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.
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.
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.”
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.
“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.
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:
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.
I'm a professional photographer and travel writer totally smitten with Italy. Together with my best friend, Jefferson Harman, we've created a website, www.essenceofitaly.net, that reflects our obsession. This blog is a collection of verbal snapshots of my Italian travel experiences.
