazine held its first young designer contest, which has since become an industry highlight. Hopeful contestants must already be selling at least a small amount of pieces in 1 or 2 stores. Finalists are judged in Rome, but the judges are from all over the world. Winners need not be Italian, but they are expected to keep production in Italy. Sozzani is very proud of the fact that all of the finalists over the past 6 years are currently employed in the fashion industry.

Franca Sozzani’s point of view is strong, clear and courageous. She brings depth to an industry often skewered for its superficiality. She’s a breath of fresh air.

Le Marche - Undiscovered and Unforgettable

2011-05-17T19:51:00.007-04:00

The Marche region is located in central Italy, its eastern coastline bathed in the Adriatic Sea. Moving inland from the beaches, rolling hills play host to half-hidden castles and hamlets surrounded by winding roads that open to endless vistas. It is less touristed than neighboring Tuscany and Umbria and is celebrated for its high quality of life. It’s no wonder that, according to a recent study, residents of Le Marche enjoy a longer life expectancy than anywhere else in Italy.

Le Marche is interested in attracting tourists, however, and to that end Riccardo Strano, Director of Italian Government Tourist Board North America, hosted an informational event in NYC. Amerigo Varotti, Director of the Le Marche’s Trade and Commerce Federation focused the presentation on the region’s northern province of Pesaro and Urbino. According to Mr. Varotti, “This event is an opportunity to present American travel professionals with the best of our region; particularly its history and culture, fashion, food and wine. The New York Times has recently named Le Marche ‘The New Tuscany.’ Here, the American tourist will find peace and harmony, as well as high quality tourist services.” Other members of the delegation included Pietro Marcolini, Le Marche Minister of Culture and Alberto Drudi, President of Pesaro Urbino Chamber of Commerce.

From left: Pietro Marcolini, Riccardo Strano, Amerigo Varotti.

The city of Pesaro boasts beautiful beachfront and a fishing port along with its cultural offerings. It’s the birthplace of the great composer Rossini and hosts the annual Rossini Opera Festival (August 10-23, 2011). The Palazzo Ducale, a recently restored 15th century Renaissance palace, is a jewel hosting public art exhibition space. Not far from the Palazzo, the Cattedrale contains mosaics from the 6th and 4th centuries.

The city of Urbino is a treasure of art and architecture. Here you will fine the Galleria Nazionale delle Marche, housing artworks by Raphael (who was born here) and Piero della Francesca. For architecture, the towers and turrets of Urbino’s many palaces, as well as their intricate interiors, are stunningly preserved. Mr. Varotti noted, “Urbino is the birthplace of the Renaissance painter and architect, Raffaello Sanzio, as well as the cradle of humanistic science.”

Le Marche has a rich musical history beside from being Rossini’s birthplace. The region gave the world opera luminaries like Renata Tibaldi, Beniamino Gigli and Franco Corelli. Although the Rossini Opera Festival is an international stand-out, Le Marche celebrates other types of entertainment as well. From blues and jazz to klezmer, dance productions including ballet, concerts, plays and even a comedy festival, the arts have a home in Le Marche.

And speaking of art, the province of Pesaro and Urbino is home to ancient, hand-crafted traditions. Ceramics flourish in Pesaro, Urbania and Vado. Terracotta figures are made in Fratterosa and Pesaro is famous for handmade pipes. Hand-woven carpets can be found at Piobbico and Novilara, and the working wrought iron is a generations-old practice in Cagli. Stone cutters and stone masons of Sant'Ippolito continue to create detailed figures and motifs, while goldsmiths fashion beauty in Fano.

To see a wonderful Italian commercial for the Le Marche region starring Dustin Hoffman, click here.

To learn more about this intriguing region, click here.

The Birthplace of Eataly: Turin, Italy

2011-04-23T15:17:00.003-04:00

Eataly is a delightful combination of food market, cooking school and restaurant. It continues to expand into various Italian cities as well as Japan and Manhattan. But before it completely conquers the world, I wanted to return to where it all began: Turin, Italy.

Eataly (eataly.it) was founded by Oscar Farinetti and opened its doors in Turin in 2007. Oscar Farinetti had previously founded two very successful Italian appliance stores, UniEuro and Trony. But he wanted to return to his first love - food - so he sold the appliance companies and created Eataly.

Rather than just another food store, Eataly is a food experience. It combines professional restaurants, high-quality products and extensive, accessible education. Clear information is posted throughout the store explaining the origins and use of the products. Customers can attend an array of cooking classes given by the store’s expert staff or guest chefs. I attended a class given by the head of the seafood department. His taught the class how to feed 8 people for 8 euro (about $10) by choosing the freshest fish and then cooking and seasoning it in the simplest and most flavorful way.

My favorite aspect of Turin’s Eataly is the cellar: cool, climate controlled spaces are dedicated to wine, cheese and meat. What makes this special is that anyone can rent space in these cellars to age their food or wine. Alberto Peroglio Longhin, the president of Liberi Tutti, a company associated with Eataly, explains it this way, “Even if someone lives here in Torino, they still want to live like they have the advantages of a farm. So for example, they can buy a wheel of Parmigiano-Reggiano cheese and age it in our cellars until it’s ready. Then they can take it home and enjoy it.” You can enjoy photos of the cellar (and the rest of Eataly) in the slideshow below.

Consistent with Eataly’s philosophy that education should be fun, you can pick up an Eatinerario, which is an itinerary in a box, while you’re shopping. This is a special travel adventure designed to bring you to the places in Italy where some of Eataly’s delectable food is produced. Eatinerari are available in different price ranges and last from several hours to 2 days. The shortest itinerary sends you for an afternoon drive in your car to various locations of Eataly growers and farmers. One of your destinations will serve you a delicious lunch from “a rich menu of local flavors.” Other itineraries provide a guide and gourmet dinners. Whichever one you choose, everything you need for your Eatinerario (maps, reservations, etc.) are packed in a small, handy box with handles.

It’s no mystery that Eataly was created in Turin, because it is also the birthplace of the Slow Food movement. Slow Food is an organization founded in 1989 in response to the concept of fast food and all it brings with it: fast life, disconnection from the origins of our food supply and disappearance of local food traditions. Instead, Slow Food protects the heritage of food and culture by strengthening the connections between plate and planet. It believes that farmers, producers, cooks and consumers must work together to protect the world’s food heritage.

The Slow Food organization is a consultant for Eataly. Among other things, its members inspect Eataly’s producers and farmers to ensure that the quality of their products is not compromised to satisfy growing demand. Slow Food helps Eataly showcase sustainable agriculture and artisanal food production. To learn more, visit slowfood.com.

Enjoy the slideshow of just some of the offerings of Turin’s Eataly!

Ski the Italian Alps!

2011-04-22T18:47:00.008-04:00

Glide, loop, swoosh. Repeat. Taste, indulge, refine, relax. Breathe, savor, smile, dream. Do it all at the Alpine ski resorts of Sestriere in Piedmont, Italy. Perched among the Italian Alps, Sestriere is one of Europe’s highest resorts and is about 8 miles from the French-Italian border. It features over 275 miles of ski runs, 66 lifts and even offers night skiing. The ski season goes from early December to late April and the nearest airport is Turin (Torino). As the center of the Via Lattea or Milky Way, Sestriere links to the nearby villages of Sauze d'Oulx, Sansicario, Cesana and the border-village of Claviere and Montgenèvre in France.

Sestriere was built by the Agnelli family, owners of the Fiat car company. They believed in creating a snow-sure resort and pioneered snowmaking in the 1970’s, decades before most other European resorts understood its value. Sestriere hosted alpine events in the 2006 Winter Olympics and the World Alpine Ski Championships in 1997.

Elsewhere in the town of Sestriere is Bardonecchia, a ski resort with amazing views, downhill and cross-country skiing, snowboarding, snowshoeing and 4 ski schools. The unexpectedly named Camp Smith at Bardonecchia is actually named for Harald and Trigwe Smith, two Norwegian brothers who set ski jump world records there in 1909. Bardonecchia has hosted the 2006 Winter Olympics, the Universiadi 2007, World Cup snowboard competitions and FIS Carving cup competitions. Italian, Spanish and American teams train there as well as athletes of Rossignol. It is one of Italy’s top ten ski resorts.

Bardonecchia has over 60 miles of ski runs (many with snow cannons) and 21 lifts. The lift ride to the mid-mountain La Grangia restaurant is breathtaking. Tranquil and stunning, the ride over the treetops glistening with snow was a highlight. Once off the lift, you can go inside the restaurant or enjoy the sun and fresh air by eating at one of the many picnic tables provided. I spent some time at a picnic table, basking in the sun and watching the skiers come down the mountain. Since it was Fat Tuesday, some of them glided down in costume with capes flying!

The area cuisine is hearty, befitting a mountain village in winter: local meat, risotto and agnolotti pasta (similar to ravioli). But don’t forget the truffles or gorgonzola and toma cheeses. And then there’s the wine. The Nebbiolo grape creates complex Barolo and Barbaresco. On the lighter side, Piedmont is the land of Asti Spumante. And for heaven’s sake, don’t forget the chocolate. Piedmont is home to some of the world’s finest chocolate makers: Venchi, Caffarel and Ferraro (makers of Nutella), to name a few.

I was fortunate enough to experience this Winter Wonderland on a trip sponsored by the Italian Government Tourist Board (italiantourism.com), The Region of Piedmont (regione.piemonte.it) and CEIP, the Piedmont agency for Investments, Export and Tourism (centroestero.org).

A note on Alitalia: when the airline was government-owned, I was not a fan of this operation. I objected to indifferent customer service and its habit of going on strike and stranding its customers in the middle of high tourist season. But according to Lisa del Percio, Marketing Coordinator for Alitalia, “Now that it is 100% privately owned, those days are gone. That kind of behavior is no longer tolerated.”

The airline is working hard to rehabilitate its image and I was impressed with my flight experience. Economy class is now “Classica”, but it’s not just the name that’s changed. The blankets are warm, soft and designed by Frette. The in-flight entertainment is the best I’ve seen yet, offering a surprising variety of general release and independent films in English and Italian, along with TV shows and games. In addition, Alitalia has introduced Classica Plus, which is Premium Economy. With 20% more leg room than Economy, you can also enjoy wine and noise-reducing headphones. Business Class (Magnifica) offers an amenity kit designed by Bulgari as well as cutlery and glasses designed by Richard Ginori. It should be noted that Alitalia won Global Traveler’s award for Best Airline Cuisine.

Recommendations:

Booking:
If you’d like to book a ski vacation in Piedmont, I recommend www.worldonskis.com. They are ski specialists with years of experience in the Italian ski market.

Guide:
It would be hard to find a better guide than Carol Bazzani (carolbazzani.it). Raised in Canada and Piedmont, Italy, Carol guided our diverse and crazy group through the best of Sestriere. She can do the same for you, throughout Piedmont. Carol is fluent in English and Italian.

Restaurants:
Du Grand Pere
Via Forte Seguin, 14, 10058 Sestriere
Telephone: (+39) 0122755970
A cozy stone chalet in Sestriere, family run and lovingly serving hearty local specialties with a good wine list. It currently does not have a website.

Belvedere Hotel & Restaurant.
Via Cesana 18 - 10058 Sestriere
Telephone: (+39) 0122750698
www.belvederehotel-sestriere.com
Ask for La Pierrade: you can grill a variety of meats and vegetables on a hot Ardesia Stone, all at your table. It’s a genuine local experience!

L’Ortiche’
Via Assietta 4, Sauze d’Oulx
Telephone: (+39) 0122850329
www.ortiche.com
Located in the old town section of charming Sauze d’Oulx, it’s a casual eatery with a varied, high quality local menu. Great desserts.

Hotels
Hotel Shackelton Mountain Resort
Via Assietta, 1/B - 10058 Sestriere (To)
Tel. +39 0122/750773 - Fax +39 0122/76683
www.shackleton-resort.it
Colorful, quirky and beautifully appointed, they’ve thought of everything, including a telescope in the top floor lounge for stargazing.

Grand Hotel Sestriere
Via Assietta, 1 – Sestriere
Tel. +39 0122/76476 - Fax +39 0122/76700
www.grandhotelsestriere.it
When the crew of NBC-TV needed a place to stay for coverage of the 2006 Olympics, this was their choice. A spacious and luxurious alpine experience.

Noto in Sicily - Breathing New Life into an Ancient City

2011-03-27T11:33:00.003-04:00

Noto is a small, picturesque village in the hills of southeastern Sicily that is defying the odds. Many of its young people remain in the town and open small businesses rather than move to bigger cities. Its birth rate is on the upswing, while in the rest of Sicily the rate is below zero. In 2009, Noto’s population grew by 3,000.

What is causing this? Look no further than, of all places, Noto City Hall. In a country where positive things often occur in spite of those in government, Noto is governed by courageous visionaries. Its present Mayor, Corrado Valvo, has a distinct plan in mind:
focus on a particular type of traveler rather than create a mass tourist destination. This deliberate and courageous decision is serving Noto well. The city has become a favorite of cultural voyagers and a haven for painters and artists of all types. Hotels and fattorie operate year round, not just in tourist season. It’s one of the few Italian cities where museums stay open until midnight. Museum staff speak five languages, including Chinese and will soon add Japanese. Noto’s atmosphere is creative and forward-thinking while keenly preserving its past.

As it happens, this is not the first time Noto has been reborn. Mentioned in works by Cicero and Pliny, legend holds that Dedalus stopped here after his flight over the Ionian Sea and Hercules rested in its arms after his seventh task. In the following centuries Noto birthed artists, composers, intellectuals and architects. In 1503, King Ferdinand III dubbed it “the ingenious city”.

This ingenuity would be sorely tested in 1693 when Noto was leveled by a devastating earthquake. It was impossible to rebuild in the same location (now referred to as Noto Antica), so its surviving inhabitants moved about 4 miles south and settled on the left bank of the Asinaro River. Here, a reimagined Noto took shape and is now considered a jewel of Sicilian Baroque architecture. Some of the most famous architects, masons and sculptors of the time joined together to resurrect the city. Its meticulously carved historic buildings are made of local yellowish, honey-colored stone. Now a UNESCO world heritage site, the organization bestowed this distinction because Noto “represent(s) the culmination and final flowering of Baroque art in Europe… successfully carried out at a high level of architectural and artistic achievement…(and) depict(s) distinctive innovations in town planning and urban building.”

Another earthquake hit Noto in 1990, destroying public and private buildings and causing serious structural damage to the cathedral. In 1996, the duomo roof collapsed entirely. Recently restored, the cathedral is just another example of a town that refuses to give up.

I visited Noto recently with the Italian Government Tourist Board (italiantourism.com) and Sicilia Natura, an organization dedicated to preserving Sicily’s environmental heritage. Noto is located close to the spectacular Vendicari Nature Reserve and Marine protected area. The city recognizes the value of the natural beauty of its surroundings and is willing to fight to keep it. Sometimes, it opposes powerful economic interests. For example, Noto recently fought a plan to build a factory in its midst, despite the jobs it would have created. The factory was considered incompatible with the quality of life and aesthetic the city is working to enhance.

Annually, on the third Sunday of May, Noto is transformed during the manifestazione dell’infiorata, or the Festival of Flowers. The city is carpeted with stunning works of art painstakingly created with petals, seeds and unfettered imaginations. By its nature, this colorful blossoming lasts for only a few days before it disappears, awaiting the next festival to be invited to bloom again. Somehow, this seems to be the perfect festival for Noto, a city whose destiny seems so closely tied to destruction and rebirth.

To learn more about Noto and plan a trip, click here.

Nebrodi Mountains – A Different Kind of Sicilian Experience

2011-02-20T12:07:00.008-05:00

The island of Sicily is actively promoting its environmental assets by attracting eco-friendly tourism. A newly formed association, SiciliaNatura (sicilianatura.org), is an organizing point for this initiative. It was through them and the Italian Government Tourist Board that I found myself in a remote mountaintop hideaway, chilly in September, nibbling on Sicilian specialties and listening to a live band play some of the best folk music of the island.

Allow me to back up a little. The Nebrodi mountains are in northeastern Sicily and are part of the Sicilian Apennines. Parco dei Nebrodi (Nebrodi Park) was created in 1993 and is Sicily’s largest protected reserve. The Park is home to a stunning array of wildlife, including the San Fratellani horses. They are perhaps Sicily’s most wild species of horse, and here “wild” is a relative term. They are cared for, sheltered and fed and I saw a few wearing a bell around their necks. But none of this detracts from their singular nobility. There are less than 800 San Fratellani horses in the world and only a few hundred live in Nebrodi. It was a rare privilege to see them up close.

It was also a rare privilege to see Nebrodi Park, which is a part of Sicily not many travelers experience. The views are open and vast, the air crisp and clean. Mountains rise and fall gracefully into untouched green valleys. Lakes shimmer and reflect the white clouds as they move overhead. And it’s quiet. No vespas whirring or radios playing. It’s a place to appreciate, ponder and enjoy.

We spent the night at the Rifugio del Parco (rifugiodelparco.com), sitting high in the mountains, in a setting as remote as it was beautiful. The Rifugio serves as a rustic retreat for hikers making their way across portions of the Nebrodi mountains, or for anyone who wants to get away from it all and revel in mountainside Nature. The rooms are clean and small with most of the space taken up by beds (including bunk beds). The bathrooms are modern and well-designed for the space. Each room has a shower, hair dryer, TV and telephone. The communal dining room is on the first floor and serves wonderful, hearty food to satisfy a mountaineer’s appetite. Prices are very reasonable.

Rifugio del Parco offers a variety of hiking and trekking routes for its guests, categorized by level of difficulty and suitability for children. These treks bring you along pristine wetlands, towering forests and magnificent rock formations that are nesting sites for raptors and other wildlife. A few of these trails will even bring you to small, picturesque villages.

But back to my chilly September evening. On this particular night, we were entertained by Antichi Suoni, a rather famous Sicilian musical group (antichisuoni.it). The seven-man group has spent years researching and performing the centuries-old folk music of Sicily. They often play at festivals throughout Europe and have several CDs to their credit.

Antichi Suoni translates to Ancient Sounds, and the group keeps their sound as true to Sicily’s ancient roots as possible. They play the traditional instruments associated with this music, including guitar, mandolin, accordion, recorder, tamburello and tammorra. Their music evokes images of shepherds and minstrels whose melodies graced the countryside for centuries.

Nebrodi Park is designed for the intrepid traveler seeking an alternative to the expected tourist experience.

Torino, Italy Shows Off in 2011!

2011-02-01T11:24:00.007-05:00

Torino (Turin) is the capital of the Piemonte (Piedmont) region in the northwest corner of Italy. Internationally famous as the home of the Shroud of Turin, which is kept in the royal chapel of the Cathedral of Saint John the Baptist, the city has many other reasons to make a visit.

1. Celebration of the 150th Anniversary of Italy’s unification. From March 17 to November 20th, Torino will greet you with Esperienza Italia, a showcase of extraordinary exhibitions and programs rich with culture, food and entertainment.

2. Art and Culture. Torino is overflowing with artistic and historical wealth. 40 museums present the best in ancient and contemporary art. Add film and music festivals and stir.

3. A Wealth of Royal Residences. The castles and palaces of the House of Savoy are transformed into museums, concert halls and exhibit spaces. 15 of the royal residences are UNESCO World Heritage sites.

4. Nature. Torino boasts miles and miles of greenery and tree-lined avenues. There are 17 city parks and a botanical garden. The Royal Gardens were designed by the same architect who designed the Versailles Gardens in France. All this against the backdrop of the Alps and the meandering Po River.

5. Sports. Torino was home to the 2006 Winter Olympics, 2009 World Air Games and 2010 World Figure Skating Championships. It is also home base for Juventus and Torino soccer teams.

6. Go dancing and stay out late. The old town district of Qadrilatero Romano offers art galleries, wine cellars, restaurants and boutiques that stay open late.

7. Wine. It’s the home of Barolo, Barbaresco, Nebbiolo, Dolcetto and Spumante. Need I say more?

8. Food. Torino is famous for its white truffles, special coffees and chocolates, agnolotti ravioli and grissini breadsticks. It’s also home to Eataly, Europe’s largest food and wine emporium. The Piedmont region gave birth to Slow Food, a now global organization dedicated to the enjoyment and preservation of local food traditions, heritage and culture.

Torino is always full of art, natural beauty, food and fun. But in 2011 it’s really something special. Learn more about what Torino has to offer by clicking here.

A Slower Rhythm to Italian Tourism

2011-01-18T19:01:00.004-05:00

Much of the fascination that Italy holds for me doesn’t come from its big cities, but its smaller villages that populate the hills and valleys. They somehow manage to be isolated despite internet connections and satellite TV. It was a small village that welcomed me on my first trip to Italy, and the more villages I see, the stronger this connection grows. These places embody the everyday culture of Italy, rather than the world class art and music, hustle and bustle that is found in the bigger cities. Not that I have anything against those things. But it’s only in a small village where I can hear the clang of bells dangling from the necks of sheep as they climb down the steep hillside paths at the end of a long day. Or enjoy the sound of children singing from inside a school as I meander past, savoring a cup of gelato. This is not an experience of the fast and furious, but for what I like to call the slow and curious.

Generally speaking, these villages are not on most tourist itineraries. Yet, it is precisely these unique places, cut off from the constant ebb and flow of outside visitors, that incubate the Italy that so many tourists dream about. Lest all of this sound too idyllic, it is important to remember that these villages are not museums frozen in time, but places where people actually live; communities with economic, social, cultural and political concerns.

The National Association of Italian Municipalities created an organization to identify, encourage and safeguard the multi-faceted legacy of the small Italian village, I Borghi Piu Belli d’Italia (The Most Beautiful Villages of Italy). Formed in 2001, it is a surprisingly recent organization dedicated to the protection and promulgation of the history, art, culture, traditions and environment found in these special places. Villages are evaluated for membership based on various criteria, including the citizen’s quality of life (such as types of available activities and services) and architectural and historical consistency. Approximately 200 villages throughout Italy are current members, and membership is regularly re-evaluated to keep standards high. As a group, I Borghi allows its member villages to take advantage of an accessible tourist platform that, up to this point, villages have not been able to access individually.

If you are intrigued by experiencing this special side of Italy, keep in mind that traveling to villages like these present certain challenges. They may be time-consuming to reach, since they are not on the usual tourist train and highway routes. Communication may be a problem; how much English, if any, is spoken there? Fiorello Primi, the President of the Club of I Borghi Più Belli d'Italia puts it this way, “We are not offering heaven on earth, but we do want that the increasing numbers of people who return to live in these small historic villages and the visitors who are interested in learning about them may find the atmosphere, the fragrances and flavors that make local customs, products and traditions a way of life that is worth savoring with all five senses.” In short, though it may not be for everyone, the rewards are great.

I Borghi più belli d'Italia was featured by the Italian Government Tourist Board North America at a recent event in New York City. Hosted by the lively and engaging Board Director, Riccardo Strano, we learned the results of the latest polls on Italian tourism: Italy is number one on the list of Americans’ desired vacation destinations.

But which villages to choose? How can I get there? Where should I stay? Answers to these and other important questions can be found at I Borghi’s well-designed website, www.borghitalia.it. There are links to information on every member village, including hotels, restaurants, images, events and shopping. You can make reservations through the website and just count the days until your departure for la bell’italia.

Blessing of the Animals - The Lasting Legacy of St. Francis of Assisi

2010-10-24T12:13:00.012-04:00

The man we know as Saint Francis was born Giovanni Francesco di Bernardone in 1182 in Assisi, Umbria. Surrounded by the trappings of privilege, he renounced it all and became an enduring symbol of the value of spirit over the flesh. But he may be best loved for his respect and honor of all creatures at a time when the world around him seemed steeped in cruelty.
Francesco gave one of his most famous sermons to a flock of birds. His biographer, Thomas of Celano, describes the birds listening to Francesco’s words, stretching their necks and wings as he touched and blessed them. According to Thomas, "He began to blame himself for negligence in not having preached to the birds before…from that day on, he solicitously admonished the birds, all animals and reptiles, and even creatures that have no feeling, to praise and love their Creator."
Francesco wrote the Canticle of the Creatures, dedicated to all of the God’s creation. On one occasion he allowed a donkey who needed shelter to displace him and his small band of brothers from the hovel where they were living. He saved the townspeople of Gubbio as well as the wolf who had been attacking them by brokering peace. He sought out the wolf and admonished him to repent for the pain he caused. The wolf would never harm the townspeople again and the people agreed to feed the wolf for the rest of his life.
The feast of St. Francis is October 4. In 1931 in Florence, Italy, a convention of ecologists instituted World Animal Day. This day of appreciation and blessing for all animals is commemorated on the Sunday closest to October 4, in recognition of Francesco’s deep love of animals. This celebration takes place all over the world and is known as The Blessing of the Animals.
I had the good fortune to attend the Blessing at St. John the Divine in NYC this year. The celebration included the full church choir along with dancers, singers and musicians from many countries. Beautiful dancers waved colorful banners in the aisle to music complete with whale songs and the baying of wolves. The performers included, among others, Alessandra Belloni and I Giulari di Piazza, the Omega Dance Company, Forces of Nature Dance Company.
At the end of the service, volunteers dressed in long, white robes walked slowly up the center aisle, holding or accompanying an array of animals. They surrounded the altar for the blessing and then slowly filed out of the church. Many attendees brought their dogs to the service, and periodically the sounds of barking filled the Cathedral. But it seemed to be just as St. Francesco would have wanted it.

I Giulari di Piazza entertains on the side lawn of the Cathedral.

Italian Creativity On the High Seas

2010-10-17T19:35:00.004-04:00

A beautiful event took place on board the MSC Poesia cruise ship docked at Pier 88 in NYC on October 2, 2010. Sponsored by the Italy America Chamber of Commerce, Italian Government Tourist Board, as well the regions of Piemonte and Sardinia, Italian Creativity On Board! was a celebration of many of the things we love about Italy.

For starters, it took place on the Poesia, an Italian cruise ship. Even though the ship was docked for our event, it still felt as if we left the city and entered a more gracious world. MSC Cruises is an Italian-owned company and its fleet, including the Poesia, is built with the latest in eco-technology. The hull is painted with non-toxic polymers that increase fuel economy, wastewater is treated and recycled and energy usage is closely monitored. MSC Cruises was the first company to receive the 6 Golden Pearls Award for environmental care given by Bureau Veritas, an international certification body. MSC also received the Green Planet Award for eco-friendly facilities and was one of the first signatories of the Venice Blue Flag agreement to reduce emissions in the Venice lagoon.

Lest you think all of this must add up to Spartan design, believe me, it doesn’t. The Poesia is sumptuous in design and color. You can take a virtual tour here .

Italian Creativity On Board! began with cocktails, speeches and video presentations highlighting the cultural and tourist offerings of the regions of Piemonte and Sardinia. We later moved to the restaurant for a multi-course meal featuring specialties and wines from both regions.

After lunch we made our way to the Art Deco Theater for musical performances by some of the winners of the IBLA Grand Prize in Italy. The IBLA Foundation (ibla.org) is based in Manhattan and its mission is to advance the careers of talented musicians. The Foundation holds an annual competition in Ragusa Ibla, Sicily every July. Winners perform in some of the world’s premier venues, such as Lincoln Center’s Alice Tully Hall and Carnegie Hall, the Tokyo Opera City Hall, the Tchaikovsky Bolshoi Hall in Moscow and other prestigious places in Canada, Europe, Russia and the USA. The Foundation is under the direction of Baronessa Zerilli Marimo’, of whom NYU Casa Italiana Zerilli Marimo’ is named.

On this particular afternoon, we enjoyed the talents of pianists Chie Sato Roden, Terri Eder, Adalberto Riva, Oliver Betz, composer David Cieri and tenor/whistler Michael Barimo. I had heard Mr. Barimo before at NYU Casa Italiana’s tribute to the Italian swing era singer Alberto Rabagliati. Not only possessing a beautiful tenor voice, Mr. Barimo has been winning awards for whistling since he was a child. This video link gives you some idea of his talent.

After the performances we were treated to a fashion show by Raffaella Curiel. Ms. Curiel has received many awards, including the Grand Cross from The Italian Republic, which is one of the highest civil awards. The city of Rome awarded her the Bronze Wolf as the official ambassador of Italian Fashion to the world. In 1985 she was appointed Ambassador of Fashion to the most prestigious Italian embassies in the world.

Ms. Curiel’s show did not disappoint. It included several collections, including day and evening wear, each marked with distinct music, lighting and the occasional dry ice. Her collections were vividly colorful and remarkable for their small details and embellishments.

ABC, L’Italiano s’Impara Cosi' or How to Learn Italian in One Hour

2010-10-15T12:16:00.004-04:00

Photo by Ivan Seligman.

Everyone should be taught Italian like this. Splashy, colorful maps, poetry, music, a crash course on love and unapologetic impersonations of Italians from different regions telling the same story, each in a distinctly different way. The formidable, demanding and unflappable Professor Margharita, as played by Laura Caparrotti, made a rare appearance at The Cell Theater in NYC on October 5, 2010. A,B,C L’Italiano s’Impara Cosi’, is a one-woman show written and starring Caparrotti. She created Professor Margharita about 10 years ago, mainly for students. It was so well received, she has adapted it to a theater experience.

The Professor-Diva first appears on stage and, not pleased with the level of audience enthusiasm, gives us a loud “A-hem”, leaves the stage and makes her entrance again. Her message is clear and we, her lackluster students, applaud wildly this time. Her smile is approving. The chain of command is clear. We are her captives for the duration of the lesson.

The Professor is dressed in some combination of royalty-gypsy-showgirl. A long dark blue velvet coat covered with loops of beige ribbon and a gold lame’ turban adorned with 2 long, beaded tassels on either side of her face that swing with every move of her head. You can’t take your eyes off of her.

She begins with a history lesson of the Italian peninsula’s changing empires over the centuries. Using oversized, colorful maps, she brings home the point that after 150 years, unification is more concept than reality.

This is comically illustrated by taking 6 cities, from north to south, and impersonating a citizen from each one as they face various situations. The cities are Bolzano, Milan, Florence, Rome, Naples, and Palermo. The Professor explains why the inhabitants are so different from each other and then embodies each one, through song and storytelling. This culminates in a skit involving each citizen giving eyewitness testimony to the same crime: a drive-by shooting on an Italian street. While the crime isn’t funny, the testimony each witness gives is so heavily influenced by the town in which they live that it’s hilarious. This segment is based upon The Deposition by Tuscan actor and writer Uberto Kovacevich.

When the show was over I didn’t want it to end. Luckily, Caporrotti is working on a second act to teach us even more distinctly Italian elements.

Laura Caparrotti is the Artistic Director of KIT-Kairos Italy Theater in New York City. She is a playwright, journalist, Italian and Theater teacher, lecturer, curator and panelist for the New York State Council on the Arts. After years of professional theater in Italy, she relocated to New York where she has directed and/or performed in venues like The Kitchen, The Fringe Festival, Abrons Arts Center, Bernie West Theatre, Casa Italiana Zerilli Marimo’, Center for Jewish History and Lincoln Center. Off Broadway, she served as Assistant Director in Souls of Naples featuring John Turturro. She is also the worldwide representative for the Italian icon, Antonio De Curtis, better known as Totò.

Podere Pornanino For Tuscan Olive Oil

2010-10-10T14:51:00.004-04:00

There’s time to squeeze in another tale from the 2010 Summer Fancy Food Show at NYC’s Jacob Javitz Center. I had the pleasure of meeting Francesco and Lia Lombardi, their daughter and son-in-law, who told me of their family business and the center of their lives: olive oil production at Podere Pornanino in Radda in Chianti.

During the last week of November, workers in the chilly Tuscan air will be leaning on ladders propped against 4,000 olive trees. Picking each olive by hand and tossing them into baskets, they will carry on the centuries-old brucatura method of olive harvesting. The olive trees at Podere Pornanino are of four varieties: Frantoio, Pendolino, Moraiolo and Leccino, which together create the distinctive flavor of Pornanino Extra Virgin Olive Oil. Francesco, Lia and family personally bottle the oil on site.

Originally from Milan, Francesco Lombardi bought Pornanino in 1989 as a tranquil place for him and his wife to retire. They looked forward to nurturing their small number of fruit trees and prolific vegetable garden in the Chianti hills. Set between Radda, Castellina and Vagliagli, they chose a property bordered by two rivers with views that go on forever. All seemed complete and blissfully uneventful. But one day Francesco discovered that his property included an abandoned olive grove of about 500 trees. Intrigued, he brought the orchard back to life and harvested the olives. After a visit to the public olive press, he enjoyed Pornanino’s first Extra Virgin Olive Oil.

This experience inspired Francesco and Lia to launch a new phase in their lives. They planted another 3,500 olive trees and purchased a renovated stone wheel press. They renovated the barn and placed the press inside. At harvest time, the mill slowly crushes the olives, bringing out their fragrance and sweetness. Pornanino is one of only 14 companies in all of Tuscany that still uses a stone mill. The extra-virgin olive oil is extracted from the resulting paste by applying high pressure rather than heat. This heat-free method allows the oil to retain its prized sensory and nutritional characteristics. This process is slower than more modern methods, but the resulting flavor is worth the wait. The enterprise increased and, six years ago, their daughter Francesca and her husband Matteo joined the family at Pornanino.

They have also created a line of bar soaps made with extra virgin olive oil. This lightly fragranced soap lathers well and is a treat for the skin and nose.

In addition to the olive groves and woodlands on the estate, the family restored other farm structures and created beautiful villa apartments for tourist holidays. Every Tuesday morning, Francesco gives a seminar for guests on olive oil.

To learn more, including how to purchase the products and enjoy the apartments, visit pornanino.com

Communicating Dignity – The Sicilian Marionette Theater Tradition

2010-09-30T11:14:00.012-04:00

Swords clang, maidens weep, knights are valorous, villains are loathsome, good conquers evil, dignity triumphs over humiliation. These elements inhabit the world of the Sicilian Marionette Theater and the timeless stories they tell. But really, it was more than entertainment. It was a way to instruct, communicate and transfer wisdom between the generations.

What, exactly, is a marionette? It’s a rod puppet operated from above with wires or strings. The person operating the marionette is called the puppeteer or manipulator. Puppets have been part of human entertainment and instruction for millennia. They’ve been unearthed in Egyptian tombs dating back to 2000 B.C. and were a favorite of the ancient Greeks. While Sicily and Southern Italy were part of Magna Grecia (Greater Greece) for centuries, the Greeks brought the art of puppetry to their shores. The works of Archimedes, Aristotle and Plato referred to puppets, and they were used to present the tales of The Iliad and The Odyssey.

In medieval times the heroic deeds of Emperor Charlemagne (Carlo Magno in Italian) and his nephew, Roland, along with the Paladins of France, greatly influenced the Sicilian puppet theater tradition (l'Opera dei Pupi). Two epic poems, The Song of Roland and Orlando Furioso, were designed for oral performance in the canta storia style of sung history. For half a century these stories were told in daily episodes, often taking a year and a half to complete. Rome’s influence on puppetry was so great that Italy is considered the early home of the marionette. The Christian Church used them to present morality plays and in so doing, the tradition flourished even further across the map. Without mandatory education, illiteracy prevented most people from learning history, literature, music and art. But through the stories performed at l’Opera dei Pupi, the peasantry learned of their country’s turbulent history and were inspired by tales of high ideals of chivalry, patriotism, honor, self-reliance and loyalty.

One of the life sized marionettes on display at the Westchester Italian Cultural Center Tuckahoe, NY.

In the 1800’s the Manteo’s, a Sicilian family, put its mark on this tradition by establishing the Papa Manteo Sicilian Marionette Theater in Catania. This theater became a vital part of daily lives of everyday people. In 1918, after emigrating first to Argentina and then to America, they opened a theater in Manhattan's Little Italy and entertained generations of Italians through superb storytelling.

Producer, writer, director and historian Tony De Nonno became so intrigued that he immersed himself in the lives of the Manteo family and their mission to continue the Sicilian marionette tradition. In 1982, De Nonno created the film, It's One Family -Knock On Wood, which chronicles the creativity, burdens and joys of several generations of Manteos in their fierce dedication to their craft. According to De Nonno, “The self image of many Sicilian males were shaped by these stories.”

De Nonno screened his film along with an informative presentation of the Sicilian marionette tradition on September 18, 2010 at the Westchester Italian Cultural Center in Tuckahoe, New York. He entertained the children and adults in the audience with his knowledge and manipulation of a medium sized marionette of Roland. He recounted many of the stories he learned from the Manteo’s, including how important these tales became to some audience members. One night in Little Italy, when a certain episode finished with Roland bound in a dungeon, the Manteo’s were awakened in the middle of the night by frantic knocking on their front door. A woman had become so engrossed in the story she was unable to sleep; she tossed and turned at the thought of Roland tied up in the dungeon. She begged the Manteo’s to untie Roland so that she could get some rest. They thoughtfully obliged.

Another story involved a marionette who so convincingly portrayed a cruel Saracen that a man entered the theater and shot it in the chest. The Manteo’s decided to keep the bullet hole as a memory and rather than close it, covered it with a shield. The marionette continued to perform.

On display at the Westchester Italian Cultural Center in Tuckahoe.

The Manteo’s dedication to their craft ran deep in their blood. The talent, skills and versatility necessary to sustain the Theater was passed from generation to generation. Every performance required dexterity, acting, singing, piano playing and the art of improvisation. Behind every performance were countless hours of hand crafting each marionette in the wood shop, designing and painting the faces and body, designing and hand making each costume. But that's not all; the sets were individually designed and constructed down to the curtains and pulleys. And after each performance repairs were usually required. One of the Manteo sons remarks in De Nonno’s film that they presented the Marionette Theater every night for 12 years. No nights off. Ever. The son reflected, “It's a sacrifice that you make for your family.” It makes me think that the Manteo’s were just as heroic and dignified as the stories they told.

In the 1990’s, the Manteo’s stopped presenting their tales. However, in 2010, twenty-five of their marionettes, including some created 150 years ago in Catania, were acquired by the Italian American Museum on Grand and Mulberry Streets in New York City. This is especially meaningful as this display is close to the site of the original Manteo Marionette Theater.

And what of this rich tradition today? Sicily, as well as other parts of Europe, is turning its attention to preserving this legacy. UNESCO designated the Sicilian Marionette Theater as part of humanity's “oral and intangible heritage”. The organization created a grant to build puppet theaters and puppetry schools in Catania and Palermo.

After DeNonno's presentation, we were invited downstairs to view several life-sized marionettes from the Manteo collection currently on display at the Westchester Cultural Center. This presentation was part of an ongoing celebration of all things Sicilian at the Center. Events include a photographic exhibit, food and wine specialties and the music of the region. To learn more about how you can enjoy these events, visit wiccny.org. To learn more about Tony De Nonno, visit denonnoproductions.com.

Ghiott – An Enduring Tuscan Tradition

2010-07-29T18:52:00.011-04:00

Today’s tale from NYC’s Summer Fancy Food Show brings us to the Ghiott Company. Florentine confectioners with a rich history, their creations still accompany coffee, vin santo and conversation throughout Italy and beyond. You can find them in the evocative Chianti region of Tuscany, very near the famous Passignano Abbey. Located on a branch of the road known locally as the Strada Senese del Sambuco, it was the Florentines’ preferred way to Siena until at least 1200, after which better routes were found.

In 1953 in Florence, Italy, Enzo Salaorni was continuing the proud tradition of his ancestors – Tuscan confectioners. This gave him access to recipes dating back to the Renaissance. Salaorni took one of the cantuccini recipes, changed it a bit, and created Ghiottini. (Cantuccini are what we think of as biscotti, but in Italy, all cookies are biscotti. Cantuccini are the oblong, twice baked creations that are perfect for dunking). This almond-based delicacy became so popular that today it is the Company’s most famous product.

Ghiottini are BVQI certified, which is an international standard ensuring both the quantity and quality of ingredients that are both traceable and typical of the region without artificial coloring or preservatives. In this case, it means whole, skinned, Mediterranean almonds, ‘A’ class egg yokes and Millefiori honey.

Ghiott’s other beloved products include Brutti e Buoni (the ultimate Tuscan cookie, crunchy with a soft, sweet center), Amaretti (soft cookies made with stone- ground rice flour, sweet and bitter almonds, sugar and whipped egg whites), Panforte Morbido (soft, round cake filled with candied fruit and almonds) and Ricciarelli (soft, oval pastry with almond paste that are considered good luck. They also make a chocolate version).

Although the Company has modernized its production technology to keep up with international demand, the Salaorni family retains its focus on manual processing methods and simple, high quality ingredients.

To learn more, visit Ghiott.com.

Caterina Ogar Dance Company – New Italians in America Interpret Life Into Movement

2010-07-29T17:17:00.016-04:00

Movement enters sound on a dimly lit stage and comes out again on the other side. Waves of bodies and fabric turn and tell stories; kink, twist and unravel. Ancient voices, modern dilemmas and timeless themes run through the choreography of the Caterina Ogar Dance Company. To watch it is to be transported. Caterina Rago, along with fellow Artistic Director Antonio Fini, debuted the Dance Company at the Manhattan Movement and Art Center on July 11&12, 2010.

Bright movement on a darkened stage characterizes When the Sun Rises, choreographed by Rago. Lights glowed through parasols of colored paper as we voyeuristically watched 5 priestesses dance sacred morning rituals to their Goddesses. The dance was at once sacred, playful and acrobatic. The Far Eastern influences of the piece intensified the feeling of peeking into a dark temple at sunrise.

Eternal Return, also a Rago piece, was a strong statement of deeply held beliefs interwoven with her very personal life experience. A long strip of fabric metaphorically became an umbilical cord, time itself or a path enabling the fantasy of walking through the clouds. The three dancers, Antonio Pio Fini, Kerville Cosmos Jack and Ashley Rose Harvey took the journey from womb to death to rebirth, and we took it with them. The opening and closing sequences were without music, causing every squeak and slide of skin on the floor or fabric to intensify. Not a sound came from the sold-out audience as we listened to the dancers breathe as one person. When the music arose, it allowed a bit of relief from the tension that had been building. At the very end of the dance, the silence returned, and the cycle was complete.

“The Earth is like a beautiful woman changing her dress; the change is not always smooth while what is old is washed away." This statement by Fini inspired Rago to create the piece Red Earth encompassing mermaids, fish and human beings interacting with the Earth. A frozen moment in the choreography revealed a perfectly balanced Balinese altar; a sacred sculpture of dancers and red fabric that seemed to lift out of itself and become, just for a defining moment, something otherworldly and transcendent.

Violinist Susan Aquila joined the dancers in this piece, adding depth of movement and sound. At one point, Fini lifted her by her legs, turned her upside down and spun in a circle, as she continued to play the violin. Amazingly, her bow never left the strings as her body spun and moved up and down in waves.

Many of the show’s pieces were set to the music of Italian composer and musician Roberto Cacciapaglia. While living in Italy, Rago contacted him when she first heard his haunting melodies. Her dream is to take her dance company to Italy and collaborate with Cacciapaglia.

Members of the company come from all over the world: Australia, Israel, France, St. Vincent and Grenadines, New York, Pennsylvania as well as Italy. The artistic force of the company, however, remains an Italian, if not Calabrian, vision. “We can determine something from the way every person moves" said Rago, "even a simple gesture. Sometimes during rehearsals someone will tell me ‘this gesture is very Italian!’ I’ve always been told that my way of dancing and communicating is very passionate and I think this comes from the fact that I’m Mediterranean, from Calabria. During rehearsals I often say to the dancers ‘Try to be italian!’ In those moments I’m looking for something proud and majestic or at other times more passionate or effortless. I can proudly say being Italian influences my dancing and the way I think and behave.”

Just 25 years old and in New York City by way of San Lucido, Calabria and Rome, Rago is a member of the Martha Graham Dance Company. It was there that she met 27 year old Fini, also from Calabria, and their collaboration on and off the stage further fueled her choreography and desire to create a dance company. The name Ogar is Rago spelled backwards, a suggestion her father made to her when she was a child. “He always believed in me and told me I should use Caterina Ogar as my artistic name. The more I thought about it, the more I liked it, so I always knew I would use this name.” She began choreographing for the stage when she was 15 and trained at the prestigious Accademia Nazionale di Danza in Rome.

“I’m a visual person and I try to give those images life,” says Rago. “As a dancer I need to dance because it’s my life, it’s everything for me. To choreograph means to give life to my imagination. As I love to dance, I must choreograph; I need to. There is nothing that I can do about it.” Although the art of choreography requires being a skilled dancer and teacher, it also demands more. Rago explains that “something extra” this way, “First, you need a crazy mind! Then, motivation and determination.”

Carlo Aonzo - Bridging the Musical Past Into the Future

2010-07-24T14:10:00.003-04:00

Carolyn: Carlo Aonzo is one of the finest classical mandolinists in the world. From his home in Savona, Italy, Carlo continues to perfect his mastery of the Italian classical mandolin. Over the years, he has received numerous awards for his musical ability, including winning the 27th annual Walnut Valley Mandolin Contest in Winfield, Kansas and the Vivaldi Prize at the 6th Annual Vittorio Pitzianti National Mandolin Competition in Venice.

He created and directed the winter Festival Internazionale di Mandolino in Varazze, Italy and in 2006 he founded the International Academy of Italian Mandolin. He directs the Orchestra a Pizzico Ligure and has collaborated with the La Scala Philharmonic in Milan.

His passion for this music extends to the research, preservation and dissemination of its history, and he is a contributor to The New Grove Dictionary of Music and Musicians.

Carlo has recorded numerous CDs over the years and was featured in the book and CD, Mandolin 2000. He also recorded an in-studio video concert of solo mandolin repertoire for Mel Bay, called Carlo Aonzo: Classical Mandolin Virtuoso.

Carolyn: I understand that the person who first taught you mandolin was your father, right?

Carlo: That’s right. My father is the ….from the old and fashionable past of Italian string virtuoso and brought all this culture to me in the family.

Carolyn: So you were brought up surrounded by mandolin music?

Carlo: Yes of course. My father used to play every night with friends as soon as he could get his mandolin. Actually he’s still doing that today.

Carolyn: what kind of a mandolin does he play?

Carlo: Well, the only kind of mandolin that we knew, the Italian classical mandolin.

Carolyn: OK, so the bowl back?

Carlo: Right. The true mandolin.

Carolyn: The true mandolin, OK. Now we know what you think. (Laughter) Ok. So when you started I suppose it was the influence of your family and hearing this in your home that first drew you to the mandolin, but then what keeps drawing you, even now?

Carlo: This instrument is part of our genetics. Because almost everybody was playing this instrument especially at the end of the 1800’s and on. When also our queen, the first queen of Italy, Queen Margarita, was herself a mandolin player. So of course this tradition, this history is still inside of us and it is what draws me to keep playing the mandolin discovering its history.

Carolyn: Carlo studied at Padova’s Cesare Pollini Conservatory and was taught by the virtuoso Ugo Orlandi. Orlandi not only taught Carlo the music of the mandolin, but also inspired a continuing fascination with its history.

Carlo: Ugo Orlandi, for sure the best scientist of the mandolin in the world. By myself I did a lot of research, especially on the paintings, studying the use, trying to find all the sources on paintings about the mandolin.

It was very interesting research and I do the presentation often about it. People like it very much because it is an instrument that everybody knows but nobody knows really because they know only as the media show to us. So we have an idea of the Italian mandolin as this instrument for Neapolitan songs and that is only a little part of the identity of the instrument.

For example, the great Niccolo’ Paganini is very well known as a violin player, he was the best virtuoso of the history of the violin. But he started to play on the mandolin. His father taught to him the mandolin before any other instrument.

So for example this is something that I like to tell. It is something that nobody knows. Well, actually I invented a little joke about this. We mandolin players say that he first learned the mandolin and as soon as he realized that the mandolin was too difficult, he passed it to play the violin and became a great virtuoso on the violin.

Actually, our instrument has this characteristic. That is the first approach is pretty easy and it is very useful instrument to have ensemble music. So we have a lot of amateur that like to hear the mandolin and play together with other people in mandolin orchestras.

But to play it as a concert player is really hard. You have to work a lot before you can get a good result.

Carolyn: Carlo recorded Paganini’s work on the CD entitled Paganini: The Complete Works For Mandolin and French Guitar. This CD marks the first time that Paganini’s mandolin music was recorded on period instruments, including the mandolino Genovese, dating back to the second half of the 18th century, which Paganini himself used. The pieces presented on this CD are taken from the only manuscripts for this instrument available today.

Carolyn: what’s different about the mandolino Genovese?

Carlo: The difference is mainly in the tuning. The mandolino Genovese has 6 double strings and the tune is like the guitar but one octave higher. They call it also guitarino because it was like a little guitar, with the same tuning.

Carolyn: For the past 10 years Carlo has presented a mandolin workshop in Manhattan. This highly anticipated workshop takes place over a long weekend and is attended by students throughout the United States and Canada. Together, they work on pieces by classical and contemporary composers, culminating in a public recital.

Carolyn: Sitting in a room with about 25 mandolin players; you close your eyes and you’re transported to another century, completely. It’s a beautiful effect. It has a beautiful resonance not only in the ear but also in the soul. There’s something about the mandolin that connects with almost everyone.

Carlo: That’s true. Because this sound, this invention of the tremolo is something that goes directly to your heart.

Carolyn: Every August Carlo organizes a workshop in Europe called the International Italian Mandolin Academy. This year, 2010, the workshop will be in Savona, Italy from the 22nd – 29th. Students of all levels are invited to this event and the musical offerings will be varied and challenging.

Carlo: The Accademia will be much focused on the Italian classical mandolin but we will have also examples of jazz mandolin by Don Stiernberg from Chicago and some blues mandolin from Richard DelGrosso from Houston and some South American mandolin by Dudu Maia. And we will have also a special course for orchestral directors made by Stefano Squarsina that is a professional conductor, great musician that will show us all the tricks to conduct a mandolin orchestra.

The city is waiting for that event very much because we will have evening concerts and always it’s a very intense week. What is so remarkable is that we have special courses for newbie, for people that never played the mandolin before, and also for kids. So it’s a very complex but easy week. It can be intended as a vacation with the mandolin in Italy also.

Carolyn: Carlo tours extensively throughout Europe and North America and directs a professional, international mandolin orchestra. He also plays with Mandolin Cocktail, a project that features not only classical pieces but South American, North American swing, bluegrass, blues, Italian folk music and new compositions. But no matter what type of music he’s playing, Carlo only plays one type of mandolin.

Carlo: So this is to tell you that I am around a lot during the year.

Carolyn: so when you’re playing these more modern pieces are you playing them on your bowl backed mandolin?

Carlo: I play only my Pandini mandolin. It’s like the Cannone for Paganini.

Carolyn: (Laughter) OK. So I won’t be seeing you with a flat back mandolin anytime soon.

Carlo: There are a lot of really good instruments but the only point is that I play Italian classical mandolin so it is good to bring our culture around and show that we have a big past and a very nice present and also a big future that is waiting for us. That is the instrument that brought the Italian culture all around the world so it’s right to honor it.

Carolyn: To learn more about Carlo, visit aonzo.com.

Calabrian Figs That Make Your Mouth Water

2010-07-15T16:32:00.005-04:00

Imagine orchards of fig trees with their wide, green leaves fluttering in the breezes off the Tyrrhenian Sea. Their branches are heavy with ripe, round figs as you reach up to pick one on a late summer day. As you bite into this juicy, delicious fruit, you know you have to take home as many as you can carry. Some you will bake in the oven, maybe stuff with walnuts or almonds or fill with limoncello. You’ll enjoy these figs all year, if you can keep yourself from eating them all at once.

Can this beautiful vision really be true? It’s happening now, in the small village of Amantea, not far from Cosenza in the region of Calabria, Italy. Fichi Marano is a company started in 1930 and currently run by the Marano Brothers (Fratelli Marano). The brothers learned the business from their father, who taught them the techniques and ancient recipes handed down through generations from the time of Magna Grecia (when the Greeks settled Southern Italy).

It is believed that figs were brought to Calabria by travelers from the Middle East and thrived in their new climate. The hills of Cosenza are covered with Dottato figs, a variety that ripens to rich flavor in the Calabrian heat. The figs are picked green from the trees and sun dried during the day on bamboo racks called cannizzi. Every night they’re brought into a closed, dark space and this process continues until the figs reach perfection.

Fichi Marano creates wonderful products, some of which I was lucky enough to sample at the Summer Fancy Food Show in NYC. First, they enticed me with Bocconcini della Nonna. These figs are dried but moist, stuffed with walnuts and flavored with sugar and cinnamon. Then there was the Bocconcini - moist, dried figs stuffed with almonds. Next I tried Paciocchi, which are figs covered with melted chocolate or white chocolate and filled with almonds. They told me that these delicacies will stay fresh for a year without refrigeration. A year? They wouldn’t last 10 minutes in my kitchen before I found a way to eat them all!

They also offer figs flavored with liqueurs like rum, grappa or limoncello, fruits like orange or lemon and even a spicy variety with peperoncino. They also create a variety of chocolate candy and beautiful, small gift baskets filled with their tasty treats. To learn more about this company and order its products, visit fichimarano.it

Ambasciata dei Sapori: Sicily’s Flavorful Export

2010-07-09T13:30:00.007-04:00

Imagine Sicily with an Embassy of Flavors, populated by tasteful Ambassadors bringing the best of its artisanal food and wine to the rest of Italy and the world. No need to imagine; it’s real. Ambasciata dei Sapori (Embassy of Taste) is a new, private initiative out of Sicily that promotes small and medium- sized food and wine producers through presentations, tasting events and theme dinners. I caught up with these culinary ambassadors at a press conference at the Summer Fancy Food Show in NYC and learned some very interesting things.

For starters, Ambasciata dei Sapori works with only artisanal producers, not industrial sized firms. Currently representing 22 producers, the Ambasciata allows them to join forces, strategize and reach markets that they would never have the capital, time, manpower or experience to reach alone. It does not charge the producers a membership fee, nor does it demand their exclusivity. So far, Ambasciata dei Sapori has taken their message to Milan, Berlin and now Manhattan.

The founders of Ambasciata are fellow Sicilians, Marco Scapagnini and Livio Mandara’. They chose to bring samples of 10 of their producers to the Fancy Food Show. According to Mr. Scapagnini, it would have been logistically impossible to bring samples from all 22 producers. As it was, US Customs kept his phone ringing almost incessesantly.

Some of the Ambasciata producers buy their wheat from a cooperative that manages acreage confiscated from the Mafia just outside the town of Corleone. A few years ago, a local priest petitioned the Italian Parliament to allow these once-criminal assets to serve the common good.

I’ve listed the products on hand at the press conference, but not all were available for sampling:

Pasticceria Bonomo: Chocolate from Modica. This company makes its chocolate as the Aztecs did in the New World: stone ground with raw sugar and flavored with cinnamon and other spices. Its texture is grainy and the chocolate taste is strong. It’s wonderful. www.pasticceriabonomo.it

Antica Cioccolateria Acese: Chocolate from Acireale. Creamy, melt in your mouth chocolate filled with Sicilian flavors like hazelnuts, pistachio, almonds, figs, coffee or orange rind. A pleasure to eat. www.anticacioccolateriacese.it

Iblealat: Luscious cheese from Ragusa, paired with jams and honey.

Delight from Corleone: Pasta and pecorino cheese from that infamous town.

Pevin: Wine, Vino Cerasuolo di Vittoria, D.O.C.G. This label stands for Denominazione di Origine Controllata e Garantita and is a strict quality assurance standard indicating that the product was produced within a specified geographical region using defined methods. Production of Vino Cerasuolo di Vittoria began about 4 centuries ago from the Nero d’Avola (also known as Calabrese) and Frappato grapes. www.pevin.it

Marchetta: Wine, Malvasia delle Lipari, D.O.C. This label stands for Denominazione di Origine Controllata and is also a quality assurance label indicating that the product was produced within a specified geographical region using defined methods. Malvasia delle Lipari is an ancient wine produced on the Aeolian Island of Lipari.

Marisco: Fruit jams and jellies. I sampled the Confettura di Mela, made with apples and quince. When paired with the Iblealat cheese I could have eaten it all day. Marisco is also a lovely agriturismo outside of Palermo.
www.marisco.it

L’Oro di Laura: Artichokes, olives and mushrooms hand-picked and cut by local women. The vegetables are cultivated and harvested from Parco delle Madonie, Madonie Natural Reservation Park, an environmentally protected area. www.lorodilaura.com

Cinque Colli: Extra virgin olive oil Monti Iblei DOP (Denominazione di Origine Protetta or Protected Designation of Origin). The olives for this oil are harvested by hand from the area around Catania, Ragusa and Siracusa. www.cinquecolli.it

Azienda Agricola Muscara’: Extra virgin olive oil produced in the hills of Piazza Armerina from the Muscara’ family farm. www.collidialiano.it

TuttoCalabria: Can You Take the Heat?

2010-07-03T14:46:00.008-04:00

This is another tale from the Summer Fancy Food Show in NYC, June 2010. While strolling through Italian Pavilion I found myself in the Calabrian section. One reason I was drawn there is that I am part Calabrian. The fact that there were life-sized images of the stunning Bronzi di Riace at the entrance of the section also didn’t hurt. For heaven’s sake, I’m only human.

The famous Bronzi di Riace graced the entrance to the Calabrian section.

So I spent some time with Paolo Giovanni Celli at the TuttoCalabria booth, sampling food and learning about the company. It is based in Marcellinara, not far from Catanzaro. Founded by Antonio Celli in 1970, TuttoCalabria was one of the very first Calabrian food companies to produce and commercialize its region’s food products. Antonio Celli was a farmer who understood that the tantalizing tastes of the food he grew were made possible by the unique climate and soil of his region of Calabria. He knew that outsiders would never enjoy these flavors without visiting Marcellinara. So Antonio and his wife, Adele, began selling their products in little glass jars and today, TuttoCalabria can be found in Europe, America, Japan and Australia.

The tagline of the TuttoCalabria Company is Piccanti Per Passione or Spices For Passion (yeah, they get right to the point). After sampling some of their creations I can say that yes, the spices get the blood circulating. One wonderful concoction is Nduja, a spread made from salami, pancetta, vegetables and peperoncino. It was served as an antipasto on thinly sliced toast, but can also be mixed with pasta and extra virgin olive oil. It’s tasty, spicy and a treat for the mouth.

I couldn’t resist the Hot Pepper Sauce (Mousse di Peperoncino). It’s basically hot and sweet peppers in a jar whipped to a smooth consistency. Depending upon your spice tolerance, it’s a wonderful addition to many things, from sandwiches to pizza to sauces to marinades to dressings. If you’re like me, you might add it alone to some crusty Italian bread and enjoy the fireworks.

TuttoCalabria loves to stuff its hot peppers, too. They use fresh Quartirolo cheese or Parmigiano Reggiano and anchovies and tuna. Many products have wonderful names like “Esplosiva” and “Diavola”, but not everything they make is spicy. But all of their products, whether artichokes, mushrooms, olives or tomatoes, bring the sun, soil, air and water of Calabria to your palate.

To order some TuttoCalabria for yourself, go to tuttocalabria.com

Parampa’mpoli: The Liquore You Set On Fire

2010-07-01T20:46:00.005-04:00

This is the first of several tales from the Summer Fancy Food Show at the Jacob Javits Center in New York City in June, 2010. As you might expect, I spent all of my time in the Italian Pavilion. As I was walking down an aisle, I saw a woman stirring a small amount of dark liquid in a pot that was heating on a portable 2-burner stove. Then she lit the liquid on fire with a lighter and poured it into small white and purple cups, and served. I had to stop and see what she was doing.

She was Maddalena Giordano, from the family that owns the Rifugio Crucolo Company. She was demonstrating one of their unique products: Parampa’mpoli. It was invented in the 1950's by Giordano Purin sitting in front of a fireplace and combining coffee, grappa, sugar, honey and other flavors. When the flame was added, Rifugio Crucolo’s signature drink was born. I tried it (of course!) and loved it. Although the drink was literally flaming, it cooled quickly in the cup and I was able to enjoy it almost immediately. It’s both relaxing and energizing, and I took a bottle home.

Here’s how you make it: shake the bottle well and pour the desired amount in a small pot. Heat on a high flame and as soon as the first boiling bubbles appear, set fire to it with a match or lighter and pour it into cups as the flame burns. (Make sure that the cups can withstand the heat.) Sit back and enjoy.

The Rifugio Crucolo Company has an interesting history. Located in Val Campelle, it’s just outside of Valsugana, between Venice and Trento. At the start of the 19th century, the Purin family managed a small inn called Crucolo, which in time became known as Rifugio Crucolo (Mountaintop Refuge). Its guests were shepherds and farmers who passed by while bringing their flocks and herds from Valsugana to the high pastures. At Crucolo they enjoyed a good meal, wine, conversation and rest. During World War I, Crucolo was turned into a military outpost, burned down and rebuilt.

Through the years it has become a favorite spot to enjoy traditional meals and atmosphere. It’s known for its cellars, which in addition to Parampa’mpoli, hold wines, grappas, cheese, salami and cured meats. The Rifugio Crucolo Company ensures the quality of its food by controlling every aspect of its production, from raising to butchering to processing. The results are authentic products, locally produced in Valsugana and whose every ingredient can be traced to its origin.

To order some Parampa’mpoli for yourself, get a few Crucolo recipes and learn more about the company, visit crucolo.it.

Salina Film Festival: An Aeolian Treasure

2010-06-24T17:32:00.010-04:00

SalinaDocFest

The Aeolian Island of Salina, close to Sicily, is the setting for an intriguing event: SalinaDocFest, Immagini, Suoni e Realta’ del Mediterraneo (Images, Dreams and Realty of the Mediterranean). Now in its fourth year, SalinaDocFest presents the best in narrative documentary filmmaking on the beautiful island of Salina.

The Festival’s theme in 2010 is Il Mio Paese: L’identita’ (My Country: The Identity), the concept of identity in all its forms: male and female, private and public, individual and political. The Festival will begin with an international contest of narrative documentaries whose subjects are connected to the countries and people of the Mediterranean Sea and contemporary social issues.

The entire island joins in the Festival, with different small towns hosting various events. Click here for an interactive map of Salina, complete with photos of the towns and locations of hotels and B&Bs.

Click here for a description of the accommodations, contact information and websites. More information can be found at SalinaIsolaVerde.

SalinaDocFest runs from September 12-19, 2010. To learn more about the Festival, go to salinadocfest.org.

Giovanna Taviani

The Art Director and creative force behind the Festival is Giovanna Taviani, a talented documentary filmmaker in her own right. In 2004, her film I Nostri 30 Anni: Generazioni A Confronto, debuted at the Torino Film Festival. In 2006 her second documentary, Ritorni, appeared at the Rome Film Festival and won the Special Jury Prize at the Potenza Film Festival.

A student of cinema and literature, she has written various works on the subject published by the University of Calabria and G.B. Palumbo Editore. Since 1997 she has been the editor of Allegoria magazine and a contributor to Cinecritica and Eidos.

Though born in Rome, Giovanna describes herself as a “Sicilian by heart”. The island of Salina has long been one of her favorite destinations. Like so many places, Salina’s economy is tied with tourism, which surges during the summer months and drops off drastically in the fall. “This is a shame, because September and continuing into the fall are so beautiful on the island. It’s our harvest season and shouldn’t be missed.” This sentiment was echoed by her long time friend, Alberto Oliviero, who is the President of SalinaIsolaVerde, a tourism association focusing on the cultural and natural beauty of the island. Oliviero encouraged Giovanna to create a cultural event that would bring tourists to the island on the off-season. And so SalinaDocFest was born.

I had the pleasure of meeting Giovanna Taviani recently while she was in the US. She is intelligent and warm with a distinct point of view. For those who may not know, Giovanna Taviani is the daughter and niece of the enormously successful Italian directors and screenwriters, Paolo & Vittorio Taviani, known among their devoted fans as I Fratelli Taviani (The Taviani Brothers). Their narrative films tell stories wrapped in fable-like elements where the laws of Nature don’t always apply.

Giovanna, in contrast, is building her career with documentaries, specifically, narrative documentaries. This type of film blends both genres; real people, not actors, tell a true story while archival footage, reminiscence and perhaps clips of past films are added to bring depth to the story. When I asked her why she chose this type of filmmaking she explained, “The more personal reason is that I needed to create my own distinct style, and not just copy that of the Taviani Brothers. I had to find my own space within the world of filmmaking. But at the same time, I am my father’s daughter and I love to tell stories. So by blending the realistic style of documentaries with story-telling elements of narrative films, I present stories with my personal point of view, my own voice.

The other reason is I believe that as human beings, we really need return to reality. We are saturated with false stories and what we call Reality TV is not reality at all. It is a world of controlled images and events pretending to be reality. Real stories are not being told. With documentaries, we can get inside what is really happening.” Like the American film The Truman Show, Giovanna says we are living in a constructed environment and we don’t even know it. She believes in the power of the narrative documentary to break through our collective fantasy into reality.

Giovanna’s point of view is strong and clear and she doesn’t shrink from controversial topics. Her current focus is Italy’s immigration policies, which she finds regrettable and wrong-headed. She can’t help but marvel at the irony of the issue: the Italians who immigrated to America were looked down upon and had to struggle for every aspect of a decent life. And now Italy’s strict policies treat those from other countries with the same suspicion and marginalization. “When we harshly repel immigrants in the Mediterranean Sea, we forget both our past as emigrants and our present as a country of emigrants, where the young are forced to leave their land looking for a job and to escape from their dreadful and uneasy situation…Sicilians, as well as other Italians, were created from the blending together of ethnic groups from different countries. We cannot forget this.”

Cinematic Inspiration Comes Full Circle

Just as the Taviani Brothers influenced Giovanna’s love of film, Giovanna’s techniques and ideas have now inspired them. Because of her passion for the narrative documentary, the Taviani Brothers are making plans to film their first narrative documentary. Their chosen subject is an Italian prison where the inmates perform productions of Shakespeare. The Taviani Brothers give Giovanna full credit for their newfound fascination with the genre, but stopped short at allowing her to be involved in their filmmaking process. “I told them that I would love to help them with this project, but they said, ‘No, we’ll do it ourselves.’ So I have to wait and see what they will create.”

Visions of Verdi – October 1 - 28, 2010 - Parma, Italy Invites Us to Celebrate Its Favorite Son

2010-06-14T11:00:00.003-04:00

Nestled on the ancient Roman road between Milan and Bologna, the city of Parma and its surrounds harbor treasures far beyond its diminutive size. For food, it offers mouthwatering Prosciutto di Parma, Parmagiano-Reggiano cheese, Colli di Parma wines, and balsamic vinegar aged in antique barrels from nearby Modena. For history, ancient castles grace its countryside and the beautiful Palazzo Ducale, its interior. For music, the birthplace of Arturo Toscanini, Paganini’s Studio and resting place, and of course, Giuseppe Verdi.

One of opera’s most influential and best loved composers, Verdi was born in Roncole, a village outside of Busseto on the outskirts of Parma. Every year, Parma itself becomes an enormous stage as it erupts in celebration of Verdi’s birthday. This October, Parma’s streets will be filled with movement, sound and colour for 28 days through music, artistic exhibitions and colourful puppet shows. Cafes, bars and restaurants will showcase the Tastes of Verdi. If past Festivals are any indication, many a patron will burst into spontaneous operatic song, inspired by the sheer joy of the experience.

On October 13 and 16, the Arturo Toscanini Conducting Competition will be held at the Auditorium Niccolo’ Paganini di Parma. As described by Giancarlo Liuzzi, the Communications Director for Teatro Regio di Parma, the excitement of the Competition is “…to see a new career born in that precise moment.”

And we haven’t even discussed the Festival’s 15 days of operas yet! This year, the Main Events are:

Il Trovatore at the Teatro Regio di Parma. Featuring Marcelo Alvarez, Norma Fantini, Caludio Sgura, Marianna Tarasova, Deyan Vatchkov, conducted by Yuri Temirkanov.

I Vespri Siciliani at the Teatro Regio di Parma. Featuring Fabio Armiliato, Daniela Dessi, Leo Nucci, Giacomo Prestia, conducted by Massimo Zanetti.

Attila at the Teatro Verdi di Busseto and Teatro Magnani di Fidenza. Featuring Roberto De Biasio, Giovanni Battista Parodi, Teresa Romano, conducted by Andrea Battistoni.

To learn more about this amazing Festival, download the Festival booklet in English. (Although the webpage is in Italian, I assure you that the booklet is in English.)

Please keep in mind that the city of Parma is small, and rooms fill up very quickly for the Verdi Festival. Luckily, nearby cities like Milan and Bologna are about a half hour’s drive away and offer many more accommodations. For travel arrangements, contact info@parmaincoming.it.

Reminders of Beauty in a Time of War - The Career of Alberto Rabagliati

2010-05-24T16:15:00.008-04:00

“The music of Alberto Rabagliati helped Italians dream at a very difficult time.” So stated Prof. Stefano Albertini, Director of Casa Italiana Zerrilli-Marimo’ at NYU, at the Casa’s Homage to Alberto Rabagliati. Swiss tenor Gilbert Rolle and pianist Frank Ponzio, under the direction of Maestro Alfredo Bonavera brought this music to life in song and story. Rolle seemed very much at home in Rabagliati’s repertoire.

Born in Milan in 1906, Rabagliati’s early career opportunity was tied to the death of Rudolph Valentino. Valentino’s untimely passing in 1926 created what has been described as mass hysteria in his female fans. Hollywood wanted to capitalize on Valentino’s immense success and sponsored a worldwide lookalike contest with the promise of roles in Hollywood films for the winner.

Rabagliati won the contest over about 2 million other men and found himself on a ship crossing the Atlantic. He later reflected, "For someone like me, who had seen no more than Lake Como or Monza Cathedral so far, finding myself on board a luxury steamer with three cases full of clothes, a few rolls of dollars, grand duchesses and countesses flirting with me, was something extraordinary". Upon reaching Hollywood, it seemed his benefactors had forgotten their promises of film roles and his acting career stalled before it began. However, he learned to enjoy the many gifts of America (including women) and danced to the ubiquitous swing and jazz music emanating from radio and nightclubs.

After about four years his money ran out and Rabagliati returned to Italy. He launched his singing career and in 1934 joined the Cuban band, Lecuona Cuban Boys, then touring in Italy. Rabagliati had a hit with Maria La O and, for reasons no one seems able to explain, performed with LCB in blackface.

In 1939 Rabagliati auditioned for the Italian state radio station, EIAR, and became the vocalist for the station’s orchestra. His voice was an instant success and soon his own show, Canta Rabagliati (Rabagliati Sings), was causing a sensation. His hits included Ma l'Amore No, Mattinata Fiorentina, Ba-Ba-Baciami Piccina, Silenzioso Slow and Bambina Innamorata.

His signature style was Swing Made in Italy and he based it on the American swing and jazz singers of the day. Rabagliati toured Italy with a 100 piece orchestra in 1941 and started a trend of rhythmic symphony concerts. Touring made him even more popular with the Italian people and females tossed him red roses at every performance. A popular cartoon of the day showed Rabagliati dancing in the street while every person (and a horse and a statue!) mimicked his freewheeling style. Crowned the King of Swing, Rabagliati’s joyous music was a desperately needed counterpoint to the devastation and uncertainty of the war going on all around him.

All of this is even more amazing when we remember that at the time, Mussolini had banned all foreign influences from Italy, including music. Swing and jazz were distinctly American art forms. However, Rabagliati’s popularity was so overreaching that he was allowed to flout the ban and Il Duce even used one of his recordings as a campaign anthem.

With this much popularity, the Italian film industry wasn’t far behind. Beginning in 1940, his appeal translated easily to the screen and his film career spanned over 25 years. (Casa Italiana brought this aspect of Rabagliati’s career to life by showing delightful clips of some of his more popular works.)

One of his most iconic roles was 1943’s La Vita E’ Bella with Anna Magnani (not to be confused with Roberto Benigni’s film of the same name). Rabagliati played a young count who considers suicide when he loses his fortune. His friend, a doctor, convinces him to submit to a serum injection that will kill him in 10 days, but could save many lives. The doctor tells him, “You’ve wasted your life, don’t waste your death, too”. In the ensuing 10 days, the now destitute count becomes a farmer and falls in love. He returns to the doctor insisting that he is no longer seeking death and wants to live. The doctor assures him that the serum he administered was harmless, and that he “only wanted to give an injection of life. Life is beautiful, go live it!”

This story touched the deep suffering of many Italians at the time. It offered a way to move through the starvation, torture and death that was everywhere. It prompted the Corriere Della Sera to observe, in a 1998 retrospective of Rabagliati, that he “reminded Italians how beautiful life was in a time of war.”

And anyone who can do that deserves to be remembered.

Rhythm is the Cure Workshop in Tuscany this August!

2010-04-11T15:31:00.011-04:00

From August 22-29, 2010, you have the chance to experience Tuscany in a unique and life-changing way. Join internationally renowned percussionist, singer, composer, arranger and performer Alessandra Belloni on her 10th annual, soul-enhancing healing journey called Rhythm is the Cure. A few years ago I attended this workshop and it remains one of the highlights of my life. If this experience calls to you, ANSWER! Register early as it is limited to 25 students.

The Workshop
Rhythm is the Cure is a transformative week filled with intensive study, play, and joy. It is a healing workshop featuring Southern Italian ritual dances used as music and dance therapy for centuries throughout the Mediterranean. You'll learn the unique style of tambourine playing and the ancient healing trance dance of the tarantella, used to cure the mythical bite of the tarantula. (To learn more about this rich history, see my interview with Alessandra here.)

The sessions feature the ancient chants used as invocations to the healing energy of the sun, the Black Madonna (whose origins date back to Cybele, the ancient Mother Earth Goddess of female energy), the moon, and the Goddess of Water and Love (known in different parts of the world as Aphrodite, Yemanja and Madonna del Mare).

You will learn the history of this powerful percussion style which dates back to the rites of the Mother Earth Goddess Cybele. The instruments look like oversized tambourines and are more accurately called frame drums or tamburellos. These rites were originally performed mainly by women, and this experience returns us to our lost drumming tradition.

In addition to drumming, Alessandra teaches healing dance rituals:

Tammorriata - This is a beautiful, sensual dance from Naples performed with castanets to the rhythm of a large drum, called the Tammorra. The movements and rhythm are set to an African beat played in 4/4 time. This powerful dance is done during the summer rituals held in honor of the Black Madonna.

Pizzica Tarantata - The wild 6/8 rhythm of the Pizzica, played on medium size tambourines and accompanied by dance and song, was performed for centuries as an exorcism ritual that produced a trance-like state beneficial for healing many mental-health disorders and imbalances. As part of a re-enactment of this healing ritual, Alessandra will lead the participants in a circle dance where they'll create spider-like movements on the ground, releasing stress and blockages of sexual energy, as well as opening the heart and throat chakras.

Ritmo e Danza Di San Rocco (Spinning Dance) - This dance, originating in Calabria during the Middle Ages, was performed during the time of the plague to help people release the overpowering fear of death. Due to the trance-inducing movements and incessant spinning, many people enter ecstatic states during this dance, similar to the Whirling Dervish ceremonies.

Tarantella Alla Montemaranese - A fun Carnevale dance in honor of Baccus, god of wine and ecstasy, also known as Dionysius. The Tarantella alla Montemaranese is danced in a circle to a very syncopated 6/8 rhythm while wearing masks and playing castanets.

Special guest philosopher and writer Angelo Tonelli:
In addition to the intensive dance and percussion study you'll do with Alessandra each day, you'll practice meditation, visualization, and energy work with Italian writer, philosopher, theater director and shaman Angelo Tonelli during his residency. Angelo is a Jungian specialist who combines ancient Greek rituals with Tibetan traditions to conduct enlightening group interactions and exercises.

Cultural Excursion:
An excursion will take place to the stunning marble Duomo of nearby Siena to view a statue of the Black Madonna and multiple images depicting the ancient female drumming tradition. This will be followed by a pilgrimage to the Abbey of San Galgano, a spectacular ruin of a Cistercian gothic abbey, to hold a special drumming ceremony. (To see an image of the Abbey, click here.) At sunset, the group will drum while walking up the hill to the extraordinary Hermitage Montesiepi, which houses another powerful Black Madonna.

Alessandra Belloni
Alessandra Belloni is the author of Rhythm is the Cure, Southern Italian Tambourine, the result of 25 years of field research and the foremost book on the subject. She is a singer, percussionist, dancer, composer, Artist in Residence at New York’s Cathedral of St. John the Divine and co-founder and director of the Italian theatre Group I Giullari Di Piazza.

She is the only woman in the U.S. and Italy specializing in Southern Italian percussion, ritual dances and singing. She has participated for over twenty years in authentic drumming festivals in remote areas of Southern Italy held in honor of the Black Madonna and rituals of purification. Often called a "Mediterranean Volcano", Alessandra was born in Italy and is committed to preserving the rich traditions of her culture.

She has been nominated among the Best Drummers of World Percussion by Drum Magazine along with Baba Olatunji, Mickey Hart and Arthur Hull. She can be found in feature stories in the New York Times, Modern Drummer and Rhythm & Drum Magazine.

Alessandra has performed in some of the world’s most prestigious spaces, including Alice Tully Hall & New York City Ballet, Lincoln Center for the Performing Arts, Carnegie Recital Hall (New York) & Carnegie Hall in Pittsburgh, The Cathedral of St. John the Divine, Caramoor Center for Music and Arts, Madison Square Garden Felt Forum, New York’s Symphony Space, Metropolitan Museum, The Cloisters, St. Mark's Church, Theatre of the United Nations (NY), World Music festival in Hawaii (Leehman Arts Center) Teatro Castro Alves, Bahia, Brazil - Teatro SESC Ipiranga in San Paolo, Cultural Center in Tel Aviv, Israel, Cleveland Palace Theatre & Cleveland Museum of Art with Dancing Wheels Monterey World Music festival, World Festival of Sacred Music (Los Angeles) Epcot Center (Walt Disney World), Universal Studios and UCLA in Los Angeles, YALE University, Smithsonian Institute in Washington D.C., Kennedy Center (Washington DC) Field Museum Park in Chicago.

The Villa
The workshop is held at La Chiara di Prumiano, six centuries old in the Chianti region of Tuscany, near Siena. Even if you can’t translate the villa’s website, prumiano.it, from Italian, I recommend looking at the photographs. I have stayed at this villa, and it is wonderful! Spacious and decorated with tile floors and dark, polished wood, I entered the villa and felt the pressures of my regular life slide off my shoulders. Each bedroom, whether single, double or triple, has modern bathrooms and is beautifully appointed.

The food at Prumiano can only be described as spectacular. Breakfasts are continental and completely satisfying (which is not true everywhere you go). Lunches and dinners are feasts that the kitchen staff creates from fresh ingredients grown on the villa property. They pride themselves on serving cuisine that is beneficial to the body and mind and tastes like heaven. These wonderful meals are eaten at long tables under a large, vine-covered pergola on the patio.

Prumiano offers a swimming pool and stables on the grounds. Imagine horseback riding in the Tuscan hills….I’ve done it, and it’s unforgettable. The villa also offers shiatsu and ayurvedic massage. In addition, you’ll find spas, mudbaths and a lake nearby.

For additional information, contact tuscanyworkshop@aol.com.

Learn more about this special workshop, including prices and registration by downloading this brochure. Just click on the orange Menu button and select Download Doc. Be sure to download all 4 pages:

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Puppets From Bergamo Bring Out the Child In All of Us

2010-04-09T19:41:00.011-04:00

If you think you’re too sophisticated to enjoy an old fashioned puppet show, I invite you to think again.

Isn’t it wonderful to get lost in a story? To escape the everyday, to be focused so entirely on the actions happening before your eyes that all else is temporarily forgotten? This is how it was when we were children, our eyes wide with wonder, enraptured in the moment. And this is how it was for all of us watching the puppet show Arlecchino Malato d’Amore (Arlecchino Lovesick) at NYU’s Casa Italiana on March 31, 2010.

Maria Teresa Zenoni poses with Smeraldina. Photo by Rosanne Masone.

The plot goes like this: Arlecchino loves Smeraldina but her father Pantalone rejects Arlecchino in favor of the apparently rich Marquis, whose wealth is a sham and who schemes with his deceitful servant, Brigella, to pay off his debts with Smeraldina’s dowry. Arlecchino and his faithful friend, Gioppino, expose the truth and win Pantalone’s approval and thereby, Smeraldina’s hand in marriage. Does the plot seem familiar? Of course it does. It’s just one of a host of centuries-old morality plays drawn from Italy’s rich tradition of Commedia dell’Arte.

Commedia dell’Arte developed in the mid-15th century as a form of professional improvised theater tradition incorporating characters throughout Italy. The characters are drawn from Italy’s distinct regions, towns, and dialects and over time, became stock characters such as Arlecchino, the Doctor and Pulcinella. The art of pantomime, Harlequin and England’s favorite puppet characters, Punch and Judy, all owe their beginnings to Commedia dell’Arte. Some of its plot lines found their way into opera buffa by such composers as Verdi, Rossini and Puccini.

What began as actors on a stage later branched into puppet shows on rolling carts that entertained people in virtually every Italian town. This tradition was brought to America during the great migration of the last century, and many people still recall these shows with delight, held in the streets of Brooklyn and Little Italy.

Today, master puppet maker Daniele Cortesi continues this tradition. Straight from Caravaggio in the province of Bergamo, near Milan, Italy, Cortesi and his small band of dedicated artisans traveled to New York City for a rare appearance. The colorful costumes, endearing characters, beautiful sets and universal themes captured the attention of all the children in the room, aged 1 to 100.

Brigella, Smeraldina and Arlecchino.

The sheer mechanics of the show are daunting. The stage itself had to be constructed in New York, as it was impossible to bring the Bergamo stage abroad. Each puppeteer plays multiple characters, each with different voices and mannerisms. The puppeteers are hidden, standing behind and under the stage with their arms stretched overhead with puppets on each hand. The signature slapstick of the show required precise movement and timing for comedic effect and these experts made it look effortless. To watch a short video of a performance, click here.

Daniele Cortesi describes his mastery of puppet making and performing as a mysterious calling that is difficult to explain. After studying puppet making at La Yorik di Milano, he later studied with master sculptor Natale Panaro at Il Teatro Verdi, also in Milan and Velia Mantegazza. With them, he worked on the children’s television show L’Albero Azzurro.

Carolyn Masone poses with Gioppino. Photo by Rosanne Masone.

Cortesi’s puppets exemplify distinct characters from Bergamo, and he credits his mentor maestro Benedetto Ravasio with teaching him the very best in Bergamo’s puppeteer tradition, from conception to woodworking to performing. For example, Gioppino Zuccalunga, Arlecchino’s faithful friend, is made with goiters on his neck. This is because centuries ago the citizens of Bergamo lacked sufficient amounts of the mineral iodine, causing many of them to suffer from goiters. This trait of Gioppino has remained unchanged through the centuries, as with all the Commedia dell’Arte characters.

The rich history, tradition, heart-tugging stories and hilarious comedy are what makes Commedia dell’Arte as relevant today as ever. And all of these elements are lovingly preserved by Daniele Cortesi and his troupe.

To learn more about Daniele Cortesi, including his DVD, Fuori e Dentro La Baracca, and his book, Dare l’Anima, click here.

To learn about future events at NYU’s Casa Italiana, click here.

Learning From a Virtuoso; Carlo Aonzo in New York City

2010-03-30T19:29:00.005-04:00

From March 18-21, 2010, Carlo Aonzo presented a mandolin workshop at Chelsea Studios in New York City. Aonzo is one of the finest classical mandolinists in the world, and his highly anticipated workshop is in its 10th year.

According to Chiam Caron, who has organized the workshops from the beginning, “One day in 2001 I was driving around New York with Carlo, and he said, ‘I think I’d like to have a mandolin workshop in New York.’ That first workshop was about 9 people in my apartment.” Since that time, both the notoriety and attendance have steadily grown. Now, mandolin players join together from all over the US and Canada for the opportunity to experience the mandolin through the heart and soul of Carlo Aonzo.

One such student is Kristine Massari, owner of Trumpets Jazz Club and Restaurant in Montclair, NJ. Massari plays a classical, bowl back mandolin as second chair in the Bloomfield Mandolin Orchestra, and even she found the material challenging. “These are serious musicians who play at a high level.” Although the music is distributed to students months before the workshop, she observed that since the demands of each person’s life are different, not everyone could prepare to the same extent.

During the workshop, Aonzo teaches the finer points of nuance, style, dynamics and ensemble playing. “I learned how to be conducted and he made us aware of how certain passages should be played. He also exposed us to pieces by classical and contemporary composers, and taught us to listen more critically,” says Massari. “Carlo has a nice way of dealing with people and his interpretation of the music is very special because he is such a sensitive player.”

The workshop provided not only the opportunity to grow as a musician, but also to share the love of this music. Depending upon where you live, playing the mandolin can be isolating if there is little community support for the instrument in orchestras or ensembles. By bringing players together from all over North America, the workshop experience created camaraderie, solidarity and the opportunity to reinvigorate the players’ passion for the instrument.

To learn more about Carlo Aonzo and future workshops, click here. Carlo’s newest CD, Fantasia Poetica, with Elena Buttiero, explores repertory for mandolin and piano and can be purchased through his website.

The Evolution of Italian Cuisine in the American Psyche

2010-03-27T17:43:00.009-04:00

John Mariani is a journalist and author of over 10 books on food, wine and gastronomy. The Philadelphia Enquirer called him “the most influential food-wine critic in the popular press.” He has been nominated three times for a James Beard Journalism Award. On March 24, 2010, NYU’s Casa Italiana hosted his presentation of The History of Italian Cuisine in New York City.

Joining Mariani in the discussion was Tony May, owner of SD26 Restaurant & Wine Bar in NYC and Chairman of Gruppo Ristoratori Italiani. Prior to SD26, May owned one of Manhattan’s most celebrated restaurants, San Domenico’s, and before that, Il Palio.

Mariani began his presentation in Italy’s distant past, summarizing its culinary development from Pre-Roman times through the Middle Ages, the revelations of Christoper Columbus to the Great Migration from Italy to America. One of the highlights was the work of Pelligrino Artusi who published a cookbook, L’Arte di Mangiar Bene (The Art of Eating Well), in Italy in 1891. According to Mariani, this was a book whose time had come. Italy had a literate middle class for the first time in its history and Artusi’s book was written for them. Written in Tuscan Italian, it sold 283,000 copies by 1910 and its popularity had a tremendous effect on not only the development of Italian kitchens but also on the Italian language.

Any conversation of Italian American cuisine has to include pizza and spaghetti, and Mariani did not disappoint. The Pizza Margarita we all know and love was named for Italy’s 19th century, very popular queen. The dominance of tomato, basil and mozzarella was in homage to the Italian flag. Pizza was unknown outside of Naples until America’s first pizzeria, Lombardi’s, opened on Spring Street in NYC in 1910. As an indication of Neapolitan pizza’s continuing influence, in November 2009 the European Union protected it with its Traditional Specialty Guarantee (TSG) label.

Spaghetti was known in Italy as macaroni in the 13th century and as vermicelli in the 14th. The word ‘spaghetti’ wasn’t used until 1837. But the real question surrounding spaghetti is, why did Italian Americans invent spaghetti and meatballs? Even today, our relatives in Italy disavow any contribution to this ubiquitous American dish. Sometimes they just shrug their shoulders, and other times are almost horrified at the idea. Mariani provided the best explanation I’ve heard so far about the creation and popularity of a big bowl of steaming spaghetti topped with meatballs the size of tennis balls. According to Mariani, a side dish of small rounds of meat, known as polpetta, was known in Southern Italy. However, Italian immigrants left behind a country that could barely feed them anything, much less meat, with any regularity. After experiencing the relative abundance of America, these same immigrants infused their kitchens with the symbolism of their new lives. They took polpetta and made them much larger and placed them atop the steaming platter of spaghetti as if to say, ‘meat is so plentiful in America we can have as much as we want, with whatever we want.’

The importance of Italians in America’s food industry continued to grow, from shops to restaurants, wine and canning factories. When Delmonico’s Restaurant opened its doors in New York in 1837, it was the first restaurant in the world outside of Paris. Just take a moment and think about that. We take this kind of dining experience so much for granted, but there was a time when the thought of being seated at a table, presented with a menu and being served exactly what you ordered was a very strange idea. Italians were on the leading edge.

Mariani believes that 3 major events advanced the American palette regarding Italian food: 1) modern access to authentic Italian ingredients in restaurants and so many boutique and grocery stores; 2) cultural cues such as the popularity of Italian fashion and the eating habits of its icons as well as popular films depicting Italian characters’ emphasis on cooking and eating (The Godfather, Big Night); 3) the recognition of the health benefits of the Mediterranean Diet.

Tony May joined the discussion by emphazing that authentic Italian cuisine is based on products; the better the quality of ingredients, the better the product. Like Mariani, he credited the invention of the jet plane with allowing American chefs to access genuine Italian ingredients in a way never known before. Services like FedEx and DHL rush prized constituents from the hills of Parma or the Bay of Naples to American tables. Although he believes “we still have a long way to go”, he credited food journalists with pushing American taste forward, beyond garlic and tomato sauce (not there’s anything wrong with that!).

To learn about future events at NYU's Casa Italiana, click here.

Daughters of Cybele Celebrate the Spring Equinox at St. John the Divine in NYC

2010-03-23T19:21:00.011-04:00

Women’s voices, drums, sweat and passion rang in the 2010 Spring Equinox on March 20 at the Cathedral of St. John the Divine. The Daughters of Cybele are billed as “a unique ensemble of women honoring the healing power of the female energy”, and they live up to every word of it. The Daughters are the result of a long-held dream by Alessandra Belloni, recognized as one of the world’s finest percussionists and an expert on Southern Italian dance and drum rituals.

Cybele is the Mother Earth Goddess from Turkey after whom Belloni chose to name her troupe. She thrives on the physical and spiritual strength conveyed by women over the centuries in chants and dance. This strength, says Belloni, is what women today need to rediscover and make their own. This strength can be drawn from a vital connection with the Earth and Nature’s forces.

Saturday’s performance took place on the altar of St. James Chapel, with its ceiling-high stone carved marble figures as a breathtaking backdrop. The seven women dressed in flowing red and white costumes raised their voices and drums, performing centuries old healing and work chants from Italy, France, Spain and Brazil. Also included were compositions by Belloni, drawing from her profound life experiences and global musical influences.

The songs themselves spoke deeply to the whole spectrum of feminine experience, whether honoring powerful Goddesses or laying low in the desolation of betrayal. One of Belloni’s works, Requiem Per Mamma Elvira, is a memorial of her mother’s passing and honors the unconditional love of the Universal Mother and rebirth of all things. Another of Belloni’s compositions, Figlia Di Oxun, portrays the Brazilian shamanic journey in honor of the Goddess Oxun and the Black Madonna. In a more lighthearted vein, the Brazilian chant, Canto Da Sereja, is sung to coax the mermaids out of the sea to play in the sand.

Besides Belloni, the members of the ensemble include Susan Aquila on the acoustic and electric Viper 6-string violin, dance, shakers and vocals; Olympia Avignone on African percussion, frame drums, bells and chekere; Lorraine Calculli on frame drums, tambourine and shakers; Allison Scola vocals, clarinet, tambourine, shakers and ritual dance; Eve Sicular on drumset, dumbeck, frame drums, shakers; Cynthia Enfield provided narration, vocals, shakers and ritual dance.

Members of the ensemble performed traditional dances and sometimes encouraged the audience to join them. It was especially in those moments, dancing and whirling in the Chapel aisle amid the chants and beats of frame drums, shakers and tamburello that the evening hit its emotional highpoints. Dancing the steps, hearing the words and feeling the connection to every woman who ever lived and will live was the rare gift of the Daughters of Cybele.

Alessandra Belloni conducts workshops throughout the world on the feminine power of drumming and dancing. Every August, you can journey with her to Tuscany for her signature workshop, Rhythm is the Cure. This year, the dates are August 22 – 29. To learn more, visit alessandrabelloni.com.

From Images to Music and Back Again - An Evening with Vinicio Capossela and Gianfranco Firriolo

2010-03-18T10:41:00.007-04:00

Vinicio Capossela.

On March 4, 2010 Manhattan’s Italian Cultural Institute played host to Vinicio Capossela and Gianfranco Firriolo as they showcased their film, La Faccia Della Terra (The Face of the Land). As a creative force, enigmatic storyteller and vagabond Capossela defies easy categorization. He is a musician, composer, author, performance artist, actor and screenwriter (so far). Firriolo is a film director, photographer and host for the Italian TV magazine, Nonsolomoda.

Capossela and Firriolo collaborated on the film to illustrate the creative process of Capossela’s latest CD, Da Solo, and to document part of the U.S tour. The storyline turns in on itself, weaving circles and figure-eight’s, blending beginnings and endings. Rather than shoot another ‘behind the scenes’ style documentary, Firriolo shot La Faccia Della Terra more as an impressionist painting emerging in a sea of realism. It’s not necessarily the journey you expect, but if agree to go along for the ride, your world will expand.

Gianfranco Firriolo.

The film opens and closes in a very similar way; the same snow-covered tram glides on the tracks of the Milanese street and the same song is heard. The same man in the same flannel shirt carries wood in the falling snow. According to Firriolo, this tram is significant because “it passes by Vinicio’s house and it carried me when I was a boy.” The film itself lies between these repeated images. Vinicio is seen in his home writing the film on a typewriter. From there, certain images reference the songs he had already written for Da Solo, and other images gave birth to songs that would later appear on the CD. Circles within circles.

Throughout, the film plays with sounds, images and expectations. Capossela coaxes music out of a toy piano and unevenly-filled water glasses. In Texas he and his band play at the Broken Spoke Bar. Capossela says it made him feel “very exotic. Usually you find some Italians in every place, but not at the Broken Spoke.” The audience, dressed in cowboy boots and hats, were ready for their usual night of line dancing. Despite his unexpected appearance, Capossela says he was received warmly by the crowd.

Jump to New York City where a cabdriver re-tells the day he saw Sophia Loren on the sidewalk. He called her name, she smiled and nodded as if to say, “Yes, it’s me.”

A Midwestern carnival and sideshow provided a somewhat disturbing segment, where passersby were encourage to step inside the trailer to see assorted oddities of Nature, including a stuffed 2-headed animal. According to Caposella, the sideshow provides a metaphor for, among other things, the way we invite people into our lives to see how beautiful we are, but “underneath we are so flawed; we are circus freaks.”

Another segment introduces us to Christopher Magic Wonder, a magician who Capossela says “can hypnotize himself and a chicken at the same time.” When the film was over and Capossela played the piano for us, Magic Wonder appeared from the audience and performed some magic tricks. When he was finished, he lifted up his shirt to show “TA DA” tattooed large on his stomach.

Vinicio Capossela and Christopher Magic Wonder.

Capossela and Firriolo answered questions from the audience about the film, the music and their impressions of America. It was an evening of surprises as they gamely tried to explain what is ultimately unexplainable; how they blended images and music to tease the intellect and stir the emotions.

Mandolin and Guitar Workshop in Tuscany with a Maestro…What Could Be Better?

2010-03-09T17:53:00.018-05:00

Strum your mandolin or guitar amid the beautiful hills of Tuscany. Stay in a 15th century villa where every room evokes the Renaissance and every meal is a feast. John T. La Barbera, award winning acoustic guitarist, mandolinist, composer, arranger, author and performer will conduct this unique workshop. His special guests include Carlo Aonzo, one of the finest classical mandolinists in the world and Enrico Granafei, guitarist and jazz harmonica virtuoso.

This experience, offered from August 11-16, 2010, is designed for those who can read intermediate musical notation and chord diagrams. However, students with knowledge of tablature or who are at an intermediate playing level will be considered. Whether you are seeking a professional music career or play for your own personal development, this is an outstanding opportunity.

The Workshop
This is a rare opportunity to improve your technique, collaborate with other musicians and learn from a virtuoso. La Barbera, award winning acoustic guitarist, mandolinist, composer, arranger, author and performer will offer Master Classes, 3 one-hour private lessons, lectures and participation in duos, trios and quartets. This includes a special one-day Master Class and performance on August 13 with Carlo Aonzo.

This course provides instruction in mandolin and guitar and focuses on improving performance skills and ensemble playing. Emphasis is placed on, but not limited
to, the Italian repertoire for mandolin, solo guitar and chitarra battente, both from the classical and traditional folk music styles of Southern Italy, as well as the Brazilian repertoire of Chorinho, Bossa and Samba music for mandolin and guitar. Music will be drawn from Medieval (Italian 13th century dances, and troubadour songs), Renaissance (lute songs, music from the Italian Commedia dell”Arte, including the Neapolitan 16th century Villanella all Napoletana), Baroque and Classical literature (Giuliani, Carulli and Carcassi), the literature from Traditional Southern Italian Mandolin and Fiddle Tunes book and Brazilian chorinho music for mandolin and guitar.

John T. La Barbera
La Barbera is the author of the first and foremost mandolin book dedicated to the traditional music from Southern Italy, Traditional Southern Italian Mandolin and Fiddle Tunes, Mel Bay Publishing. He composed film scores for Children of Fate, (1992) (Academy Award Nominated feature documentary), Sacco and Vanzetti (2008), Pane Amaro (2008), What's up Scarlet (2005), Neapolitan Heart -Cuore Napolitano (2000), La Festa (1996) and Tarantella (1994).

In theater, he has served as composer, arranger and musical director for several off-Broadway productions including Souls of Naples (Theater for a New Audience) starring John Turturro; Kaos, (New York Theater Workshop) directed by choreographer Marta Clarke. He composed several fully staged folk operas including Stabat Mater, Donna di Paradiso, The Voyage of the Black Madonna and The Dance of the Ancient Spider. He received several composing awards and commissions from The Jerome Foundation, Lincoln Center for the Performing Arts, The Martin Gruss Foundation, The New York State Council on the Arts, Meet the Composer, ASCAP and was a finalist in the John Lennon Songwriting Competition. Awarded for his extraordinary role in the transmission and translation of Italian oral traditions from The Italian Oral History Institute, La Barbera is recognized as one of the first transcribers of Southern Italian folk music in America.

His published works also include: The Marimbaba Suite for percussion quartet and Danza del Fuego for solo marimba, both published with Bachovich Music Publications, 2009 and has contributed a chapter in Oral History, Oral Culture, and Italian Americans, Palgrave-MacMillan. 2009.

He holds a B.M. from the Hartt School of Music (Univ.of Hartford), in addition to graduate courses at William Paterson University in NJ, ethnomusicology at Hunter College in NYC, Villa Schifanoia (Rosary College), in Florence, Italy, and at the Academia Chigiana in Siena, the film music seminar with film composer, Ennio Morricone.

He currently teaches at the Bergen Community College in Paramus, NJ and the Caramoor Center for Music and the Arts, in Katonah, N.Y. He has taught at The Julius Hartt School of Music (University of Hartford), The Guitar Study Center of the New School in N.Y., Sessione Sienese in Siena, Italy, SASI in Bratislava, Slovakia and SESC in Sao Paulo, Brazil.

His music has been recorded on Shanachie records, Meadowlark, Rounder Records, Lyrichord Disks, Ellipsis Arts, and Bribie records.

The Villa
The workshop is held at La Chiara di Prumiano, six centuries old in the Chianti region of Tuscany, near Siena. Even if you can’t translate the villa’s website, prumiano.it, from Italian, I recommend looking at the photographs. I have stayed at this villa, and it is wonderful! Spacious and decorated with tile floors and dark, polished wood, I entered the villa and felt the pressures of my regular life slide off my shoulders. Each bedroom, whether single, double or triple, has modern bathrooms and is beautifully appointed.

The food at Prumiano can only be described as spectacular. Breakfasts are continental and completely satisfying (which is not true everywhere you go). Lunches and dinners are feasts that the kitchen staff creates from fresh ingredients grown on the villa property. They pride themselves on serving cuisine that is beneficial to the body and mind and tastes like heaven. These wonderful meals are eaten at long tables under a large, vine-covered pergola on the patio.

The Palio and Other Activites
Prumiano offers a swimming pool and stables on the grounds. Imagine horseback riding in the Tuscan hills….I’ve done it, and it’s unforgettable. The villa also offers shiatsu and ayurvedic massage. In addition, you’ll find spas, mudbaths and a lake nearby.

You may want to consider extending your stay in the Siena area to attend Il Palio, the world famous traditional medieval pageant and horse race. The event takes place from August 13th-16th in the Piazza del Campo in Siena. Ten of Siena's neighborhoods (contrade) compete to win this important contest. Many traditions, ceremonies and rituals take place up until the final race on the evening of the 16th. After the race is run and the winner is crowned, the festas begin, wine flows, food abounds and dancing and merriment continue into the wee hours. As a matter of fact, since each contrada has its own fountain, the winning contrada fills its fountain with free wine for everyone all night long. If you are thinking of adding this event to your itinerary, be advised that places to stay fill up quickly.

Learn more about this special workshop, including prices and registration by downloading this brochure. Just click on the orange Menu button and select Download Doc. Be sure to download both pages:

Mandolin Workshop Tuscany 2010 page 1 -

Mandolin Workshop Tuscany, 2010 page 2 -

Francine Segan at the New York Times Travel Show

2010-03-01T17:51:00.004-05:00

On Sunday, February 28, author and food historian Francine Segan arrived at the New York Times Travel Show fresh from her appearance on NBC’s Today Show just an hour before. Having recently been named U.S. spokesperson for the Italian Dessert Industry (Associazione Industrie Dolciarie Italiane (AIDI), Segan shared some of her expertise with us, and we were impressed!

Here are just some of the highlights from her 15 minute talk:

Panforte, the popular, star-shaped cake means 'strong bread'. It was created by pharmacists in Rome specifically to increase libido.

Italy’s Piedmont region is the center for Italian chocolate. Espresso is usually served with a square of chocolate wrapped in paper. For years Francine thought it was sugar and left it alone, until someone let her know it was chocolate!

Gianduotti candies were made by the Caffarel company, wrapped in paper and tossed to party goers at Carnevale to introduce it to the public in the 1800’s. A chocolate shortage during the Napoleonic Wars forced Caffarel to get creative and combine equal parts chocolate and hazelnut into this dreamy bite.

Vin Santo (sainted wine) got its name because as the story goes, when it’s drunk it saves lives.

Ms. Segan has distinguished herself through hundreds of television appearances on The Today Show, Sunday Morning with Charles Osgood, The Early Show, the Food Network, PBS, History and Discovery Channels. She also lectures extensively, including at the Smithsonian Museum in Washington, D.C., the Virginia Fine Arts Museum and the American Museum of Natural History and the 92nd Street Y in Manhattan.

You can enjoy two Essence of Italy interviews with Francine Segan, available as podcasts or written transcripts. Find the podcasts here:

Italy and Chocolate: An Affair to Remember
The Opera Lover’s Cookbook

Find the written transcripts here:

Italy and Chocolate: An Affair to Remember
The Opera Lover’s Cookbook

The AIDI includes market leaders in the Italian dessert industry and small artisan firms specializing in delectables such as cake, cookies, ice cream, chocolate and candy. They’ve just launched their website, dolceitalia.com, complete with recipes and information.

Miss Italia USA – New York Selection

2010-02-26T18:20:00.007-05:00

On February 20th, NYC’s Marquee Club was the scene for the Miss Italia USA– NY Selection Beauty Pageant. Collaborating on the event for the second time was Commissione Giovani New York (CGNY- Young Italians NY) and The Sunday NYC. The five finalists chosen here will continue to Connecticut in April for the Miss Italia USA competition, where the winner will represent the USA at the Miss Italia Nel Mondo (Miss Italy – World) Pageant in Jesolo, near Venice, in June.

The five finalists chosen on February 20th are Johanna Sambucini (Miss Italian/American Digital Project, i-Italy), Margherita Medici (Miss Birra Moretti), Ligeia Moltisanti (Miss Jolly Hotels), Syra Maroutti (Miss Piu’Tono) and Melissa Fiore (Miss Hector Boots).

Our hosts for the evening were Rossella Rago, star of the popular web-series, Cooking with Nonna, and Graziano Casale, President of CGNY. Both Rago and Casale were warm, relaxed and full of fun, even though dressed in formal wear. Rago let her wry personality show through and it was a breath of fresh air (“How can you tell their personalities while they’re wearing bathing suits?”). Casale seemed right at home on stage and is a natural entertainer. He even sang Ti Adoro, a duet with tenor Christoper Macchio, just to add to the fun (more about Christopher below).

Speaking of singing, the musical entertainment for this event was well chosen. The singers took to the stage when the contestants needed time to change into their next scheduled costume. The first singer was Gio Moretti (www.myspace.com/giomoretti), and she was outstanding with an impressive range. A popular vocalist in Northern Italy, she was a finalist at San Remo-Giovani Festival and the Castrocaro Terme Festival. Born and raised in Martinengo, not far from Bergamo in the Lombardy region, she was a featured singer for three years on the popular Italian TV program, Incontri. Moretti lived in Boston and then Brazil to expand her musical horizons. Perhaps her most notable collaboration to date is her work with the Brazilian group Batacoto. Their latest CD, Batacoto 3, features Moretti’s voice and oboe and in 2004 was nominated for Brazil’s equivalent of a Grammy Award. Moretti has just completed a solo CD, Animacustica.

Christopher Macchio (www.christopermacchio.com), an Italian-American tenor from Long Island was next to perform. Macchio has a commanding stage presence and masterful voice, reflecting the classical vocal training begun when he was only 15 years old. Mario Lanza is one of his operatic role models, and Macchio seeks to emulate some of Lanza’s unique performance style. Macchio has performed for many politicians and dignitaries, including a US Vice President, the Ambassador to the United Nations and former NYC mayor and presidential candidate Rudy Giuliani. Currently working with Grammy-award winning producer Tony Camillo, Macchio expects to release his debut CD in March, 2010.

Rounding out the evening’s musical entertainment was Simona D. (www.myspace/princessim). She performed several R&B tunes for us with an ease and professionalism beyond her years. Born in Wisconsin, she lived in many countries including Italy, France and England and always brought her music with her. She is an accomplished singer/songwriter who has also won multiple awards as a cellist. While in Italy she participated in various musical projects and focused on her passion for gospel, soul and R&B. She has performed with Steve Winwood and Brad Hatfield, among others.

Rare Viewing of St. Anthony’s Bones in Padua, Italy

2010-02-18T16:27:00.004-05:00

Anthony of Padua with Child Jesus by Antonio De Pereda.

The bones of St. Anthony, the patron saint of Padua (Padova in Italian), are on display for a very limited period for the first time since 1981. Anywhere from 100,000 to 200,000 pilgrims are expected to gaze upon the encased skeletal remains before they are entombed again on Saturday, February 20, 2010.

The remains are housed in the Basilica of Saint Anthony of Padua, locally known as Il Santo. The Basilica is a large complex with multiple chapels, courtyards and even a museum of sacred art. After the saint’s death in 1233, construction of the Basilica began. Thirty years later, his remains were moved into an area behind the altar of the Chapel of Saint Anthony, and have been there ever since. A recent restoration caused the remains to be moved temporarily to the San Giacomo Chapel, but they will now return permanently to the Cappella dell’Arca.

Although born in Lisbon, Spain, Anthony spent most of his monastic life in Italy. After his ship landed unexpectedly on the shores of Sicily, he made his way to Assisi and there met the monk who would become St. Francis. Not many years later he was elected minister provincial of Emilia Romagna but after 3 years obtained a Papal release from this office in order to devote himself to preaching. He settled into the Santa Maria Monastery in Padua and wrote some of his most powerful sermons. In 1233, he died at the Poor Clare convent in Arcella while returning to Padua.

The Catholic Church canonized Anthony of Padua less than one year after his death, which is so far the fastest process for anyone considered for sainthood. He is the patron saint of lost or stolen items and lost causes. St. Anthony is also credited with miraculous cures and by tradition, those blessed by his healings show their gratitude by bringing offerings to his tomb. These offerings are usually fashioned from metal in the shape or other symbol of the body part that has been healed. Padua’s clergy have been keeping records of these offerings since 1466.

Padua city officials have been preparing for weeks by designing new flows of traffic and parking and providing additional shuttle buses. The Red Cross and various religious organizations are providing volunteers to assist the many visitors. No doubt this flood of the faithful will be an economic boon to Padua and its surrounding towns. This will just be another reason for the cittidani of Padova to love St. Anthony.

Bar Italia - Feeling Good Where You Are

2010-02-07T18:26:00.005-05:00

Carolyn: Denis Franceschini is the owner of Bar Italia, a close-knit, thriving restaurant on New York City’s Upper East Side at 72nd and 2d Avenue. Before opening Bar Italia, Denis spent 20 years at Cipriani’s, eventually becoming the Executive Chef. During his career he opened 23 Cipriani restaurants all over the world, including Argentina, Uruguay, Hong Kong and London.

For the last 6 or 7 years at Cipriani, Denis cooked for anywhere from 1000 – 1400 people every day. He handled Ivana Trump’s wedding in Miami, Harvey Weinstein’s wedding in Connecticut, concert series with Marc Antony, Rod Stewart and Stevie Wonder. He also handled the all vegan menus required for Farm Sanctuary banquets held at Cipriani.

As much as Denis loved his career, he’s created something very different at Bar Italia. By design, Bar Italia is a small neighborhood eatery with an emphasis on service and customer comfort.

Denis is from the home of polenta, Borgo Valsugana in Trento, Italy between Venice and the Austrian border. Located at the foot of the Alps, Denis loved to ski and raced for 12 years. He graduated from the Culinary Institute in Lake Garda and began working for Harry’s Bar in Venice. From there he was brought to Cipriani’s in New York.

Now as a restaurant owner for the first time, Denis is learning every day.

Denis: When I used to be at Cipriani we were never chefs exposed to the public. We were very behind the scenes all the time. I learned more out of Bar Italia in 6 months than 19 years at Cipriani. Because I cook 3, 4 days a week and 3 days a week I’m spending in the dining room, so I’m still very involved in what is the preparation of the food and all. Like now, we'll go back into the kitchen to do the main prep with the guys, and then they'll do the expediting on my time. But I’m very, very involved in the kitchen as well.

When you own a place, you want to know about everything, you know. Like I’m spending an hour behind the bar with the bartender because I want to learn to do some cocktails. I consider myself the best busboy of the Upper East Side!

Carolyn: how would you define the menu at Bar Italia?

Denis: I do what I like to eat. One thing that I hate is having the menus. Because I think anyone should be able to eat whatever they please and like whenever they feel like it. And then you need certain dishes to be able to offer them, but I think the creativity, you know?

It’s easy to open a cookbook and follow a recipe to put it together. I mean, anyone can do that, you know? But you gotta put yourself on the spot, you have to put yourself on the line and say, what would I love to do? It’s very rare that a customer, my customer, orders from the menu. Because they leave it up to me and I’m not going to disappoint.

Carolyn: Denis’ priority is creating a place where people want to be. That includes himself, his family, the staff and the customers.

Denis: That’s what I think comes out, the great vibe from my staff. We all get along, we try to do things together. And we come up with new ideas together. Like yesterday was so much fun! Because we tried to put together a varied menu, doing a dish with a cocktail. I have an amazing bartender here, and creating dishes combined with a cocktail are all things to have fun, to enjoy ourselves with what we do. Especially because we spend in here what? 15, 16 hours a day we are here and we need to find a way of making these hours enjoyable, you know?

I want people to feel good when they are here.

Carolyn: Do you think that’s what sets your restaurant apart? I mean NY is full of good Italian restaurants. What would you say is different about Bar Italia?

Denis: The difference is that, if you look at this block, 77 and 78, there are 11 places where you can buy food or drinks. So it’s not about the product. It’s about how you serve the product, which is very different. I mean there are a lot of average places, a lot of average pastas, a lot of average wine, a lot of average everything. Attitude is not an average. Welcoming is not an average. There is something extra, something more, something that people appreciate. So it might be bad for me to say it, as a chef. It’s not about the product. But it is what it is. Time to face the reality of a restaurant.

Anyone can have a good plate of pasta, anywhere. In New York, believe it or not I think is a city where you eat pretty good kind of all over. There are a lot of good places around. But there are not many where you feel good where you are.

I stay 3 months, 4 months without taking a day off and some friends of mine took me out for my birthday. We went for dinner close by and after that, where did I go? I came over here. Why? Because I feel good to be here. For as much as it was 3 or 4 months that I was here every day, I came here because I feel good in here.

And that’s what I’m experiencing myself here. There is no more the Crazy Saturday or the Dead Monday. They are all steady days where my people keep coming back and coming back because they feel good where they are, you know?

Carolyn: Denis’ emphasis on a welcoming atmosphere comes from his own experience during his early years in Manhattan.

Denis: When I moved to NY, 17, 21, 22, 23, those years were so tough for me. Because not a word of English, young, no friends at all so, the loneliness that I went through myself, I really don’t wish it to anybody.

And Bar Italia for me was really about having a chance to give lonely people a chance to feel good where they are. Feel welcome, feel appreciated. Because New York, believe it or not, is full, full of lonely people. Full, too many. And you know what? It goes above and beyond how much money you can make out of it. But just to give people a chance to smile, feel good. That’s what it’s all about for me, you know?

Carolyn: Denis also has a message for the next generation of chefs.

Denis: This is the best job in the world. Dealing with people. Human contact. Come on, there is nothing best of this, you know? Hospitality. I mean, whenever you see these shows, what is it, Hell’s Kitchen? Which message do you give to the young generation? Which message are you sending to a kid who wants to get into a culinary institute, where where you spend $35,000 – $40,000 a year? No, this is the message: guys, you gotta be happy. You gotta feel like being in the kitchen for 14 hours. For as meatballs that you can make or filet mignon!

For me, life has to be a challenge; if it’s not it gets too boring, But I’m having fun at this.

Carolyn: To get an idea of the fun you can have at Bar Italia, watch the video of Leo, the bartender juggling flaming bottles behind the bar. Just go to the Links page at essenceofitaly.net and click on Essence of Italy at YouTube.

You can find Bar Italia on the web at Baritalianyc.com

This is Carolyn Masone for Essenceofitaly.net. Thanks for listening!

Tosca E Le Altre Due, Tosca and the Two Women Downstairs

2010-02-05T16:40:00.007-05:00

I had the pleasure of a rare theatric experience on Wednesday night, February 3 at The Cell theater in NYC. A gem of a production, Tosca E Le Altre Due by Franca Valeri presents themes of socio-economic class differences, social mores, relations between the sexes and the consequences of personal and civic violence, just to name a few. All of this is presented through the lens of biting social satire as we watch two women meet and unfold their lives against the backdrop of Puccini’s Tosca, going on all around them.

Valeri created this work of fiction by creating Emilia and Iride, the wives of the jailer of Castel Sant’Angelo and Sciarrone the torturer, respectively. Most of the action occurs in Palazzo Farnese, where the fiery plot of Tosca is in full blaze. Emilia and Iride’s conversations are punctuated by the screams of Mario Cavaradossi and the crashing and fighting of the Baron and Tosca.

Laura Caparrotti and Marta Mondelli play two women from different worlds who are united by the violence in their lives. Each has different reasons for being there and each ultimately decides differently about her future. If it sounds like a heavy, dark story, it is in a way. But the beauty of Valeri’s writing and Caparrotti and Mondelli’s acting is that as you’re watching the play it seems light and at times quite funny. The deeper story streams from the seeming triviality of their conversations and the interruptions of the Tosca story unfolding all the while.

The play is performed in Italian with English subtitles. Not just Italian, but Roman and Milanese dialect. Due to the logistics of the space, the subtitles were projected onto the flat, white wall in the upper right hand side of the action. Therefore, in order to read them, I had to take my eyes off of the actresses to keep up with the story. Unfortunately, this meant that I missed some of the subtlety of the acting conveyed in facial expressions and body movement.

Franca Valeri is one of Italy’s favorite actresses and satirists. Now at 90 years old, she will debut a new play in Rome in October, 2010. Over her long career, she created a gallery of female characters with which she has “mocked the vices and snobberies of bourgeois life and de facto become a humorist for intellectuals that is liked by the masses.” This show is a great way to be introduced to, or continue to appreciate, Valeri’s work.

Tosca E Le Altre Due runs from February 3-21, 2010.
When: February 3-21, 2010
Where: The Cell, 338 W 23rd Street, Manhattan
Presented by Kairos Italy Theater and The Cell

To learn more, click here.

Carnevale Festa at Trumpets Jazz Club!

2010-02-05T11:10:00.009-05:00

On Sunday, January 31, 2010, Trumpets Jazz Club in Montclair NJ played host to a wonderful Carnevale celebration. Complete with festive decorations, music, tarantella dance lessons, featured singers and a little Carnevale history, this event was the perfect antidote to a cold January day. The party was hosted by the Center for Italian and Italian American Culture (ciiacofnj.org) in Cedar Grove.

The owners of Trumpets, Enrico Granafei and Kristine Massari, not only hosted the event and provided a wonderful menu, but they also joined in the musical entertainment. Enrico, Kristine, John La Barbera and I played mandolin and guitar to numerous tarantellas and other Italian folk songs.

Enrico Granafei is a classical, jazz and Italian folk guitarist, singer, songwriter, arranger and composer who tours the world. Born and raised in Calabria, Italy, his voice, storytelling and guitar style is infused with his Italian folk roots. His clear tenor voice soared as he sang and played Funiculi, Funicula, Dove sta Zaza`? and O' Surdato 'Nnammorato.

John La Barbera is a New York City-born composer, arranger, multi-instrumentalist and mandolin virtuoso. His career is a celebration of Italian music, from classical to the revival and preservation of Southern Italian folk music, and beyond. The music we played as a group at the event was from John’s book, Southern Italian Mandolin and Fiddle Tunes.

Kristine Massari is a jazz vocalist, mandolinist, violinist and pianist. She has toured throughout Italy and also in Hungary and Finland. At the event, Kristine played mandolin with the group and sang La Spagnola. She entertained as well as informed, by explaining the origins of the Italian Carnevale celebration.

Jennifer Bowen played castanets, tambourine and danced a tarantella with Kristine. Jennifer also guided an impromptu tarantella dance lesson for the more intrepid guests! The Executive Director of the CIIAC, Rosanna Imbriano, welcomed everyone to the festivities and joined in the dancing and singing fun.

We were sorry to see the afternoon end, but we all went out into the blistering cold feeling warmer inside.

To learn more about ciiac activities, call 973 571 1995.

Inventions of Leonardo da Vinci Exhibit in Tuckahoe NY

2010-02-04T10:56:00.011-05:00

The Westchester Italian Cultural Center in Tuckahoe NY presents the Inventions of Leonardo da Vinci from January 20 – April 16, 2010. This extraordinary exhibit features 16 conceptual models of mechanical devices created and designed by the Renaissance genius Leonardo da Vinci.

The models were built in the 1950’s by technicians from the IBM corporation using da Vinci's instructions contained in thousands of pages of his notebooks. By blending art and science, da Vinci drew incredibly precise diagrams of his inventions in addition to writing keen observations of the subject matter. Because of this, his inventions could be reconstructed almost 500 years later.

In addition to the models, laptops are available in the exhibit rooms from which you can virtually leaf through 3-D versions of da Vinci’s notebooks. The software allows you to enlarge and examine any of his illustrations and cross-reference them to his various inventions. Believe me, the software is so engaging I would have monopolized a laptop for hours if I could have.

The exhibit includes flying machines, parachutes, helicopters, a printing press, odometer, paddle wheel ship, spring driven car, military tank and a double hull ship. Walking among the models, I had to remind myself that they were invented centuries ago.

Leonardo da Vinci reminds us all that unlimited imagining is possible. He shows us that, as human beings, we are more than we realize. In a time when things seem to be contracting around us, this is the right time to remember how expansive we can be.

To learn more visit wiccny.org.

Nove100 Exhibition in Parma Worth a Trip From Anywhere

2010-01-23T12:57:00.002-05:00

From now until the 25th of April, the lovely city of Parma in the Emilia-Romagna region of Italy hosts a unique exhibition to commemorate the restoration of the Governor Palace (Il Palazzo del Governatore). The scope of this exhibition covers some of the finest work in Italy created during the 20th century in Art, Photography, Architecture, Fashion and Design. For the first time, the main holdings of the CSAC (Center of Studies and Archive of Communication) of the University of Parma will be available for viewing in various locations throughout the city. All of the locations are in the beautiful historical center of Parma and within walking distance of each other.

This exhibition contains such names as: Armani, Baj, Boetti, Burri, Castiglioni, Ceroli, Fabro, Ferrè, Fontana, Ghirri, Guttuso, Krizia, Mari, Munari, Nervi, Pistoletto, Gio Ponti, Man Ray, Schifano, Sironi, Sottsass, Valentino and Versace.

Il Palazzo del Governatore will hold both the Art and Photography exhibits. The Art exhibit displays 120 works on the Piano Nobile, while the Photography section on the second floor boasts 600 images.

The nearby San Ludovico gallery houses the Fashion exhibit, featuring 80 drawings and dresses by such luminaries as Albini and Valentino. In addition, there are accessories and magazines and books about the fashion industry. The widest collection of fashion sketches in Italy are in the CSAC collection, numbering approximately 85,000. This massive collection was amassed over thirty years of researching.

Architecture and Design is held at Scuderie della Pilotta and includes more than 200 drawings, models and objects.

Nove100 runs until April 25, 2010.

Locations:
Il Palazzo del Governatore – Art and Photography
Piazza Garibaldi
Telephone: +39 0521 218929

Galleria San Ludovico - Fashion
Borgo Del Parmigiano, 2/b

Scuderie Della Pilotta – Architecture and Design
Via Bodoni, angolo Via Verdi

Spider Dance Weaves Its Web at Theater For the New City, NYC

2010-01-22T12:51:00.011-05:00

Foreground: Alessandra Belloni, Fran Sperling, Joe Deninzon and Antonio Fini.

Antonio Fini as Dionysius, Francesca Silvano, Greta Campo and Katerina Ogar.

Alessandra Belloni and the performance troupe, I Giullari di Piazza, have proven once again that creativity and passion is the best form of entertainment. This new production of Spider Dance is full of energy, song, history, pathos, movement and color.

Spider Dance tells the story of Arachne, the skilled weaver who challenges the goddess Athena to a weaving contest and wins. In the ensuing chaos, Athena transforms Arachne into a spider to weave her web forever. This myth found its way into the Southern Italian psyche as the mythical bite of the tarantula that inflicts women and can only be cured by the rhythm and dancing of the frantic 12/8 beat of the Pizzica. The god Dionysus, the plague of the Dark Ages, the Christianization of Pagan rites and the Black Madonna all figure significantly in the development of this production. The musicians are shamans, frame drums hold mystical healing power, fire purifies and dancers whirl and writhe to the madness of the tarantula’s bite.

For those who have seen the show before, changes to this production are noteworthy.
For example, when Belloni first strides onto the stage as Athena, her robe is now deeply slit up both sides, revealing the full length of her legs when certain poses are struck. This change is palpable, as it silently and emphatically communicates Athena’s sexual strength and fierce pride.

The narrator is now a woman, Cynthia Enfield, who further emphasizes the simmering feminine energy that is central to the story. Enfield not only educates the audience and clarifies the story, but often joins in the dancing and action on the stage, blurring the boundary between Greek chorus and the actors. As she moves in and out from the periphery of the stage, her presence is welcome and anticipated as a key player and facilitator.

One of the show’s highlights, Antonio Fini’s dance of fire to the haunting Requiem, has also evolved. This time, one of the female dancers is on stage with Fini at the beginning of the scene, dancing around him as he kneels with his back to the audience before the portrait of the Black Madonna. When the woman leaves the stage, Fini turns toward us with the bowls of fire in each hand on the end of chains and the Dance of Fire begins. The audience is spellbound throughout. To watch a video of the Fire Dance, click here.

The bridge between these ancient stories and modern times is achieved through the addition of hip-hop dancer Michael Garrett. At the close of the show, Garrett springs onto the stage from the audience in sweats and sneakers and performs a mesmerizing combination of hip-hop, break and street dancing to the wild Pizzica rhythms. Garrett’s addition to the cast underscores Belloni’s lifelong paen to the healing power of this form of dance therapy. Her own words say it best: “Young people can have fun and achieve ecstasy without taking Ecstasy… I think women today, and men sometimes, still have (this) syndrome and need to cut free from the web of society. So I think (this) show will always be part of my mission. How can we help, as artists, the people of today identify their web? How can they cut it thru music and dance?”

This production has been extended to Saturday, January 23, 2010:

Date: January 23, 2010
Time: 8:00 pm
Location: Theater for the New City
155 First Ave, near 10 East 10th Street
Tickets: $20 or $15 for seniors, students and children

Alessandra Belloni and Joe Deninzon on electric violin.

Francesca Silvana, Alessandra Belloni and Joe Deninzon.

Exhibition Devoted to Piermatteo d’Amelia in Terni and Amelia, Umbria, Italy

2010-01-08T14:30:00.002-05:00

If you’re traveling to Umbria early 2010, you might want to put this event on your itinerary. Piermatteo d’Amelia was a one of Umbria’s Renaissance masters, although he is currently lesser known than other artists of his time. Seeking to rectify this, an exhibition is currently running in Terni and Amelia, two small, picturesque Umbrian towns.

Piermatteo d’Amelia served as apprentice to Fillipo Lippi creating the frescos of the Duomo in Spoleto. Later, he served under Fra Diamante in Florence. While at the palace of Angelo Geraldini in Amelia, Piermatteo met Pope Sixtus IV who commissioned him to paint the vault of the Sistine Chapel. He worked with Perugino and Pinturicchio, designing the ceiling and completing The Journey of Moses and The Circumcision. During this time, Piermatteo also completed major commissions in Orvieto, Narni and Terni. His Pala dei Francescani is considered one of the major works of the 15th century.

This exhibition is taking place in two locations: CAOS Museum in Terni and Museo Archeologico and Pinacoteca in the former Collegio Boccarini in Amelia.
The exhibit runs until May 2, 2010.

Terni Location: Centro Arti Opificio Siri (CAOS) Museum
Viale Campofregoso, 98
Tel: 0744 285 946

Amelia Location: Museo Archeologico and Pinacoteca
Piazza Augusto Vera 10

How This Amateur Learns Italian

2010-01-05T12:49:00.002-05:00

As with anything we want to get good at, love is essential. And I love the Italian language. I love how the r’s roll, how the gn’s press the roof of my mouth, how the gl’s touch the back of my throat. I love how expressive it is; its drama and flourish and furtive whispering.

Although I’m half Italian, the only language spoken at home was English. Italian was a secret language my grandmother used with my father when she didn’t want the rest of us to understand. And it worked; none of us knew what they were talking about.

It wasn’t until I was in my thirties that I got la lingua Italiana fever. At that time I took my first trip to Italy and did not linguistically prepare myself in the least. What was I thinking? I have no idea. But I as I’ve said before, I thought I was just taking a vacation; I didn’t know I was changing my life forever.

Since then I’ve used a variety of methods to improve my Italian. Am I fluent? No. But I’m always improving and that’s how I like it. To get myself started, I used an audio program that promised to prepare me with basic phrases in 30 days, which it did. It worked so well that these basics coupled with another trip to Italy (immersion; definitely the deep end of the pool) really improved my ear.

But I realized I was clueless about the written language. To help remedy that, I used a ‘teach yourself Italian’ book, which was a big help. But still, I wasn’t practicing the language enough to get comfortable. Then I ventured onto the internet and found a new friend in Italy who helped me practice written Italian while I helped him with his English. That was a huge help. Since then I’ve connected with more Italian friends, both in the US and Italy, with whom I get to practice speaking and writing.

If you are a music lover, this can be a great way to learn Italian. I’ve always loved music so it was natural to buy CD’s of a few artists I liked while in Italy (Renato Zero and Michelle Zarrillo reign supreme right now). Listening to this music makes me happy and relaxed, which lets my brain absorb the words even more. Since I’m curious about what the songs are about, it’s fun to sit down with the lyrics and my Italian-English dictionary (luckily, all the CDs I’ve purchased come with the lyrics. If yours don’t, it’s easy to get the lyrics online). This increases vocabulary, improves pronunciation, teaches idioms and shows me how to string the words together in a coherent way.

Another fun way to learn Italian is to take a class in Italy. I’ve done it a few times and it’s a great experience. My fellow students were from all over the world and shared the same passion for the language. We laughed and (almost) cried together as we tried to clear our linguistic obstacles. We learned that what’s easy for one person can be hard for another, sometimes depending on that person’s native language. Above all, we learned not to take ourselves too seriously and to roll with our mistakes. And sometimes, we really surprised ourselves!

Do you have a favorite way to learn a new language, or have advice about method that didn’t work for you? Let me know.

Sacred Art of Fire Dancing –From Calabria to New York

2009-12-18T13:22:00.008-05:00

Carolyn: Fire and dance have been combined to enhance the sacred for millennia. From Greece to Bulgaria, from Native American to Maori tribes in New Zealand, fire and dance have spun together to capture the imagination and raise the consciousness of the dancers and viewers alike. Over time, this sacred art entered the realm of performance, but the raw power and grace of the human body dancing amid circles and arcs of flame continues its hypnotic effect.

One man who brings the sacred meaning of fire dancing into the world of performance is Antonio Fini. Antonio is a professional dancer with the Martha Graham Dance Company and the Whitney Hunter Dance Company, both in NYC. In 2005 he won the Olympic dance game in Milan for his choreography. He has danced for Teatro Massimo di Palermo, Campagnia dei Giovani Carcano and Talenti in Scena. He danced and choreographed for Ethno Show at Galleria Vittorio Emanuele in Milan, and Diego e Isabella at the Siris Festival. One of his passions is fire dancing, which he explores as a member of the Italian performance troupe, I Giulliari di Piazza.

Antonio was born and raised in the little town of Villa Piana Lido, on the Ionian Sea north of Cosenza, in Calabria, Italy. Antonio learned about playing with fire when he was 16 years old from his sister, Grazia, who returned to Calabria from Naples where she was attending University. Grazia is a fire breather.

Antonio: She come back in Calabria and she was playing with the fire And we were in the beach at night and she was also, like, blowing the fire; it was really amazing. I don’t even remember the first time that I tried with the fire. But what I remember, I remember when she was blowing the fire and we were in the beach and many people were there. She didn’t want actually to play, other people were kind of playing with the fire, and this guy was blowing the fire. So at one point he heard that my sister know how to do it, so he was like, oh, let’s see, you know? Really because she was a girl, they were like, oh, what she can do? So when she starts to playing, when she starts blowing the fire everybody went nuts because she was not just blowing the fire but she was blowing the fire with the dragon.

Carolyn: To blow fire with the dragon means breathing fire in such a way that the flames begin very close to the outside of the breather’s mouth, closer than is considered safe by many.

Antonio: Also the way that she was moving, she was like going back and she was blowing out and it was just amazing.

Carolyn: She must have been magnificent.

Antonio: Yeah. Beautiful.

Carolyn: It turned out that Antonio also had a natural affinity for the fire.

Antonio: She teach me a little bit without fire and it was funny because I learned really fast. She was upset about it. She was like, Oh this is too hard, maybe start with this, and after I was doing that and even more. So, I learned really fast how to do, how to play with the bolas.

Carolyn: Bolas is a Spanish word used to describe a certain type of fire dancing equipment: 2 small metal dishes at the end of chains held in each hand, that the dancer swings and twirls in performance. Each dish usually contains Kevlar blended wicking material that is easily ignited.

Antonio: It’s an experience. I didn't have enough time to practice that with my sister, so and actually it’s hard to do it in New York for many reasons. We had the opportunity to do the fire in theater, but blowing the fire from the mouth, that’s another story. So, I had the experience in Calabria it was just me And my sister, she was coaching me how to do it, how to be safe and everything, so it was our experience. I never performed that.

Carolyn: Rather than fire breathing, Antonio developed his skill as a fire dancer. One night in a park in Milano, he and Graceila met another woman who would further challenge Antonio’s abilities.

Antonio: We were just playing, dancing. So she start to show me some new stuff and I get some of that, and after she’s like, can you play in your back? I was like, what do you mean? And she’s like can you do all this movement but having your hands in your back? So and I was like well, I thought about doing that but I never tried.

Carolyn: it sounded dangerous!

Antonio: Well, without the fire I started to try And try and in the end of the night, I was doing it. And so she didn't know how to do it, my sister, either but at the end we came out with something. And so that makes my fire dancer even more particular, I think. I can go in this really hard combination. But at the same time I don’t do that often on stage even because it takes a lot of my attention on doing that and I think it’s just nice if I can dance thru. So, not have too much attention on what is the movement of it.

Carolyn: Antonio’s relationship with the sacredness of fire is at the core of his dancing.

Antonio: Having this relationship with the fire, it’s so strong, because it’s something dangerous. But at the same time you move with it, there is the music and it’s energy around you, you control this fire in a way. But I think it’s really interesting when you perform in the street, it’s a performance but in the same time it’s you learning this art. It’s really magic. Each time that I was playing in the street it was a performance but at the same time it was just like my time in a way. And I think that’s the magic of it. When we have in Calabria, many times we go on the beach at night and we can light fire and we can just stay there And play And dance, you know. I played a lot also in there with the fire, just for us.

Carolyn: it sounds like it’s a very intimate experience.

Antonio: It is.

Carolyn: As a viewer of the fire dancing, that’s the amazing thing. Watching the shapes that are created by the flames because they linger in the air after they’ve passed a certain point and they’ve already started to make a new shape, but the old shape is still lingering in the air and it is just so breathtaking. And especially when the movements are really fast, there’s no way to know which is the present moment flame and which is the flame past, and they meet in the air so often And it is just magical to watch.

Carolyn: Antonio is a principal dancer in the troupe, I GP, with Alessandra Belloni. In the production, Techno Tarantella, Antonio performs a breathtaking fire dance as Dionysius, the god of ecstasy and wine.

Antonio: I think my fire dance grows a lot with Alessandra because of the music. I dance the fire dance in the song that she wrote for her mother, the Requiem. And before sometimes I was thinking which next movement I was going to do or whatever, but going thru. And the music is telling me where to go, And the movement. Because I think is maybe different from other people playing with the fire that I am trying to dance more.

As you say before, it’s really personal in a way, even if you’re still performing for somebody. It’s magic, it’s powerful, it’s alive. And many people are like, are you not scared, the fire’s so close to your face sometimes, because I really like to do this thing with the fire going in front of me in a circle and I’m going backwards in a cambre, so it makes this illusion that I’m going one way And the fire’s going another way. And when I go all around me really fast, sometimes, you know, the fires touch my skin. But it doesn't burn, it just really slightly going and but it’s always fine.

Carolyn: in those moments do you remember how hot it is? Like do you kind of forget?

Antonio: Actually you can hear the sounds of the fire.

Carolyn: You can hear the flames?

Antonio: Yeah. That’s really intense. And it gives you strength. Even if you play slowly with it, if you go fast, it makes you so strong. And sometimes I think everybody should try.

Carolyn: Well, you make it sound really intriguing, I’m sitting here And I’m thinking, wow, this might be fun!

Antonio: It totally is fun!

Carolyn: if I don’t set my hair on fire! It could be fun.

Antonio: I think you should try first of all without fire.

Carolyn: I think so too.

Antonio: Actually I have a story about that. The mother of a singer, she made this gold bathing suit. It was a little bit puffy on the side of the back so I was worried that maybe some of the material was going in fire. It was the first night, after we practice in theater And I was fine, while I was dancing I think one of the bolas with fire touched my butt. And I start to feel a smell of burning And I was like, Oh my God, I’m on fire, but I keep going And I was trying to looking in my back if everything was fine, because when it touched my skin I know I could feel it that it’s fine.

Carolyn: Although Antonio lives in NYC and Grazia lives in Switzerland now, playing with fire still captures their imagination.

Antonio: So we are thinking about having a fan with fire, closing and opening maybe, it starts closing And opening and it has like moving in the back, they become the wings.

Carolyn: does this thing exist?

Antonio: I’m not sure. I saw once a bellydancer with something but she was just moving, she was not using as a bolas. I think there is. I mean I’m sure somebody tried but what I would like to, because from the bellydance they are really small and I want to create something bigger so that it has…

Carolyn: more of an effect.

Antonio: more fire. And you can move it faster.

Carolyn: No matter how much we talk about Antionio’s fire dancing, it has to be seen to be fully appreciated. To watch a video of Antonio’s performance in Techno Taranetella, go to the Essence of Italy links page and click on Essence of Italy at YouTube. To see photographs of his various performances, you can find them throughout the written transcript of this podcast on our Italian Journal page.

This is Carolyn Masone for essenceofitaly.net. Thanks for listening!

Voyage of the Black Madonna - Concert Dedicated to Mother Earth

2009-12-18T11:50:00.005-05:00

On December 6, 2009, the laments and celebrations of the Voyage of the Black Madonna rang in St. Mary’s Episcopal Church in NYC. The performance was a showcase of some of the music and dance from the full theatrical production. Evocative music, whirling, colorful costumes and interpretative dance told the story of the poet Virgil and his encounters with different faces of the Black Madonna. Written by Alessandra Belloni and Dario Bollini, the story is based on various legends from Southern Italy. In this version, Virgil is awakened to understand the essential nature of Mother Earth through his experiences with seven Black Madonnas.

The show includes original music by renowned composer, arranger and musician John T. LaBarbera. La Barbera, Belloni and Bollini spent many years researching the origins and celebrations of Black Madonnas around the world, and the music that drives those celebrations. In Voyage of the Black Madonna, the rhythms originate in Italy, Africa, Brazil and the Gypsy musicians of the Basque Regions of France and Spain. During the show La Barbera expertly played various stringed instruments, including mandolin and battante. His versatility and musicianship gave the impression that there was an entire string section, instead of just him. Susan Eberenz‘s flute, piccolo and recorder added just the right amount of brightness and flow to the pieces. Entertaining us on violin was none other than Sebastian, Eberenz and La Barbera’s son who, at 11 years old, is already a performing veteran. As the show contained highlights from the full production, the narration read by Dolores Deluise was essential to the audience’s understanding of the onstage events.

It was Belloni’s clear, strong mezzosoprano voice and incomparable frame drumming that guided the production. Surrounded by her many frame drums, she played the various Black Madonna characters who enlighten Virgil as to the true nature of Mother Earth. Virgil was played by dancer Mark Mindek, whose flowing movements told the story of seeking, learning and finally, comprehension. Mindek, who is normally the stilt dancer for Belloni and La Barbera’s theatrical company, I Giulliari di Piazza, still gave the impression of towering above us all even though his feet were on the ground this time.

Special mention must be given to the costumes. The deep, rich colors of purple, turquoise, reds, yellows and blues added a sumptuous feel to the dark, heavy wood of the church. It was the combination of these flowing colors, expressive movement and soaring music that made it a unique experience.

Francine Segan Shares the Joys of Italian Desserts

2009-12-17T12:27:00.003-05:00

Author, lecturer and food historian Francine Segan spoke at 92Y in NYC on Tuesday, December 15, 2009 on the fun and flavors of Italian desserts. Fresh from her most recent Italian trip researching her upcoming book, Segan entertained us with recipes, anecdotes and several desserts that she made for the occasion.

One of the memorable quotes from the evening was something an Italian chef told her about the philosophy behind Italian desserts: “we are always thinking of ways to keep you at the table”. When you think about it, this explains so much about Italian cuisine in general, whether in a restaurant or at your Nonna’s house. So much attention and love put into each ingredient and stir of the pot, all designed to keep you at the table, keep the conversation going, keep the laughter ringing through the house.

Segan presented the history of Italian sweets from the Renaissance to modern times. She included desserts designed to be enjoyed with luscious liquores such as vin santo. She discussed the history of chocolate in Italy while circulating trays of Italian chocolate gathered on her recent trip. She enlightened us about the baking and uses of Panettone and Panforte. She fed us wonderful desserts that she made from these ingredients and sent us home with Panettone and Pandoro di Verona, compliments of the Bauli company.

True to the spirit of the season. Segan discussed St. Nicholas and Santa Claus and how they are so differently perceived in the US and Italy. In the US, Jolly Old St. Nick and Santa Claus are synonymous, while in Italy they are very different. St. Nicholas is a saint whose feast day is December 6. He is most famous for tossing gold coins into the empty shoes of poor people at night. On the other hand, Santa Claus is Babbo Natale, or Father Christmas, a wonderful but distinctly different character. And then of course there is La Bufana, who brings sweets to children on the Feast of the Epiphany, January 6.

Learn about Francine’s upcoming talks at francinesegan.com.

Click here to hear Francine’s Essence of Italy podcast, Italy & Chocolate – An Affair to Remember.

Pizza Napoletana Now Protected by EU’s Traditional Specialty Guaranteed (TSG) Label

2009-12-15T13:14:00.001-05:00

Every pizza lover knows that the texture, aroma and taste of Pizza Napoletana are unparalleled. And every pizza lover has bitten into something claiming to be Pizza Napoletana that clearly wasn’t. Neapolitan Pizza is the world’s standard, but many inferior offerings masquerade as the real thing.

Happily, an historic moment in pizza history was reached in November 9, 2009 when the European Union granted its trademark Traditional Specialty Guaranteed (TSG) label to Pizza Napoletana. Now, serving this traditional Neapolitan pizza requires adherence to strict guidelines regarding ingredients, preparation, cooking and presentation.

Naples, Italy celebrated this protection from inferior pizza clones by handing out free pizzas in the Trieste e Trento Piazza. Sergio Miccu', head of the pizzaiolo (pizza-maker) association presented a 'Superpizza TSG' with the quality seal spelled out in basil and tomato strips. Yes, he was excited.

Some of the TSG requirements include a ban on rolling pins or machinery to stretch the dough (hand stretching only), cooking in a wood-fired oven only, round pizza only 35 cm or less, crust that is easily manipulated and using only traditional ingredients.

Italian Agriculture Minister Luca Zaia issued a statement saying "Europe has awarded the work and the tenacity of Neapolitan producers… for a product that too often and too long has been the subject of bad imitations that have nothing to do with the true Pizza Napoletana."

Cristina Fontanelli Shines in Christmas In Italy Concert

2009-11-30T15:08:00.005-05:00

Cristina Fontanelli poses with actor Tony Lo Bianco after the concert.

Cristina Fontanelli brought her sixth annual celebration to NYC’s Merkin Concert Hall on Sunday, November 29, 2009. And what a celebration it was! Fontanelli’s operatic soprano soared through a thoughtful selection of Italian-composed arias, Neapolitan folk songs and Christmas classics.

Her opera selections included Musetta’s Waltz from La Boheme and Un Bel Di from Madame Butterfly (both Puccini masterpieces). She was beautifully accompanied on piano by Maestro David Maiullo. He is the Music Director/Accompanist of the Licia Albanese Puccini Foundation and has performed in Carnegie, Avery Fisher and Alice Tully Halls.

She also presented more popular songs, such as Chitarra Romana, Torn’a Surriento and Time To Say Goodbye (Con Te Partiro’). Joining her onstage was acclaimed composer and guitar and mandolin virtuoso John T. LaBarbera. His fluid style and deep understanding of Italian rhythms brought an essential dimension to these arrangements.

To close the show, she brought out the Montfort Academy Choir for Gesu Bambino. Montfort Academy is a small private school in Katonah NY that is close to Fontanelli’s heart for its emphasis on classical studies and moral development.

Fontanelli had a warm, down-to-earth stage persona that kept the audience on her side throughout. Between each selection, she told the story behind the song; why it was special to her and reciting the English lyrics so the non-Italian speakers could appreciate them more fully. She also shared her dream of someday singing with Andrea Bocelli and asked us all to say a Novena for her that it comes true! It was this warm, open style that drew the audience closer to her and to each other.

Christmas in Italy Concert in NYC November 29!

2009-11-24T17:19:00.004-05:00

Enjoy the sixth annual "Christmas in Italy" concert of Italy's best-loved folk songs, Neapolitan songs and Christmas classics, featuring award winning recording artist Cristina Fontanelli, Maestro David Maiullo & internationally acclaimed musician and composer John T. LaBarbera. Sunday, Nov. 29 at 3 pm at Merkin Concert Hall, Kaufman Center, 129 W.67th St, NYC. A Holiday event for the whole family!

To learn more, visit kaufman-center.org

Peppe Voltarelli - Calabrian Troubadour

2009-11-17T16:10:00.008-05:00

On November 11, 2009, a French restaurant played host to Calabrian musicians in NYC.
Le Poisson Rouge was the venue for the concert debut of Calabrian composer, singer, musician, actor and peace activist Peppe Voltarelli. Alone on stage with just his guitar, he kept the audience riveted. His music mixed sounds from the Old World and the New: Calabria’s earthy, peasant heart with modern melodic lines and lyrics.

The bulk of his material that night featured his CD, Distratto Ma Pero' (Distracted But However), and he will continue to tour Buenos Aires, Mexico City, Los Angeles, Toronto and Montreal. He sang Italiani Superstar, Ciao Come Stai and Turismo in Quantita’. Voltarelli’s lyrics often comment on modern life through the eyes of Calabrian immigrant communities throughout Europe and the Americas. With his raspy voice and raconteur storytelling, we couldn’t get enough.

Cutting short his solo material, he introduced his special guest for the evening: Tony Vilar. Vilar was born in Calabria and moved with his family to Buenos Aires. He became a singing sensation in Latin America in the 1960’s and had the number one hit worldwide (except America) with Cuando Caliente el Sol. In America, this song appeared as Love Me With All of Your Heart, sung by everyone from The Lettermen to Vic Damone.

Vilar took the stage dressed in white; his gentle, emotional tenor voice only made more evocative with the years. Along with his signature song, he created an intimate atmosphere with Caruso, favoring a half-whispered chorus rather than the expected crescendo version done by, for example, Andrea Boccelli. Vilar later took up his guitar and teamed with Voltarelli and Marco Calliari (see below) for livelier tunes. The camaraderie and fun these three performers shared was obvious and appreciated by the audience.

The opening act for the evening was Marco Calliari, a Canadian-born Calabrese who blends melodic lines and rhythms from many cultures with modern interpretations. On Wednesday night he drew from tarantella, flamenco, klezmer and rock to create vibrant songs that virtually jumped from the stage. Many of the tunes we heard are from his CD, Mia Dolce Vita. Calliari shared the stage with two exceptional musicians playing accordion and trumpet who, along with Calliari’s guitar, vividly brought that distinctive Southern Italian sound to life.

Peppe Voltarelli’s most recent acting success is the leading role in La Vera Leggenda di Tony Villar (The Real Legend of Tony Villar), which was an official selection at the 2007 TriBeCa Film Festival. Voltarelli is also a founding member of the iconic Italian ‘90s band, Il Parto delle Nuvole Pesanti (The Birth of the Heavy Clouds), which blended rock and Calabrian folk. In addition, he contributed his talents to the theatrical work on the life of Domenico Modugno, the multi-Grammy winner who wrote Volare. Also a published author, his collection of poetry and songs in Calabrian dialect is available in English.

Votarelli’s peace activism is evident in his musical compositions for Roccu u Stortu (Rocco the Crooked), an anti-war story of a Calabrian soldier’s WWI desertion. In 2003, he was part of a concert for peace in the Palestine Hotel in Baghdad, which can be seen in the documentary Sotto il Cielo di Baghdad (Under the Baghdad Sky).

KITCAFFE’, Italian Literary Salon, Debuts in Montclair, NJ

2009-11-10T17:29:00.003-05:00

On Sunday, November 8, 2009, Kairos Italy Theater (KIT) in Manhattan collaborated with Trumpets Jazz Club in Montclair, New Jersey to debut a literary series in Italian and English: KITCAFFE’. In centuries past, beginning in Paris and then all over Europe, Cafés and Salotti Letterari were meeting points for artists and intellectuals to discuss ideas as well as everyday facts. While the Cafés were open to the public and attended mostly by men, the Salotti Letterari were private events, organized by culturally refined women, often aristocrats. The Salotti brought people of different backgrounds together to exchange opinions and knowledge.

Kairos Italy Theater is now recreating its own Salotto-Caffe’ Letterario series, hosted by Laura Caparrotti and Marta Mondelli. Sunday afternoon was a two-hour event, where we were introduced to two wonderful Italian writers, Leonardo Sciascia and Gesualdo Bufalino, both from Sicily. Excerpts from Sciascia’s Il Giorno Della Civetta (The Day of the Owl) and Bufalino’s Le Menzogne Della Notte (The Lies of the Night) were read to us by our hosts, first in English and then in Italian. Copies of the reading material were provided to us so we could better follow the Italian reading. Since Caparrotti and Mondelli are both professional actors with KIT, the readings were beautifully done and communicated the emotion of the pieces, regardless of the language in which they were read.

Leonardo Sciascia, born in Racalmuto, Sicily and died in 1989, is considered one of Italy’s most important modern writers. His writings include The Dark Wine Sea, Salt on the Wound and Todo Modo. He was also a controversial political commentator within Sicily. The Day of the Owl is a short novel denouncing the Mafia’s powerful hold on a Sicilian town. A man is shot running for a bus in the piazza and the investigating officer finds himself up against a wall of silence.

Gesualdo Bufalino was a modern novelist (1920-1996) who found literary fame after his retirement from teaching in 1976. A recipient of the Campiello Prize for his first novel, Diceria dell’untore (The Plague Sower), he also won the Strega Prize in 1988 for Le Menzogne Della Notte (The Lies of the Night). Lies of the Night is a story of four men accused of sedition and sentenced to die in the pre-Risorgimento Bourbon kindom of Southern Italy. Their only chance to survive is to reveal the identity of the mastermind behind their crime. What ensues is a night of stories both revealing and obscuring the identity and existence of the mastermind.

The evening’s readings were followed by a Q&A and accompanied by wonderful Italian pastries, coffee and wine, compliments of Trumpets Jazz Club.

I have wanted to explore contemporary Italian literature, but didn’t know where to begin. KITCAFFE’ provided the perfect opportunity to sample important works from famous writers. Another KITCAFFE’ is scheduled at Trumpets Jazz Club in Montclair, NJ for Monday evening, December 7, 2009.

To learn more, visit kitheater.com and trumpetsjazz.com.

I Giulliari Di Piazza Celebrates of 30 Years Together

2009-11-04T13:28:00.003-05:00

Pictured: John T. La Barbera, Alessandra Belloni, Antonio Fini, Joe Denizon.

On Friday, October 30, 2009, Symphony Space in New York City rang with selections from 30 years of shows performed all over the world by I Giulliari Di Piazza. The show was sponsored by the World Music Institute and was nearly sold out. Founded by Alessandra Belloni and John T. La Barbera, I Giulliari performs the ancient musical folklore of Southern Italy. Dedicated to preserving and performing authentic Southern Italian music, dance and theater dating from the 13th century, the troupe also creates contemporary works based on these rich traditions.

Friday night’s performance was a whirl of drumming, color, stilt dancing, guitars, mandolins, flutes and voices. The troupe performed selections from their many shows throughout the years, including Dance of the Ancient Spider, Voyage of the Black Madonna and Techno Tarantella.

Alessandra Belloni proved once again why she is considered by many to be one of the world’s premier percussionists. Her hand was often just a blur as she played her tambourines and frame drums, usually while simultaneously singing, dancing and directing the action on stage.

John La Barbera, the group’s musical director, played several instruments throughout the performance, including guitar and mandolin. A veteran arranger and composer, one of the evening’s highlights was his own MamboTangoTella, played with a decidedly gypsy edge.

One of the evening’s special guests was percussionist and tenor, Nando Citarella. Citarella is a virtuoso of the tammorriata dance and drumming style. Citarella became one of Belloni’s percussion teachers after meeting on the beach in Calabria many years ago. Citarella had been taught by his aunt when he was 6 years old and has been perfecting the technique ever since. His clear, haunting tenor voice mesmerized the audience.

Gordon Gottlieb was the other special guest, a percussionist with a varied career. He has performed with the New York Philharmonic, Stevie Wonder, Miles Davis, and recorded with Michael Jackson, Sting and Steely Dan.

Joe Denizon, a Russian with and Italian soul, played his famous electric violin. Known as the Jimmy Hendrix of the electric violin, Denizon managed to play complex pieces while rolling around on his back during the performance of the Pizzica.

Vincent Scialla drummed the foundation for the complicated rhythms going in all directions, while Steve Gorn and Susan Eberenz added flute, piccolo and recorder to round out the arrangements.

One of the elements that set this night apart was the easy banter among the musicians, usually Belloni, La Barbera and Citarella. Their reminiscing drew the audience into a very personal space, and we forgot for a moment that we were sitting in a theater. It felt more like sitting around a table with our friends telling us their favorite stories about how they met and started out.

Dancing and theater has always been an essential part of the troupe’s identity, and Friday night was no exception. The athleticism and acrobatics of this demanding style were on full display. Antonio Fini dances with the Martha Graham Ensemble and the Whitney Hunter Dance Company. As a featured player with I Giulliari, Fini celebrates his Calabrian origins as Dionysus, the Devil and a Tarantato. Fran Sperling brought the Spider Woman to life with a fierce compassion. Mark Mindek defied gravity dancing on stilts, personifying in turn the Plague of the Dark Ages and the unfettered reveling of present-day Brazilian celebration.

First Young Italian Music Festival NYC a Success!

2009-10-30T13:34:00.015-04:00

The Young Italian Group in New York City(commissionegiovani.org/newyork) held its first Music Festival at the luxurious Hudson Terrace on W. 46th Street Wednesday night, October 28, 2009. The Festival organizers regret the fact that most young Italian-Americans think of Italian music as the soundtrack to The Godfather. The organizers sought to enlighten and entertain by bringing a handful of current Italian pop music artists to New York to strut their stuff. And strut they did.

Max De Angelis (maxdeangelis.it) debuted his first single, La Soluzione in 2004 and it became one of the most played singles in Italy. It remained in the Top 20 of Italy’s Billboard Chart for 2 months and after that, spent 3 months in the Top 30 for most radio airplay. In 2005 he sang Sono Qui Per Questo at San Remo. A former restaurant owner, he has a risotto recipe to die for and a charismatic on-stage persona. Among the songs he sang for us was Nevica, the perfect choice for a chilly New York night.

Perugia-born Eleonora Bianchini (eleonorabianchini.com) has a clear passion for Latin music. She simultaneously studied opera and jazz in Italy, receiving a scholarship to the prestigious Berklee College of Music in Boston. As lead vocalist of the Peru Mestizo Project, her voice and songwriting created a relaxed, warm vibe. Truly international, she sang a Brazilian song that she had translated into Spanish and played with a Peruvian beat.

Daniele Battaglia (danielebattaglia.it) can’t help what he does; music is in his blood. His father is none other than Dodi Battaglia, guitarist of the iconic Italian band, Pooh. Daniele gave an energetic performance of dance tunes, including Solamusicaitaliana, which ranked 19th in the 2007 FIMI/AC Nielsen chart. Daniele performed in San Remo in 2008 with Voce del Vento. At Hudson Terrace, his self-deprecating, down to earth banter won the crowd over.

Gaetano Fava (ecmusicweb.com/gaetano_fava.htm) was born in New York and raised in Palermo, Sicily. Classically trained, he sings across musical genres, including opera. On Wednesday night, he entertained us with cover songs by famous Italian pop artists, like Eros Ramazzotti. In fact, his rendition of Ramazzotti is uncanny. When I closed my eyes during the performance, I could swear it was Ramazzotti himself on the stage.

Daniele Stefani (danielestefani.com)was admitted to the Giuseppe Verdi Conservatory when he was only 10 years old. While at the Conservatory, he performed worldwide throughout his adolescence. At 18, he signed with Columbia Sony Music and released his debut CD, Armanti Ero. He performed at San Remo in 2003 with his song, Chiaraluna. Among his songs at Hudson Terrace, he performed the beautiful Oltre Ogni Senso. His current CD, Punto di Partenza, is enjoying great popularity and frequent airplay in Italy.

The last musical event of the evening was a screening of the celebrated video, Domani 21/4.09, created by artists in the Italian music industry as a fundraiser for the victims of the L’Aquila earthquake. Fifty-six musicians took part in the video, including Zucchero, Laura Pausini, Ligabue, Gianni Nannini, Antonello Venditti and Luca Carboni. Nationally, Young Italian Groups have raised $40,000 toward building Il Villaggio della Gioventu’ , a positively-focused center for the displaced young people of L’Aquila.

By the way, if you haven’t been to Hudson Terrace yet, go. Seriously, go now. Luxurious, spacious, beautifully lit with plenty of room to talk or dance, Hudson Terrace is a show in itself (hudsonterracenyc.com).

The Opera Lovers Cookbook

2009-10-11T11:05:00.005-04:00

This is a transcript of the podcast appearing on our Podcast Page.

Carolyn: Francine Segan is a food historian, writer, lecturer and frequent radio and TV personality. She appears on CBS, The Discovery Channel, The History Channel and of course, The Food Network. In her monthly feature for the Tribune Media Syndicates, she has interviewed chefs we all know; such as Jacques Pepin, Lidia Bastianich, and Mario Batali. Francine Segan has also written a collection of wonderfully themed cookbooks: The Philosopher’s Kitchen, Movie Menus, Shakespeare’s Kitchen and the one we’ll be talking about today, The Opera Lovers CookBook.

The Opera Lovers CookBook is a 2007 Cook Book Award Finalist of the International Association of Culinary Professionals, and a 2007 Book Award Finalist of the James Beard Foundation.

Thanks to the support and collaboration of New York City’s Metropolitan Opera Guild, The Opera Lovers CookBook is even more than a wonderful collection of recipes. The book is illustrated with rare photographs and drawings from the archives of the Metropolitan Opera.

Carolyn: The book is so interesting, not only the recipes which are just great, but there are all these little things, opera notes, little snippets, trivia about operas and how certain dishes became focal points in certain performances. It’s more than just recipes.

Francine: it’s kind of this wonderful project of trying to get people who may not know opera, to have a little taste, in every sense. So there are of course recipes, which were inspired by different operas. And then are also little sidebars, little tidbits of information, like little morsels, little nibbles at a cocktail party, of information about composers or maybe a wonderful aria or song about toasting or drinking. Or something special about a composer and his connections w/ food. Little trivia things like, food that was inspired by opera and all that is weaved into wonderful recipes, wonderful photographs, photographs from the Metropolitan Opera.

Also, because this is so much a cookbook to get you to enjoy music and maybe share it with friends, it also has tips on how to entertain, how to do a little party or buffet or a dessert party. Just to invite people over, put on a little CD of opera music and kind of experience it in a different way.

Carolyn: One of the things that I like about it as well is the title, Opera Lovers Cookbook. You take it from many different angles. For instance, there are recipes that seemed to have actually been featured in certain scenes in certain operas. Then there are dishes that are named after composers or opera singers. Then there are dishes that come from the town of a great composer, or maybe a favorite dish of a composer or a performer. So you really do take the whole spectrum of the connection between food and opera and it’s wonderful.

Francine: Well thank you. Doing a cookbook is a lot like cooking. You take a little bit of this and a little bit of that and you stir a little bit more and you taste it and what does it need? It’s the same thing when you create a cookbook. Especially when you collaborate with such a wonderful organization like the Metropolitan Opera House.

Carolyn: Let’s talk about some of the Italian inspired recipes.

Francine: You can really see my Italian roots because it has 12 chapters and 5 of them are Italian language opera-centric. So there’s a very heavy emphasis. I did a Bel Canto chapter, composers like Donizetti from Sicily. And in his day there was a wonderful dish in Sicily spaghetti with eggplant and a wonderful tomato sauce and they, to honor their wonderful composer-son, named the dish after one of his best operas, Norma. So Pasta alla Norma which everybody knows, is really named after his opera, in his honor. So that’s one of them.

I give Verdi a whole chapter. Verdi’s a wonderful composer of so many important works there’s lots of different dishes that are inspired by him. Including an Aida pyramid dessert. You know the little, wonderful, the balls that the Italians we do for the Christmas time which we fry, the little honey dipped balls, we always serve it in a little pyramid. So I thought, how perfect is that for Aida? So I kind of did a little free association there.

Carolyn: Oh that’s great.

Francine: But then, Puccini’s got a chapter. So for La Boheme in the second act, he has a line where he has people strolling and saying a list of ingredients. It almost jumps out as a recipe to me. It says dates and ferone and candied fruit and all I’m thinking is: Macedonia la frutta seca, which is a kind of dried fruit salad that Italians make in the wintertime. And it’s a very homey dish. It’s all sorts of nuts and candies that are left over, like ferone, little bits of amoretti, dried fruit. They’re all mixed together, put a little splash of some liquor. and just that scene with all the ingredients being called out just kind of made me think of that.

Carolyn: Oh that’s wonderful. I’ve love for you to tell the story about what opera was like in the Baroque period. So different from what opera is like for us now.

Francine: When you’d go to the opera house, back when Rossini was a composer, you would enter and of course you’d be elegantly dressed with the long gloves. You’d mingle w/ friends and you’d take your seat. But unlike the theater today, right away you’d notice some differences if you went back in time.

First of all the lights don’t get dim in the audience the way it does nowadays. and also the theater stage wasn’t set up high, it was kind of the same level that you were. Those 2 changes, the proscenium going up and the house lights going down didn’t happen until Wagner, until like the 1870’s. In Rossini’s day the lights were on. A little bit because you had to read your libretto but a lot because you were chatting, looking at your friends what they’re wearing, getting up and down. Because also in Rossini’s day, there was no intermission. So you’re sitting for this long opera and the composers knew, the audience knew, the performers knew that you’d have to get up and stretch your legs, get a little snack.

It was so known that in fact there are arias that are called Arias di Sorbetto, Sorbet Arias. Meaning in the middle of the opera, Rossini and other composers from that time period would stick in an aria because they knew you were going to get up and get a sorbet. Sorbet was really nice snack that they used to serve in the opera houses. Very elegant. So this Aria di Sorbetto which is always at the mid point, is always secondary characters, they’re not singing anything that’s going to advance the story, not particularly important, you can miss it. But it’s nice background music while you’re getting up and getting your snack.

The other thing that you would have seen if you went to the opera in Rossini’s time was that in the back of the house they would also have card tables set up. And people who were less interested in the opera would go in the back and play cards, they would gamble. And it was OK. Rossini got a cut of the house proceeds of the profits that were made from the gambling that was going on in the back.

So nowadays we sell popcorn and Jordan almonds in the movies, in those days you used to have sorbetto and your little gambling to make a little money.

Carolyn: Such a great story. I love that.

Francine: One of the things that I think also, just to kind of finish on Rossini, who’s of course the composer of L’Italiana in Algiers, La Barbara of Seville, lots of really wonderful works. He was probably the number one foodie composer. He loved food. He obsessed about it. He was a gourmet cook. When he would travel and he would have to put up a show, let’s say in Paris and he would have to stay there for a number of weeks. He would write home letters and I recently just saw one at a sweets shop in Genoa, that still exists today from Rossini’s times. It was a sweets shop that started in the 1700’s. And Rossini wrote a letter home to his friends, 2 separate letters to 2 separate friends, saying, please go to Romanengo and get me, and he’d make a list of all the sweets that he wanted, because here in Paris they don’t have such good food. He was so connected to Italy, he would always make fun of Paris. You know there’s nothing good to eat here, please bring me the salumi from Giuseppe’s Salumiere, please bring me the…You’d think that Paris was the wasteland of food. He just couldn’t tolerate it.

And of course this all spread and people knew, including the Baron Rothschild, from the famous vineyard. He was a wonderful opera lover. And he wanted to give a gift to Rossini. The opera season coincides with the grape harvest. So he took his most wonderful bushel of grapes and he had it personally delivered to Rossini’s dressing room and hotel. Rossini took the grapes, was very grateful, wrote a thank you note to the Baron saying, ‘Dear Baron Rothschild thank you so much for the grapes. But in the future I would like you to just know that for me, I prefer to take my wine not in a pill form. I like it liquid.’ So the Baron got the hint and he sent a case of Baron La Fete Rothschild, a nice case of wine to Rossini.

There’s also one, a funny Rossini story. When I was going thru the documents that the Metropolitan Opera had on all the composers, I was looking at the librettos because Rossini liked to dabble in art and he liked to draw. And on these librettos, when he was in Paris or Milan where his operas were sort of being tested, before they were finalized, in the margins he would draw these little Chianti bottles, these little bottles of wine in the margins and I would see 2, 3, or some pages that had 6,7 bottles of wine.

Carolyn: So these are like the old fashioned Chianti bottles with the raffia, wrapped?

Francine: Right. That little chubby bottle. So I couldn’t figure it out for the longest time. And then finally it dawned on me. In Italian, those kinds of wine bottles are called fiasco. Meaning like in English, fiasco, a disaster. They’re made from like leftover bottles or cheaper bottles. What he was saying was not, I need a drink, but this section of this opera needs help, it’s a fiasco!

Carolyn: So that was his shorthand?

Francine: That was his little crib note in the sides.

Carolyn: The trouble spots.

Francine: And he’s got some wonderful, wonderful urban legend and true food stories about him. Including, you know, going to a restaurant and asking for a dish and then not liking how it’s prepared so asking if he could go into the kitchen and re-cook things.

And there’s one dish that’s very famous. It’s named after him, it’s called Tornados Rossini, like a tornado, that’s how it’s spelled, that’s how it’s pronounced. And the story behind that name is that he was in France and he went into the kitchen to tell these French cooks that they didn’t know what they were doing, that they needed a nice Italian hand in there and he wanted to show them how to remake his favorite combination of food, which is filet mignon, truffles and foie gras. And so he was redoing it and the chef, of course, of this 4 star restaurant is screaming I can’t stand looking at you in here! I can’t stand looking at this! What are you doing I can’t look at this anymore! And Rossini turned and said, so then, turn your back. Tornez le dos in French. Which sounded sort of thru the way that the story got evolved to tornados instead of Tornez le dos.

Carolyn: OK, so it’s really, what’s the full name of the dish?

Francine: It’s really called Tornados, mispronounced, misspelled you know, like a storm, but it’s really called Tornez le dos. Turn your back.

Carolyn: I love the way these stories evolve.

Francine: A little urban myth, a little fact. It’s a delicious dish anyway. It’s a really heavy dish when you do it as a main course. In Opera Lovers Cookbook I do it as a little appetizer so you get just a little nibble. So one little filet mignon could serve like 6 people.

Carolyn: Puccini. Each dish celebrates his exotic operas. Can we talk a little bit about that?

Francine: Well, Puccini is uber Italian. I mean he was very connected to his Tuscany, very connected to Italy. But yet he set his operas in some pretty far flung locales. I mean, he’s got Madame Butterfly in Japan, he’s got La Fanciulla in America so I did a very eclectic buffet for Puccini. So I do some fun things. Tea eggs for the MB chapter and a ginger martini, sort of a Japanesey flavors. Tea eggs are just eggs that you boil then you crack the shells so it looks all broken up and then you soak it in the fridge for a few days in tea and some spices which flavors the egg but also gives it this pretty marble look. So that’s one example of a kind of far flung kind of recipe. It’s not Italian but it’s inspired by how eclectic his locales are.

Carolyn: The other thing I love about the book is I don’t know of another art discipline, or theatric discipline that’s so connected with eating as opera. I mean there’s just so many operas where you’ve got these fantastic ballroom scenes and banquet scenes and the actions revolving around the food.

Francine:One of my favorite categories are all the wonderful drinking songs in a sense, the toasting songs. Like in Don Giovanni, there’s a wonderful what they call a champagne aria. It’s really called Fin ch'han dal vino, just this very lively, one minute aria where he’s kind of telling his servant, go get every male guest drunk at the party because I want to sleep with all the wives.

Of course Don Giovanni is just this horrible character. But it’s a funny song and it’s one of the classic drinking songs. And of course the most beautiful probably is Brindisi from La Traviata. Libiamo, just that beautiful song that I think is the essence of the Italian spirit of you know, lift you glass, rejoice. The sparkling wine, the bubbliness, the effervescence of life that is in this glass of champagne or prosecco is something to be celebrated. And all the bubbliness of Italy’s wonderful sparkling wines just goes with the rhythm of the music and just is the perfect, perfect backdrop to a wonderful song celebrating what I think is some of the best of Italy. Our wine, toasting, having fun, enjoying life, celebrating life.

Carolyn: When Francine was a little girl, her Grandmother’s cooking rituals brought opera to life.

Francine: My grandmother would really cook to different arias. She’d pull out a certain one and so really felt like it was part of the recipe. Grandma’s got to go get this particular album, puts it on, puts it in a certain place. OK, now it’s the time to stir the risotto because this section’s going to last for whatever, 15, 17 minutes that she needs to make risotto. When she was going to cut onions, she go take out Madam Butterfly for the suicide aria and she says, I’m going to cry, I might as well have a good reason. And you can kind of hear the heart-wrenchingness of it, without hitting you on the head. It was just a wonderful music lesson to show the emotions that are in it, the fun of it, you know, when something is bubbling and boiling she’d put on something else very lively. So I think that cooking to opera can be a lot of fun and a great way to introduce it to yourself or to kids.

Carolyn: You know what’s wonderful about that? It makes opera approachable. This is something that you use while you’re doing your everyday things like cooking, opera is your accompaniment to that. As opposed to opera being some sort of rarified event that’s very formal and very separate from the rest of your life. This is like, no, it’s in my kitchen!

Francine: That’s a great point and why I like sharing with everyone that Rossini knew people needed a break. I do think it’s become something so fu-fu, high brow that we forget that this was supposed to be an entertainment form. This was fun, it’s OK to take it in snippets, you don’t have to sit with your hands folded in your lap. You can have a little bit. You can have more and you can take it when you like and that’s why I love the fact that CDs are now so great. You can have a little bit of it, and I also love that it’s in movie theaters now. So you can go for a very affordable price and experience the movie in a theater setting. If you do choose to want to sit and sort of see and listen to the whole thing from beginning to end, but I think it’s OK to just pick and choose your arias. And the Metropolitan Opera in fact, even made a little CD of just an assortment of different arias. They put the label of Opera Lovers Cookbook on it, and it’s a kind of CD for entertaining.

Carolyn: No kidding!

Francine: It’s sold in their wonderful giftshop, it’s the Opera Lovers Cookbook CD. Some of my favorites, some fun ones, a whole big mix. So when you are entertaining you can have a nibble of that, little piece of that, little bite of that.

To learn more, visit francinesegan.com.

Capri - Reflections of the Island of Dreams

2009-08-29T14:42:00.002-04:00

This article also appears on our Italian Journal page.

What may be Capri's best gift: the time and desire to dream. Capri is an island that worships the senses. The sweet, slow surrender to the sun, the tropical smell of lotion, the feel of fresh cotton towels and the sharp taste of the sea's salt on your skin. Sun bursts onto the water every morning. I open the hotel's wooden shutters to the brilliant light. Craggy rocks jut out of the water's surface, their reflections splayed onto the ever-rippling blue water. I look down to see roads narrow and winding. Compact-sized buses, stifling and glittering metallic, wend their way around the Island below me. Above me, a grassy hiking trail leads to the Island peak, where a 360 degree view of shimmering water awaits. The hike soothes the brain, calms the mind, taxes the body.

This is the heady, intoxicating mixture that awakens our long dormant senses. It gave us the tale of the seductive Sirens and headstrong warriors, Jason and the Argonauts. Centuries later, the Roman Emperor Tiberius was lured to the Island and made it his summer retreat. Far from the restrictions of Roman governance and society, Capri became his hedonistic playground. Such beauty and sensuality surrounded by the sea unlocked the Emperor's fantasies and ultimately, his good judgment. Perhaps he stayed too long in the company of the Sirens.

Now, so many years later, Capri retains this magic. You understand why Jason had to be tied to a mast to resist the call to leave his ship. I was not, so I could not. I dive headlong into the luscious decadence of sea, sand, and sweat. I surrender to the pleasures, at once earthy and ethereal. Where does this strong, almost magnetic pull come from? Perhaps from wearing as little as possible because of the heat. Perhaps from sensing the chance to live another way, to be a character in another life. Jason didn't know what he was missing. It ultimately killed Tiberius.

In a profound way, we are forced to acknowledge our separation from our usual lives and our connection to Nature. There is more of It than of us; no avoiding it. We are small and profoundly lucky at the same time. Maybe it's this mixture of opposites, these contradictions that blend inside of us and close us off to our usual states of stress and hurry. We surrender. We have no choice; do with us what you will. Capri obliges. It's ready to insinuate itself into our blood and our minds with its hypnotic beauty and heat. In a short time, our interior walls and protective barriers crumble, and we have no desire to rebuild them. At last, permission is granted to feel the breezes blow, the waters soothe, the sun caress. We are changed. It is glorious.

May Day in Siena - Part 3

2009-08-18T17:13:00.000-04:00

This article also appears on our Italian Journal page.

Yes, breakfast was included in this wonderful sleep-over that Gabriele had arranged for us. It was set up in the dining room downstairs. We must have overslept because as we made our way up the hallway to the stairs, we saw that all the other guest rooms were emptied. The doors were open and Max’s hardworking mother was laboring away. Stripping the beds, opening windows, vacuuming, all in her measured, my-arthritis-is-acting-up sort of way. It slowed her down, but it didn’t stop her.

Max waited for us at the dining room table, complete with our place settings, a pot of espresso and a large plate with mounds of biscotti and fresh pastries. It seems Max’s Mom made these this morning, before she started cleaning the guest rooms. We had a few hours to kill before we were to meet Gabriele, so we settled in for a leisurely breakfast with Max.

Max seemed to be in his 30’s, attractive, lithe, with dark hair and those deep Italian eyes. The three of us talked about a wide range of subjects: Italy, America, working parents, children, cooking, Siena, girlfriends (he didn’t have one) and on and on. After about an hour, Max’s Mom emerged from the kitchen with a big smile and another plate of just baked pastries (we had pretty much decimated the first plate). That’s when we realized she had made these fluffy goodies and hadn’t just picked them up at the bakery. We feigned protest, but probably weren’t too convincing. After all, she’d already made them. We couldn’t let them go to waste. She walked slowly back to her chores upstairs and we continued to eat and pass the time with Max. We couldn’t help noticing that young, healthy Max was doing nothing while his mother did everything.

At one point, I went upstairs to use the bathroom. I was too paranoid to lock the door, so I just closed it and hoped for the best. As I was making my way downstairs again, Max’s Mom was walking a few steps ahead of me. Remember the slow, painful movements of this woman? There she was, singing a little tune and bounding (yes, bounding) down the stairs like she was 20. I was happy she was happy but still, what was going on?

I rejoined Lana and Max at the table where we hung out until we had to leave. There was quite a scene saying goodbye. Not so much Max, but his Mom didn’t want to see us go. She hugged us both so tightly we were getting confused. It wasn’t until we were walking over to the café to meet Gabriele that we put the morning’s events together. It seemed to us that Max’s Mom was probably like every other Italian mother we’d ever known or heard about: she wanted a wife for her son. She had morphed from cripple to singing athlete once she decided that at least one of us must have been interested in her handsome, available Max. Why else would we have spent so much time with him at breakfast? To Max’s Mom, he was the catch of a lifetime! What young woman wouldn’t want to hook up with Max and cook all his meals, do his laundry, clean up after him and then give Mom a hand cleaning the guest bedrooms, the bathroom, dusting, vacuuming, straightening? Ah, to two single American women it all seemed like such a mad whirl of delights! Really, we couldn’t walk to the café fast enough.

May Day in Siena - Part 2

2009-08-18T17:11:00.000-04:00

This article also appears on our Italian Journal page.

After much shopping, eating, drinking and walking, it was well into the night and time to return to Acqua Calde. We got ourselves a cab at the taxi stand and started down the road. The driver spoke only Italian and seemed to be in a really sour mood. We, in all of our excitement of the day, had neglected to get the address of where we were staying or even the name of the establishment (did it have one? We had no idea). But we were confident that we would recognize the side street we needed when we saw it, and tried in vain to convince the driver of this. I say in vain because he became irate, complete with gestures, yelling and red face (as much as we could tell in the dark). We even showed him our money, in case he thought we weren’t going to pay him. We honestly couldn’t understand his anger, but we literally didn’t speak each other’s language. After much fretting and histrionics on all of our parts, he abruptly pulled over and refused to take us further.

To give you the sense of this moment, it was near midnight, pitch dark, a single lane road with tall grass on either side, no street lights, very little traffic, no houses, no businesses, nothing. We paid the driver (we were nothing if not honest) and started to walk the rest of the way to that side street we saw in our heads. All the way there, we tried to make sense of what had just happened.

We walked quite a while, but we finally got there. It was such a relief when we turned that corner and saw the little house. We walked through the front gate and tried to open the door, but it was locked. Oh no; we were never given a key! Just as we were sizing up the garden as a place to crash until morning, the door opened. Suddenly, we were staring at Max’s parents sitting on the couch in their living room, watching TV. Obviously not expecting visitors, Max’s mother had her hair up in curlers. Oh Lord, we used the wrong door! We backed up, apologizing profusely, out into the night.

We then found the correct door, dragged our tired selves up the steep, wide stairs, and went to our room.

I needed a bath. Leaving Lana relaxing on the bed (beside the non-working stereo, there was no other furniture), I took our bathroom key and headed out the door. The bathroom was down the hall, shared by all guests on our floor. Since it was very late at night, all the other guests were asleep, all the doors on either side of the long hallway locked up tight. So the bathroom was mine for the foreseeable future.

It was spacious with a large, sunken bathtub. The floors and walls were done in deep green marble tiles. It looks amazing but in my opinion, water and marble are a very dangerous mix. Instinctively, you try to create traction by putting a towel down on the floor as you stand by the sink or get out of the tub. But one quick move turns the towel into a runaway flying carpet. You grab hold of the nearest stable object to stop your momentum. Maybe it’s the sink. Or the slippery edge of the tub. Or the towel rack. Anything to keep from hurtling into to that luscious Italian marble you were cooing over just moments before. Now you’re wondering what you’ll scream as you skid across the floor. “May Day” perhaps?

Somehow, I made it out of the tub and got dressed without killing myself. I felt relaxed, refreshed and oh so ready for a good night’s sleep. All that stood between me and sleep was the locked bathroom door. So I gathered all my things and slipped my medieval-looking skeleton key into to the lock and turned. The lock made the noise, but nothing else happened. The knob didn’t turn. The door didn’t open. No problem, I’ll try again. So I did. Many, many times. Turn, clank, nothing. This went on and on. I wondered if I’d have to spend the night in the bathroom. My options weren’t pretty. I could try to sleep on the bruise-inducing marble floor or in the bruise-inducing bathtub. Then there’s the humiliation factor when the lucky stranger opens the door in the morning and finds me staring up at them.

At this point you’re probably wondering, what’s Lana doing? Well, keep in mind that the bathroom is all tile and porcelain, and the hallway is all wood, no rug. So the sound of the key incessantly turning in the lock is resounding all the way down the hall to our room. Lana is sitting on the bed, head in hand, crying from laughter. It’s not like she could help me. We had only one bathroom key between us. I was on my own. She was flirting with a hernia.

Eventually, the lock gave in and I won. Turn, clank, open. Remember how relaxed I felt after the bath? Forget it now. I was some combination of overtired, stressed, relieved and dumbfounded. I made it to bed and fell asleep just in time for breakfast.

May Day in Siena - Part 1

2009-08-18T17:08:00.000-04:00

This article also appears on our Italian Journal page.

Let’s pick up this story at Il Querceto, a villa in Castellina in Chianti, during the last week of April, 1998. Laura, the owner, was an energetic woman who seemed to do the work of 3 people. She had already informed my friend Lana and me that due to the upcoming May Day holiday weekend, we would have to find other accommodations for the upcoming Friday night. This meant we’d have to pack up everything & vacate the villa Friday afternoon. However, we were welcome to return to the villa on Saturday & stay for another week (which we did; who says “no” to that?). No problem, we thought. Lana & I prided ourselves on traveling without compass or reservations. How hard could it be to find a place for one night? We had just landed in this cozy spot for another 7 days. Surely the gods are with us. Sometime over the next few days, I mentioned this situation to our Italian friend, Gabriele. He said he would find a place for us. Fine, we thought. Let’s go shopping!

As we flitted around Tuscany, we heard bits & pieces about this May Day thing. It seemed every Italian would take 3 or 4 days away, as this year it fell on a Friday. Hotels had been booked for months. We saw TV predictions of bumper-to-bumper traffic from everywhere in Italy on the way to everywhere else in Italy. Keep in mind that neither one of us had ever heard of May Day before, except as something you screamed if you were having a military emergency.

We didn’t hear back from Gabriele for several days. Lana & I discussed our options. We seemed to have only one: worst case scenario, we find some public place and/or a bench and stay up all night, returning to Querceto the next day. We’d take only a backpack each for easy transport, as Laura allowed us to keep our other luggage in one of her storage areas for the night. Thursday afternoon flowed into Thursday evening when our phone finally rang. It was Gabriele, telling us that he had found us “the last room in Siena.” Located through the ever-powerful Italian social network, one room of a rental property in Acqua Calde, just outside of Siena, remained unrented for Friday night. Gabriele would drive us there. This could work.

We piled into Gabriele’s car Friday afternoon and set off for Acqua Calde. Many winding roads later, we made a right turn onto a side street and pulled over. Walking through the gate to the front door, it suited Lana & I just fine. Quiet, surrounded by a green field and trees, we were welcomed by a large, enthusiastic Labrador. The front door opened and Gabriele did all the talking (in Italian, of course). We were introduced t0 Max, a late 20-ish, handsome and (we would later learn) single man who lived on the property with his parents. We met his mother who was very sweet but seemed to be just on the edge of physical pain. Every move she made was slow and deliberate, as if specifically calculated to avoid discomfort. Her smile was wide and warm, but we could see the pain in her eyes.

Meanwhile, Gabriele was wheeling and dealing. For all of us to hear, he confirmed the price of the room and how it would be paid (in cash). Max brought us all upstairs to see the room. The hallway was wide and our double room was at the far end. I was so happy to see a stereo set up at the foot of the bed. “Great! We’ll have music!” I said. Gabriele, smarter than I about Italian accommodations, turned to Max and said “Funziona?” (“Does it work?”) Max sheepishly replied, “No.”

The deal was made and as it was the middle of the day, Gabriele offered to drive us to Siena on his way back to Poggibonsi. That sounded great to us. After agreeing to meet the next day near a café by the rental property to bring us back to Castellina, he dropped us off and we were let loose in Siena.

Musings on Italian shoes, Siena and a linquistic cautionary tale...

2009-07-31T19:12:00.003-04:00

This article also appears on our Italian Journal page.

There was the time my friend Lena and I went to Siena. We walked all over that beautiful city, tracing the circular patterns of its narrow stone streets for hours. We marveled over how we were doing this in Italian shoes purchased only the day before...and neither one of us wearing socks. My shoes were medium heeled, black suede, square toe, adorned with silver and black metal shapes across the upper. Hers were low heeled, black suede loafers that were crafted so stylishly they made you forget that penny loafers ever existed. After hours of walking on stone surfaces, our feet still felt like they were encased in clouds. No blisters, bleeding or painful stepping. This, we decided, is why Italian women are always wearing beautiful shoes no matter what they're doing. Because they can. Because they are always comfortable. They have no reason to reach for shlubby sneakers ever. (Just to clarify, this was the mid 1990's, well before the stylish sneakers we now enjoy were available. But even now, the Italian ones look and feel better). This theory was reinforced later in the trip when we drove past an elderly, rather stout Italian woman walking up a hill in a pair of black pumps with narry a trace of discomfort on her serene face. This woman was walking up a hill in heels, and she was happy about it. Surely Italian shoemaking secrets can help bring about world peace.

But back to Siena. At this point, we had finished a wonderful dinner in one of the restaurants in il campo, the main piazza. We were trying to find our way back to the parking garage to get our car. I say "trying" because it wasn't easy. As I mentioned earlier, the streets of Siena are built in a kind of circular fashion. This leads to all kinds of interesting paths, whether you're trying to make sense out of a street sign or the directions a kind soul has just given you in rapid fire Italian, complete with at least 3 options to get to your destination. To give you an idea of what we were up against with the street signs, at one point we raised our weary eyes to a big sign screaming "Parking Garage" (Yes! in English!). We thought we were saved; all we had to do was follow the arrow. Make that 2 arrows. Each pointing in an opposite direction. Oh, the joys of circles.

By this time, the streets were dark and the stores were closed. Most of them had metal grates pulled across the windows so we couldn't see what they were selling. We kept walking and asking and reading and yawning and sitting. It was during one of these sit-downs that we read the sign over the store next to us that read "Morbidi". (Please keep in mind that this was only our first or second trip to Italy, so we knew very little Italian between us. I was still making the rookie mistake of thinking that if an Italian word sounded like an English word, it must mean the same thing). Morbidi? Morbid? What kind of a store is that? What on earth are they selling? Caskets? Cemetary supplies? Ewwww.

The following day we got ourselves an Italian-English dictionary because we had to figure out what that store was selling. We found morbido, the singular version of morbidi. It means "tender, soft". The store was probably selling lingerie, jewelry or any number of adorable things. Not caskets. We looked at each other in horror and then burst out laughing. We spent many happy hours since then singing "Love Me Morbidi" to the tune of "Love Me Tender". So it wasn't a total loss.

Click here to view selections from Carolyn's Photograhic Collection "Italy Through The Eyes Of Love"

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How Did All This Italy Stuff Get Started, Anyway?

2009-07-31T18:31:00.000-04:00

This article also appears on our Italian Journal page.

My first trip to Italy was in 1995, for 2 glorious weeks in October. It was a trip of several firsts for me: first vacation with a girlfriend, first villa rental, first overseas car rental and of course, my maiden voyage to the land of half of my ancestors (the land of the other half, Sweden, would have to wait).

It was perfect timing for Lena (not her real name) and I. Each of us had finished with a marriage and freed ourselves from romantic entanglements for the time being. Each of us had migrated to California from our East Coast origins. Although we had moved for our own personal reasons and at separate times (we had only met a year or two beforehand), we found ourselves sharing some very similar life experiences and open-ended, who-knows-what's-going-to-happen-to-us-from-here future uncertainties. So, it was the perfect time for a vacation.

Fast forward to a gloomy, gray and damp-cold winter day. If you were a fly on the living room ceiling, you'd look down and see the San Francisco Chronicle Travel Classified Section spread out on the floor. Next to that, a world atlas (because we weren't sure where a lot of the places we were reading about actually were). Interspersed among the papers, you'd see glasses of red wine constantly moving from hand to mouth to floor to hand to mouth as two women study the information laid out before them with all the intensity of the Normandy invasion. From your vantage point on the ceiling, you'd hear "Fiji! Let's go to Fiji!" "Yeah! Where is Fiji?" "I don't know; I'm checking the atlas! I don't know where to start; doesn't this atlas have an index?" and on and on.

We almost decided on Fiji, until I saw an unassuming little ad that said something like "Rent a Villa in Tuscany". It sounded right to me. It sounded right to her. Although she'd already been to Italy and had some idea of what we'd be in for, I had no idea whatsoever. Looking back, we were happy at that moment with our decision, but there was no fanfare, no instantly recognizeable bolt of universal confirmation. Instead, it just sort of snuck up on us. It just seemed like a good idea at the time. I didn't have a clue as to how it would alter my life.

So much has changed since then. After several trips to Italy and some astonishing life experiences, Lena and I lost contact a few years ago. As for me, Italy has continued to beckon and I have answered as often as I could. I've traveled throughout the country, taken classes in language and dance, planned many a foreigner's wedding in Italy (Italians don't need to hire a wedding planner; they've got mothers and grandmothers and aunts and cousins), attended conferences, concerts, birthday parties, lost my way down dark narrow streets and found myself in places I never knew existed.

Click here to view selections from Carolyn's Photograhic Collection "Italy Through The Eyes Of Love"

The Chants of Southern Italy Come to the Mehanata Club, NYC

2009-06-13T18:05:00.016-04:00

This article also appears on our Italian Journal page.

On June 11, 2009, The Mehanata Club on Ludlow Street reverberated with the rituals, chants and work songs of ancient Southern Italy. I Giulliari di Piazza, a music and dance troupe dedicated to the preservation and rejuvenation of the healing drumming tradition to cure the mythical bite of the tarantula, worked its magic on the enthusiastic crowd. Alessandra Belloni’s clear, bell-toned singing voice soared as she whirled, danced and played various frame drums, at often astonishing speeds.
John T. LaBarbera, co-founder of I Giulliari and Belloni’s musical collaborator for some thirty years, brought his profound understanding of the passionate rhythms to the fore. On both guitar and mandolin, LaBarbera’s articulation expanded the ancient melodies and made them accessible to contemporary listeners.

Joe Deninzon, known as the Jimi Hendrix of the electric violin, played at a sometimes dizzying pace while whirling on his back on the dance floor.

Along with Belloni, Vinnie Scialla played percussion and his driving, relentless beats laid the perfect rhythmic backdrop for the ensemble.

Antonio Fini, the fire dancer in Belloni’s show, Techno Tarantella, danced many of the pieces with Belloni, with audience members or alone. A member of the Martha Graham Dance Company, Fini performed with an almost fearless quality of blending choreography from ancient times to the Renaissance to Modern.

Audience participation was the watchword for the show, and many of us couldn’t resist the siren call of the spider dance. Despite the venue’s small size and the rising temperature on the dance floor, the audience improvised its own dance steps and joined in the exhilaration. At the end of a raucous Tarantella Pizzica and Belloni’s announcement that the show was over, the audience chanted, “One More Song!” until she gave in.

To learn more about Alessandra Belloni, listen to our Podcasts with her or read the podcast transcripts on our Italian Journal page.

To learn more about John T. LaBarbera, listen to all 3 of our Podcasts with him or read the podcast transcripts on our Italian Journal page.