Filo - Brixen - Volume 21 - Winter 2019 -

FILÃ’

Gresta-4-10-qxp_STEPS Template 4.dat 12/18/2019 4:22 PM Page 1

A Journal for Tyrolean Americans Volume 21

Gresta-4-10-qxp_STEPS Template 4.dat 12/18/2019 4:22 PM Page 2

THE

NEXTGENBANK

powered by us, shaped by you

Flexible and advanced software modules that can easily be added and integrated into the bank environment, so you can start creating your own cutting edge service platform and shape the ideal bank of the future, today.

Innovative tools for a continuous channel performance optimization: in your hands is the power to enhance omnichannel and cross-channel service quality, to control and reduce operational costs, and to offer a tangible new banking experience.

Unique, immediate and tailored for each customer.

www.aurigaspa.com

2

Gresta-4-10-qxp_STEPS Template 4.dat 12/18/2019 4:22 PM Page 3

An Introduction . . .

The Filò is to be published and distributed on a quarterly basis and is targeted to the children of our immigrant parents. The Filò (pronounced fee-lò) was the daily gathering in the stables of the Trentino where the villagers met and socialized. The intent is to provide a summary of our culture, history, and customs in plain English to inform and provide you with the background of your roots and ancestry.. If you wish to contact us, call Lou Brunelli at 914-402-5248. Attention: Your help is needed to expand our outreach to fellow Tyrolean Americans. Help us identify them, be they your children, relatives or acquaintances. Go to filo.tiroles.com and register on line to receive the magazine free of charge. You may also send your data to Filò Magazine, PO Box 90, Crompond, NY 10517 or fax them to 914-734-9644 or submit them by email to filo.tiroles@att.net.

Front cover: Duomo of Brixen

Today the signage in the South Tyrol is displayed both in German and Italian e.g. Bozen/Bolzano; Sudtirol/Alto Adige.

We choose to use the original and historical Bozen and Sudtirol or South Tyrol instead of the Napoleonic: Alto Adige.

3

B

Gresta-4-10-qxp_STEPS Template 4.dat 12/18/2019 4:22 PM Page 4

Intro to the City of Brixen Several times a year, I find myself driving down from Munich, through Bavaria into the Austrian Tyrol and just below Innsbruck, pass through the Brenner Pass, the portal to the historic Sudtirol. One proceeds on the Brennero Autostrada through passages and openings of high mountains punctuated by castles and some tiny villages with their onion shaped or pointed steeples…one passes signs for Sterzing (Vitipeno)…all the signs are both in

strudel made with puffed pastry. It was the best pastry I ever had. The sights, the sounds…and finally the taste of city made me declare Brixen my favorite city in the whole Saben Abbey Tyrol!!! Quite north and remote, Brixen had a significant historical role and function in the history of Europe. Brixen is the third largest city and oldest town in the Sudtirol, and the artistic and cultural capital of the valley. It is located at the confluence of the Eisack and Rienz rivers, 40 kilometres (25 mi) north of Bolzano and 45 kilometers (28 mi) south of the Brenner Pass, which is now the ItalyAustrian border. It is flanked on the eastern side by the Plose Mountains that include several peaks: Telegraph (Monte Telegrafo) mountains (2,504 m) and on the western side by the Königsanger (Monte Pascolo) (2,436 m) mountain.

German and Italian…28 miles to the south, one sees on the left Brixen (Bressanone) with its two bell towers in its epicenter location and as prominent as was once the Empire State in Manhattan. In 1969, on my honey moon, I was traveling north to Amsterdam to return to the USA and literally stumbled on to Brixen and found myself in a microcosm of the historical Tyrol. Fascinated, I walked around Brixen, heard German, Italian and Ladin in the streets, bumped into a gathering of Schutzen with their historical Tyrolean folk uniforms, walked the arcaded streets and saw the shop and store signs in German and Italian. I entered the Cathedral…an apotheosis of the historical Tyrolean Catholic culture, was overwhelmed with its appointments: marble altars, three organs, frescoes and graves of the past Prince Bishops…I went outside to visit its extraordinary cloister replete with so many images, the Diocesan museum, the cemetery and Baptistery. Finally, I bought myself a piece of apple

Hofburg-Bishop’s Palace

The area of Brixen has been settled since the Upper Paleolithic (8th millennium BC) while other settlements from the late Stone Age have been found and in 15 BC, it was conquered by the Romans, who had their main settlement in the nearby Säben (Sabiona). They held it until around 590, when it was occupied by the Bavarians, union of various Germanic tribes mentioned by Julius In 1004, it became the Principato of Brixen along with the juxtaposed Principato of Trento. A principato was more than just a Bishopric. It was a temporal territoriality with a Bishop serving as its temporal ruler and governor.

It was part of the Holy Roman Empire that was neither holy nor Roman and truly a competitive counterpoint to the Eastern Church.

Aerial view of Brixen

4

Abbey of Novacella

Gresta-4-10-qxp_STEPS Template 4.dat 12/18/2019 4:22 PM Page 5

It was a political construct to legitimize and authorize the territories of the European potentates in the fashion of the papal endorsement of Charlemagne in 800 on Christmas day.

Hence, these two Principati were quite significant since they were situated just below the Brenner Pass and safeguarded the route to reach the pope to solidify their stokehold. The Prince Bishops did their work with the Lords of the Tyrol who handled the temporal matters.

municipal area. It is probably best known for its Christmas market , which every year brings many tourists to visit the city. Its Christmas market has been emulated and copied throughout the Tyrol and the Trentino.

The Duomo dedicated to Santa Maria Assunta with its tall conspicuous bell towers is the pivotal structure of the city and its culture. It stands out like an Empire State Brixen is the perfect combination between the charm of Building or Eiffel Towner. Burnt and rebuilt over the the oldest city of Tyrol with its picturesque alleys and its centuries, it is a magnificent baroque structure, the most historic center full of life, the romantic villages that sur- appropriate art form of the Tyrol, replete with frescoes, round it and the captivating Plose Mountain. Today marble altars, three baroque organs and a large fresco on Brixen with its 21,000 inhabitants and is one of the its main nave or vault painted by the fame Tyrolean artist biggest communities in South Tyrol (after Paul Troger. As part of the Duomo complex is its attracBolzano/Bozen and Merano/Meran). According to the tive piazza and its baptistery. The attached cloister is census of 2011, 73% of the inhabitants speak German replete with frescoes that served as “the bible of the as their mother language, 26% speak Italian and 1% poor” with its biblical and theological imagery.

Juxtaposed is the Diocesan Museum has a collection of speak an old Roman language, Ladin. artworks including a crèche with 5000 figures created for A town of culture and gatherings, Brixen attracts many Bishop Franz Lodron. It should be noted that the wood visitors every year. The romantic old town with its mag- craft of the Tyrol miniaturized crèche figures, endorsed nificent cathedral and the unique square in front of it, by the Council of Trent and used by the Jesuits in the the protected large-scale historic centre dating back to evangelization activities with their American missions. the Middle Ages, the porticos and lanes decorated with merlons, museum treasures, craft tradition and archaeo- In proximity is the Hofburg, a Renaissance structure that served as the seats of governance by the Prince Bishops logical exhibits.

The Pharmacy Museum (Pharmaziemuseum Brixen), Brixen attracts many tourists is due to the nearby ski located in a nearly 500-year-old townhouse, shows the slopes of the Plose. It is also known for sledding, cross- development and changes of the local pharmacy. Brixen country skiing and snowshoeing that can be done in its is a must see and must experience for our readers.

5

B

Gresta-4-10-qxp_STEPS Template 4.dat 12/18/2019 4:22 PM Page 6

The Principato of Brixen

Brixen was a Principato…period! It is useful for our readers to better understand the nomenclature “principato”. It is often translated as a “bishopric” which is synomous with a diocesis of a bishop. But the principato was another universe…It was a territorality, a self standing independent political and juridical state with its own governance, administration, coinage, taxes, services and its own “army” or protectors referred to as the Principato’s “avvocati” or advocates…specifically the Lords of the Tyrol. The realm or the dominion of the historical Tryolean Principato endured for 800 consecutive years years…800 under German or Austrian sovereignty while Italy was not yet a nation and did not begin to be a until nation now is 1861.What Southern Italy was the “Kingdom of the Two Sicilies” while the middle of the penisula was controlled by the Popes and the Northern part had a hodge podge of territorialities that included the Principato of Brixen and the Principato of Trento.

Historically, the Diocese of Brixen is the continuation of that of Säben Abbey near Klausen, which, according to legend, was founded about 350 as Sabiona by Saint Cassian of Imola. As early as the 3rd century, Christianity had penetrated Sabiona, at that time a Roman custom station of considerable commercial importance. Brixen was part of the Holy Roman Empire. The Holy Roman Empire (962 AD - 1806), was an agglomeration of territories of central and western Europe born in the high Middle Ages and existed for about a millennium. It took the name "Roman Empire" from being considered a continuation of the Western Roman Empire and therefore a universal power, while the adjective "sacred", which opposed it to the pagan empire of the first three centuries, emphasized that the rebirth of imperial power was to be considered desired

by God and for this reason the power to crown the emporer was attributed to the pope, at least until the Reformation. The Church endorsed this arrangement of

a “holy” and “Roman” (it was neither holy nor Roman nor a real empire) empire since it was also a counterpoint to the schismatic and powerful Church of the East. Bishop Hartwig (1020–39) raised Brixen to the rank of a city, and surrounded it with fortifications. In 1179 Frederick I Barbarossa conferred on the bishop the title and dignity of a “Prince” of the Holy Roman Empire. This accounts for the fact that during the difficulties between the Papacy and the Empire, the Bishops of Brixen like the neighbouring Trent bishops generally took the part of the emperors.

The two contiguous Principati of Brixen and Trento assured the Emperor of the loyalty of the South Tyrol areas, close to the Alps and the gateway to the Italian penisula thus providing the certainty of Germanic armies to travel freely on the Italian penisula and maintain access to the papacy. Thus situated on the strategic area between the south of Germany and northern Italy, in 1363 it formed a solid alliance with the neighboring county of Tyrol and enjoyed the protection of the Habsburg house of Austria in the imperial diets. Thus situated, it rendered a symbolic homage to dependence and vassalage for the protection it would have had in the event of wars.

6

Hofburg-Prince Bishop’s Palace

Gresta-4-10-qxp_STEPS Template 4.dat 12/18/2019 4:22 PM Page 7

difficult to depict what was the effect of the Principati on the life style of the ordinary people in their traditional villages of their respective valleys. Since the Filo` is a work in progress, efforts will be made to discover some features of their live Church of Santa Giustina, Balbido, Val delle Giudicarie. Sponsored by style and culture. The Bishop Antonio Crosina insurrection of the Tyrol against the invading Napoleonic forces reveals in the person of Andreas Hofer, its leader and icon, three descriptors of the persona of our people. They include an allegiance to its governing bodies (Principato and the subsequent Empire), its adherence to its Tyrolean identity and its strong tie and bond to Roman Catholicism… possibly revealing some aspects of our community since who we are is indeed who we were!!!

Among the rulers of Brixen there were six cardinals , including Nicola Cusano ( 1401 - 1464 ), Bernardo Clesio ( 1485 - 1539 ) and Cristoforo Madruzzo (1512- 1578 )… .and the Prince Bishop Antonio Crosina c.1100 whose family and descendants, lived in the village of Balbido of the Val delle Giudicarie, were my very own family’s neighbors in the villages of Rango and Cavaione…For centuries, the Crosina family created a tradition of community service and generous philantrophy. Prince Bishop Crosina personally sponsored the construction of Church of Santa Giustina in Balbido while in that same tradition of generosity…and possibly with the inexorable manuvering of Providence, yet another Crosina continued this tradition intervening to rescue the Filo` and since 2012 supported its production and distribution to our Tyrolean American community with its possibly 14,000 Filo` readers scattered throughout the USA and Canada. Giorgio Crosina, a paesano of mine, a fellow Bleggiano, then the CEO of Phoenix Informatica Bancaria embraced the Filo`… embraced us and gave us the gift of the Filo!!! We celebrate the Principato, the Crosina Prince Bishop…and the Crosina family of today!!!! Thank you, Giorgio!

The small state of Brixen bordered on the principality of Trento , the Republic of Venice and the Duchy of Carinthia. The language, mentality and customs were Tyrolean Germans - Italian Ladin . The form of state was of a theocratic type, ruled by a Prince Bishops while its government was aristocratic . The bishop prince was the head of state and he was its executive. He appointed a chancellor and all public officials, presided over the court council, a deliberative body. He was entitled to the treatment of “His Most Reverend Highness”. His official and habitual residence was the Hofburg of Brixen ; Castel Velturno , Castel Brunico , Casteldarne , Albes and Salorno acted instead as summer or country residences.

The bishop, a prince of equal rank to the others, therefore exercised the supreme power: it was within his powers to convene territorial Diets(a formal deliberative assembly) and exercise the right to award "safe conduct" for the Germanic sovereignties seeking to get to the Pope to endorse their governance. The principality had an army: the crossbowmen on horseback constituted the bishop's personal guard and their commander was staying in a mansion. The chief customs officer (Rollmeister), a considerable official, coordinated the border i.e. posts: among these important posts As a sovereign state, Brixen exercised the right to mint its own money from 1614 to 1779 . The following monetary types include: Kreuzer , Thaler and Ducaten of gold and silver, coined during the reigns of the prince-bishops Charles of Austria ( 1614 - 1624 ), Kaspar Ignaz von Künigl ( 1702 - 1747 ), Leopold Maria Joseph von Spaur ( 1747 - 1779 ). The mint was moved from Merano in 1477 at the behest of the Prince of Tyrol Sigismund of Austria in Hall in Tirol , at the tower of Hasegg Castle.

There are many portraits of the sovereign princes (who wore miters ) in the museum of the Brissese palace , others were depicted instead on coins and seals, up to the last owner of temporal power, fallen by Napoleon's troops .

Bressanone, like other cities of the time, was surrounded by high and mighty walls and, divided by a corridor, stood the houses, that is those that today are seen along the "major and minor bastions". It formed almost a square with ecclesiastical and governmental buildings on one side and commercial and residential buildings on the other. Around the walls, on which the bishop's guards were patrolling, there was the moat of water. Of these works, very little remains, unlike the city system, of houses, buildings, churches and three of the original four.

With time and the geopolitical changes of the Tyrol, it is

7

Prince Bishop Antonio Crosina’s Coat of Arms

W

Gresta-4-10-qxp_STEPS Template 4.dat 12/18/2019 4:22 PM Page 8

Madonna of the Ladini & Tirolesi

In German, Weissenstein means white stone (or whitewashed). In the sanctuary, in fact, there is a small statue of the alabaster Pietà found by chance, in a meadow, by a young man from the area. Pietralba is the most popular sanctuary in the Central Alps. Groups from Bavaria and Tyrol, Alto Adige, Trentino and Veneto converge there.

linked to the alleged vision of the Madonna by a peasant, Leonardo, who, caught by a fit of,, madness, would have fallen into a ravine. Here the Madonna would have assured him complete recovery if he had worked hard to have a chapel built in his honor. The farmer began to dig.

In the damp, black earth, he found a tiny statue of the Madonna, an alabaster Pietà which was then placed in the primitive chapel, and which is now inserted in a reliquary above the main altar.

The Convent of the Servants of Mary (also known as Servites) hosts, every year, Italian and German prelates who stop in this complex, at 1520 meters of altitude. Among the best known, we remember Pope John Paul I when, with the name of Albino Luciani, he was still bishop of Shrine of Pietralba Vittorio Veneto, first, and then Cardinal Patriarch of Venice. John Paul II visited Pietralba on 17 July 1988 before stopping for a few hours in Tesero and Val di Stava on the third anniversary of the disaster that caused the death of 268 people.

Until 1964, the sanctuary of Pietralba was part of the diocese of S. Vigilio. From that year it became the diocese of Bolzano-Bressanone. Among the thousands of votive tablets that hang on the walls of the sanctuary, most come from the German area.

The legend of the foundation of the sanctuary (1553) is

Shrine Interior

The wonders of that Addolorata, the alleged healings obtained in front of the Pietà made the rounds of the Alpine valleys. In 1658 the singular, "miraculous" origin of that place was confirmed. The primitive capital was completely demolished (1638) to make way for the present church (1654), consecrated in 1673 by the bishop of Trento, Sigismondo Alfonso Thun (1668-1677). Already in the mid-seventeenth century, Count Matthew Khuen, with an act written in Vienna on August 15, 1649, had ceded the sanctuary to the order of the Servants of Mary. They built the convent in 1718.

8

Gresta-4-10-qxp_STEPS Template 4.dat 12/18/2019 4:22 PM Page 9

of the two thousand convents were closed; the religious were reduced from 65 thousand to 27 thousand. On June 5, 1787 the "Commission of suppression" for the inventory of assets, reached Pietralba. He took away all the money and valuables; the buildings were put up for auction.The alabaster statuette of Our Lady of Sorrows was moved (July 13th 1787), at night, to the parish church in Laives. On July 18, eight religious and three confreres left the convent. Church and convent, sold at auction, changed hands several times. They were turned into hay, wood and straw storage. The Servants of Mary returned The Addolorata

The sacristy was built (1753) behind the choir. The great tepid fresco by Valentino Rovisi about 1753 deserves a mention. On the occasion of the second centenary of the church, the friars of Pietralba also modified the external façade, according to the baroque fashion of the time.

The sacristy was built (1753) behind the choir. The great tepid fresco by Valentino Rovisi about 1753 deserves a The Ex votis picture frames of miracles and crutches left by devoted followers

to Pietralba after 49 years, in 1836. They had to repurchase the buildings, the meadows and the forests, for a sum of 21,700 Austrian florins.

Written by Alberto Folgheraiter, journalist and author of many books regarding the Trentino which includes..Sentieri dell’Infinito-Storia dei Santuari del TrentinoAlto Adige (The Trails of the Infinite).The books explains and displays the images of the various shrines throughout the Tyrol.

A procession of pilgrims to the Shrine

mention. On the occasion of the second centenary of the church, the friars of Pietralba also modified the external façade, according to the baroque fashion of the time.

At that time the statue of the Madonna was placed in a gold monstrance, set with gems and precious stones, and placed on the high altar. Then came the suppression of the sanctuary and convent. In 1781, the Austrian emperor Joseph II had decreed the closure of those monasteries that did not practice religious teaching or hospital charity. In the territories of the Vienna crown over 700

9

P

Gresta-4-10-qxp_STEPS Template 4.dat 12/18/2019 4:22 PM Page 10

The Duomo- Bozen’s Cathedra l On your way down by car from the Brenner Pass either by the slower Nazionale road or the speady Brennero Autostrada, amidst mountains everywhere, you arrive at Brixen, the oldest and most Tyrolean city of the Sudtirol…The two tall campaniles of the Duomo…the Brixen Cathedral beckon to you to stop and visit and become immersed in a Tyrolean haven. The Cathedral of Santa Maria Assunta and San Cassiano (in German Dom Mariae Aufnahme in den Himmel and St. Kassian ), also known as the cathedral of Brixen (in German Brixner Dom ), is the main place of worship in Brixen , in South Tyrol , and cathedral of the diocese of Bozen-Brixen. .

Like so many ancient churches they are not what they were through the years but what they became. Brixen Duomo rose and fell…destroyed by fire and thereby recyled and adopting styles of the period three times over. The first trace that we have of the Duomo is placed around the tenth century however it was destroyed in 1174 , following a fire. Later on its site, the Romanesque cathedral was built over the remains of the destroyed church . It was built on a Latin cross with three naves, three apses and 2 bell towers, while under the church was the crypt. At the time of the bishop and Cardinal Nicolò Cusano ( 1450 - 1464 ) a Gothic apse was built .

However, this building too was destroyed in a fire in 1234 . In the three apses there were altars in honor of Saints Peter, Cassian and Ingenuino . They had been at the Monastery of Sabiona. The monastery of Sabiona (in German Kloster Säben ) stands on a high cliff that watches over the village of Chiusa (Klosen)in Val d'Isarco , in South Tyrol .Sabiona is the spiritual cradle of the entire Tyrol and is one of the oldest Christian monuments in the region and in the Alps. It was the bishopric of Tyrol ( diocese of Sabiona ), before it was moved to

Brixen around the year 1000.The relics of San Ingenuino were transferred from Sabiona to Brixen in 963 and those of San Cassiano in 991. This transfer of Sabiona means that what became Brixen Sabiona once was. Later, between 1745 and 1754 , it was remodeled in the Baroque style and is what is visible today. The visibility of the Baroque is not only typical to the Tyrol but idioscyncratic thereto. I remember standing in the Duomo looking up and around and having a feeling and an assurance of my Catholiciy.

Everywhere I looked, I saw saints and angels, symbols and figures all displayed in a grand and triumphant style.

The Baroque of the Duomo as well as so many churches and shrines throughout the Tyrol were the assertive counterpoint to the Protestant Reformation that rejected so many aspects and ideations of Catholicism. Andreas Hofer, the great icon and leader of the Tyrol led the insurrection against the invasion of the French into the Tyrol and beat Napoleon’s armies twice at Bergisel just below Innsbruck. He embodied a similar reaction against the irreligiosity of the French and their Enlightment.

The consecration took place in 1758 . Several architects followed in the implementation: Teodoro Benedetti of Mori , Giuseppe Delai of Bolzano , Stephan Foeger of Innsbruck , as well as the priests Franz Penz and Georg Tangl. The nine altarpieces are the works of great painters: Cignaroli , Linder, Schöpf, Troger and Unterperger . On the vaults of the main nave of the cathedral there are frescoes by Paul Troger , one of the most important baroque painters in South Tyrol.

10

Gresta-4-10-qxp_STEPS Template 4.dat 12/18/2019 4:22 PM Page 11

The Cloiser garden and the interior of the Cloister Cloister gradem & Baptistry , . .

The walls are lined with as many as 33 different types of as it depicts scenes narrated in the Holy Scriptures.

Inside the cloister can be found on the walls the tombmarble. In the cathedral there are three ancient organs.

In the altarpiece Michelangelo Unterperger depicted the stones of canons and some important ecclesiastical Transit of Mary between the Apostles and pious women authorities of the time. Since 1950 the cathedral is also a A heavenly light enters from above and angelic hosts minor basilica. For this reason the coat of arms of the soar in flight ready to accompany Mary to heaven. In the reigning Pope stands out above the main entrance. While fresco by Paul Troger above the presbytery Christ wel- the first cathedral was dedicated to Saint Peter, the curcomes Mary in heaven The grandiose fresco by Trogerin rent one is named after Mary Assumed into Heaven. The the vault of the nave (more than 250 m, with over 200 first cathedral was dedicated to Saint Peter, the current figures) allows us to look into the majesty of the sky.

Above the choir there is an angelic concert. In the left transept the diocesan patron San Cassiano is depicted as a teacher, martyr and missionary in Sabiona, the first episcopal see in the "land of the mountains". In the great fresco of the vault he too, with the holy bishops Ingenuino, Albuino and Artmanno, walked towards the sky.

The Duomo is surrounded by other religious buildings.

To the north the old cemetery there are some tombstones of deceased canons and noble families of the area. Nearby are the former bishop's palace, the Scuola one is named after Mary Assumed into Heaven. A door del Duomo (the oldest school in Tyrol, before 1000), the on the north-west corner of the cloister leads to the Chapter House , the House of the Canons and the Music ancient church of Our Lady in Ambitu , an ancient episSchool in German (Musikschule). On the southern side copal chapel rebuilt in the 13th century, which preserves, of the cathedral is the cloister, built in Romanesque style above the vault, Romanesque frescoes dating back to in the 10th century and rebuilt starting in 1174. This 1220. The southern side of the cloister leads to the cycle of frescoes is also known as the Bible of the Poor Johanneskapelle am Kreuzgang , "chapel of San Giovanni al Chiostro", the oldest court chapel of the Bishop's Palace, today the Baptistery . It has a high rectangular nave , divided into two levels, covered by a barrel vault ; the light filters through four small windows (divided into two floors).

More than my two favorite churches: the Duomo of Trento and San Zeno in Verona, the Duomo of Brixen is #1 in my book and heart. As we are the Tyrol...as we are who we were..so too the Duomo of Brixen, the epitomy of the Tyrol!!!

Interior frescoses

11

Gresta-4-10-qxp_STEPS Template 4.dat 12/18/2019 4:22 PM Page 12

Abbazia di Novacella (Neustift)

P

Abbazia di Novacella (Neustift in German) was founded by the blessed Bishop Hartmann in 1142 as an Augustinian monastery. It has represented an important cultural center evidenced by the various buildings and works of art from the Middle Ages to the Modern Era. Thanks to its monastery school it became one of the most important centre of education and art. In 1742 the monastery was the largest in the Tyrol. The Romanesque abbey church of Abbazia di Novacella was redesigned in the Baroque style. The massive Romanesque clock tower of the collegiate church as well as the triple-aisled nave were built at the end of the twelfth century. The interior of the church no longer reveals very much about the former medieval construction, but rather it has become a jewel of the TyroleanSwabian Rococo. The plasterer Anton Gigl from Innsbruck and the painter Matthäus Günther from Augsburg created an impressive, colorful space flooded with light. The frescoes in the central nave depict scenes from the life of St. Augustine, while in the lateral naves, various saints from the Augustinian order are portrayed.

The ceiling paintings unite the Romanesque nave with the somewhat raised Late Gothic choir into a harmonious whole. The Chapel of the Virgin Mary is located at the northern lateral nave. The rotunda, which was built

by Giovanbattista and Simone Delai of Bozen / Bolzano, reaches its artistic pinnacle in the dome frescoes by Ägidius Schor and Kaspar Waldmann of Innsbruck. The Abbey church was elevated to the level of basilica in 1956.

Unique at Abbazia di Novacella is the round building of Castello dell'Angelo, former hostel and defence facility.

The Gothic cloister is replete with valuable frescoes, while the well in the courtyard depicts the wonders of the world, referred to as “Well of Wonders”.To the seven wonders of the ancient world, Nikolaus Schiel added a representation of the monastery in the eighth field.

Extending to the south of the collegiate church is the cloister, from which at one time connected all of the rooms that were important to the monastery community (the chapter house, the refectory, and the dormitory). An arcade with pointed-arch openings surrounds a small inner courtyard with a well which was newly

12

constructed in 1992 and which is decorated by a statue of Blessed Bishop Hartmann by Friedrich Gurschler.

Around 1480, Friedrich Pacher painted the parable of the poor Lazarus and the rich spendthrift in the third arcade of the cloister. Even though the central scene is destroyed today, the remains that have been preserved are a testament to the great artistic ability of Pacher. And in other locations, the paintings that were whitewashed over after the plague of 1636 and were subsequently completely forgotten were damaged by the placing of gravestones. From the south side of the cloister, one enters the Monastery Museum. Its artistic treasures include numerous panels and winged altars from the Late Middle Ages, such as the St. Augustine Altar of the Master of Uttenheim, or the St. Catherine Altar of Friedrich Pacher.

The monastery library closes off the monastery courtyard to the south. The hall (1773–1780), which was designed by Giuseppe Sartori of Sacco and decorated with elegant ornamental plasterworks by Johann Mussack of Sistrans, characterizes the transition from Rococo to Classicism and is unequivocally among the most beautiful library halls in the southern area of the German-speaking world. Some forty-two bookcases with carved upper sections hold approximately 98,000 volumes. Every year, approximately fifty thousand visitors take part in the tours through the collegiate church, the cloister, the art gallery, and the famous monastery library.

The area around Abbazia di Novacella is the northernmost winegrowing region of South Tyrol with the wellknown white wines: Sylvaner, Müller Thurgau and Kerner. Written by Sandra Rafreider, Abbazia of Novacella

Gresta-4-10-qxp_STEPS Template 4.dat 12/18/2019 4:22 PM Page 13

13

T

Gresta-4-10-qxp_STEPS Template 4.dat 12/18/2019 4:22 PM Page 14

Mountains of Brixen

Brixen is close to some famous Dolomite valleys.To the south, there are the Val di Funes and Val Gardena and to the north the Val Pusteria. Proximate to the town you can observe interesting peaks and enjoy relaxing excursions.

The mountain group of the Plose is made up not only of the top of the same name and the range extends from

the Monte Telegrafo (2504 m / asl), Monte Gabler (2576 m / asl) and Monte Fana (2547 m / asl). The most famous peak is the Plose (Plose Bühel in German), 2486 m / asl, located east of Bressanone is one of the most popular destinations. The Plose name was probably derived from pasture, or steep meadow.

A cableway that starts from Sant'Andrea ascends, in just under ten minutes, to a thousand meters in altitude and reaches up to 2050 m / slm of Valcroce. La Plose is an ideal mountain for skiing, but also winter hiking with snowshoes, descending with a sled (the famous Rudirun track of almost 12 km), horse-drawn sledge tracks, etc.

In summer one can hike, mountain-bike downhill. In total there are seven ski lifts and over forty km of slopes.

The most famous descent is the Trametsch, which in nine kilometers exceeds more than 1400 meters in altitude and is considered the longest trail in South Tyrol.

From the top you can enjoy an expansive view of the

14

Dolomites for this reason the climb is justified and pleasant.

There are numerous alpine huts and refuges where you can taste the delicacies of the area’s traditional cuisine (Schüttelbrot and Kaiserschmarrn) Among the refuges we recommend the Rossalm, easily reachable on foot in less than an hour, starting from the arrival of the Plose cable car. Starting from the arrival of the Plose cable car you can also reach the Skihütte in about an hour. Both itineraries can also be covered in winter.

Comfortable walks can also be done without climbing too high. In fact, in the hamlet of Millan meets the Karlspromenade, a promenade built in 1903 in honor of Emperor Charles I, successor to Franz Joseph, was the last emperor of Austria-Hungary; in 2004 Pope John Paul II made him happy. On several occasions Charles I of Habsburg made long walks in this area and it was in this way that he decided to remember it by making this itinerary. Recently the route has been extended and an old bridge dedicated to Andreas Hofer has been rebuilt.

In this way the Karlspromenade becomes a mandatory destination for the nostalgic of the old Tyrol.

The mountains around Bressanone therefore offer interesting opportunities for everyone, from sportsmen to families. A holiday on the Plose means to immerse yourself in a healthy and exciting environment, where anyone can spend a relaxing holiday or a simple regenerating week-end. Written by Riccardo Decarli (Biblioteca della Montagna-SAT), Via Manci, Trento, Italy

Gresta-4-10-qxp_STEPS Template 4.dat 12/18/2019 4:23 PM Page 15

SudTirol’s Magnificent Mountains

15

T

Gresta-4-10-qxp_STEPS Template 4.dat 12/18/2019 4:23 PM Page 16

Brixen Legends...

The Giant Snake in the Pfleger

“Between the hill of Trum, a place described in many tales about witches, and the pastures of Moos in Velturno, there is a swampy meadow called the pond of Pfleger. Once upon a time people tell of a lake there in which lived a snake with an enormous head.

An old man of Untertrum saw it once and the traces that it left in the grass were so large as if a man had crawled through it. A lady of Hemberg is also supposed to have been surprised by this monster as she was walking from Untertrum to the pastures of Moos. The worm was as long and strong as the trunk of a tree. The same, a huge worm, was seen by Ziernfelder Much, who was going from Schlabl, above the pond of Pfleger, to Chiusa.

A

He thought there was lying a trunk when it suddenly moved and disappeared in the fields of Ried…”

The true part of the story: Long ago, on Castle Velturno there apparently existed a kind of zoo, where also snakes were kept. The name Animal Garden is still used today for a piece of land next to the castle.

People also tell you that the animals once escaped and spread fear and terror among the local population.

The Man with the Three Heads

A mysterious and awe-inspiring figure has survived the centuries on the corner of the arcades Kleine and Große Lauben. The wooden statue is thought to have been installed on the first floor of the building in the late 16th century and has been referred to as the “Black Man” ever since. Its three heads looking down at the three alleys of the Old Town are shrouded in legend: just like multiheaded Cerberus guarded the entrance to the underworld in Greek mythology, the figure continues to watch over the hustle and bustle that has always characterised this part of the town. Children used to be told that the

T

“Black Man” would spit gold coins when church bells rang on Good Friday – the irony being that bells are silenced on that day. This building used to house the “Schwarzer Adler” town inn. Wolfgang Amadeus Mozart stayed the night with his father while on his journey to Italy and may have felt the creeping shudder as well when he first saw the monstrous statue.

The Patrons of the Diocesis

he patrons of the diocese of BolzanoBressanone serve as an important mirror of the stages of the history of this land. The early Christian martyr Cassiano da Imola († 304) was venerated since the early Middle Ages as a martyr of Sabiona.

His relics were transported from the area of northern Italy to Sabiona. A medieval legend tells that he was the first bishop of Sabiona. Ingenuino († 605) was one of the first bishops of Sabiona and is to be identified as the founder of the diocese itself. Bishop Alboino († 1006) definitively transferred the episcopal see from Sabiona to Bressanone and is thus remembered as the builder of the Brissian Cathedral. He had the relics of Ingenuino transported to Bressanone with a solemn procession. The relics of Alboino were placed in the main altar of the

Cathedral in 1141 at the behest of Bishop Artmanno.

From the time of the re-foundation of the BolzanoBressanone diocese, in 1964, Vigilio da Trento († ca 400) was venerated, together with Cassiano, as patron of the diocese. Vigilius goes down in history as the apostle of the Adige Valley. History and legend meet in the cult of the patrons.

Tradition made room for patrons in the calendar and created new customs.

16

Perpared by Verena de Paoli, historian and author

G

Gresta-4-10-qxp_STEPS Template 4.dat 12/18/2019 4:23 PM Page 17

Vanillekipferl Vanilla Crescents

Popular throughout the Sudtirol, Austria, Germany, the Czech Republic, Poland, Slovakia and Hungary, these cookies are a popular favorite, especially at Christmastime.Vanillekipferl owe their meltin-your-mouth texture to the high butter content and absence of egg. They’re a shortbread cookie made with the addition of nuts and a generous dusting of vanilla sugar, which you can either buy ready made or easily make it yourself (see further below). Though popular throughout much of Europe, Vanillekipferl originated in Vienna, Austria around 400 years ago when, in celebration of a victory over the Ottoman Turks, the locals created this pastry in the shape of the crescent moon (“kipferl”) found on the Turkish banner. In the ongoing wars with the Turks, the Austrians came up with additional crescent-shaped pastries, the most famous of which eventually made its way to France: the croissant. (Yes, we owe the croissant to none other than Austria!)Traditionally Vanillekipferl are made with ground walnuts which result in a moister texture, but ground almonds or hazelnuts can also be used. Ground blanched almonds will result in a light-colored cookie whereas walnuts and hazelnuts will result in a darker, speckled cookie. They’re all delicious – choose according to your preference!

Vanillekipferl Vanilla Crescents

Preparing and baking...

Place all the ingredients in a large bowl and knead until thoroughly combined. The dough will be fairly dry and flaky. shape the dough into a log and wrap with plastic wrap. Chill in refrigerator for at least an hour. Preheat over to 350 degrees. Cut off small pieces of he dough and shape them into crescents. Place the crescents onto a parchment lined cookie sheet. Bake on the middle reack 12-15 minutes. Dust or toss in a bowl with powdered sugar.

Ingredients 2 cups all-purpose flour 1 cup unsalted butter, at room temperature About 1 cup) ground walnuts, almonds or hazelnuts 3/4 cup powdered sugar (aka confectioner sugar) Small pinch of salt The recipe calls for optionFor Dusting:1/2 cup powdered al vanilla sugar. I buy it in the Trentino every year or sugar buy it on line or just use * Add packet of vanilla sugar if vanilla extract. can find it.

Ingredients

Cream the butter & sugar

Place on cookie sheet bake at 350 for 13-15 minutes

Dust with confectioner sugar

Refrigerate for hour

...or Dust by tossing in bowl

17

Shape into crescents

Vanilla Cresccents

Gresta-4-10-qxp_STEPS Template 4.dat 12/18/2019 4:23 PM Page 18

Tyrol Club Serves for 90 Years!

A Message from the President....

We, the Tyrol Club of Solvay celebrated our 90th Anniversary this past October 2019.We thank our (forefathers) Nonni, Zii, Padri, Fratelli for starting, building and continuing preserving our heritage in Solvay NY. We started with 135 Tyrolean male members in the 1920s and today have over 500 male and female Tyrolean members showing that remembering and sustaining our nationality, heritage and family takes a community. We plan on progressing and growing for another 90 years to always remember our past in order to include the next generation. Feel free to stop by and visit us. Our club is open to our fellow Tyrolean families. .Ciao,) Thomas Antonini (Valley of origin:Val delle Giudicarie Inferiori: Village: Cimego) Club President

F

The Giovanni of Prezzo meeting in 1907, Precursor of the Tyrol Club

Brotherhood Club. Twenty nine men assembled at Bagozzi’s Hall on Milton Aveenue and they became known as the charter members of the Club. However, For emigrants of Tirol/Trentino, Solvay was the core organizers are generally credited to ten men a popular destination point due to the many who are remembered as our “Founding Fathers”. They manufacturing jobs in and around Solvay, were John Scaia (Cologna, who became our first presiwhich is located in upstate New York adjacent dent), Paul Tarolli (Castello Condino), Frank Boldrini to Syracuse. One of the primary plants was the Solvay (Prezzo), Primo Tarolli (Castello Condino), Sylvester Process chemical plant (later Allied Chemical) where Maestri (Prezzo), John Mazzocchi (Condino), Joseph soda ash was made using the process developed by the Pellizzari (Daone), Guido Mabboni (Avio), Abraham Belgian Ernest Solvay and for which our village is Tarolli (Castello Condino) and Antonio Marascalchi named. Many were involved in ‘recruiting’ Tirolesi to (Cimego). Their purpose was to create “an association Solvay, but one of note was Francesco Maestri ‘Borel’. that shall be for the advancement and the promotion of And so over several years a large community of Tirolesi the general welfare of the Tyrolean Colony only...and the grew in Solvay, most coming from the Vali di Giudicarie stimulation of brotherhood to these ends”. and from the Avio area east of Lago di Garda. They had Soon after the creation of the Club, with a global depresa common heritage and bond that we share today. We are sion going on, a group within the Brotherhood was still thankful today that they had the courage and established – the Franz Josef Society, named after the strength to emigrate here, and the forethought, creativity former ruler of the Austrian Empire. Their purpose was and common goal to create what we know as the Tyrol to provide aid to fellow Tirolesi who were sick, disabled or out of work. The Society contined until the 1970’s Club of Solvay.

Our Club was founded in October 1929, when several when it was decided it was no longer needed and of these emigrants gathered to create the Tyrol

18

Gresta-4-10-qxp_STEPS Template 4.dat 12/18/2019 4:23 PM Page 19

Monthly polenta dinners have become a staple event that routinely disbanded. The Club had been created, but its growth and strength was aided by another core of Tyrolean emi- attracts over 270 people to eat polenta and reminisce. In grants. In 1938 the Tyrolean Women’s Auxiliary was 2008, our Club hosted the ITTONA convention which formed. It was first presided over by Angie Capella and brought Tirolesi/Trentini from Trentino and clubs other officers were Margaret Maestri, Margaret Balduzzi throughout North America to Solvay in what has been and Elena Bome. They operate to this day as a vital seg- regarded as one of the most successful ITTONA conventions ever held. We have always had a strong social ment of the Club. core and have had club-sponsored dances, annual picnics, Some interesting notes about our Club: The original inisoftball, bocce, pitch & pinochle and golf for our memtiation fee to join the Club was $1.00 and annual dues bers. For the past 10 years, we have a small group that were $0.25. Many of the early meetings were held at meets regularly to continue our traditions by practicing Caminolli’s Hall where rental was $15. Mr. Bagozzi was our native dialect. Our club has become a vital member paid a fee of $1 for use of his hall. By the second meeting of the community and has generously donated to many a constitution and by-laws were adopted, which are still local organizations, youth groups, schools and library largely in effect today. English was approved for printing over the years. As our Club celebrates its 90 th anniverof the by-laws in addition to the “mother tongue”. A say, we still have a solid membership of over 500 men and password (Liberty) was required to gain admission to the women that are hard-working, dedicated and proud of Club’s facilities. When membership grew to 136, admisour heritage. It has been a remarkable continuum for 85 sion of new members was temporarily closed. By 1933, years. We have been truly blessed recipients of the legacy “Brotherhood” was dropped from our name as it was of our parents, grandparents and great grandparents who changed to the Tyrol Club of Solvay. came here before us. Written by Bob Cazzoli, Past In 1946, the land for our present club was purchased and President of the Tyrol Club the building was completed in 1949. Highlights from our history abound: The Alpine Choraliers were formed in 1964 and, under the direction of Mary Frizzi, beautifully performed our native Tirolese songs for over 24 years.

Tyrol Cub Building and facilties

Tyrol Club Band c. 1930

ITTONA convention in Solvay

19

Members in lederhosen

Gresta-4-10-qxp_STEPS Template 4.dat 12/18/2019 4:23 PM Page 20

Gresta-4-10-qxp_STEPS Template 4.dat 12/18/2019 4:23 PM Page 21

Our Lands...Let’s do a quick walk around the Tyrol, the way it evolved into sections and territorialities.

The lower purple is where almost all of our emigrants came from and was called the Welch Tyrol and now the Trentino. Above it in goldenrod is the Sudtirol also referred to as the Alto Adige (named such by Napoleon). These two areas was once the Sudtirol and were governed fo 800 years by Prince Bishops and then by the Austrian Hungarian Empire. The Brenner Pass (just above Sterzing) is the connection of Italy to Austria.

The salmon colored areas is the North and East Tirol and are part of Austria. Our people were 1000 years under Germanic sovreignty so that 97% of our USA emigrants came here with Austrian passports. As a “spoil of war, the historic Tyrol was annexd in 1918 to Italy without a plebiscite.

21

T

Gresta-4-10-qxp_STEPS Template 4.dat 12/18/2019 4:23 PM Page 22

The Sudtirol’s Folk Museum he South Tyrolean Folklore Museum in Dietenheim near Bruneck lies in the heart of the Pustertal valley. The Folklore Museum was founded in 1976 and opened in 1980 and is thus the oldest regional museum in South Tyrol.

Between 1977 and 2002 some two dozen old buildings, were carefully dismantled and rebuilt to their original

form on the museum site of over three hectares meadows. In 1985 the baroque Mair am Hof residence with its associated farm building was integrated into the existing museum. In contrast to the moved and partially reconstructed buildings on the open-air site, the Mair am Hof residence is an open-air object in situ. The museum shows the environment of the everyday life of rural population of the past – from the landed gentry and the selfsustaining peasantry to the day labourers, the different lives, living conditions and economic situations of the landed gentry, farmers, smallholders and rural craftsmen.

The centrepiece is the baroque Mair am Hof residence with its stately rooms and ethnological collections. The residence is one of the four “Maierhöfe” (old farms of Bavarian origin) still existing in the village. The village of Dietenheim was mentioned for the first time in 995 in an official document and, as historical evidence suggests, its name is related to the first Bavarian settlements in the Pustertal valley. Anton Wenzl von Sternbach bought the Mair am Hof estate. The residence was built between 1690 and 1700 by the Sternbach family, replacing an old residence. Towards the end of the 18th century the estate passed into the hands of farmers, the Mutschlechner family. The English writer and poet Mary Howitt (1799– 1888) and her family spent several summers on the Mair am Hof from the 1871. She describes their sojourns in her autobiography and writes about the residence: “[…] we were quite providentially led, in the neighbourhood of Bruneck, to an old mansion called Mayr-am-Hof, which, though evidencing a slow decline, stood up massive and grand at the farther end of the gradually ascending vil-

22

lage of Dietenheim. […] We vastly enjoyed our Robinson Crusoe life at Mayr-am-Hof, where a godly routine of prayer and labour hallowed the entire household.” In 1922 the estate passed into public ownership.

From 1925 until 1984 a domestic science and agricultural trade school was established here. The building has generally been kept in its original condition without the moveable contents. Today this grand estate recounts how the landed gentry lived and resided and is home to extensive ethnological collections of items relating to popular piety and folk art. To the highlights of the estate belongs the chapel which displays not only the builder’s wealth but also his disposition. The furnishings are by well known masters, e. g. the marble altar by Cristoforo Benedetti, the carved wooden door- and bench lions by the sculptor Michael Rasner. As we may assume, the builder of the residence ordered a cycle of paintings from the famous Tyrolean baroque painter Kaspar Waldmann. Alongside the residence’s chapel, and a permanent exhibition on popular religion, visitors can view a few examples of STUBEN, a collection of pipes, belts, traditional costumes and zithers, see old kitchen implements and, in the cellar, find out about the inventory management of a large farm.

The appendant farm building houses numerous agricultural implements and vehicles. In the farm building, the three-storey barn of the Mair am Hof, visitors can see a great many implements used in tilling the land, cattle breeding, tending meadows and old handicrafts. The plough, scythe and thresher tell of a time before tractors and combine harvesters.

Numerous vehicles, from sledges and carts to carriages, give an idea of the means of transportation and travel at that time. The workshops of the cobbler, tanner, carpenter and rake-maker are evidence of their skills, while the large, heavy cow-bells are reminders of the festive descent of the cattle from the mountain pastures.

Gresta-4-10-qxp_STEPS Template 4.dat 12/18/2019 4:23 PM Page 23

one of the early saints from the lower classes who was raised to the honour of the altars in the middle-ages.

Over twenty buildings – old farms, barns, mills, granaries, buildings for farm work and craft workshops from different valleys and villages in South Tyrol from the 15th to the 19th centuries – show how peasant families, craftsmen, smallholders and day labourers lived, worked and mastered their everyday lives. On the meadows between the houses domestic and grazing animals can be found, while the cultivated fields, scented gardens, flow. ering balcony blossoms and old fruit trees complete the that time. The workshops of the cobbler, tanner, carpen- image of the rural economy and way of life. ter and rake-maker are evidence of their skills, while the The kitchens in the old farmhouses were rather uninvitlarge, heavy cow-bells are reminders of the festive ing places. The open fire used for cooking did not heat descent of the cattle from the mountain pastures. the room sufficiently, but produced plenty of smoke and . In the farmers’ working years, the autumnal homecom- soot that formed a thick, black layer over everything. The ing from the alpine meadows stands out as a celebration farmer’s wife and the girls went about their daily business of a particular kind. For a few hours of the year bells and in poor light and with the most basic equipment, begingarlands are taken out of the trunks to decorate the ning at five o’clock in the morning. returning animals. The lead-cow wears a headgear which The newly built beehouse houses an exhibition dedicated is decorated, particularly with religious emblems. Large to apiculture and folk medicine. The wax was precious. It bells on straps, richly decorated with pretty quill embroi- was used in folk medicine as a raw material for the proderies are hung on cows and heifers. Beautiful bells were duction of ointments, pastes and patches. the pride of the farmers and furthermore, they repre- The medical care of rural population was up to the 19th sented great value, commensurate with that of the whole century in the hands of peasant doctors, barber surgeons and midwives. The exhibit includes also the dispensary herd.

The most important exhibit item in the farm building is, of the peasant doctor Sebastian Ragginer (1830–1899) without any doubt, the large threshing machine from St. from Lüsen. Peasant doctors dealt mainly with sick livePeter in the Ahrntal valley, the so-called “Drendl”. stock, the peasants’ most valuable possession, but they Earlier several of such implements existed, marvels of were sent for also in case of humans. Their knowledge rural technology which were inspired by tools used in the was based on old writings (e. g. Paracelsus) and on the observation of nature and tradition. mining industry.

Visitors can access the open-air site of the museum From the open-air site there is a view over all of Bruneck through the carefully maintained baroque garden with a with its churches, castle and the Kronplatz ski area. well by the sculptor Martin Rainer (1923–2012) from The South Tyrolean Folklore Museum in Dietenheim is Schnals. The bronze well represents the holy Notburga open from Easter Monday until 31st October. Tuesday of Rattenberg (1268-1313), servant-maids and farmer’s to Saturday: 10 am - 5 pm-Sunday and Holidays: 2 pm patron who, through a sickle miracle, saw to the obser- 6 pm in August open every day. Written by Barbara vance of the work-free eventide. The holy Notburga is Taferner, The South Tyrolean Folklore Museum

23

G

Gresta-4-10-qxp_STEPS Template 4.dat 12/18/2019 4:23 PM Page 24

Family Stories: Bondi Family

iuseppe (“Joseph”) Bondi, was born in Tyrol in 1902 in the village of Larido located in the Val di Guidicarie Esteriori in what is now the Trentino-Alto Adige region of Italy. His parents were Cornelio and Barbara Fusari Bondi. Cornelio was a teacher and Barbara was a homemaker and seamstress. They had five children: Marie, Romana, my dad Joseph, Poalina and Fiorindo.

All the children were born in Larido and were baptized at Santa Croce del Bleggio in Santa Croce. In school until the eighth grade, Dad excelled at algebra and geometry.

He also read extensively and had a talent for watercolor drawings. Between the ages of 15 and 18, he was sent to Riva on the shores of Lake Garda to learn the trade of stone mason and brick layer. There he helped repair some of the buildings and houses damaged during World War I.

In January 1921 just before his 19th birthday, Dad set out from Larido by bus to Trento with Dominic Troggio, the brother of his sister Romano’s husband, Fortunato. In Trento, they took a train to Cherbourg, France, boarded the passenger ship Adriatic and sailed to America.

Arriving at Ellis Island, they traveled by train to Chicksaw, PA and from there they walked in the snow to Fortunato Troggio’s house. Dad soon found work with Rochester & Pittsburgh (R&P) Coal Company and lived with the Calarie family in Yatesboro, PA until he met and married my mother, Anna Peresie, in 1925. They started housekeeping in Yatesboro where they had four children: Barbara, Joseph, Jr., Louis (me) and Francis. We were all born at home in R&P company house #54.

Although born in PA, my mother was also from a proud Tyrolean family who had come to make a new life in America.

Dad continued to work at R&P Coal Company in various locations where he often put his construction skills to work as a “brattice man” buildBondi Family: Barbara, Joseph, Joseph ing partitions to direct Jr.,Anna, Louis and Francis c. 1950 air flow inside the

24

mines. When he came home from a hot day at the mine, he liked to sit on the porch and drink a cold bottle of Iron City beer.

As a boy, my brother Francis liked to sneak a sip. Around 1953, he started his own masonry business helping to build among other things a grocery store and a Joseph Bondi c, 1920 small factory in Yatesboro, the Rural Valley Community Center, and several houses in the area. He built his own new brick home in Rural Valley, PA in 1957 where he lived with my mother until his death at age 76 in 1978.My dad enjoyed music and played the cornet in the Yatesboro Town Band.

On Sundays, he would go down to the basement with his copper kettle and make a batch of polenta. He had a big garden where we would all help him tend and enjoy the fresh vegetables. Each autumn, Dad, along with the other Tyrolean winemakers in town, would wait for a box car to arrive loaded with the grapes he ordered from California. Then, his wooden presses would come out and he would start the yearly process of making wine and grappa.

The family owned a share of a hunting camp in Elk County, PA with about half a dozen other local families.

My dad was an excellent hunter and usually brought home woodcock, pheasant, grouse or venison for our dinner table. He patiently trained a series of faithful hunting dogs and enjoyed the company of his hunting companions. Most of our Yatesboro neighbors were also Tyroleans who spoke the same language and knew each other’s families before coming to America. In particular, I have fond memories of visits with my Aunt Romana and Uncle Fortunato when they would join my parents in singing Tyrolean songs like Massolin di Fiori while drinking a glass of Dad’s homemade wine and maybe having some of my mother’s Torta Secca. We all enjoyed being together. Despite some hard times, we had a good family life back then. Written by Louis Bondi, son of Joseph, Ford City, PA and Andrea Bondi.

Leesburg, VA

M

Gresta-4-10-qxp_STEPS Template 4.dat 12/18/2019 4:23 PM Page 25

Family Story: Speranzina Buratti

grand-children in the U.S. were 2. Note the address on the trunk as shown in the picture still reads Austria. unaware of the selflessness and kindness of their grand-mother in helping her family until this story came to light.The story was shared with me when I connected with and personally met Sarina’s granddaughter, Delia Armanini, and her family in 2015. The family has cherished the trunk and the memory of Speranzina’s generosity and kindness to those she loved in the Old Country. The trunk still remains in Sarina’s original home where her great-granddaughter, Paola Zampiero, resides with her husband, Aldo Lever, and her three children, Stella, Elia and Linda. The story of Speranzina will be remembered and passed on to future generations. Written by Mary Kay Shelley-BrandyCamp.

PA

My great aunt, Speranzina Buratti (Catarina Speranzina Armanini), daughter of Giovanni Armanini and Erminia Delliadotti was born March 20, 1896 in Premione, a small village in the Giudicarie valley. She was one of seven children (one deceased). Her siblings Carlo (my grand-father), Thomaso, Otillia and Maria all came to America and settled in Western Pennsylvania.

Speranzina remained behind with her parents in the family home.

Her sister, Sarina, lived nearby with her husband, Francesco Armanini and their children, Arrigo Giovanni, Pietro, Giovanni (Nemo), Inez and Santa Maria. Her parents (mother: Erminia on July 7, 1918 and her father Giovanni on January 17, 1919) passed away within six months of each other and she was left alone. Upon the death of their parents Thomaso traveled back to Premione to bring Speranzino to America as he had arranged a marriage for her with his friend Augusto Buratti who had done well in his American endeavors. On July 4, 1921 Thomaso returned to America with his sister and she married Augusto October 1922. Speranzina felt very fortunate in her new life in America. Knowing the poor conditions and poverty back in Premione, she was concerned for her sister, Sarina, and her family. To help, she shipped a trunk of clothing to them. The trunk was shipped in 192The mindset of our people in that day was that they were of Austrian descent. Speranzina’s

T

An Important Read...

The people of the South Tyrol were and are our brothers and sisters. While we lived in different valleys and parts of the Tyrol, we lived in the same Empire, fought shoulder to shoulder against Napoleon and “others” who invaded our lands, spoke different dialects and even languages. After the annexation, Italy forcefully tried to Italianize the Sudtirol closing their schools, presses, their language and their culture moving vast numbers of Southern Italians into Sudtirol to politically outnumber them giving them “horrific choices” to remove them them from their historic homelands…and even forbiding them the nomenclature Tyrolean…Rolf Steininger in his book South Tyrol: A Minority conflict of the Twentieth Century details what happened in these years. The book is available on Amazon. Here is the publisher’s synopsis:

South Tyrol, a region in the heart of the Alps about half the size of Connecticut, brings into sharp focus an important part of twentieth-century history. Tyrol, a province that had been part of Austria for over 500 years and was almost totally German-speaking, was split in two after World War I and the southern part awarded to Italy as "spoils of war."

The first phase to follow after the split of Tyrol was systematic subjection by the Italian Fascists of what had been a regional majority in South Tyrol, but was now a minority within Italy. In a second phase, to gain an Italian majority, the country was settled with Italians from the south, who had a totally different mentality from the Italians residing in South Tyrol. With the emergence of National Socialism in Germany, and eventually with the HitlerMussolini Agreement of 1939, a third phase emerged: an experi-

ment in "ethnic cleansing" called the "Option." Eighty-six percent of all South Tyroleans agreed to leave South Tyrol and become citizens of "Greater Germany." After World War II, the region was not returned to Austria: South Tyrol became the first victim of the Cold War. It took almost forty years of hard bargaining before South Tyrol was granted real autonomy in 1969. This resolution is now regarded as a model for solving minority conflicts.

Rolf Steininger traces the history of this troubled region during several periods: 1918-1922, in which he covers the period from the division of Tyrol to the march on Bozen; 1922-1938, in which he reviews fascist policy towards South Tyrol; the "Option" of 1939; the resettlement and so-called reunification from 1943-1945; South Tyrol's role as a bargaining chip in the Cold War, and the GruberGasperi Agreement of 1946; and the volume closes with a discussion of the plan negotiated in 1969 for a new autonomy for South Tyrol that came to be known as the "Package.".

25

M

Gresta-4-10-qxp_STEPS Template 4.dat 12/18/2019 4:23 PM Page 26

Family Story: Malacarne Family My paternal grandparents emigrated from the Tyrol to America at the beginning of the 20th century. Much of the earliest recollections of my family come from my Uncle Guido, the youngest of five children. Today he is 95 years old and lives in rural DuBois , PA. His longevity inspired me to do research the remarkable history of the Malacarne Family. My Grandfather (nono) was born on August 24, 1889 in Sesto. He was one of four children born to Parma Rocca and Pietro Malacarne. My Nona Luigia was born in Tignerone on May 19, 1885.

She was one of eleven children born to Ignazio Benassutti and Maria Martini Benassutti. Austrian Empress Maria Theresa was a Martini family member.

So my noni had royal roots. When she married my nono, a commoner, she lost all claims to royal benefits. My grandparents homeland villages are located in the Bleggio Inferiore of the Val delle Giudicarie Esteriori, equidistant between the magnificent Brenta Dolomites and the Lake of Garda in northern Italy (once the Tyrol).At 16m my nono came to America on September 16, 1905 an Austrian passport intent to work in the coal mines of Western PA. His American passport subsequently lists him as “Austrian Italian”. He was sponsored by a wealthy person in his village. He returned to Europe on December 23, 1910. My grandmother became the “lady of the house” at age 12 due to her mother’s death giving birth to twins. Their farmette Brookville , PA (Ramsaytown) provided food for the family of seven. Chickens, two milk cows, a pig, rabbits and horses provided work and food for all. Fresh bread, cheese, cured meat, frozen meats, eggs and vegetables from several large gardens kept the family in food Staying overnight at that farm was much like “close” to home and being in Trentino . In the farmhouse dining room above the mantle was a large picture of three men: Franklin D. Roosevelt, Pope Pius XII, and John L. Lewis.

No explanation is needed! My grandmother passed away at age 90 in 1975 and my grandfather passed away at age 93 in 1983. They were remarkable Tyrolians and proud Americans! Grandma and Grandpa raised five children on that little farmstead: Palmina, Leno, Maria, Silvio (my father), and Guido. My grandfather provided for his family by working in the coal mines and doing subsistence agriculture. Since being Tyrolean and having an Italian sounding and spelling name wasn’t cool in the 1920’s and 30’s, my Uncle Leno (Art) changed Malacarne

26

to Malcarney. The other four siblings did not change the spelling of their name. Leno attended the University of Pennsylvania and the Harvard School of Business Administration, moved to New Jersey and began a career with RCA. It took him from Inspector at the Camden Plant in 1933 to a member of the RCA Board of Directors and Group Executive Vice President in 1962.

He was a valued member of David Sarnoff ’s managerial team. Uncle Guido, the youngest of the five children, attended Clarion State Teachers College and the University of Pittsburgh . He starred in baseball and football at Clarion and is enshrined in the All-Time Clarion University Sports Hall of Fame. After a short career in teaching and coaching, he joined the management team of the Penn Traffic Corporation out of Johnstown , PA. He eventually rose to CEO and President of Penn Traffic. He is retired and lives in rural DuBois , PA. My father, Silvio, was a coal miner, Penn DOT employee and owner of the Green Lantern Bar on Main Street in downtown Brookville , PA. All three males served their country during WW II. Leno served in the Air Force, Guido in the Navy, and Silvio in the Army. Aunt Polly (Palmina) and her husband owned and operated Stewart’s Market in the Highlands Shopping Center of West Kittanning, PA for many years. Aunt Mary (Maria) was married to William Kline who operated a Gulf Service Station. She was head of the Brookville Area High School cafeteria for many years.

Grandma and Grandpa had 13 grandchildren, 31 great grandchildren , and many great great grandchildren.

Lives well lived and forever respected. Written by Richard Malacarne.36 year teaching and athletic administration at Indiana Area School District , Indiana , PA.

Nono Guido Malacarne in his uniform of the Tiroler Kaiserjaeger

A

Gresta-4-10-qxp_STEPS Template 4.dat 12/18/2019 4:23 PM Page 27

Da Montebel

Alpine songs were a constant feature of our people at their evening filo’s, festive occasions, at the fontana, in their kitchens. The themes of these beloved songs embrace their mountains and valleys, their war experience, their romances. Some tell stories while other reminisce. Some are sad and prayerful for their comrades or a friend lost on the high peaks while others are joyful and fun. Alpine choral song have its distinctive sound almost as we speak of the Glen Miller sound in our American culture. The polyphonic and distinctiveness of the Alpine sound almost give you a sense and a feeling of the mountains with their peaks and valleys and winds.The song Da Montebel is fun to hear and fun to sing. I’ve come from the beautiful mountains with my horse and donkey and with an absence of further words there is a natural refrain of la la. Our emigrants sang their songs in disapora almost as if the songs with their melodies were their psalms. How many of us heard and enjoy our first emigrants at picnics, dances…or simply in their homes and communities. The esthetics of our choral music is never a O Sole Mio…It is the Alpine sound and the Alpine Hymn.

Da Montebel

Son vegnù da Montebel a cavallo a cavallo Son vegnù da Montebel a cavallo d'un asinel tra lala lalalallalalalalà chi è sta a farte sti bei rizzottoli tra la la lerila, tra la la lerila me li ha fatti la mia mammottola tra la la lerila, tra la la.

Son vegnù da Montebel a cavallo a cavallo

I have arrived from Montebel with my horse, with my horse I have arrived from Montebel with my horse, with my horse. tra lala lalalallalalalalà Who has given you these beautiful curls tra la la lerila, tra la la lerila It was my dear mommy tra la la lerila, tra la la la.

I have arrived from Montebel with my horse, with my horse

Son vegnù da Montebel a cavallo d'un asinel tra lala lalalallalalalalà chi è sta a farte sti bei brazzottoli tra la la lerila, tra la la lerila me li ha fatti la mia mammottola tra la la lerila, tra la la. tra la la lerila, tra la la la.

Son vegnù da Montebel a cavallo a cavallo

I have arrived from Montebell with my horse, with my horse. tra lala lalalallalalalalà Who has made these beautiful i tra la la lerila, tra la la lerila It was my dear mommy tra la la lerila, tra la la la. tra la la lerila, tra la la la.

I have arrived from Montebel with my horse, with my horse

Coro Plose

The Plose Choir named after the magnificent Plose mountain range proximate to Brixen. It began in 1964 when a group of young men, imbued with a historic and traditional love and passion for the music of their mountains.They had no formal training or experience. In 1965, Mario Cattoi joined the group bringing to it his musical expertise and training. For over 30 years, he used his musical skills to develop the choir’s singing and their repertoire. The choir was given the honor of singing for President of Italy Sandro Pertini in 1981 and for yet another President, Luigi Scalfaro in 1997. In 1981, they organized a consegno in Brixen involving 33 choirs. They have been hosting concernts throughout Italy and Europe in particular in Florence in 1997, in Vaasa(Finland) in 1998 and in 2000, they won the first prize in Barcelona, Spain at the competition “Europe and its Songs”. 1999, they produced the first CD “Cantare col Cuore”. They continue entertaining audiences in concerts throughout Italy and Europe. There 30 coristers and are led by Gianfranco Bogana. Use the following link to hear a rendition of Da Montebel sung by choir at a Christmas market: https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=fUtR0A-G_VI 27

T

Gresta-4-10-qxp_STEPS Template 4.dat 12/18/2019 4:23 PM Page 28

Genealogy Corner # 9

Today we’ve decided to re-run my article about using cemeteries to grow your family tree, as the formatting got all scrambled when it went to print a couple of issues ago, making it unreadable. We hope you can read it more easily this time!

Working with ‘Virtual’ Cemeteries Using ‘virtual’ cemeteries, such as Find-A-Grave (www.findagrave.com) for research has become increasingly popular in recent years. But while such websites can be helpful, they have several limitations. Their content is not provided by the cemeteries themselves, but by the users of the website, which can result in many inaccuracies. So always be sure to follow up whatever information you might find on such sites.

Most of the memorials on Find-A-Grave are in US cemeteries. I strongly encourage all you Tirolesi descendants to start entering the graves of any family members who were buried in Trentino.

Inaccuracies on Gravestones of Immigrants When personally visiting a US cemetery where your ancestors were laid to rest, it is important to bear in mind the limitations you may encounter. Cemeteries in America often lack detail, frequently having only the date of death, without any birth information. They can also be FULL of mistakes. Information on gravestones is supplied by a surviving member of the family. Back in their ‘old country’, the family would have had access to the original documents via their local parish priest. But without that historic connection, the family will often mishear, misunderstand or mix up places, names or events. So, again, it is important to follow up all information obtained from gravestones in immigrant cemeteries.

Why There Are No Ancient Graves in Trentino When visiting Trentino for the first time, many people are disappointed because they cannot find the graves of their great-grandparents and beyond. The truth is, although most of these parish churches are many centuries old, most gravestones are likely to be no older than about 80 years.

This is because in many European countries, coffins are exhumed at some point after burial (the exact time seems to vary from parish to parish) and the skeletal remains are removed and placed in an ossuary. Then, the same grave is ‘recycled’ and used to bury someone more recently deceased. This is simply a matter of practical necessity (there simply isn’t enough space), rather than

religious dogma.

Parish Cemeteries vs. Frazioni Cemeteries In larger parishes with many frazioni (hamlets) spread out over a wide area, you often find small satellite churches serving these communities, some of which might have cemeteries of their own. Sometimes these are larger than the parish cemetery, and they might even contain some older graves. So, when you visit Trentino, be sure to ask whether there is more than one cemetery in the parish, as you might discover your ancestors were buried in their frazione.

Women’s Names on Trentino Gravestones As women in Trentino retain their maiden surnames throughout life, most gravestones will reference both maiden and married surnames. There are three common conventions for doing this: • ‘Nata’ (or ‘N.’). A married woman may be referred to by her married name, followed by her maiden surname, prefixed the word ‘nata’ (or its abbreviation ‘n.’), which means ‘born’. Example: Maria Serafini, nata Onorati.

• ‘In’. Conversely, a woman’s birth name might be written first, followed by her married surname prefixed by the word ‘in’. Example: Maria Onorati, in Serafini.

• ‘Vedova’, ‘ved’ or ‘v.’. If a woman’s husband predeceased her, the stone might give her birth name, and then her late husband’s surname prefixed by the word ‘vedova’ (‘widow’), ‘ved.’ or simply ‘v.’ Example: Maria Onorati, ved. Serafini.

If you’d like to learn more about cemeteries and how they can aid your research., visit my blog at www.TrentinoGenealogy.com, where you will find a more detailed article on this topic, with many photographs of Trentino graves and a video of the beautiful monumental cemetery of Trento. And as always, I invite you to join our thriving Trentino Genealogy group on Facebook. Written by Lynn Serafinn is an author and genealogist specializing in the families of Trentino. Her father was born in Val Giudicarie in 1919.

28

Lynn Serafinn is an author, a marketing consultant, and geneiologist specializing in families of the Giudicarie where her father was born in 1919

N

Gresta-4-10-qxp_STEPS Template 4.dat 12/18/2019 4:23 PM Page 29

Our Tyrolean Catholic Roots…

In the absence of research about our roots, the Filo` found some clues.Napoleon Bonaparte and Fr. Bonifacio Bolognani would fundamentally have nothing in common but they had indeed somethng in common: their experience with our people that aroused their curiosity and fascination of who we were. Let’s look at this history…

Napoleon had swept Europe conquering one nation after another including the Tyrol. His armies were like a steam roller that simply defeatNapoleon Bonaparte ed and subjugated one nation after another. They were invincible…However, there arose a simple, pious peasant shepherd, Andreas Hofer, who originated in the Sudtirol and spent 8 years in Ballino of the Val delle Giudicarie. Hofer organized a peasant army of 20,000 peasants similar to our Colonial minutemen and created the Insurrection of 1809. The Tyrol…tiny among the European giant nations took on Napoleon and defeated his army twice over at Bergisel just south of Innsbruck and drove them out of the Tyrol. Amazing!

So much so that Napoleon was also amazed and asked …Who in the world is this Andreas Hofer? He is not a general nor is he a tactician nor a War Lord yet beat my armies. Well, it is not certain that Napoleon ever got an answer but the scholars had an explanation. Andreas Hofer was strongly devoted to the Empire, imbued with his Tyrolean identity and attached to Andreas Hofer his Roman Catholicism! The scholars indicate that the French were an existential threat to His Empire and his Tyrolean identity and their Enlightment ideas and philosophies were an anathema to his Catholicism.

We turn to Fr. Bonifacio Bolognani, Franciscan and a “missionary” as well sociologist for our original emigrants recapitulated in his epic book: The Courageous People from the Dolomites. He was born in Cavedine of the Val dei Laghi in 1923 so that he did not have a “Tyrolean” experience as Italy annexed the Tyrol and struggled to Italianize the Province with their Irredentist and Nationalist ideas and subsequently with Fascism.

His education and social experience were imbued with the prism of post-annexation Trentino with its suppression of the history and memory of its ancient Tyrolean

29

roots and history and heritage. He came to the USA and traveled among us for 22 years and as he moved around and spoke with our people in all the scattered places, he too discovered what the scholars discovered about Andreas Hofer. Our original Fr. Bonifacio Bolognani emigrants with their Austrian passports remained devoted to the memories of the Empire, their Tyrolean identity documented by their passports and reinforced by their relatives left behind who fought as the Tiroler Kaiserjaeger against Italy and Allies in defense of the Empire. His book mentions or marvels at the stubbornness of our emigrants in holding on to this triad of fundamental principles. One needs to understand that our emigrants faced religion shaming by the Tyrolean/Trentino bishops who wanted to keep emigrants in their villages less they go abroad and “lose their faith”. I would maintain that the Bishops did not properly understand and assess the impact that our people were heirs and stakeholders of 800 years of citizenry of the theocratic governance of Prince Bishops and the influence of the historically Catholic Austrian Hungarian Empire. Nor did they truly understand the religious strength and piety of the Tyrolean family. God’s Providence willed that Counter Reformation Council be held in Trento while the Tyrol gave the USA its greatest explorer, cartographer, astronomer and champion of our indigenous people, Father Eusebio Chini. The USA declared him Father of Arizona. With that same primacy, our community produced the most accomplished prelate of the American Church, Cardinal Joseph Bernadin, Archbishop of Chicago. All the religious orders have hustled to situate seminaries and convents in the Trentino to harvest the large amount of “vocations” to the ministry and religious life. I can proudly add that we had 7 nuns in the family: my aunt, Suor Cesarina and six cousins, all of which I suspect are part of the celestial choir of litigants and advocates for our people and the Filo` itself!!!

Hence, it was both clear and legitimate to recognize these three characteristics of Empire, Identity and Religion in the motivation of Andreas Hofer, discovered and acknowledged in our American emigrant forebearers

by Father Bolognani and by the Filo` that keeps asserting that who we are is indeed who we were!!!

Gresta-4-10-qxp_STEPS Template 4.dat 12/18/2019 4:23 PM Page 30

Nos Dialet . . . Our Dialect # 21

S

Tyrolean?Trentino? or Trentino/Italian…and its Language???

Several months ago, a reader accused me and the Filo` of being racist and bigoted insisting “the vast majority of people living in what is now Trentino are culturally Italian". While I will agree to this current characterization, it must be furthered understood and agreed that the overwhelming majority of our USA emigrant community arriving here prior to the contrived annexation were Tirolesi for a 1000 years and were passport documented Austrian citizens !!! In truth and in fact, the current “culturally Italian” or “culturally induced or programmed” by virtue of the Italianization process that had Irredentist, Nationalistic and subsequent Fascist philosophies, have one and same 1000 year, undisputable heritage that we have. Their relatives, their noni, their ancestors share the same historic roots and heritage that we do. We here in the USA are Who we were while the current Trentini have become what they now became. Therefore, they are indeed Italian citizens despoiled and deprived of the historic Tyrolean identity by the deliberate contrivance of the Trentino Province, we are dedicated and faithful American citizens without a hyphen distinguished, qualified, enriched, and individualized as Tyrolean American by virtue of our roots and by the encouragement of our diverse country…the USA which endorses and encourages such an individuality!!!

Yet another reader (not named) responded to the accusation: I would agree with him in regard to the fact that the overwhelming majority of people currently living in the Welsh Tyrol do identify as Trentini and Italiani, although there are several rightful objections to the passive acceptance of these two terms, at least in my opinion. First of all Italy today is a much more welcoming, open-minded and supportive of minorities that it has been in the past.

The term "Trentini" was in use since the XVII century to define the extended Trent area. It was used by the Etruscan and Romans to define those tribes, of possible a mixture between Celts and Rhaetes, living in the city, and over the centuries it became to signify a strong tie with soil and tradition, also thanks to the Counter Reformation. "Italiani" is definitely more complex, as it was and is at times still used (in the form "Tagliàn") to define people from Rovereto on down south (although, the Nonesi and Solandri define anything southern then

they, as "furesti" , barbaroi in Greek or simply outsiders.

When the critic writes that "the vast majority of people living in what is now Trentino are culturally Italian" I would agree, if by "Italian" we really included "Italic" as an adjective. And that is why I fully disagree with him, when he accuses you of bigotry and racism. Germanic and Italic tribes (and Celts, and Rhaets, etc.) do indeed come from the same European ancestry, so there is absolutely no reason to put one against the other. However, at least during the early years pre- and post- annexation, the socalled "Italian Republic" wasn't really a true heir of such tradition - the Austro-Hungarian Empire was definitely a better keeper of traditions (Catholicism, Agriculture, and even some elements of the Italic / Roman Empire culture, as reflected in the choice of Roman first names in the historical Tyrol and in the Austrian nobility).

Paradoxically, some could say that Northern Italians could feel more Italian in the Austro-Hungarian Empire, than in the newly formed Italy, which was somewhat of a product of British Imperialism, French Enlightenment mixed with hatred for localism and traditional religion, and free-masonry.

Lastly, I personally feel that every single Tyrolean who migrated to the US before the annexation, has the full right to identify with the homeland they left behind, i.e. the Austro-Hungarian Empire.

30

P

Gresta-4-10-qxp_STEPS Template 4.dat 12/18/2019 4:23 PM Page 31

Ode to My Little Polenta..

Polenta is the beloved food and cultural asset or symbol of our people. It prompts affectionate O con uatto useletti memories and even our O col salam da l’ai nomenclature: polentoni!

E l`ultima fettina Filippo Levri was the close Magari con formai friend of Mario Bellotti, both El pu che me despias from the village of Fiave` of Fillippo Levri and his son James Le quan che avem fini the Bleggio of the Val delle Che ne resta en tochet Giudicarie , both from the same Yatesboro, PA. Totally Che le par dirmi son chi written in our dialect, it was Filippo’s gift to his dear Ma me mamma Onesta friend Mario. The gift was not just the rhymes but the real No va tan per le rime La le buta enla cesta and vivid recollections of their family and their commuion at the heart of their home, the table, their family Per darla alle galline Eh, cara polentina and their food..

Salve O polentina Che dal tabiel fumante Te spande per la stanza Quel Odorin fragante Salve, so el to schiavo Che te saludo bella Ti vardo come el lupo Varda la pecoretta Dinanci a ti le cose Le par tutte pu belle Se vede ciar, con occi Se calma le budele

Anca quan te meno En del parol de ram Me par propri de gustar El bocon por lontan

E quan che la me mamma Col culp, te la buta for E tut per la cosina Se sente el bon odor Misen pienis la bocca De la dolza aquolina E par chei canaluz Se strenza fin en zima

Alor me ven la voia den Di no nciarmi zo E dirte tante cose Che nel cor mi gho Denter e mi per ti Ghe sara semper posti Se po che fos ensema En bel cunel a rost

Hail my lovely little polenta That from the smoking platter There spreads through the room That sweet smelling fragrance Hail. I am your slave That I salute lovely one I stare at you like a wolf Stares at a little lamb

Before you the things Seem all prettier One sees clear with eyes While your guts rest

Even when I stir you In the bronze polenta pot It truly seems to taste A mouthful from afar

When there was my mom With a stroke, she plopped it out And through the whole kitchen One smells the great fragrance

O bei o brutti Se sempre sta a sto mondo La sorte che tocca a tutti Quan che un de roba bona El se be ben passu El te buta nel canton E noi te varda Ma me te voi ben Te sara semper mia Per questo che el to nom Tel vol meter en poesia

Perdoneme se mi Che son en por om Me son permes con questo Spogar la me passion Ho polentina amabile Mezza farina o franta Che no magna Da pecenin en su!

Or with four little birds Or with garlic salami And the last slice Maybe with cheese

As much I regret Is when we have finished There remains a piece That seems to say..Here I am

But my Mother Onesta Rhymes have no value She throws them in the basket And Give them to the chickens

O my dear little polenta Whether good or bad It remains the same in this world The fate which involves everyone When there is something good And if the one who is well fed Throws you into a corner And does not look at you But I like you You will always be mine So that which is your name I want to place in my poem

Forgive me if I am None but a poor man I permitted my self This expression of my passion

Ho my dear and lovable polenta Half polenta meal or mixture That I have eaten so much From my youth up to now!

My mouth is full With a sweet saliva It seems that the neck Strains all the way up

So there arises a desire Of not calling you down To tell so many things That I feel in my heart .

And in me for you There are always places If there could be for us A lovely roast rabbit

Mario Bellotti c. 1960-Yatesboro, PA

31

S

Gresta-4-10-qxp_STEPS Template 4.dat 12/18/2019 4:23 PM Page 32

Wood Culture of the Primiero

ince ancient times, the inhabitants of the valleys of Primiero and Vanoi have always had a symbiotic relationship with wood.

The valleys are covered by extensive coniferous forests, which constitute its beauty and an important source of wealth. Spruce dominates, but in the forests there are also the white firs and the larches, the Scotch pines, the pines (cirmolo), not to mention the broadleaved plants, such as the ash trees, the beeches, the alder, maple, oak, oak, chestnut trees, elders and birches.

The ancient houses of the historic centers of the valley have a masonry structure in the lower part of the buildings, but are made of wood on the upper floors and culminate with a sloping roof. It was once covered with larch shingles now instead with tiles. In general, each building had equipped with long outdoor wooden balconies “poggioli”, which extended along the entire length of the facade of the house under the sloping roofs. The poggioli had the role of natural drying of the products of the fields such as in particular corn cobs, which needed to be air dried, so that it could then be ground and turned into polenta flour.

All the frames of the houses are naturally made of wood and wood is also the vertical axes that sometimes completely or partially enclosed the tympanum under the peak of the roof.

Until the 1950’s, rustic stables and barns of the farms of the country were essential to the agricultural and pastoral economy of the time. Their upper part were built entirely of wood . Wooden were the stalls where the cows were; wooden the fences that closed the "stamùzhi" (corals)of the horses and ; wooden were the enclosures of the pigs , the sheepfolds for sheep and goats;wooden were the chicken coops for the hens, the cages for rabbits. The beams and ceilings that bound each floor of the stable, the trapdoor of wood (el bùs del fenèr), through which the hay fell in the stable area of the cattle to be fed. The drainage ditches , mangers where the animals

were, the enclosures for sheep and goats, and the chicken coops for hens were all made of wood. On the farms, when there were pauses of their daily work in caring for the animals or cultivating their fields, on rainy days, the peasants used their time to build the necessary tools for their work with the wood of the nearby woods: the handles shovels, spades, hoes, scythes and forks, hay rakes, sledges, called "stròzhe" for hay transportation, household goods and stuff necessary for running the small family farm . There were those who also built bowls, plates and cutlery with wood and did not fail to surprise children with the construction of wooden toys, such as donkeys, sheep, goats, horses, rocking horses.

In the villages there were also specialized craftsmen, also called "mastelèri", who built a variety of barrels as well as tubs of various types and sizes. Others built wagons, wheels, poles and rudders for wagons, wheelbarrows and "galiòte", two-wheeled carts, with sides, while the “real” carpenters produced furniture for the furnishing of houses kitchen closets, tables, chairs, chests, wardrobes, beds as well as doors, windows and bIn this era, the culture of the forest was born, a resource that was taken care of and rotated to insure its availability. A century later, with the discovery of the Americas, the price of silver diminished to the point of putting the Primiero mines out of the market.oards for the flooring of rooms or for wall panneling.

The use on a larger scale of the construction timber to be exported had its roots very far away. In the fifteenth century, Primiero was the second important mining center of the Austrian Empire. Silver, iron, andas well copper and mercury were mined from local mines. The metals were separated from the slag by smelting requiring very large quantities of firewood of which the Valley had unlimited availability. In this era, the culture of the forest was born, a resource that was taken care of and rotated to insure its availability 32

Gresta-4-10-qxp_STEPS Template 4.dat 12/18/2019 4:23 PM Page 33

A century later, with the discovery of the Americas, the price of silver diminished to the point of putting the Primiero mines out of the market. The forest culture increased its importance in this golden period of the timber trade. with the Republic of Venice. The extraction and trade of timber marked the development of the communities of Primiero from the 16th century.

Notable was the merchant Angelo Michele Negrelli, father of the engineer, Luigi Negrelli, designer of the Suez Canal.Transportation of timber between the county of Tirolo and the Venetian Republic increased greatly between XVIth and XVIIth centuries. The epic development of trade with Venice lasted almost three centuries and the beautiful Someda palace of Fiera is a symbol and a vestige of this productive period. It is in this crucial period of his own history that the Valle di Primiero rises to an important socio-economic laboratory that anticipated those forms of work organization, typical of the Industrial Revolution of the 19th century. This industrial process involved the specialized work of teams of foresters, raft drivers & steermen, , sawyers, cart drivers.

There was a signifcant and productive collaboration between the Venetian patriarchy supplying the capital and the local entrepreneurs who organized the workforce and supplied the product. One sees the first a germ of those joint ventures that would have made, one century later, the fortune of the West India Company, an expression of nascent capitalism. It is thought that, at the time, the wood of Primiero ended up in Alexandria in Egypt and in the Greek islands. The transport of the logs moved by river by specialized workers, the "menedĂ s", who had the very risky task of steering the timber along the tortuous and bumpy course of the Cismon torrent up to the plain of Fonzaso, from which it was sorted to the Venice arsenal and from there throughout the Mediterranean basin. To this day, is the cutting, transport and sale of wood for industrial use an important source of the valley's economy. Once, small sawmills were located almost everywhere in our villages.

Today their number has decreased considerably, but on the other hand new and more modern factories have been created for wood processing, especially for construction.

Wood carving on an artistic level has been little practiced in our valleys in the past. There is no evidence of the presence of famous wood artists among our ancestors, although our churches and historic buildings retain some

valuable examples of religious art, such as the beautiful late Gothic triptych preserved at Palazzo Scopoli and attributed to the workshop of Ruprecht Potsch (1520 ) of Bressanone.

Our people, in the past centuries, were removed far from the great roads of communication, and were probably too occupied by the activities necessary for daily survival and those related to rural and forestry work, and could not to dedicate themselves to something else. At the turn of the eighteenth and nineteenth centuries, there were however some local artisans, who distinguished themselves in the art of carved and painted woodwork. For example, one of the members of the Orler family (Bianchi) of Mezzano who left us the beautiful San Giorgio on horseback adorns the canopy of the high altar of the church of the village, or how, in the first half of the twentieth century, the carpenter Giovanni Simion of Tonadico, who carved the wooden Cristi, from which he derived the nickname of "Stampacristi". Giovanni Simion was the maternal grandfather of Cardinal Joseph L. Bernardin, who was proud of these popular roots and, in his Chicago office, he kept a small sculpture of his ancestor.

Today the art of wood sculpture has established itself in the valley first with the original works of the artist Silvio Alchini di Fiera. Then there are the Zeni brothers of Mezzano, talented and versatile sculptors.Several other wood craft shops have now spread to the valley and in each of them you can see their creative and artistic products.

Orler of Mezzano is yet another distinquished craftsman producing wooden bas-reliefs with scenes of rural life, woodsmen at work, stories of saints, statues for a creche, animal statues, objects of various kinds and even musical instruments such as guitars and violins. Romano Doffsotta, specialized in craft of violins art. Last but not least, the artistic and design production of Celestino Gubert and his son Matteo who produce high-end pieces in their Imer laboratory.. Written by Paolo Simion, Primiero, relative of Cardinal Joseph Bernardin, Archbishop of Chicago 33

T

Gresta-4-10-qxp_STEPS Template 4.dat 12/18/2019 4:23 PM Page 34

Truly Our Brother...

The passage of Gene Pellegrini from the Dolomites. It was a tremendous several months ago saddened contribution, recognition of us, the demous but yet left us appreciative graphics and sociology of us that showed for the very special service he us that Who we are is indeed who we were. rendered to our Tyrolean community…no While Fr Bonny was indeed the creative doubt inspired by God’s Providence for us author, his book like most Trentino and no doubt pleaded for by all our loved Province sponsored publications do not get ones who have left us. True to the characa bang but a whimper with very little shelf terization of Paul Magagnotti, Gene was life and exposure. Gene was its maven, its President Gene Pellegrini the “Tyrolean hunter” seeking each of us promoter, its advocate. With a zeal and individually and collectively to include us in the fellow- improvisation, Gene did his Tyrolean hustle…moving it ship that was created by our common heritage. Well, around the country, through five printings and with perGene found me too who never belonged to a club and sistence who would search and find isolated Tyrolean never heard of ITTONA and we became the Filo` staff families and send them a copy. It was his Tyrolean of two and the dearest of friends as we “hunted” togeth- gospel…He did not require an academic literacy…his liter to find all of you. He did none of the writing or pho- eracy and his expertise were those of his book. tography or formatting of the pages. Nor did he attend Meanwhile…Gene masterfully became the spirited presto the challenge of funding and distributing of the ident of ITTONA, initiating 17 clubs throughout the Filo`.What he did was even more valuable and useful. country, monitoring and supporting them…and making Gene was the Patriarch them his extension in the promulgation of the book and of our community, its its message. But he not only established them but moni“hunter”, its passionate tored them making sure that they were functional and patron that gave me the productive. He was our phenomena. He had a passion insights in regards to our and a determination that no other officer ever had and it community as a whole was contagious. He was a dedicated pest badgering and and in particular explain- pushing the Province to do more and more for us and ing its history, introduc- thus pushed them to recognize us and assist us without Gene & Patty Pellegrini ing me to its members, their usual indifference. In the context of an indifferent providing me with contacts. As such he was my con- Italianate Province, possibly resentful of our Tyrolean sigliere, my consultant and my partner…and my enjoy- roots and ancestry, becoming our actual adversary in able company in my isolation. He voiced a complaint and their complicity with the Axis Powers, Gene stood out as expressed a wish…He grumbled…Where was the Filo` a lone voice, as a champion of us. Gene simply did not 20 years ago and he expressed a desire to have me do his know…did not realize eulogy which is in essence these remarks. Both his com- the contribution he had plaint and his request stemmed from not really knowing made so well, so often, how exceptional he was and how extraordinary were the so special. To paraphrase things he did for us. In our frequent chats, I detailed Mark Anthony’s eulogy them and thereby was a mirror for him reflecting on his conclusion for Julius achievements. Gene was a fascinating person. He did not Caesar…Here was have a formal education, could not understand or speak Gene…whence comes neither Italian nor our dialect. He was a hard working such another…My feellaborer, a responsible citizen and a loving husband and ngs are simply…he truly father of a family. Howsoever these wholesome were was our brother while these roles, Providence had a different design for Gene. the Lord’s words are He was to meet and embrace Father Bonifacio conclusive….Well done, Bolognani, the Franciscan who served as a missionary good and faithful serand moved among us for 22 years. Fr. Bonny, as Gene vant.. Lou Gene astride the bust of Fr. Boony, Cavedine ,Trentino called him, wrote the book… The Courageous People 34

Gresta-4-10-qxp_STEPS Template 4.dat 12/18/2019 4:23 PM Page 35

ACKNOWLEDGEMENTS Our Partners are . . .

Alberto Chini, President of Father Eusebio Chini Museum, Segno Italy Alberto Folgheraiter- Author, journalist and specialist in Trentino culture, Trento Christian Brunelli. Teacher & Technical Consultant, Cornwall, NY Dr. David Tomasi, Professor at University of Vermont Tomaso Iori, Museo della Scuola, Rango, Val di Giudicarie Luca Faoro, Museo degli Usi e Costumi della Gente Trentina. San Michele Daniela Finardi, Communications Dept.- Museo degli Usi e Costumi della Gente Trentina. San Michele Ricardo di Carli -Biblioteca della Montagna-SAT, Trento Alexander DeBiasi Trentino Sviluppo SpA Verena Di Paoli.Writer, Researcher, Scholar, Terlago

Our Contributors are . . .

Thomas Antonini - President - Tyrol Club, Solvay, NY Gianfranco Bogana - Director - Coro Plose, Brixen Andrea -Leesburgh, VA & John Bondi, Ford City, PA Ricardo De Carli - Museo della Montagna, Trento, Verena De Paoli - Author , Terlago, Lago dei Laghi Erica Kircheis - Brixen Turismo-APT Brixen Dr.James Levri-Sarver PA - Relative of Father Levri, James Malacarne, Indiana PA Sandra Rafreider - Publicist of Abbey of Novacella Lynn Serafinn - Noted geneologist, UK Mary Kay Shelley - Brandy Camp, PA Paolo Simion- Relative of Cardinal Joseph Bernardin Martina Spinel - Associate of the APT Bozen Barbara Taferner- South Tyrol Folklore Museum Werner Zanotti - Director of Brixen Turismus-APT of

My Presepio on our lawn...Bon Nadal to all our readers, helpers, writers and to James Fiore of Auriga for the gift of the Filo` to us! Lou

Brixen

Note: The images and story of our special creche combines scripture, theology, liturgy, our family traditions and reminisces of the Tyrol. Go to filo.tiroles.com to read its narrative.

Photo Credits

COVER: Francis Ley; INTRO TO BRIXEN:INTRO TO BRIXEN: Brixen Turismus: Matthias Gasser: Street scene; Alex Fitz: Street scene, Duomo & Plaza, Christmas Market, Novacella view, Helmut Moling: Mountain Cable car; Corrodox: Saben Abbey; Duomo: Oliver Abels; Wikimedia Commons: Stefan Kuhn: Hofburg MOUNTAINS OF BRIXEN: Brixen Turismus: Helmut Moling: Cable card, Woody Walk, Sunrise, PLOSE sign, 2 of panorama of Plose; Thomas Grner INTERIOR OF THE DUOMO: Sailko: Cemetery, Cloister, Baptistry.

Wikimedia Uoaeil: Interior of the Cathedral, Ceiling Fresco, Organ; Cloister: Casamaggiore Provincia PIETRALBA: Alberto Folgheraiter, Gianni Zanni PRINCIPATO: Brixen Turismus: Helmut Moling; Duomo BACK COVER: Brixen Turismus: Alex Fitiz: Christmas market; Helmut Moling: Plose panorama; Cloister: Leonardt Angerer; Duomo & Bikes; Thomas Grner: Mountain view; Wikimedia Uoaeil: Organ & Duomo Interior; Food platter; Pietralba: Alberto Folgheraiter, Gianni Zenni; Teodone, Folk Museum: Alpine house, decorative cowbells SUDTIROL FOLKLORE MUSEUM: images of grounds and facilities.

35

Gresta-4-10-qxp_STEPS Template 4.dat 12/18/2019 4:23 PM Page 36

Filò Magazine PO Box 90 Crompond, New York 10517

Pre-Sort Standard US Postage PAID Permit # 5432 White Plains, NY