Panoram Italia Montreal Vol. 8 No. 2

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A P R I L / M AY 2 0 1 3 • V O L . 8 • N O . 2

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CONTENTS April / May 2013 Food & Wine

16

Chef Lidia Bastianich 30 Recepies 31

30 On the Cover

37

Marco Rea La vie en l’air Volare Alto

Nonna’s Kitchen Online 32 Il cibo nel Medioevo 34

Editorial 14-15

18

Les Pouilles impériales 37

TORONTO MANAGING EDITOR Rita Simonetta

COMMUNITY & EVENTS Sonia Benedetto

À la santé du Castel del Monte 38

Lifestyle

PHOTOGRAPHY Fahri Yavus Vincenzo D’Alto

GRAPHIC DESIGN David Ferreira

MAKE-UP Emmanuelle Blanchard

ADVERTISING

Fashion 48

Garibaldi e il suo amore per gli animali 52 Auteur Francis Catalano 54

Cover: Pilot Marco Rea 16

Musica Italiana 55

The Golden Age of flying 18

Rital ou français? 56

Italian Travel 101 20

The Pope’s Resignation 58

68

VICE PRESIDENT – MARKETING & SALES TORONTO Earl Weiner

Sabrina Marandola Aicha Cisse Jonathan De Sua Tommaso Depalma Alessia Sara Domanico Jenny Galati Alain Raymond Francesca Spizzirri Giuseppe Continiello Sonia Benedetto Maggie Abou-Rizk Laura D’Amelio Laura Casella Pasquale Artuso Julie Aubé Anna Ferrari Amanda Fulginiti Sarah Mastroianni Carlotta Morteo Giuseppe Valiante Antonio D’Alfonso Anna Foschi 9300 Henri-Bourassa West, suite 100, Montreal, Québec H4S 1L5 Tel.: 514 337-7870 I Fax: 514 337-6180 or by e-mail at: info@panoramitalia.com Legal deposit - Bibliothèque nationale du Québec / National Library of Canada - ISSN: 1916-6389

Community Events Various events 62-65

Life & People The Italian Job 26

Distribution par / by

Sports

La mia esperienza vacanza-lavoro in Canada 27

Publications Mail Agreement #40981004

Collezione Mario Righini 66

Printed by:

Andrea Pisanu 68

Remembering Nick Discepola 28

ADVERTISING SALES EXECUTIVES Frank Crisafi

CONTRIBUTORS

The Italians of Montreal 50

Not Without My Mortadella 22

26

ART DEPARTMENT ART DIRECTION David Ferreira Gabriel Riel-Salvatore

Living Italian Style 46

58

PROOFREADERS Claudio Ortu Aurelie Ptito

DEPUTY EDITOR-IN-CHIEF Adam Zara

Puglia: Southern Comfort! 40

Dossier - Flying High

Clearing Customs 23

EDITORIAL WEB MANAGER Claudio Ortu

Venice in Vegas 44

48

EDITOR-IN-CHIEF Filippo Salvatore

MANAGING EDITOR Gabriel Riel-Salvatore

Arts & Culture Readers’ Comments 13

PUBLISHER AND EDITOR Tony Zara

Travel

Manger alla romana 42

Flying High

EXECUTIVE

Saint-Leonard Cougars 69

514.337.7870 www.accentimpression.com Montreal, Québec, Canada

Subscribe @ www.panoramitalia.com

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Readers’ Comments

RE: La petite Italie de Philipsburg, Vol. 8 No. 1 De temps à autre, Panoram Italia nous régale avec des perles. Ce fut le cas avec votre article. J’ignorais complètement, dû a mon ignorance de la scène des arts visuels en Amérique du Nord, l’existence du peintre Wyatt Eaton. Je me donne le mérite de l’avoir immédiatement associé avec Jean-François Millet et Pellizza da Volpedo. Ce n’est pas souvent qu’un texte savant réussisse à communiquer une profonde dimension émotive. l’amour de Luigi Di Ninni pour la narrative des événements reliés au contexte agraire des émigrants en provenance d’Italie il y a quatre ou cinq générations est admirable en tant que complètement dépourvu de la rhétorique irritante si chère aux chroniqueurs de l’immigration.

Andrea Maria Coda di San Grato, Hudson I wish to commend the staff at Panoram Italia for putting forth a sleek, informative and well-researched publication which captures not only the essence and cultural diversity of our beautiful native Italy but at the same time helps bring ItalianCanadians together as a community that can be proud of its hard work and endless accomplishments, and which has helped shape the vast landscape of our adoptive country – Canada. I look forward to receiving many more future issues and wish all of you continued success for your efforts.

Gabriella Palucci, Montreal RE: L’inutilita degli eletti all’estero, Vol. 8 No. 1 Sono rimasto piacevolmente sorpreso, quando ho letto l’editoriale di Filippo Salvatore nel giornale PanoramItalia, di vedere che ci sono ancora persone che la pensano come me. Il suo scritto è azzeccato in tutti gli argomenti. Peccato che questo editoriale non venga pubblicato su tutti i giornali italiani.

Se i nostri connazionali sapessero quanto devono sborsare per i 18 rappresentanti all'estero, sarebbero i primi a chiedere un referendum per domandare l'abolizione della legge Tremaglia. Quando vado in Italia, mi rendo conto che diversi Italiani non sono nemmeno al corrente che esiste il voto all'estero, figuriamoci se ne conoscono i costi.

Se poi pensiamo ai votanti all'estero, è un'altra delusione: la maggior parte non ha la minima idea di cosa succede nel paese o di cosa fanno i politici. Si lasciano convincere dal compare o dalla commare perché non ne capiscono nulla.

Quando siamo emigrati, 50-60-70 anni fa, ce la siamo cavata senza saper parlare, leggere o scrivere la lingua locale, senza l'aiuto di nessuno. Quei signori che ora vogliono rappresentarci non erano nemmeno nati ed ora vogliono fare così tanto per noi... Questa roba mi lascia qualche dubbio. Mica lo faranno forse per interessi propri?

Bruno Negrello, Saint-Léonard

13

Opinion: Commission Charbonneau led as a witch hunt The Commission d'enquête sur l'octroi et la gestion des contrats publics dans l'industrie de la construction is being led as a witch hunt. Commissioner Charbonneau as well as the lawyers addressing the issues to the men and women summoned are condescending and at times demonstrate disrespect. The recurrent use of certain terms (origine, village, italien) does not help in the investigation in any way. Such words are being utilized as stereotypes and are never properly defined.

Why are grants being associated to ethnicity? This absence of definition immediately puts the person sitting in the accused bench at a cultural disadvantage. There is a hierarchy that is being established and a deliberate Manichean division that enhances a superficial and dangerous separation of world views. This pitting of the We against Them beatifies the Commissioner, the lawyers and ultimately the people these two entities represent and diabolizes anyone who is not on the same side of the barrier. Such a method of ostracization encourages cultural intolerance and ultimately racism (though ethnics do not form a race).

The fact that there is conscious usage of such amphibolies constitutes in our eyes a serious attack on the rights of the persons being interviewed. What is in fact being addressed during these proceedings? Lobbyism? Organized crime? Or the Italian community that is accused of not helping the members of the community that is accusing them? Are we assisting at the trial of the failure of separation and are the Italian being indirectly accused of this failure?

Such a commission could very well be addressed to other fields, such as the arts.

Why are grants offered to certain institutions of the province and not others, for example? The fact that we are limiting these accusations to construction, a field the uneducated Italian immigrant labours in, should raise everyone's fears. It begins with construction but soon other fields will be addressed, all fields where otherness is questionable and anti-patriotic. The Italian Congress of Canada (and its Quebec counterpart) should immediately address these fears. If this farce of a trial continues, it will begin a series of other such tribunals that will put the lives of many in danger.

Antonio D'Alfonso, Montreal

Take 2 RE: Babies of the Year 2012 Emma Rose & Serena May Cinelli Morena

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14

Ed i t o r i a l

La Rivoluzione Tranquilla in Italia dopo le elezioni del 25 febbraio 2013

By Filippo Salvatore Nascita della Terza Repubblica Il 25 febbraio 2013 i cittadini italiani hanno riconquistato le istituzioni. L’Italia dei tecnici alla Mario Monti è stata bocciata. Per interpretare in modo oggettivo il risultato elettorale del 2013 in Italia, occorre avere la chiaroveggenza che il discrimine tradizionale ideologico destra/sinistra è un paradigma obsoleto. Il Movimento 5 Stelle con a capo l’ex comico Beppe Grillo ha preso voti sia della destra che della sinistra ed è diventato il primo partito politico italiano. Una vera rivoluzione pacifica. Perché è successo questo?

Perché il M5S propone una visione nuova di come si fa politica, che corrisponde ai bisogni del 21° secolo, ossia il ritorno al comizio in piazza e all’uso della rete telematica, del web che permette la transmissione/ricezione diretta del messaggio politico sullo schermo del computer. La Rete permette la partecipazione diretta, orizzontale, al dibattito politico, mentre la televisione e i giornali usano una logica verticistica.

Il risultato emerso dalle elezioni dimostra che il vero dibattito sociale si farà tra due visioni alternative del rapporto che deve intercorrere tra l'economia, e il lavoro che ne deriva, e l'ambiente. Il rapporto armonico politica/cittadino/territorio a livello locale e globale è la questione da capire e a partire dalla quale vanno programmate le concezioni di sviluppo o di difesa degli equilibri ecologici.

Il sistema economico e bancario obbedisce ancora a una visione del progresso lineare, cumulativo, esponenziale del progresso. Il quale, si capirà sempre di più in un pianeta che non ha più frontiere fisiche da conquistare, è ciclico. Il modello 'populista' di Beppe Grillo anticipa il dibattito epocale che diventerà sempre più evidente nei prossimi decenni in Italia, nel resto dell’Europa e in tutti i paesi del cosiddetto Primo Mondo.

Da homo faber a homo humilis.

Ogni modifica sociale profonda si basa sempre su una necessità di resurrezione morale. E l'italia dei corrotti e della casta e dei privilegiati della Seconda Repubblica è innegabilmente, per la maggioranza degli Italiani, arrivata al capolinea. Non sarà più possibile governare il Paese come si è fatto dal 1994-2012. È iniziata quella che mi piace chiamare una “rivoluzione tranquilla”, che porterà l'Italia a essere un paese più verde, più giusto, più etico, più bello. Ne sono due esempi: la città di Parma e la regione Sicilia, amministrate da una coalizione di sinistra e M5S. In entrambi i casi il modo nuovo di governare sta cambiando profondamente la realtà.

Ambientalismo, onestà ed efficienza amministrativa: ecco i tre cardini della “rivoluzione tranquilla”.

La crescita, con la coscienza del limite, evita gli sprechi e fa il massimo con il minimo di materie prime, di risorse naturali o di energia: ecco il modello sociale emergente. Lo sviluppo si dovrà fare in armonia con gli ecosistemi e vedere nella sostenibilità la filosofia da sposare teoricamente e realizzare concretamente. Siamo agli albori di una vera novità economica del presente secolo. In questa nuova economia l’uomo oltre che faber è anche humilis, rispetta cioè l’ambiente che lo fa vivere.

Beppe Grillo è semplicemente la persona che ha dato, nel 2013, voce ad un'esigenza profondamente sentita dal popolo italiano: basta con la vecchia politica e con il progresso tradizionale - meno cemento, più verde, meno sprechi, più conservazione, meno inquinamento, più alberi. Sogno bucolico irrealizzabile? No, sano buon senso.

Berlusconi, Hefner e il Papa Emerito Quello che un terzo dell'elettorato italiano non è riuscito, o non ha interesse, a capire è quanto impresentabile è Silvio Berlusconi, il cavaliere, all’estero. Il suo nome è sinonimo di barzellette ridanciane e la sua demagogica loquela è prova, in un paese come il Canada, della volubilità del carattere collettivo degli Italiani. Silvio Berlusconi, quasi ottantenne, ha due scelte. O essere il fratello gemello di Hugh Hefner, il fondatore di Playboy, che si fidanza con una ventenne o imitare la saggezza di Joseph Ratzinger, il papa emerito Benedetto XVI che per modestia rinuncia al soglio. Trapianto, viagra, botox, non bastano più. Ma non si rende conto che la natura ha le sue leggi inesorabili che vanno accettate?

Nessuno è indispensabile, nemmeno, e sopratutto, lui. Ma questo presuppone avere la coscienza del limite e il sentimento del contrario, come avrebbe detto Luigi Pirandello, la vera forma di saggezza. Cosa che ovviamente gli manca e si aggrappa, malgrado i tanti processi in corso contro di lui, al potere e coltiva la sua illusione di onnipotenza, solleticata da un codazzo di venali adulatori.

"Siamo all'ultimo attacco alla mia libertà personale. C'è un'associazione a delinquere dentro la magistratura. Vogliono farmi fare la fine di Bettino Craxi… La magistratura è peggiore della mafia", dixit Silvio Berlusconi. I colpi di coda, come la manifestazione del 23 marzo a Roma, sono sempre i più velenosi e pericolosi perché possono sfociare nella violenza.

Sia chiara una verità semplice: nella logica sociale è normale che ci sia in un grande paese come l'Italia una parte dell'elettorato che sposa una visione conservatrice.

L'esistenza quindi di una destra democratica è non solo auspicabile, è necessaria. Non è affatto necessaria, invece, la difesa ad oltranza da parte dei dirigenti dell'attuale destra italiana di un personaggio impresentabile a livello internazionale e moralmente losco come Silvio Berlusconi: la sua palla di piombo al piede.

La nuova Italia: laboratorio sociale d’Europa Quando crolla un sistema di potere, come sta avvenendo per il Berlusconismo in Italia, o lo strapotere dei “corvi” dello IOR della Curia in Vaticano, tutti i puntelli che gli hanno permesso di esistere, vanno, per logica ed etica, spazzati via. Lo ha capito benessimo il vescovo italo-argentino Jorge Mario Bertoglio, eletto come vicario di Cristo con il nome di Francesco. In pochi giorni le sue dichiarazioni e il suo comportamento hanno trasformato il protocollo centenario della Curia e ridato vigore al messaggio di povertà, di fratellanza e di amore di Cristo.

L’Italia della casta, dei corrotti e dei privilegi, sta finendo per fortuna. Riuscirà il Partito Democratico di Bersani ad aderire ad un modello non statalista di gestione del potere ed a sposare la vocazione verde come modello di sviluppo economico? Vedremo.

L'Italia potrà diventare il laboratorio per un Europa diversa, quella delle comunità che si aggregano in unioni di comuni per lo sviluppo sostenibile del territorio. Il che presuppone un'organizzazione alternativa a quella vigente dell'amministrazione pubblica. Una Banca d'Italia che obbliga il sistema bancario nazionale a investire nella piccola e media impresa e sa reagire alle storture economiche volutamente create dagli speculatori internazionali, aiutata dalla Banca Centrale Europea.

Se prevale l'amore della Patria, la solidarietà verso i più deboli, il rispetto del proprio territorio e il suo sviluppo economico sostenibile, l'estromissione dalle leve di potere degli incompetenti, dei corrotti e dei raccomandati, se si dà spazio alla risorsa abbondantissima di cui dispone, l'Intelligenza e la creatività del suo popolo, l'Italia del 2013 non ha nulla da temere. Se le forze politiche presenti al Senato e in Parlamento si ispireranno a principi come quelli indicati, l'Italia non solo è governabile, ma ridiventerà la locomotiva economica d'Europa. Lo sviluppo e la crescita dell'Italia deve basarsi su una rigenerazione morale. Auguriamoci che questo avvenga. Ricordati, Madre Italia, di essere il Bel Paese, di essere stata grande ed hai tutte le carte per ridiventarlo! Giocatele bene.

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Ed i t o r i a l

15

Language in Montreal

By Adam Zara

It was difficult for us not to throw in our two cents about Montreal’s language debate that again reached intolerable heights in early 2013. Every now and again, just as everyone seems to be getting along, the stench of intolerance rears its ugly head and Montreal delves back into a period of uncertainty and distrust. n this post-Charest era, the debate reached its apex in February when Massimo Lecas at Buonanotte became an overnight involuntary anti-OQLF crusader. You all know the story – “pastagate” was reported to death the world over.

One by one, merchants began speaking out about the regressive, unnecessary, moronic changes to signage required by the overzealous language monitors at the OQLF – the most significant of which perhaps arising from two Italian themed establishments that had the misfortune of spelling “caffe” with two f ’s.

We need not convince any levelheaded individual of the ridiculousness of translating words like “pasta”, nor do we need to reaffirm the hypocrisy of these actions when one considers the amount of non-translated items (sushi, hot dogs, hamburgers) still gracing hundreds of menus in Qubec. The world laughed at us; the OQLF’s head Louise Marchand resigned.

How ironic is it that this latest spate of fear mongering was aimed at Italian words though? Italians have historically been the bridge between the two solitudes in Montreal. A people eager to get ahead in life, instantly recognizing the necessity of learning both English and French to make inroads and integrate. The vast majority of Italian-Canadians in la Belle Province can converse in Québecois, and have contributed enormously to its development.

When quantifying the threat to the primacy of the French language in Montreal, one tends to wonder where common sense and basic fact-checking come into play.

Head over to statcan.gc.ca to compare the three most recent Canadian censuses. You’ll see just how little, if at all, French is losing ground in Greater Montreal.

Most of this simply boils down to nationalist tactics to stir up the uninformed and entrenched anglo/ethnic bigots, which account for a small but vocal minority – in Montreal at least. These sentiments come to the forefront every time a PQ government gains power, and the Liberals have traditionally done little or nothing to quash it.

The silent majority need to rise to the occasion and affirm the obvious once and

I

for all: Montreal is a bilingual city. French will and should always take precedence over any other language, but policy must finally reflect reality. Montreal is different than the rest of Quebec, just as Quebec is different from the rest of Canada.

And it is as much a part of Canada as it is a part of Quebec.

No one is questioning the importance of protecting French in Montreal. It’s what sets us apart from the rest of North America. But our city’s intricacies go beyond that.

We are far from being the unilingual capital of French Quebec that some will have you believe.

The story of Montreal cannot be told without mentioning its significant Irish, Scottish, Italian and Jewish heritage. Anywhere you turn, the influence of immigrant communities is felt. It’s a part of our daily linguistic lives. We love speaking to a Francophone friend in English and having them respond in French, and vice versa. We love the old man in Saint-Leonard that strings together a sentence with Italian, French and English – neither of which he can really speak too well. We love it that merchants courteously greet us with “bonjour, hi.” We love being fully bilingual (trilingual in many cases) and flaunt it to the rest of the continent.

The latest Canadian statistics point to ever-diminishing unilingualism on both sides of the fence. Instead of acknowledging this unavoidable truth and celebrating the advantages that knowing many languages bring, stricter laws such as Bill 14 are tabled to feed fear and chip away at our human rights. Instead of counting the advantages of being able to do business in English on a worldwide scale – a fact of life that will not change – language hardliners are holding Quebec’s youth back and isolating them.

When will we collectively accept that speaking one single language is a thing of the past and detrimental in this globalized world? When will we jointly realize that further restricting English will not benefit the retention of French? When will we call a spade a spade and dismiss these policies for what they really are: divisive, hateful and bigoted?

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Cover Story

16

Marco Rea Flying High Marco Rea Volare Alto

Marco Rea

La vie en l’air

By Sabrina Marandola

Marco Rea is a firm believer that if you work hard enough, the sky’s the limit.

And since he was a little boy, the sky was exactly what he was aiming for.

Little did he know he would go from being a little boy growing up in Cassino (Lazio), to one day becoming the captain of a jumbo jet.

Continued on page 17, column 1

Marco è fermamente convinto che se si lavora sodo, solo il cielo sarà un limite. Fin da quando era un ragazzo quello a cui ambiva era proprio il cielo.

Sapeva che quel bambino cresciuto a Cassino, nel Lazio, sarebbe diventato il capitano di un aereo di linea.

’étais si motivé que j’aurais déplacé des montagnes», affirme Rea. «J’étais très déterminé et passionné. » Rea, jumeau et cadet d’une famille de cinq enfants, est né à Montréal de parents Italiens. À l’âge de deux ans, sa famille est retournée vivre en Italie. « J’ai eu une enfance heureuse en Italie», se rappelle-t-il. « Je me souviens que j’allais tous les jours à l’école en uniforme. » Quand arrivait le weekend, la famille Rea se dirigeait alors à la campagne pour visiter les nonni (les grands-parents) à la ferme. Des souvenirs toujours vibrants dans l’esprit du quadragénaire. « J’étais littéralement en amour avec mes grands-parents! » s’exclame-t-il. « J’aimais tellement ma grand-mère, plus encore que ma mère, à qui je le disais tout le temps. » Alors que Rea avait huit ans, la famille est finale-

vevo così tanta determinazione che avrei attraversato una montagna se l’avessi trovata davanti a me. Nessun ostacolo poteva fermarmi”.

Marco Rea è nato a Montréal da genitori italiani, ha un gemello ed è il più giovane di 5 fratelli. Quando aveva due anni la sua famiglia è tornata in Italia. “Ho avuto un’infanzia felice nel Bel Paese. Mi piaceva andare a scuola con la mia uniforme”.

La famiglia Rea andava a trovare i nonni in campagna per i fine settimana. Sono ricordi vivissimi per il quarantaquattrenne di Cassino. “Ero innamorato dei miei nonni! Ripetevo spesso a mia madre che amavo la nonna più di quanto amassi lei”.

Quando Marco aveva otto anni, la famiglia fece di nuovo le valigie per tornare a Montréal. Era dicembre e naturalmente faceva freddo. “Quando siamo arrivati in Canada ho pensato che fossimo su un altro pianeta.

Non avevo mai messo gli stivali prima di allora. In più, immagina un ragazzo che non ha mai visto una tuta da sci in tutta la sua vita e adesso deve indossarla”.

Marco, nonostante le difficoltà, sottolinea di non essersi mai sentito spaesato – anche se, allora, non capiva una parola di francese o di inglese. “Le mie sorelle e i miei fratelli mi sono sempre stati vicino. Non mi sono mai sentito solo”. È stato Dominic, il fratello maggiore, che allora stava seguendo un corso di volo, a fargli scoprire la passione per il volo.

“Il sogno di mio fratello era diventare un pilota.

Mi portava con lui alle sue lezioni e così ho sviluppato l’amore per il volo”.

Marco si iscrisse all’Air Cadets quando aveva 12 anni e sapeva già allora che avrebbe intrapreso una carriera nell’aviazione. Eccelse nel suo corso e a 16 anni, con una media di 98%, vinse una borsa di studio per partecipare al Canadian Forces Base, a Bagotville in Québec.

“Ho ottenuto la mia licenza di volo prima della patente di guida. Mi sono impegnato seriamente”.

A 18 anni, tornato da Bagotville, si iscrisse a un programma triennale al Montréal Flying Club. Il corso, al tempo, costava 30,000$, ma questo non ha scoraggiato Marco. “Ero estremamente determinato”. Racconta di aver fatto ogni tipo di lavoro che gli potesse permettere di pagare la retta. “Ho lavorato a Steinberg come ‘ragazzo delle buste’ e ho anche spazzato pavimenti. Ho fatto

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Marco Rea croit fermement que si l’on travaille assez fort, le monde finit par s’ouvrir à nous. Depuis sa tendre enfance, parcourir le monde est justement ce que Rea a toujours voulu faire. Petit, dans son village de Cassino dans la région du Lazio en Italie, il ne se doutait pas le moindrement devenir un jour commandant de bord d’un avion gros-porteur.

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Cover Story

persino il lavapiatti con turni che iniziavano alle 23 e finivano alle 7 del mattino, poi andavo direttamente a scuola”.

Dopo il diploma, Marco ha lavorato come pilota di “bush flying” (voli su zone irregolari, come nelle foreste) per tre anni, prima di diventare un pilota commerciale.

A 27 anni ha iniziato a lavorare per l’Air Transat. A 32 era il più giovane pilota di linea a diventare capitano.

“Sono veramente grato all’Air Transat di aver dato la possibilità a persone giovani di assumere posizioni importanti” – dice, sottolineando che nella maggior parte delle compagnie aeree i capitani hanno tutti i capelli bianchi. “L’Air Transat tratta i suoi dipendenti molto bene, è una grande compagnia per cui lavorare”.

Il capitano Rea dell’Airbus 310 ci dice che, senza dubbio, la cosa che più preferisce dell’essere un pilota è guidare l’aeroplano. “Al posto di comando si prova un’emozione incredibile, il senso di realizzazione che si ha nel controllare una grande macchina è indescrivibile” – e ci confessa che l’atterraggio gli dà sempre una scarica di adrenalina. “Poi, se voli verso sud, vedi blu ovunque intorno a te. È il momento che preferisco”.

Con sincerità, Marco ammette che viaggiare intorno al globo è la parte più faticosa. “Non è molto piacevole. Soffri il jet lag, lavori tante ore di fila e sei lontano dalle persone che ami” – dice il Capitano, padre di due bambini. “I ritmi sono frenetici, la tensione e le responsabilità sono enormi”. Ma ci racconta che l’equipaggio rende il lavoro divertente, per questo ama far parte di una squadra.

Viaggiare costantemente ad alta quota toglie molte energie. Marco confessa che solo quando vola verso casa le sue energie si rinvigoriscono. Forse anche verso l’Italia, infatti ci dice: “Per me è il posto migliore del mondo. Camminare nei vicoli è bellissimo! Ogni volta che vado nel Bel Paese porto il mio equipaggio a cena fuori, poi mangiamo insieme il gelato” – dice Marco, aggiungendo che tutti quelli che hanno viaggiato con lui sono rientrati a Montréal con i bagagli pieni di souvenir italiani.

“Il paesaggio è bellissimo, il cibo è incredibile e le persone sono ospitali. L’Italia non ha eguali... specialmente per un italiano come me”.

Make-up artist: Emmanuelle Blanchard

ment revenue s’installer à Montréal. C’était un mois de décembre vers la moitié des années 1970, et il faisait froid. « Lorsque nous sommes arrivés au Canada, je croyais avoir atterri sur une autre planète. Je n’avais jamais porté de bottes d’hiver auparavant», explique-t-il. « Imaginez un enfant qui n’a jamais vu d’habit de neige de sa vie et qui doit maintenant en enfiler un. » Mais Rea affirme ne s’être jamais senti à l’écart, bien qu’à l’époque il ne connaissait aucun mot de français ou d’anglais. « Mes frères et sœurs ont toujours été là pour moi», se souvient-il. « Nous étions toujours ensemble et je ne me suis jamais senti seul. » La fratrie passait tellement de temps ensemble que Rea accorde à son grand frère Domenic qui suivait alors des cours de pilotage, le mérite de l’avoir initié à sa passion pour le vol. « Mon grand frère rêvait d’être pilote. C’est lui qui m’a fait connaître l’aviation. Il m’amenait voler avec lui et c’est ainsi que j’ai eu la piqûre. » Rea s’enrôla dans les cadets de l’air lorsqu’il avait 12 ans et il sut, dès lors, qu’il voulait mener une carrière dans l’aviation. Il excella dans le programme. Puis, à 16 ans, grâce à une moyenne de 98%, Rea remporta une bourse pour poursuivre une formation dans les Forces armées canadiennes à Bagotville, près de Québec. «J’ai obtenu mon permis de pilote avant mon permis de conduire», dit-il. « J’ai travaillé très fort.» À l’âge de 18 ans, de retour de Bagotville, il s’inscrivit dans un programme de trois ans au Montreal Flying Club. Les cours coûtaient 30 000 $ à l’époque, mais ce montant était loin de l’intimider. « J’étais très déterminé», explique Rea en poursuivant que tous les moyens étaient bons pour payer sa formation. « J’ai travaillé chez Steinberg comme commis. J’ai nettoyé des planchers. J’ai été plongeur», dit-il. « Je lavais la vaisselle de onze heures du soir à sept heures le matin, et je me dirigeais ensuite à l’école. » Une fois son diplôme en main, Rea a travaillé comme pilote de brousse pendant trois ans (survolant d’énormes territoires de forêts), avant de devenir pilote commercial.

Il s’est joint à Air Transat à l’âge de 27 ans. Après seulement cinq ans, Rea est devenu un des plus jeunes pilotes de la flotte à remporter le titre de commandant de bord. « Je suis vraiment reconnaissant qu’Air Transat ait permis à de jeunes pilotes d’occuper ce genre de poste», affirme Rea, expliquant ensuite que chez la plupart des compagnies aériennes, les commandants sont généralement des têtes blanches. « Ils traitent très bien leurs employés, et c’est une belle compagnie pour laquelle travailler. » Le commandant de l’Airbus 310 assure, sans l’ombre d’un doute, que piloter les appareils est l’aspect du métier qu’il préfère. « On éprouve un fort sentiment d’accomplissement à diriger de si grosses machines», explique-t-il en poursuivant que l’atterrissage lui procure toujours un grand rush. « Spécialement lorsqu’on voyage vers le sud et que tout est bleu à perte de vue en amorçant la descente…

C’est une expérience fascinante. » Parallèlement, voyager à travers le monde est ce que Rea considère l’élément le plus exténuant de son travail.

«Ce n’est pas de tout repos. En plus de souffrir du décalage et des longues heures de travail, on est souvent loin des siens», avoue Rea, père de deux jeunes enfants. « C’est un boulot très exigeant et stressant qui comporte d’énormes responsabilités. » Mais Rea ajoute que son équipage contribue à égayer son travail et qu’il adore l’esprit d’équipe qu’il partage avec ses collègues. Bien que le fait de bourlinguer constamment en haute altitude soit éreintant à la longue, Rea admet éprouver un regain d’énergie à chaque fois qu’il retourne sur le chemin de ses racines. « Pour moi, l’Italie est le plus bel endroit au monde.

On peut s’émerveiller en marchant dans une petite ruelle!

Chaque fois que j’y retourne, j’invite mon équipage à souper et à prendre une glace», révèle Rea, affirmant ensuite que tous ceux qui voyagent avec lui reviennent toujours les valises pleines à craquer de souvenirs d’Italie. « Les paysages sont magnifiques, la nourriture est incroyable et les gens sont chaleureux», affirme Rea. « Rien ne se compare à l’Italie, surtout si vous êtes italiens! »

Photographer: Farhi Yavus

was so eager. If there was a mountain in my way, I was going to go through it,” Rea says. “I was very determined and very passionate.”

Rea, a twin and the youngest of five children, was born in Montreal to Italian parents. When he was two years old, his family moved back to Italy. “I had a great childhood in Italy,” he recalls. “I remember going to school every day in my uniform.”

When weekends came, the Rea family would head off to the country side to visit nonno and nonna on their farm. Those are still vivid memories for the 44-year-old Rea. “I was in love with my grandparents!” he exclaims. “I loved my grandmother even more than I loved my mom, and I used to tell my mom that all the time.”

When Rea was eight years old, the family packed up again and headed back to Montreal. It was December in the mid-’70s, and it was cold. “When we came to Canada, I thought I was on another planet. I had never even worn boots before,” he says. “Imagine a kid who never even saw a snowsuit in his life, and now I had to put that on.”

But Rea points out that he never felt out of place – even though he didn’t understand a word of French or English at the time. “I always had my brothers and sisters who were there for me,” he recalls. “We were always together. I never felt alone.”

The siblings spent so much time together that Rea credits his older brother Domenic, who was taking flying lessons, for helping him discover his own passion for flying. “My older brother’s dream was to be a pilot. He introduced me to aviation. He took me to fly with him, and I was bitten by the bug.”

Rea joined the Air Cadets when he was 12, and that’s when he knew he wanted a career in aviation. He excelled in the program. By the time he was 16 years old, with a grade of 98% averages, he won a scholarship to attend the Canadian Forces Base in Bagotville, Quebec.“I got my pilot’s licence before I got my driver’s licence,” he says. “I worked really hard.”

At the age of 18, he returned from Bagotville, and enrolled in the three-year program at the Montreal Flying Club. The program cost $30,000 at the time, but that didn’t faze Rea one bit. “I was very determined,” he says, adding that he took any job he could find to pay his tuition. “I worked at Steinberg as a wrapper; I swept floors; I was a dishwasher,” he says. “I used to wash dishes from 11 pm until 7 am, and then I’d go to school.”

After graduating from the program, Rea worked as a bush pilot for three years (flying over rough terrains like forests), before becoming a commercial pilot.

He joined Air Transat when he was 27. By age 32, Rea was one of the airline’s youngest pilots to become a Captain. “I am so grateful that Air Transat has given a chance for young people to have these positions,” Rea says, adding that on most airlines, captains usually have white hair. “They treat their employees very well, and it’s really a great company to work for.”

The Captain of the Airbus 310 says that, without a doubt, his favourite part of being a pilot is flying the aircraft. “It’s a feeling that you have … a sense of accomplishment, and being in control of a big machine,” he says, adding that landing gives him a big rush. “Especially when you fly down south, you see blue everywhere, all around you as you descend … It’s just the best experience.”

Meanwhile, globe-trotting is what Marco Rea finds to be the most gruelling part of the job. “It’s not glamorous. You have jet lag, you work long hours and you’re away from people you love,” says Rea, who is a father of two young children. “It’s a fast-paced, high-stress job, with enormous responsibility.”

But Rea says the crewmates make the job fun, and he loves being part of a team. While the constant travelling at high altitudes is draining, Rea admits he gets a resurgence of energy every time he flies back to his roots.

“To me, Italy is the best place in the world. You could walk in an alley, and it’s beautiful! Every time I go, I take my crew out for supper and ice cream,” Rea says, adding that everyone he travels with always heads back to Montreal with their suitcases stuffed with Italian mementos. “The scenery is beautiful, the food is amazing, the people are so warm,” Rea says. “Italy – nothing compares … especially if you’re Italian.”

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Golden Age of Flying

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By Aicha Cisse

We’ve all heard veteran travellers wistfully reflect on the “good old days of flying” – a time when catching a plane was an event. Passengers dressed up in their Sunday best, hobnobbed and were treated like royalty. In the 1950s, ’60s and ’70s, the so-called golden age of air travel, flying was reserved for the privileged few and held a strong allure for many. ven the cabin crew projected an image of elegance. Stewardesses, as they were known back then, were glamorous fashion icons and had one of the most coveted jobs for women at the time.

Maria Minicucci was a flight attendant for Air Canada in the ’70s and ’80s. She often waxes nostalgic about a time when flying was the epitome of status. The planes were big, the seats were larger, and passengers didn’t have to pay extra fees to get pampered.

“Flying today is not what it was! It lacks the charm. It’s like you’re travelling on a big bus in the sky,” says Minicucci, who was a stewardess for 15 years.

Travellers enjoyed a fine dining experience and even the shortest flights offered upscale meals. “We served lobster, caviar, filet mignon and the finest alcohol. The meals were served on real China with real knives and forks. Everyone received first class treatment.”

For Minicucci, a first generation Italian from Campobasso who had led “a sheltered life in a quiet neighborhood,” becoming a flight attendant at the age of 27 was a “highly desired alternative to factory work.” The mother of two was the first woman with children to be hired by Air Canada in the late 1970s.

Before then, stewardesses were subject to discriminatory hiring and labour practices. They faced all sorts of unfair treatment ranging from mandatory weigh-ins to hiring restrictions based on gender, culture, sexual orientation, physical features and marital status. A combination of lawsuits and political pressure forced airline companies to abandon their prejudiced policies. These changes ushered in a new era of change. Flight attendants became just as diverse as the passengers travelling with them. “I joined the industry at the right time,” explains Minicucci who, traded a job as a substitute teacher for “wings.” At the time the young mother was glad to be part of an elite group of women who globetrotted and were admired every step of the way.

“Other than Italy, my family never got the chance to travel the world. I was lucky to explore different countries and learn about other cultures. I loved bringing my kids on flights with me so they, too, could benefit from this eye-opening experience.”

Other than the designer uniforms, lavish layovers and stays in luxurious hotels, the one thing Minicucci misses above all is the people she met while flying. Her

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Maria Minicucci with Pope John Paul II

Mike Finaldi

fondest memory is that of the time she flew with a very special guest on board: Pope John Paul II. In 1985, Minicucci was one of the 13 stewardesses chosen out of 3,000 applicants to fly to Rome with the Pope. After days of rigorous training, Minicucci found herself face to face with the pontiff. “I had the honour of shaking his hand at the end of the flight. I told him how happy I was,” she gushes. “He smiled. I was absolutely star-struck.”

“We served lobster, caviar, filet mignon and the finest alcohol. The meals were served on real China with real knives and forks. Everyone received first class treatment.”

During those heydays of flying, the majority of flight attendants were women and men were only allowed to work as pursers or pilots. In the late 1970s, airline companies began hiring male flight attendants. Mike Finaldi was one of them. “I was working on the ground as an agent and when the opportunity presented itself with Wardair Canada, I took advantage of it and never looked back. I’ve been a flight attendant for 37 years and I’ve loved every minute of it,” says Finaldi, who currently works for Air Transat.

The fact that an overwhelming majority of his colleagues are women never bothered him. On the contrary, Finaldi always prided himself in being the envy of all his friends for “being surrounded by so many beautiful women.”

Although he says he doesn’t miss the jet-setting days of air travel, Finaldi likes to remember that era. “With all the smoking and the free alcohol back then, it was a big party onboard. We didn’t show movies so people had more time to interact with the staff and other passengers. It’s different nowadays with all the technology, but it’s still fun. Times have changed. You have to adapt.”

Finaldi still considers flying a prestigious career filled with adventure and direct contact with all kinds of people. He loves the perks of having a job that is equivalent to a passport to tropical shores. Even though he enjoyed countless trips around the globe, his favorite place in the world remains his native Italy. “I’ve been to many beautiful countries. In the end, I’ll always prefer Italy, especially Naples, because it’s home.”

Finaldi also likes to debunk popular misconceptions about the lifestyle of flight attendants. “For some reason, a lot of people think we’re party animals or we have all sorts of international romances. That’s not the case. Most of us have families and lead simple lives that involve a lot of travelling. 35 years ago, I met my wife, who is also a flight attendant, and we’ve had the chance to take many family vacations with our kids,” relates Finaldi.

Between meeting world dignitaries and rubbing shoulders with celebrities on flights, Finaldi’s fondest memories include shooting a video for UNICEF with the late actor Leslie Nielsen, flying with former Soviet Union leader Mikhail Gorbachev and meeting actor Robin Williams.

As much as fliers love to reminisce about what a hassle-free adventurous dress-up luxury plane travel was, flying today is much safer, flexible and affordable than it was 50 years ago. Nonetheless, memories of air travel of the past romanticized often clash with today’s “bus-in-the-sky” mentality. Although times have changed, one truth remains the same. As the popular saying goes: “Flying is the second greatest thrill known to man, landing is the first!”

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ITALIA

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By Francesca Spizzirri

USEFUL ADVICE

Planning a trip to Italy can be one of the most exciting times, but with so much to see and do it’s easy to feel overwhelmed. Here are some tried and true travel tips to ensure you get the most out of your Italian adventure.

Travel voltage converter. Bring a voltage converter so you can recharge your electronic equipment, i.e., iPhone, cell phones, laptop, blow dryers, etc.

Wi-Fi. Put your smart phones on airplane mode and connect to the Internet using

local networks. Hotels usually provide you with a password for free wi-fi and some cafés also offer it. This way you can post all your Instagram and Facebook pictures for free, or browse Trenitalia’s website to schedule your next train ride.

Travel apps. Another great idea is to download useful travel apps before your trip.

Apps like Free Wi-Fi Finder, Kayak, FlightTrack Pro, and Around Me can save you lots of time and money when travelling.

WORDS OF WISDOM

Rent a villa. If you are staying for a few weeks, consider renting a villa. It’s more affordable than a hotel and allows you to live like a local.

Be present. The best advice for any trip is to be present! Don’t spend all your time with a gadget in your hands or overthinking things; be fully present in the moment, especially when wandering through Italy because you will discover that much of the character and charm of this country is found among its people and its streets.

Stay at an agriturismo. Experience the real Italy on a rustic farmhouse where you can eat, drink, relax and stroll through the Italian countryside.

Eat where locals eat. Italy is a culinary wonderland with a plethora of flavours to be enjoyed in its food and wine. Try to avoid tourist traps by asking locals where they eat and go enjoy a great meal, but don’t eat to the point where you feel sick or heavy. You want to feel ready to take on the day’s adventures.

Find time to relax. After all, Italians are the ones who invented the term “Dolce Far Niente,” which means “the sweetness of doing nothing.” Enjoy long leisurely meals, evening strolls, and find a great café to sit and enjoy an aperitivo or good wine. Take time to soak in the atmosphere and savour its beauty.

Get off the beaten path. There is no harm in knowing what things you’d like to see or do, but speak to locals and find out what they also recommend and set off on your own adventure. This allows you to immerse yourself in the culture and have a more authentic experience.

Don’t over pack. The last thing you want is to waste time unpacking, re-organizing and lugging stuff around, especially if you are travelling around Italy and getting on and off trains. If you forget something, don’t worry, you can buy it in Italy!

Leave room in your luggage. Italy is home to some of the world’s most prominent fashion houses so don’t be surprised if you end up going home with an additional suitcase or bag filled with shoes, scarves, jewellery, purses and clothing. It happens all the time, even to those who set out with the best of intentions.

Don’t look like a tourist. Keep your money and valuables in a safe place out of reach from pickpockets, especially when you’re in tight, crowded spaces.

Don’t try to see or do too much. There really is so much to see and do in Italy. Rather than visiting 10 cities in a rushed amount of time, choose a few and split your time between them.

Walk a lot. The best way to explore Italy is by foot, so make sure to pack comfortable shoes. Between the walking and cobblestoned streets, stilettos are not recommended footwear. Set off and don’t worry about getting lost. Some of the best things you’ll discover will probably be by accident.

Try every flavour of gelato. Eating Italian gelato is one of the greatest pleasures you will experience in Italy, so enjoy lots of it!

Know how to order coffee. In Italy, going to the local bar for caffè (kah-FE) is a national pastime; while there, you should take part in this ritual too. There are many popular coffee drinks served in Italian bars, so try to familiarize yourself with them. And remember, Italians never order cappuccino after 11am! Enjoy an aperitivo. Early evening is the perfect time to go enjoy a drink. Bars, cafés and enotecas, usually serve free snacks and finger foods along with your drink.

This is also a great opportunity to mingle with locals who stop for an aperitivo after a day’s work.

Tipping. Tips are not common practice in Italy as service is usually included in the price.

This charge is referred to as a “coperto” and you will usually see this additional charge on most restaurant bills. It generally is about 2/3 Euro per person. However, you are always welcome to leave an additional tip for great service. Some cafés also charge two different prices; one for ordering and consuming at the bar, and another for sitting down at a table.

Siesta time. The majority of Italian cities become deserted from 1 pm to 4 pm when they close for their afternoon “siesta” break.

Less so in Rome and Milan yet still pretty frequent across the country, so be sure to keep this in mind each day. Also note that most stores are closed on Sunday.

Learn a bit of Italian. It’s always a good idea when travelling to learn a few basic phrases before going. Here are some useful Italian ones: Airport . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . .

Bathroom . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . .

Do you speak English? . . . . . . . . . . . .

Excuse me . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . .

Good evening . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . .

Good morning / afternoon . . . . . . . .

Good night . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . .

Hello / Goodbye . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . .

How much does it cost? . . . . . . . . . .

Please . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . .

Thank you . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . .

Where can I find a…? . . . . . . . . . . . . .

Where is…? . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . .

You are welcome . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . .

Aeroporto Bagno Parla inglese?

Mi scusi Buona sera Buon giorno Buona notte Ciao Quanto costa?

Per piacere Grazie Dove posso trovare un…?

Dov'è ...?

Prego

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Travel 101 Rent a car. Driving is a great way to get around Italy, but note that automatic cars are rare in Europe so learn how to drive standard. You can rent automatic cars but know that they cost more to rent. Also, Italians love to drive fast and shall we say a little crazy, so you need to be extra cautious when driving in Italy.

TRANSPORTATION

Take the train. The perfect way to sit back and enjoy Italy’s ever changing landscapes. Make sure to buy your tickets in advance and reserve a seat, especially if you are travelling during the peak seasons of Christmas, Easter or summer. Save time buying your tickets through the train station self-service machines or pre-book online before leaving if you know your travel dates.

CURRENCY Credit cards. Credit card payments are less frequent in smaller Italian cities and local stores, so be sure to always have cash on hand for smaller purchases. It is also a good idea to contact your credit card company prior to leaving to let them know when and where you will be travelling so they can put a note on your account. This will avoid any issues when you make a payment overseas.

Travel by bus. If you travel by bus make sure you have the right schedule and that you reserved your seat; otherwise, if the bus gets full they may ask you to get out of the bus to leave room to those that reserved their seats.

Interac. Many of the larger stores now take Interac payments. You can also withdraw cash from your bank account through most instant teller machines, but speak to your local branch ahead of time for more information.

Book in advance. There are many different companies and it can become

Pre-order Euro. Local currency shops and credit cards usually charge

confusing. Use local travel agencies to make sure you buy your tickets in advance if you are in a remote place. It is also helpful to discuss this with your local travel agent.

a higher exchange rate than the bank, so it’s a good idea to pre-order Euro from your local Canadian bank before travelling.

Double check schedules. Keep in mind that schedules change on Sunday

Psychology 101. The exchange rate is more or less .75 Euro for a dollar. This makes a big difference when you pay your hotel bill or buy expensive clothes, so keep this in mind when making larger purchases.

and that trains and buses are less frequent, so double check schedule information before heading to the terminals.

Voiture nord-américaine de l'année

North American car of the year

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By Jenny Arena-Galati

I Will Not Go Without My

The approach is near.

Palms are slightly sweaty, heart rate has accelerated and breathing is strained as a smile is feigned.

Fingers are crossed and prayers to every saint and madonna are uttered as you prepare to hear those dreaded words, "Welcome back to Canada. Do you have anything to declare?" This question is perhaps one of the most frightening to any Italian returning from the Bel Paese with a stash of "Made in Italy" products in tow.

M rtadella

hough everyone is fully aware of customs regulations, attempts are made to bring back a piece of the motherland. And the reasons for this are numerous. The bottle of walnut liquor is nonna's own homemade batch; that smoked ricotta can only be found in a certain region in Calabria; those vibrant red sopressate and capicolli are made from the pigs raised on nonno's farm; that olive oil is made with cracked olives that come from his olive grove, from which liquid gold extra virgin olive oil is pressed; the figs, ripe and still dripping with their milk after being freshly picked and packed with care in their leaves; those fiery pepperoncini that only zio grows; the tomatoes that zia dries in the sun; or those delicate cornetti di crema that can only be found at the most frequented bar in town.

The efforts to bring back these treasures are well worth it. Perhaps it is that unmistakable taste or smell that immediately transports you back to a specific time and place, that flavour that is unmatched by any other back at home; or perhaps it is the love that went into its preparation that will be carried with it on its journey, the memories of the loved ones who graciously opened up their homes and their hearts to prepare those taste sensations, or the desire to have these ingredients to be able to recreate traditional dishes in a Canadian kitchen. It could simply be the thrill of knowing you made it

T

back with these coveted foods or challenging the system and making a stand as did Sophia Loren in 1971.

In the film La Mortadella (Lady Liberty in English), Loren takes on the role of the tenacious Neapolitan girl named Maddalena Ciarrapico. The French-Italian comedy written by well-known short story writer Ring Lardner Jr. and directed by Mario Monicelli, is based on the story "La Pizza" by Renato W. Spera and recounts the story of Maddalena, who ventures off to New York City where she is to be reunited with her fiancĂŠe Michele (played by Gigi Proietti).

Separated because of a relationship considered controversial in Italy (Michele is married and there are no divorce laws in Italy in the 1960s), Maddalena persuades her love to move to the U.S. where she will later join him so that they can finally be together.

After four long years she finally boards a plane to rejoin Michele with a special gift: a mortadella. Once she arrives at JFK Airport, however, she is refused entry as customs does not allow processed meat to enter the U.S. A very headstrong Maddalena refuses to give in even at the bequest of Michele whom she realizes is no longer the same man she fell in love with.

Standing firm on her principles and renouncing American laws that she feels are absurd, Maddalena is abandoned by Michele who is embarrassed by her behaviour, and detained until she comes up with the resolution that the offending foodstuff be eaten with the customs officers. It’s an obvious exaggeration for dramatic effect onscreen, but the film effectively captures the feelings of most entering or re-entering the country with their controversial goods, demonstrating the lengths they might go to in order to hold onto their prized goodies.

Stories are told, emotional appeals are made, and sometimes even curses are uttered when similar scenarios arise. But of course, no one is as poignant as Sophia Loren, who in one of the film’s most memorable scenes, ferociously declares, “I will not abandon my mortadella. Either she enters this country with me, or I will not enter this country!�

The experience begins here.

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Dossier - Flying H ig h

23

Clearing Customs The funniest travel stories For this special edition on travel, Panoram Italia invited its web community to send in their funniest experiences relating to clearing customs or checking in at an airport.

Way back in 1993, my dear and beloved zia in Canada had a special request for me to bring back from my trip to Italy. It was a laundry whitening powder called "Lavasbianco." Apparently, in Canada, we had no such miraculous product. So I dutifully bought a box of the product. Then, as I was packing my suitcase to fly back to Montreal, I decided the box was too bulky and proceeded to remove the "small packets of white powder" from the original laundry detergent packaging.

The packets were strewn about in my suitcase. I thought absolutely nothing of it, until my luggage was confiscated at the airport and I was unable to retrieve my suitcase for several days. Even when I went to pick it up, I was questioned extensively.

In the end, they realized it was soap and I learned a very good lesson about what NOT to bring home from Italy!

Sandra, Montreal My father tried to smuggle two dead chickens he had raised on his farm in Italy. Just as he thought he had gotten away with it, a security dog stopped him 10 feet from where we were waiting for him. It took him quite a while to get over it.

Tony Zara, Publisher Many years ago my grandparents took a trip to Italy, as they often did since we had a residence there. On their way back to Canada at Montreal’s Mirabel Airport, the agent asked my grandmother what they were bringing back. She replied, trying to be funny, "una bomba." This was a pre-9/11 world so things were quite different then and her remark didn’t create a big concern. Unfortunately for her, the agent understood and didn't find it quite as funny as she did. The worst was yet to come when he opened the suitcases and there it was: the precious sopressata. He told her, "You can't take this past customs." Of course she refused to hand it over. She sat down, ate it and then crossed customs. I can't help but imagine how many other items were removed, nuts (suitcases filled with fresh hazelnuts) wine, cheese, copper pans... But, nobody messes with Nonna's sopressata!!

Sabrina, Montreal How about flying from Canada to New Zealand with a homemade sopressata up each sleeve so we could smuggle it to my sister-in-law who had been deprived for two years? I was worried about the dogs but I guess they were sniffing for drugs. Whew!

Dan Travaglini, Sault Ste. Marie

Back in 1990, I had to fly alone to Italy on the same day the National team played its last match of the World Cup against Argentina. My dad was cursing the whole car ride to the airport because he was missing the game. In the waiting area those who had radios were glued to them, with others listening in for updates. When Italy lost, it was like someone had died. Many of us looked outside at the sky and tarmac dreaming of what could have been. Then a luggage cart driver drove outside our window and zipped down his overalls to reveal an Argentina T-shirt. We all started cursing and pounding on the glass.

Toni Canale Parola, Toronto As I arrived at Ciampino airport in August 1995 for my flight back home to Montreal, I was greeted by two carabinieri with puffed up padded blue chests, the biggest rifles I had ever seen, and the littlest hobo, who was sniffing away at my Mickey Mouse carry-on bag. My eyes bulged open. The carabinieri told me to unzip Mickey’s ears, and I sheepishly obliged.

“C O L T E L L I?!” they asked.

“Si!” I said, “Mamma ne ha bisogno!”

“Ah! Perche?”

“Per mangiare la steak-a!”

I tried to explain that my father had driven nonna Tina, zia Nella, and me in the smallest car ever, sitting with our knees pressed against our chins, for a 45-minute nauseating ride down a winding mountain road from Provvidenti, with no air conditioning in 100 degree heat, to reach the cutlery capital of Campobasso, and buy the serrated knives with black nylon handles. My efforts, however, were met with blank stares, and the knives were taken away in one swift motion.

Contemplating how I would break the news to my mother, I heard my name over the intercom and was led by the carabinieri to the tarmac. Fighting strong gusts of wind that were pushing my cheeks into my eye sockets and my hair into a twister, I found my green suitcase. The carabinieri handed me the confiscated knives, and told me to enjoy “la bistecca con mamma.”

As I shyly said “Grazie,” I vowed to myself that from that day forward, I would leave Italian cutlery in Italy, and instead bring back dish cloths with maps of Italy on them.

Tina Cerulli, Montreal

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26

Li fe &People

The

Italian Job

By Maggie Abou-Rizk

While thousands of Italians emigrated from Italy to Canada in search of better work opportunities, meet three Italian-Canadians who left Canada to work in Italy. espite being a second generation Italian-Canadian, Sara Dolcetti was raised with a strong Italian influence. So when a job opportunity arose to work alongside the United Nations in Rome nine months ago, Dolcetti jumped at the chance. “It was definitely a win-win situation — combining my desire to work with an international humanitarian organisation and to connect with my Italian heritage.” As a management consultant with the Boston Consulting Group, Dolcetti is currently working with the United Nations’ World Food Programme on a global project to transform and increase the efficiency of their operations.

The experience has been a positive one for Dolcetti. “It’s great to be in Italy and to see the root of my family's traditions. I associate with the food, culture and values — especially the importance of family.” Despite her love of Italy and work success, the young professional does not see it as a permanent move. “Given my career, which is very much in business, North America provides a lot more opportunities,” explains Dolcetti. “That’s not to say you couldn’t be a part of creating those opportunities in Italy, but a lot of changes have to happen both in the education system and with government to create a good environment for businesses.”

Toronto-born Matthew Carley is more optimistic about business opportunities in Italy. At only 29, the young entrepreneur has continued to expand his company despite the European crisis. With Italian heritage on his mother’s side, Carley arrived in Rome 10 years ago. “Italy is the land of ‘lavoro inventivo,’ ” he explains. “You just need to have a good idea and create your own work. There’s so much missing here.”

While working as a ‘gatherer’ promoting tours, Carley noticed a gap in the market for tours of the Vatican and an idea was born. “In the beginning, I followed tour guides around while they did their tours and tried to absorb as much information as possible. In addition, I did my own research and came up with an interesting script.”

After a few months of intensive research, Carley began offering free tours of St. Peter’s Basilica, relying on tips from satisfied customers. “I was in my early 20s at the time and had long hair and a beard like Jesus. My tips dropped dramatically when I shaved my beard and the resemblance wasn’t as obvious,” he jokes.

In 2007, Carley established Roman Candle Tours offering small group tours of the Vatican and Rome. The company has now expanded to most of Italy’s main cities.

He explains that the secret to his business’ success is minimal overhead costs. “Tour guides and drivers are paid by the tour, and the business is largely run over the Internet.” Carley enjoys the flexibility that his work provides and calls Italy home. “I visit Canada twice a year but definitely prefer the Italian lifestyle. Canadians work too much and don’t enjoy life enough.”

D

Giovanni Poggi

For Giovanni Poggi, the Canadian approach to work is evident. “I’m a hands-on guy and I work here every day,” he says about his bar, La Botticella. The bar is a popular drinking spot with Air Canada’s pilots and flight attendants stopping over in Rome, as well as others wanting to connect with fellow Canadians. “The fact that I’m Canadian and can speak English is a comfort.” Having developed a loyal clientele of both locals and Canadians, Poggi has an affinity for both cultures. “I’ve got the correctness and kindness of a Canadian and the charisma and humour of an Italian.”

At a time when many families were immigrating to Canada, Poggi’s family returned from Toronto to Rome when he was 16. “My parents wanted to move back before us children were old enough to decide we wanted to stay in Canada.” The family opened a successful pizzeria and in 1991, purchased La Botticella, putting Poggi at the helm. “I made a lot of business mistakes at the time, but I was only 23 and my mind was on other things — like girls.”

Over 22 years, Poggi has lived through many of Italy’s highs and lows and admits he’s feeling the effects of the current European crisis. “Many of my local Italian clients have stopped coming by for a drink because they just can’t afford to.” But Poggi remains optimistic about the future of his business. After all, his bar recently subscribed to the hockey cable channel.

Matt Carley

Sara Dolcetti

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Li fe &People

27

La mia esperienza vacanza-lavoro in Canada:

illusioni e delusioni Un altro giorno in Canada è trascorso. A scandire il tempo, in questo Paese dove la vita scorre a ritmi frenetici, solo l’alternarsi delle stagioni. Intanto fuori nevica: il lungo e freddo inverno canadese è ormai entrato nel vivo, così come la mia esperienza di giovane italiano giunto qui con un permesso “vacanza-lavoro” per inseguire la speranza di un futuro pieno di soddisfazioni. i chiamo Paolo, ho 26 anni e sono originario del Nord-Est. Sono laureato in Scienze politiche e Relazioni internazionali e appartengo a quella generazione di giovani qualificati che sempre più spesso, oggi, lasciano l’Italia per costruire un progetto di vita altrove Ricordo che l’impatto con la nuova realtà è stato straordinario. Sembrava di rivivere le tante scene di un film americano visto in TV, ma questa volta da protagonista. Quello che mi ha colpito di più è stato lo stretto contatto con la natura: onnipresente, fatta di ampi spazi verdi e associata a un grande senso di libertà.

I mesi precedenti la partenza sono stati molto intensi. Ho rispolverato il mio francese e ho compiuto i necessari adempimenti, richiesti dall’Ambasciata, per il mio soggiorno. Sono entrato con determinazione nell’ottica del mondo del lavoro québécoise, ricercando un impiego sui siti online e modificando i miei curricula sulla base del modello nordamericano.

Non appena giunto in Canada, non ci è voluto molto per trovare un lavoro non qualificato. Nel giro di qualche giorno, ho cominciato a lavorare in un ristorante italiano, continuando pur sempre le mie ricerche per un impiego più consono ai miei studi. Le opportunità non si sono lasciate attendere. Dopo qualche settimana, sono stato assunto da una scuola di lingue per insegnare italiano.

Sono venuto a conoscenza del fatto, poi, che a differenza di quanto avviene per gli italiani, il cui permesso “vacanza-lavoro” ha una durata massima di soli sei mesi, per i cittadini di altri Paesi le stesso visto vale un anno ed è anche rinnovabile.

Questo in virtù dei differenti accordi bilaterali tra il Canada e gli altri Stati.

Sei mesi sono effettivamente pochi per stabilirsi in Canada, adattarsi alla realtà del lavoro locale e cercare un impiego con la prospettiva di restarvi alla scadenza del permesso.

Vani si sono rivelati i tentativi di investire della questione le istituzioni italiane presenti a Montréal, in primis il Consolato Generale. Tuttavia, ho avuto modo di conoscere singole persone operanti sempre nel contesto dei rapporti italo-canadesi che si sono rivelate di estremo supporto e che mi hanno fornito sostegno nei

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momenti di difficoltà. Un esempio per tutti è stato il Comites, ovvero il Comitato degli Italiani Residenti all’Estero che, attraverso la sua Commissione interna dei giovani, ha rappresentato per me un valido punto di riferimento quanto meno allo scopo di favorire la mia integrazione all’interno della realtà italo-canadese.

Sono ormai trascorsi quattro mesi dal mio ingresso in Canada e, più esattamente, in Québec. Certamente non molto per poter dire di conoscere il Canada nella sua interezza, un Paese vastissimo e ricco di diversità culturali; anzi, fin troppo frammentato tra le diverse comunità di origine straniera e non, che vi convivono all’insegna di un pacifico e stimolante multiculturalismo. Forse, proprio questo che è il punto di forza di questo Paese ne costituisce anche il punto di debolezza. Manca una vera e propria identità nazionale e, soprattutto, mancano valori condivisi. Di contro, ho avuto l’occasione di imparare tanto da questa esperienza, di arricchirmi a livello umano e culturale, di apprezzare ancor più il Canada e, soprattutto, di poter testimoniare che, a parte gli stereotipi, questo Paese non è affatto l’eldorado come lo si immagina dall’esterno.

Consiglio vivamente questa esperienza a quanti desiderano conoscere il Canada, ampliare i propri orizzonti e – perché no – cercare un avvenire in un Paese che, pur con i suoi limiti, resta senz’altro una terra di grandi opportunità. Auspico, al tempo stesso, che, sulla base di questa, come di tante altre testimonianze di giovani giunti in Canada con il permesso “vacanza-lavoro”, il Governo italiano si adoperi per concludere degli accordi con la controparte canadese al fine di prolungare i tempi del permesso fino ad un anno, analogamente a quanto avviene in altri Paesi. E, soprattutto, mi auguro che vengano quanto prima adottati dei provvedimenti volti a favorire un più agevole inserimento professionale delle persone qualificate, attraverso il riconoscimento dei titoli di studio e delle esperienze lavorative maturate all’estero. Quanto a me, infine, spero che questo lungo e freddo inverno canadese lasci presto il posto ai colori e ai profumi di una “nuova primavera”, fatta di soddisfazioni professionali in terra canadese.

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Li fe &People

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Nick Discepola Family First

By Sabrina Marandola

Imagine leaving a small village in Italy as a little boy to end up one day in Canada’s House of Commons as a Member of Parliament. It’s a path that many immigrants could never even dream up. But in his 62 years of life, Nick Discepola accomplished just that. e was wise, caring, a family man,” says his youngest son Marco. “He was a strong presence and always gave the family a sense that we would always be protected, taken care of and loved,” agrees Marco’s older brother Michele.

Discepola passed away from pancreatic neuroendocrine cancer this past fall, in November 2012. His four children say that since the day he was diagnosed in May 2009, their father battled the disease head-on, with courage.

“From his hospital bed, dad still managed to make us laugh, provided us with a sense of reassurance and love, knowing that we had each other and he would always be with us,” says eldest child Lisa. “Although to most, he appeared as a businessman and political figure, he was a joker — always playing pranks! He was the life of the party and a kid at heart.” His wife Mary Alice, his four children and three grandchildren miss him every day — but remember him very fondly.

Nick Discepola was actually born “Nunzio,” in Volturara Irpina (a town in Avellino, Campania). His family left from the port of Naples for Canada when he was seven years old. “The family moved to Outlook, Saskatchewan, where my grandfather worked for the railways,” Lisa says. They ultimately moved to Montreal, where Discepola graduated from McGill, and started his own high-tech company when he was 26. But the entrepreneur and family man soon entered the world of politics. In 1983, he became a city councillor in Kirkland. Six years later, by the time Discepola was 40, he was elected mayor of the municipality. He turned to federal politics in 1993, when he won the riding of Vaudreuil and sat as a Liberal MP until 2004.

“My dad was so grateful to his adoptive country, he wanted to play an integral part in ensuring it remained the envy of nations,” Lisa says. “He was interested in ensuring that Canadians and soon-to-be Canadians had the same opportunities, which he felt he had when he immigrated to Canada,” adds Michele. Some of Discepola’s former colleagues say they appreciated his work. Massimo Pacetti, Liberal MP for St. Leonard — St. Michel, knew Discepola for more than 15 years.

“He was very practical. He didn't speak unless he had something to say,” Pacetti recalls, adding that he always knew he could lean on Discepola for support.

“H

“He was a friend first, and a colleague second. When we spoke, our conversations were based on a friendship, and not lip service,” Pacetti says. “He stood out in my eyes because he told you how it was. [There were not too] many grey areas with him.”

Although Discepola’s job required him to travel to Ottawa, his children say they knew their family always came first. “He was a true leader, even with the family,” says Laura. “He was always involved in our activities, and always made sure to be part of family functions.” This held true always — and never more so than when times got really tough in 2000. Discepola’s wife Mary Alice was diagnosed with cancer. Her hospital room became his living quarters. “My mom spent nine months in the hospital, and he spent every hour with her, sleeping there, working there … never leaving her side,” Lisa recounts, adding that her mom beat the disease after 27 months of chemotherapy.

With that battle conquered and their children grown, the couple spent their last several years together in Toronto, so that they could be close to their grandchildren.

“He taught us, above all, to love and respect one another, to understand that family and love comes first, and to apply that in our lives,” says Marco.

Nick Discepola also made sure to pass on his Italian heritage and traditions to his four children while they were growing up. “We grew up with our grandparents, aunts, uncles and cousins all within a few metres from each other,” Lisa says. “[We went to] Italian school on Saturdays. There was even the odd accordion lesson!”

Discepola could not get away from his Italian roots. When he was not working, he was very involved in Montreal’s Italian community. He participated in events with the CIBPA (Canadian Italian Business & Professional Association), and even helped found the West Island Italian Association. In 1998, when a natural disaster struck, and his home region of Campania was devastated by mudslides, Discepola went to Italy with the federal government to offer aid. “He'll be remembered for his honesty and integrity,” Pacetti says. “Even after he was defeated [and lost his seat in 2004], he was the same person, whether he was a politician or not.”

His family agrees. “He always showed people respect and rarely talked in a negative manner towards anyone,” Michele says. “He was humble given his achievements.”

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Jardin Urgel Bourgie Montréal | 14 h bilingue : francese e inglese Jardin Urgel Bourgie Rive-Sud | 14 h bilingue : francese e inglese Jardin Urgel Bourgie Laval | 13 h francese | 14 h italiano Le nostre cerimonie sono accompagnate da un rinfresco.

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30

Food & Wine

Chef Lidia

The Italian table

Bastianich

By Laura Casella

eloved chef, best-selling author, restauranteur, and savvy businesswoman, Lidia Bastianich has succeeded in marrying her two loves in life: family and food. For years she has been dishing culinary secrets in several award-winning TV series on the TLN television network. She is also the author of best-selling cookbooks, the owner of six acclaimed restaurants, and the founder of an entertainment company. Most recently, Lidia embarked on a live tour titled, “Saputo Presents Lidia, Live on Stage!” which brought her to Toronto on February 10 and Montreal February 11. The show was an opportunity for fans to connect with the renowned chef and get to know her on a personal level.

To Lidia, food has always been a link to her grandmother and her early years growing up in Trieste in the Friuli-Venezia Giulia region.

“I grew up in a setting where my grandmother had the little courtyard with all the animals, she had the garden, she made her own olive oil and wine,” she says. “Those are really the basis of the pristine flavours of the Italian culture. I have that in my reference library so when I cook I think, how do I achieve those great flavours?”

But great flavours and delicious food are nothing without a table to come to, says Lidia. The connection Italians share with their food is special and unique and one she has come to understand more over the years.

“Food has to have a table to come to ultimately and that table is very instrumental,” she explains. “It's very unique; it opens communication. A teenager who wouldn’t want to talk normally about his or her problems can suddenly open up if you put food in front of them”.

B

“

At the table, our defences come down. That is why Italians eat, sing, and argue at the table. Everything comes out, and it's alright. The Italian table is just beautiful.

“

Her name is synonymous with Italian culture and cuisine. For the past forty years, Lidia Bastianich has been sharing her love for cooking with people around the world. To her, food is more than just nutrients to our bodies. It is what links us to our past and tells a story about who we are and where we come from. “Food is a profile of your story and the story of your family,” she says.

And with her long list of accomplishments, this Italian lifestyle ambassador is most proud about being a mother, and especially a grandmother. Her five grandchildren have inspired her to write children's books, her first being Nonna Tell Me a Story: Lidia’s Christmas Kitchen. The second installment in the series, Lidia’s Family Kitchen: Nonna’s Birthday Surprise, is due out sometime this spring.

“I just want to share my knowledge with other children who maybe don't have their grandmother around to tell them stories,” she says.

Lidia says she feels very grateful to have been a vehicle for Italian culture over the years during which she has succeeded in making delightful Italian food accessible to millions of people. She is also astounded to see how strong the culture is among younger generations.

“It is amazing to see how Italians in America of third or fourth generation are so proud to be Italian. I think it is wonderful. It is such a magnificent culture, especially on the table!”

1635, Aut. Laval (440) ouest, Chomedey, Laval H7L 3W3 450-973-6369 • www.dekkor.ca

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Food & Wine Bucatini all' Amatriciana (Bucatini with Pancetta, Tomato, and Onion)

Serves: 6 servings

INGREDIENTS • 1 35-ounce can San Marzano tomatoes • salt • 5 tablespoons extra virgin olive oil, or to taste • 1 medium onion (about 2 cups), sliced thin • 4 slices pancetta, cut into 1 1/2-inch julienne strips • ½ teaspoon crushed red pepper flakes • 1 pound perciatelli or bucatini pasta • 1 cup Pecorino Romano, grated, plus more for passing

DIRECTIONS Pass the tomatoes and their liquid through a food mill fitted with the fine disc. Set aside. Bring 6 quarts of salted water to a boil in an 8-quart pot.

In a large skillet, heat 2 tablespoons of the olive oil over medium heat.

Add the onions and cook, stirring, until wilted, about 4 minutes. Stir in the pancetta and cook 2 minutes. Add the hot red peppers and the strained tomatoes and bring to a boil. Adjust the heat to a simmer, and season lightly with salt. Cook, stirring occasionally, until the sauce is thickened, about 20 minutes.

Meanwhile, stir the perciatelli into the boiling water and cook, stirring occasionally, until done, about 12 minutes.

is just beautiful!

Reserve about 1 cup of the pasta cooking water. Drain the pasta, return it to the pot and pour in half the sauce. Bring the sauce and pasta to a boil and add enough of the pasta cooking water, if necessary to make enough of the sauce to lightly coat the pasta. Check the seasoning, adding salt if necessary. Remove the pan from the heat, stir in 1 cup of the grated cheese and transfer to a large, heated serving platter or bowl.

Spoon the remaining sauce over the top and pass additional grated cheese separately if you like.

For the dough: Dump the ricotta into a large bowl, and stir to loosen it and break up lumps, then blend in the eggs and 1/4 teaspoon salt. Sprinkle all the flour on top, and fold it in gently, just until it is all incorporated, with no small clumps of dry flour. The dough will be stiff and somewhat sticky.

Sweet Ricotta Dumplings with Strawberry Sauce

Adjust the heat so the cooking water is bubbling gently. Fill a glass or jar with cold water to moisten the scoop, so the dough doesn't stick. Dip the ice-cream scoop into the water glass, scoop up a round of dough, level it off (scraping excess back in the bowl), and dispense the dumpling into the cooking pot. Scoop up all the dough in the same way, and get the dumplings cooked as quickly as possible. If you don't have an ice-cream scoop, use a 1/4-cup measure. Empty each portion into your hand (both hands must be lightly floured!), and quickly roll it into a ball, then drop the dumpling into the pot.

Serves: 18 canederli

INGREDIENTS For the Strawberry Sauce • 3 pints fresh strawberries, hulled and quartered (about 6 cups) • ½ cup sugar • ½ cup lemon juice, freshly squeezed

As you form the canederli, keep the scoop moistened (or your hands floured) and the water at a gentle simmer: don't let it boil vigorously, which can break apart the canederli.

After all are in the pot, let the dumplings cook, without stirring, until they rise to the surface of the water.

Simmer them another 5 minutes, and then scoop one out and test it for doneness. First, press it gently: it should feel solid and spring back to the touch. If it feels soft at the center, return it to the pot and cook the batch a minute or two longer. Scoop out another dumpling, and cut into it to check that the centre is not wet and oozing and that the dough looks uniformly cooked through.

For the Canederli • • • • •

Check the seasoning of the sauce, adding salt if necessary (remember the Pecorino is mildly salty).

1 tablespoon kosher salt, plus 1/4 teaspoon 6 tablespoons butter 1 pound fresh ricotta , drained 2 large eggs 1 cup all-purpose flour

DIRECTIONS Put the cut strawberries in the saucepan (or cut them right into it), pour the sugar and lemon juice over, and toss together. Set the pan over medium-low heat; stir occasionally as the berries release juice and gradually start to bubble. Adjust the heat to keep the juice simmering, and cook for about 8 minutes, until the berries are soft and the juice is slightly syrupy. Turn off the heat, and cover the pot to keep the sauce warm.

Meanwhile, fill the big pot with about 6 quarts water, add 1 tablespoon salt, and heat it to a boil. Put the butter in the big skillet and melt it over very low heat; turn off the flame, but leave the skillet on the warm burner.

Meanwhile, have the big skillet with melted butter warming over very low heat. Lift out the cooked dumplings with a spider, let them drain over the pot for a few seconds, then gently drop them in the skillet. Roll the dumplings gently so they're coated all over with butter, then turn off the heat and leave them in the warm pan for a few minutes to firm up.

Serve the canederli on warm dessert plates, spooning a pool of strawberry sauce in the center of each plate and setting two or three canederli on top. For family-style serving, arrange the canederli in a large, rimmed platter and drizzle some of the strawberry sauce around them in a colourful border. Pass the remaining sauce at the table.

2227 Bélanger est • Montréal • Québec H2G 1C5 T.514.374.5653 • www.gastronomiaroberto.com

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onna’s

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Food & Wine

Kitchen Online!

Finding Nonna’s Recipes Online

By Laura D’Amelio

Of the many things that older Italian-Canadians leave behind for the next generations, including traditions, namesakes and memories, one thing they often don’t leave behind is written down recipes of your favourite dishes and desserts.

S,

econd and third generation Italian-Canadians suffer from a lack of scrawled measurements and smudged notes that hold the secret recipes of a small Italian village and what made Nonna’s kitchen smell so good. The recipes are by rote, travelling with them from Italy to Montreal or Woodbridge, and measurements are by gesture only.

“The food world, like much of our planet, is changing rapidly and with our society having seemingly no borders, food cultures and recipes are being integrated with other food traditions. Italian food is no exception, and once a particular recipe leaves a tiny village in southern Italy in Calabria, for example, it will change forever,” says Vincent Scordo, who runs Scordo.com, a website dedicated to Italian heritage and food. “Scordo.com is really an effort to preserve and document how to live like an Italian in the US and, in turn, keep our Italian heritage strong. And since food is so strongly associated with Italian culture and life, documenting our family recipes online was a natural extension.”

People who record Nonna’s methods, like Scordo, now find their recipes in demand. When wanting to recapture their food memories, later generations find themselves scrambling to put together names and ingredients to replicate their Nonnis’ kitchen magic. The business of looking for long-lost recipes has found a home online where traditional

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Teasers

Food & Wine recipes are recorded and requested daily, and particularly around the holidays.

In some cases, it’s not just Italian generations keeping the recipes alive. Sandra Laux started Mangiabenepasta.com in 2001 in her retirement to share her knowledge of making pasta gathered from extended Italian family and friends. Within a year, her site started to become popular.

Soon she began receiving emails from readers happy to find recipes their mothers used to make. “It was always a variation of the same lament that their ancestors had passed on, and the recipes were never written down or had been lost. I had so many recipes to share and I was actually connecting with people, bringing a bit of joy into their lives and preserving these wonderful Italian recipes for generations to come,” says Laux.

“Probably my favourite story was from a young woman … She said that her grandmother had described a cake to her that she used to have on her birthdays when she was a little girl, but she didn’t know the name of it. She had searched a number of websites looking for the right recipe. She thought that our Italian Rum Cake might be it, so she made it for her grandmother’s birthday. She wrote that her grandmother couldn’t have been more surprised that it was exactly how she had remembered it,” says Laux.

Gabriel Riel-Salvatore, Managing Editor at Panoram Italia Magazine, says his readers request dessert and cookie recipes the most, as they are associated with holidays and special events where the treats were front and centre.

“The number of visits on our Italian Recipe Index this past December was just crazy. People just love discovering new cookie recipes.” Laux and Scordo both agree.

Often online photo searches can help to identify the exact cookie or cake they remember from their youth.

“Having good visual content is very important,” argues Riel-Salvatore. “It really helps people find what they are looking for.” “The problem people have in locating most recipes is the way they remember the name of the dish

as it was spoken rather than how it is actually written. In addition, one recipe may have numerous names for it throughout Italy,” says Laux.

Starting the search for an old family recipe may be frustrating at first when Google yields very few results for Italian dialect names. Along with Scordo.com and Mangiabenepasta.com, finding sites that specialize in Italian immigrant recipes is the key to success. Italian-Canadian author Mary Melfi created www.italyrevisited.org where, along with documenting Italian cultural heritage, she painstakingly categorizes traditional Italian recipes by region and type, noting the “occasion” it was usually made during, whether “anytime” or “Easter,” for example. Sites like Panoram Italia’s recipe archive or Italian-Canadian food personality David Rocco’s own online recipe collection are also good places to start searching.

Collaborative online projects, with contributors from around the world, are building up recipe stores like a wellstocked cantina as well. Panoram Italia encourages viewers to submit their old recipes, even just as scans of old scrawled notes, to be archived and available for everyone to view and access. Panoram Italia’s recipe index, at panoramitalia.com/en/food-wine/recipes, is full of recipe requests from users looking for long-lost recipes.

Riel-Salvatore adds, “Italian recipes are often quick and easy. We have tons of rapid recipes on our website that are perfect for people with tight schedules or people that simply love to eat Italian.”

If you are searching for an old family recipe, Scordo says the search should start in your own family. “If the family is mostly first generation then it's a good bet someone in the family will accurately remember Nonna's recipe.

If the Italian family originally came to the US [or Canada] in the early 20th century then maybe Nonna's recipe will best be found by starting with a good Italian cookbook and narrowing down the type of dish. Maybe thereafter they can search online and reference a good blog or two.”

33

Pasta alla Norma panoramitalia.com

Brocoli Cavatelli Mangiabenepasta.com

Mussels in Spicy Tomato Sauce Scordo.com

Pane Rustica with 3 cheeses italyrevisited.org

Send us your family recipes: info@panoramitalia.com

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Food & Wine

Il cibo nel Anna Ferrari

“Polente, gnocchi, maccheroni, lasagne, tagliatelle, vermicelli, sfogliate, mantegate, tortelli, tortelletti, truffoli, ravioli, stellette, fiadoncelli…”: sono solo alcuni dei tipi di pasta elencati nella “Piazza universale di tutte le professioni del mondo” di Tommaso Garzoni (15491589), buongustaio della parola oltre che della tavola, il quale descrive nelle sue pagine anche il favoloso Paese di Cuccagna (letteralmente “Paese delle torte”) di tradizione medievale. on il grazioso villaggio di Cocagne sulla costa atlantica del New Brunswick, dove peraltro le aragoste sono davvero superbe, bensì un luogo immaginario dove i fagiani “corrono in bocca cotti al suono di una tromba”, nei fiumi scorrono manna e latte, i monti “in cambio di neve sono carichi tutti di ricotta”, i tetti “hanno per tegole grossissime forme di formaggio piacentino” e le strade sono lastricate di lasagne. Una visione di godimento gastronomico che ha un illustre precedente letterario nel Paese di Bengodi del Decameron (VIII, 3) di Giovanni Boccaccio, luogo di beatitudine dove il Medioevo annegava la sua fame immaginando vigne legate con le salsicce, montagne di formaggio grattugiato e fiumi di vernaccia.

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Il Medioevo è stato un periodo di contrasti: ai sogni succulenti dei letterati e ai fastosi banchetti dei signori si contrappongono la fame degli umili, le carestie ricorrenti, i cibi poveri della maggioranza della popolazione. Chi aveva costantemente lo stomaco vuoto poteva consolarsi pensando alla punizione che la Chiesa riservava alla gola, uno dei vizi capitali; o riflettere sui golosi dell’Inferno dantesco, immersi nel fango putrido e sorvegliati dal mostruoso Cerbero, con la barba unta di cibo e il ventre smisurato, incarnazione dell’avidità (Inferno, VI, 16-30). La tradizione medievale rappresenta spesso l’Inferno come una cucina, dove i dannati immersi nella pece bollente sono “lessi dolenti” (Inferno, XXI, 55-57) oppure porcelli arrostiti dai diavoli a fuoco lento e conditi con salse, aceto, fiele e veleno (Giacomino da Verona, La Babilonia infernale, sec. XIII).

Se ai golosi spetta la più atroce delle punizioni, che li trasforma da mangioni in manicaretti, agli eletti toccherà invece un paradiso di delizie, anche culinarie. Le visioni medievali del paradiso presentano alberi dai frutti dolcissimi, fiumi di latte, miele, olio, vino, acqua pura, banchetti interminabili dove ai cibi deliziosi si associa l’eleganza delle tavole e degli arredi. L’espressione “banchetto celeste” diventa così metafora del paradiso cristiano.

La Chiesa, oltre a determinare nell’immaginario medievale strette relazioni tra il cibo, il castigo o la beatitudine eterna, incideva sulle abitudini alimentari anche attraverso il calendario liturgico, che alternava momenti di festa ad altri di astinenza e digiuno. Alcuni giorni della settimana, il periodo della quaresima e quello dell’avvento, erano dedicati al digiuno: erano allora vietati la carne e i cibi di origine animale, mentre erano consentite verdure, frutta e pesci. Con l’astinenza si rafforzavano la volontà e la capacità di resistere alle tentazioni, ma se ne ricavavano anche vantaggi dal punto di vista igienico-sanitario, mediante la depurazione dell’organismo dagli eccessi dei giorni festivi.

Per i laici le abitudini alimentari erano più varie e differivano naturalmente molto a seconda della classe sociale. La base dell’alimentazione di ricchi e poveri era

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Medioevo

Food & Wine

35

rappresentata dai cereali (pane, pasta, farinata, polenta) e da un’ampia varietà di verdure e frutta; uova, latte, formaggi erano molto diffusi; la carne era invece consumata principalmente dai ricchi, che privilegiavano pollo e maiale, riservando quella bovina, molto costosa, a circostanze eccezionali.

I cibi esotici erano rari, per le difficoltà di trasporto e conservazione; per serbare gli alimenti si usavano il prezioso sale e le spezie, che mascheravano il sapore di cibi non più freschissimi. Come condimento si usavano olio, aceto, burro, miele, zucchero, anice, finocchio e altri aromi. Usatissimo per varie preparazioni era il latte di mandorle.

Si mangiava due volte al giorno, a mezzogiorno e la sera, seduti intorno alla tavola; i cibi venivano serviti in grandi piatti dai quali ciascuno attingeva con le mani, ponendo la propria porzione su fette di pane oppure su piattini di peltro o legno.

Raramente si usavano posate come cucchiai o forchette, mentre il cibo già tagliato rendeva inutile l’uso del coltello. Frequentissima era la farcitura delle carni: l’animale veniva spellato e la pelle riempita con le sue carni triturate e arricchite di spezie e altri ingredienti, spesso dandole una forma diversa. A inizio pasto, l’aperitivo (dal latino aperio, “aprire”) predisponeva lo stomaco al cibo, alla fine il dessert (dal francese desservir, “sparecchiare”) accompagnava la digestione con confetti, pasticcini e dolci.

Tra le bevande, il vino era considerato particolarmente benefico per il sangue (“il vino fa buon sangue” è ancora oggi un popolare proverbio italiano), mentre la birra era diffusa nell’Europa del nord; tra il Duecento e il Trecento si affermarono poi alcuni distillati, tra cui l’Aqua vitae, ancor oggi chiamata acquavite, che si diceva mantenesse giovani e in salute, e lo Hausbrand, propriamente “fuoco di casa”, così detto per la sua ampia diffusione, un antenato del moderno brandy.

I banchetti degli aristocratici erano sontuosi ed eleganti, allietati da musiche e canti; ma sbaglieremo se pensassimmo che quelle abitudini raffinate fossero prevalenti.

Semplicemente, sono le sole sulle quali abbiamo informazioni dettagliate. Come mangiava – o digiunava – la gente semplice, possiamo soltanto immaginarlo. Ma non è difficile: la fame è sempre uguale, in tutti i tempi e a tutte le latitudini.

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37

Photos Gabriel Riel-Salvatore

Les Pouilles impériales Sur les traces de Frédéric II

Castel del Monte

Tommaso Depalma et Gabriel Riel-Salvatore

Retraite préférée de Frédéric II de Souabe, les Pouilles impériales évoquent un passé glorieux à mi-chemin entre Orient et Occident. Située dans le nord de la région des Pouilles, dans le sud de l’Italie, cette zone aux abords de la mer Adriatique est particulièrement réputée pour son architecture médiévale et ses magnifiques huiles d’olive.

Rapini et saucisse panée sur pain crouton

champs d’oliviers, boisés de chênes et maquis méditerranéens. Un endroit idéal pour erre empreinte d’un riche héritage artistique et architectural, la région des Pouilles s’imprégner des rythmes naturels de cette terre à l’âme simple et paysanne et déguster impériales compte son lot de trésors. Les monuments des nombreuses villes et dans une masseria (ferme typique en pierre) des plats traditionnels agrémentés d’huile bourgs médiévaux des environs portent bien souvent la marque indélébile du Stupor d’olive des environs.

Mundi, l’empereur Frédéric II de Souabe, qui régna dans la région pendant trente ans.

Là, de votre table, vous apercevrez peut-être le relief isolé du Castel del Monte, C’est au XIIIe siècle, lors de la florissante période frédéricienne, que les plus visible de la mer jusqu’aux cimes des Murges. Réel symbole de l’identité des Pouilles, beaux châteaux et cathédrales des Pouilles Impériales furent érigés. Les villes de Trani, ce superbe château, unique en son genre, Andria et Bari comptent ainsi certains des figure sur la liste du patrimoine mondial de plus beaux exemples d’architecture militaire et l'Unesco depuis 1996. Décidément avantreligieuse de l’Italie médiévale. gardiste pour une construction du XIIIe La jolie ville côtière de Trani, avec ses siècle, sa forme octogonale (symbole de monuments sobres et élégants évoque un l'infini et de l’équilibre parfait) donna passé glorieux à l’aspect romantique et raffiné. naissance à plusieurs légendes. Les nomSa promenade de bord de mer offre une vue breuses influences culturelles qui caracexceptionnelle sur la vieille ville, sa cathédrale térisent la forteresse reflètent aussi le grand et son palais. Imposante et majestueuse, humanisme et l’ouverture d’esprit de son l’église de Saint Nicolas-le-Pèlerin qui ne doit créateur, l'empereur du Saint Empire, pas être confondu avec Saint Nicolas de Bari, Frédéric II de Hohenstaufen. est un parfait exemple du style roman apulien.

Tout comme le Castel del Monte, la L'ensemble, achevé en 1143, donne une petite ville de Minervino Murge est un impression de majesté et de grandeur, conpromontoire idéal d’où on peut admirer la férée par son magnifique clocher, son double beauté des environs. Surnommée « le escalier monumental et l’harmonie de ses balcon des Pouilles » grâce à sa position façades. Face à l’église, construit à partir des dominante, son dédale de ruelles étroites et fameuses pierres blanches de Trani, le château d’escaliers en pierre qui semblent grimper Souabe est un triomphe de l’art roman.

Osteria Cantina Brandi à Minervino Murge jusqu’au ciel nous invite au plaisir de s’y Terminé en 1233, il fut la demeure préférée de perdre. La ville possède en son sommet un Manfred, fils de Frédéric II, qui y célébra ses autre splendide exemple d’architecture frédéricienne, le château de Souabe achevé au secondes noces avec Hélène d'Épire. début du XIVe siècle. Témoin placide du riche passé de la région, cette sentinelle La présence séculaire d’immenses oliveraies dans la région a aussi contribué de incarne ainsi toute l’histoire de cette terre authentique où goûts et traditions se mêlent façon importante à forger le paysage des Pouilles, influençant du même coup les de manière unique et harmonieuse aux couleurs de la campagne ensoleillée des coutumes et les traditions eno-gastronomiques locales. En passant de la côte Pouilles impériales. adriatique aux plateaux des Murges, en direction d’Andria, on rencontre ainsi Info: www.pugliaimperiale.com d’importantes étendues d’arbres centenaires aux troncs énormes et tortueux parés de feuillage argenté. Le paysage jalonné de vieux moulins à huile témoigne d’une riche et Vignoble et oliveraie de Boca di Lupo près du Castel del Monte longue histoire transmise à travers les siècles.

L’or vert des Pouilles impériales compte aujourd’hui diverses appellations contrôlées telles que la « Castel Del Monte DOP » et la « Terra di Bari DOP», toutes deux obtenues à partir du cultivar « coratina ». Leur fragrance et leur arôme fruité, avec une dominance d’amande, à l’ardence plus au moins intense, produisent une sensation à la fois amère et piquante, au goût incomparable.

La ville d’Andria est justement une plaque tournante pour la production d’huile d’olive dans la région. Centre agricole sans grande valeur architecturale, sa vieille ville possède toutefois une magnifique cathédrale romane; reproduction en miniature de la basilique de Saint Nicolas-de-Bari. L’édifice contient notamment une crypte qui abrite les tombeaux des épouses de l’empereur Frédéric II. Si l’on poursuit sa route vers l’intérieur, en direction des collines aux teintes rouge et ocre du « Parco Nazionale dell’Alta Murgia », s’alternent alors dans le paysage

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À la santé du les vins des Pouilles Par Gabriel Riel-Salvatore

Le soleil d’août irradie le paysage qui défile alors que je roule à toute allure en direction sud sur l’autoroute Adriatica en compagnie de l’éditeur en chef de Panoram Italia. À l’horizon, des panaches de fumée signalent des feux de broussailles qui nous confirment que nous sommes en pleine saison sèche. Nous venons à peine de dépasser le parc national du Gargano et quittons les bleus rivages de la côte Adriatique pour nous engouffrer vers l’intérieur des terres par la route d’Andria où nous attend dans son domaine familial Sebastiano de Corado, le responsable commercial du réputé vignoble Rivera. e changement de relief nous frappe immédiatement alors que nous quittons les limites de la région du Molise pour pénétrer dans les Pouilles. Après seulement quelques dizaines de kilomètres, un littoral vert et vallonné cède la place au tavoliere apulien, une zone plane et aride qui s’étend à perte de vue dans un décor quasi désertique. C’est ici, lors de la transhumance, que venaient jadis paître pendant l’hiver les troupeaux de moutons des bergers des Abruzzes voisines. Aujourd’hui, seules quelques éoliennes viennent briser la monotonie du paysage, composé de plaines et de plateaux de sols calcaires caractéristiques de la Murgia Barese.

Nous sommes dans le talon de la botte de la péninsule italienne. Un territoire immense bordé par la mer Adriatique et Ionienne et qui rappelle par moment la Grèce ou l'Afrique du Nord avec ses maquis méditerranéens et ses steppes jaunies, parsemées de drôles de maisonnettes aux toits coniques : les trulli. Ces constructions typiques des environs aux origines nébuleuses seraient antérieures aux occupations normandes, souabes et espagnoles qui ont, elles aussi, marqué l’architecture de cet isthme enchanteur.

C’est le cas du règne de Frédéric II de Souabe, dit Stupor Mundi, dont le fameux Castel del Monte, construit au XIIIe siècle, domine toujours la contrée du haut de sa crête dénudée. C’est justement à l’ombre de ce célèbre château octogonal, réelle icône de la région, que nous nous dirigeons pour goûter les vins de l’appellation éponyme. À peine apercevons-nous la silhouette échancrée de cette merveille d’ingénierie, que nous accueille un tapis incessant d'oliveraies. Legs des latifondi (énormes propriétés agricoles de ce vaste territoire), on produit ici près de la moitié de toute l’huile d’olive italienne.

Quelque peu désorientés dans ce dédale de reflets verts et argentés, nous finissons par nous libérer de cette armée de troncs noueux qui garde imperturbablement l’entrée du domaine Rivera.

C’est le début des vacances nationales, mais Sebastiano demeure fidèle au poste.

Après une visite des chais et du cellier, il nous invite à goûter différents crus de la maison dont plusieurs millésimes de la Riserva Il Falcone, fer de lance de la maison. C’est le Negro Amaro qui trône en maître dans cette partie des Pouilles, surtout reconnue à l'étranger pour ses vins à base de Primitivo (un cousin du Zinfandel californien). Les vins de l’appellation Castel del Monte sont intimement liés à leur terroir et leurs arômes

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Castel del Monte et leurs secrets de fruits noirs, de réglisse et de boîte à cigares rappellent le caractère austère mais chaleureux de ces contrées gorgées de soleil.

Mais, le mercure bout à l’extérieur et avant de se livrer à l’analyse de ces vins costauds, une mise en bouche à l’aide d’un blanc et d’un rosé bien frais s’impose. Les fragrances du Pungirosa rosé (à base de Bombino Nero) et du Marese (à base de Bombino Bianco), nous convaincrons définitivement de leur superbe le soir même, mariés à un plat de poisson cuit en croûte de sel.

C’est à l’invitation de Sebastiano que nous nous rendons quelques heures plus tard au réputé restaurant Il Gallo, situé dans le centre historique de Trani. Cette jolie ville côtière est assaillie ce jour-là par une marée humaine venue déguster certains des meilleurs crus de la région sur fond de pizzica et de tarantella (musiques traditionnelles de la région) dans le cadre de l’événement Sebastiano de Corado Calice di Stelle. Sebastiano est le président du Movimento Turismo del Vino Puglia, partenaire de l’événement. Après un discours inaugural sur l'importance de l'industrie vinicole pour l'économie locale et l'identité du territoire, il nous rejoint pour une promenade à travers les ruelles et les piazzas de cette bourgade séculaire, transformées pour l’occasion en salle de dégustation à ciel ouvert.

Sebastiano nous explique alors que les 95 hectares du domaine Rivera, gagnés par accrétion depuis 1950, résument tout le travail accompli par son grand-père dont il partage le nom. Habile marchand et homme d'affaires, il a su développer en l’espace d’un demi-siècle une des marques les plus réputées de la région des Pouilles. Fier ambassadeur de ce bout de pays, Sebastiano a même réussi l’exploit d'intégrer l’association des Grandi Marchi, un groupe sélect composé de certains des meilleurs producteurs du Bel paese, visant à promouvoir la crème de l’Italie vinicole à travers le monde.

C’est dans le domaine d’un autre habitué de ce gentlemen's club que nous nous rendons justement le lendemain. Le marquis Piero Antinori possède depuis 1998 le majestueux vignoble de Bocca Di Lupo (propriété du domaine Tormaresca), non loin de Minervino Murge, au cœur de l’appellation Castel Del Monte.

Maria Tolentino De Bellis, responsable des relations publiques de la maison Tormaresca, nous reçoit sur la propriété. Nous sommes tout de suite frappés par l’imposant édifice principal qui comprend cellier, salle de Vignoble Boca di Lupo, propriété de Tormaresca réception et appartements. La symétrie de ses balcons arches et son jardin moresque rappellent vaguement le style des haciendas espagnoles et reflètent en tout point l'architecture traditionnelle des environs.

Lors de la visite, Maria nous apprend que par souci de développement durable, tous les employés proviennent de la région. Il en est de même des cépages cultivés dans les vignobles de la zone. Nous sommes ravis de ce choix magnanime qui nous permet cet après-midi-là d’apprécier, en plus des merveilleux crus de la maison comme le Pietrabianca et le Bocca di Lupo, la beauté et la sensualité des gens de ces terres tannées par le soleil et caressées par le vent du large.

C’est dans une volonté d’exprimer pleinement tout le potentiel de ce territoire que le Marchese Piero Antinori a décidé d’investir ici son savoir-faire toscan. Sa présence dans les Pouilles ajoute du même coup une couche de plus à ce palimpseste culturel qui enrichit depuis toujours la région et qu’incarnent magnifiquement les vins que nous portons à nos lèvres ce jour-là.

Info: www.rivera.it

www.tormaresca.it

www.movimentoturismovino.it

*Voir la critique des vins de la région sur panoramitalia.com/en/food-wine/wines/

2534 Daniel Johnson, Laval, Quebec, H7T 2R3 T: 450 978-9783 F: 450 978-4822 Email: lamoderococo@bellnet.ca Stylist and car service available upon request.

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Southern Comfort!

PUGLIA

By Francesca Spizzirri

Discover why Puglia’s rich history and agricultural heritage provide the perfect ingredients for a wonderful Italian holiday. reminder that Turkey, Greece and No h hen it comes to travel there’s always Africa are neighbours. someplace new on the horizon. Places Puglia’s agricultural heritage and everlike Sri Lanka, Madagascar and Montenegro changing landscape provide the ingredients are quickly emerging as some of the hottest for a variety of culinary treats. Try the destinations for 2013, but there is one place sumptuous burrata, a fresh mozzarella off the beaten path that continues to gain casing filled with shredded pieces of momentum that is truly exciting — Puglia mozzarella and salted cream, or indulge — located on Southern Italy’s sun-drenched your sweet tooth with a pettola, a fried Adriatic coast. dough ball drizzled in Vincotto (cooked Quickly becoming the ‘IT’ destination wine). This region also produces 40% of among travel connoisseurs,’ Puglia is Italy’s olive oil, the perfect companion to hotter than ever with its emerging contemPuglia’s delicious bread that is always baked porary resort hotels, Apulian cuisine, in wood-burning ovens. pristine beaches and picturesque villages.

With its spectacular coastline and long Solidifying this notion, last October fishing tradition, Puglia serves up a superb celebrities Justin Timberlake and Jessica Biel selection of fresh local fish: red prawns, chose this stunning Mediterranean backmussels, anchovies and sea bass are featured drop to exchange their wedding vows. in the many restaurants that line the beach Puglia is an enclave that sits on the towns of Gallipoli, Otranto and Taranto. sunbaked high heel of Italy’s boot, perfectly Grotta della poesia - Roca Vecchia (Salento) In the region’s mountainous interior of situated on five hundred miles of Adriatic Cisternino and Valle d’Itria, meat reigns and Ionian coastline — mountains in the supreme. Visit the rosticceria butchers and enjoy a fabulous glass of wine; reds north, plains in the south — its stark, unspoiled beauty is home to some of the are especially good, as your meat is cooked in a wood-burning oven or hot brightest blue seas, historic little towns, diverse architecture, mouth-watering food, charcoal grill. colorful folk traditions, and the loveliest people in all of Italy.

With a rich and ancient culture, brilliant seas, delicious food, and mix of Numerous invasions through the centuries by the Greek, Roman, Turkish and Baroque and Greek architecture, Puglia is quickly becoming Italy’s new Tuscany Spanish have created a rich and varied treasure trove of ancient relics and artifacts and definitely a place worth visiting on your next trip. that Puglia humbly displays. The region’s brilliantly whitewashed towns are a

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FUN FACTS: • Bari is the capital city of Puglia.

• There are 200 types of pasta in Puglia.

• The baroque town of Lecce is nicknamed 'The Florence of the South.'

• Visit Alberobello, a town made up entirely of white washed, circular houses with conical roofs called Trulli (remininscent of a smurf village).

Trulli architecture

City of Alberobello

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SURROUNDINGS From Lecce’s baroque churches and old palazzos to Gallipoli and Otranto’s rustic seaside villages to the UNESCO protected conical trulli of Alberobello, Puglia offers a wide range of places to see and things to explore. Other great day trips include Castro, Porto Selvaggio, Cisternino, Locorotondo, Martina Franca, Polignano a Mare and Ostuni. So pack a bag, rent a car and start exploring!

WHERE TO STAY: Overlooking the Adriatic Sea, Borgo Egnazia is a stunning seaside resort in the heart of Apulia nestled among olive and jasmine trees. A golf course, spa, and private beach club ensure your every need is catered to. This was also the location for Justin Timberlake and Jessica Biel’s marriage!

Restored from the abandoned and decaying ancient caves in the village of Matera, Le Grotte De La Civita is located in a UNESCO World Heritage Site and provides guests with a place to escape the chaos of life and go back to a simpler time when a warm bath, great meal and good glass of wine were all the comforts they needed.

Borgo Egnazia seaside resort

WHERE TO EAT: For over 30 years the award-winning Osteria del Tempo Perso has been serving delicious Apulian specialities in the old town of Ostuni, the so called white town.

Only a few metres away from the cathedral, it is perfectly inserted in this ancient location thanks to its traditions and its ancient rooms.

SPECCHIA SANT'ORONZO is a beautiful restaurant/bar overlooking Polignano a Mare’s old town. Go in the evening and witness one of the most spectacular sunsets in the region followed by an after dinner walk to a pebble cove to enjoy the view of the caves and the old town built into them.

GETTING TO PUGLIA Puglia is easily accessible by plane, train, or automobile. The closest airport is the Aeroporto di Bari Karol Wojtyla (named after Pope John Paul II), which offers connecting flights through Rome, Milan, and other Italian cities all year long. For a magnificent view, drive along the coastal highway SS89 dir/B and lose yourself among the regions unspoilt scenery.

Le Grotte De La Civita

For more on travel stories and adventures visit panoramitalia.com/travel

Das Auto.

Rimar Volkswagen 5500 Métropolitain east (Lacordaire exit) 514 253.4888 www.rimarvw.com

Romana

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Découverte gourmande dans la Ville Éternelle

Piazza Navona

Photos Gabriel Riel-Salvatore

Manger alla

Saucissons traditionels chez Eataly

Par Julie Aubé et Gabriel Riel-Salvatore

«À Rome, on fait comme les Romains.»

Volontiers! Surtout quand vient le temps de manger alla romana! Entre les cafés, les bars à vin, les marchés et les trattorie, il est suggéré de vous déplacer à pied, question d’apprécier la beauté de la Ville Éternelle... tout en s’assurant que l’appétit soit au rendez-vous du matin au soir! Un minimum de trois jours à Rome s’impose pour savourer pleinement votre séjour!

Commencer la journée au caffè Bien qu’il ne soit pas difficile de boire un bon café à Rome, certains établissements se distinguent par leur cadre pittoresque. Parmi ceux-ci, il ne faut pas manquer le Caffè Greco, près de la Piazza di Spagna, ayant pignon sur rue depuis pas moins de 250 ans. Ce café historique, qui a accueilli artistes et politiciens depuis son ouverture en 1760, fait littéralement voyager dans le temps. Si le prix du café est tout à fait raisonnable lorsque savouré au comptoir, il est bon de savoir que les tarifs sont souvent

majorés lorsqu’on s’assoit en salle. C’est le cas au Bar Rosati, un café à l’ambiance d’époque (1922) qui est tout indiqué lors d’une balade du côté de la Piazza del Popolo. Non loin de là, sur la fameuse Via del Babuino, se trouve le Musée-atelier Canova Tadolini, dont le hall abrite un espace de restauration où l’on peut faire une pause-café parmi la collection de sculptures de cet établissement unique en son genre. C’est dans ce même palazzo, au 19e siècle, que le célèbre sculpteur Antonio Canova et son talentueux apprenti Adamo Tadolini donnèrent vie au chef d’œuvre Psyché ranimée par le baiser de l'Amour, désormais exposé au Louvre.

Près de la Piazza della Rotonda, deux établissements offrent un café que vous n’oublierez pas de sitôt : Tazza d’Oro (1946), installé dans un bâtiment historique à deux pas du Panthéon, et Sant’Eustachio Il caffè (1938), un incontournable pour les vrais amateurs de « caffè ». Vous goûterez dans cette institution un café inimitable, particulièrement mousseux, dans une atmosphère rétro-chic embellie par les fameux contenants à café jaune et brun qui décorent l’endroit aussi rempli de doux effluves de torréfaction. (Si vous ne souhaitez pas votre café sucré, vous devez le mentionner en passant votre commande).

L’heure du lunch Vous aimez découvrir les marchés des villes que vous visitez? Tout près du Vatican se trouve le mercato Trionfale, un des grands marchés de Rome, idéal pour se procurer pains et grissini, légumes et fruits, charcuteries et formaggi... bref tout le nécessaire pour improviser un pique-nique si le beau temps est de la partie! Vous pouvez également passer au célèbre marché du Campo De’Fiori, un peu plus touristique mais tout de même charmant.

Une autre option pour luncher sur le pouce est la pizza al taglio (morceaux de pizza coupés selon votre appétit et payés au poids) ou les fameux suppli, version romaine des arancini siciliens et napolitains, ici généralement fourrés au fromage. Directement sur la

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Tra vel place du même nom, le Forno Campo De’Fiori est une adresse de choix, tout comme Antico Forno Roscioli non loin de là. Parmi les pizze al taglio goûtées récemment, coup de cœur pour les pizzas de La Renella, dans le quartier Trastevere. Le Pizzarium de Gabriel Bonci, le grand manitou romain de la pizza al taglio, situé derrière les jardins du Vatican à deux pas de la station de métro Cipro, vaut également le détour.

Un gelato avec ça? Une zone près du Panthéon est particulièrement gourmande en ce qui a trait aux célèbres glaces italiennes. À quelques coins de rue l’une de l’autre se situent deux institutions : Giolitti (1900) et San Crispino. À mi-chemin entre ces incontournables du gelato se trouve, en prime, une succursale de Grom; une chaîne où les gelati sont élaborées à base d’ingrédients de qualité qui varient en fonction des saisons.

Le quartier « bobo » du Trastevere n’est pas en reste en matière de spécialités romaines idéales pour les chaudes journées d’été. Essayez-y la gratta checca, un granité local râpé à même un bloc de glace, chez Grattachecca Sora Mirella, situé le long du Tibre, tout près de l’Isola Tiberina. Pour les plus fêtards d’entre vous, c’est le sgroppino qui s’impose. Ce mélange de sorbet au citron et de vodka fait fureur dans les nombreux cafés-bars branchés du quartier.

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Pizza al taglio

À table!

La cuisine romaine est populaire, copieuse, savoureuse... mais avant d’y faire honneur, peut-être aurez-vous envie de vous ouvrir l’appétit avec un apéro? Car la Ville Éternelle regorge d’endroits où bien boire est un devoir. Pour un bon verre de rouge ou un mousseux sérieux, La -Salumeria Roscioli, l’Enoteca Il Gocetto (tous deux situés dans le centre historique) et le bar à vins La Barrique (dans le joli quartier historique de Monti) méritent tous le détour. Voilà qui vous laissera le temps de méditer sur les spécialités romaines que vous goûterez peut-être plus tard.

Parmi celles-ci, quelques plats de pâtes comme les bucatini all’amatriciana, en sauce tomate légèrement pimentée et garnie de petits morceaux de joue de veau et de pecorino. Les tonnerelli cacio e pepe sont une autre spécialité romaine permettant de savourer la simplicité dans toute sa splendeur : les pâtes sont enrobées de sauce au pecorino romano et au poivre grossièrement moulu... tout simplement! Amateurs d’abats, la pajata est un plat de tripes d’agneau en sauce tomate, souvent servie avec des rigatoni. Côté secondi piatti, essayez la saltimbocca alla romana, une escalope de veau garnie d’une tranche de prosciutto et d’une feuille de sauge fraîche. Les artichauts alla romana (menthe et ail) ou alla giudia (frits) sont délicieux en accompagnement. Et tout cela sans parler du coda alla vaccinara (ragoût de queue de bœuf), l’abbacchio alla romana (spécialité d’agneau de lait), le pollo con i peperoni (poulet aux poivrons) et plusieurs autres!

Un crochet chez Eataly, réel temple des produits du terroir italien (ouvert tous les jours de 10 h à minuit), pourvoira à tous vos besoins en ingrédients et aliments traditionnels nécessaires à l’élaboration de tous ces plats régionaux. Les bars à pâtes, fromages et pâtisseries en feront saliver plus d'un, c’est garanti!

Sinon, voici finalement une liste de restaurants qui sauront à coup sûr vous offrir des menus riches en découvertes gourmandes.

Ristoranti e Trattorie

pâtes fraîches faites à la main

• • • • • • •

café du Caffè Sant Eustachio

Trattoria Da Tonino (Via del Governo Vecchio, 18/19) Antica osteria Da Benito (Via dei Falegnami, 14) Trattoria Da Sergio alle Grotte (Vicolo delle Grotte, 27) Ivo a Trastevere (Via di San Francesco a Ripa, 158) Renato e Luisa (Via dei Barbieri, 25) La Stampa (Via dei Maroniti 32) Trattoria Da Cesare (Via del Casaletto 45) Carnet d’adresses disponible sur www.panoramitalia.com

6873, Plaza St-Hubert Montréal, Québec 514.276.1360 www.italmoda.ca

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Venice in

By Sarah Mastroianni

Travellers don’t usually associate charming Italy with the bright lights of Las Vegas, but The Venetian Resort-Hotel-Casino succeeds in being the perfect pairing of Sin City and La Serenissima. ituated in the middle of the hustle and bustle of Las Vegas Boulevard, the 1.5 billion dollar complex is considered one of the largest and most luxurious resorts in the world. Rising 36 stories above the strip and boasting more than 3,000 elegantly furnished hotel suites, The Venetian, along with its equally impressive sister resort, The Palazzo, occupy an unmistakable spot in the Vegas skyline.

It was while honeymooning in Venice with his wife Miriam that inspiration struck Sheldon Adelson, CEO of the Las Vegas Sands Corporation, the company that owns The Venetian. Naturally, the couple was enchanted by Venice’s romantic atmosphere, and Adelson was moved to combine the romance of Venice with the luxuries of Vegas in a new project. Construction on The Venetian began in 1997 and was completed in 1999, bringing a fairly authentic slice of Italy to the heart of the desert.

Visitors to The Venetian would be hard-pressed not to note the attention to detail and elegance with which designers recreated one of the world’s most famous cities. “Even before a guest enters the lobby at The Venetian, they are greeted with landmarks of Venice, including Doge’s Palace, the Rialto Bridge, and the Campanile Tower,” said John Caparella, President and Chief Operating Officer of The Venetian and The Palazzo.

Additionally, Piazza San Marco and the Grand Canal were recreated inside for guests to enjoy in any weather. As was done in Venice centuries earlier, Italian artists were commissioned to hand paint the many vividly coloured frescoes that adorn the hotel ceilings. Naturally, Italy wouldn’t be Italy without a majestic fountain or two, but at The Venetian, coins tossed into the fountains are collected periodically and donated to the Dr. Miriam and Sheldon G. Adelson Clinic for Drug Abuse Treatment and Research.

Designers managed to get it right, all the way down to the finest details: the winged Lion of St. Mark keeping watch from above; classical musicians’ evocative melodies flooding Piazza San Marco at night; a striped-shirted staff of singing gondoliers ready to accompany guests on a (motorized) gondola ride down the Grand Canal. While some of the stone used in the construction of the resort was imported from Italy, the gondolas were not. A team of designers did travel to Venice to research the design of traditional gondolas, but the ones in use at The Venetian are made on site, and are slightly smaller than their Italian counterparts.

While guests could spend their time simply marvelling at The Venetian’s architecture just as they would in Venice itself, no hotel in

S

céramiques mosaiques plomberie

6935, jarry est, montréal 514.324.7912 ceramiqueesterra.com

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Vegas Vegas is complete without a casino. And while the hotel’s casino isn’t as Italian feeling as it could be, it’s alive with all the noise, excitement, and cigarette smoke of a traditional Vegas gambling establishment. With slots, craps and a poker room that spans more than 100,000 square feet, guests can try their luck at any number of games of chance in any price range.

Lacking in Italian-style entertainment, The Venetian does welcome big name acts like country superstars Faith Hill and Tim McGraw and comedians Tim Allen and David Spade. Themed events, such as Winter in Venice and Carnevale take place over the Christmas and summer seasons respectively and offer discounted prices for many of The Venetian’s restaurants and boutiques.

Speaking of shops, high-end boutiques spill into the piazza and line the canal, satisfying guests’ every consumer need, while world-renowned chefs prepare savoury dishes in The Venetian’s 16 upscale restaurants.

“Our team members strive to provide a level of service that reflects the warm and comforting feeling of Italy, something that has helped us to attain our five-diamond status,” said Caparella.

Of course, for guests wishing to somewhat save their wallets but still satisfy their stomachs, the resort is also home to a number of more casual places to grab a bite, sip a coffee and of course, indulge in a gelato. While not all of the dining establishments serve Italian cuisine (some are Asian, American or French), there is still ample pasta and Prosecco to go around and take the Venice-inspired Italian experience all the way to the taste buds.

Living Italian Style

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Lifestyle

Angelo Ferrara

Raffaella Tropea

Nickname: Jello Occupation: Physical education teacher and personal trainer Age: 26 Generation: Second Mom from: Castelpetroso, Campobasso Nonni on Dad’s side from: Santa Maria Del Molise, Campobasso Speaks: English, French & Italian Raised in: Montreal

Nickname: Ella Occupation: Marketing Manager at Re/Max and part-time educator Age: 32 Generation: Second Parents from: Lamezia Terme, CZ, Calabria Speaks: English, Italian, Calabrese & French Raised in: Sainte-Therese

Clothes: Mexx pants, Club Uomo shirt, Aldo shoes Passion: Promoting health to those around me, helping others and weightlifting Goal in life: To pursue my career in education and become a role model for students Pet peeve: Fake people. I’d rather be surrounded by a smaller group of real, honest friends rather than having a large group who don’t have your best interests at heart.

Quality over quantity goes a very long way Favourite dish: Chicken Parmesan Best pizza in Montreal: Elio’s Best caffè in Montreal: The one I make every morning Best panino in Montreal: Ciociaro

Clothes: Forever 21 shirt, Garage Jeans, Asics Shoes Designer: Jessica Germano, Designer for Garage and my bff Passion: Hockey, soccer, tennis, travelling, hanging out with my nieces Goal in life: To be healthy and happy Thing about you that would surprise most people: I drive a motorcycle Restaurant: My mom’s kitchen Favourite dish: My mom’s pasta e piselli and my dad’s homemade ‘Nduja Pizza Best pizza in Montreal: Bottega in Laval Best caffè in Montreal: Olimpico

Best nightclub in Montreal: Moomba’s in Laval Describe your ideal night out in Montreal: A nice supper with the girlfriend followed by a movie, and finish off with a walk in the old port Last time you went to Italy: Summer 2012 Favourite Italian city: Florence Best Italian song: Felicita by Al Bano & Romina Italian soccer team: I don’t follow soccer but I will jump on the band-wagon whenever Italy plays during the Euro or World Cup Sexiest Italian: Sylvester Stallone Best way to feel Italian in Montreal: Walking around at night during the Italian

Photographer: Vincenzo D’Alto Make-up: Emmanuelle Blanchard Location: Yellow Fish Art Gallery

festivals with a salsiccia panini in one hand, una birra fresca in the other, greeting all of your friends and neighbours along the way and heading towards the 5 minute fireworks to finish the night What you like most about Panoram: Reading the “Living Italian Style” section to see if I recognize any of the models and see what they have to say about themselves… it’s almost like Facebook stalking!

Best memory growing up Italian-Canadian: Staying over at my grandparents and I would play hide and go seek with my grandfather and then he would teach me how to play “scopa” or “brisk”. I could always count on them for a delicious snack whenever I’d get hungry at night.

Best panino in Montreal: Milano’s Favourite aperitivo: Amaretto Di Saronno Describe your ideal night out in Montreal: Enjoying a nice gelato on a hot summer night Best Italian quote: “O ti mangi sta minestra o ti ietti i sta hinestra” and “Ma chi te lo fa fare” You know you are Italian when or if: You have been to Italy 18 times!

Last time you went to Italy: 2011 Favourite Italian city: Tropea, where I hope to tie the knot someday Best Italian song: Solo con te by Eros Ramazotti Italian soccer team: Catania (for you amore!)

Sexiest Italian: Davide Massana Best way to feel Italian in Montreal: Eating pasta e fagioli or minestra that’s in a ghetto Tupperware (olive jar) and having your colleagues look at you really strangely What you like most about Panoram: The photography and articles featuring Italian cities to travel to Most common name in your family: Teresa, at least 8 of them in my family. I have the most original name – grazie mamma!

Best memory growing up Italian-Canadian: Always getting to spend my summers in Italy. I have had more birthdays there than here.

See all past profiles on panoramitalia.com

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My Lan Graziani

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Marco Tropiano

Surnom: Myls Occupation: Étudiante en médecine à l’Université de Montréal Âge: 21 Italienne de: Deuxième génération Père originaire de: Rome, Italie Mère originaire de: Nha Trang, Viêt-Nam Grandi à: Ville Saint-Laurent

Nickname: DJ Marco T Occupation: Disc Jockey Age: 21 Generation: Second Parents from: Santa Caterina dello Jonio, CZ Calabria Speaks: English, French & Italian Raised in: RDP

Passion: Voyager, la musique, le corps humain Vêtements: Robe Forever 21, collants d’une boutique vintage, souliers Stuart Wiseman Boutique: American Apparel Restaurant préféré: Tri Express Plat préféré: La recette maison des gnocchi de ma nonna!

Must dans le garde-manger: Parmigiano Reggiano Dernier séjour en Italie: Été 2009, mais j’y retourne cet été Voiture de rêve: Toyota Prius hybride Meilleur film italien: Cinema Paradiso Équipe de soccer: AC Milan

Clothes: H&M tie and shirt; Guess jeans and watch; Gucci glasses; Armani Exchange belt; D&G shoes; and Michael Kors jacket Fashion idol: Giorgio Armani Passion: House music, clubs and event planning Thing about you that would surprise most people: I also produce music Restaurant: Mozza, Centropolis Laval Favourite dish: Pizza alla calabrese Favourite DJ story: For my bday at BLVD44.

It was early on in the night and some people with a bottle kept giving me drinks

Ce que tu apprécies le plus à propos de Panoram Italia: De pouvoir reconnaître des gens dans chacune des éditions du magazine. Notre communauté est très épanouie!

Meilleure façon de se sentir italien à Montréal: Regarder une partie des Azzurri dans la Petite Italie Meilleur café à Montréal: Café International Nom le plus commun de la famille. Combien? Mirco, au moins 3 Ce que je déteste: Les gens trop lents It ien le plus sexy: Carlo Bernardi Rêve: Visiter tous les pays dans le monde Ville préférée en Italie: «Rome is where the heart is»

Meilleur club ou sortie à Montréal: Aller dans un bar à karaoke avec des amis Tu sais que tu as été élevé à l’italienne quand: Il est impossible de passer une semaine sans manger au moins deux fois de la pasta Dessert italien préféré: Tiramisu Meilleur souvenir d’enfance en tant qu’italienne: Aider mes parents à laver et à blanchir 3 tonnes de tomates chaque été pour faire les réserves de sauce pour l’hiver Saveur de gelato préférée: Straciatella Chose que tu apprécies le plus à propos d’être italien: La nourriture! Et la proximité à l’intérieur de la communauté

because they loved my mixing. Thank god I wasn't the only DJ that night as I was in no condition to be spinning by the end of the night!

Best pizza in Montreal: Pizzeria Etc. Best caffè in Montreal: Bistro XO Best panino in Montreal: Milano’s Favourite vino: Gallo Rose Describe your ideal night out in Montreal: The ones you don’t remember You know you are ItalianCanadian when or if: You speak with a “bro” accent to other Italians but you lose it in the office Favourite Italian city: Soverato, CZ, Calabria

To be considered for a photoshoot in future Living Italian Style sections, simply like Panoram Italian on Facebook, and express your interest on our wall. An administrator will get back to you with further details.

Last time you went to Italy: Summer 2012 Musical preference: Anything that makes me lose my mind Best Italian song: Una Spina e Una Rosa by Tony Del Monaco Italian soccer team: Inter Best Italian district in Montreal: RDP Best way to feel Italian in Montreal: Attend an INSIEME party at Moomba What you like most about Panoram: It caters to old and young Best memory growing up Italian-Canadian: Italy winning the World Cup in 2006

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Lifestyle

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Suit Up

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By Alessia Sara Domanico

The two-piece triumphs for spring with fresh updates and lots of flair. s long as I’ve got my suit and tie…,” croons Justin Timberlake on the chorus for his recent track “Suit and Tie,” with Jay-Z piping in later on: “Tom Ford tuxedos for no reason.” It’s decisive to say that if two of the music industry’s biggest chart toppers are dedicating their vocal chords to a cut of fabric, then the suit is most certainly centre stage for the start of the social season. While the conventional matching set is nothing new for the style files, the spring 2013 collections saw designers propose their distinct philosophies to the concept of top and bottom.

“A 4.

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The traditional suit is nowhere to be seen for men this season.

Trousers are traded for shorts, tops and bottoms are purposely mismatched whether colour-wise or pattern-wise and materials are also original, so leave the wool blend for September and take a risk with lighter cottons, linen and even silk or satin. The wildly popular Dandy style is also back again for spring — this term originated in 19th century England, referring to a man who takes particular pride in his physical appearance and manner by dressing and conducting himself in a refined, yet eccentric manner.

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Jean Paul Gaultier embraced the new Dandy by throwing turbans on his male models and sending them out onto the runway in blazers with horizontal stripes and pants with vertical stripes, finished off with sneakers instead of lace-ups. Givenchy favoured classic black with cigarette-slim trousers, adding a distinctive bi-colour trim on their jackets which were left unbuttoned for an effortless feel. Brioni proposed the epitome of Dandy with iridescent silk blazers in shades like grape, forest green, cobalt and silver topped off with bow ties and black trousers. Trade in the trousers for shorts for an ultra-fancy game of croquet or a warm spring wedding. Dior Homme kept their suits monochrome in navy and grey with blazers cut like cardigans and hair slicked back for a Mad Men appeal.

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11. Guess 12. Givenchy 13. Dior Homme 14. Michael Kors 15. Givenchy

The fun carries over to the women’s collections where colour, shape and embellishment are key suit fixtures.

Jackets are anything but straight-cut with billowy sleeves, broad shoulders and oversized lapels. Rock’n’roll meets gypsy-chic at Balmain, where intricate mustard patterns splash across black, buttonless, Eighties-style blazers with their sleeves rolled up and harem pants that replace boot cut.

The total white trend gets its day in the twinset sun at the likes of Givenchy (elbow-length bomber jackets and circus pants) and Chloé (sheer white skirts and blouses with white panel overlay), perfect for a Church ceremony or garden party. Vibrant coral and mustard are major hues for the season seen at Guess by Marciano and Michael Kors. Burberry Prorsum goes more old Hollywood glam with cream capes worn overtop classic black suits. Dior also threw back to a safer black suit, with a pop of colour via a primly tied kerchief around the neck — très joli!

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The Italians

A successful model of integration

By Giuseppe Valiante

The influence of Italian culture in Montreal is strong, undeniable and pervasive. And according to University of Montreal history professor Bruno Ramirez, Italian immigrants to North America couldn’t have done it without one major tool: education. ducation was the main springboard that propelled (Italian immigrants) into the mainstream of Canadian culture,” Ramirez explained. While education was critical, property ownership, strong family and community ties, as well as favourable immigration policies by the Canadian government, were all important ingredients that made the success of Montreal’s Italian immigrants so sweet.

Montrealers are now used to seeing Italian-Canadians at the helm of important economic and cultural industries such as construction, medicine, law, media and art. But the achievements of Italian-Quebecers were hard-won, Ramirez said.

Ramirez, born in Eritrea to Italian parents and who grew up in Sicily, spent years researching the Italian experience in Montreal. He has written books, published articles and wrote scripts for documentaries on the subject. He recently presented some of his findings to an audience at Quebec’s National Library. While the influence of Italians in Montreal is no secret, for years it had largely been undocumented. “I needed to make available to both academic and the wider public this knowledge that did not exist yet and to do it in a way that would be acceptable through the right methodologies.”

Ramirez said.

“E

The story of Montreal’s Italians began in the late 1800s, he explained. Before then, Montreal had been home to a few hundred Italian artisans and businessmen.

What is considered to be the first wave of Italian immigration to the city started towards the end of the 19th century and lasted until the advent of World War One. They came from Italy’s southern region: Calabria, Molise, Campagnia, and a few also hailed from Friuli–Venezia Giulia.

Italian immigrants largely arrived in the eastern United States to work on railroads or in mines. However, recruiters from Montreal quickly started bringing Italian labourers across the border. The vast majority of the immigrants were young men: They were either single or came without their families. The goal of these young immigrants was to make money during the milder temperatures and return to their villages in the winter - but an increasing number of the men decided to stay during the cold months.

Between 1900 and 1910 was a crucial period, Ramirez explained. The several thousand young Italians who decided to stay the winter formed what Ramirez called “little enclaves” and they started bringing over their families, which began a process of what Ramirez defines as “chain migration.” Some of these enclaves were in Montreal’s Mile End area, what later became little Italy.

Slowly, Italian commerce and institutions began forming. The church, Madonna della Difesa, was built around this time, in 1910.

However, this accelerating flow of immigration was halted during WWI. Mass migration of Italians to Montreal recommenced after 1945, when much of Europe was destroyed due to the Second World War. The majority of Italians who Italian family, Montreal (1952) immigrated during this period were labourers; however, the second wave comprised a differentiated set of immigrants. Ramirez said second wave immigrants were more educated than those who arrived in the early 1900s. They came from the same regions as the first wave, but also from Marche, Lazio and Sicily. “Many of these people would have

Photo credit: Casa d’Italia Archives Centre

De Francesco Italian grocery store, corner of Saint Zotique and Clark, (1914)

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Italian culture was once considered to be “lower” in the eyes of the more established communities in the city. “But little by little, helped by the policy of multiculturalism by the federal government, Canadians became more sensitive to the importance of minority cultures to the Canadian mosaic.

“

probably wanted to go to the States,” Ramirez explained. “But the U.S. had very stringent immigration policies at that time.”

He points out that Canada’s immigration policies, called the sponsorship system, actually favoured Italian immigrants. It was a system whereby an Italian resident in Canada was permitted to bring over relatives as long as they looked after them.

“The policy didn’t last long, but it lasted long enough for many Italians to take advantage of it,” he said. The city’s Italians developed certain strategies that bred success. One of the first was property ownership, and Italian-Montrealers became one of the immigrant groups with the largest number of property owners.

“It was important for them to be independent; you didn’t have to pay rent and you could do what you wanted in your own house,” argued Ramirez.

Once they bought homes, Ramirez said another important step was to foster strong community ties. “It was very important to stick together,” he said. Italians created their own institutions, whether it was through the church, clubs or other organizations. After buying a home and forming strong bonds within the community, there was still the matter of getting

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accepted by Montreal society as a whole — which wasn’t easy, Ramirez said adding “Italian culture was once considered to be ‘lower’ in the eyes of the more established communities in the city. But little by little, helped by the policy of multiculturalism by the federal government, Canadians became more sensitive to the importance of minority cultures to the Canadian mosaic.”

The period of mass migration may be over, but Italians are still moving around the world in smaller numbers. One of the reasons for this new immigration is explained by the fact that Italy’s economy is weak and unemployment remains stubbornly high – at over 11% by the end of 2012. Montreal’s new Italian migrants tend to be business people and university graduates from a variety of professions. Moreover, they tend not to be involved within the larger established Italian communities, “but rather in larger economic and institutional environments,” Ramirez said.

Finally while the Italians of Montreal didn’t impose their way of life on the city, they didn’t need to. Montrealers themselves chose to integrate Italian culture into their own.

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e il suo amore per gli animali

Giuseppe Continiello

Sullo sfondo del mito è difficile delineare la realtà, la particolarità di un personaggio. La realtà e gli strumenti per riconoscerla lo riconducono nel “sacro recinto” della storia e lo rendono vero e umano, con i suoi molteplici pregi e i suoi piccoli e grandi difetti. ’è un piccolo episodio nella vita di Giuseppe Garibaldi al quale lui stesso ha attribuito un grande significato. Quell’episodio compare nelle sue Memorie. Lo racconta così: «Nulla di strano accadde nella mia gioventù. Avevo un cuore buono dono di Dio e di mia madre, provavo una profonda pietà per tutto ciò che era piccolo, debole e sofferente. Anche gli animali. Un giorno trovai un grillo e lo portai nella mia camera: toccandolo con una certa brutalità infantile gli spezzai una zampa: il mio dolore fu tale che piansi per molte ore». Come tutti i grandi spiriti che sono vissuti a cavallo di epoche diverse, registrando un passaggio di mentalità tra un’epoca e l’altra, anche Garibaldi era un personaggio contraddittorio. Spinto dalle circostanze e dalla necessità all’uso delle armi e alla guerra, si sentiva, tuttavia, dentro di sé uomo di pace. Così Garibaldi, che amava gli animali e la natura e di volta in volta trepidava per le loro sofferenze, di tanto in tanto, uniformandosi in questo alle consuetudini e

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alle tradizioni dell’epoca, si dedicava alla caccia. Questa pratica saltuaria può essere annoverata come una delle grandi incoerenze di un uomo essenzialmente coerente.

Una delle piccole grandi ingiustizie di uno degli uomini che prima di tutti e più di tutti fu costantemente al servizio della giustizia. Del resto nelle sue Memorie non c’è un solo racconto nel quale egli si presenti come cacciatore che si inorgoglisce per le sue prede.

Oggi sarebbe impossibile pensare a Garibaldi senza pensare a Caprera, un'isola fuori dal mondo, stupendamente bella. E qui bisogna raccontare la storia di un uomo che amò molte cose. E tra queste cose, oltre all'avventura, gli animali. E fu proprio lì che Garibaldi si riconciliò con la natura, dopo le grandi vicende del '60, dopo aver

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A rts "proclamato Vittorio Emanuele re d'Italia", il "regale" regalo che lui, popolano e plebeo, si era permesso il lusso di fare ad un re. Da questa sensibilità e vero e proprio amore per la natura, che l’uomo mortificava, alterava, offendeva con l’uso smodato del potere e con le interminabili guerre, derivano le sue riflessioni sull’assoluta libertà degli animali allo stato di natura e la condizione di soggezione nella quale l’uomo viveva in alcune contingenze politiche. Regimi autoritari, dominazione e soggezione, colonialismi erano nella sua percezione e per la sua sensibilità essenzialmente aberrazioni nel mondo della natura. Garibaldi conosceva gli animali di Caprera uno per uno e finì per maturare nei loro confronti un’affezione e un amore profondo. Lì, mise in libertà i due cavalli utilizzati nella campagna del 1860, a lui, cavaliere-marinaio, così cari: Borbone e Marsala. Nella sua fattoria c’erano quattro asinelli trattati come “principi di sangue reale”. Garibaldi li aveva chiamati Oudinot, Napoleone III, Pio IX e Immacolata Concezione.

Garibaldi aveva capito che quello del rapporto uomini e animali sarebbe stata una delle grandi questioni morali della sua epoca e delle epoche future.

Iniziò allora a pensare che, così come aveva fatto nel campo degli uomini per cercare di estirpare la mala pianta dell’ingiustizia, dovesse fare qualcosa per combattere l’ingiustizia nei confronti degli animali, perché uomini e animali erano semi e rami dello stesso albero del bene e del male.

C’era in lui questa disposizione di animo, quando Anna Winter gli scrisse per incitare lui, che nella vita aveva combattuto mille battaglie contro mille ingiustizie, a porsi alla testa del movimento animalista. Ci voleva uno straordinario coraggio per intraprendere una simile battaglia e a Garibaldi, il Leone di Caprera, il coraggio non mancava.

Egli sentì che quell’amore e quel senso di fraternità verso gli esseri viventi, che aveva avvertito spontaneamente, istintivamente, doveva trasformarsi non in un’idea generosa e astratta, ma in fatto concreto. Così, prendendo a modello l’esempio inglese, pensò di dar vita a un’associazione, avente come scopo la cura e la tutela degli animali afflitti dalla crudeltà dell’uomo. Convinto che fosse importante agire in tale direzione, incoraggiato dalle parole e dall’iniziativa di Anna Winter, inviò all’uomo di cui allora si fidava di più: Timoteo Riboli (medico, garibaldino, uomo di studi e di cuore, esperto di problemi medici e anche veterinari, ex comandante del servizio delle ambulanze dell’Armata dei Volgi) la lettera di Anna Winter, accompagnandola con la preghiera di istituire la Società per la protezione degli animali «annoverando la Signora come Presidente e lui stesso come socio».

Era questa la prima pietra di un edificio al quale Garibaldi contribuiva con la presidenza morale. Grazie all’attività svolta da Riboli nacquero comitati in tutte le

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principali città italiane e poi si federarono tra loro. Accanto alle attività di tutela degli animali, soprattutto contro i maltrattamenti e le sevizie loro inferte dai conduttori, Riboli, con i suoi collaboratori, iniziò a organizzare dei corsi di educazione rivolti soprattutto agli studenti delle scuole di ogni ordine e grado. Garibaldi, maestro in materia di proclami, riponendo il problema degli animali, rilanciava e attualizzava la campagna contro i retrogradi, parlando non più dei Mille, ma di “Milleuno”, numero nel quale dovevano essere computati anche gli animali.

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On achève parfois ses romans en Italie

Entretien avec Par Antonio D’Alfonso

Francis Catalano

C’est en 1983 que Francis Catalano publie ses premiers textes “Scènes”, chez Guernica, dans l'anthologie Quêtes : Textes d'auteurs italo-québécois, sous la direction de Fulvio Caccia et d’Antonio D’Alfonso. Trente ans plus tard, en 2013, il publie son roman, On achève parfois ses romans en Italie, sous la bannière des Éditions de l'Hexagone. Antonio D’Alfonso s’est entretenu sur le cheminement parcouru par cet écrivain italo-canadien pour qui la quête d’identité s’exprime avant tout à travers les mots.

Panoram Italia : Vous voyez une différence de style, de philosophie, d'idéologie, entre vos premières aventures littéraires et cette récente expérience romanesque avec On achève parfois ses romans en Italie?

Francis Catalano: J'ai commencé à écrire mes premiers poèmes vers l'âge de 15 ans et à publier dans des revues disons sérieuses, ou spécialisées, à l'âge de 19. Pour moi, Quêtes marque une étape déterminante dans ma jeune pratique d'écriture. Avec ce texte appelé « Scènes » (dans mon esprit, ce titre suggérait également la Seine, et donc aussi mon appartenance à un groupe linguistique), je découvrais mon italianité. Je suis en quelque sorte devenu italien, sur le plan symbolique, le jour de cette publication en 1983. Je découvrais le mouvement futuriste, l'art d'écrire des manifestes, de faire des lectures en public, de provoquer. Je découvrais mes racines, c'était l'objet de mon texte.

Je suis devenu italien grâce à la littérature.

Le roman que je viens de publier met « en scène » cet étudiant que j'étais il y a 30 ans et qui allait poursuivre des études à Rome, vivre des aventures en Italie, le temps d'une bourse. Ce récit gravite autour d’une quête identitaire, c’est certain. Mais le style n’a pas changé. À mon avis, un style ne change pas : c’est le stylet, le stylo, ce qui entre en profondeur. Et ce qu’il y a en profondeur ne change pas.

Dans mon roman, je provoque aussi, je découvre mes racines, je me mets à nu.

C’est un récit très personnel. Il y a plusieurs couches d’écriture dans ce texte-là.

Certaines datent de 1986, d’autres de 2008. C’est un texte à l’image d’un pays comme l’Italie, traversé par différentes couches de temps, d’histoire. La vie est comme un roman. Chaque personne a une histoire, son histoire.

Panoram Italia : La question d’identité chez vous, il me semble, n’est jamais simple. Quoiqu’elle soit basée sur une position linguistique, donc plus ou moins forte, l’identité qui vous interpelle est plus fragmentaire que linéaire.

N’y a-t-il pas un paradoxe ici?

FC: Oui, les paradoxes me connaissent bien. Regardez ce qui se passe en Italie. Le pape démissionne et Berlusconi cherche à s'accrocher au pouvoir. Ça devrait être le contraire, non? (Rires).

Plus sérieusement, je pense que mon italianité est plus schizoïde (la racine de schizo étant "scission") que paradoxale, justement à cause de la langue. Je me trouve toujours étranger par rapport à une langue, quelle qu'elle soit. Que ce soit le français, ma langue maternelle ou l'italien, la langue de mon père que j'ai appris sur le tard.

Je crois que l’écrivain doit être étranger à sa propre langue. D'ailleurs, avant de naître et même à la naissance, la langue nous est extérieure. Par la suite, nous l'intériorisons. Elle nous forme, elle nous façonne. Mais au départ, toute langue nous est imposée. En fait, c’est le territoire qui nous impose sa langue. La langue "nous" parle du milieu dans lequel elle se développe. La langue, c’est viral.

Un écrivain est quelqu’un qui parvient, lorsqu’il écrit, à recréer cet état d'émerveillement initial face au langage, devant tel mot qui lui semble inusité, ou telle tournure de phrase qui dite comme ça peut paraître belle et étrange. Écrire est un geste solitaire. Écrire veut dire s’isoler d’un monde pour entrer dans un autre. Proust a déjà avoué dans son Contre Sainte-Beuve : « Les beaux livres sont écrits en une sorte de langue étrangère ». C’est pourquoi Rimbaud est illisible en traduction. Car son œuvre semble avoir été écrite non pas en français mais dans cette « sorte de langue étrangère ».

Panoram Italia : Pourquoi ce soudain saut vers le roman? Parlez-nous de la différence stylistique entre l’écriture d’un poème et d’un texte narratif?

FC: L'Italie m'a redonné goût à l'écriture. J'écrivais partout. Au restaurant, au bar, dans l'autobus, pendant mes cours à l'université, en train. J'ai vécu une sorte de renaissance personnelle, intérieure.

Quand j'ai décidé de faire un livre avec tous ces bouts de textes écrits comme dans une extériorité, il a fallu assembler, mettre de l'ordre. Le temps est devenu l'élément ordonnateur de mon roman. Il représente l'aspect linéaire (chronologique).

L’écriture de poésie a beaucoup à voir avec l’espace : l’espace de la page, la forme, et l’instantanéité. Le poème est fulgurant comme un éclair. Dans un récit, une narration, c’est le temps qui compte, qui est mis en jeu. Je considère mon livre On achève parfois ses romans en Italie comme un récit poétique, par la forme et le contenu. Il est subdivisé en cinq parties composées de cent fragments.

Dans chacun de ces cents fragments (c'est le nombre de chants qu’il y a dans La Divine Comédie) on retrouve la densité et l’autonomie formelle du poème. Chacun des fragments qu'il renvoie à Sienne, San Gimignano, Venise, Trieste ou Milan, peut être lu indépendamment du récit, comme un poème dans un livre de poésie. C’est pour cette raison que je parle de roman poétique. J’ai porté une attention particulière au choix des mots, des rythmes. Et je cherche à exposer des sensations, des instants privilégiés, et non des faits, ou des intrigues.

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Musica Italiana Panoram Italia’s Picks Eros Ramazzotti Album: Noi (2012) Label: Universal Music Italia Genre: Pop In less than two months after its release, Noi, Eros Ramazzotti’s latest album, sold over 500,000 copies worldwide. Preceded by the highly anticipated single “Un Angelo Disteso al Sole”, Noi is Ramazzotti’s first studio album with Universal Music, simultaneously releasing a Spanish version named Somos. “Fino All’Estasi” features Nicole Scherzinger (Pussycat Dolls), Italian rap group Club Dogo appear in “Testa o Cuore,” Il Volo join Ramazzotti on the track “Così”, and the list goes on. The NOI World Tour 2013 kicked off in March.

Malika Ayane Album: Ricreazione (2012) Label: Sugar s.r.l.

Genre: Traditional pop Italian-Moroccan singer Malika Ayane is one of the newest additions to Italy’s music charts courtesy of her single “Tre Cose.” The song is from Ricreazione, her recently released third studio album, Ayane’s first self-production. Among the well-known collaborators on this record are Caterina Caselli, Pacifico, Giuliano Sangiorgi (lead singer of Negramaro), Paolo Conte and Ferdinando Arnò, with whom Ayane co-wrote “Briciole” and “Il giardino dei Salici.” Ricreazione evokes a feeling of celebration through a variety of sounds from the pop-folk tradition, not to mention the album cover with guests gathered around the dinner table in a rural setting.

Loredana Bertè Album: Decisamente Loredana (1998) Label: Sony Music Genre: Pop-Rock Loredana Bertè’s music career kicked off when she decided to move from Reggio Calabria to Rome to follow in her older sister’s footsteps - the late Mia Martini. She made her first appearances in musicals such as “Hair,” “Ciao Rudy” and the first Italian rock-opera production “Orfeo 9” in 1973. Decisamente Loredana is a live recording of some of her most successful hits, including the fan-favourite reggae-rap tune “E La Luna Bussò” as well as “Il Mare d’Inverno,” “Sei Bellisima” and “In Alto Mare,” featuring Renato Zero. Her stage presence characterized by extensive make-up, unconventional hairdos and eccentric outfits, combined with remarkable interpretative skills and a powerful voice, have made her one of Italy’s most iconic singers.

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The Liza Minnelli Anthology (2010) Album: Cabaret…And All That Jazz Label: Salvo Genre: Cabaret-Jazz-Musical Undoubtedly one of the greatest divas of all time, Liza Minnelli has conquered audiences worldwide and shows no signs of stopping.

Daughter to actress-singer Judy Garland and film director Vincente Minnelli, her journey to becoming a superstar began when she was sixteen. Her impressive career has earned her four Tony Awards, an Oscar, a special “Legends” Grammy and many more recognitions. “The Liza Minnelli Anthology” is a dual CD compilation featuring Liza interpreting some of the biggest cabaret and jazz classics like “Cabaret” (live), “Oh Babe What Would You Say”, “Son of a Preacher Man” and “New York, New York.”

Francesco De Gregori Album: Sulla Strada (2012) Label: Serraglio Edizioni Musicali Genre: Pop-Rock-Folk Produced by Guido Guglielminetti, Sulla Strada is singer-songwriter Francesco De Gregori’s 20th studio album. It features nine new songs and is considered one of the best records from this iconic figure of the 1970s. Also known as "Il Principe dei cantautori," his lyrics continue to be truly inspirational as he boldly shares his feelings about some of the most emotional aspects of his life. Sulla Strada is filled with various influences with songs such as "Passo D’uomo" and "Guarda Che Non Sono Io,” both enriched by the sounds of string instruments (directed by Nicola Piovani), "Omero al Cantagiro" and "Ragazza del 95" featuring Malika Ayane’s soft Latin rhythms.

Nomadi Album: Terzo Tempo (2012) Label: Segnali Caotici Genre: Pop-Rock Terzo Tempo is Nomadi’s 35th studio album. The legendary Italian band’s latest release features 10 songs including the single “Ancora Ci Sei.” Founded by Beppe Carletti and Augusto Daolio in the 1960s, the group has produced numerous hit songs such as “Noi Non Ci Saremo,” “Io Vagabondo,” “Auschwitz” and “Dio È Morto.” This project also marks the beginning of a new chapter as they introduce their newest member, singer Cristiano Turano. Energetic and fresh, Terzo Tempo reflects the band’s signature sound and repertoire with songs about social commitment.

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Rital ou français?

Par Carlotta Morteo

« L’Italia va di mal in peggio. Il ne reste vraiment plus qu’à s’en aller », constate Giulia, amère. Comme 1 million d’Italiens entre 20 et 28 ans, Giulia, originaire de Pise, a choisi d’émigrer pour s’ouvrir de meilleures opportunités d’emploi. Elle vit à Paris depuis 2 ans et fait des études d’histoire de l’art. Pour elle, l’Italie c’est fini. Pas d’avenir, un pays bloqué, à l’image des récentes élections qui plongent les transalpins dans l’impasse politique. Ils sont nombreux ces Italiens éduqués de classe moyenne protagonistes d’un « brain drain » dont le quotidien la Reppublica recense les histoires sur son site internet sous la rubrique Italiani all'estero, la vostra storia. La France, frappée par la crise européenne et un chômage endémique, n’est plus vraiment un eldorado pour les Italiens. Mais elle l’a été. On a d’ailleurs tendance à considérer l’immigration italienne comme un processus d’immigration réussie. Est-ce vraiment le cas? Comment a évolué l’intégration des Italiens en France? Quelle est la réalité des descendants d’immigrants aujourd’hui? a première grosse vague d’immigration date de la moitié du XIXe. Originaires majoritairement du Piémont, de la Lombardie et de l’Émilie-Romagne, les Italiens font le chemin vers la France dans les régions transfrontalières, souvent juste pour une saison. Les immigrés ruraux qui s’installent en Provence ont plus de facilité à s’intégrer grâce à la langue évidemment qui ressemble au provençal, mais aussi aux valeurs communes de la terre et la pratique religieuse. Et puis, ils ne forment pas de communauté unie et close : ils s’étalent en petits groupes familiaux sur de vastes campagnes.

C’est une tout autre histoire en ville et dans les industries. À Marseille, dans les sidérurgies lorraines ou dans les chantiers parisiens, les Italiens occupent les postes les plus durs et les plus mal payés. On les appelle les « voleurs de travail », les « brisesgrèves », car n’étant pas syndiqués, ils acceptent de faire tourner les machines contre un salaire dérisoire.

Les ouvriers français leur donnent aussi le petit nom de « Christos », car le prolétariat français, déjà fortement sécularisé, voit d’un très mauvais oeil la façon ostentatoire dont de nombreux immigrés affichent leur foi. Les Italiens urbains seront donc discriminés, rejetés, voire tabassés. Après les « vêpres marseillaises » de 1881, des pillages et bastonnades très médiatisés à Lyon en 1893, c’est le massacre d’Aigues-Mortes dans des marais salins de Lorraine qui marquera les esprits. Quarante Italiens mour-

L

Bousquetiers Italiens à la terrasse d'un café à Trans.

ront des suites d’une chasse à l’homme dans laquelle dû intervenir l’armée. Depuis, la discrétion est le mot d’ordre des Italiens. Premier groupe d’immigrés en France en 1900 avec près de 500 000 personnes, les Italiens vont dès lors chercher à se rendre toujours plus invisibles.

C’est la politique qui va rapprocher migrants et autochtones. En 1901, symbole de leur intégration au mouvement ouvrier, les Italiens de Marseille participent massivement aux grèves des travailleurs. Ils adhérent aux luttes syndicales, se rapprochent du mouvement de l’internationale socialiste à partir des années 20, et quelques « ritales » et « macaroni » finissent par se faire élire en tant que représentants syndicaux dans les usines lorraines lors des revendications de 1936.

L’unité de la classe ouvrière masque les différences ethniques et favorise l’intégration des prolétaires dont les enfants apprennent le français à l’école obligatoire de la République. À cause des restrictions migratoires imposées aux États-Unis, la France devient le premier pays d’immigration au monde. 1931 est une année record : 810 000 Italiens entrent dans l’hexagone. Ils représentent désormais 7% de la population française, soit 1 800 000 de transalpins. Parmi eux, les « fuori-usciti », réfugiés politiques antifascistes font de la France leur terre d’exil.

Des « petites Italies » apparaissent en banlieue parisienne, à Argenteuil et à Nogent, hauts lieux de l’immigration économique, mais aussi politique. Dans ce qui est aujourd’hui la Taverne de Palerme, les grands leaders d’opposition Giorgio Amendola, Sandro Pertini, Palmiro Togliatti ou Pietro Nenni imaginent la scène politique d’après-guerre. L’antifascisme des Italiens en France contribue à améliorer l’image de l’ensemble des Italiens auprès de la population française. Mais il leur faudra toujours prouver leur réel attachement à la France, et bon nombre participeront à la Résistance. À la fin de la Seconde Guerre mondiale, une nouvelle immigration « visible » en provenance d’Afrique du Nord fait fondre les Italiens dans la masse. Les immigrants italiens sont dès lors accueillis comme des cousins un peu turbulents, mais fréquentables. Pour ceux arrivés entre 1945 et 1963, une réelle volonté de s’établir en France de façon durable ainsi qu’un processus de naturalisation simplifié leur permet de s’intégrer plus facilement dans la société française que leurs prédécesseurs.

Au prix d’annihiler leur italianité. Soucieux de la réussite de leurs enfants, beaucoup de parents italiens interdisent l’usage de la langue de Dante à la maison. Les petites Italies évoluent elles aussi, signe de l’amélioration des conditions de vie des Italiens.

Marcello, 85 ans, habitant de Nogent me raconte: « Les autorités décidèrent de raser le vieux Nogent. Mais le relogement de cette "racaille ritale" posait problème. On

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L’immigration italienne dans l’hexagone décida alors de leur dédier un nouveau quartier, le XIIIe arrondissement, actuel quartier chinois dans Paris. En fait, les ritales de l’époque, quand ils ont vu ces gratte-ciels en béton typiques des années 60, ils ont eu peur. Et en bons maçons qu’ils étaient, ils se sont aperçus que les terrains alentours n’étaient pas chers. Ils commencèrent donc à acheter des terrains entre Vitry et Villejuif (à la limite du XIIIe) pour se construire le petit pavillon de leurs rêves. » Mais les stigmatisations stéréotypées subsistent, même pour les champions de 3e génération. Michel Platini se rappelle : « Un jour, j'étais reçu par un adjoint au maire de Belfort en tant qu'entraîneur de l'équipe de France. Dans son discours, il a parlé de moi comme d’un bon exemple d'intégration. J'ai failli l'insulter. Je ne me suis jamais considéré comme étranger, je n'avais jamais parlé italien, mon père non plus. Mon grand-père parlait lui aussi français. Je suis de 3e génération. Il était temps que je sois intégré ! » Ainsi, la plupart des deuxièmes et troisièmes générations issues de cette immigration récente ne parlent pas italien et se considèrent uniquement Français. Marcello, propriétaire d’un restaurant à Villejuif me fait part de son avi: « La deuxième génération n’a pas pris la relève. Un jour, pour un baptême, je fus invité dans Ouvriers italiens en Provence un pseudo restaurant italien pour une spaghettata

alla bolognese. Dio mio, quand je vis arriver cette énorme gamelle de spaghetti blancs collés de chez collés et une gamelle de sauce peu ragoûtante! Et bien ces enfants de la première génération se sont jetés sur cette masse informe qu’ils coupaient au couteau, et ils se régalaient!

Signore perdonali, non sanno quello che fanno. Moi, je ne pouvais vraiment pas avaler ces lombrichi morts et agonisants. » Beaucoup de grands personnages qui font la fierté de la France sont donc descendants d’Italiens tels que Jean Paul Belmondo, Jean Giono, Pierre Cardin, Yves Montand, Albert Uderzo, Carla Bruni, Michel Piccoli, ou l’actuelle ministre de la Culture Aurélie Filipetti.

Mais d’italien ils n’ont souvent que le nom et les lointains souvenirs de leurs grands-parents. Si l’immigration italienne d’antan a dû effacer ses différences, il est probable que les nouvelles générations d’Italiens qui émigrent en France aujourd’hui transmettront la langue et la culture, car le plurilinguisme et le métissage sont désormais vus comme une richesse, et non plus comme une menace.

Michel-Platini

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Pope’s

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The

resignation

An enigmatic decision and a historical turning point

By Anna Ciampolini Foschi

Joseph Aloisius Ratzinger must have known from the beginning of his Papacy that St. Peter’s throne was going to be full of thorns. As the successor of the hugely popular John Paul II, he could not avoid being compared to that charismatic crowd pleaser. John Paul commanded the world’s respect till the very end, even when he was so crippled by multiple illnesses that he had become almost unrecognizable. When he was elected in 2005, Ratzinger, a small, reserved man in his late 70s, was a scholar and a distinguished university theologian with little pastoral experience. e lacked John Paul’s magnetism. The slings and arrows of criticism and speculation started immediately after Joseph Ratzinger became Benedict XVI, the 265th Pontiff of the Roman Catholic Church. Was he a Nazi? He was a German, after all. The very next day after his election, the photograph of a 14-year-old Ratzinger, wearing the uniform of the Hitler Youth with a bewildered expression, was splattered across every newspaper on the globe. Was he going to stifle any liberal current within the Church?

Certainly, given that for more than thirty years he had been the Prefect of the Congregation for the Doctrine of the Faith, one of the most important dicasteries of the Roman Curia and a very conservative one. Was he power-hungry? Absolutely! As the Dean of the College of Cardinals and a major figure on the Vatican stage for a quarter of a century, he must have coveted the Papacy all along.

Benedict XVI reigned from 2005 to 2013, during one of the most difficult moments in the Church’s history. Allegations of widespread sexual abuse against children, suspicions of unethical financial deals by the Vatican institutions and several mysterious events that took place inside the Vatican’s walls had already damaged the Church’s image. In Italy, a growing and vocal movement harshly condemned the Church’s interference in matters of social issues such as abortion, euthanasia, gay marriage and other civil reforms. While Europe and the Western world was becoming increasingly secularized, relegating religion to an increasingly marginal role, the Pope advocated a return to fundamental Christian values and spoke out about the moral relativism that he viewed as a denial of objective and moral truths. He taught people the

H

importance of understanding and embracing God’s redemptive love. He reintroduced the use of Latin and reinstated several traditions of the Church that had had been relagated to a minor role, like the Tridentine Mass. Benedict XVI, a refined intellectual, deeply loved the arts and strongly believed in the Church tradition of fostering artistic pursuits because beauty is a path to the divine. He wore traditional papal garments, including his trademark red Prada slippers that many people resented as ostentation of luxury.

Pope Benedict could not meet the expectations of the lay world. But of course, it could not be otherwise, being the Pope, the expression and the defender of traditional principles, which have been at the core of the Churches’ foundation for centuries. He could not declare that abortion, divorce or euthanasia are okay. He spoke about practicing chastity in place of contraception, did not grant Church marriage to same sex couples and did not ordain women priests. Regrettably, he did not succeed in managing the abuse scandal in convincing fashion.

Criticism immediately followed his resignation and so did the various conspiracy theories. The ghost of Celestine V, the one che fece per viltade il gran rifiuto and likely inspired Dante Alighieri’s scathing verse about the unnamed sinner in the Divine Comedy’s Inferno, is being cited as proof that a pope cannot ever renounce his burden, cannot scendere dalla croce.

Some theories about the existence of disquieting secrets, influential internal factions and competing power playing webs within the Curia are based on some evidence or facts, but some conspiracy theories are outlandish. Yet, a lot of people seem to believe them without questioning. In an era of super-fast communication technology, it’s surprising that many don’t bother to verify sources and credibility.

It will take the proverbial sands of time before the complex realities behind Benedict’s resignation can be fully understood. It is an epochal event that can be read as a simple paradigm of an old man in failing health and spirit who found the humility and sense of responsibility to step down for the good of the Church. Or it can be read as an admission of impotence to accomplish one’s design or even as a Machiavellian choice to ensure that these designs will be carried out in the future.

Experts are already at work: Dr. Simone Venturini, a Biblical Sciences and Theology scholar and a researcher at the Vatican Secret Archives, just wrote a book on Benedict’s resignation. More books will be written about this enigmatic Pope of an embattled and divided Church, a man who often had to endure humiliating insults and derision because of his intransigence but never lost faith in the power of prayer. Maybe one of his most important legacies will be his lesson of detachment from the lures of power in a final quest for the ultimate simplicity of spirituality.

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A dvice

A Harmful Surprise

By Pasquale Artuso Mary and Tony purchase a duplex. On two separate occasions before the sale, they visited and carefully inspected the property, examining the walls, floors, ceilings, cupboards, and closets. However, the main floor of the duplex was cluttered with furniture that hid most of the walls. As for the closets and cupboards, they were full of the owners’ personal belongings. The basement was filled with lumber, boxes, old carpets and isolating material. The apartment on the second floor was uninhabited.

Once the previous owners moved all of their belongings out and Mary and Tony took possession of the property, they realized that the basement walls, which were once hidden by clutter, were covered in mould that was also found in closets and cupboards. After only a few days of living in their new home, they began suffering from respiratory difficulties and symptoms of extreme fatigue. Afraid that the mould was the cause of their sudden symptoms, they hired a microbiologist to analyze the quality of the air in their home. The results of the analysis were shocking. The home was infested with dangerous mould spores that could have a dangerous effect on the inhabitants’ health.

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What are Mary and Tony’s legal recourses?

The presence of dangerous mould spores in the walls of the home can be considered a latent defect if the situation respects the definition of a latent defect as defined by the Civil Code of Quebec.

Article 1726 of the Civil Code of Quebec states: “The seller is bound to warrant the buyer that the property and its accessories are, at the time of the sale, free of latent defects which render it unfit for the use for which it was intended or which so diminish its usefulness that the buyer would not have bought it or paid so high a price if he had been aware of them.

The seller is not bound, however, to warrant against any latent defect known to the buyer or any apparent defect; an apparent defect is a defect that can be perceived by a prudent and diligent buyer without any need of expert assistance.”

In order to have a latent defect, the following elements must exist: 1- The defect must be serious The defect must be serious to the point that had the buyer known the defect, he would not have purchased the property or would have purchased it at a lesser price.

In most cases, Quebec courts have deemed that in a residential building, a defect that is hazardous to health is serious.

2- The defect was unknown to the buyer at the moment of sale Mary and Tony were unaware of any mould problem at the moment of sale.

The sellers did not mention such an issue and they did not see any symptoms of a mould problem when they inspected the property.

3-The defect had to be non-apparent and hidden at the moment of sale The mould problem was hidden and non-apparent at the time of the sale because furniture and other objects covered the walls. It was only after the sale and once the previous owners had moved out that they could properly view the walls.

The fact that they did not have a professional building inspector inspect the duplex before they purchased it does not necessarily invalidate their recourse against the sellers.

4-The defect had to exist before the sale The buyer can usually benefit from a presumption that the defect existed before the sale if he or she advises the seller of the defect in a short delay after the sale.

Mary and Tony can ask the Court for the cancellation of the sale or the reduction of the price of sale.

This article provides general legal information and does not substitute consulting an attorney who can advise you on the particularities of your case.

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Rimar Volkswagen

A dv ertorial

A rimarkable experience

From left: Marco Cimon: assistant sales manager Eric Gingras: Sales Manager Michel Trahan: Parts Manager Modesto Di Tommaso: Dealer principal Costa Frezza: Service manager Dominic Tromba: Used Cars Manager Riccardo Di Tommaso: General Manager

By Aicha Cisse

With a plethora of automakers fighting for consumer dollars, how do you pick the right car? Between the range of colour palettes and different engines, you also have to look at the number of models available. Even if you want to stick to a specific budget, the amount of body styles alone can be overwhelming: sedans, station wagons, hatchbacks, SUVs... the list goes on. And we haven't got to the used-car market yet. As a consumer, you are spoiled for choice.

There are a several ways to navigate the automotive landscape to find the vehicle that suits your driving needs perfectly. The right dealership will help narrow down your selection and find the car that fits your lifestyle.

Rimar Volkswagen has been a fixture in St. Leonard since 1982. Modesto Di Tommaso founded the family owned and operated company when he noticed there were no Volkswagen dealerships in the east end of Montreal. Having previously thrived at FIAT for 8 years as an instructor and dealership manager across Canada, Di Tommaso always knew he’d end up starting his own business.

Modesto Di Tommaso

pass for your own wheels, you can count on Rimar Volkswagen’s professional, well informed friendly staff to help you find a vehicle that matches both your wants and your needs. You can rely on over 40 years of automotive experience, combined with an unwavering commitment to customer satisfaction.

“Many of our staff members have been with us since the beginning. Our clients quickly feel welcome and benefit from a team with a stellar reputation. You’ll enjoy a comfortable, friendly atmosphere where each customer is treated like a member of our family,” says Modesto.

“I worked in the automotive industry all my life. After working at FIAT, I joined a Volkswagen dealership. When I saw a need for a dealership in the eastern part of Montreal, I came up with a business plan and pitched it to Volkswagen. It took many tries but in the end I succeeded and created our company. We have a solid team and couldn’t be more proud of the exceptional service we offer,” explains Modesto who now works with his son Riccardo at the dealership as general manager.

Rimar Volkswagen has earned many accolades over the years. The dealership has the highest Customer Satisfaction Index (CSI) ratings based on service and sales. Whether you’re in the market for a new or pre-owned vehicle or need service and parts, Rimar Volkswagen takes every measure to make the process as hassle-free as possible. The dealership’s repair and service team believes in paying first-class attention to every detail. As such their auto repair shops are equipped with the latest technologies available.“

When it comes to purchasing a vehicle, choosing the right brand can bring more reward than getting praise for buying a car because it is a trendy favourite.

For Riccardo Di Tommaso, Volkswagen is an obvious choice because it is, after all, “the people’s car”. Consumers relish the brand’s affordable vehicles, fuel-efficiency and overall five-star technology.

To ensure our customers get the highest quality parts and accessories, we always provide Volkswagen Original Parts that are perfectly matched to your vehicle.

We continually work to establish and maintain long-term relationships built on mutual trust and respect,” sums up Riccardo.

“We carry the full Volkswagen line up. We also carry an extensive Volkswagen Pre-owned inventory. Volkswagen Certified Pre-owned cars offer a level of performance, quality and comfort that Volkswagen drivers have come to expect,” explains Riccardo.

Whether you're shopping around to replace that hand-me-down sedan your parents gave you when you started university, or it's simply time to trade that bus

Rimar Volkswagen 5500 Boulevard Métropolitain Est Montreal, QC H1S 1A6 (514) 253-4888 www.rimarvw.ca

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Val-des-Ruisseaux by Group Quorum A Trusted Investment

By Amanda Fulginiti Quorum is one of the most important new and upscale condo builders in Montreal, Laval and Vaudreuil-Dorion. Having worked in residential construction for over three decades, thousands of satisfied customers can attest to their high quality standards. Their continuous effort to exceed their clients’ needs have garnered them the highest distinction in the residential construction industry, receiving the Diamond Palm Master Builder award by the APCHQ (Association of owners and residential builders in Québec). This year, they were also the proud recipients of the DOMUS award for Natural Gas Residential Projects for fulfilling consumers’ desire for both luxury and comfort.

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Quorum has made it their mission to provide the highest standards in construction quality, design, architecture and lifestyle. Since its inception, the company, founded by Mr. Guy Laporte and Peter Cosentini, has always invested in projects that uniquely stand out in every community. These two company leaders, however, recognize that their excellent products are the results of a team effort. They are surrounded by highly skilled and experienced professionals in construction and real estate development like Adamo Baratta, sales director for the Val-desRuisseaux waterfront condo project in Duvernay East, Laval. Baratta believes that their success is due to their attention to location, reliable suppliers and a group of professionals who place extreme importance in creating an environment that will provide both comfort and peace of mind.

No headaches, no maintenance — just luxurious comfort.

company, anyone regardless of background can see that the product sells itself.

What sets them apart from the competition is that they are able to customize their condos based on a customer’s needs. Do not like where a wall is located?

Want an open concept? Quorum construction does it all. They are not interested in making cookie-cutter condos. They build around the visions of their clients.

Throughout the process of buying your new home, Quorum leaves no questions unanswered and will see you through from start to finish. From the date of purchase to the architecture and design, they do everything by your side and everything is done in house. Their knowledgeable sales representatives, like Mr. Baratta, are always eager to please and present the different models available, always focusing on the client’s specific criteria and living requirements. “I want them to feel like they’re getting exactly what they want. We are there for them; we will support them. We are proud of our product,” Baratta says. Customer satisfaction is their main priority, and they will do whatever it takes to make sure that when all is said and done, you walk into the condo of your dreams and own a place where you can live and sleep soundly, lavishly and comfortably.

Val-des-Ruisseaux prices range from $175,900 to $369,900 and condos The Val-des-Ruisseaux Condos provide a hassle-free lifestyle to the person who is looking for comfort and simplicity. “No headaches, no maintenance - just luxurious comfort,” says Baratta. Add some European flare to the mix and how could one resist such condo lifestyle living? While the Italian community make up 50% of their clientele and have definitely contributed to the success of the

range from 735 to 1,675 square feet. Visit the model condo located at 200 boul. des Cépages unit 107, on the corner of boul. Levesque Est. in Duvernay East, Laval.

For more information, visit www.quorumcondos.com or call (450) 665-2531

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Events

SONIA BENEDETTO

sonia@panoramitalia.com

MARIANO DE CAROLIS: CIBPA PERSONALITY OF THE YEAR

L’ASSOCIAZIONE MESSINESE DI MONTRÉAL IN FESTA Per l’ottavo anno consecutivo, l’Associazione Messinese di Montréal ha organizzato una serata danzante per festeggiare la Giornata Internazionale della Donna. Questo appuntamento, che ha visto partecipare circa quattrocento donne, ha avuto luogo presso il Centro Ricevimenti Sorrento a Ville Lasalle. DJ Universal ha allietato la serata. Il presidente d’onore era l’on. Manon Barbe, sindaco della Contea di LaSalle. L’obiettivo era raccogliere fondi per la lotta contro il tumore al seno per la Fondation Cancer du Sein du Québec e per la Fondation de l’Hôpital LaSalle. Grazie a questa iniziativa, l’Associazione ha potuto donare $14.200, per una somma totale di $110.000 in otto anni. Durante il discorso, Maria Donato, presidente dell’Associazione, ha tenuto a ringraziare per la loro generosità tutte le persone che hanno contribuito al successo di questa serata, in particolar modo, il comitato organizzatore e tutte le donne presenti.

CRAIC: UNA MESSA DEDICATA ALLA DONNA Per festeggiare la Giornata Internazionale della Donna, il Consiglio Regionale delle Persone Anziane Italo-Canadesi (CRAIC), ha fatto celebrare una messa da Padre Feliciano Mercian presso la Parrocchia Notre Dame de la Consolata. Oltre quattrocento persone erano presenti. Hanno partecipato i presidenti e i delegati dei diversi club per la terza età; i rappresentanti politici della comunità di ogni livello: comunale, provinciale e federale; e il console d’Italia a Montréal, Antonio Poletti. All’evento ha presenziato la senatrice Marisa Ferretti Bart che nel suo discorso ha sottolineato l’importanza della donna nella nostra società. Il CRAIC tiene a ringraziare tutti coloro che sono intervenuti a questo importante evento.

The Canadian-Italian Business and Professional Association of Montreal (CIBPA) named Mariano A. De Carolis, General Director of the Caisse populaire Canadienne Italienne, Personality of the Year 2012. Two hundred guests attended the ceremony at CIBPA’s President’s Cocktail held on February 6 at Fasken Martineau’s downtown law offices.

Since 1967, CIBPA has been recognizing outstanding individuals for their exceptional dedication and tireless efforts in contributing to the Italian-Canadian community and to the public’s welfare. In light of the Canadian government’s Mariano A. De Carolis call for partner organizations to nominate outstanding individuals as recipients of the Queen’s Diamond Jubilee Medals, the CIBPA presented Jubilee Medals to De Carolis, as well as 24 other members. The remaining recipients are Gian Carlo Biferali, Umberto Bruni, Juge Jean-François Buffoni, Rocco Caruso, John D’Ambrosio, Gerardo D’Argenio, Mariano A. De Carolis, Me Rita Lc De Santis, Giuseppe Di Battista, Nick Di Tempora, Me Raffaele Esposito, Dr. Pasquale Ferraro, Dr. Mirko Gilardino, Emilio Imbriglio, Dr. Giuseppe Maiolo, Gaby Mancini, Pat Martone, Teodoro Mazzaferro, Dr. Linda Papa, Franco L. Ruccolo, Leo Sama, Mirella Saputo, Dr. Michael Venneri, Me Peter Villani and Egidio Vincelli.

Photo Courtesy: Joe Papa

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SOCIETÀ CULTURALE SAN GIOVANNI IN GALDO:40 ANNI COMPIUTI Nella sala ricevimenti Costa del Mare, la Società Culturale San Giovanni in Galdo, presieduta da Mario Marinelli, ha festeggiato il 40º anniversario di fondazione alla presenza di trecento invitati. Questa occasione ha riunito giovani e meno giovani, compaesani, amici e simpatizzanti. Nata nel 1973, da un gruppo di emigrati che volevano far conoscere le tradizioni del loro paese, attraverso gli anni questa Società molisana ha svolto numerose attività socio-culturali, come la Festa patronale di San Giovanni Battista. Sempre all’insegna del folklore, il suo gruppo A Crianze di San Giovanni in Galdo si è esibito in tanti spettacoli. Durante i festeggiamenti per il quarantennale è stato assegnato un riconoscimento ai “VIP” della serata. I bambini che hanno presentato un loro disegno sono stati premiati con una pergamena.

I 100 anni di Giuseppe A. Calandrino Calling upon all 1988 Graduates from WHHS! Please join us for the 25th High School reunion!

WHEN: June 1st, 2013 WHERE: Holiday Inn Montreal Airport, 6500 cote de Liesse, Montreal, QC, H4T 1E3 Come reconnect with your old friends and create a Blast from the Past.

For all information regarding tickets visit our website: http://whhs88.byethost31.com or email us at WHHS88reunion@gmail.com

2137-50 sea haze

Grande festa, a Cattolica Eraclea il 21 dicembre 2012, per il centesimo compleanno del signor Giuseppe Antonio Calandrino. Insieme a figli, parenti, amici e conoscenti del festeggiato, il sindaco di Cattolica Eraclea, la Giunta e il Consiglio comunale hanno voluto festeggiare l’importante traguardo dei 100 anni raggiunto dall’anziano concittadino. Per l’occasione è stata celebrata una messa nella chiesa del Collegio dall’Arciprete don Nino Giarraputo e si è svolto un corteo con a capo la banda musicale Scarlatti diretta dal maestro Maurizio Mongiovi. Dopo la messa i festeggiamenti e gli auguri.

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EMSB: 10th ANNUAL HUGGIES VALENTINE’S DAY PROJECT For the 10th consecutive year, students from the English Montreal School Board (EMSB) donated their time to the Huggies Valentine’s Day Project by spending their Valentine’s Day at the Montreal Children`s Hospital. This year, 11 schools (Laurier Macdonald, Pierre de Coubertin Elementary, Dante Elementary, General Vanier Daycare, John Paul I High School, Edward Murphy Elementary, Gerald McShane Daycare, Vincent Massey Collegiate, St. Raphael, Mountainview and East Hill Elementary) participated in the Annual Huggies Valentine's Day toy basket and card drive for the Montreal Children's Hospital and Autism Clinic of Montreal. The Huggies baskets contained new non-vio-

lent toys, games, books, and personalized cards created by the students. A memorable moment of the recent event was when former Laurier Macdonald student Carlo Monaco, a cancer survivor, visited the hospital where he had spent over a year in. The project originated at Michelangelo International Academy in RDP Spiritual Community Animator Vince Lacroce and Cycle I teacher Sonia Arnoldo decided to come together to bring some cheer to Sabrina Di Giandomenico, a brain tumor patient at the hospital. Eventually, the project expanded to four East End EMSB schools, with the goal of creating Valentine's Day gift baskets for all children at the hospital.

13TH ANNUAL FRIENDS FOR THE CURE GALA For the 13th consecutive year, the Friends for the Cure Annual Gala turned out to be another big success. The recent edition on February 16 raised over $65,000 in support of POP (Peri Operative Program), an innovative program at Montreal General Hospital aimed at optimizing patients’ health before and after surgery. More than 860 guests attended the fundraiser held at Le Madison reception hall in St. Leonard, where participants danced the night away to tunes provided by the band Sophistoccasion. The Friends for the Cure committee is composed of a close-knit circle of friends who decided to make a positive difference in their community.

ASSOCIAZIONE FAMIGLIE AMBROSIANE DEL QUEBEC

San Biagio portato in processione dai suoi fedeli nella Chiesa del Monte Carmelo

Il Comitato Direttivo dell’Associazione Famiglie Ambrosiane del Québec, tiene a ringraziare tutti i paesani, membri ed amici per la loro partecipazione alla festa annuale in onore di San Biagio patrono e protettore di Sant’Ambrogio sul Garigliano.

I festeggiamenti hanno avuto luogo sabato 2 febbraio 2013 con circa 400 partecipanti.

Per iniziare, gli Ambrosiani fedeli al Santo hanno potuto prendere parte alla piccola processione tenutasi all’interno della chiesa del Monte Carmelo, con la partecipazione della famosa banda Gentile. In seguito, i fedeli hanno potuto assistere alla messa solenne, celebrata in onore di San Biagio, seguita dalla tradizionale benedizione della gola e distribuzione del pane benedetto.

Dopo la cerimonia religiosa, la serata è proseguita al Buffet LeRizz dove è stata servita una cena molto apprezzata. I partecipanti hanno anche potuto divertirsi e ballare con la musica e le canzoni del “The Grand Show Band” con i cantanti Cristina e Johnny Capobianco.

Quest’anno si è notato che, all’evento, si sono aggiunti tanti giovani delle nuove generazioni. Questo è motivo di grande sod-

disfazione, perché dimostra che si è sulla buona strada per fare avvicinare i giovani all’associazione, cosa ritenuta essenziale per assicurarne il futuro. L’invito ai giovani è quello di partecipare in maniera attiva e costante alle attività dell’associazione.

Immagine della statua di San Biagio, scortata dai Carabinieri; con a destra il Presidente (Joe Simeone) e a sinistra Vice-Presidente (Antonio Iannattone) dell’Associazione Famiglie Ambrosiane.

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FAVQ: CARNEVALE VENEZIANO 2013

À la santé de Dante Alighieri!

Ha avuto luogo presso Le Rizz la 25a edizione del Carnevale Veneziano a Montréal, organizzata dalla Federazione delle Associazioni Venete del Québec (FAVQ) in collaborazione con sette associazioni affiliate, il Centro di Cultura Veneta e il Coro Alpino Tre Venezie.

Quest’ultimo ha rallegrato i presenti con dei canti veneti. 380 persone, tra cui compaesani, amici e simpatizzanti, hanno partecipato a questo avvenimento in maschera. Uno dei momenti più spettacolari del carnevale è stato senz’altro la sfilata. Quest’anno, il primo premio (La Coppa del Consolato) è stato assegnato a Sandra Morellato e al figlio Andrea Geracimo dal console generale il dott. Enrico Padula e dal presidente della FAVQ Giovanni Dolfato. Il secondo premio (La Coppa del Centro di Cultura Veneta) è stato assegnato a Maria Elena e Lorenzo Dori dal direttore dell’Istituto Italiano di Cultura Martin Stiglio e dalla consultrice del Veneto Imelda Bisinella. Infine, il gruppo Tomiotto-Dorion si è aggiudicato il terzo premio consegnato dal presidente del Centro di Cultura Veneta Maria Elena Dori insieme agli animatori Piero Facchin e Antonio Gasparini. Ogni premiato ha ricevuto una pergamena e una bottiglia di spumante. Non sono mancati per i buongustai i famosi ‘galani’, dolci tipici della tradizione culinaria veneziana. Tra balli e tanto buon umore, la serata si è svolta all’insegna dei colori e delle tradizioni carnevalesche come le si festeggia da secoli a Venezia.

Invitée, Angela Minicucci (Présidente de la Casa d’Italia) et la comtesse Massimilla di Serego Alighieri

SALTERELLATA MARCHIGIANA

Par Gabriel Riel-Salvatore

Presso la sala ricevimenti Embassy Plaza a Laval, ha avuto luogo la Salterella di Carnevale dell’Associazione Regionale dei Marchigiani A.L.M.A. Canada. Uno dei momenti migliori della festa è stato quando sono entrati in sala gli Zanni: tipiche maschere indossate Da sinistra: Il presidente Anna Perrotti, insieme ai soci ottantenni Giuseppe per il carnevale in alcuni Sellitto, Remo Pulcini, Cicconi Rosalina, Pat Rosati, Livio Eusebi, Felice Ansuini, paesi della provincia di Rosanna Ansuini, Rosina Ortenzi, Antonio Di Iorio, Vincenza Campanelli e Ascoli Piceno; accompagGiuseppe Simoncelli. nate dall’organettista Pasquale De Carolis che suonava il Saltarello. Non è mancato il corteo della Quintana, una sfilata storica in costumi del medioevo che ricordano gli statuti della città di Ascoli Piceno. I costumi, che spiccavano per la loro eleganza, sono stati confezionati da Fiorina Ponzi Sellito e Maria Giobbi e le maschere artigianali da Emma Elizabeth Paliotti. Numerosi i giovani di origine marchigiana che hanno partecipato e rinsaldato il loro attaccamento alle tradizioni dei loro genitori e nonni. La serata è stata allietata da Disco Marino Productions e presentata dal giornalista Marco Luciani Castiglia.

Come vuole la tradizione, è stata consegnata una targa ricordo a undici soci ottantenni dell’Associazione ALMA. Sono stati serviti a tavola i ravioli di castagne e le olive farcite, Il corteo della Quintana e gli Zanni. specialità della gastronomia picena.

Grande soirée de délectation et de découverte à la Casa d’Italia en compagnie de la jeune comtesse Massimilla di Serego Alighieri de passage à Montréal en février dernier.

Ce ne sont pas que les seuls chants de la Divine comédie que l’illustre poète Dante Alighieri nous a légués à ce jour, mais le plus ancien vignoble de la région du Valpolicella Classico. Suite à son exil de Toscane vers la fertile région du Veneto, 21 générations d’Alighieri ont ainsi succédé sur ces terres le père de l’Italien moderne.

Habité par les Alighieri depuis 1353, le domaine du « Casal dei Ronchi » évoque également les effluves d’un divin nectar dont les caractéristiques sont aussi inspirantes que les louanges de Béatrice.

L’Amarone, vin phare de la région du Valpolicella aurait ainsi été baptisé en l’honneur du vignoble familial d’Armaron que la famille Alighieri, ou devrait-on dire Serego Alighieri, cultive depuis plus de six siècles. Car la célèbre propriété de Gargagnago porte désormais le nom de Possessioni Serego Alighieri.

Une joint-venture unit d’ailleurs ce vignoble historique à l’entreprise Masi depuis les années 1970. Deux collections distinctes, mais une signature semblable caractérisent les vins de la maison qui allient finesse et élégance à la distinction d’un si précieux passé.

Le grand cru Vaio Armaron 2005, dégusté sur place, avec ses notes racées, sapides et sucrées de cerises marasquins, de cacao et de figue séchée, semblait danser sur notre palais telles les syllabes d’une poésie dantesque.

Espérons, suite au succès de l’événement, que la Casa d’Italia inscrira plus fréquemment ce genre d’activités à sa programmation, ce qui risque à coup sûr de faire découvrir à un plus vaste public cette institution qui elle aussi, en quelque sorte, s’affiche comme une descendante directe du grand lettré Dante Alighieri!

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Second Annual Grand Saint Valentine Gala Christina & Johnny Capobianco's Second Annual Grand Saint Valentine Gala, held on February 16 at Centre des congrès et banquets Renaissance, was an evening filled with dancing, laughs and exquisite food, all for the benefit of Generations Foundation.

The foundation provides nutritious breakfasts, hot lunches and daily snacks to over 6,700 schoolchildren in 66 schools and 17 learning centres across Montreal.

With over 600 guests in attendance, the evening featured entertainment by the Grand Show Band, Fadi KOD, J Seven and comedian Joe Cacchione, MC for the evening.

After indulging in cocktails, guests were served an exquisite five-course meal with wine and open bar, and a delicious sweet table donated by Dopo Cena. The hall’s fantastic lighting, sound and audio-visuals were provided by SES and the beautiful decor by Elizabeth's Decor and More.

The second annual gala was a sweeping success with over $18,000 raised - more than double that of last year’s. "We are extremely grateful for the success of this gala.

We would like to thank everyone from sponsors to guests for believing in this cause and making it such a special night," said Christina Capobianco, co-founder.

A special thank you goes to Enrica Uva, Generations Foundation board member DJ Tony Laurelli and Sandro Clemente for all their hard work.

FCCI supports the Transcatheter Valve Program at McGill University Health Centre

FCCI Transcatherer Donation

The Italian-Canadian Community Foundation (FCCI) donated $50,000 to the Royal Victoria Hospital Foundation in support of the Transcatheter Valve Program at McGill University Health Centre, a research initiative promoted by Dr. Niccolò Piazza and Dr. Giuseppe Martucci. Dr. Piazza has clinical duties at the Royal Victoria Hospital and at the Montreal General Hospital. His clinical and research responsibilities focus primarily on valvular heart disease with particular interest in transcatheter aortic and mitral valve therapies. Carmine D’Argenio, FCCI President, said he was proud to support this major innovation and pointed out the FCCI’s commitment to combating cardiovascular diseases, which account for approximately one-third of all deaths in Canada each year. Funds raised at the 25th Annual Golf Tournament, under the honorary presidency of Giuseppe Borsellino and presidency of Silvio Sicoli, have made this donation possible. The formal presentation of the donation was held last December 11, 2012 during the FCCI’s Christmas Cocktail, in the presence of Gabriela Conte, Development Officer – Major Donations at the Royal Victoria Hospital Foundation.

JUST FOR KIDS FOUNDATION: DANCING WITH THE STARS The Just for Kids Foundation (JFK) held its 7th annual Dancing with the Stars gala event benefitting the Montreal Children’s Hospital on February 5 at the Telus Centre. The event, which was co-chaired by Heather Kugler and Norma D’Alesio, raised more than $400,000 for JFK Foundation. The volunteerbased organization purchases Female dancing stars from left: Claudia Panzera, vitally needed medical equipKirsten Stern and Tatiana Londono. ment for the Montreal Children’s Hospital (MCH). Both amateur and professional dancers thrilled and entertained a 400-plus crowd at the Telus Theatre as part of the “We Wanna Rock” theme night tailored after the reality hit TV show Dancing with the Stars. Performances kicked off with nine-year-old Charlotte Bloom Goldberg and her partner Marlon-Jacob Figueroa. For the dance competition, six “stars” (featuring a doctor and business owners) were paired with professionally trained dancers from the Centre Ballroom Dance Sport to perform a fabulous choreographed routine. This year’s stars included Dr. Alan Azuelos (JGH ER doctor) who was crowned the Male Winner of the evening, Tatiana Londono, Claudia Panzera, Peter “Happy Feet” Pickrell, Mark Smith and Kristy Stern who was crowned the Female Winner. The evening also featured two dance groups: Thunderstruck and Twisted Sista. Both teams ultimately tied. The panel of judges included Jean Marc Généreux, from So You Think You Can Dance Canada, Vince Guzzo and choreographer Connie Rotella. Radio personality Chantal Desjardins hosted the evening.

Rénovation Générale Nicola • Peinture intérieure de tout genre • Travaux de peinture spécialisés • Moulures / Bordures décoratives • Pose de gypse / Joints • Installation de porte de garage et moteurs électriques (Garaga)

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Sports

Collezione Mario Righini A lifelong passion housed in a medieval castle Photos & text by Alain Raymond

“The Mario Righini automobile collection is one of the finest private collections in Italy.

Would you like to visit?” asks Signora Adriana Zini, Director of Museo Casa Enzo Ferrari, in Modena. ow do you say “of course,” in Italian? Admittedly, I had never heard of the Righini Collection, but here I was the next morning, entering the 15th century castle of Panzano at Castelfranco Emilia, near Modena. As we wait in the inner court, a tall distinguished-looking gentleman greets us with a smile. “Io sono Mario Righini. Benvenuti in Italia,” says the charming host in a soft voice to the travelling journalist and his two friends. Luckily one of those friends is Salvatore Montana, from Saint-Jean-sur-Richelieu, Quebec, former Ferrari master race mechanic, who also serves as our interpreter.

“I will show you my collection,” indicates Signore Righini as he opens a large wooden door. My automotive heart must have stopped for a moment as I recognized the front end of the Alfa Romeo 8C 2300. “This particular car won the 1933 Targa Florio, the 72 km historic mountain race held in Sicily from 1906 to 1977,” explains our host. Beside this icon of the glorious 30s stands the modern version of the “Otto C”, a 2007 Alfa Romeo 8C Competizione. “I am totally committed to Alfa Romeo,” admits Mario

H

Righini, as he describes his beloved Alfa 8C 2300.

Raising my eyes from the pair of Alfas, I recognize in the semi-dark warehouse a yellow Ferrari.

“This is a 1953 Mondial Pinin Farina Spyder powered by a 4-cylinder 2 litre engine. Ferrari only built 31 Mondials.” Next to the amazing Mondial rests a 1946 Cisitalia D46. Then a 1938 BMW 328. A red Ferrari 365 GTB/4 Daytona. Lamborghini’s first, the 350 GT. A blue metallic Mercedes 300 SL Roadster.

An awesome world-championship Lancia Stratos. A rally-winning Fiat-Abarth 124. A superb Alfa Romeo Giulia TZ … My automotive heart must have stopped several times before I finished drooling on the dozen or so great sports and racing cars stored in this medieval warehouse.

The final surprise comes as we step out into the sunshine: “Would you like to visit the rest of the collection?” asks Signore Righini. “You mean there is

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Entering the main hall of the Righini Collection.

Row after row of historic machinery.

One of the most important cars in the collection, the only remaining Auto Avio Costruzioni Typo 815, the first car built by Enzo Ferrari before creating his own brand. This car won the 1940 Mille Miglia, driven by legendary Alberto Ascari.

A jewel in the Righini crown, the delightful Alfa Romeo 8C 2300 driven to victory at the 1933 Targa Florio and the Monza Grand Prix by Tazio Nuvolari, the “Flying Mantouan.”

more?” “A few more,” replies the smiling gentleman as he opens huge double pane wooden doors.

Row after row of historic automobiles, most of them in their original un-restored condition. Lancia, Bugatti, Rolls Royce, Fiat, Stanguellini, Ford, Ansaldo (don’t ask), Itala, OM, Isotta Fraschini, and Alfa Romeos in great numbers, including a 1929 Alfa Romeo 6C GT Compressore, Benito Mussolini’s private car!

How did all this happen? “Well, my family has been in the recycling business for several decades, and during World War II, on the request of the Italian government, we tore down thousands of old vehicles in order to recycle the steel and other valuable material. But my father had the foresight to keep significant vehicles that passed through our scrap yard. After the war, I continued the business, which is still active today, and I began adding to the collection. Of course, I favour legendary Italian cars, but I also collect cars, trucks, motorcycles and airplanes from other nationalities. It’s a lifelong passion that I enjoy sharing with visitors like you.”

After a while, Signore Righini excuses himself: “I have to meet a group of students, so I will ask my assistant to show you the Motorcycle collection.”

Following our new guide across the large flowering yard, we stop by a large covered object. Removing the tarp reveals the one and only 1912 Fiat Chiribiri, the land-speed record car powered by a huge seven litre aircraft engine. “It is in working condition, but we are careful when we start it up so as not to damage our eardrums”.

Then comes the motorcycle collection in an adjacent building, from early Vespa scooters to World War II military Italian and German motorcycles to racing bikes, lined up one beside the other in what used to be the castle’s flour mill. “There is still more…” explains Signore Righini’s assistant “trucks and airplanes…”

Having already spent a good part of the morning, we unfortunately have to leave this treasure trove on our way to another event of our memorable tour of Terra di Motori. Grazie mille, Signore Righini, for your hospitality and for safeguarding so many memorable machines for future generations to appreciate.

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This original 1946 Cisitalia D46 powered by a Fiat 1100 cc engine was designed by Dante Giacosa, the famous engineer who designed many Fiat greats such as the legendary 500 Topolino and its successor, the timeless Fiat 500 Cinquecento.

Who would guess that this modest looking tricycle with its small trailer is one of the first motorized vehicles designed and built by Ettore Bugatti?

This fearsome “cigar” on four wheels is the unique Fiat Chiribiri powered by a 7-litre 300-horsepower aircraft engine capable of reaching 300 km/h (186 mph).

Running on wooden wheels, this car broke the world record for the timed kilometre from a flying start at 160 km/h.

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Sports

Claudio Ortu

La storia di Andrea Pisanu, nuovo acquisto dell’Impact di Montréal, è legata alla fortuna, alla casualità sfacciata che può premiarti o abbatterti. Poteva essere una favola, ma il destino, l’imponderabile, aveva riservato altro per il talento sardo. ra considerato la nuova stella del calcio italiano. Ha iniziato a Cagliari, una provincia dell’impero calcistico nostrano, e con le scarpette in valigia ha cominciato a viaggiare molto presto. Andava a Coverciano per vestire la maglia azzurra delle varie selezioni giovanili. Da protagonista, naturalmente.

Giampiero Ventura scelse l’occasione migliore per presentare il talentuoso attaccante cagliaritano al calcio che conta. Era il 20 settembre del 1998. Lo stadio: il Delle Alpi di Torino.

L’avversario: la Juventus. Ha esordito in Serie A a soli 16 anni. Prima di lui è successo a giocatori come Totti, Maldini, Rivera. Insomma, prometteva grandi cose.

Poi, inizia la dura gavetta. Il Cagliari Calcio lo manda “a farsi le ossa” - per i non addetti ai lavori: a crescere, a maturare - in Serie C1, a Siena. Andrea mette i suoi sogni in valigia e parte. È giovane, corre, s’impegna. Ci si mette l’imponderabile, però, a rendergli la strada difficile. S’infortuna al ginocchio destro, ma recupera. Dimostra di essere un professionista, a Siena come a Verona o a Varese. Non

E

molla. Alza la testa e riparte.

Nel 2003, la svolta. Il crac della Parmalat, una delle più grandi aziende d’Europa, costringe il Parma Calcio al fallimento. Si rinizia da capo. Giocatori nuovi, motivati e in grado di sostenere un campionato di Serie A. Il telefono di Andrea squilla. Da Parma arriva un’offerta. Bassa, bassissima, per il valore del giocatore. Deve rispondere nel giro di qualche ora. Accetta la scommessa. Si ritorna nel campionato che conta.

Arrivato a Parma, Andrea disfa le valigie. Si sente a casa, lì. È a suo agio con i compagni, con la Società e con i tifosi. Ma è con la città che nasce un feeling particolare.

Gira con la bicicletta per le piccole vie del centro, saluta, sorride e chiacchiera. “Ciao, Andrea!” – esclamano i parmigiani quando lo vedono. Sì, perché lui non è Pisanu “il calciatore”, è un parmigiano adesso, uno di loro. Semplicemente, Andrea.

Sta bene e si sente bene. Tanto che cambia ruolo. Da attaccante diventa esterno di centrocampo. Evoluzione di testa e di gambe. Vuole riprendersi quell’occasione che troppo spesso gli è sfuggita: diventare un protagonista del calcio italiano.

Tanta corsa, tanto sacrificio e diversi gol. Il fiuto dell’attaccante non l’ha perso, soprattutto in Coppa UEFA. Quell’anno, il Parma raggiunge la semifinale.

Tra alti e bassi dovuti a qualche infortunio arriva la stagione 2007-2008. Esaltante.

Prestazioni di grande qualità e notevole quantità. Impressi ancora oggi nei ricordi dei

Andrea!

Bienvenue,

tifosi crociati i gol al Milan, in un San Siro pieno di campioni, e alla Juventus, in un Tardini caldissimo.

Protagonista Andrea lo è diventato. Lo dicono le intenzioni di Roberto Mancini. L’ex allenatore dell’Inter lo voleva con lui. Era diventato un uomo d’esperienza e con quella corsa e quella qualità sarebbe stato utilissimo. A giugno dello stesso anno, Roberto Mancini viene esonerato. Tutto salta. Come il ginocchio di Andrea, il sinistro.

Durante il recupero, al Parma arrivano giocatori di indiscutibile valore. Reginaldo e Morfeo insidiavano il posto che Andrea si era sudato in tutti quegli anni. Ma è felice e il progetto emiliano gli piace. Rinnova il contratto fino al 2013.

Poi, arriva Guidolin. Il suo 3-5-2 non è il modulo ideale per il numero 11 crociato.

Sta fuori troppo spesso. Si allena, sta bene, ma non gioca. Vedere i compagni dalle tribune è una sensazione strana per lui. Quando sei abituato a stare sempre lì, nella mischia, stare a guardare è dura.

Andrea riprende quella valigia lasciata nell’armadio tanti anni fa e parte, ancora. Ma non è solo adesso. Ha una famiglia, con una splendida bambina, Adele, e una bellissima moglie, Costanza, che gli ha regalato serenità durante quei mesi difficili.

Non va lontano, giusto 100 km più a sud: a Bologna.

Parentesi complessa, quella bolognese. Non fa per lui. La stagione scorsa, a trent’anni, cambia, rischia. Scende di categoria. Indossa la maglia del Prato in Lega Pro. Come d’abitudine, tanto impegno, corsa e serietà.

11 gol e obiettivo stagionale raggiunto. Ancora da protagonista.

Con la sua solita valigia, arriva al Pierre Elliott Trudeau di Montréal, il 13 gennaio, per indossare la maglia blu dell’Impact. Qui ha ritrovato l’ex compagno del Bologna, Marco Di Vaio e Alessandro Nesta e Matteo Ferrari, tra i migliori giocatori del nostro calcio.

Ha scoperto una Società seria, con progetti ambiziosi, che lo fa sentire a casa. Gli Ultrà lo riconoscono già per il campione che è.

Se doveste vederlo in giro per Montréal, fategli sentire l’affetto della città.

Quest’estate, quando passerà con la sua bicicletta, salutatelo. Quel ragazzo riservato vi ripagherà con un sorriso sincero.

“Bienvenue, Andrea!”

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Saint-Léonard Cougars

By Jonathan De Sua

A winning tradition

When one thinks of organized sports among Italian-Canadian youth in Montreal, football may not necessarily be the first thing that comes to mind. The prevalence of soccer and hockey seem to garner quite a bit more attention than football – but perhaps it shouldn’t. Since 1985, the SaintLéonard Cougars have become an institution in football locally as well as throughout the country. he dissolution of the Montreal Junior Alouettes in the mid ’80s left a void for young Montrealers aspiring to play football. Tony Iadeluca Sr. (who had been coaching football at Laurier Macdonald High School for several years) saw an opportunity to found a team which would thrive in its community. Along with cofounders Claudio Iadeluca (his brother) and Alfonso Monaco, the three created the St-Léonard Cougars and have continued to run it now for 29 years.

The Cougars’ Junior club took off quickly, eventually choosing to play in the Ontario Football Conference of the Canadian Junior Football league rather than the Quebec Junior Football League, deeming it to be, as Claudio puts it, “of a higher caliber.” They remain the only team from Quebec to play in the OFC – and not only do they play, but they excel, dominating a full decade between 2000-2009, including eight straight championships and two finals. This unprecedented run saw the Cougars reach the Canadian Bowl (the national championships) three times and solidified them as a dynasty in the OFC. As impressive as the Juniors are, however, they are just a contributing factor to what makes the Cougars a dynasty to Montrealers – Italian or otherwise. “We’re so proud that the success of our juniors has allowed us to build up a football program which includes youth from the ages of 7 to 17,” says Tony ladeluca.

The Cougars boast a wealth of accolades acquired throughout their clubs from Atome to Midget and the famous Juniors. However, as is usually the case, accolades aren’t everything. What’s most impressive about the Cougars isn’t necessarily represented by medals and trophies.

While teams among other organized sports might be able to compare to the Cougars’ consistency for enrollment at all ages, few can compare to the level of commitment and pride exemplified by its participants. Players, parents and family

T

alike all seem to become lifelong members as they climb the ranks and grow together throughout each program of play. The closeness of its founding family seems to radiate throughout the Cougars and its community, creating a unique tight-knit atmosphere for all who participate. A visit to a Juniors’ game on a Saturday night reveals how easy it is to be caught up in the contagious energy of the club.

In the heart of St-Léonard, Stade Hébert fills up slowly with familiar faces, many of which wear sport team colours. Overlooked by the Metropolitain (Highway 40) and banners from the variety of sponsors who support the Cougars, the pristine field and cozy stadium likely appears to be anything but to the visiting team. There’s a competitive feeling in the air as Gold Members, alumni and parents talk stats. Generations of Iadelucas and an extended family of volunteers help the show run seamlessly, under Tony and Alfonso’s gaze, fixed on the game and Claudio’s warm voice on the P.A., calling out the downs.

This sense of community appears to be the Cougars’ greatest accolade.

Participation in the team, in fact, spans well beyond the 7 to 17 year-old bracket.

Coaches, volunteers and fans at all levels comprise proud alumni and generations of faithful.

After the game, the field empties slowly as all the familiar faces catch up, talk about the game and exchange “see-you-nexttimes.” Claudio jokes, “I was here yesterday; I’ll be here tomorrow. You see that cabin there? I sleep there.” Funny enough, this sentiment is a fitting example of a community’s deep commitment to a tradition which has become ingrained not only in St-Léonard, but in all of Italian Montreal.

Founders (left to right): Alfonso Monaco, Tony Iadeluca and Claudio Iadeluca

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Offert aux magasins Bell suivants: DORION 3120, boul. de la Gare 450 455-7200

LAVAL 1655, boul. St-Martin 450 680-1010 Carrefour Laval 450 681-3344 Centre Laval 450 680-2355 Le Centre Duvernay 450 664-1313

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MONTRÉAL Boul. Décarie (angle Jean-Talon) 514 739-7777 Place Versailles 514 353-8847

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ST-LAURENT La Place Vertu 514 335-2355

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