Aprile 2025 by Il Pensiero "The Thought"

IL PENSIERO “THE THOUGHT”

Member of FUSIE (Federazione Italiana Stampa Unitaria all’Estero)

Office: 10001 Stonell Drive St. Louis, Missouri 63123

SATE announces 2025 Season of Adventure

SATE presents its “Season of Adventure” with the ninth annual Aphra Behn Festival and Classic Adventure Movie or Never Say Die, written and conceived by Cassidy Flynn, Keating, and Rachel Tibbetts.

To kick off the 2025 “Season of Adventure,” SATE will present its ninth annual Aphra Behn Festival, April 3-5, 2025, at The Chapel. The Aphra Behn Festival is named for the fascinating poet, translator, and spy Aphra Behn, who is widely considered to be the first English woman to make her living as a playwright. When established in 2017, a goal of the Aphra Behn Festival was to give women interested in directing and writing for theatre an opportunity to get more experience, try out ideas, experiment, and hone their craft. SATE continues to expand the mission to make the festival a more inclusive space for transgender and non-binary artists, as well.

In 2025, SATE will produce the following original plays.

The Inferno is for B*tches by Aurora Behlke, directed by Kayla Lindsay Featuring Claudia Barney, Celeste Gardner, Bradley Rohlf

Heaven McPherson-Petermeyer did NOT do her book report on Dante’s Inferno Instead, she was busy getting totally sucked into a journey through real-life Hell. With the power of punk music, she must find her way back home… and delete the friggin’ illegal copy of Detective Pikachu off of her family computer ASAP.

Felicity by Dylan Malloy, directed by Ashwini Arora

Featuring Lydia (Lyd) Foss, Rosemary Shawver

As billionaires take off into space to colonize Mars, Will and June, two impoverished teenagers from a droughtstricken town, watch the rocket launch and reflect upon their lifelong friendship. June is devastated when she learns that Will is obsessed with the impossible hope of leaving Earth behind forever–and her along with it.

Scenes from Pierrot’s Blanket by Meredith Lyons, directed by Christina Yancy

Featuring Miranda Jagels Félix, Joseph Garner, Kaylyn McKoy, Jan Niehoff

Embark on a surreal journey with Pierre as he navigates the landscape of your wildest dreams, desperately searching for his missing blanket on a quest that stands between him and his favorite activity, jamming out on his guitar. Revel in delight

as he meets a charming, colorful parade of peculiar personalities.

SATE’s 2025 Aphra Behn Festival is made possible by funding from the Missouri Arts Council and the Steve Nelson Memorial Playwright’s Fund.

The second show in the 2025 season is Classic Adventure Movie or Never Say Die written by Keating and conceived by Cassidy Flynn, Keating, and Rachel Tibbetts (also directing), running September 11-27, 2025 at The Chapel.

In a world where everything seems possible and nothing is what it seems, a group of misfits discovers an ancient map and sets out on a daring quest to save the world. Heroes! Villains! Magic! Treasure! Cyndi Lauper? Not just your basic, average, everyday, ordinary, run-of-the-mill, ho-hum story. You will find adventure, or adventure will find you.

Utilizing a script development approach that combines storytelling elements from SATE’s productions of Classic Mystery Game and First Impressions, Classic Adventure Movie is the second genre parody play created by SATE working towards a triumvirate.

Funding for Classic Adventure Movie or Never Say Die made possible by Missouri Arts Council.

For more information, visit satestl.org call/text 314-827-5760 email stl.sate@gmail.com

PUBLISHERS

publishers

Antonino Lombardo & Carina Marino

MANAGING

EDITORIAL

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ENGLISH

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DIRETTORE PER ITALIA Salvatore Gandolfo Via Delle Palme 7 91021 Campobello di Mazara (TP) Italia

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PENSIERO

St. Joseph Dinner

Italia-America Bocce Club - St. Louis March 8, 2025

Official Photographer

Fr. Jack Siefert and his sister Katie

Carina and Linda Marino

Dan Drago, Fr. Jack Siefert and Gus Torregrossa

Laura Ilardi, Maria Grazia, Felicia Ventimiglia and Maria Gianino

Margaret Daly

NIAF Voyage of Discovery Honoree

Submitted by Catherine Lonigro Unseth Francesca Unseth, a 19-year-old freshman at Benedictine College, has been chosen to participate in the prestigious Voyage of Discovery program offered by the National Italian American Foundation.

Francesca is tremendously excited for the opportunity, believing it will enable her to delve deeper into her family’s history and the Italian culture that has played a significant role in shaping her identity. The young student has already immersed herself in her Italian heritage through her involvement with the Sicilian

Continued on page 7

sicilianstl.com

by Carina Marino

Submit content to info@ilpensiero.net before April 11, 2025 to be featured in the May issue. We look forward to receiving your announcements! Thank you

BIRTHDAYS

Isabella Lombardo

Cav. Michael Lombardo

Josie Naeger

April 2

ANNIVERSARIES

Josephine and Michael Sabaski

A Special Note: Buona Pasqua!

Carina Marino and the Il Pensiero staff

Misericordia Holds Pasta Trivia Quiz

The Misericordia Society held a pasta event at the last meeting on March 2. Everyone enjoyed a delicious lunch of pasta from Guido’s Pizzeria & Tapas , and the pasta trivia quiz afterwards generated a lot of laughter. Here are 10 of the quiz questions. Look over the answers at the bottom and see how much you know about this very popular dish. No peeking.

1. How many types of pasta are there?

A. 150

B. More than 300

C. More than 600

2. After Italians, which nationality eats the most pasta?

A. Venezuelans

B. Tunisians

C. Greeks

3. What is the most popular type of pasta?

A. Penne

B. Spaghetti

C. Macaroni

4. What is the most popular Italian brand of pasta?

A. Rummo

B. De Cecco

C. Barilla

5. What is the oldest pasta sauce?

Continued on page 7

Continued from page 6

A. Bolognese

B. Carbonara

C. Marinara

6. What type of shellfish is present in Spaghetti alle Vongole?

A. Crab

B. Mussels

C. Clams

7. Which ingredient is absent from carbonara?

A. Egg yolk

B. Cream

C. Cheese

8. Which of the following is not filled with pasta?

A. Ravioli

B. Tortellini

C. Linguine

9. What are the main ingredients of pasta?

A. Water and wheat

B. Water, wheat and oil

C. Water, wheat and egg

10. How long can uncooked pasta sit on the shelf?

A. 6 months

B. 12 months

C. 18 months Answers: 1.C

8.C, 9.A, 10.B

Begin Your Unforgettable Italian Journey!

Are you planning to travel to Italy in 2025? The Italian Club of St. Louis has a class for that! Our Italian for Travelers class is both fun and informative. Next class begins May 10. Register at italianclubstl.org.

Italian Film Festival USA of St. Louis

The twenty-first annual Italian Film Festival USA of St. Louis begins Friday, April 11, at 7 p.m. with Comandante (The Commander) by Edoardo De Angelis. This historical drama was nominated for Best Film at the Venice Film Festival.

The much anticipated drama C’è ancora domani (There’s Still Tomorrow), starring the talented actress Paola Cortellesi, who makes her directorial debut, will be shown on Saturday, April 12, at 7:30 p.m. Come see why this film is the 10th highest-grossing film in Italian cinematic history!

There are seven other feature films: Gloria! by Margherita Vicario; Trifole by Gabriele Fabbro; Il tempo che ci vuole (The Time It Takes) by Francesca Comencini; Io e il secco (My Killer Buddy) by Gianluca Santoni; La scommessa (High Stakes) by Giovanni Dota; Un mondo a parte (A World Apart) by Ricardo Milani; and Liliana by Ruggero Gabbai.

These seven dramas, two comedies, one documentary, and a program of short films will take you on a cinematic tour of Italy. Ten of Italy’s twenty regions are

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Continued from page 5

Cultural Association (SCA) of St. Louis, along with her mother, Catherine Lonigro Unseth. After writing about the influence her heritage has had on her life, the SCA awarded her one of the 2024 college scholarships.

Francesca eagerly anticipates her first trip to Italy (Rome and the Lazio region) this June, promising a detailed report when she returns!

Vegetarian Mediterranean Artichoke Dip

Ingredients: 2 cans of artichokes

1 cup of mayonnaise

1 cup of Parmesan cheese

Instructions: Chop up artichokes and add the ingredients and mix together. Bake at 350 degrees for 30 minutes or until bubbly. Serve with your choice of cracker.

This is a great Lenten option!

represented, including Piedmont (Trifole) and Abruzzo (Un mondo a parte).

All films are in Italian with English subtitles. Screenings are held on Fridays and Saturdays of the last three weekends in April on the campus of Washington University. The program of short films will be held on Sunday, April 27, at SIUE.

Admission is FREE and open to the general public. For further information, please visit the Festival’s website, italianfilmfests.org, or call 314-422-3102.

In collaboration with Washington University’s Program in Film and Media Studies and Department of Romance Languages and Literatures and SIUE’s Dept. of Foreign Languages & Literatures. National Sponsor: Your Italian Passport. Local sponsors: Italian Club of St. Louis, The Mazzarella Family Foundation, Carlo & Martha Giordano, Julie & Nicolas Poulos.

Read With Alexandra (RWA)

by Alexandra Marino Durmišević

“Pentimento Mori” by Valeria Corciolani

This month we have another RWA first. “Pentimento Mori” was originally published in Italian in July 2024 with the title (Con l’arte e con l’inganno). I received an English translation from Kazabo Publishing in celebration of it being named one of the best books of 2024 by the Washington Independent Review of Books. The author, Valeria Corciolani, is one of Italy’s bestselling mystery authors. Pentimento Mori is her first novel to be translated into English.

If you loved “The Da Vinci Code” novel by Dan Brown, you will love this art history novel with a murder mystery twist. For me, it was an introduction to art history that I found fascinating. I learned about what certain colors mean in a painting and the symbolism used for hundreds of years. However, I could not connect with the characters. It’s possible certain elements got lost in translation. It may have been the genre that fell short for me as well.

That being said, check this book out, or if you are a native Italian speaker, check out Corciolani’s other novels.

See you in May!!!

D’ITALIA

Mario Alberto Bartoli CONSOLE GENERALE

500 N. Michigan Ave., Suite 1850 Chicago, IL 60611 phone: 312-467-1550

certified email (PEC): con.chicago@cert.esteri.it italcons.chicago@esteri.it Hours: (open to public) Monday-Friday 9 a.m.-12:30 p.m.

Onorario D’Italia/Honorary Vice Consul Joseph Colagiovanni

Honorary Vice Consul of Italy ITALIANCONSULSTL@GMAIL.COM 314-705-2413

VISTI/VISAS visti.chicago@esteri.it 312-995-5487

PASSAPORTI/DOCUMENTI VIAGGIO/ NAVIGAZIONE/ PASSPORTS/ EMERGENCY TRAVEL DOCUMENTS passaporti.chicago@esteri.it 312-995-5485

AIRE anagrafe.chicago@esteri.it 312-995-5485

ELETTORALE/ ELECTORAL elettorale.chicago@esteri.it 312-995-5485

STATO CIVILE/VITAL RECORDS chicago.statciv@esteri.it (312) 995 5485

CITTADINANZA/CITIZENSHIP cittadinanza.chicago@esteri.it (312) 995 5484

UFFICIO STUDENTI/CODICI FISCALI/ EQUIPOLLENZA TITOLI DI STUDIO/ COMMERCIALE/ STUDENT OFFICE/ FISCAL I.D./EQUIVALENCY OF DEGREES AND PROFESSIONAL TITLES/ COMMERCIAL commerciale.chicago@esteri.it 312-995-5486

NOTARILE/NOTARY legale.chicago@esteri.it 312-995-5483

UFFICIO SCUOLA/ EDUCATION OFFICE scuola.chicago@esteri.it 312-995-5489

Italian Trade Agency 401 N. Michigan Ave., Suite 1720 Chicago, Illinois 60611 chicago@ice.it 312-670-4360 website:ice.it/it

Agenzia Nazionale del Turismo/ Italian Government Tourist Office

500 N. Michigan Ave., Suite 2240, Chicago, IL 60611 312-644-0990 italiantourism.com

ONLY FOR ITALIAN CITIZENS WITH TRUE EMERGENCIES (accidents, arrests, etc.):

Available from 8 a.m. - 9 a.m. and from 5 p.m. - 10 p.m. CST Monday –Friday, and from 8 a.m. - 10 p.m. Saturday, Sunday, and holidays – Call +1(312) 909-0304

Emergencies between 10 p.m. and 8 a.m. CT, contact the MAECI at 011 39 06 36912666

Istituto Italiano di Cultura di Chicago Italian Cultural Institute of Chicago 500 N. Michigan Ave., Suite 1450 Chicago, IL 60611 phone: 312-822-9545 fax: 312-822-9622

email:iicchicago@esteri.it website:iicchicago.esteri.it

The Malt Shop Ribbon Cutting Ceremony

Fenton, MO

February 28, 2025

Missouri Prairie Foundation Announces 2025 Prairie Garden Grant Awardees

Annually, the Missouri Prairie Foundation (MPF) offers several grants to help fund the establishment or improvement of prairie gardens or plantings using Midwest native plants that are accessible to the public. This year’s five MPF Prairie Garden Grant recipients will use awarded grants to educate, inspire, and enliven their communities.

The River Market Garden Club, in Kansas City, Missouri, will collaborate with the Kansas City Community Improvement District to restore tree wells and other small urban plantings in the River Market area. Olivette Parks and Recreation in Olivette, Missouri, will invest in a savanna reconstruction project to convert a section of turfgrass lawn adjacent to a woodland trail into a diverse habitat. The Indigenous Stewardship Club at the University of Kansas, in Lawrence, will restore campus garden beds with native plantings and reclaim indigenous presence and healing on their campus. The Randolph County Farm Bureau in Sparta, Illinois, will, in collaboration with the local FFA chapter, establish a demonstration garden highlighting the functionality of native plants and their benefits. The HeartLands Conservancy in Belleville, Illinois, will establish a planting of species native to the adjacent remnant Poag Sand Prairie to aid field identification of sand prairie species. These projects were selected from more than 50 applications. The 2026 funding cycle will open in fall 2025, with applications due in January.

The Missouri Prairie Foundation is a 59-year-old prairie conservation organization and land trust. In addition to its prairie conservation work, the Missouri Prairie Foundation also runs Grow Native!, a 25-year-old native plant marketing and education program, and administers the Missouri Invasive Plant Council.

St. Louis Area Native Plant Sale April 12

World Bird Sanctuary in Valley Park is the location of this sale

Native plants beautify landscapes and help support songbirds and other cherished wildlife. A wide variety of native wildflowers, grasses, sedges, vines, shrubs, and trees supplied by four Grow Native! professional members will be available for purchase at a Missouri Prairie Foundation native plant sale organized in partnership with World Bird Sanctuary, 125 Bald Eagle Ridge Rd., Valley Park, MO 63088, on Saturday, April 12, from 10 a.m. to 2 p.m.

Note: The World Bird Sanctuary has an entry fee of $12 per car that all plant sale customers will have to pay to enter. This fee grants access to the plant sale and the live bird displays.

Vendors at this event are Gaylena’s Garden, River City Natives, Ozark Soul Native Plants, and Papillon Perennials.

Some vendors accept cash, checks, or credit cards; some only accept cash or checks. Shoppers may begin pre-order pick-ups, pursuing wares and making purchases from each vendor at the advertised start time. “Early birds” will be asked to wait until the advertised start time to begin shopping. Volunteers will be available to assist customers.

“Choosing native plants for home landscaping is one of the best actions homeowners can take to support nature’s web of life—including beloved birds—and add beauty to their yards or property,” said Carol Davit, Missouri Prairie Foundation Executive Director.

The following vendors are accepting pre-orders. When placing your pre-orders, please include your phone number and note that the order is for the World Bird Sanctuary Native Plant Sale on April 12: River City Natives—Order online (rivercitynatives.com) or via email (rivercitynatives@gmail.com). Visit rivercitynatives.com for available selections.

Ozark Soul Native Plants—Order via website (preferred): preorder.ozarksoul.com or phone: 816-809-4062. Please visit ozarksoul.com/availability for current availability. Pre-order by Wednesday, April 9, at 5 p.m.

Papillon Perennials— Find available plants at papillonperennials.com. Call (636) 2739688 to place your order by Thursday, April 10.

Vendors will donate a portion of

their sale proceeds to benefit the prairie conservation work of the Missouri Prairie Foundation.

Brews and Blooms Event with Grow Native! and Civil Life Brewing Company

The Grow Native! program of the Missouri Prairie Foundation will host its second Brews and Blooms native plant education event in partnership with Civil Life Brewing Co. at their South City brewery on Saturday, April 19, from 3-6 p.m.

Visitors are invited to speak with native plant, songbird, and pollinator experts over a pint of local beer while enjoying a free native plant giveaway (one per household, while supplies last) and a display of inspirational container gardens with native plants. Grow Native! merchandise will also be for sale, including native plant garden signs manufactured near St. Louis, Missouri.

“Civil Life is pleased to partner with the Grow Native! program on this special event,” said Jake Hafner, brewery owner. “We invite everyone to enjoy a beverage or a meal while learning about native landscaping.”

Brews and Blooms is free and open to the public. No registration or ticket is required to attend.

More information about Missouri native plants can be found at grownative.org.

When: Saturday, April 19, 2025, from 3-6 p.m.

Where: Civil Life Brewing Co., 3714 Holt Ave., Saint Louis, MO 63116

Grow Native! is the 25-year-old native plant marketing and education program of the nonprofit Missouri Prairie Foundation, a 59-year-old conservation organization and land trust. The goals of Grow Native! are to increase the supply of and demand for plants native to the lower Midwest for use in developed landscapes—cities, farms, home landscaping, and more.

Learn more about The Malt Shop on Page 7!