Italian America Magzine - Fall 2019

A Theory on Magellan's Strait The Italian Explorer Who Showed Him the Way

The 56 Biennial Convention th

OSDIA Elects Second Consecutive Woman President

Italy's Crossroads The City of Trieste

Call Me Pasquale Reclaiming a Name in Abruzzo

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ITALIAN AMERICA

amore MADE WITH

OLIVES

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Find the recipe for this Pear and Leek Crostata and other recipes on COLAVITA.COM

facebook.com/ColavitaUSA ColavitaUSA youtube.com/ColavitaUSA @ColavitaUSA ColavitaUSA

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ITALIAN AMERICA

FALL 2019

VOL. XXIV No. 4

Italian America

®

T h e O ff i c i a l P u b l i c a t i o n o f t h e O r d e r S o n s a n d D a u g h t e r s o f I t a l y i n A m e r i c a ®

Features

10

A THEORY ON MAGELLAN’S STRAIT

And the Italian Explorer Who Showed Him the Way

By Laurent Hodges

16 22

ITALY’S CROSSROADS The City of Trieste

By Peter J. Ognibene

THE 56TH BIENNIAL CONVENTION

OSDIA Elects Second Consecutive Woman President

By Miles Ryan Fisher

28

CALL ME PASQUALE Reclaiming a Name in the Hills of Abruzzo

By Miles Ryan Fisher

ON THE COVER: The Amerigo Vespucci is a tall ship of the Italy navy, named after the explorer Amerigo Vespucci. (bepsy)

D e pa r t m e n t s

2 National News 3 Oggi in Italia 4 Regions 5 Mangia 6 Pagina Italiana

8 For Italy's Children 13 Bulletin Board 14 Book Reviews 20 Our Story 26 OSDIA Nation

31 From the National 32 Foundation Focus 33 Fighting Stereotypes 34 Letters to the Editor 35 The Last Word 36 Piacere

Italian America is published by the Order Sons and daughters of Italy in America 219 E Street NE • Washington, DC 20002 • Phone: (202) 547-2900 • Web: www.osia.org Editor-in-Chief: Miles Ryan Fisher mfisher@osia.org Writers: Dana Ferrante; Peter J. Ognibene; Laurent Hodges; Anthony Sciarratta Translator: Serena Lonigro Proofreader: Peggy Daino, Marlene Palazzo Graphic Designer: Diane Vincent To advertise: Contact ItalianAmerica@osia.org (202) 547-2900

Italian America Magazine is a publication of the Order Sons and Daughters of Italy in America (OSDIA), the nation’s biggest and oldest organization for people of Italian heritage. To subscribe, see www.osia.org or call (202) 547-2900.

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ITALIAN AMERICA

National News

Italian American issues and events

28th Italian American Receives Medal of Honor On June 26, Staff Sergeant David G. Bellavia was awarded the Medal of Honor, making him the first living American to receive the Medal of Honor for actions of bravery in the Iraq War. The ceremony was held at the White House, where President Donald J. Trump presented the honor to Bellavia, who risked his life in Fallujah, the city where the bloodiest battle of the Iraqi War occurred.

Bellavia was born in Buffalo, New York, and following college, he enlisted in the U.S. Army as an infantryman in 1999. By joining the U.S. Army, Bellavia followed in the footsteps of his grandfather, Joseph Brunacini, who served in the Army during World War II and participated in Normandy, earning a Bronze Star for his valor.

insurgents were suspected of hiding. While carrying out the mission, they were ambushed by insurgents with machine guns. Bellavia risked his life to save his squad.

“He put himself in the line of fire and laid down a base of fire, overwhelmed the enemy long enough for me to get myself and the members of my squad out,” said 1st Sergeant Colin Fitts. “Were it not for David Bellavia, I wouldn’t be sitting here today.”

Prior to receiving the Medal of Honor, Bellavia had been awarded numerous military honors, such as the Silver Star, Bronze Star, and Army Commendation Medal. Bellavia is the 28th Italian-American recipient of the Medal of Honor.

In 2003, Bellavia was deployed to Kosovo before being sent to Iraq. On November 10, 2004, Bellavia and his platoon were to dismantle a dozen buildings where

See page 36 for Italian America’s ‘Piacere’ interview with David Bellavia!

OSDIA/SIF Supports Italy at Annual Ambassador’s Ball

Auto-Industry Leader Lee Iacocca Dies at 94

On September 10, Italy’s Ambassador Armando Varricchio served as Honorary Chairman of the 41st Annual Ambassador’s Ball. The ball, which benefits the National Multiple Sclerosis Society, was held at The Anthem on the southeast waterfront of Washington, D.C. The co-chairs of the ball were Susan Pompeo—wife of U.S. Secretary of State Michael Pompeo—and Jill Udall—wife of U.S. Senator Tom Udall.

Lido (Lee) Anthony Iacocca was born on October 15, 1924, in Allentown, Pennsylvania. He was the son of Italian parents—Nicola and Antoinette—who had emigrated from San Marco dei Cavoti, a town in the Benevento Province of the Campania region. His entrepreneurial father ran several businesses from movie theaters to car rental agencies, building wealth for his family. Then the Great Depression struck, and father Nicola lost everything in the 1929 stock market crash—the family’s financial suffering making an indelible mark on young Lee.

Order Sons & Daughters of Italy in America (OSDIA) and its Sons of Italy Foundation (SIF) proudly served on the Ambassadors Ball committee, made a contribution to the benefit, and attended the event. Also in attendance were many Congressmen and Congresswomen, particularly those from the Italian-American Congressional Delegation.

(L. to R.) SIF President Joseph Sciame, 2017 NELA Gala Honoree Anthony Cancelosi, U.S. Secretary of State Michael Pompeo, and OSDIA COO Joseph DiTrapani.

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Iacocca graduated from Lehigh University in 1945 and, with the nation ripe for postwar production, went to work in the auto industry. He used his innovative ideas to rise through the ranks of Ford—his greatest innovation stemming from an observation that, for younger car buyers, a car had to be more than merely functional. It had to be “a car you could drive to the country club on Friday night, to the drag strip on Saturday, and to church on Sunday,” Iacocca once said. So he created the Mustang.

After becoming President of Ford in 1970, he was abruptly fired by Henry Ford II. He almost immediately took over as the chairman of Chrysler and saved the company from imminent bankruptcy, convincing Congress to continued next page ITALIAN AMERICA

Oggi in Italia

Italy’s news, politics, and culture

“The Hills of Prosecco” Become UNESCO Site This year, the World Heritage Commission, which oversees UNESCO’s World Heritage Sites, added another site in Italy: Le Colline del Prosecco di Conegliano e Valdobbiadene. “The Hills of Prosecco” are located in the Veneto region in northeastern Italy and offer an idyllic landscape due to the manner in which the Prosecco grapes—known as Glera—are grown. In naming this landscape, which stretches nearly 20 miles, the World Heritage Commission recognized the beauty of the ciglioni—or “hogback hills”—upon which the grape vines are grown. The vines are grown in narrow parallel rows on small plots that create a checkerboard landscape.

All Prosecco is designated DOCG —Italy’s top wine designation—and is made in more than 500 towns. However, only 15 locations make Prosecco Superiore DOCG, the highest quality that is produced in the area of Conegliano and Valdobbiadene. It is believed that the complex geology of the two towns makes for a more flavorful Prosecco. Last year, the region produced 460 million bottles of Prosecco, 75 percent of which were exported.

Le Colline del Prosecco di Conegliano e Valdobbiadene

The Temple of St. Martin amidst the hills of Prosecco. (REDB4) became Italy’s 55th UNESCO World Heritage Site. Italy and China are currently tied for the most UNESCO sites by country, though Italy is barely 3% the size of China.

Iococca continued

All Roads Lead To Women

issue $1.5 billion in loans. He turned Chrysler around, increasing sales with the production of fuel efficient cars and minivans. Chrysler then paid back the federal loans with interest seven years before they were due, prompting Iacocca to say, “We at Chrysler borrow money the oldfashioned way: We pay it back.”

The Sardinian town of Guspini passed a resolution to name all new roads after women. The town, which is located about 40 miles northwest of Cagliari (Sardinia’s capital), became the first Italian municipality to make this commitment.

Lee Iacocca passed away last July at the age of 94.

Join us to visit . . .

Rome, Orvieto, Florence, Pisa, Venice & Verona July 18 - 28, 2020 American Music Abroad Adventures in Italy 2020 Tour www.americanmusicabroad.com/ adventures

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Who made up the first group of women chosen to represent new streets?

• Margherita Hack, a world-renown astrophysicist • Elena Luzzatto Valentini, the first woman to graduate from architecture school in Italy • Francesca Sanna Sulis, an 18th century silk trade pioneer whose silk dressed princesses of the House of Savoy • Pasqua Selis Zua, a rebel leader in the 1868 revolt of Su Connotu • Eva Mameli Calvino, the first woman to gain a university professorship in Italy • Maria Lai, an artist who created the world’s first work of “relations art” by running nearly 17 miles of blue ribbons through her village ITALIAN AMERICA

Regions of Italy

Italy’s Twenty Regions

Molise

Young in Existence, Old in Tradition Molise is the youngest of all regions in Italy, having originally been a part of the region ‘Abruzzi e Molise’ until it was divided in two in 1963. It borders Abruzzo to the north, Lazio to the northwest, Campania to the south and southwest, and Puglia to the south. To the east, its border runs along the Adriatic Sea. Italy’s second smallest region and second least populated, Molise is second only to the Aosta Valley.

Though small, Molise stands tall as more than half of the region is covered by mountains, in particular the Apennine Mountains. Much of the remaining land consists of hills that lead to the Adriatic Sea. Due to this terrain, the region’s economy has relied on shepherds who travel through with their flocks, going from Abruzzo south to Puglia for the warmer winter climate.

FUN FACT: A small area in southern Isernia is the only area outside of Campania that has official permission to produce Buffalo Mozzarella.

Molise is divided into two provinces—Campobasso to the east and Isernia to the west—which are named for their respective capitals.

Campobasso is known for its ancient form of blademaking, which dates back to the 14th century and is still used to make everything from scissors to knives. In the

Molise Capital: Campobasso Population: 308,493 (19th of the 20 regions) Size: 1,714 square miles (19th of the 20 regions) Provinces: Campobasso,

Isernia

eastern part of Campobasso, there is a relatively large area that has a population of Croatian descent whose ancestors arrived in the 15th century. To this day, the population still speaks an old Croatian dialect in addition to standard Italian.

Isernia, meanwhile, is known for being a trove of white truffles, contributing to the fact that Molise accounts for 40 percent of the white truffle market. The province has just one lake, Lake Castel San Vincenzo, an artificial lake created in the 1950s to produce energy through hydropower.

Unsurprisingly, many of Molise’s dishes are similar to those of their neighbors to the north (Abruzzo). Molise, however, has distinguished itself as one of Italy’s regions that produces particularly high-quality pasta. It has even been said that the pasta will melt in your mouth.

The mountains of Molise beyond Lake Castel San Vincenzo. (leoks) FALL 2019

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ITALIAN AMERICA

Mangia!

Filetti di Salmone alla Mediterrania

Pasta alla Norcina Norcina-Style Pasta

Mediterranean-Style Salmon Ingredients 1 pound cherry tomatoes, halved ¼ cup olive oil, plus more for baking dish 2 garlic cloves, halved 1 teaspoon dried oregano ½ teaspoon salt 4 salmon fillets Salt Freshly ground black pepper

Ingredients 3 tablespoons olive oil

½ cup black olives, pitted

2 garlic cloves

2 tablespoons capers, rinsed

6 pork sausages, casings removed ½ cup dry white wine

1. In a medium bowl, combine the tomatoes, oil, garlic, oregano, and salt, and mix well. Let stand for 20 minutes.

¾ cup heavy cream ¾ pound pasta, such as rigatoni, ziti, or penne

2. In the meantime, wash the salmon and remove any skin.

Salt

3. Preheat the oven to 375ºF. Add a few tablespoons of oil to a baking dish. Spread the tomatoes in a dish and top with the salmon.

¼ cup grated Parmesan cheese 1. In a large sauté pan over medium heat, combine the oil, garlic, and sausage. Use a wooden spoon to crumble the sausage until it resembles ground meat. Add the wine and cook for about 10 minutes.

If you liked this recipe, find more in Francesca Montillo’s The 5-Ingredient Italian Cookbook: 101 Regional Dishes Made Simple.

2. Add the cream, reduce the heat to low, and cook for an additional 5 minutes. Meanwhile, cook the pasta in salted boiling water for 2 minutes less than directed on the package.

Drain, reserving ¼ cup of the pasta water.

4. Season with salt and pepper. Add the olives and capers on top and bake for 20 to 25 minutes. During baking, scoop some of the tomatoes on top of the fish. Serve immediately.

3. Add the pasta to the sauce, stirring well to coat the pasta. Continue cooking until the pasta is fully cooked and all the flavors are well incorporated. Add a few tablespoons of the pasta water if a thinner sauce is desired.

4. Remove from the heat and add the cheese, stirring well to incorporate. Serve immediately.

Follow Italian America magazine’s Facebook page to find out how you can win a copy of Francesca Montillo’s The 5-Ingredient Italian Cookbook!

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Pagina Italiana

Per chi studia la nostra lingua

Quando arrivarono i ladri Translated by Serena Lonigro

Il paese avvertì la presenza dei ladri molto prima che apparissero.

Arrivarono dall’alto: i loro aeroplani sferragliavano e rimbombavano come tuoni attraverso le valli del Molise.

Avanzarono verso Isernia, la città sottostante, e le loro armi mandarono in frantumi il calmo cielo di scisto. Come grandine, i loro stivali battevano sulle strade sterrate mentre scalavano la montagna in direzione del paese.

Il paese sapeva che i ladri sarebbero arrivati — la data ignota del loro arrivo incombeva ogni giorno sulla città con la coltre del mattino. Il prete, il postino, l’unica radio della città, tutti avevano avvisato del loro arrivo con voci solenni e nervose: “sono avidi e non risparmieranno nessuno.”

Così il paese si preparò: i lucenti vasi di rame furono riposti sotto terra; i cereali e il vino furono nascosti nelle cantine segrete; i giovani e gli anziani furono estratti dalle loro case e dalle stalle e furono condotti in dei fienili nascosti nella valle boscosa a Nord.

Nel confuso silenzio della notte, il vitello iniziò a piangere in cerca di sua madre. Pasquale, all’insaputa di suo padre addormentato, era ritornato nel fienile a controllare la creatura rimasta orfana. I suoi lamenti preoccuparono Pasquale: se i ladri l’avessero sentito, sarebbero senza dubbio tornati a vedere cosa era sfuggito alle loro grinfie - e perchè. Doveva calmare il vitello affamato.

Pasquale afferrò il coltello arrugginito di suo padre dalla parete del fienile e scivolò verso la notte.

Nascosti tra il precipizio roccioso e i pini che ricoprivano la valle, i ladri chiacchieravano nel loro accampamento di fortuna; il vino rubato aveva solo amplificato le loro voci rauche.

Pasquale, protetto da rami e arbusti, spiava i ladri dall’alto. Le loro chiacchiere e il fuoco avevano facilmente rivelato la loro posizione e con ciò, le prede della loro serata: la vacca era legata in fila con il bestiame dei suoi vicini, il suo ventre ancora gonfio per il peso del suo vitello.

Pasquale sfiorò col pollice il coltello nella sua tasca, e attese.

Mentre lo scricchiolio degli stivali si avvicinava, Pasquale chiese a suo padre, “Che cosa facciamo col cucciolo?” Suo padre, osservando la vacca leccare il suo vitello appena nato, se ne stava nel vecchio fienile avvolto dall’incertezza. “Nascondilo, nascondilo nel fieno,” rispose, “e poi nasconditi anche tu. Non c’è tempo per nascondere la madre.” Pasquale portò il vitello nell’angolo posteriore della stalla, lo avvolse nel fieno, e poi si nascose fuori dal fienile, coperto dall’erba alta che lui e suo padre falciavano ogni anno alla fine di Agosto.

Il fuoco dei ladri si ridusse languidamente in carbone. Pasquale iniziò ad avanzare lentamente verso l’accampamento e il rumore dei suoi passi fu coperto dal coro delle cicale. La fila di bestiame rubato si rimescolò mentre lui si avvicinava, ma la vacca era calma, non si sentiva minacciata da quella figura che ora tagliava freneticamente la corda che le bloccava la gamba posteriore.

I ladri superarono la collina dove stava il fienile fatiscente. Le loro pesanti braccia vestite di verde iniziarono a colpire forte la parete del fienile. Le loro bocche urlavano roche degli ordini incomprensibili.

Armato del suo coltello arrugginito, Pasquale si fece strada su per la collina oscura. Scivolò oltre il fienile ora silenzioso verso la casa adiacente, crollando nel suo letto imbottito di paglia.

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Il padre di Pasquale aprì il chiavistello.

—

Il suo cuore batteva febbrilmente. Pasquale vide la madre stanca trottare via verso il suo vitello orfano e lo schiocco dei suoi zoccoli si sentiva appena al di sopra delle pulsazioni nel suo petto. Nasconditi, nasconditi, pensò lui.

Il villaggio dormiva, ammantato della nebbia del primo mattino.

Serena Lonigro was born and raised in Napoli. She graduated from the University of Naples “L’Orientale” with a degree in Foreign Languages and Literatures and now works in marketing and news media.

ITALIAN AMERICA

When the Thieves Arrived

By Dana Ferrante

The village heard the thieves long before they appeared.

They came from above: their planes rumbled and rattled like thunder rolling through the valleys of Molise. They marched into Isernia, the city below, their guns shattering the placid, shale sky. Like hail, their boots pounded the gravel roads, as they trekked up the mountain towards the village.

The village knew the thieves would come — the unknown date of their arrival loomed over the town with each morning fog. The priest, the postman, the sole radio in town had all warned in grave, anxious voices of their arrival: “they’re hungry, and they will spare no one.”

So, the village prepared: its shining copper pots stowed underground; its grain and wine concealed in secret cantinas; its young and elderly emptied from houses and stalls and shepherded to barns hidden in the wooded valley to the North.

As the crunch of boots grew closer, Pasquale asked his father, “What will we do with the baby?” His father, watching the cow lick her newborn calf, stood shrouded in uncertainty in the timeworn barn. “Hide it, hide it in the hay,” he replied, “and then hide yourself. There’s no time to hide the mother.” Pasquale carried the calf to the back corner of the stall, cocooned it with hay, and then masked himself outside the barn, covered by the long grass he and his father scythed at the end of each August.

The thieves overtook the hill where the decrepit barn stood. Their heavy, green-clad arms began to pound the side of the barn. Their mouths crowed gruff, incomprehensible commands.

encampment; the stolen wine had only magnified their raucous voices.

Pasquale, shielded by branches and brush, spied the thieves from above. Their chatter and campfire had quickly betrayed their location, and with it, the spoils of their evening: the cow stood tied in a line of his neighbors’ livestock, her womb still swollen with the weight of her calf.

Pasquale thumbed the knife in his pocket, and waited.

The thieves’ campfire languidly reduced to coals.

Pasquale began to creep towards the encampment, the fall of his footsteps hidden by the chorus of cicadas. The line of pilfered livestock stirred as he approached, yet the cow was calm, unthreatened by the figure that now frantically sawed the rope restraining her rear leg.

His heart pounded deafeningly. Pasquale watched the tired mother trot back towards her orphaned calf, the clack of her hooves barely audible over the pulsating in his chest.

Hide, hide yourself, he thought.

Armed with the rusted knife, Pasquale made his way back up the shadowed hill. He slipped past the now noiseless barn and into the adjacent house, collapsing into his straw-stuffed bed.

The village slept, cloaked by the early morning fog.

Dana Ferrante (danaferrante4@gmail.com) is a writer, creative, and epicurean living in the Boston area.

Pasquale’s father opened the latch.

— In the hazy silence of the night, the calf cried for its mother. Pasquale, unbeknownst to his sleeping father, had returned to the barn to check on the orphaned creature. Its whines worried Pasquale: if the thieves heard, they would undoubtedly return to see what had slipped from their grasp — and why. He needed to pacify the hungry calf.

Pasquale grabbed his father’s rusted knife from the wall of the barn, and slid into the night.

Nestled between the craggy precipice and the pines that lined the valley, the thieves conversed in their makeshift FALL 2019

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For Italy' s Children A New School Opens in Earthquake-Ravaged Muccia

On June 26, 2019, beneath a bright Wednesday afternoon sun, the children of Muccia, Italy, walked into their brand new school. They saw the light shine through the large windows of their impeccably clean classrooms.

They smiled at the playground, full of vibrant colors. They toured the school that would now be their daytime home.

With one thousand people in attendance—including children, public officials, and representatives from several organizations, such as the Sons of Italy Foundation (SIF)—the Andrea Bocelli Foundation (ABF) inaugurated the “E. De Amicis” pre-school and elementary school.

Named after Edmondo De Amicis, a 19th-century Italian writer who is best-known for his children’s novel entitled Cuore (Heart), the school is part of ongoing efforts to rebuild after the Central Italy earthquake struck on August 24, 2016, and killed nearly 300 people. Several regions— including Lazio, Umbria, Abruzzo, and Marche—were affected, the hardest hit region being Marche, where the town of Muccia is located.

After the earthquake struck, Order Sons & Daughters of Italy in America (OSDIA) members, Local Lodges, and State/Grand Lodges answered the call. Donations poured into OSDIA’s National Headquarters, amounting to $200,000 in earthquake relief for OSDIA’s philanthropic arm, the Sons of Italy Foundation (SIF). With the help

Muccia’s new pre-school and elementary school. of the Italian Embassy in the United States, the SIF connected with the ABF, who was spearheading the project to build a school in Muccia. In two separate presentations, the SIF donated all $200,000 to the ABF specifically for this project, which cost a total of $1.5 million.

The school, which was constructed in just 150 days, stands not simply as a place where Muccia’s children can learn, but also as a symbol of hope for the entire town. “In addition to giving back to the students a functional and safe school,” wrote the ABF, “it represents a crucial restarting point for the life and future of this town in Marche.”

The school’s new classrooms offer a hopeful future to what was once destroyed.

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OSDIA’s Chief Operating Officer Joseph DiTrapani was present at the inauguration to represent the Sons of Italy Foundation, where he served as President for nearly six years and oversaw both donations made to the Andrea Bocelli Foundation. Asked to speak at the ceremony, Mr. DiTrapani spoke some heartfelt words. “The Sons & Daughters of Italy in America have their roots, here, in Italy,” he said. “Yes we live in America, but our hearts are here in Italy.”

After Mr. DiTrapani and a few others spoke, Andrea Bocelli gave a live performance of “Ave Maria.” Following the Maestro’s rousing performance, those in attendance toured the new school.

OSDIA COO and Past Sons of Italy Foundation President Joseph DiTrapani speaks at the inauguration ceremony.

The pre-school is for children up to three years old and complete with classrooms, play rooms, bathrooms, baby changing areas and special activity rooms. The elementary school has five interconnected classrooms along with an outdoor area where there is a basketball court, a large chessboard, a raised garden, running track, soccer field, and an outdoor gym with fitness equipment.

The school building consists of two main sides: the preschool on the left and the elementary school on the right.

The plaque that recognizes OSDIA’s support is displayed proudly inside the new school.

The school, which is more than 10,000 square feet in size, was built using technology that guarantees the highest resistance possible to earthquake shocks as a protection against future natural disasters.

Andrea Bocelli and Joseph DiTrapani showcase OSDIA’s Certificate of Recognition in front of the donor list displayed in the school. The certificate now hangs in OSDIA’s National Headquarters.

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“We stand ready to help if and when things like this happen,” Mr. DiTrapani said during his speech. “I’m proud to be here for the inauguration and opening of this school for all these young people.”

ITALIAN AMERICA

a Theory on Magellan’s Strait And the Italian Explorer Who Showed Him the Way

By Laurent Hodges

Ferdinand Magellan was seeking a western route from Spain to the Spice Islands of Indonesia when he set out in 1519 on his great trip around the world. It had been known since 1502 that the lands encountered by Columbus and later explorers were a fourth (and fifth) continent, the “New World,” later named “America” after the Italian explorer Amerigo Vespucci.

The key to a successful passage to the Pacific Ocean was finding a strait that connected it with the Atlantic. By

Magellan’s voyage, none was generally known. Only six years earlier, the Spanish explorer Vasco Núñez de Balboa had become the first explorer to cross the Isthmus of Panama by land and see the Pacific Ocean, but he had not managed to locate a path between the oceans. Nor had a Northwest Passage or any passage through South America been found.

But if one looks at the route that Magellan’s fleet followed, one will see that he sailed southwest from Spain

to Brazil and then straight down the eastern coast of South America until he reached the Strait of Magellan at 52 degrees south latitude. Passage through the strait took him into the South Sea—which he renamed the Pacific Ocean—and then on to the Philippines. Unbeknownst to most, Magellan actually died in a battle while he was there, and his fleet—sans captain—completed its circumnavigation of the world in 1522 under the leadership of Juan Sebastián Elcano.

The Italian sailing ship “Amerigo Vespucci” is docked near the navy dockyard in Venice. (Fabio Guariento)

The route Magellan took from Portugal, across the Atlantic Ocean, down the coast of South America, and through the strait.

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“Had it not been for the captain-general [Magellan], we would not have found that strait, for we all thought and said that it was closed on all sides. But the captain-general … knew where to sail to find a well-hidden strait, which he saw depicted on a map in the treasury of the King of Portugal, which was made by that excellent man, Martin of Bohemia.”

While about 270 men in five ships had started the voyage, only 18 men and one ship finished it.

Magellan’s beeline path down the Atlantic strongly suggests that he knew the Strait of Magellan existed— before it was ever named. If so, how could Magellan have been so certain that this passage existed before it was ever discovered?

Aboard Magellan’s ship was Antonio Pigafetta, a Venetian scholar who kept a journal while on the voyage and, upon his return to Spain, wrote a long history of the Magellan expedition. It circulated in hand-written form for several decades before being published. Most of what we know about Magellan’s journey around the world comes from Pigafetta’s journal.

According to it, Magellan had reached the Strait of Magellan on October 21, 1520, and immediately recognized it as the interoceanic strait he was seeking. However, passage through the strait took four weeks, the difficulty being that the path was full of twists and turns and dead ends that were nearly impossible to discern.

Pigafetta described the difficulties and his conversation with Magellan:

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excellent maps. He had apparently taken someone’s information about the strait and depicted it on a map for the King of Portugal. For secrecy reasons, Behaim would certainly never have shown the map to anyone else or even discussed its existence.

What mariner could have possibly sailed to the strait before Magellan did, and when did he make that trip?

Clearly, Magellan already knew about the existence of a strait before he set forth on his journey and before it ever bore his name. Which leads us to a new mystery: Who was it who discovered the strait before Magellan and placed it on the King of Portugal’s map?

In the early 16th century, maps of exploration and even accounts of discoveries were what we would now dub “Top Secret.” At that time, maps were invaluable and were not allowed to fall into the hands of foreign lands.

King Manuel of Portugal was particularly secretive and is reported to have threatened to execute anyone who revealed anything useful discovered by one of the voyages he sent.

Through the 1510s, before Magellan abandoned his native Portugal in 1517 after an argument with King Manuel, he had access to the Portuguese maps and studied them very carefully. It was during this time that he would have come across the map revealing the strait and committed it to memory.

According to Pigafetta’s report, the map that Magellan saw had been drawn by “Martin of Bohemia.” This was Martin Behaim (1459 – 1507), a skilled mariner, scientist, philosopher, artist, and cartographer who was well known throughout Europe for his

A statue of Amerigo Vespucci on the facade of the Uffizi gallery in Florence, Italy. (Ilia Baksheev)

Well, we know at least a few criteria. First, it had to have been an explorer who sailed as far south as the strait. Second, the voyage must have occurred no earlier than 1500, the year Brazil was discovered by Pedro Cabral, and no later than 1507, the year Martin Behaim died. Third, the voyage was almost surely a Portuguese expedition because the map belonged to Portugal.

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all the way through its 300-plus-mile length and became the first to view the Pacific Ocean.

Most recorded voyages of discovery during the period 1500 to 1507 were to the Caribbean and the northern part of South America. The only alternatives might be two expeditions undertaken by the Portuguese mariner Gonçalo Coelho, one in 1501 and the other in 1503. On both of these he was accompanied by a noted and skilled Italian explorer: Amerigo Vespucci.

The second voyage mostly explored the northern part of South America and never went as far south as Patagonia, so it could not have reached the strait. On the first voyage, however, Coelho, who trusted Vespucci, allowed him to take one ship far down the east coast of South America. In his travels, Vespucci was primarily interested in exploration and discovery, not in seeking riches or gaining colonies like Coelho and most other explorers during the Age of Discovery. Rather, he relished the idea of sailing a few thousand miles to the south simply to explore and learn about the peoples, plants, animals, and minerals to be found.

Vespucci finally turned back from his divergent voyage because of foul weather. Upon his return to Europe,

The Amerigo Vespucci has been labelled the worlds most beautiful. (David Peter Robinson)

The beginning of Vespucci’s letter to Piero de’ Medici is often referred to as Mundus Novus (New World). In it, he states—apparently for the first time—that the lands discovered since 1492 constituted a “New World,” a fourth continent distinct from those of Europe, Africa, and Asia. At the time, most Europeans (including Columbus) still believed that Columbus had sailed to some part of Asia.

Amerigo Vespucci. (Morphart Creation)

he wrote a long letter about his discoveries to his patron, Lorenzo di Pierfrancesco de’ Medici. Many salient details about Vespucci’s voyage were clearly left out, likely to avoid antagonizing the King of Portugal. For example, he does not mention the great Río de la Plata, the estuary between Uruguay and Argentina which he surely must have seen. Nevertheless, he does state that he sailed south to 52 degrees south latitude: the exact location of the strait. Vespucci did not specifically mention the pathway but must have seen and possibly sailed into it. It is even feasible that he sailed

Had Vespucci come to this conclusion because he himself had sailed all the way through the strait into the Pacific Ocean? In 1502, no other European explorer had seen that ocean, and it wasn’t seen until Balboa crossed Panama by land in 1513. Yet Vespucci was apparently certain that a sea on the other side of this land existed, which gives the sense that he may have seen it.

While Magellan may have been the first mariner to sail the strait and proceed to Asia, he was almost certainly not the first European to discover the very strait that bears his name. Though the identity of the person who had previously discovered the Strait of Magellan is less certain, a compelling case can be made that its discoverer was none other than Amerigo Vespucci. Unfortunately, Vespucci died in 1512 and would have never have had the opportunity to lay claim to his discovery of the strait.

But in the end, perhaps Vespucci can rest peacefully knowing that while the strait does not bear his name, the continent it passes through does.

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Bulletin Board

What’s new: discounts, services and events

Do You Know Your Italian Roots?

If not, here’s your chance to win a Genealogy Research Project!

In honor of Italian American Heritage Month, the Order Sons and Daughters of Italy in America (OSDIA) is holding a contest to win a genealogy research project donated by My Italian Family (valued at $2,000).

Through the entire month of October, individuals who join, renew, or gift a $35 OSDIA national At-Large Membership (ALM) will be entered for a chance to win one of two available research projects: • Discover your family history all the way to the late 1700s! The winner of the “5 Generations Back” Research Project will learn his or her ancestors’ names, occupations, where they grew up, and many more amazing historical details.

• Reconnect to your living relatives! The “Living Relatives” Research Project will identify the winner’s Ancestor’s descendants in his or her town of origin in Italy. A great opportunity to discover potential Italian cousins.

Complete research results will be provided in both printed and electronic versions.

The contest will run from October 1, 2019, through October 31, 2019. The contest may be entered online or by mail.

For online entry: Individuals who renew their ALM, purchase an ALM for themselves, or purchase the gift of ALM for someone else online at www.OSIA.org

For mail entry: Individuals who renew their ALM, purchase an ALM for themselves, or purchase the gift of ALM for someone else by mail to OSDIA National Headquarters, 219 E Street NE, Washington, DC 20002 We extend very special thanks to Bianca Ottone, owner of My Italian Family, LLC, for generously donating the research project for this contest. Not the winner of the contest? Visit the Members Only community of OSIA.org for details about a special discount on research and other services from My Italian Family for Sons and Daughters of Italy members. Visit www.myitalianfamily. com for more information.

Don’t miss the chance to win your Italian Family Tree (valued at $2,000) for only $35!

OFFICIAL RULES: Only At-Large Membership (ALM) transactions (new, renewed, or gift) processed online at www.osia.org or postmarked between Oct. 1, 2019, and Oct. 31, 2019, are eligible. Individuals who give (purchase) an ALM gift membership are eligible to be entered, but the gift recipient will not be entered.There is no limit to the number of memberships an individual may purchase in accordance with the rules above; each membership purchased during contest period earns one automatic entry. The winner will be randomly selected on or around November 12, 2019, and contacted directly by the Order Sons and Daughters of Italy in America.

*

Sons and Daughters of Italy Scholarships Applications Available in November!

Every year, The Sons of Italy Foundation (SIF) awards 10-12 scholarships that assist outstanding Italian-American students with their college and graduate studies. Grants awarded are up to $20,000 per student and all scholarship recipients are invited to be guests at the SIF’s annual National & Education Leaderships Awards (NELA) Gala. Each applicant will also receive a one-year At-Large membership to the Order Sons and Daughters of Italy in America, which includes a one-year subscription to Italian America magazine.

Scholarship information and application can be found on http://www.osia.org starting in mid-to-lateNovember. Contact scholarships@osia.org for questions or assistance.

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The 2019 SIF scholarship recipients at the NELA Gala.

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Book Reviews

FALL 2019 selections

SINATRA’S TAILOR: An Italian Immigrant’s Story

By Mark A. Thompson

After Umberto Autore’s parents are killed in war, his nonno decides that he’s better off in the care of nuns as World War II ravages Italy. Then just nine years old, Umberto enters an orphanage overlooking the Gulf of Gaeta, awaiting the day that his grandfather returns for him. Thanks to the ease of author Mark Thompson’s writing style and the color of Umberto’s storytelling, this biographical story reads with the quickness and fluidity of fiction.

“Their stories made me see that mine was only one of many, and that we were all lucky because we survived that terrible war.”

As with many stories told by Italians who experienced the war, Umberto’s tales seem anything but normal. He gets mistaken as a spy, lives on the grounds of Vatican City, encounters General Mark Clark and Padre Pio, and uncovers life-altering discoveries about his family—all in the span of a handful of years. However, the true pleasure in Sinatra’s Tailor is that such extraordinary stories are described as if they are normal.

Readers will fall in love with Umberto, a boy whose street smarts and cleverness is sure to win you over. A true “go-getter,” Umberto bears the kind of entrepreneurial spirit—whether it involves selling produce, making shoes, or tailoring suits—that you will root for.

While World War II stories are naturally captivating, what separates this one from others is the spirited way with which it’s written—Umberto’s playful personality radiating thanks to author Mark Thompson’s deft writing style.

The likability of the little character and the quick pace of the story will make you truly look forward to every time you reach for the book. By the end, you’ll be hoping for a sequel.

HOW FIRES END

By Marco Rafalà

From first word to finishing touch, author Marco Rafalà took ten years to pen How Fires End, a novel that proves to be a true labor of love.

The story is organized into three separate narrations, one from the perspective of David Marconi, Salvatore Marconi (David’s father), and family friend, Vincenzo Giordano.

Through this, Rafalà crafts not only unique perspectives, but also incorporates various periods of time and distinct locations (World War II during the allied invasion of Sicily; the mid-1980s in Middleton, Connecticut).

David’s father, Salvatore, emigrated from Melilli, a small town on the southeast coast of Sicily. What follows Salvatore to the United States, however, is a curse that has been cast upon him and his family name the day that his twin brothers died in World War II. The curse is then borne upon his son, David, who confronts it. Meanwhile, Vincenzo’s implications in the curse illustrate just how interconnected we can become.

“Each fall he preserved seeds from his best plants, drying and protecting them from the winter, until he could plant them again in the spring.The past wasn’t something you just shoved away—it grew roots.”

Much of the story is steeped in faith and religion, tapping into past generations and how they relied on the benevolence of their saints. Saint Sebastian, a venerated saint that was known to offer protection from the plague, plays a central role throughout the story. Of course, as with the Book of Job, the characters’ faith is tested, making them question what is true and what is merely superstition.

Rafalà weaves an extraordinary amount of both history and landscape into the storyline, bringing both to life. The product of this is a novel that takes you on a journey, one that you can get lost in as you turn pages and forget the passage of time.

Visit www.osia.org to find a selection of recent books written by OSDIA members!

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On The Bookshelf Books by and about Italian Americans

If you enjoyed The Brooklyn kid novel then the contInuIng Saga II IS for Sale on amazon for $8.99 Shipping included!

The Brooklyn kid

By Domenick Scarlato A Completely True Story Involving Murder, Love, Adventure, Action, Intrigue & Humor.

The Brooklyn Kid is a dramatic story of events which lead a boy to manhood only to reach not a crossroad, but four crossroads.

He could only choose one to follow. After reading these interesting adventures, which road will you choose?

Domenick Scarlato, a second generation Italian American, was born and raised in the slums of Brooklyn. He was expelled from high school and joined the U.S. Navy at 16 years old. He served as a Frogman as part of the Underwater Demolition Team during WWII. Domenick worked as a welder in the Brooklyn Navy Yard and during that time he went to evening school. While raising five daughters, he completed his H.S. diploma and went on to receive his B.S., M.A., and Doctorate from New York University. Before his retirement, he was a high school teacher, an administrator, and an adjunct professor for New York University at New Paltz.

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Southampton SummerS

Stories of Three Italian Families,Their Beach Houses, and The Five Generations That Enjoyed Them.

By Albert Marra

Andiamo!

Meet the Marra, Maffei and Saracino families! At their little beach houses, it’s “toney vs Tony” for over 60 years! Read the stories by 14 co-authors and relive your own childhood vacations.

Check out Southampton Summers at Amazon.com or Barnesandnoble.com.

For a signed copy, contact the author at SouthamptonSummers@gmail.com.

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New Dominion Press (Norfolk, VA)

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Italy’s Crossroads

the city of trieste

By Peter J. Ognibene

Miramare castle on the gulf of Trieste. (Ross Helen)

Three thousand years before Italy became a nation, it existed as an idea. Its Latin name, Italia, predates the Roman Empire. In 1861, Giuseppe Garibaldi and The Risorgimento stitched together the Kingdom of Italy from a patchwork of foreign-controlled states and, in the decade that followed, incorporated Venetia and the Papal States, including Rome.

Trieste was then an Austrian seaport, and though German was spoken by just five percent of the population, it was the official language of the government and its bureaucracy. Yet speakers of Italian and local Italianate dialects accounted for about 60 percent of the city’s inhabitants. The balance spoke a Slavic language.

rise of Italian fascism compounded by Italy’s fatal alliance with Nazi Germany in World War II engulfed Trieste and Istria in brutal conflict.

The war ended with the status of Trieste and Istria in limbo.

Trieste is a strip of land located in the Friuli Venezia Giulia region of Italy. (Norman Einstein

Italy joined the Allies in World War I, contributing to the defeat of Germany and the Austro-Hungarian Empire, and gained Trieste and the Istrian Peninsula as a result. With those La Madonna della Salute acquisitions, the newly-expanded boundaries was believed by some to of the Italian nation-state appeared set. But the have rid Trieste of cholera in 1849.

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In 1946, the Allies established the Free Territory of Trieste, dividing it between a northern Zone A and southern Zone B, provisionally allocating the former to Italy and the latter to Yugoslavia. A year later the United Nations ratified the division and concluded a peace treaty with Italy. The borders only became final in 1975 when Italy and Yugoslavia signed the Treaty of Osimo. Trieste is the capital city of the Friuli Venezia Giulia region in northeast Italy.

Trieste Today

The visitor today finds few visible reminders of the often-bloody clashes brought about by war, ethnic rivalries, and the post-war displacement of the tens of thousands of ItalITALIAN AMERICA

ians, Croats, and Slovenes who migrated between the two zones. A fascinating city in itself, Trieste is also convenient to travelers arriving by land, sea, and air to visit not only Trieste but the tourist-friendly Slovenian and Croatian resorts that line the Istrian Peninsula.

Trieste’s center is anchored by Piazza Unità d’Italia, a three-acre expanse bordered by municipal buildings on three sides, the fourth standing open to the port. With little or no prompting, Triestines will tell you that theirs is the most beautiful Piazza that faces the sea. Pleasing to the eye in daylight, it becomes stunning when illuminated at night.

The Miraculous Madonna

A short walk from the Piazza stands Santuario Santa Maria Maggiore. Though construction began in 1627, fire and sectarian squabbles—the Jesuits fell from favor in 1773 and did not return until 1910—served to delay its completion for nearly two centuries. Architecturally baroque with inordinately carved wooden pews, the church has long been a favorite of Triestines, who have a soft spot in their hearts for the slightly battered statue of Mary and the Infant Jesus that turned up in a farmer’s field in 1830. When cholera struck the city in 1849, members of the parish took the statue from the church and carried it through the streets. According to local lore, the epidemic came to an immediate end. The statue became known as Madonna della Salute (Our Lady of Health), a name that residents sometimes use when speaking of the church itself.

Adjacent to the Santuario is the Basilica of San Silvestro, the oldest church in Trieste, dating from the 11th and 12th centuries. Bluntly Romanesque, it was a Catholic parish until Austrian Emperor Joseph II, best remembered for his patronage of composer Wolfgang Amadeus Mozart, deconsecrated the church and put it up for public auction in 1785. Purchased by an evangelical community of Swiss

The Cattedrale di San Giusto dates to the 14th century when two churches were combined into a single structure. (Matthias Kabel)

immigrants, their descendants continue to worship there.

Though the interior shows the wear of eight-plus centuries, the church recently restored its pipe organ and, in addition to holding religious services, often hosts concerts.

Uphill to the Cathedral and Castle

From San Silvestro, one can ascend Via Della Cattedrale, a steep and narrow street of paving stones worn smooth by centuries of passers-by. Along the way is the Civico Museo di Storia ed Arte, which has a small but intriguing collection of Roman statues and antiquarian artifacts.

Atop the hill, some 230 feet above sea level, stands the Cattedrale di San Giusto, named for Trieste’s patron saint. Built on the ruins of a fifth-century church adjacent to the Roman Forum, the cathedral itself dates to the 14th century when two churches, each with its own apse, were combined into a single structure with a Gothic rose window to bring light into the dark interior.

On the other side of the Roman Forum stands Castello di San Giusto, built in 1469 for the Austrians whose con-

Comune di Triesti, Palazzo del Municipio (City Hall) at Piazza Unita d’Italia (Unity of Italy square). (Ioan Florin Cnejevici)

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quest of the city is still remembered as “the destruction of Trieste.” Though the castle proved useless in defending Trieste, today it provides a perfect perch for a panoramic view of the city and its port.

Trieste as a Crossroads

Because of its location, Trieste has always been a crossroads. So from the fortress, one sees not only Catholic churches but the blue domes of the Serbian Orthodox Church of San Spiridione. Trieste is also home to Greek Orthodox and Anglican churches as well as a synagogue.

One also gets a sense of the diverse threads in the fabric of Trieste when setting foot in its restaurants. At Caffè Tommaseo, which first opened its doors in 1830,

San Sabba retains the look of the industrial site it once was. (Peter J. Ognibene) A plaque at San Sabba in Hebrew and Italian quotes from the Lamentations of Jeremiah 1:12: “Behold and see if there be any sorrow like unto my sorrow.” (Kathleen C. Ognibene)

Concentration camp cell at Risiera di San Sabba.

(Clari Massimiliano)

Trieste has a long history of being a port city with its location on the Gulf of Trieste, part of the Adriatic Sea.

the menu includes pasta with goulash. That’s not a dish likely to be found in Rome or Florence, but it is emblematic of the broad ethnic mix that is so characteristic of this charming city.

In addition to an abundance of trattorias and osterias, Trieste has its own branch of Eataly—a three-story emporium, popular with locals as well as visitors, that offers a broad selection of the region’s seafood, produce, bread, wine, and cheese as well as boutique restaurants that overlook the port. Perhaps best of all, it hosts a gelateria that remains open in the cooler months when most of the city’s storefront purveyors of Italy’s favorite dessert are closed.

Two Special Places

No visit to Trieste would be complete without a visit to two venues of historic importance.

Castello Miramare Now an historical museum and park, the castle became the home of Austrian Archduke Maximilian and his wife, Princess Charlotte of Belgium, in 1860.

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Situated five miles north of Trieste on a promontory overlooking the sea, Charlotte described the site as “a veritable jewel in this southern clime, and facing one of the most beautiful gulfs in the world. It is impossible to imagine so thoroughly blue a sea in the North. When I first discovered it, I was overcome by an indescribable enthusiasm.”

The couple played an active part in the design and development of the castle, devoting the first floor to their own apartments, library, chapel, and dining room. They set aside the second floor for formal entertaining and guest apartments. The decor, fabrics, and art on display, though not all original, largely reflect the choices Maximilian and Charlotte made in their brief time together in the castle. Persuaded by Napoleon III to become Emperor of Mexico, Maximilian fought and lost to the republican forces that won control of the country. He died before a firing squad in 1867.

Civico Museo della Risiera di San Sabba During World War II, the Nazis took control of the city’s Risiera (rice husking factory) and turned it into a concentration camp and crematorium. Before the Nazis fled the city in April 1945, they destroyed the crematorium, its chimney, and other buildings. Twenty years later, the Italian

Actors dressed as Austro-hungarian soldiers re-enact the Battle of Caporetto on September 17, 2017. (Simon Kovacic)

government turned San Sabba into a national monument.

Today, the City of Trieste operates a museum on the site.

While we were there, a group of middle-school children, uncharacteristically silent, went from room to room, listening to a guide speak of the war and the crimes committed against Jews and political prisoners at San Sabba. The starkness of the site, the remnants of the industrial buildings, and personal artifacts donated by the city’s Jewish community deserve to be seen and, once seen, will not be forgotten.

Remembering Caporetto

October 24th was my first full day in Trieste. In an area adjacent to Piazza Unità d’Italia, I saw carabinieri carrying M4 carbines and forming ranks.

A short time later, they moved in formation into the piazza, where they were joined by units of the Italian Navy and the Army’s Brigata Alpina (Alpine Brigade). Led by a military band, the units marched along the perimeter of the piazza. There was no reviewing stand, and no one gave a speech. When the parade was over, the troops came to a halt and were dismissed by their commanders.

I learned later in the day that the units marching that morning were celebrating neither a holiday nor a victory.

They were commemorating the World War I Battle of Caporetto, which began on October 24, 1917, when Austro-Hungarian and German forces attacked the Italian army. It continued for nearly a month. When it was over, 10,000 Italian soldiers were dead, 30,000 wounded, and 265,000 taken prisoner. It would prove the worst failure of Italian arms in modern history, the kind of defeat most nations would leave in the past.

Though more than a century has passed, Italy has not forgotten. For Italians today, Caporetto brings poignantly to mind sons of an earlier day who suffered and perished on fields not far from Trieste. The parade was a symbol of that remembrance.

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Our Story

Italian American history and culture

The Dreams of Our Fathers

By Anthony Sciarratta

While many families of Italian descent hear stories of their ancestors coming to America in search of a better life, it is equally important to talk about the next generation of Italian Americans and how their ancestors’ sacrifices paid off.

In 1960, my grandfather, Antonino Sciarratta, arrived in New York by ship at the age of 19. Coming from the tiny town of Raffadali, Sicily, you could say New York was a little bit of a shock to him. Like many before him, Antonino came to the United States of America in search of a better life, and slowly, that’s what he found.

His first job was pressing coats at a factory in Brooklyn. During this time, safety regulations for workers were inadequate, and he developed asthma from the working conditions. Still, this didn’t discourage him from giving up on the American dream. He continued working until he saved enough to open a pizzeria in 1969. It was at his pizzeria where my grandfather made many of his lifelong friends and also gained a reputation for having one of the greatest slices in Queens.

In 2001, after more than 30 years in business, my grandfather closed his shop. He didn’t do it because it was faltering, but because he didn’t want to miss out on watching my brother and me grow up. At the time, my brother was three, and I was six.

This is where my story starts. Since I was in diapers, my grandfather started saving money in an account for me. Even before I could walk, my grandfather made sure that I would be able to earn my college degree. As I got older, whether it was picking me up from or bringing me to school, my grandfather—the man I was named for—was always there for me.

In May 2017, I graduated from Queens College with a Bachelor of Arts in Media Studies, most of which was paid for by my grandfather. While my grandfather didn’t have much knowledge of what media studies even was, he trusted my decision throughout my four years at Queens College.

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Anthony Sciarratta (center) at his graduation ceremony with his grandfather and his brother, Vincent Sciarratta. ing on a path. I felt caught between pursuing my dream of becoming a writer/filmmaker and pursuing a more stable career path. My grandfather watched as I accepted various awards during my graduation ceremony. One included first prize for a scholarly essay competition. In that moment, he understood.

It was at the graduation dinner that my grandfather gave me the encouragement that I needed. As the rest of my family was putting pressure on me to choose a more stable path, my grandfather was the guiding light. He told me that no matter what career I decided to pursue, he knew that I was going to be okay.

Since that day, my life has only prospered. I graduated from New York Institute of Technology with a Master of Arts in Communications.

I released a short film with an original cast member from The Godfather that I wrote and co-produced. And I self-published a novel entitled Finding Forever, which performed so well that it will be republished

by Post Hill Press, officially making me a published author.

Finding Forever by Anthony Sciarratta is a 1970s love story about two old souls that finally collide, reminding us that love exists even in the darkest of times.

Though I can never repay my grandfather for the sacrifices he made and the support he has given me, perhaps I can one day take him to a bookstore to see my book sitting by the entrance with my name on it—the very name he gave me.

Anthony Sciarratta is a novelist born and raised in Queens, New York. He could be found at the nearest espresso bar.

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The 56th Biennial Convention

OSDIA Elects Second Consecutive Woman President August 12-18, 2019

In its 114th year, the Order Sons and Daughters of Italy in America® (OSDIA) officers gathered in San Antonio, Texas, to elect the leaders who will forge the future of the oldest and largest national organization for people of Italian heritage. Nancy DiFiore Quinn of New York was elected as OSDIA’s 37th National President and sworn in on August 18. She will assume leadership from Immediate Past President Vera Ferrara Girolami.

OSDIA’s New National Officers Joining OSDIA National President Quinn are the following officers: • Robert A. Bianchi, Esq. of New Jersey, National First Vice President • Joseph A. Boncore, Esq. of Massachusetts, National Second Vice President • Michael G. Polo of Connecticut, National Third Vice President • Richard R. Della Croce, Esq. of Illinois/Wisconsin, National Fourth Vice President • Thom A. Lupo of New York, National Fifth Vice President And • Michael P. Creedon, Esq. of Pennsylvania, National Orator • Philip J. Privitera, Esq. of Massachusetts, National Recording Secretary • Tony Bisceglia Anderson of Northwest, National Financial Secretary • Joseph F. Rondinelli of New York, National Treasurer • Carolyn Reres of New York, National Historian • Rev. R. Adam Forno of Florida, National Chaplain

OSDIA 37th National President Nancy DiFiore Quinn (right) with Immediate National Past President Vera Ferrara Girolami (left) and National Past President Joanne L. Strollo (center).

more than $166 million to scholarships, medical research, disaster relief efforts, cultural projects, veterans’ causes and other special projects.

Immediate Past State President Robert M. Ferrito of New York was appointed and elected to serve as National President of the Commission for Social Justice® (CSJ), OSDIA’s anti-defamation arm. The CSJ fights the stereotyping of Italian Americans. He plans on launching an aggressive campaign to preserve Columbus Day. The Immediate Past President for the Commission for Social Justice, Kevin A. Caira, was made CSJ President Emeritus.

Convention Highlights

With about 150 OSDIA national officers, trustees, state presidents, national delegates, and their guests in attendance, voting members elected Nancy DiFiore Quinn as OSDIA National President, succeeding Vera Ferrara Girolami in what was the first time that OSDIA has had National Past President Joseph Sciame of New York consecutive women presidents. There to install her as was appointed and elected to continue serving as President President on this momentous occasion was Ms. Girolami of the Sons of Italy Foundation® (SIF), OSDIA’s philan- as well as OSDIA’s first woman National President, Joanne thropic arm. Established in 1959, the SIF has contributed L. Strollo (1993-1995).

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“It is a privilege and an honor to congratulate my good friend, National President Nancy DiFiore Quinn, along with the new administration,” Vera said. “Their exemplary qualifications and dedication are true assets for our beloved organization! The future of our Order is in good hands!”

During the convention, leaders and delegates announced they raised a biennial total of $269,114 for OSDIA’s national charities: Alzheimer’s Association ($98,274) Cooley’s Anemia Foundation ($109,551) Doug Flutie Jr. Foundation for Autism ($61,289) There was also $5,140 in donations made to: Garibaldi-Meucci Museum ($3,115) Disaster Relief Fund ($1,775) Help Our Military Heroes ($250) Convention attendees also reviewed the last two years of OSDIA’s activities and set the administrative, philanthropic, and cultural agendas for 2019-2021.

Convention Awards Four distinguished Italian Americans received honors at the convention for their exemplary contributions to both their Italian-American heritage and their respective communities.

John A. Saladino and Joanne L. Strollo were both honored with the 2019 Dr. Vincenzo Sellaro Award for

2019 Dr. Vincenzo Sellaro Award recipients Joanne L. Strollo (left) and John A. Saladino (right) with Immediate National Past President Vera Ferrara Girolami.

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2019 OSDIA Sports Award recipient Mike Sielski and his wife, Kathryn, with Sports Award Committee (L. to R.) Arlene Nunziati (CA), Tony Anderson (WA), Vera Ferrara Girolami (CA), OSDIA National Chaplain Father R. Adam Forno (NY), Terry Lattavo (OH), Sue Lattavo (OH), and Nick Burzichelli (NJ).

their commitment to the growth of OSDIA. The Sellaro Award is named after Dr. Vincenzo Sellaro, who founded the Order in 1905.

A member of OSDIA since 1964, John Saladino has served as National Delegate for Massachusetts for exactly half a century. He has served five total terms as Lodge President, two with the Medford Lodge #1359 and three with the Winchester Lodge #1580. He has also held many positions on the national level, including two terms as National Recording Secretary. Mr. Saladino also has the distinction of being the Order’s first Executive Director, working in the position from 1981 to 1982. Today, he serves as National Trustee, a position he has held since 2015.

Joanne L. Strollo has the distinction of being the first woman to serve as National President of the Order Sons of Italy in America. She is a member of the Ernest M. Strollo Lodge #683 named after the lodge founder, her father.

In 1981, Joanne became the first woman to be elected as National Financial Secretary of the Supreme Council.

She served two terms before being elected as National 4th, 3rd, 2nd and 1st Vice President. Joanne Strollo was then unanimously elected the Order’s first Woman National President. Following her term as National President, Sister Strollo has continued to serve in various positions including presently as Sons of Italy Foundation Trustee and co-chair of the Marconi Award Committee.

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2019 OSDIA Guglielmo Marconi Award recipient Representative Thomas Richard Suozzi with his OSDIA brothers and sisters from New York. Seated are National President Nancy DiFiore Quinn and New York State President Anthony Naccarato.

2019 OSDIA Guglielmo Marconi Award recipient Representative Thomas Richard Suozzi with National President Nancy DiFiore Quinn (left) and Immediate National Past President Vera Ferrara Girolami (right).

Mike Sielski, a columnist at The Philadelphia Inquirer and the author of two books, received the 2019 OSDIA National Sports Award. His first book—How to Be like Jackie Robinson: Life Lessons from Baseball’s Greatest Hero, which he co-authored with longtime NBA executive Pat Williams—was published in 2005. His second, Fading Echoes: A True Story of Rivalry and Brotherhood from the Football Field to the Fields of Honor, was released in 2009.

The Associated Press Sports Editors voted him the country’s best sports columnist in 2015 and has selected him as one of the country’s 10 best in four of the last five years.

Representative Thomas Richard Suozzi received the convention’s highest honor, the 2019 Guglielmo Marconi Award, named for the great Italian physicist responsible for wireless telegraphy. Representative Suozzi, trained as an attorney and CPA, is the Congressman representing the Third Congressional District in New York. He is a member of the powerful House Ways and Means Committee, the chief tax-writing committee of the House of Representatives; serving on both the Oversight and Tax Policy subcommittees. He previously served as Mayor of his hometown, Glen Cove, New York, from 1994 to 2001, and as Nassau County Executive from 2002 to 2009.

Congressman Suozzi has been a member of the Order Sons & Daughters of Italy in America’s Loggia Glen Cove #1016 since 1991.

Save the Date!

The Sons of Italy Foundation’s 32nd Annual

NatioNal EducatioN & lEadErship awards Gala Friday, May 22, 2020 Hilton McLean Tysons Corner McLean, Virginia Visit www.osia.org for updates and announcements.

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ITALIAN AMERICA

OSDIA’s 37th National President Nancy DiFiore Quinn Nancy DiFiore Quinn is currently serving as the National President of the Order Sons and Daughters of Italy in America. Back in June 2007, she was elected by acclamation as the 28th State President of the Grand Lodge of New York, Order Sons and Daughters of Italy in America. She was the first woman to be elected to this position—a true trailblazer in this great national organization.

Totally committed to the Order Sons and Daughters of Italy in America, Nancy DiFiore Quinn brings enormous passion, energy and leadership in all areas of her life. It is quite obvious from all her successes that Nancy has chosen the path of public service as a part time career.

Nancy is a charter member and served as President of the prestigious Per Sempre Ladies Lodge No. 2344A, Lynbrook, New York, from March 1983 to March 1987. During her tenure as President, the lodge flourished in active membership and realized sound financial success.

OSDIA National President Nancy DiFiore Quinn with her husband, OSDIA First Gentleman John Quinn.

On a National level, Nancy has worked her way up “the ladder of success” – patiently determined to lead the national organization into the future. She has been their main fundraising chairperson for the past eight years and also published the one and only National OSIA cookbook—For the Love of Italian Cooking—which completely sold out and realized a profit of over $33,000.

Nancy DiFiore Quinn has not only been lauded by many of the local chapters of New York OSIA, but has also received numerous honors from many local officials and charitable organizations.

Someone once said, “Do not follow where the path leads, rather go where there is no path and leave a trail.” These words describe the life of Nancy DiFiore Quinn, a true role model for all Italian Americans!

OSDIA’s State Presidents

The Grand Lodge of Nebraska presents the OSDIA National Historian Carolyn Reres with an original copy of National Bylaws from the 1935 Convention.

(L. to R.) Grand Lodge of Nebraska State President Dan Matuella, OSDIA Immediate Past National President Vera Ferrara Girolami, Reres, Grand Lodge of Nebraska Immediate Past State President Dr. Thomas Pruse, and Cristoforo Colombo Lodge #1419 Orator Sam Troia.

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John J. Costa, California John Carochi, Colorado Dan Onofrio, Connecticut Angel Ramos, Delaware Anthony Cianciotta, Florida Paul Loparco, Illinois/Wisconsin Denise Furnari, Massachusetts Anita Lombardi Riley, Maryland Dan Matuella, Nebraska Nick Burzichelli, New Jersey Anthony Naccarato, New York Rosetta Stella Beyersdorf, Northwest Anthony Perfilio, Ohio Joseph Marino, Pennsylvania John J. Bonaventura, Rhode Island Larry Brennan, Virginia Richard Viglianco, West Virginia

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OSDIA Nation

OSDIA LODGES AT WORK

connecticut On November 3, the Grand Lodge of Connecticut will be hosting its 3rd Annual Columbus Luncheon, where a dedicated member from each local lodge will be honored with the Meritorious Member Award as well as the Good Citizen Award. Last year, OSDIA National President (now Immediate National Past President) Vera Ferrara Girolami attended the event to honor the recipients.

Receiving the Meritorious Member Award were Linda Masto, Rita Vic-

domino, Frank Cerra, Ralph Monte, Marianne Grace, John Marcantonio, Frances Romano, Mark DeFranco, and Rosalie Rinaldi. The Grand Lodge presented Susan Velleca with its Good Citizen Award for her long service to the Grand Lodge, which included serving as Recording Secretary for four past state presidents as well as her current position as Vice President of N. Haven Sons & Daughters of Italy Lodge #2805.

The recipients of the Meritorious Member Award at last year’s Columbus Day Luncheon with then OSDIA National President Vera Ferrara Girolami.

washington Every year, members of the Auburn Sons of Italy Lodge #1955 along with other local lodges in the Grand Lodge of the Northwest march proudly in the annual Auburn Veterans Day Parade.

This year will mark the parade’s 54th year!

The annual Auburn Veterans Day Parade is the largest United States government sanctioned veterans parade west of the Mississippi River.

The Order Sons & Daughters of Italy in America has participated in it for over 40 years with the Auburn Lodge, home lodge of State President Rosetta Stella Beyersdorf, leading the effort. Rosetta’s husband, Ronnie, is a veteran and the lead organizer.

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Following the parade, the Auburn Lodge also hosts a free luncheon for the marchers in one of the Auburn Park buildings. This year, the parade will be held on Saturday, November 9.

At a past parade, Lieutenant Commander (ret.) Nick Tarbox carries the United States flag. Lodge Past Presidents Nick DeGidio and Dan Chicketti carry the Auburn Lodge banner.

texas In October of 2015, Joe Tortorice, Jr., was awarded the first recipient of the Outstanding Italian American in Southeast Texas Award from La Famiglia di Southeast Texas Lodge #2887 of Beaumont. One of the most influential Italian Americans in the State of Texas, Joe founded Jason’s Deli in 1976 and expanded the chain nationwide to more than 250 locations in 28 states. His grandfather, Salvatore, emigrated from Gibellina, Sicily in 1895, making it to Beaumont by way of Ellis Island.

“I can say with all honesty that having him as a part of our lodge was our great honor,” said Ron Bassana, the lodge’s Immediate Past President.

“He took pride in his Italian-Sicilian heritage, and you can see a bit of it displayed on the walls of Jason’s Deli.

His legacy is seen in what he and his wife built—a great loving family. His legacy is also seen in the way he treated his employees, the many charitable organizations he did volunteer work for, and the prison ministry he was a part of. A quote from him says volumes about who he was; ‘humbly serving others today and putting their needs before your own will make you a better leader tomorrow.’”

Last August, Joe passed away after a long battle with cancer.

Joe Tortorice, Jr., first recipient of the Outstanding Italian American in Southeast Texas Award.

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MAKING A DIFFERENCE

maryland For each of the past five years, Joe Tusa, parishioner of St. Leo the Great Church in Baltimore’s Little Italy and member of the Baltimore’s Little Italy Lodge #2286, along with his family (Bethnai and Katie) and fellow parishioners (Tina and Guido DeFranco) plus friends from the Parish and the local lodge, have blessed the Church and the community by organizing the old-world tradition of honoring St. Joseph on Leo the Great Church his Feast Day Pastor and Little Italy with the St. Lodge Chaplain Fr. Joseph Table Bernie Carman celebrated his “39th” ( a n d , n o w, birthday (again) dur- Dinner). ing the Dinner. With Arriving in him are Joe Tusa, Joe’s daughter, Katie, Baltimore, by and Guido DeFranco way of New (in the background).

The co-coordinators of the St. Joseph Table and Dinner at St. Leo the Great Church, Joe Tusa and Tina DeFranco, pose beside the fruits of their effort.

Orleans, Joe carried on the tradition that he experienced in his home state of New York, filling a small table with statues and pastries. Each year, the table has grown, and this year, parishioners gathered in the Church Hall to enjoy a “home-cooked” Italian dinner and the tradition, the heritage and the camaraderie as attendees honored St. Joseph.

Article compliments of Tony Montcalmo, Past President, Little Italy Lodge, & 1st Vice President, Grand Lodge of Maryland.

california On August 17, the Enrico Caruso Lodge #1463 of Visalia along with the Trona Elks Club sponsored a luncheon in Trona, California, where earthquakes hit just three days apart last July. The luncheon, which was chaired by lodge members Nick and Jessie Notarnicola, served free spaghetti and meatballs to more than 400 people.

In addition to the free lunch, 300 backpacks were distributed to school children, a project that was coordinated by Allie Abbot, who contacted teachers at the local schools to find out what backpacks the students wanted.

With the support of the Knights of Columbus Saint Joan of Arc Council #13184 and St. Junipero Serra Assembly #3344, the backpacks came filled with an assortment of school supplies to equip Trona’s students for the new school year.

Bravissimo to all who pitched in on this wonderful project!

pennsylvania Last May, the Piazza Nuova Lodge #2665 of Yardley/Newtown held its Annual Scholarships Awards Night, a fun evening that was attended by more than one hundred lodge members, family, and friends. The lodge’s philanthropic arm—the PNL C&E Foundation—provided funding for scholarships to 13 high school students and three students from Bucks County Community College. Foundation President John Oliano presented the students with certificates for outstanding academic achieveFALL 2019

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ment and awarded a total of $10,250 in scholarships. The Foundation also provided a complimentary buffet dinner to all who were in attendance.

Foundation President John Oliano (far left) and Lodge President Victor Brescia (far right) with 11 of the high school scholarship recipients.

Enrico Caruso Lodge #1463: The luncheon hosted by the Enrico Caruso Lodge and the Trona Elks Club was, in Nick’s words, “a real community effort.”

Have you or your lodge done something remarkable that makes a difference to your community or promotes our heritage and Italian studies? If so, send details including your lodge’s name/ number, a brief write-up, and digital photos of 300 dpi to Editor Miles Fisher at mfisher@osia.org ITALIAN AMERICA

Reclaiming a Name in the Hills of Abruzzo

By Miles Ryan Fisher

The name Pasquale is derived from the Latin ‘pascha’ (Italian ‘pasqua’) — or Easter — symbolizing the renewal and rebirth.

“Pasquale gets lost in translation,” Pasquale DiDonato explains. “In the United States, I became Pat or Patsy.

No one ever called me Pasquale.”

After that fatal accident, the ties to family back in Italy were all but severed. The only real link that remained lay in the name that was passed down.

True to Italian tradition, Pasquale was named for his grandfather, who was born in 1877 in the Abruzzo region. Grandfather Pasquale and his wife, Maria Ciabbatoni, arrived at Ellis Island in 1907. They had four children—Rosa, Nicola, James, and Amadeo—before tragedy struck.

Grandfather Pasquale, a railroad laborer, was struck and killed by a train just 11 years after immigrating to the United States, leaving Maria to raise the four children in a foreign country.

Pasquale DiDonato was born in Norristown, Pennsylvania, in 1939— 21 years after his grandfather had died.

He grew up without knowing much about where he came from. His father, James, never spoke about the family’s history. In 1958, eighteen-year-old Pasquale enlisted in the U.S. Air Force and worked as a machinist. He was based in Fort Worth, Texas with the USAF Strategic Air Command before being transferred to Ramstein Air Base with USAF Air Defense Command in western Germany, an hour west of Heidelberg. When he looked at a map to see exactly where that was in relation to the rest of Europe, he saw that Italy wasn’t too far away. And he thought of a family he knew nothing about.

Pasquale posing for a Hollywood-style shot in his car on the airstrip.

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“Dad, where are we from?” he asked one time during a call home to his parents.

Pasquale in his Air Force uniform stands proud besides his mother, Maria.

“Abruzzo,” his father replied. But that was all his father could offer.

There were no letters from family.

There were no names of relatives.

There was nothing but a region, one much larger than Pasquale realized.

Armed only with this tiny piece of information, Pasquale was still determined to spend his month of military leave on a trip to Italy in order to find his extended family. He then persuaded three other GIs—who were also of Italian descent—to make the journey with him.

They bought an old Nash Ambassador for the trip since the seat in it folded down into a bed, and that way, two could sleep in the car while two slept outside in a sleeping bag. They made their roundabout way to Italy, driving south through Germany and Switzerland before reaching Nice, France, and the Mediterranean Sea.

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As they began their return trip, they soon stopped to purchase some food for a quick lunch along the side of the road. A little meat. A loaf of bread. A bottle of wine. As they were buying the provisions, an Italian soldier approached them.

“Who are you?” he asked in broken English.

“We’re Americans,” they told him.

The older man—also named Pasquale DiDonato—that Pasquale miraculously met in Petacciato, Italy.

“Well I already know that because you’re so tall,” he said. “But what’s your name? And what are you doing here?”

“I’m Patsy Dee-din-nata,” Pasquale said in his American accent.

“I’m looking for my family.”

“Dee-din-ata?” the soldier asked and shook his head. “I know some Doe-nah-toe,” he said. “Up there in Petacciato.” He pointed to a sign right in front of them. “Just stay here and wait.” With that, the soldier walked off.

Pasquale towering over his relatives on his original trip to find them in Abruzzo.

They headed east, entering Italy along the Ligurian coast. They continued along the Mediterranean and eventually made it to Naples. From there, they tried to figure out the direction they would have to drive in order to reach Abruzzo.

East, they were told. Across the Apennine Mountains.

So they weaved their way through the Apennines, making it all the way to the Adriatic Sea without finding any evidence of Pasquale’s family. By the time they’d arrived at the sea, they were already three weeks into their month of military leave. So they decided to make their way back, heading north toward Venice.

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Before long, a Lambretta scooter appeared heading in their direction, the Italian soldier on it with another, older man, his fedora flapping in the breeze. It pulled up to them, and the older man jumped off, running toward Pasquale and his comrades.

The older man replied, and once again the Italian soldier translated.

“That’s too bad. He was hoping you were a relative from America.” Then the soldier thought. “Wait a minute, don’t you have an Italian name?”

“As a matter of fact, I do. Pasquale.

Pasquale is my first name.”

The older man leapt at Pasquale, embracing him in a big hug, he started crying and kissing him on the cheeks.

“Non credo! Non credo!” I don’t believe it! I don’t believe it!

Pasquale reached into his pocket, taking out his wallet and the military ID card inside that had his name “Pasquale DiDonato” printed on it.

Pasquale DiDonato, USAF, 8th Air Force Fighter Squadron Once the older man saw it, he began kissing Pasquale’s wallet and his military card. He then took out his own wallet and opened it to reveal his name: Pasquale DiDonato.

“Andiamo! Andiamo!” the older man shouted. He jumped in the Nash Ambassador, and the Italian soldier jumped on the Lambretta.

“Come ti chiami?” the older man asked. “Sei molto alto.”

“What is your name?” the Italian soldier translated. “You are so tall.”

“Patsy,” Pasquale said. “Pasty Deedin-nata.”

A Nash Ambassador, the make and model of car that Pasquale and his comrades drove through Italy.

Many years after meeting, the Pasquale’s who were named after the same man.

ITALIAN AMERICA

“He wants to take you to his home,” the Italian soldier said.

So Pasquale and his comrades piled in their car with the older man and began driving up a crater-filled road that grew narrower and narrower, so narrow that the tires of the wide Nash Ambassador bounced off steps leading to houses along the street. They arrived at a house that had no doors, no windows, only part of a roof. Bambini appeared and began jumping on the car, never having seen one before. As Pasquale and the men climbed out, the children climbed in. They hung out the windows and pressed the car horn.

Pasquale and his comrades followed the older man into his house.

Before long, DiDonato’s started arriving in droves. Vincenzo DiDonato. Giovanni DiDonato. Nunzio DiDonato. Nicola DiDonato. Zia Michelina and many others. One even arrived on a donkey for what transformed into a true festa. Spaghetti.

Meatballs. Sausage. Wine. Lots and lots of wine.

The family brought out several family photos and, through them,

began tracing their lineage. What they soon discovered was that not only were both Pasquale’s related: they were both named for the same man. As it turned out, the older man’s father and Pasquale’s grandfather were brothers. The two Pasquale’s were first cousins once removed. While the younger Pasquale was named for his grandfather out of Italian tradition, the older Pasquale was named for him in his memory—to honor the tragic death of his father’s brother.

After a couple days, it was time for Pasquale and his comrades to depart for Germany. They thanked the family, and true to Italian hospitality, they left the house without having spent a single cent.

Once Pasquale’s tour of duty ended, he returned stateside. He began working for Eaton & Yale Manufacturing, in Philadelphia. He then moved to Annapolis, where he met his wife, Angelina, who was born in Sicily. He told her his tale about what had happened in Abruzzo and took Angelina to meet his newly discovered family. When they visited, she had to act as his translator, something that embarrassed him because he still didn’t speak Italian. He didn’t even go by his Italian name, still referring to himself as “Pat” or “Patsy.”

Pasquale in a North American F-100 Super Sabre.

land. He’s even brought yet another Pasquale to visit the family—his own grandson, who was named for him.

“My Pop-pop’s name is Pasquale,” his grandson would tell people when he was little. “And that’s my name, too.”

“Don’t you have a nickname?” people would ask him.

“If you had a name like Pasquale, why would you want a nickname?” he would reply.

Miles Ryan Fisher (mfisher@osia.org) is the Editor-in-Chief of Italian America magazine.

When he returned from that second visit, he did so adamant about learning Italian—and about being called by his Italian name: Pasquale.

He was named after his grandfather, a man who died a tragic death trying to make a better life for his family, and he would carry on that exact name. He never again introduced himself as Pat. Pasquale with his immediate and extended family standing beneath the location of the original sign (since replaced) where he first encountered the man who shared his name, his first cousin once removed.

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Since that time, he has visited his family in Italy more than 20 times, each time doing so as “Pasquale,” and many of the DiDonato family visited him and his family at his home in Mary-

Pasquale DiDonato founded the Annapolis Sons and Daughters of Italy Lodge #2225 of Annapolis, Maryland, on June 15, 1970.

ITALIAN AMERICA

From the National

WHAT NATIONAL DOES FOR YOU

From the President’s Desk

By Nancy DiFiore Quinn

May I take this opportunity to say how very proud I am to be serving as the 37th National President of the Sons and Daughters of Italy in America!

OSDIA consists of men and women all over the county … some of direct Italian heritage … some with a spouse who is of Italian heritage … and some who have joined as a social member simply to support our many worthwhile causes. If you are not a member and are reading this message – please reach out to our National Office and see where your membership could fit. We have a place for everyone!

In late August, we returned from our 56th Biennial Convention in San Antonio, Texas. It was a wonderful event filled with so much friendship and fraternalism.

I am delighted to report that our grand lodges and subordinate lodges donated over $188,000 to bring our biennial total to over $269,000 for our three main charities: Cooley’s Anemia, Alzheimer’s Association, and the Doug Flutie Jr. Foundation for Autism. Imagine raising money all over the country and then coming together to donate all the funds that were raised over the past year. It was quite a heartwarming experience.

Our National Officers, State Presidents, and Grand Lodge Delegates did a great job with all their committees. I have reappointed Joseph DiTrapani as our Chief Operating Officer, Joseph Sciame as our SIF President, and Robert Ferrito as our CSJ President. Membership is slowly improv-

ing and we are working on retention of our members so that our numbers continue to rise. Also, we continue to seek out new lodges all over the country, so if you happen to know a group of Italian Americans that would like to join OSDIA, please let us know. We will follow the lead and hopefully add numbers to our organization.

The Commission of Social Justice continues to fight bias and bigotry especially trying vigorously to keep Columbus Day as our heritage day. Little by little, hierarchies are doing away with our national holiday and replacing it with Indigenous People’s Day. We strongly recommend that Indigenous People’s Day be given a heritage holiday of their own, but why must it be on Columbus Day? We will keep up the fight everywhere and any way we can.

On April 10, 2019, I attended an official Proclamation of Apology in New Orleans for the lynching of 11 Italians in 1891. A vigilante mob accused these men of killing the city’s police chief. Mayor Latoya Cantrell delivered the apology during a ceremony attended by family of the victims and family of the police chief. I am proud to say that I was there for you to witness this important piece of history.

Let’s continue together to do all we can to strengthen our beloved organization. It is important to keep culture and heritage alive.

I look forward to serving as your National President over the next two years.

Mother Teresa wisely said: “We ourselves feel that what we are doing is just a drop in the ocean. But the ocean would be less because of that missing drop.”

OSDIA Hosts Successful Youth Summit in Nation’s Capital Last August, the Order Sons & Daughters of Italy in America (OSDIA) hosted a group of 21 students for the three-day Youth Summit held in Washington, D.C. The students were taken on special tours of the Pentagon, the U.S. Supreme Court, and the Italian Embassy, and also visited several must-see landmarks, including the Jefferson Monument, World War II Memorial, Vietnam Veterans Memorial, Capitol Building, and the Lincoln Memorial, sculpted by the Piccirilli Brothers. The students also visited OSDIA’s National Headquarters, located a block from Union Station.

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The students pose inside the Italian Embassy. continued on page 32 ITALIAN AMERICA

The Sons of Italy Foundation ®

The Foundation Focus

By Joseph Sciame, President

Every two years when National Officers and Delegates gather at the Order Sons & Daughters of Italy in America’s Biennial Convention, each Grand Lodge presents donations collected by their many local lodges.

One by one, Grand Lodges announce their donations to the Order’s three National Charities: Alzheimer’s Association, Cooley’s Anemia, and Doug Flutie Jr. Foundation for Autism. With every announcement, with every donation made by each Grand Lodge that helps boost the total amount, my heart swells with such pride. This past convention, our Grand Lodges presented donations that brought our biennial total to nearly $270,000 raised for these wonderful causes.

Over the years, the Sons of Italy Foundation has donated millions of dollars to our National Charities. It’s through a nationwide effort that gives us the incredible impact that we have. After all, look no further than this issue’s story about the $200,000 that the SIF donated to help rebuild the school in Muccia. This is what we can do with our strength in numbers!

HELPING THOSE IN NEED

tion’s crowning achievements. In speaking with our COO Joseph DiTrapani, who attended the school commemoration, it became clear to me just how much our support meant to the town of Muccia. He painted such a vivid picture of the overwhelming destruction that he beheld as he traveled through the region of Marche and to the town of Muccia. Even though it’s been three years since the devastating Central Italy earthquake struck, the foundations of houses and buildings are still cracked and crumbled.

Now, however, a brand new school stands proud in their town in part because of the Sons of Italy Foundation, the Order’s Grand and Local Lodges, their members, and every donor. The substantial donation of $200,000 would not have been possible if we, ourselves, weren’t part of something larger—a national organization that has stood strong for 114 years!

As the Christmas season approaches, I hope that you will keep us in mind when it comes to your charitable giving. Your support allows us to hold our Italian heritage high by giving back to causes like earthquake relief and our National Charities. This next year, we look forward to making yet another donation of a modified van to Help Our Military Heroes. I encourage you to be a part of that by making a contribution today!

The school in Muccia is certainly one of the Foundacontinued from page 31 The students also participated in several workshops, including those focused on Italian language (led by Casa Italiana Language School), the preservation of Italian heritage and Columbus Day (led by Dona De Sanctis),

and “Italian vs Italian American” Cookery (led by Kathy Drummond). The entire trip was rounded out with an Italian movie night, premiering Roberto Benigni’s Life is Beautiful.

I would say my favorite memory was seeing the Lincoln Memorial and then sitting on the steps with my new friends.

– Gina Troia, Nebraska

The Pentagon visit was very engaging and I was honored to tour the halls of the office building charged with our nation’s defense, and I am inspired by the stories of service and sacrifice by Italian-Americans and every other stripe of American preserved in the Pentagon’s halls.

In front of the Capital Building, which houses The Apotheosis of Washington, Constantino Brumidi’s famous painting inside the dome.

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From the Sons of Italy, I have also learned the responsibility my immigrant ancestors had in becoming Americans, and my responsibility to live up to their achievements and further their successes.

– James Vizza, New York ITALIAN AMERICA

The Commission for Social Justice ®

The CSJ Perspective

By Robert M. Ferrito, President

I would like to start by saying how honored I am to have been appointed

by National President Nancy DiFiore Quinn to serve as President of the Commission for Social Justice (CSJ). I look forward to continuing the CSJ’s good work that has been spearheaded by Kevin Caira for the past four years. Congratulations, Kevin, on the well-deserved honor of being named President Emeritus of the CSJ. In moving ahead, nothing is more important than preserving the holiday that celebrates our heritage: Columbus Day. This is a battle that has no foreseeable end, and it is up to every one of us to fight for its preservation. During Mr. Caira’s four-year term as CSJ President, he worked hard on educating the public that Columbus Day is an ethnic holiday, something that many were not aware of even though the day has been celebrated by Italian Americans for more than 150 years! Taking this holiday away from us and replacing it with Indigenous People’s Day is an ethnic injustice in its own right, and those who support such measures must be confronted with this.

Furthermore, I want to stress that Indigenous People’s Day has had its own day since 1994, when the United Nations established August 9th as International Day of the World’s Indigenous People. We are in full support of this day being celebrated annually. We believe in diversity and tolerance by ADDITION not by SUBTRACTION or SUBSTITUTION.

fighting defamation

Recently, we confronted an infuriating injustice that occurred in New York City as part of the She Built NYC project, a project focused on increasing the city’s number of statues dedicated to women. This wonderfully noble mission was immediately tarnished when First Lady Chirlane McCray and her committee deliberately snubbed Mother Cabrini, the voter’s FIRST choice to be one of the seven statues chosen in the first phase of the project.

Mother Cabrini received 219 votes, more than TWICE that of any other woman. She is certainly worthy of every single one of those votes—after all, Mother Cabrini was the first United States citizen to be canonized. The fact that she was not chosen to be one of the seven statues is a disgrace and makes a mockery of what should be a project that fills everyone with pride. I can assure you that we will fight until Mother Cabrini receives her due and a statue of her is placed in New York City!

I urge all of you to stay vigilant and alert us whenever Columbus Day is threatened or Italians are being unjustly slighted or stereotyped. Be sure to follow the Commission for Social Justice on Facebook, where we post our outgoing letters and include contact information so that you, too, can directly voice your opposition to any offenses that occur.

As I wish you all a Happy Columbus Day, please consider sending in a donation that will go toward saving our day wherever it is threatened next.

Happy Columbus Day and have a wonderful Italian American Heritage Month!

YES! I would like to help Save Columbus Day.

Please accept my tax-deductible donation to support the Commission for Social Justice’s mission.

To donate online, visit www.osia.org/csj To donate by phone, call the National Office at (202) 547-2900

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(Please make check payable to the “Commission for Social Justice”) Mail to:

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Commission for Social Justice, 219 E Street NE, Washington, DC 20002 ITALIAN AMERICA

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Letters to the Editor I was surprised and so very pleased to see in Mr. David McCormick’s fine article, “An Italian Tour of Our Nation’s Capital:The Italian Artistry that Winds Through Washington,” a prominently placed quotation of my dear friend, the late Dr. Irma B. Jaffe, the creator and former chair of the Department of Music and Art History at Fordham University.

Italian Americans (and the world, for that matter) are deeply indebted to her for her work as well as that of another scholar, the late Regina Levi Soria for documenting the extensive contributions of Italian and Italian American artists to the beautification and cultural enrichment of not only our capital city, but many other places throughout the country.

As a service to your readership, would you kindly consider providing them with these references for further reference and appreciation of their impressive research?

The Italian Presence in America Art, 1860-1920 by Irma B. Jaffe Dictionary of Nineteenth-Century American Artists in Italy, 1760-1914 by Regina Levi Soria American Artists of Italian Heritage, 1776-1945:A Biographical Dictionary by Regina Levi Soria

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Fratelli Lontani: Il Contributo Degli Artisti Italiani All’Identità Dagli Stati Uniti (1776-1945) by Regina Levi Soria Elihu Vedder: American Visionary Artist in Rome (1836-1923)

by Regina Levi Soria My personal thanks for your great publication!

Joseph Antinoro-Polizzi, Ph.D. President, The Ausonian Society STATEMENT OF OWNERSHIP, MANAGEMENT AND CIRCULATION (required by Act of August 12, 1970: Section 3685, Title 39, United States Code). ITALIAN AMERICA MAGAZINE (ISSN 1089-5043) is published quarterly at 219 E Street, NE; Washington, DC 20002. The annual subscription price is $20. The complete mailing address of Known Office of Publication is located at 219 E Street NE, Washington, DC 20002. The general business offices of the publisher and the editor are at same address as above. Publisher: Order Sons of Italy in America, same address as above. Editor: Miles Ryan Fisher, same address as above. Owner full name is Order Sons of Italy in America, 219 E Street, NE; Washington, DC 20002. Known Bondholders, Mortgagees and other Security Holders Owning or holding 1 percent or more of total amount of Bonds, Mortgages, or Other Securities: None. Tax status: has not changed during preceding 12 months. Publication Title: Italian America. Issue Date for Circulation Data below: SUMMER 2019. The extent and nature of circulation is: A. Total Number of Copies (Net press run). Average number of copies of each issue during preceding 12 months: 30,050. Actual number of copies of single issue published nearest to filing date: 29,750. B. Mailed Outside-County Paid Subscriptions. Average number of copies each issue during preceding 12 months: 29,383. Actual number of copies of single issue published nearest to filing date: 29,104. C. Total Paid Distribution. Average number of copies each issue during preceding 12 months: 29,383. Actual number of copies of single issue published nearest to filing date: 29,104. D. Free or Nominal Rate Outside-County. distribution by mail, carrier or other means. Average number of copies each issue during preceding 12 months: 450. Actual number of copies of single issue published nearest to filing date: 300. E. Total Free or Nominal Rate Distribution. Average number of copies each issue during preceding 12 months: 450. Actual number of copies of single issue published nearest to filing date: 300. F. Total Distribution. Average number of copies of each issue during preceding 12 months: 29,833. Actual number of copies of single issue published nearest to filing date: 29,404. G. Copies not Distributed. Average number of copies of each issue during preceding 12 months: 217.

Actual number of copies of single issue published nearest to filing date: 346. H. Total. Average number of copies of each issue during preceding 12 months: 30,050. Actual number of copies of single issue published nearest to filing date: 29,750. I. Percent Paid. Average number of copies of each issue during preceding 12 months: 98.49%. Actual number of copies of single issue published nearest to filing date: 98.98%. I certify that the statements made by me above are correct and complete. Filed September 13, 2019. Miles Ryan Fisher, Editor-in-Chief.

ITALIAN AMERICA

Italian America®

Italian America Magazine is produced by the national headquarters of the Order Sons & Daughters of Italy in America®, 219 E Street NE, Washington, DC 20002.

Tel: 202/547-2900.

Email: nationaloffice@osia.org Chief Operating Officer Joseph J. DiTrapani Editor-in-Chief Miles Ryan Fisher Managing Director Emily Heinrich Bookkeeper Adam Jacobs Program Director Emily Knoche Italian America® is the official publication of the Order Sons & Daughters of Italy in America® (OSDIA), the largest and longest-established organization of American men and women of Italian heritage. Italian America provides timely information about OSDIA, while reporting on individuals, institutions, issues, and events of current or historical significance in the Italian-American community nationwide.

Italian America (ISSN: 1089-5043, USPS: 015-735) is published quarterly in the winter, spring, summer and fall

by OSDIA, 219 E Street NE, Washington, DC 20002.

Periodicals postage paid at Washington, D.C., and at additional mailing offices. ©2015 Order Sons & Daughters of Italy in America. All rights reserved. Reproduction by any method without permission of the editor is prohibited.

Statements of fact and opinion are the responsibility of the authors and do not necessarily imply an opinion on the part of the officers, employees, or members of OSDIA. Mention of a product or service in advertisements or text does not mean that it has been tested, approved or endorsed by OSDIA, the Commission for Social Justice, or the Sons of Italy Foundation. Italian America accepts query letters and letters to the editor. Please do not send unsolicited manuscripts. Italian America assumes no responsibility for unsolicited materials. Annual subscriptions are $20, which are included in dues for OSDIA members. Single copies are $4.95 each.OSDIA MEMBERS: Please send address changes to your local lodge. Do not contact the OSDIA National Office.

POSTMASTER: Send address changes to Italian America, 219 E Street NE, Washington, DC 20002. Subscriptions are available through the OSDIA National Office, 219 E Street, NE, Washington, DC 20002. OSDIA membership information is available at (800) 552-OSDIA or at www.

OSDIA.org. Archives are maintained at the Immigration History Research Center, University of Minnesota, St. Paul, Minn. Printing by Printing Solutions Inc., Sterling, Va. To advertise: Contact ItalianAmerica@osia.org (202) 547-2900. Also see www.osia.org for advertising rates, specs, demographics, etc.

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By Miles Ryan Fisher Editor-in-Chief, Italian America Magazine

Envelopes flooded the doorstep of OSDIA’s National Headquarters. It was Monday morning, August 31, 2016, and the post office had delivered the weekend’s mail, a pile that appeared more like a full week’s worth of letters.

Through the weeks that followed, the stacks of mail didn’t subside. Day after day, our postman, Troy, arrived with a mountain of mail so high that he had to carry it with two hands. We were inundated with support.

The support wasn’t for us, however. In fact, we didn’t know exactly who the support was for or what specific project it would eventually go toward. All we knew was that the Central Italy earthquake had struck, and the land of our ancestors needed help. Now, three years later, we can see the concrete product of that support: a brand new school that will play a critical role in the future of the children who attend it.

It brings to mind the teachers I’ve had through my lifetime of many classrooms. Mrs. Snarr, Mrs. Reynolds, Mrs. Bryan, Miss Coulton, Mr. Bryan, and Mrs. Cottrill through kindergarten and elementary school.

Every one of them worked to lay the foundation that future teachers would build on. Mr. LaGrotte, Mrs. Goffman, and Mrs. Lang through middle school. They taught me more complex sentence structures and helped expand my writing ability. And if it weren’t for them, then Ms. Farr couldn’t have invoked my passion for writing in high school. Professor Viramontes couldn’t have patiently mentored me in her writing courses in college. Elly Williams couldn’t have brought depth to my understanding of the craft and challenged me to make my writing as polished as it could be in grad school.

As I look back on the effort it took—all the hours of instruction, all the care that those hours required—for these men and women to help me continually build upon what I’d learned, it reminds me of the proverb, It takes a village to raise a child. And judging by my own life, I can say that yes, it certainly does take a village.

So in looking at pictures of the colorful classrooms at Muccia’s brand new school and envisioning all the young students who will sit there eager to learn, I imagine the tremendous amount of effort that will go into raising each one of them. And while that work will be on the shoulders of several teachers, I smile at the pride I feel in the fact that I—along with so many other sons and daughters of Italy who contributed to the mountain of those donations—had a hand in building that school.

While it certainly takes a village to raise a child, it also takes many hands to build a school. And this school was built with the helping hands of many sons and many daughters of Italian immigrants.

ITALIAN AMERICA FALL 2019 35

Piacere! PLEASED TO MEET YOU, DAVID

David Bellavia Staff Sergeant David G. Bellavia is the first living American to receive the Medal of Honor for his actions in the Iraq War. David enlisted in the U.S. Army as an infantryman in 1999 and deployed to Kosovo in 2003 before being sent to Iraq. During his deployment, David saw combat in several Iraqi cities, including Fallujah, where he risked his life to save his fellow troops amidst Operation Phantom Fury, the bloodiest battle of the Iraqi War. In 2006, David returned to Iraq as an embedded reporter to cover the heavy fighting. In 2007, he released House to House, a memoir focused on his experience in Fallujah. Prior to receiving the Medal of Honor, David had been awarded numerous military honors, including the Silver Star, Bronze Star, and Army Commendation Medal.

What is a lesson that your maternal grandfather, Joseph Brunacini (who participated in D-Day), taught you when you were young?

How to sacrifice. That, in order to have a solid family, everyone needs to know we’re in it for each other and that nobody’s individual needs are more important than the community.

Prior to enlisting in the U.S. Army, you studied theater (and biochemistry) at the University of Buffalo.

How has that helped you later in life?

When you know you’re going into something horrible, you have to motivate your subordinates. You have to let them know that you’re not worried because you have faith in them and that the one thing they’ll never have to stress about is that they’ll do this alone. A lot of that is in the realm of keeping your inner monologue inside and not letting it show on your face.

What is something that you would like others to understand about a soldier’s experience?

In the military, there’s a tremendous amount of love that’s involved in some of the most ghastly and ghoulish jobs you can think of. The essence of that valor is in love and how you care about people around you, how you care about your community, how you care about your country, your people, your neighborhood, your family.

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We’re motivated to do the things we do because of our heart.

(Monica King)

As a Medal of Honor recipient, how do you plan to use the recognition it offers you?

I want to encourage a lot of young people to make the same choice that I and many others made. Veterans happen to be the best citizens that you can employ. They’re great coaches.

They’re great teachers. I want to see veterans represented in every aspect of life.

What is something you appreciate about having grown up in upstate New York?

Everything you need is right there. For a lot immigrants coming from areas where there was disease and famine and government instability, it allowed you a clean template to go out there and work as hard as you wanted to on the land and control your own destiny. Anything I want to do, I can go out and do it. I really appreciated that.

When the Buffalo Bills finally win the Super Bowl, how are you going to celebrate?

When I would deploy, my dad would send me eightpage letters, and people would look at it like, what could a father tell a son in an eight-page letter every week? He would watch the game and he would type play-by-play what happened, what should’ve happened, what he thought. I would read the game like my dad was telling me a story. So when the Bills win the Super Bowl, the entire region is going to feel like this is something we want more than anything else in the world. But we’re not going to burn our city down.

A lot of fantastic books have been written about the experience of war. Tell us about one you admire and why.

A Rumor of War by Philip Caputo is one of the first books that was written about Vietnam. At the time it came out, it was this juxtaposition between the confusion of why we’re there and what we’re doing, and the day-today grind. There’s another book in the recent era called Shadow of the Sword by Jeremiah Workman that talks about the burden of post-traumatic stress disorder. It’s an injury just like a bullet wound or shrapnel.

ITALIAN AMERICA

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