Italian America Magazine Spring 2013

“Cent’anni!”

Italian Wedding Customs

Fighting Crime

Italian American Heroes

Viva Verdi!

His Life & Legend

Finding Roots SPRING 2013

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ITALIAN AMERICA News for Genealogists

Three exciting new tours from

For complete details, contact Marianna Pisano email: mpisano@unitours.com or call toll free

1-800-777-7432

Classic Italy

Padua • Venice • Verona • Siena Chianti Area • Florence Montepulciano • Rome

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Piedmont & Aosta

Alba • Barolo • Turin Costigliole D’Asti Venaria • Asti Reggia dei Savoia • Aosta • Cogne

DEPARTURE DATES: • April 08, 2013 – $2999 • May 13, 2013 – $2999 • June 10, 2013 – $3399 • Sept. 02, 2013 – $2999 • Sept. 23, 2013 – $2999 • Single supplement cost $378

TOUR INCLUDES: • Round Trip Airfare New York/ JFK to Turin (Inclusive of all current taxes and fuel surcharge) • 7 nights at ★★★★ hotel NH Ambasciatori • Breakfast and Dinner Daily (with wine and mineral water) • Wine Tasting at “La Cantina Gigi Rosso” • Truffle Hunting Followed by a Traditional Lunch • Wine Tasting at “Casa Vinicola Orsolani” • Lunch at a Local Restaurant in Cogne • Lunch and Wine Tasting at “Tenuta Montemagno”

Visit our website: SPRING 2013

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Puglia & Matera

Lecce • Otranto - Gallipoli Ostuni • Bari • Polvanera Winery Matera • Altamura • Trani Castel del Monte • Alberobello Polignano a Mare

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TOUR INCLUDES: • Airfare New York/JFK to Brindisi and Bari/New York JFK (Inclusive of all current taxes and fuel surcharge) • 2 nights at ★★★★ President Hotel - Lecce • 5 nights at ★★★★ Palace Hotel Bari • One Cooking Class Followed by Lunch • Wine Tasting at Polvanera Winery “Polvera Nera” • One Lunch at an Agriturismo

www.Unitours.com ITALIAN AMERICA

SPRING 2013

VOL. XVIII No. 2

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 o f I t a l y i n A m e r i c a

Features

6

VIVA VERDI! Giuseppe Verdi’s Life and Legend

By Karen Haid

18

12

A Tradition of Law Enforcement

By Dona De Sanctis

“CENT’ANNI!” Italy’s Changing Wedding Traditions

By Carol Cummings

22 2 3 4 5 9 10 15 16

ITALIAN AMERICAN CRIME FIGHTERS

HIGH PROFILE NATIONAL NEWS OGGI IN ITALIA PAGINA ITALIANA BOOK CLUB OUR STORY IT’S “ONLY” A MOVIE ON THE BULLETIN BOARD

FIND YOUR FAMILY ROOTS New Tools in Genealogy

By Paul Nauta and Bianca Ottone

D e pa r t m e n t s 17 SPEAKERS BUREAU 21 GIOVINEZZA! 24 OSIA NATION 26 FOUNDATION FOCUS 27 YOUR NATIONAL OFFICE 28 FIGHTING STEREOTYPES (CSJ) 29 letters to the editor 31 THE LAST WORD

32 THE SONS OF ITALY SHOPPERS GUIDE

ON THE COVER: Italy’s changing wedding traditions incorporate some American features. See article on page 18.

Italian America Magazine is a publication of the Order Sons of Italy in America (OSIA), the nation’s biggest and oldest organization for people of Italian heritage. To subscribe, see www.osia.org or call 1-800-552-6742.

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ITALIAN AMERICA

High Profile TONY BENNETT lobbied for stronger gun control at a February 6 news conference in Washington, D.C. held

by Mayors against Illegal Guns. Bennett urged Congress to support President Obama’s gun reform plan. “I still haven’t gotten over Connecticut,” the 86-year-old singing legend said.

JON BON JOVI, the famed rock star, headed Forbes’ 2012 list of most charitable celebrities for his efforts to eradicate homelessness. The 51-year-old musician runs Soul Kitchen, a restaurant in Red Bank, NJ that has no prices on the menu. Diners pay what they can for a three-course meal. Those unable to pay donate their time instead.

OLIVIA CULPO, 20, was named Miss Universe 2012 at the 61st Annual Miss Universe Pageant in Las Vegas last December. The Rhode Island native is the first American since 1997 to take home the crown. A sophomore at Boston University, she was chosen Miss USA 2012 last June.

She is an accomplished cello player from “a big Italian family,” she says.

KEESHA DENTINO, a 27-year-old U.S. Army Staff Sergeant danced with Vice President Joe Biden at the Commander-In-Chief’s Ball last January. A military police office and Bronze Star recipient, she has served two tours of duty in Iraq and one in Afghanistan. While in Afghanistan she worked with Special Forces working with local women and children.

JOE INCANDELA, an American physicist at CERN, the European nuclear research center in Geneva, heads a team of 3,000 scientists looking for the Higgs boson particle that might explain how the universe was created 13.7 billion years ago. Discovering the particle could win him a Nobel Prize.

ALYSSA MASTROMONACO, 37, is deputy chief of staff for operations at the White House with an office right next to the president’s. In 2011, the political magazine, The New Republic named the 37-year-old from upstate NY, one of the 25 “most powerful, least known” people in Washington.

NANCY PELOSI, the first woman and first Italian American to be Speaker of the House, was inducted into the National Women’s Hall of Fame in March. A member of the U.S. House of Representatives since 1987, Pelosi was its 60th speaker from 2007-2011 and is currently the House Minority Leader of the Democratic Party. Among the hall’s famed 256 women, is also the first woman vicepresidential candidate, the late Geraldine Ferraro.

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Italian Americans in the NEWS AND “ADDIO” TO: ANNETTE FUNICELLO, who captured the hearts of millions of teen-age boys in the 1950s and 1960s, first as a Disney Mouseketeer and then as an actress, died from multiple sclerosis April 8 in California at age 70. Her beauty and modesty made her popular with young girls as well. Stricken with MS when she was about 50 and confined to a wheel chair, she once said her fantasy was to have everyone who ever watched her on TV donate one dollar to medical research. The Sons of Italy Foundation honored her at its 1993 NELA Gala in Washington, D.C. PIETRO MENNEA, a famed Italian Olympic sprinter, died March 21 at age 60 in Italy. He took home the gold at the 1980 Moscow Olympics, after winning a bronze medal at the 1972 Munich Games. In 1979, he set the world record in the 200-meter race with a time of 19.72 seconds at the World University Games in Mexico City.

His record held for 17 years, until 1996 when Michael Johnson ran 19.66 at the U.S. Olympic Trials.

ROBERT REMINI, a respected biographer of President Andrew Jackson and later the official historian of the U.S. House of Representatives (2005-2010), died of a stroke March 28 in Illinois. He was 91. Remini also wrote highly praised biographies of other 19th century American presidents.

GUY TOZZOLI, who oversaw the design and construction of the World Trade Center’s 110-story towers, died Feb. 2 in Myrtle Beach, S.C. at age 90. He lived to see both towers destroyed on 9/11. In 1970, he founded the World Trade Centers Association, an organization dedicated to furthering global trade, which he led for 40 years.

RITA LEVI-MONTALCINI, who shared the 1986 Nobel Prize in Medicine for her discovery of the nerve growth factor, died December 30 in Rome at age 103.

Born in Turin, she studied medicine but was expelled from academia by Mussolini because she was Jewish. She immigrated to America where she did research at Washington University in St. Louis. Her discovery of how nerve cells become nervous systems is used to treat Alzheimer’s, cancer, Parkinson’s disease and muscular dystrophy.

VINCENT SOMBROTTO, who led the 1970 U.S. postal strike as a New York letter carrier, protesting low wages and poor working conditions, died January 10 in New York State. He was 89. The strike eventually involved 200,000 postal workers and led to Congress creating the U.S. Postal Service in 1971that insured collectivebargaining rights for workers.

Compiled by Carol Cummings ITALIAN AMERICA

National News

Italian American issues and events

U.S. Postal Service Honors Artist Joseph Stella Efforts for a Brumidi Stamp Underway

By Dona De Sanctis

Stella’s stamp brings to 10 the number of new stamps honoring Italians and Italian Americans in the decade since the Sons of Italy’s Commission for Social Justice ® issued its Stamp Report in 2003.

(See sidebar below.) At that time, only 15 Italians and Italian Americans had been commemorated with postage stamps compared to 150 African Americans, 36 Jewish Americans and 14 Hispanic Americans.

Constantino Brumidi, artist of the U.S. Capitol At Christmas, however, [1805-1880] Italian paintings appear to be a favorite choice of the USPS. Seven of the past 12 Christmas stamps were Madonna and Child paintings by various Italian artists, including Botticelli and Raffaello (2001, 2004, and 2007 through 2011).

Brumidi Stamp Update The future might yet bring another stamp, this one honoring Constantino Brumidi, “the Michelangelo RECENT STAMP TRIBUTES In the decade since the Sons of Italy Commission for Social Justice® issued its Stamp Report, the following 9 Italian or Italian American-themed stamps have been issued in addition to the new Stella stamp.

Download the report at www.osia.org. For a free printed copy, send a self-addressed business envelope to Sons of Italy Stamp Report, 219 E Street NE,Washington, D.C. 20002.

2012 Italian-American movie director, Frank Capra (1897-1991) and for baseball all-star, Joe DiMaggio (1914-1999).

2008 The singing legend Frank Sinatra (1915-1998) SPRING 3 ITALIAN 2013 AMERICA

of the U.S. Capitol,” reports Joseph N. Grano, chair of the Constantino Brumidi Society in Washington, D.C. On Mar ch 5, District of Columbia Congresswoman Eleanor Holmes Norton introduced House Resolution No. “Old “Brooklyn Bridge stamp by 101, that requests Joseph Stella a commemorative stamp for Brumidi in 2015 to mark the 150th anniversary of the completion of his The Apotheosis of Washington on the Capitol’s inner dome. The resolution should have about 50 co-sponsors in order to pass. So far, it has just two.

“Getting more sponsors is really so simple,” Grano says.

“Just call the Capitol Switchboard at 202/224-3121 and ask for your Congressman or Congresswoman. When connected, ask for him or her to co-sponsor House Resolution 101 for a Brumidi stamp. If you care, please call.” he says.

Italian America Magazine thanks member Joseph Scafetta, Jr., a patent attorney in Virginia and a philatelist, for his assistance with this article. He also led many of the campaigns that made the abovementioned stamps a reality.

2006 The African-Italian American baseball slugger, Roy Campanella (1921-1993).

2005 Three Italian-American-themed stamps were issued for Henry Fonda (1905-1982); the WW II hero John Basilone (1916-1945); and the house that architect Robert Venturi designed for his mother,Vanna Venturi in Philadelphia as an example of modern American architecture.

2004 The composer, Henry Mancini (1924-1994) and Pinocchio, created by the 19th century writer, Carlo Collodi.

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© [USPS trademark]

In March, the U.S. Postal Service (USPS) issued a stamp honoring the abstract artist, Joseph Stella (1877-1946).

He was born in Basilicata in southern Italy, immigrated to the U.S. when he was 19 to study medicine, but turned instead to art. He fell in love with New York City and became best known for his paintings of industrialization, especially those of the Brooklyn Bridge.

Oggi in Italia

Italy’s news, politics and culture

A Seat at the (Board) Table

By Carol Cummings

Despite a 2011 Italian law mandating that more women be appointed to corporate boards, currently only 11 percent of Italian board members are women, compared to an average of 14 percent in the 27-nation European Union group and 16 percent in the United States.

The Gender Parity Law requires Italian listed and state-owned companies to have one-third of their management and supervisory-board positions be women by 2015

or face heavy fines. If a company fails to meet the quota and doesn’t change within four months, it could be fined more than $1 million.

Change is coming, however. Italy has seen an increase of nearly five percent between January and October 2012 in the number of women on the boards of listed companies, according to a Jan. 24, 2013 New York Times article.

And, for the first time in its history, Fiat, Italy’s largest automobile manufacturer, named two women to its board in 2012. Tire maker, Pirelli and eyewear firm, Luxottica also have added women to their boards.

Despite the law, Italy still faces the problem of a relatively low number of women in the work force. Only 46 percent of women ages 15 to 64 work in Italy, compared to 59 percent in the rest of Europe and the United States.

Italian women have to “fight” for a place at the board table

Rigid Italian labor laws make it difficult for a woman to work part-time so many women stop working after having a child. As a result of the dearth of working women in Italy, the same women are serving multiple board positions or Italian companies seek foreign women to meet the quota.

Notizie in Breve • Italian government officials lost some of their perks last year when 2,500 of the 10,000 limousines they used were taken out of circulation by then-Prime Minister Mario Monti, saving nearly $205 million.

• McDonald’s plans to create over 3,000 jobs in Italy by 2016, but most are part-time or temporary.

“Even a temporary job is better than none at all,” says Labor Minister Elsa Fornero.

• Prison suicides in Italy are 20 times higher than the general population’s, caused by tiny, filthy cells and illegal detentions. The European Court of Human Rights gave Italy one year to improve such “inhumane” conditions.

• The U.S. is the biggest investor in Italy, with nearly 2,300 companies and more than 257,000 employees, according to the latest statistics from ISTAT, the Italian national statistics institute. France and Germany are next.

• Italian researchers have discovered a cheese that lowers cholesterol levels. Pecorino cheese made from the milk of “Cla” sheep in Sardegna reportedly lowers levels by about seven percent. The research was conducted by the Biomedical Sciences Department at the University of Cagliari in Sardegna and cheese producer Argiola, among others.

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ITALIAN AMERICA

Pagina Italiana

Per chi studia la nostra lingua

Roma - Città Eterna LA NASCITA Quando è nata Roma? Vi sono molte leggende a riguardo. Secondo il poema di Virgilio, l’Eneide, “l’antica Roma sorse sulle rovine di Troia”: infatti nel suo poema, Enea, forte guerriero Troiano, fuggì da Troia in fiamme, e dopo molte avventure, riuscì a stabilirsi nel Lazio. Alcune leggende, intrecciando quella virgiliana e quella di Romolo e Remo, vogliono che Romolo e Remo siano discendenti di Enea.

La data di fondazione è indicata per tradizione il 21 aprile 753 avanti Cristo (a.C), detto anche Natale di Roma, la stessa tradizione che dice che i suoi fondatori siano Romolo e Remo. Ma gli stessi Romani l’avevano denominata, più di duemila anni fa, la città eterna.

LA CITTÀ ETERNA Ma cos’è oggi Roma? La città antica è costruita su sette colli, e va lungo le due rive del fiume Tevere. Per i turisti, Roma è una città piena di cultura. Dall’epoca romana alla cristianità, le cose da vedere sono praticamente infinite.

Riguardo all’antica Roma, si possono ammirare il Colosseo, simbolo stesso di Roma. Esso fu costruito dalla

LA CAPITALE Roma è la capitale d’Italia dal 1879 ed è il capoluogo della regione Lazio, una regione che si trova al centro della penisola. La città ha quasi 3 milioni di abitanti. Essendo la Capitale, a Roma ci sono tutti gli organi centrali dello stato, le ambasciate di tutto il mondo e molti organismi internazionali.

Il Colosseo, simbolo dell’eternità di Roma, fu costruito quasi 2000 anni fa.

dinastia di imperatori Flavi tra il 72 e l’80 dopo Cristo (d.C).: un simbolo romano che ha quasi 2000 anni.

Nel Foro Romano avevano luogo fin dal VII sec. a.C le attività politiche, commerciali e religiose; ad oggi è la più importante area archeologica di Roma. Ad esso in seguito si aggiunsero i Fori Imperiali.

Riguardo invece alla Roma Cristiana, Roma è il centro mondiale della cristianità. Qui si trova Città del Vaticano, sede del papa. Sicuramente San Pietro in Vaticano ne è la parte più importante: l’enorme Piazza San Pietro, che ospita la Basilica di San Pietro, è di una bellezza indescrivibile.

LA NEVE ROSA di Carole “Carolina” Steere Ayad

Ora é arrivata la stagione che mi piace chiamare quella « della neve rosa ». Verso la fine di aprile o l’inizio di maggio arrivano giorni bellissimi quando tutti i fiori della primavera sono completamente aperti.

La bellezza dei giorni e degli alberi fioriti non dura a lungo. Mi fa ricordare la fuga del tempo. E proprio in questo periodo quando c’è una giornata dolce senza troppo vento con un cielo azzurro, viene la neve rosa.

Uno zeffiro tanto gentile passa, pieno di profumo, e SPRING 5 ITALIAN 2013 AMERICA

IL DIALETTO DI ROMA Il dialetto parlato è il Romanesco, che però a partire dagli anni 50 ha subito alcune contaminazioni dovute all’immigrazione interna (immigrati italiani di altre regioni). Ad oggi esso è praticamente scomparso, e di esso sono rimasti solo alcuni modi di dire e una cadenza che rende inconfondibili i cittadini Romani: “Er Romanaccio de Roma”, “Er Coatto”, parla uno slang in cui per chiamare un amico si dice “Aho”, e per chiedere a una persona cosa sta dicendo si dice “Ma che stai a di’?”.

Ma il fatto è che dal Pantheon a Piazza di Spagna, da Castel Sant’Angelo al Campidoglio, sembra che le cose da vedere a Roma non finiscano mai!

ad un tratto, da tutti gli alberi di frutta, cadono dei fiocchi rosa. Coprono sia l’erba che il marciapiede. Quando guido la macchina vedo la neve rosa sulla parabrezza.

Poi dopo solo qualche giorno, il sole diventa feroce. Fa troppo caldo. I petali delicati si accartocciano come fondono i fiocchi della neve d’inverno. Scoppia un temporale e la pioggia porta via tutta la neve rosa senza lasciarne traccia. Ora aspetto la prossima stagione quando la frutta prenderà il posto della la neve rosa.

Carole « Carolina » Steere Ayad studia l’italiano nello stato americano di Maryland.

ITALIAN AMERICA SPRING 2013 5

By Karen Haid

The famous 1886 portrait of Verdi at age 73 by Giovanni Boldini

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ITALIAN ITALIANAMERICA AMERICA

In the wake of his greatest musical triumphs, Giuseppe Verdi modestly refrained from self-congratulation, merely commenting, “Il tempo deciderà” [Time will tell].

Eventually, Verdi returned to Busseto, where he married his sweetheart, Barezzi’s eldest daughter, Margherita in 1836. They had two children, Virginia in 1837 and Icilio Romano the next year. He was also commissioned to write his first opera, Oberto. Life was good for Verdi and his little family.

the premier of Nabucco, in which he demonstrated a fresh energy in his melodic and rhythmic approach.

MAESTRO AND PATRIOT Verdi considered Nabucco the beginning of his artistic career. Italians under foreign domination identified with the opera’s subject, the plight of the Hebrews during the Babylonian captivity. In fact, one of its choruses, “Va, pensiero, sull’ali dorate” (Fly, thought, on golden wings), known as “the Chorus of the Hebrew Slaves,” became the anthem for Italians yearning for independence from the Austrians, the Spanish and the Papal States, then occupying most of the peninsula.

This year marks the 200th anniversar y of his bir th, and Verdi’s music has clearly survived the test of time. Today, he is revered In 1839, Oberto the world over for successfully pr ehis magnificent opmiered at Milan’s eras, but during his great opera house, lifetime he was also La Scala, and new a patriot who supcommissions folOver the next ten years, Verdi ported the struggle Victor Emmanuel II, the first king lowed. At the same to free Italy from time, however, trag- composed 16 more operas, including of a united Italy. foreign domination edy struck with the three of the most celebrated works for and become unified for the first time deaths of his entire family--first, his the lyric stage, Rigoletto, Il trovatore and La traviata. His mein 13 centuries. two toddlers in 1838 and lodic gifts, strong sense 1839, followed by his wife GIOIA E DOLORE of theater and breadth of in 1840.

His life resembles one of his operas expression, ranging from At that time, in a twist in that it was shaped by joy and sorpoignant arias to rousing of fate worthy of an opera, row. He was born October 10, 1813 choruses -- brought him he was commissioned to in the tiny village of Roncone in the great popularity throughwrite a comic opera, Un northern region of Emilia Romagna. out Europe, while in Italy giorno di regno (King for a His parents were innkeepers, who his opera plots, full of Day). Perhaps not surprisrecognized their only child’s musical intrigue and exhortations ingly, it was a failure and Verdi’s second wife, the talent when he was very young. By age against tyranny, made his soprano Giuseppina Verdi considered giving Strepponi’s portrait, nine he was already playing the organ name synonymous with up composing. But two also by Giovanni in the local church. revolution. years later, in 1842, he Boldini To further his education, the family returned to La Scala with As a patriot composmoved to the nearby town of Busseto ing in the 1840s and where his talents were also recognized by a local merchant, Antonio Barezzi, who helped him continue his musical studies in Milan when he was 20. Ironically, while in Milan, Verdi applied to the city’s famed conservatory of music…and was rejected.

Today, the conservatory is known as il Conservatorio di musica Giuseppe Verdi di Milano.

The opening of the beloved “Chorus of Hebrew Slaves” from Verdi’s Nabucco.

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1850s when much of schedule eventually northern Italy, includruined her voice and ing Milan, was under she left the lyric stage.

Austrian rule, Verdi had In 1847, she and Verdi to struggle under strict became romantically censorship; still, he maninvolved and 12 years aged to insert nationallater, in 1859, they istic messages through married, but had no allegory. In Ernani, for children. example, a banished noWith success came bleman conspires against The playbill from the 1871 wealth, allowing Verdi premiere of Aida in Cairo the King of Spain; in to acquire property Giovanna d’Arco, Joan near his hometown. He enjoyed livof Arc rouses French troops against ing as a gentleman farmer and was the English; and in La battaglia di an expert agriculturist, overseeing an Legnano, the knights of Lombardy estate with 200 employees, whom pledge to force their oppressors back he treated very well. In addition, he over the Alps. invested his farm’s earnings in founThese operas whipped Italian audiences into a revolutionary frenzy accompanied by shouts of “Viva Verdi!” In fact, graffiti of “Viva Verdi!” appeared on the walls of cities and towns all over Italy. Many believe it was actually an acronym for “Viva Vittorio Emanuele Re D’Italia. (“Long live Victor Emmanuel, King of Italy).

At that time, Victor Emmanuel II (1820-1878) was king of Sardinia.

In 1861, he became the first king of a united Italy since the fall of Rome.

dations for needy musicians. Today, Milan’s Casa di Riposo per Musicisti, known as Casa Verdi, is supported by the Verdi Foundation and offers a home to retired musicians. Fittingly, he is buried there.

VERDI AND LITERATURE

music. The first was Macbeth (1847) followed exactly 40 years later by Otello, his penultimate work.

His admiration for the author and poet, Alessandro Manzoni, whom Italians consider “the father of the Italian novel” for his classic I promessi sposi (The Betrothed), found expression in the Requiem Mass he wrote, following Manzoni’s death 1873.

The complete Requiem was first performed at the cathedral in Milan in 1874.

THE CURTAIN DESCENDS Verdi’s last opera, the aforementioned Falstaff, premiered in 1893.

Eight years later, while visiting Milan, he had a stroke on January 21, 1901 and died six days later at age 87. Verdi’s state funeral was held in Milan where he had seen his greatest triumphs. The great Italian conductor, Arturo Toscanini led the orchestra, composed of musicians from all over Italy, and a chorus of more than 800 singers.

LIFE GOES ON

Verdi drew on literary works for many of his most beloved operas.

According to one of his most Rigoletto is based on Vicrespected biographers, tor Hugo’s play, Le Roi the late Mary Jane Phils’amuse (The King Has lips-Matz, an estimated Fun); La Traviata (The 200,000 mourners lined Wayward One) from the the streets for Verdi’s fuFrench novel by Alexandre neral procession – to this Dumas fils; Luisa Miller day, the largest public The Serbian tenor from a German play by Zeljko Lucic in a 2011 assembly in Italy’s hisFriedrich von Schiller; and production of Macbeth tory. As the horse-drawn Il trovatore from a Spanish hearse bearing Verdi’s cofplay by Antonio Gutierrez, to name fin passed by, the crowd spontaneously only the most well-known. began singing “the Chorus of Hebrew

Soon after his wife died, Verdi met Giuseppina Strepponi, a talented and famous soprano, who sang the difficult role of Abigaille (Abigail) in the premiere of Nabucco. She sang other roles in his early operas and was wildly popular, but a rigorous singing

In all, Verdi wrote or revised 29 operas, but only two were comic ones: King for a Day, his second opera, and Falstaff, his very last one, based on Shakespeare’s The Merry Wives of Windsor. It was the third time Verdi had set one of Shakespeare’s plays to

Whether truth or colorful revisionism, at the very least this catchphrase shows Verdi’s deep-rooted connection with the cause of Italian unification.

With the emergence of a newly unified country, Verdi was elected to Italy’s first parliament, and later King Victor Emmanuel II made him a senator.

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Slaves” from Nabucco. Today, Italians still sing along whenever they hear it, even during opera performances.

Karen Haid is an Italian aficionada with a doctorate in music. She is currently writing a book on Calabria.

ITALIAN AMERICA

The Sons of Italy

Book Club

Venice: A New History

By Thomas F. Madden The rise and fall of Venice, its contributions, and remarkable people, who include Marco Polo and Casanova, is vividly told in this new history that covers the city’s 2,000 years of history and achievements. It was a republic for more than 1,000 years, from the late 7th century A.D. until 1797, when Napoleon captured the city and gave it to Austria as part of a peace pact. But La Serenissima, as Italians call Venice, remains one of the wonders of the world. [$35.00; hardcover; 446 pages; Viking Press]

SPRING 2013 Selections

Italians In West Virginia The Dance of the Seagull

By Victor Basile & Judy Prozzillo Byers

Between 1910 and 1920, about 15,000 Italians immigrated to West Virginia to work as farmers, lumberjacks, miners and railroad builders. Most were from southern Italy, recruited by the state to develop its resources. Their history is revealed in this book through stories and more than 200 photographs from state archives and private families.

Today, more than 70,000 descendents of these early immigrants still contribute to the state, including former governor and now U.S. senator Joe Manchin. [$21.99; paperback; 128 pages; Arcadia Press]

By Andrea Camilleri Translated by Stephen Santarelli

Since 1994, Camilleri has written 14 novels about Salvo Montalbano, a quirky Sicilian police detective, who loves food and hates crime. As this his latest novel begins, Montalbano witnesses a seagull suddenly fall from the skies and die. Soon after, he learns his right hand man, Fazio is missing. Are the two mysterious events connected? The novels have been adapted as a TV series that Americans can see (with subtitles) on MHz. But read the book first! [$15.00; paperback; 277 pages; Penguin Books]

Also Worth Reading The Girl Who Did Not Like Her Name

By Chloe JonPaul Alessandra Petrucci thought her name was “too different” until she learns why she was given it. In this book for children age 10 and up, author JonPaul describes the lives of the early Italian immigrants in clear and vivid language. Richly illustrated by Danuta Zamojska Hutchins. [$12.70; paperback; 41 pages; Culanco Publications]

An Alien Place

By Emilia Zecchino

By Carol Van Valkenburg Shortly before the U.S. entered WW II, the government collected about 1,200 Italian merchant seamen and cruise ship workers and shipped them off to Montana to Ft. Missoula, an unused military base where they were imprisoned until 1943. Historian Van Valkenburg tells their story through text and photographs. [$14.95; paperback; 130 pages; Pictorial Histories Publishing Co.] Reviewed by Dona De Sanctis SPRING 9 ITALIAN 2013 AMERICA

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Our Story

Italian American history and culture

A Relentless Racer

By Elisa Wilkinson

Relentless for a Cure is the title of the blog that Luigi Laraia kept during the summer of 2012 as he cycled “Relentless Racer” Luigi Laraia across the U.S. to reach Vancouver, Canada. Only months earlier, the 37year old advisor at the World Bank in Washington, D.C. had been diagnosed with leukemia. After undergoing chemotherapy, he went home “with no appetite, no energy and no desire to get up off the sofa,” he says in his blog.

Over time, however, he decided to fight back. “The biggest fear of facing death or a disease... is that you won’t be able to do the things you love,” he says. His passion was cycling so a cross-country bike trip was his response to the disease.

The ride was for himself but also for the estimated 45,000 children and adults who are diagnosed with leu-

kemia each year. Luigi’s goals were to complete the trip in 35 days, averaging 120 miles a day, and to raise $10,000 for his sponsor, the Leukemia and Lymphoma Society.

He left on July 26, 2012 from Washington, D.C. During the trip, he battled heat, rain, cold and dangerously severe head winds, but completed his trip in 35 days, rode 3,347 miles, and raised $27,035.00. “I always underestimated what the mind and the heart can do,” he wrote in his blog. “This experience taught me that the mind and the heart can control your life regardless of how you feel, what you have, and your condition. If you really want it, you can do it.”

Luigi’s family was from Potenza in Basilicata, but he grew up in Bologna before coming to the U.S. Today, he is in remission and continues to work at the World Bank.

His blog is at http://luigilaraia.blogspot.com.

Elisa Wilkinson is on the staff of the Sons of Italy’s national headquarters in Washington, D.C. Reach her at ewilkinson@osia.org

Not By Bread Alone: The Da Vinci Art School of New York

By David McCormick

Ruotolo’s social conscience inCrushing poverty, rampant disspired much of his own art that porease and inhumane living conditions trayed the suffering of the city’s poor plagued the immigrant families, and the horrors of World War I. The crammed into the cold water flats of school’s co-founder, Attilio Piccirilli New York’s tenements at the turn of and his five brothers had carved the the last century. But man does not live Lincoln Memorial in 1922 along by bread alone. So when the 20- yearOnorio Ruotolo (second from left) old Italian artist and sculptor, Onorio teaching sculpture at the Da Vinci School. with many other patriotic memorials in the U.S. Ruotolo arrived in New York in 1908, he brought with him a dream to give the less fortunate a For a decade, the Leonardo, as it came to be called, was chance to become artists. He realized this goal 15 years an incubator for artists. Eventually, its high enrollment later, when he and the famed Italian sculptor, Attilio required it to move to a five-story building, but when Piccirilli established an art school for the working poor. America entered World War II, contributions evaporated The Leonardo Da Vinci Art School of New York on the Lower East Side opened its doors in 1923. It provided affordable and often free art instruction to the city’s poorest residents during the day and the evening. It offered instruction in painting, murals, sculpture, pottery and ceramics and also was the only school teaching the art of fresco painting. The school accepted students “without prejudice of race or religion,” eventually becoming tuition-free, thanks to financing by the Friends of Italian Arts Association.

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and by 1942, its doors closed forever.

The school was gone but its legacy lived on. Its students formed a network of artists throughout the country. Some worked and taught for federal programs that helped end the Depression. Others became faculty members at such schools as the universities of Columbia, North Carolina and Wyoming.

Their lives and works fulfilled Ruotolo’s mission to “diffuse among the children of workers, the Light of Art.” David McCormick is a free-lance writer in Springfield, MA. Contact him at dmccormick86@comcast.net.

ITALIAN AMERICA

Our Story

Italian American history and culture

A Culture of Gardening

A Renaissance Garden

By Laura Kelly

My family has always had a garden, thanks to my mother, who plants one every spring in our rather small backyard, giving us flowers and herbs, including rosemary, chives, parsley and basil which she uses in her cooking.

She learned gardening from her grandfather when she was growing up in New Jersey in the 1950s and 1960s.

Back then, like many transplanted Italians, he grew flowers but also tomatoes, peppers, and squash. Some families even had their own grape arbors, using the fruit to make grape jelly and wine.

Gardening has always held a prominent place in Italian culture. For centuries, southern Italian peasants did elaborate gardening for the nobility, or, as sharecroppers, donated half their crops to the aristocrats who owned the land the peasants worked. During the first half of the 20th century, home-grown vegetables were essential to a people ravaged by two world wars, both fought on Italian territory. Shortly after the end of World War II, many Italians depended solely on their own vegetable gardens for food. However, the art of raising vegetables is not the only contribution Italians have made to gardening.

Through their culture of planting and growing, Italians have given the world some of the most popular gardening styles still used today.

ITALIAN GARDEN STYLES Also called “the Classic Italian Garden,” the Italian Renaissance Garden is recognized by its symmetrical landscaping, neatly trimmed and shaped topiary hedges, and fountains, ponds or streams, often with statuary. The polar opposite of a Renaissance Garden is the Contemporary Garden, which is without structure and symmetry; allowing the plants to grow more naturally with minimal maintenance. And finally, there is the Tuscan Garden, which has some the structure of a Renaissance Garden and the natural, minimalist feel of a Contemporary Garden.

This last type of garden was once popular among Italian farmers. All the herbs, trees, vegetables and even flowers were planted for practicality and use. Unlike the Renaissance Garden, the Tuscan Garden was not created for sheer enjoyment or beauty. Everything in the garden could be used for cooking, medicine, food for the livestock, dyes for clothing, etc.

While there is no longer a vital need for gardens in modSPRING 11 ITALIAN 2013 AMERICA

A Contemporary Garden

A Tuscan Garden

ern Italy, many households still maintain the gardening tradition. In small towns, we find larger gardens that are a vast hodgepodge of wildflowers, herbs, and vegetables.

Even city dwellers who have no land will grow flowers or vegetables in pots on window ledges and balconies. The pride of growing something, no matter how small the area is, seems part of the Italians’ DNA. At the turn of the last century, Italian immigrants, like my great-grandfather, brought this tradition to America. My mother has adopted it and so will I when I have my own home one day.

Laura Kelly is on the staff of the Sons of Italy’s national headquarters in Washington, D.C. Contact her at lkelly@osia.org ITALIAN AMERICA SPRING 2013 11

By Dona De Sanctis

For decades, the U.S. entertainment industry has portrayed Italian Americans as violent mobsters, largely responsible for crime in America. The Federal Bureau of Investigation (FBI), however, reports that only about 3,000 Italian Americans are in organized crime today.

They constitute .017 percent of the 18 million people who identified themselves as Italian American in the U.S. Census Bureau’s latest American Community Survey. Today’s organized crime syndicates include Russian mobsters, African drug traffickers, Chinese tongs, Asian crime rings, and Eastern European gangs, according to the FBI. Few Americans know that thousands of Italian Americans have chosen to enforce rather than break the law. In New York City, for example, out of approximately 36,000 police officers, fully 14,400 or 40% are Italian Americans, according to the Columbia Association of the New York Police Department. Regrettably, the impressive record of real-life Italian American crime fighters has been overshadowed by the likes of such fictional characters as Don Corleone and Tony Soprano.

A TRADITION OF LAW ENFORCEMENT In the late 19th century, law enforcement attracted many Italian immigrants, among them Joseph Petrosino (1860-1909), the first Italian American detective and the first New York City police officer to die in the line of duty while abroad.

One of the earliest Italian immigrants, Petrosino was 13 when he came to the U.S. with his family in 1873.

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Ten years later, he joined the New York City police force.

In 1905, Theodore Roosevelt, then the city’s police commissioner, promoted Petrosino to detective and put him in charge of the Homicide Department. In 1908 he was promoted again to lieutenant where he formed the Italian Squad, an elite corps of Italian American undercover police officers that helped deport 500 criminals, who were preying on the Italian immigrants in New York’s Little Italy.

In March, 1909, Petrosino went to Sicily to gather evidence on the Mafia. On March 12th, he was murdered in Palermo by a Mafioso. About 250,000 people came to his funeral in New York City, which declared that day a holiday so people could pay their respects.

Theodore Roosevelt was also instrumental in the law enforcement career of another Italian American, Charles Joseph Bonaparte (1851-1921), the founder of the FBI. A Harvard-educated lawyer from Baltimore, Bonaparte was serving on the Federal Board of Indian Commissioners, investigating corrupt government policies toward Native Americans when President Theodore Roosevelt tapped him to serve in his Cabinet as Secretary of the Navy in 1908. He later became Roosevelt’s U.S. Attorney General, the first one of Italian heritage. In 1908, Bonaparte established the Bureau of Investigation that became known as the Federal Bureau of Investigation (FBI) in 1935.

While Bonaparte was laying the groundwork for the FBI, one of his contemporaries was fighting crime in the Wild West. Charlie Angelo Siringo (1855-1912) had ITALIAN AMERICA

a very colorful life as a cowboy, Pinkerton detective and chronicler of the Wild West. Siringo pursued Billy the Kid, Butch Cassidy and the Sundance Kid and reportedly went undercover in Cassidy’s Hole-in-the-Wall gang. Siringo was also a writer. Among his books is A Texas Cowboy, the first authentic autobiography in cowboy history, published in 1885.

Another Italian American who moved west to fight crime is related to one of the most infamous Italian American gangsters, Al Capone. Capone’s oldest brother, James Vincenzo Capone (1892-1952) chose a different path; becoming a respected lawman who arrested more than 20 murderers in the 1920s. He was a U.S. marshal and presidential bodyguard, but was so ashamed of his gangster brother that he changed his name to Richard Hart. An excellent marksman, he was known as “Two-Gun Hart” because he always carried a pair of pearl-handled pistols.

After serving in the U.S. Army during World War I, he went out west and became a Prohibition enforcement officer. Ironically, while Al Capone was bootlegging in Chicago, his brother was destroying illegal stills and arresting horse thieves in Nebraska. James Capone later served as a bodyguard for President Calvin Coolidge and became the marshal of Homer, NE. He concealed his Italian heritage until 1949, only a few years before his death in 1952.

Janet Napolitano directs the U.S. Department of Homeland Security.

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GOING UNDERCOVER One of the most dangerous assignments a police officer can have is undercover work. Among the top ranks of undercover officers are a number of Italian Americans, who infiltrated organized crime families and helped bring their members to justice.

The youngest of 12 children, David Toma forged a remarkable career as a New Jersey police officer, who used disguises and other unconventional tactics to infiltrate drug gangs and arrest criminals. Out of thousands of arrests, many made without using his gun, he had a 98% conviction rate. In the 1970s, two detective series based on his life and career aired on television. The first, “Toma”, starred Tony Musante. When he left the show, it became “Baretta”, with Robert Blake in the title role.

While Toma was working undercover in New Jersey, Frank Serpico was fighting crime in New York City where he joined its police department in 1960. There he witnessed widespread bribery and kick-backs among his fellow officers. His complaints were ignored until he became “the whistle-blowing cop” and testified before the Knapp Commission in 1971. Shortly afterwards, he was shot in the face during an undercover drug bust, yet his fellow officers did not come to his aid.

Joseph Petrosino was the first Italian American police detective.

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Charles Bonaparte founded the FBI Johnny Depp and Al Pacino in Donnie Brasco, based on Joe Pistone’s undercover career.

Serpico retired from the force in 1972 and went abroad, returning to New York in the 1980s. His life became the subject of a best-seller by Peter Maas and was turned into the hit movie, Serpico, starring Al Pacino in 1973.

At the federal level of law enforcement is Joseph Pistone. As an FBI agent in 1969, he went undercover, infiltrating a crime ring that had stolen millions of dollars worth of vehicles along the east coast from New York to Florida. His work brought to justice 30 of the gang.

In 1976, he began using the undercover identity of “Donnie Brasco.” He infiltrated the Bonanno crime network where the evidence he gathered led to more than 200 indictments and over 100 convictions. Pistone retired from the FBI in 1986. Since then, he has written several books and assisted with the 1997 movie, Donnie Brasco, starring Johnny Depp. In 2000, there also was a TV series, “Falcone”, based on his undercover career.

Another Italian American, who accepted dangerous assignments to fight drug trafficking is Frank J. Panessa.

During his 30-year career with the Drug Enforcement Administration (DEA), he often went undercover even abroad. In Italy, for example, he helped the DEA arrest over 30 Sicilian heroin traffickers.

Back in the U.S., he discovered crucial evidence in the notorious “Pizza Connection” case of heroin traffickers in New York who were using their family-owned pizzerias to distribute heroin imported from Sicily. Panessa went undercover SPRING 2013

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Detective Charlie Siringo’s book is the first authentic cowboy autobiography.

to provide evidence of the connection between the pizzeria owners and the drug traffickers. After leaving the DEA, he continued to testify as an expert witness on drug trafficking.

Career FBI agent Louis Freeh went undercover on the New York waterfront – work that led to the prosecution of about 125 criminals in organized crime. Later he was a lead prosecutor in the above-mentioned “Pizza Connection” case and convicted 18 drug dealers and other felons.

In 1993, following in the footsteps of Charles Bonaparte, he became the second Italian American to head the FBI, Freeh, who owes his Italian American roots to his mother, Bernice Chinchiola, was FBI director for eight years and is now has a private law practice. Another FBI veteran, John Pistole, is the Transportation Security Administrator, overseeing the security of airports, highways, railroads, ports and mass transit systems.

WOMEN CRIME FIGHTERS The successful prosecution of arrested felons is crucial to eradicating crime. In this field of law enforcement Italian Americans, especially women, also have played a significant role. Before running for vice president in 1984, Geraldine Ferraro (1935-2011) was an assistant district attorney in New York City. In 1978, she helped establish the Special Victims Bureau, prosecuting sex crimes, child abuse, domestic violence and violent crimes against senior citizens. continued on page 30 ITALIAN AMERICA

How stereotyping shapes the public image of today’s Italian Americans.

Send your contributions to ddesanctis@osia.org or mail to: “It’s Only a Movie,” Italian America Magazine, 219 E Street, NE, Washington, DC 20002. Include name and daytime telephone number. No telephone calls please. Mailed submissions cannot be acknowledged. Contributors’ names, when known, are in parenthesis.

Compiled by Dona De Sanctis

• WHO’S THE BOSS? New Jersey’s Gov. Chris Christie was featured on the cover of Time Magazine in January, looking a lot like Tony Soprano, a resemblance underscored by the title “The Boss” that ran under his image. Christie’s mother was Italian American, a well-known fact. He criticized the cover on the radio and television program “Imus in the Morning,” saying it was “not kind.”

• HAUTE CUISINE? It’s not “just” a burger, according to Boom Burger Corporation. Its restaurant in Bergen County, NJ has burgers for all tastes. There’s the Cuban, the Philly Cheeseburger, the California Burger, the All American Burger and…the Jersey Guido Burger. Requests from the Italian American One Voice Coalition in NJ to change the name to an inoffensive one have been ignored by the corporate headquarters in Westhampton Beach, NY. Send your (polite) objection to: Telephone: 631/288-5376. Email: contact@theboomburger.com.

• STILL “MARRIED” Celebrate Mother’s Day this year by taking the family to seethe offensive Joey and Maria’s Comedy Italian Wedding at the Chowder Pot restaurant in Hartford, CN. Entertainment includes the arrival of a Mafia godfather; an ex-girl friend; and gunfire. All characters have Italian pasta last names, such as Carmine Cannoli, Viola Vermicelli, and Joey Gnocchi.

The priest who marries them is “Pastor Fazool.” This interactive dinner theater bills itself as “the longest-running presentation of its kind in the U.S.” Written by Paul and Darlyne Franklin, it is owned by Dillstar Productions in California, but plays all The Wedding Party over the country, often as a fund-raiser.

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• QUI NON SI PARLA ITALIANO An upscale Italian restaurant in Montreal has “too much Italian,” on its menu, according to the Office of French Language, a governmental agency. In its letter to owner Massimo Lecas, the Office criticized him for using “bottiglia,” “calamari,” and other Italian terms instead of the French words.

The agency ate its words after its pronouncements made the social media networks and government officials said they planned to look into the matter.

• EQUALITY? A Duke University fraternity has been suspended for throwing an Asian-themed party AsianAmerican students considered “racist and insensitive” after photos of the event were posted on Facebook that showed partygoers dressed in stereotypical attire, with some wearing chopsticks in their hair. The party invitation was written mocking an Asian accent. Would the fraternity have been punished for throwing a Mafiathemed party? Doubt it!

• CHRISTIE IN THE CROSSHAIRS Looks as if the media have it in for NJ Gov. Chris Christie. First the above-mentioned Tony Soprano lookalike cover on Time magazine and now an on-air insult from Howard Kurtz (of CNN’s “Reliable Sources”), who called him “a bully mobster” CNN’s Howard during a panel discussion on Christie’s weight, Kurtz hosted by Soledad O’Brien on CNN’s “Starting Points” Feb. 8 at 08:30 ET. Chided by O’Brien, Michael Skolnik, editor of Globagrind.com, came back with “Shut up. Gettouta here,” in a New Jersey accent.

Manny Alfano, NJ

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Bulletin Board

What’s new: discounts, services and events

Documentary Directory To help our readers learn more about their history and culture, Italian America magazine is compiling a directory of documentaries available to the public on DVDs and/or videos. The list will be published in a coming issue of the magazine and then posted permanently on our website, www.osia.org. Directors and producers should send the information below to Dona De Sanctis at ddesanctis@osia. org by May 28, 2013.

• Title and brief description of subject (Two-three sentences.)

• Special features if any such as historic film clips, photographs, celebrity interviews, etc.

• Director/producer’s name and company • Running length of film • Cost of film • How to order: email; telephone and/or website

Free Festival Guide A free directory of 371 annual Italian American festivals in 39 states and the District of Columbia has been produced by the Sons of Italy’s national headquarters in Washington, D.C. To add a festival to next year’s directory, contact OSIA National by fax (202/546-8168) or e-mail: nationaloffice@osia.org. Deadline: December 31, 2013.

The 2013 Sons of Italy Festival Directory can be downloaded at www.osia. org. For a free printed copy, send a large (9” x 12”), self-addressed envelope to: Sons of Italy Festival Directory, 219 E Street NE, Washington, DC 20002. Sorry. No telephone or fax orders.

Italian Americans celebrate hundreds of festivals every year. [Photo: Paul Porcelli]

Ask the Lawyer Advice on Italy’s Legal System

QUESTION: How do you hire or fire an Italian lawyer?

ANSWER: It is quite easy to both engage and dismiss a lawyer in Italy. The Italian Civil Proceedings Code mandates an attorney’s representation if the value of the proceeding exceeds 516 euros (currently about $600).

The attorney’s engagement letter includes the payment terms and conditions under which he or she is being retained. For special situations, where the attorney represents, acts and makes decisions on behalf of the client, a Power of Attorney is required. In that case, the engagement letter must also be signed by the client and then notarized, with an apostil affixed by the Secretary of State in the state where the citizen resides.To end an engagement with an Italian lawyer,

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the client only needs to send a letter to the lawyer via registered mail. It is not necessary to give a reason or any other details. Before terminating a client-lawyer relationship, all outstanding fees and payments should be paid. However, if files are requested, the lawyer has no right to keep any document even if he has not been paid by the client. Either the client or his empowered representatives (including a newly retained lawyer) are entitled to pick all the documents and the file/s pertaining to the client from the lawyer’s office.

Conversely, in Italy if a lawyer wants to end the engagement, he can send his client a letter of dismissal/ termination. In this case, the lawyer cannot unilaterally cease to represent the client in front of the Courts until a new lawyer is retained by the client himself.

Giampaolo Girardi, Esq. is a member of the Italian Bar Association and the Managing Partner of Legal And Fiscal, a combined law and accounting firm in Rome. For U.S. contact and support, see www.ItalyLawyerForAmericans.com.

ITALIAN AMERICA

Bulletin Board

What’s new: discounts, services and events

Sons of Italy Speakers Bureau Need a speaker for your club meeting or a special event? Contact these speakers directly. Some may require travel expenses and/or honorariums. More speakers are listed on the OSIA website: www.osia.org at “Studies in Culture.” To apply as a speaker, contact Dona De Sanctis at ddesanctis@osia.org.

ANYWHERE, USA • Psychologist & self-help author Raeleen D’Agostino Mautner on reconnecting with your Italian roots through “simplicity, balance and joy.” Book signing of Living la Dolce Vita and Lemons into Limoncello. Contact: 203/393 6500 (CT); Email: raeleenmautner@ gmail.com. Website: http://raeleenmautner.com • Children’s author Chloe JonPaul on helping children appreciate their Italian heritage. Book signing of The Girl Who Did Not Like Her Name and others.

Contact: 1-888/498-4443; Email: jonpaul65@aol. com. Website: www.chloejonpaul.com • CALIFORNIA WW II Vet and author Leon Weckstein on his wartime collaboration with Italian partisans and how he saved the Leaning Tower of Pisa. Book signing of 200,000 Heroes. Contact: 805/4960508 (CA). Email: LWeckstein@aol.com Website: www.LeonWeckstein.com Will travel.

• FLORIDA & NORTHEAST Author/historian Mario Fumarola on the difficulties early Italian immigrants overcame. Book signings. Contact: 610/395-0631 (PA). Email: spqr@rcn.com • NEW YORK/NEW ENGLAND Singer Michael Ciulla performs songs of great Italian American crooners for meetings, weddings, etc. Also will MC special events. Contact: 860/767-1115 (CT); Email: m i c h a e l v o i c e m a n @ g m a i l . c o m . We b s i t e : www.michaelsings.com. Will travel.

• NEW YORK Playwright & author David Mercaldo on the 20th century Italian American experience. Book signings. Contact: 718/979-5196 (NY). Email:

skyline347@verizon.net. Website: www.davidmercaldo.com. Will travel.

• NORTH EAST Singer Dominic DiPasquale performs traditional Italian favorites from Sinatra & Bennett to Vale and Roselli. Contact: 401/390 7564 (RI).

Email: neapolitanman@msn.com. Will travel.

• PENNSYLVANIA Film-maker and media professor Michael Angelo DiLauro on Italian American history and identity with screenings of his documentaries on these topics. Contact: 412/397-6822 (PA).

Email:dilauro@rmu.edu. Website:www.prisonersamongus.com; www.lamiastrada.org. Will travel.

• SOUTH CAROLINA Novelist Frank Pennisi on his latest book, Sciatu Mio that follows three generations of Sicilians from Italy to America. Book signings. Contact: 843/272-9997 (SC). Email: fpennisi@sc.rr.com • VIRGINIA US Army (ret.) Richard Rinaldo on New York’s Little Italy and his book, Meatballs & Stickball.

Book signing. Contact: 757/874-6048 (VA). Email: richrinaldo@cox.net. Will travel.

• WASHINGTON STATE/OREGON Author Tony Vivolo on growing up Italian in New York City’s tenements in the 1940’s and ‘50s. Book signing. Contact: 360/387-4647 (WA). Email: tpvivolo@frontier.com.

Website: www.tonyvivolo.com • WEST & MIDWEST Historian Mary Lampe on life in 13th century Sicily. Book signings. Contact: 719/379 3169 (CO). Email: rmvassari@gmail.com.

Website: www.murder-at-the-leopard.com. Will travel.

Back to Brooklyn’s Bushwick Did you grow up in an Italian-speaking home in Brooklyn’s Bushwick section during the 1950s, ‘60s or ‘70s? If so, a writer, working on a television program taking place in that neighborhood, needs your stories.

“My goal is to show the warmth, sweetness and strong values of a real Italian upbringing,” says writer Susan Jensen, who also grew up there. “I don’t speak Italian much anymore and would appreciate hearing from people SPRING 17 ITALIAN 2013 AMERICA

who are still fluent.” This program will be an authentic Italian American answer to such “reality” shows as Jersey Shore and Mafia movies, she says. Contact her at suejensen57@gmail.com or leave a message at 704/640-4118.

A long-ago birthday party in Bushwick ITALIAN AMERICA SPRING 2013 17

Cent a’ nni.

Italy ’s Changing Wedding Traditions

By Carol Cummings

“Cent’anni!” [May this last 100 years!] is one of the traditional toasts Italians offer newlyweds at wedding receptions. Although many such traditions are still honored in Italy, the younger generation is making changes that someday might become “traditions.”

When To Marry?

Throwing rice at newlyweds is symbolic of fertility.

Italian weddings are relatively few in May or August.

May is dedicated to the Virgin Mary, while August is the month most Italians leave town on extended vacations and religious Italians don’t marry during Lent or Advent.

But today, a growing number of couples are marrying in May although June, July and September remain the most popular months, according to Valentina Lombardi, a wedding planner in Piedmont.

“Traditionally, wedding are held on Sunday morning… with a Catholic mass at 11:30 AM or noon, [followed by] a wedding feast, with music and dancing afterward,” she

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says. Increasingly, however, Italians are choosing to marry on Saturday and offer their guests an evening dinner instead of a lavish afternoon luncheon. Some also opt to marry out of season, in April or October, to secure a lower price on villas, the popular location choice for Italians wedding receptions.

Mixed marriages have also led to a further abandonment of tradition. According to ISTAT, the Italian National Institute for Statistics, over nine percent of marriages in Italy in 2009 were between an Italian and a non-Italian. Of all marriages between a foreigner and an Italian, Italians most often marry Romanians.

Another 12 percent are mixed marriages while marriages to Moroccans amount to 7 percent.

The Importance of Green

In Italy, symbols auguring fertility play a very large role in Italian wedding lore. The word “matrimony” itself is ITALIAN ITALIANAMERICA AMERICA

based on the Latin word, mater [mother], underscoring that the purpose of marriage is to produce children.

Among the traditional symbols for fertility is the color green. The day before her wedding, the bride wears a green outfit. On the day of her wedding, in addition to wearing something old, something new and something borrowed, she wears something green instead of blue.

The rice traditionally thrown at the couple as they leave the church is another symbol of fertility. Preparation of the wedding bed, an old tradition, is still done even for larger weddings. Generally, the wedding bed is prepared by a married woman, but sometimes the family’s young women make the bed.

Making It Official

Italians can marry in a church ceremony or at the city hall. Most do not have bridesmaids and groomsmen, although again, influenced by American films, some do.

It can prove difficult, however, for fashion-conscious Italian women to agree to wear the same dress in the same color! Usually, couples opt for the traditional ceremony in which the bride and groom each chooses one or two witnesses (testimoni) to sign the registrar at the church or the city hall, making the marriage official and legally binding. One of the witnesses brings the rings.

After the nuptials, the guests hold a procession or corteo nuziale to the place where the reception will be held. “All cars are marked with a ribbon the main color of the wedding,” writes Lombardi. “They usually honk to celebrate.”

Much of what takes place at an Italian wedding reception depends on regional traditions.

In the south, for example, a reception can last as long as three days, although these marathon parties are generally reserved for the wealthy. In 2004, for example, Fiat heir, John Elkann married the Italian countess,

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Lavinia Borromeo on Isola Madre on Lake Maggiore, one of the Borromean Islands owned by the countess’s family.

Their wedding party featured a 16-foot-high cake depicting the Fiat Lingotto factory and a unicorn, the symbol of the Borromeo family. The evening reception was attended by more than 700 guests including Henry Kissinger; the former Italian premier, Mario Monti; the fashion designer, Valentino; and Carla Bruni-Sarkozy, wife of the former president of France, Nicolas Sarkozy.

Less luxurious Italian wedding receptions usually last a day, with the bride and groom sometimes continuing the celebration at a nightspot. Italian weddings traditionally have many guests. In the South, the number can be as high as 300 people, while in the north, wedding guests average between 100 and 120 people.

Buon Appetito!

Like most celebrations in Italy, traditional dishes are an essential element at wedding receptions. Contrary to what Americans believe, Italian wedding soup isn’t commonly served. Apparently, it is a translation of minestra maritata, which refers to the “marriage” of the soup’s tiny meatballs or other meat and escarole, the slightly bitter leafy green vegetable, cooked together in chicken broth. Of Neapolitan origin, the soup is usually served during the Christmas season.

While every region and every town has its typical dishes, a basic Italian wedding menu consists of a big buffet of antipasti before the main meal, accompanied by an aperitivo, some kind of alcoholic drink. Guests mingle and relax while they wait for the bride and groom, who are usually having their wedding photos taken between the ceremony and reception.

An Italian wedding reception can have as many as 300 guests and cost as much as $77,000.00

The first course is usually homemade pasta, then meat or

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fish. Between courses, a sorbetto, a type of lemon ice with a little vodka, might be served to cleanse the palate. For dessert, guests enjoy a traditional Italian wedding cake, made with sponge cake and Chantilly cream, but again, under the American influence, a new trend is a tiered wedding cake.

In many regions the ladies of the family prepare cookies and decorated bread to be given to all guests, although this is more popular in the south, especially in Sardinia and Sicily. The bread, called pane degli sposi, [the newlyweds’ bread] is decorated with intricate flower, plant and heart designs.

The Tradition of “Confetti”

Italian brides wear their mothers’ veils, but not their wedding gowns.

All regions of Italy participate in the tradition of confetti, sugarcoated almonds that express the wish for the new couple to have happiness, wealth, long life, health, and, of course, the ever-present fertility. The bride either circles the room offering the almonds to her guests, or each guest receives a decorated bomboniera containing three to five almonds – the odd number symbolizes that the couple cannot be divided. continued on page 30

Italian Wedding Customs and Popular Sayings

“Di venere e di marte, non si sposa e non si parte,” On Fridays and Tuesdays don’t get married or take a trip (to avoid bad luck).

“Fra moglie e marito non si mette nemmeno un dito.” Between a husband and wife don’t even put a finger.

“Sposa bagnata, sposa fortunata.” A wet bride is a lucky bride. Perhaps the rain is a symbol of fertility…or the proverb just makes a rainy day bride feel better.

“Dopo i confetti, vengono i difetti.” After the wedding , come the complaints.

“Mogli e buoi dai paesi tuoi.” Get your wife and your ox from your own town.

In many Italian regions, the groom buys red roses for his bride in a number equal to her age. If her age is an odd number, he buys one more.

An example of the wedding “bonboniera” filled with “confetti” or sugarcoated almonds they symbolize fertility, prosperity and good fortune.

SOUTHERN TRADITIONS • The bride’s veil is passed from mother to daughter, but it is bad luck for the bride to wear her mother’s dress.

• In some regions, the guests throw old plates on the floor during the reception as a symbol of good luck.

NORTHERN TRADITIONS • Zuccherini are served at most weddings in Bologna. These small ring-shaped cookies, made of flour and sugar, are given as party favors.

• The groom chooses the bridal bouquet and waits outside the church. He gives the bride the bouquet as they enter the church as a last gift before marriage.

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ITALIAN AMERICA

Giovinezza!

News for Young Italian Americans

Awarding Excellence in Italian Students who excel in Italian are recognized by a Sons of Italy lodge in Hopewell Junction, NY every year in an annual event that awards them with certificates of achievement and scholarships.

This year in May, the Joe Di Maggio Lodge #2248 celebrates the 25th anniversary of its Annual Awards Night. It was established in 1988 when the school district launched Italian Studies programs in its middle and high schools. Among the Italian language program’s founders were lodge members Joe Zingone and Professor Pasquale Delli Carpini. They also established their lodge’s annual awards event.

Only 12 students received certificates at the first awards night ceremony. Last year, 325 students in grades 7 through 12 were honored. Currently about 850 students are studying Italian in the Wappingers Central School District, where the lodge is also located. Classes range from beginners through Advanced Placement in Italian.

Members of the Società Onoraria Italica at John Jay High School in Hopewell Junction, NY. All are honor students in Italian.

Financial Aid A one-time research grant of $500.00 for graduate students or recent graduate degree-recipients is offered by the Italian American Studies Association-Western Regional Chapter. The research must focus on signifi-

cant aspects of the history and culture of Italian Americans in the West. All disciplines are eligible: art, music, film, etc. See http://italianamericanstudies.net. Deadline: September 15, 2013.

Books, Etc. FABRIZIO’S FABLE (La Favola di Fabrizio) by Patricia Brady-Danzig and written in Italian and English, is about a brave little mouse who escapes a hungry cat.

Richly illustrated, it comes with a CD of the author reading the story in both languages. ($20.00).

VERDI FOR KIDS introduces the famous composer, his life and music as well as the history and culture of Italy along with 21 arts and crafts activities for children. See ad on page 35. ($16.95) EDIZIONI FARINELLI publishes Italian readers, AP prep books, work books, DVDs, film study texts, teaching aids and more, all designed to further understanding of modern Italian grammar, literature and film. See www.edizionifarinelli.com for details.

SPRING 21 ITALIAN 2013 AMERICA

ITALIAN AMERICA SPRING 2013 21

By Paul Nauta and Bianca Ottone

Genealogy has become popular for today’s Americans, who want to learn more about their immigrant ancestors.

Now two new avenues are open to amateur genealogists. One allows them to explore their family history while sitting at a computer. The second provides an enviable “hands on” experience in Italy with help from bilingual genealogical researchers.

RESEARCHING ROOTS “ONLINE” FamilySearch International, the largest genealogical organization in the world, has launched the Italian Ancestors Project, to preserve the records of millions of people of Italian descent. The National Archives of Italy is collaborating with FamilySearch to digitally preserve historic Italian vital records that can be accessed on the Internet for free.

To date 25 million free images on line at FamilySearch.org and the indexes are updated weekly. “Eventually we aim to preserve roughly 115 million images of historic documents and more than 500 million names,” say David Rencher, chief genealogical officer for FamilySearch, who is working on the Italian Ancestors project. “That’s more than the current combined population of Western Europe.”

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Genealogical research can be done online through FamilySearch International.

So far, 1,000 volunteers are participating on the project all over the world. They include full-time working people, stay-at-home mothers, tech-savvy teen-agers, and senior citizens. But the project needs 50,000 volunteers to be completed by the 2023 deadline.

HOW TO VOLUNTEER Most of the volunteers are not Italian American, considering that 85 million descendants of Italian emigrants are living all over the world compared to 65 million people in Italy today.

Some want to trace their roots while others simply want to give back to a nation that has enriched the world with its art, architecture, music, and literature—not to mention its healthy Mediterranean cuisine, luxury sports cars and stunning fashions.

Anyone twelve years and older can help with the Italian Ancestors Project. Volunteers need only a computer

and Internet access to get started.

Knowledge of Italian, while useful, is not necessary. Online tutorials, selfhelp guides, instructions, and a vibrant Facebook community (along with a 24-hour toll-free support telephone number and live web chats) guide volunteers through the software, and the vagaries of Italian civil registries until they are comfortable. The indexing software can be downloaded at www.

FamilySearch.org/Italian-ancestors to select an Italian Ancestors project of interest.

QUALITY ASSURANCE The digital files include the records of such famous Italians as Giuseppe Verdi, Enzo Ferrari, and Sophia Loren as well as the millions of Italians who immigrated in the late 19th and early 20th centuries. Family Search posts these files online where volunteers, using customized software, extract and index the names, dates, and relationships from the Italian civil registries.

To insure accuracy, two volunteers index every document. A third volunteer then double-checks both results, giving “a highly accurate database that is published as free online and linked to the original document,” says Rencher.

ITALIAN AMERICA

It will quickly become the most definitive historic collection for Italian genealogical and academic research for generations to come, according to Rencher. “Online volunteers will enable millions of Italians in Italy as well as the millions of descendants of Italian immigrants all over the world discover their lineages and possibly each other,” he says. Amateur genealogists also can build, share and collaborate online for free through the FamilySearch Family Tree feature at FamilySearch.org. It is available in 10 languages, including Italian and English.

who were often relatives and close family friends.

towns are usually so small that local officials know everyone there and can call them with the news. The reunited relatives often take FamilySearch International crews in Italy are digitally capturing records like a meal together, these. [Photo: FamilySearch International] exchange old photographs and take new ones.

The documentation is accompanied by digital pictures of the town, including the hall of records; the town’s coat of arms; local church; and even the baptismal font, local cemetery and the street where the Italian ancestor was born. Sometimes the actual building is still there, either empty or renovated by relatives, who may still be living there.

Such research often prompts customers to plan a trip to the town.

Sometimes three generations, including parents, children and grandchildren, travel together to see the town where their ancestors lived and worked more than a century ago.

Exchanging treasured family photographs is a possibility when visiting an ancestor’s village. [Photo: My Italian Family]

TRACING ROOTS...IN ITALY Italian American amateur genealogists also can do research in Italy with help from such genealogical firms as My Italian Family. The company, based in New Hope, PA has been helping people reconnect to their roots back in Italy for over a decade.

HANDS-ON HELP My Italian Family assists in a number of ways. One of its bilingual researchers meets the family at the town and spends a day or more with them.

The visit is timed to the open hours of the municipal offices. Town hall officials are always very welcoming and the mayor is often there to greet the visitors, reports My Italian Family.

Afterwards, the visiting family walks through the town, and, if the ancestral home is still standing, takes pictures of that as well. Italian immigrants often left behind not only a house but a plot of land. These unclaimed properties most likely are still in their names even after many decades. Often, the descendants of an immigrant’s brother or sister have continued to live in the house and work the land.

The My Italian Family tour ends with a visit to the cemetery to see the family graves. “It is a mystical and silent place where one is reunited with their family past and can seal this unforgettable experience, creating a legacy for the generations yet to come,” says My Italian Family.

Paul Nauta is the public relations manager at FamilySearch International.

Bianca Ottone is founder and managing director of My Italian Family.

For some fortunate visitors, livIt conducts primary research onsite ing relatives can be found since the in a client’s ancestral village where More information about FamilySearch International’s Italian Ancestors the actual birth, marriage and death Project is available at: records are maintained. Such family

documents are in the local town hall and in the parish church where records can go as far back as the 17th century.

These ancient documents reveal occupations; the parents’ ages at the time of the child’s birth; the ancestral home address; and even the names of the marriage witnesses and godparents, SPRING 23 ITALIAN 2013 AMERICA

www.FamilySearch.org/Italian-ancestors https://familysearch.org/antenati-italiani http://www.antenati.san.beniculturali.it/ http://www.facebook.com/FamilySearchIndexingItaliano To learn more about My Italian Family’s Family Trips to Ancestral Towns, go to: www.myitalianfamily.com or call 1-888-472-0171.

Email: familytrips@myitalianfamily.com ITALIAN AMERICA SPRING 2013 23

OSIA Nation ®

MAKING A DIFFERENCE

FLORIDA

VIRGINIA

To express gratitude for the enormous sacrifices our military makes, the Joseph B. Franzalia Lodge #2422 in Fort Walton Beach hosted its second annual Wounded Warrior Project Benefit Dinner on March 15th. In two hours, members served 379 dinners of pasta, meatballs or sausage, garlic bread and salad. The dinner’s proceeds, together with generous donations, amounted to $3,850.00 in a “thank you” check sent to The Wounded Warrior Project in Jacksonville, FL.

As part of celebrating its centennial next year, Roma Lodge #254 of Virginia Beach, the oldest and largest OSIA lodge in Virginia, has created a “Centennial Tree” mural. It was painted by the lodge’s immediate past president and muralist John William Del Russo, Sr. and his assistant, Pete Amante, chairman of the lodge’s Centennial Committee.

The tree will eventually be filled with commemorative brass plates on its branches. The lodge is offering all OSIA lodges the opportunity to have a commemorative plate affixed to its Centennial Tree. Contact the lodge’s financial secretary, John Diamante at vabeachromalodge254@gmail.com for details.

The Wounded Warrior Dinner Benefit that raised $3,750.00 for wounded U.S. troops. [Photo by John Ciocho]

The Roma Lodge’s “Centennial Tree” mural

COLORADO

GOT A GOOD STORY?

Guest Speaker Lesley Di Mare, president of Colorado State University SPRING 2013

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Twenty-four Italian American students in Pueblo received college scholarships totaling $22,000 from the Southern Colorado Lodge #2738 last March. The funds were raised through the lodge’s annual Scholarship Gala, reports Lodge Historian Sam Pisciotta. About 460 guests attended the event, whose guest speaker was Lesley Di Mare, president of Colorado State University. Also that evening, John Amidei was named 2013 Italian Citizen of the Year and comedian Sebastian Maniscalco performed. Since 1999, the lodge has raised and bestowed $200.000 in scholarships.

Have you or your lodge done something remarkable that makes a difference to your community or promotes our heritage?

Send details with your lodge’s name and number (photo optional) to: ITALIAN AMERICA Magazine, 219 E Street NE, Washington, DC 20002 or E-mail ddesanctis@osia.org. Include daytime phone number.

Entries not acknowledged and photos not returned unless requested.

ITALIAN AMERICA

OSIA Nation ®

OSIA LODGES AT WORK

CONNECTICUT You are never too old to join the Sons of Italy, according to Rose Tedeschi, who turns 100 in September and was one of 14 new members inducted last February in the Ella T. Grasso Lodge #2538 in Hartford. The lodge was named for Grasso, the first woman elected governor in her own right. With 192 active members, it is the fastest growing lodge in the state, says Treasurer Vincent Lombardo.

LOLA ARIES, the wife of Richard Aries, a past Grand Lodge of the Northwest president and National Trustee died in February 2012. OSIA sends its deepest if belated condolences.

Rose Tedeschi, a new OSIA member

OHIO Needy families in McArthur got a week’s worth of food just in time for Thanksgiving, thanks to the Scoprimento Lodge #2599 in Columbus.

They sponsored a dinner and raffle that had attendees bring grocery bags of non-perishable food to donate to the local St Francis Evangelization Center that helps about 300 needy families. The food, worth about $3,000, filled a truck. Trustee Sos Codispoti has organized and hosted the event for the past seven years.

The center also received 200 hooded sweatshirts. McArthur is one of the most economically depressed areas in the

country. The lodge event also funds two $1,000 scholarships each year.

ANTHONY CONETTA of the John Michael Marino Lodge # 1389 in Port Washington, NY, has received the “Outstanding Engineer in Government Award” from the Westchester/Putnam Chapter of the New York State Society of Professional Engineers.

He is the lodge’s first vice president and a 21-year member.

JOE FIORENTINO, an AtLarge member, will receive one of 2013 Ellis Island Medal of Honor award, given to people who inspire and touch the lives of others worldwide.

Filling the truck of food for the needy donated by the Scoprimento Lodge

Attention All Lodge Officers!

Are your members complaining that they are not receiving their magazines?

Here’s some information that might help them.

As lodge officers, you must send the names and addresses of all new members to your state’s Grand Lodge. You also must inform your Grand Lodge of all address corrections and changes, too! It is best to do this every month. Grand Lodge contact information is listed at www.osia.org under “About OSIA” or call OSIA National at 202/547 2900.

Grand and Subordinate Lodges must observe the following deadlines in sending their updated mailing lists to ABR, which prepares the labels for our magazine mailings. They are: December 1 – winter issue March 1 – spring issue June 1 – summer issue Sept 1 – fall issue SPRING 25 ITALIAN 2013 AMERICA

Special recognition

FRANK PENNISI, author of Sciatu Mio, has received glowing reviews of his novel based on his family’s life. He was an original members of one of the first Sons of Italy lodge in Myrtle Beach, S.C. 20 years ago when it was called the Leo L. Darrigo lodge # 2662. Today it is now the Myrtle Beach Lodge. Active in local politics, Mr. Pennisi served three years as mayor of Briarcliffe Acres, S.C.

CHECK IT OUT! Visit your OSIA web site WWW.OSIA.ORG for updates on the latest OSIA news, reports & issues.

ITALIAN AMERICA SPRING 2013 25

The Sons of Italy Foundation

®

HELPING THOSE IN NEED

Foundation Focus

By Vincent Sarno, President, The Sons of Italy Foundation As OSIA/Sons of Italy Foundation approach our 25th Silver Anniversary National Education & Leadership Awards (NELA) Gala this May, I am profoundly moved by how far we have come as a national organization and philanthropy.

Twenty five years ago we had no annual event in Washington, D.C., where our Supreme Lodge and national Sons of Italy Foundation (SIF) have been headquartered since 1973. We did not conduct a national fundraising event that regularly attracted hundreds of honorees, special guests, notable speakers and financial sponsors from all sectors of our country and the world.

Nor was our national Sons of Italy Foundation the dynamic and well-known institution it is today. We had raised and given money for important causes from its establishment in 1959 but, for the most part, the SIF was essentially a paper organization, with no real mission, meeting agendas, and long or even short-term goals.

Over the past twenty five years, the SIF and NELA Gala have grown substantially and simultaneously. The Gala itself has raised in excess of $30 million; the SIF’s total giving has risen to $125 million. Now U.S. presidents, secretaries of state, speakers of the House, governors, foreign presidents, ambassadors, corporate titans, military

leaders and global celebrities join us each spring. An amazing accomplishment. It makes me quite proud to have presided over the SIF for nearly four years. But things don’t just happen.

As my second term as SIF President begins to wind down, I must thank the dedicated, incredible industry and visionary work of our National Office Staff in Washington, D.C., spearheaded by National Executive Director/CEO Phil Piccigallo. My colleague and brother in OSIA, Past National President Justice Frank Montemuro, called Dr. Piccigallo “simply the finest executive administrator possible”, and I couldn’t put it any better.

He is complemented by a committed and able staff of professionals, whom I’d like to congratulate and thank here: Office Manager Andrea K. Beach; Editor of our organizational publication, Dr. Dona De Sanctis; Development Director Diane Crespy; Social Media & Communications Coordinator Krystyne Hayes, Administrative Assistants Laura Kelley and Elisa Wilkinson, and Project Coordinator Carol Cummings. A special thanks is owed to all the OSIA employees who assisted in years past.

The NELA Gala has been instrumental this past quarter century in assuring OSIA/SIF’s position as the premier organization representing Americans of Italian heritage in the U.S. But, again, things just don’t happen. I hope with this message that it has become clearer just how the NELA happened.

Super Bowl Grand Prize Winner William “Bill” DiCicco of Virginia Beach, VA and a member of OSIA, won the Sons of Italy Foundation’s 2013 Super Bowl XLVII Sweepstakes.

He attended the game in New Orleans on February 3 after winning the random drawing for the grand prize of two tickets to the Super Bowl; two roundtrip airfares; four nights in a four-star hotel and various Super Bowl amenities.

The 2013 SIF Super Bowl Sweepstakes is one of many ways the foundation raised money this year to support its many philanthropic causes.

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ITALIAN AMERICA

News from National

WHAT NATIONAL DOES FOR YOU

OSIA, SIF Among VIPs at Italian Embassy Event The OSIA and the SIF were represented by their National Executive Director and CEO Philip Piccigallo at a dinner for the president of Italy, Giorgio Napolitano at the Italian Embassy in Washington, D.C. on February 15th. OSIA National President Joseph DiTrapani was also invited, but was unable to attend.

The day before, Feb. 14 th, President Napolitano lunched with Vice President Joseph Biden, whom he hosted when Mr. Biden visited Italy in 2011. The day of the dinner, Mr. Napolitano also met with President Barack Obama. OSIA was pleased to have assisted in arranging these meetings.

Present at the Embassy event were about 40 leaders of the Italian American and diplomatic community, including Supreme Court Justices Antonin Scalia and Sam Alito; U.S. Homeland Security Secretary Janet Napolitano; the U.S. Ambassador to Italy David Thorne; ChryslerFiat CEO Sergio Marchionne; and former U.S. Secretary of State Gen. Colin L. Powell, U.S.A. (Ret.) Mr.

The former U.S. Secretary of State Colin Powell, a 2013 SIF honoree with OSIA’s Philip Piccigallo at the Italian Embassy salute to the President of Italy, Giorgio Napolitano.

Marchionne and Gen. Powell are among the SIF honorees at this year’s 25th annual NELA Gala in Washington, D.C. May 23rd.

Robert Bianchi is OSIA’s New Interim National Orator Robert Bianchi, Jr., Esq. was appointed interim OSIA National Orator during the Plenary Session in California last February, following the death of Orator Ray Dattore.

The Orator interprets OSIA byOSIA’s new national interim orator, laws, ensures their Robert Bianchi, Jr. compliance and enforces disciplinary process. He also reviews all state bylaw amendments to ensure that state and local lodges do not violate the rules and regulations set by the Supreme Lodge in Washington, D.C. The Orator also acts as counsel to the Supreme Lodge on some matters, and settles disputes that arise while in session.

SPRING 27 ITALIAN 2013 AMERICA

Mr. Bianchi belongs to the Cavaliere Dr. Angelo R. Bianchi Lodge, #2654 in Bloomfield, N.J. It was named after his great grandfather who immigrated to the U.S., attended the University of Maryland Medical School and was the first Italian physician in Newark and the city’s first elected Italian official. Robert Bianchi has been a member of OSIA for about 25 years.

He has been an attorney since 1988. He was an assistant prosecutor for 7 years; in private practice for 12 years; and recently finished serving five and a half years as the head prosecutor of Morris County NJ. He is now back in private practice at the Bianchi Law Group, LLC in West Caldwell, NJ. Contact him at prosbianchi@yahoo.com

DISCOUNTS GALORE! Visit www.osia.org’s “Market Place” section for special OSIA membership discounts on Italian products, language lessons, fine stationery products, genealogy research, travel and more!

Also see pages 32-36 in this issue.

ITALIAN AMERICA SPRING 2013 27

®

The Commission for Social Justice

fighting defamation

The CSJ Perspective

By SantinA Haemmerle, CSJ National President

The age of complacency is over. We’re fighting for our language, heritage and culture, literally from coast to coast.

On the east coast last year, the North Shore Public School System in New York, demoted Italian from a required language for graduation in its high schools and replaced it with Chinese. However, it kept Spanish, French, and, for some reason, Latin as “key languages that prepare students for the future.” Our efforts, joined by support from 700 parents, were in vain. This is happening, without as much fanfare, throughout the United States.

On the west coast, Columbus Day was once again attacked in January when California Assemblyman Roger Hernandez introduced a bill to change “Columbus Day” to “Native American Day” even though the state already has a Native American Day in September.

Our Grand Lodge of California, under the leadership of President Maria Fassio Pignati, joined a coalition of 170 local Italian American organizations, opposing the bill. In a letter to Mr. Hernandez last January, she listed the most cogent arguments against the measure, including that:

• Italian Americans are the fifth largest ethnic group in America • Hundreds of Italian Religious helped Native Americans by writing down their language; teaching them to read and write, and improving their health through agricultural techniques • Italian immigrants, including A.P. Giannini (Bank of America); Domenico Ghirardelli (chocolate), the Gallo brothers and Robert Mondavi (wine) ... left indelible marks on California • Our nation is named for Amerigo Vespucci, another Italian explorer.

Thanks to this powerful coalition’s defense of Columbus Day, Mr. Hernandez amended his bill. Now it keeps Columbus Day as a holiday and proposes to make the fourth Friday in September a state holiday called “Native American Day.” The Grand Lodge of California and the other 170 Italian American organizations in the coalition support this version of the bill. See what happens when we all work together?

CSJ Raffle to Raise Anti-Defamation Funds Each ticket costs $100, but the cost can be divided among two or more people. “This is a very successful approach used in the past,” says DeNapoli. “Without support, the CSJ cannot continue its important mission,” he says. “And the light of recognition and gratitude that its efforts cause to shine on the OSIA and its members will fade.” For more information, contact Albert DeNapoli Grand Prize is $25,000; second prize is Albert DeNapoli at adenapoli@tbhr-law.com. $5,000, with three more prizes of $1,000 each.

Ticket stubs and proceeds should be sent to: To increase the odds of winning, only 1,000 tickets will Albert DeNapoli, Esq. be sold, says DeNapoli.* The Grand Lodges will receive Tarlow, Breed, Hart & Rodgers, P.C. tickets for sale to the filial lodges and individual members.

101 Huntington Avenue • Prudential Cente Raffle tickets also will be sold during the Sons of Italy Boston, MA 02199 national convention in Philadelphia in August, but Grand Lodges are urged to promote raffle sales through their own conventions held this year. The deadline for the return of * Full first prize paid to winner upon sale of 80% or more of the raffle tickets; $15,000 paid with the sale of 60% or more; $10,000 Grand Lodge tickets is August 1. paid with the sale of 40% or more.

The Sons of Italy’s Commission for Social Justice (CSJ) which fights stereotyping and promotes positive images of Italian Americans and their contributions, is holding a raffle to raise funds for its programs, reports former CSJ National President Albert DeNapoli, who now chairs the CSJ National Fund-Raising Committee.

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ITALIAN AMERICA

The Perfect Gift Looking for a unique present for family or friends? Give the gift of your rich Italian American heritage with a one-year subscription to Italian America magazine, the most widely read publication in the U.S. for people of Italian descent. We will contact your gift recipient telling him or her (or them) of your present. Fill out the form below and return to us ASAP.

Please give this gift subscription to: NAME:

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GIFT SUBSCRIPTION Italian America Magazine 219 E Street, NE Washington, DC 20002

Letters to the Editor • Regarding“Was Pogo Right?” in the winter 2013 issue, your article...gave a pass to (Italian American) character actors, who play Mafiosi. There are many actors with “Made in Italy” names and faces, who refuse to compromise their heritage for fame or fortune. And let’s not forget that many in our community enjoy these gangster movies and TV shows. By doing so, they encourage stereotyping. Instead, they should join the Sons of Italy CSJ in condemning them.

Dr. Albert F. Marra, Virginia Beach, VA. Editor’s Note: Dr. Marra is a former vice president and CSJ chair of the Roma Lodge #254.

SPRING 29 ITALIAN 2013 AMERICA

• Your magazine publishes photos of famous Italian Americans. How about one of a not-so-famous one like Nicolas Angelo Colella, who just won the Great Lowell 2013 Open Class Golden Gloves Championship.

He is the fourth generation of Colellas in amateur boxing. And please note his Italian boxing trunks!

Angelo Colella, Lynn, MA

Amateur Boxing Champ Nicolas Colella

ITALIAN AMERICA SPRING 2013 29

Italian American Crime Fighters from page 14 In Washington, an assistant U.S. district attorney, Diane Giacalone, became the lead prosecutor in the government’s case against John Gotti in 1987. Early in the trial, she had Gotti’s bail revoked, but Gotti eventually was acquitted.

Years later, Gotti’s henchman, Sammy “the Bull” Gravano revealed that he had fixed the jury.

contrast to the unflattering portrait of Italian Americans promoted by the U.S. entertainment, advertising and news industries that profit by feeding the public’s unfortunate enthusiasm for such unfair stereotyping of the nation’s fifth largest ethnic group.

Dona De Sanctis, Ph.D. is editor-in-chief of Italian America Magazine. This article is based on the Sons of Italy CSJ report, “Italian American Crime Fighters.” The full report can be downloaded at www.osia.org “Culture & History” under Reports. For a free printed copy, send a large (9 x 12) self-addressed envelope to: Sons of Italy And today, an Italian American “Two-Gun Hart” was Crime Fighter Report; 219 E Street, NW; Washington, DC 20002.] a U.S. marshal and woman heads the government brother of Al Capone. agency created to protect the U.S. against terrorism. In 2009, Janet Napolitano became ITALIAN AMERICANS the first woman to head the Department of Homeland IN LAW ENFORCEMENT Security (DHS). But before President Obama appointed

By Anne T. Romano her DHS Secretary, she was a U.S. Attorney, who invesSociologist Anne Romano’s coltigated the Oklahoma City bombing and, as governor of lection of biographies of Italian Arizona, opened the first state counter-terrorism center.

Americans crime fighters begins in Last year, Forbes named her among the ten most powerful the 1700’s. Three chapters feature women in the world. women in criminal justice while the last one lists fictional Italian American crime fighters from Colombo These men and women crime fighters represent the to Ray Barone’s NYPD brother, Robert on “Everybody contributions that Italian Americans have made to proLoves Raymond.” [$19.99; paperback; 162 pages; Xlibris] tecting America’s citizens. Their work stands in stark

Wedding Traditions from page 20 The bomboniera is a muslin or silk bag containing the confetti and the names of the bride and groom. Sometimes it is a gift such as a picture frame, vase or ceramic box.

According to research done by Anthony Parente of Italiansrus.com, the tradition dates back to the Middle Ages when the families of engaged couples exchanged favors.

During the reception, traditional Italian love songs are played while southern Italians often dance to the Tarantella, an upbeat circle dance.

A popular southern Italian tradition that is considered “bad form” in America is the giving of le buste. During the reception, the bride walks to each table of guests holding a small silk bag tied to her wrist in which guests place envelopes (buste) of money to help the young couple get started in life. In the North, some families cut the groom’s tie and auction off the pieces to help pay for the honeymoon.

The average cost for a wedding in Italy today is between $45,000 and $77,000, according to Federconsumatori, an Italian non-profit whose main objectives are to inform and protect consumers.

SPRING 30 ITALIAN 2013 AMERICA

In the south, especially in Sardinia and Sicily, an intricately decorated bread, il pane degli sposi, is served.

But whatever traditions are followed or abandoned, Italians will always toast the bride and groom, wishing them a long and happy marriage. Evviva gli sposi!

Carol Cummings is a staff assistant at the Order Sons of Italy in America living in Washington, D.C. Contact her at ccummings@osia.org.

ITALIAN AMERICA SPRING 2013 30

Italian America The Official Publication of

The Order Sons of Italy in America 219 E Street N.E. Washington, DC 20002 Tel: 202/547-2900 Web: www.osia.org OSIA National Executive Director Philip R. Piccigallo, Ph.D. Editor-in-Chief Dona De Sanctis, Ph.D. ddesanctis@osia.org Contributing Editors Carol Elfo Cummings Karen Haid Laura Petosa Kelly David McCormick Paul Nauta Bianca Ottone Elisa Wilkinson Graphic Designers Krystyne Sacchetti Hayes Diane Vincent Italian America is the official publication of the Order Sons of Italy in America (OSIA), the largest and longest-established organization of American men and women of Italian heritage. Italian America provides timely information about OSIA, 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 OSIA, 219 E St. NE, Washington, DC 20002. Periodicals postage paid at Washington, D.C., and at additional mailing offices. © 2013 Order Sons 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 OSIA. Mention of a product or service in advertisements or text does not mean that it has been tested, approved or endorsed by OSIA, 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 OSIA members. Single copies are $2.98 each.

OSIA MEMBERS: Please send address changes to your local lodge. Do not contact the OSIA National Office.

POSTMASTER: Send address changes to Italian America, 219 E St. NE, Washington, DC 20002. Subscriptions are available through the OSIA National Office, 219 E Street, NE, Washington, DC 20002. OSIA membership information is available at (800) 552-OSIA or at www.osia.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: Call Pat Rosso at 215/206-4678 or email her at pieassociates@comcast.net. Also see www.osia.org for advertising rates, specs, demographics, etc.

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By Joseph DiTrapani, OSIA National President

OSIA will have a new national president in August at our 2013 biannual convention in Philadelphia so I am taking this opportunity to “sum up” highlights from my two terms as president of our beloved Order.

Since my election in 2009, I presided over seven national board meetings, trying to be as inclusive as possible, with meetings in the north, south, east coast, west coast and the mid-west.

I hope that future national presidents will continue this practice.

Above all, my two Administrations have been staunchly devoted to fiscal prudence and organizational stability in light of the Recession of 2007 – 2010. The Supreme Council and the National Office made difficult costcutting decisions that balanced all National Office budgets and have even squeezed out small profits. These include: • Successful fundraisers – raffles and a national cookbook -- under the spirited leadership of Nancy DiFiore Quinn • Our first Super Bowl Sweepstakes, negotiated by our National Executive Director Philip Piccigallo with the National Football League, raised money by offering 2 round-trip Super Bowl packages. [See page 26.]

• Using E-mail instead of surface mail to send letters, memos, press releases, etc. to members, filial and grand lodges and the Supreme Council, including 2013 NELA announcements and invitations at an annual savings of about $10,000.

• Sending meeting materials, including convention books, via E-mail, saving about $20,000 annually.

• The National Leadership Grant application is now produced in house, and posted on our website where members, lodges and applicants can download it, saving design, paper and printing costs of $17,000 without diminishing the number of applications – 700 to 800 per year.

• OSIA national officers graciously paid their own expenses for one Executive or Plenary Session each year.

• And finally, my wife, Carol and I also waived the National President honorarium over both my two Administrations.

Looking to the future, we will continue to develop our Social Media and electronic outreach. OSIA now has over 8,000 Facebook friends and 1,400 Twitter followers. The OSIA blog interacts with people on many issues of interest and importance regarding Italian travel, language and culture.

I will spend much of my remaining term on two extremely important projects: the 25th Silver Anniversary National Education & Leadership Awards (NELA) Gala May 23 at the prestigious National Building Museum in Washington, D.C. [See page 26] and our coming national convention.

Lastly, I want to thank my wife Carol and family for their love and support, and thank you, the members of our vast Sons of Italy family, for giving me the opportunity and privilege to serve you for these past four years.

ITALIAN ITALIANAMERICA AMERICA

The Sons of Italy Shoppers Guide

GIVE THE GIFT OF HERITAGE Each item hand-picked to guarantee your child a friendly introduction to the language and culture of Italy.

Toys & Books DVDs & CDs Clothing Pinocchio

Your Ad HERE! SPRING 2013

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Remember!Sons of Italy members receive a special discount of 15%! Repeat advertisers also receive a discount. For more information, contact Pat Russo at 215/206-4678 or email her at pieassociates@comcast.net.

and Newly Arrived Italian Imports

www.ItalianChildrensMarket.com (310) 427-2700 Call for a FREE catalog!

ITALIAN AMERICA

Problems With Your Magazine?

Italian America magazine is produced by the Sons of Italy’s national headquarters in Washington, D.C. Every month, the national office receives letters, phone calls and emails from readers who are not receiving their magazine.

“The reasons are varied, but the solutions are simple,” says Editor-in-Chief Dona De Sanctis. “Simply follow the instructions below and the problem will be solved,” she says. So….if you are: A LODGE MEMBER: You can only verify, correct or change your address through your local lodge. Please do not contact the national office. It cannot accept address changes.

A LODGE PRESIDENT: To ensure that all new and renewing members of your lodge get their magazines and that former or non-paying members do not get it for free, you must send updated member rosters to your Grand Lodge on a regular basis. Check with your Grand Lodge to find out its deadlines.

ITALY LAWYER FOR AMERICANS Legal representation for all inheritance, property transfer, estate settlement, tax, and banking transactions throughout Italy Boutique Rome law firm provides Italian family law, property transfer, probate and inheritance services across all of Italy. Prompt service. Full 100% fluency in English. Reasonable rates. US based client coordinator. For a full firm profile visit our website at www.ItalyLawyerForAmericans.com SPRING 33 ITALIAN 2013 AMERICA

A GRAND OR SUBORDINATE LODGE REPRESENTATIVE: Please update your rosters with ABR Services every three months according to the deadlines for 2011: Mar. 1, June 1, Sept.

1, and Dec. 1. Refer to the instructions sent to you in late October. If you have any questions, please contact Diane Crespy at dcrespy@osia.org or 202/547-2900.

A SUBSCRIBER OR NATIONAL ATLARGE MEMBER ONLY: Please send address changes to Laura Kelly at the National Office. Phone: 202.547.2900, email: lkelly@osia.org, or postal mail: Laura Kelly, Sons of Italy National Office, 219 E St. NE, Washington, DC 20002.

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On The Bookshelf Books by and about Italian Americans

WRESTLING with THE DEVIL

A story of sacrifice, survival and triumph, from the hills of Naples to the Hall of Fame. ~Antonio Russo & Tonya Russo Hamilton This inspirational story will make you laugh, cry and cheer as this young Italian boy grabs hold of his roots in the Old World to make meaning of his new life in America!

“Preserving Our Italian Heritage Cookbook” ** More than 100 authentic Italian recipes ** Easy-to-follow instructions to everyday meals ** Baking secrets to traditional holiday sweets ** How to plan and save on healthy Italian meals ** Discount on bulk orders of 24 or more books ** Now in its ninth printing!

After years of struggle, Emilia Zecchino turned her passion for food into a multi-million dollar enterprise. Her story also touches on historical events of epic proportions during WWII in Italy and Ethiopia.

Price: $18.45, including shipping. To order, send check payable to SONS OF ITALY FLORIDA FOUNDATION, 14 South Jupiter Avenue, Clearwater, FL 33755 - (PH: 727/447-6890) Or contact: vincenzad@verizon.net

Available Online at:

Amazon.com, Barnes & Noble Kindle, and Llumina Press.

CORRECTIONS & CLARIFICATIONS • The new email contact for the Sant’Anna Institute-Sorrento Lingue in Italy is info@ santannainstitute.com. It offers year round courses in Italian and other subjects. See www.santannainstitute.com • The Special Recognition column in the winter 2013 issue should have mentioned that Joseph Sciame was OSIA National President from 2003 to 2005. The editor apologizes for this omission.

• After the winter 2013 issue went to press, the magazine learned that CSJ National President Santina Haemmerle also tried to prevent the North Shore school board on Long Island, NY from dropping Italian as a required language. She attended all the meetings of both the school district’s Board of Education and the North Shore Reform Group, founded by those opposing the measure.

Unfortunately, these efforts were unsuccessful.

• The fall 2012 OSIA Nation column incorrectly stated the election date of Connecticut governor Ella Grasso. She was elected in 1974 and served until December, 1980, leaving during her second term because of terminal ovarian cancer. She died February 5, 1981 at age 61.

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REMINDER Order your books through OSIA and Amazon.com. Just go to www. osia.org, click on “Sons of Italy Book Club” and choose either a Book Club selection or another book. Orders are shipped within 24 hours. As a special bonus, Amazon.com will donate a percentage of book sales ordered on our site to OSIA. ITALIAN AMERICA

On The Bookshelf Books by and about Italian Americans

“Sciatu Mio,

you are the reason why I breathe.”

By Frank J. Pennisi

A rich and multi-layered romantic novel.

Historical events are interwoven with stories for control of the sulfur mines in Sicily, and the wars between the Irish and Italians for control of the N.Y. docks.

“Family Tale Captivates with Sicilian intrique, romance, drana and history.”

- SUN NEWS “A Riveting True Story...would make a Compelling movie.” - CREATESPACE “An Earnest, Vivid Portrait about a family that stands up to the Mafia.”

- KIRKUS BOOK REVIEW And from Amazon.com Readers; “Pulls you in, I Loved It, Passionate, Emotional, Heartwarming”” Available on Amazon.com, Kindle and Major Book Stores

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Travel and Tours to Italy

To research your Italian Family, past and present, or for assistance to acquire your Italian passport, visit us at www.myitalianfamily.com or call 1-888-472-0171.

OSIA members benefit from a 10% discount on all our services!

Visit the Treasures of Italy

Visit the treasures of Italy from north to south through three tour packages offered by the Sons of Italy. Tours start at $2,999 and include round-trip airfare, four-star hotel accommodations, all breakfasts, dinners and daily excursions with an English-speaking guide. Personal itineraries can be arranged.

See details on inside front cover. For more information, call

1-800/777-7432 or email Marianna Pisano at

mpisano@unitours.com.

Eat in a new culture. Swim in a new language.

PLAY AND LEARN

at a Minnesota summer camp!

• Register for Italian language programs!

• 1, 2, and 4 week programs. High School Credit session available.

Visit Venice with the Sons of Italy SPRING 2013

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www.ItalianLanguageVillage.org ITALIAN AMERICA

Model: Mary O’Rourke; Stylist: Steven Linder; Hair and Makeup: Kyle Malone, kyledavidmalone.com; Photography: Bryan DeWitt Location Courtesy of The Private Residences at 400 Fifth Avenue; Dress and Earrings: Anna Sammarone, www.annasammarone.it

make a

SPRING 2013

STATEMENT Bring Colavita.

Good taste is always in style.

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Elegant gift bag accessory ITALIAN AMERICA at colavita.com

Read It. Share It. Believe It. “A great read ...Bella.”

—People

“Trigiani is a master.”

—Washington Post

www.adrianatrigiani.com

For a signed bookplate, email adrianaasst@aol.com.

N OSPRING W I N2013PA38P E R B A C K F R O M

Scan to visit Adriana’s website to read an excerpt, find more information about her events, and follow her.

ITALIAN AMERICA