Panoram Italia Luxury Edition 2004

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publisher’s note

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elcome to the third issue of PanoramItalia, a magazine that embraces the multi-layered Italian culture, showcasing the work of dozens of dedicated men and women in our creative, dynamic community. These individuals – coming from different walks of life but sharing the same rich heritage – proudly contribute to PanoramItalia a great deal of that inimitable Italian ‘passione’: a seasoned university professor acquaints us with the Marche, our featured region; a young cook offers us a favorite recipe; a fashion designer tells us her story. These are just a handful of articles and features we are delighted to include in the Spring 2004 issue of PanoramItalia.

The Italian community embodies the spirit of a diverse group of people, from the experienced entrepreneurs to the talented young people on the rise, who are our role models of the future.

This time around, PanoramItalia is thrilled to have the support of the small businesses, in addition to the usual medium and large-sized companies. Whether we are dealing with a large, long-established corporation or a small, growing enterprise, the advertising in this magazine is always first-class, thanks to a talented team of visual artists who expect nothing but the best from themselves and from our advertisers.

Our relationship with our advertisers and their enthusiasm and desire to make use of PanoramItalia as a chic, eyecatching vehicle to display their own respectable place of business continue to be mutually beneficial. PanoramItalia is truly a collective endeavor.

This time, we are expanding our readership by mailing copies of the magazine to 10,000 homes, which make up one-third of the Italian community. The other 25,000 copies will be distributed through our usual network of contacts. For the first time this year, we will also be adding a Fall/Winter issue; we have included subscription forms, which will allow our readers to purchase the next two issues at a very reasonable rate (thereby ensuring that they receive PanoramItalia at home) while giving them the opportunity to lend their support and play a part in the continued success of this elegant, high-quality publication.

We warmly thank our readers for their hundreds of letters, which were filled with nothing but praise and exuberance for PanoramItalia’s last two issues.

Tony Zara

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envenuti alla terza edizione di PanoramaItalia, una rivista che incorpora il caleidoscopico sostrato culturale italiano rappresentato dall'opera di un gruppo di uomini e donne uniti nello spirito creativo e dinamico della nostra comunita'. Provenienti da esperienze professionali differenti che fatalmente hanno loro donato un'invidiabile ricchezza interiore, questi individui hanno contribuito con fierezza al compimento dell'inimitabile Passione Italiana: un carismatico professore universitario ci trasporta nelle sue Marche, un giovane cuoco ci offre la tipica ricetta preferita, una stilista racconta la sua storia di successo. Questi sono solo alcuni degli articoli e del materiale artistico siamo lieti di offrirVi in questa edizione primaverile 2004 di PanoramaItalia.

La comunita' italiana e' rappresentata da colori, emozioni, persone differenti; dall'imprenditore affermato, ai giovani di talento all'inizio della loro carriera in cui riconosciamo il modello di un grande futuro. In questa nuova edizione di PanoramaItalia, siamo anche fieri di avere il supporto delle piccole imprese, per completare quell'immagine di veicolo di successo utilizzato dalle medie e grandi attivita' imprenditoriali. Una cura particolare e' sempre dedicata ai messaggi pubblicitari all'interno della rivista, oggetto di studio visuale ed artistico e frutto dell'eccellente lavoro congiunto dei nostri artisti e dei nostri sostenitori.

Un supporto che si basa sulla mutua consapevolezza di creare un prodotto d'eccellenza, concepito e veicolato per ottenere il massimo profitto reciproco di immagine e realta'. Panoramaitalia e' il risultato di un entusiasmo comune che si esprime con una sola, splendida voce che spesso parla italiano.

Sotto la spinta dell'acclamato successo delle scorse edizioni, abbiamo deciso di allargare la distribuzione a 10,000 residenze raggiungendo quasi un terzo della comunita' italiana, mantenendo ed aumentando la usuale distribuzione di 25,000 copie attraverso la rete di conoscenze e di estimatori nel territorio Canadese. Per la prima volta saremo anche capaci di produrre una seconda edizione annuale, con i colori dell'autunno.

Troverete all'interno della rivista la sottoscrizione per l'acquisto delle prossime due edizioni; la garanzia ad un costo limitato di ricevere le copie al vostro domicilio e l'opportunita' di contribuire ad un prodotto che esprime l'eleganza e lo stile dell'arte comunicativa e del successo di un contenuto sincero e di qualita'.

Un caloroso ringraziamento ai nostri lettori per le centinaia di lettere piene di affettuosi complimenti e la richiesta pressante di continuare sempre con gioia ed entusiasmo alla realizzazione di una nuova splendida, amata e gelosamente custodita copia di PanoramaItalia.

Antonio Zara

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Spring

2004

14 Tour Artistique

21

18 Now That’s History

21

80

Le Marche

32 Stuffed Olives

34 Mama’s Cantina - Sopressata

39 EchoItalia

32

50

42 Full Circle

50 Balancing Act

58 Joe Morena - The Bagel Man

62 From Montreal to Rome

58

34

68 I am Italian

71 Up & Coming Young Chef

74 Success According to Joseph Sorbara

75 Fiercely Canadian, Proud of our Heritage

76

42

Young Dynamic Business Woman

78 From a Train Window - Pier 21

82 Memories of a Train Ride from Halifax Pier 21

84 Tony’s Story

89 Soccer - Passion

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contributors

Founding Editor / Publisher: Tony Zara Editor: Nadia Signorino Graphic design : CASSI DESIGN (514) 327-4404 www.cassidesign.com Conceptual Photographer Geraldo Pace (514) 335-1013 www.geraldo-pace.com Printer : Accent Impression Inc. (514) 337-7870 www.accentimpression.com Paper: Chorus Art Silk, Cover & Text Cartiere Burgo

PANORAMITALIA

2004

9300 Henri-Bourassa West, Suite 100 Ville St. Laurent (Qc) H4S 1L5 Tel.: 514-337-7870 / Fax: 514-337-6180 or by e-mail at : info@panoramitalia.com We look forward to hearing from you!

Publications Mail Agreement # 40981004 Return undeliverable Canadian addresses to circulation dept.

9300 Henri-Bourassa West, Suite 100 Ville St. Laurent (Qc) H4S 1L5 e-mail: info@panoramitalia.com

Tony Zara publisher of Panoramitalia, was born in Guglionesi, Campobasso in 1954.

He immigrated to Canada in 1962 along with his parents, Adamo and Giulia, and his younger brother, Peter. A graduate of Concordia University (1977), he worked in the industry for Xerox Canada and Kodak Canada before starting his own commercial printing company in 1989.

While being president of Accent Impression Inc. is a truly rewarding experience, his true passion is flying the Italian flag as high as possible through PANORAMITALIA. Writer: Filippo Salvatore Associate professor of Italian Studies at Concordia University in Montreal, Filippo Salvatore received his Ph.D. from Harvard University. He is a specialist in Italian cinema, which he taught for ten years at the University of Montreal. He is the author of many books, four of which are Antichi e Moderni in Italia nel 600 (1987), Le cinéma de Paul Tana (1997) in collaboration with Anna Gural-Migdal, Fascism and the Italians of Montreal (1998), and Ancient Memories, Modern Identities, Italian Roots in Contemporary Canadian Authors (1999), and editor of the volume I, Protagonisti Italiani di Montreal (2000).

Born in Parma in 1969, Ignazio Blanco, holds a Doctorate degree in Economy and a Master’s in Marketing. After having worked in the industrial sector in Europe, he was transferred to Canada in 1998, to manage operations for an Italian-based company. Since 2000, he is the General Director of Alfagomma Canada.

Pino Asaro has been a contributor to such high profile auto racing and sports publications as Autosprint, Guerino Sportivo, Rombo, La Gazzetta dello Sporto, and The Gazette since 1976.

Pino was also the host of TeleItalia’s ‘‘SportSette’’ and a soccer analyst at TQS. Born in Montreal Nadia Signorino studied literature and creative writing, she loves books and movies, singing pretend opera off-key and dancing while doing housework, baking, cooking – and especially eating – multi-course dinners with loved ones, and everything about being part of Montreal’s rich, multicultural community.

Since she first learned to speak, Shauna Hardy has adored talking to people, telling stories, and sharing her opinions.

She’ll lecture you on fashion, share a killer Portobello mushroom recipe, and critique Nanni Moretti’s latest film in a single breath. When she’s not running around town trying to find the perfect cappuccino, this freelance journalist is busy working for several publications including The New Canadian Reporter, Montreal FASHION and of course, Panoramitalia!

From brand identities to communications brochures, web sites to packaging concepts, big projects or small, Cassi Design has devoted itself to delivering design excellence. Founded in 1995 by Julie Siciliano and Flano Castelli, Cassi Design is a full-service agency with an intimate studio culture. Its talented staff have made it their goal to provide the highest quality of service. Attention to detail, unique marketing and design experience and highly creative minds are what makes the Cassi team so special. We are thankful to our prestigious clients for their continued support. At Cassi Design, we’re crafting communications!

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letters to the publisher Thanks for the wonderful magazine! The quality of the photos, articles and overall presentation were superb. Years ago, one of my attending physicians at McGill hospital was raving about Italy, I finally said, “ I bet you wish you had been born Italian.” He thought about it for a few seconds and answered, “You’re right.” If my Dad were alive he would have loved the magazine. I am certain you will be receiving tons of positive feedback from Italophiles and Italians alike.

Keep up the terrific work.

Silvana

I would like to CONGRATULATE all of you for the beautiful magazine that I read from front page to last page. I read both of them and was very impressed and proud of your fantastic work of art. I am always proud of being Italian. I started to read in Italian when my parents received the Corriere Italiano, and then attended Italian school on Saturday morning, this year I will be fifty years old, and am very happy to see that the Italian culture is still living.

VIVA L’ITALIA! Rosa DeVito Ferrara

I discovered your 2003 “Panoramitalia” magazine and I love it! I am a second generation Italian Canadian. Not only were the articles close to my heart but the quality of your magazine is superb. I am interested in acquiring the 2002 edition if it is still available, if not, I am looking forward to the 2004 edition.

Thank you and keep up the great work!

Linda Nucci

I caught a glimpse of your magazine from a friend who was leafing through it, and I loved it. I’m an Italian teacher at Dawson College and I feel that our students would benefit from reading your magazine.

Francesca Barreca

I recently picked up the Panoramitalia 2002 Edition at a doctor’s office. I could not put it down and was tempted to bring it home, but didn’t.

Sonia De Meo I just obtained your latest edition of Panoramitalia. I am very impressed with the magazine and I was wondering if you could send me a copy of last year’s edition?

Anna Giampa Please accept my sincere congratulations for your work with Panoramitalia. I read with avid interest your second edition and was most impressed not only with its content, but also with the quality of the magazine’s graphic design. Every single page catches the eye of the reader and such profiles like the one on the life of Salvatore Parasuco struck a personal chord in me. My own experience as an Italian immigrant from Calabria coming to Canada at the age of 9 was similar in many ways to Mr. Parasuco’s. Like him, I have worked my way up in the world to achieve success in the artistic community, respect in the music industry, but best of all, I have retained my pride and ambition of being Italian.

Aldo Mazza Caro Tony Ti ringrazio per l’invio delle copie di Panoramitalia 2003. Bravissimo! Un abbraccio.

Saluti a tuo padre, a tuo fratello ed a tutti.

Zio Peppino

Hi! A friend lent me your 2003 edition to read a particular article, and I was so impressed by the layout, photography and above all your stories. They reflect the same feelings and experiences my parents went through when arriving here over 50 years ago! Congratulations, your magazine exhibits the true Italian passion!

Mary

J’ai reçu par des voisins italiens la brochure “Panoramitalia”. Italophile moi-même étant marié depuis 47 ans à la fille d’un immigrant de la 1ère guerre et soeur de feu le délégué du Québec en Italie de 1979 à 1985, Monsieur Jean Martucci. Félicitations pour cette magnifique brochure, autant par la qualité de ses illustrations et de sa publicité que par la rédaction de ses articles dont les textes sont remarquables, au point de vue histoire des immigrants débarqués du Saturnia à Halifax que par les articles sur les régions de la Sicile. Il me ferait plaisir de recevoir le prochain numéro de votre publication et si le 1èr numéro était encore disponible, en recevoir une copie en déboursant quelques dollars. Avec mon épouse et mon beau-frère délégué en Italie nous avons visité votre pays natal, nous y avons parcouru plus de 12,000 kilomètres durant trois semaines. Nous y sommes revenues enchantés.

Comme les Italiens qui retournent aux sources, nous sommes nés mon épouse et moi dans le quartier de la petite Italie que nous fréquentons pour leurs commerces, leurs restaurants et aussi pour sa chaleur humaine.

Merci d’avoir pris le temps de me lire et bonne chance dans votre entreprise de la part de mon épouse Giulia Martucci et de moi-même.

Noël Gravel

My name is Antonella Presti. The other day, my mother brought me Volume II of Panoramitalia “The new emerging Italians.”

I really liked the idea behind the title of this issue because I relate to it in many ways.

Also, I loved the section that was made on Sicily. My parents immigrated from Italy and my father is Sicilian. I’ve never been to Sicily and it felt good reading about my background on each province! I just wanted to say that the team behind Panoramitalia did a good job on this issue!

Antonella Presti

G E R A L D O

P A C E

Conceptual Photographer TĂŠl.: 514.335.1013 www.geraldo-pace.com

H A I L TO T H E K I N G !

Although it originated from India, the basil plant is the A few days later, she noticed that the devastated basil true ambassador of Italian cuisine. Derived from the plant had started to sprout new leaves. Her prayers had Greek word meaning king, this regal herb is a welcome been answered! addition to almost any dish from sandwiches to pasta Throughout my operation and subsequent recuperation, sauces, soups to salads. An Italian kitchen is practically the basil plant kept flourishing and growing. It had naked without it! But our love of basil goes beyond it’s turned into a thing of absolute beauty! For six incredible peppery taste, the plant is also a symbol of passion, months, it sat regally in a clay pot, my mother carefully health and well-being. ministering to it as if she were a Bonsai master cultivating My acquaintance with the plant’s mystical curative a 300-year-old tree. The plant became a new addition to powers began last Spring when I went to cook lunch our family with a distinctive personality all of its own. for my 82-year-old mother. Along with a bottle of wine It was so adored that my mother refused to sacrifice a and my home-made pasta, I picked up a small basil single leaf to a cooking pot. plant from the supermarket to flavour my sauce. There The plant that you see on the cover is my mother’s were only four little leaves left on that tiny plant by the miracle plant. Shortly after it dropped its last leaf, my time I’d finished with it. Not having the heart to throw mother’s health began to fail and she was admitted to it out, I left it on my mother’s kitchen counter. the hospital. I pinned a copy of the photo to the wall Shortly after our visit, I became terribly ill. As you well beside her hospital bed, praying for a miracle of my know, a sick son is a heavy weight for an adoring Italian own. But the plant’s curative powers could not help her mother to bear. Convinced that I - Ida Di Fiore passed away on was going to die, she prayed to March 2nd, 2004.

The magical effects of the basil plant God, asking for a sign for my are deeply entrenched in our culture, immediate recovery. according to legend it is a symbol of

eternal devotion.This cover is inspired by a mother’s love - that boundless intense energy that truly can produce miracles.

— Geraldo Pace

13

Every journey to Italy

14

is always a

tour artistique A trip to Italy is always a tour artistique. There are so many artistic treasures and of such quality that to describe Italy as an open-air art gallery in its own right is hardly an exaggeration. No other country in the world can vaunt the same treasures of culture and art as Italy. Indeed, half of the world's historic and artistic assets are within its boundaries (UNESCO).

Found almost everywhere and referring to every historical era, they are preserved and protected in hundreds of archaeological sites and over 3,000 museums scattered throughout the country.

Tourists, visitors and academics alike may admire and study these remnants - large and small - of centuries gone by. Theatres and other buildings date back to Greek and Roman times; whole cities, roads and districts once buried have today been returned to the light by patient and skilful excavations; temples, statues, coins, inscriptions, and objects of daily use. In Italy an exceptionally rich store of memories await to remind us all of Europe's past.

The imposing and often elegantly embellished Romanesque and Gothic cathedrals - built after the eleventh century - are found mainly in the Centre and North.4

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Those who exemplified the medieval period have become icons of culture itself; Leonardo da Vinci, Michelangelo Buonarroti, Masaccio, Botticelli, Piero della Francesca, Mantegna, Donatello, Raffaello, Antonello da Messina, Bramante, Correggio, Tintoretto, Giorgione, Lotto.

4 The ancient religious architecture in the

known as the world's greatest exponents

result as an expression of the breathtak-

southern regions amounts instead to an

of artistic genius.

ing creativity. For the arts and architec-

enthralling crucible of Byzantine, Muslim and Norman elements. In all the regions, then, in every city and town we will find relics - from buildings to the personal affects - of a deeply rooted artistic tradition that is spread throughout Italy.

Their works are the source of a constant attraction for tourists and academics alike, people who are curious to unveil something of the secrets of that art which, even if produced today, would

great

men

of

the

enterprising bourgeoisie, succeeded in

Renaissance culture placed man and the

radically changing forever the way of

secular world again at the centre of the

thinking, living and creating. The great

Universe after the marginal position

Renaissance season left its magnificent

Man was afforded with respect to the

marks everywhere in Italy, not only in

gods during the difficult centuries of the

the great cities like Florence, Rome,

medieval period. Those who exemplified

Venice, Milan and Naples but also in

it and have become icons of culture itself

many other centres of Italy's regions.

are Leonardo da Vinci, Michelangelo

Paintings, statues, churches, buildings,

Buonarroti, Masaccio, Botticelli, Piero

palaces and fountains: a sparkling series

della Francesca, Mantegna, Donatello,

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scholars like Machiavelli, poets like

shared and supported by a rich and

European civilisation as a whole. The

Correggio,

entists like Copernico and Galilei,

vision of the world and society that was

influenced the history of culture and

Bramante,

Bruno and Tommaso Campanella, sci-

Renaissance who, with their modern

15th century and which profoundly

da

creativity. Philosophers like Giordano

Monteverdi:

movement which began in Italy in the

Antonello

with masterpieces, inventive genius and

Ariosto, musicians like Palestrina and

Renaissance art was the great cultural

Raffaello,

ture, the Renaissance is synonymous

of signs through which the visitor can

Messina,

ideally reconstruct a civilisation that

Tintoretto,

really did change the world. g

Giorgione, Lotto - all artists, sculptors,

Lorenzo Lotto

painters or architects who have become

Ange le l’Annonciation

Source: ENIT

Fontana Dei Fiumi 1651 - Piazza Navona

Now that's History It's a long story! Italy as a geographical area was mentioned as far back as during the age of the highly civilised Etruscan people, as is borne out by the manuscripts kept in some museums, especially in Tuscany and Latium. These in fact were the regions where most Etruscan settlements are found, although they also populated Umbria, Campania and some zones of what is now Emilia Romagna and Lombardy.

Then came the Romans who, starting from the 3rd century BC, unified the whole peninsula under their dominion (and indeed most of Europe in general).

Tempio D ella For tuna. Rome

The word Italia appears on a coin dating back to the 1st century BC which was minted by the confederation of the Italic peoples who rose up against Rome. The coin was found in the region of Abruzzo in Corfinio, the ancient Corfinium, capital of the confederation with the name of Italica. The long Roman domination (from the 3rd century BC to the 5th century AD) has left an indelible mark in Italy with its roads, aqueducts, temples, monuments, towns and cities, bridges, theatres and so on - all relics and memories of a past that is remote and yet also very present, a past that can be seen in every part of the country.

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Antique Rome

After the fall of the Roman Empire, Italy was invaded and dominated for centuries by foreign populations, especially in the south and Sicily. Thanks to the success of independent city states in the Centre and North such as Venice, Florence, Siena, Genoa, and Milan, Italy nevertheless became a flourishing and civilised country of trade and the arts. Later however, the small independent states could not hold out against the invasions of the great states of Spain and Austria.

Only the small kingdom of Piedmont remained independent and after the interlude of Napoleon's occupation it became the "driving force" behind il Risorgimento, the great movement that led to the unification of Italy in 1870 under the Royal House of Savoia. After the Second World War, in 1946 a popular referendum abolished the monarchy and proclaimed Italy a Republic.

The rest is the history of recent times. An on-going, fascinating story to follow always.

Is Rome in Latium or Campania? Is Milan in Veneto or Lombardy? Easy to answer for Italians perhaps, but for the rest of us it may be tricky to connect Rome, Naples, Florence, Milan and Venice with their respective regions of Latium, Campania, Lombardy and Veneto. Perhaps Tuscany is the exception in this regard as it has tradi-

tionally enjoyed a special relationship with foreigners, the British Isles and North America in particular. The holiday that British Prime Minister Tony Blair took in Tuscany in the summer of '98 has further fortified this bond. So how can we start talking about the regions? To start with, they are main territorial administrative divisions of the Italian state and there are 20 of them: Abruzzo, Basilicata, Calabria, Campania, Emilia-Romagna, Friuli-Venezia Giulia, Latium, Liguria, Lombardy, Marche, Molise, Piedmont, Apulia, Sardinia, Sicily, Tuscany, Trentino-Alto Adige, Umbria, the Aosta Valley, and Veneto. Each has accumulated a historical, artistic and cultural heritage of extraordinary value over time that offers an attractive alternative to the great art cities. So why not come and venture into an Italy which, when stepping off the beaten track of the main tourism flows, is practically unknown. The Italy of the regions: more Italy than ever before! g

Source: ENIT

Life should be a masterpiece

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Le Marche

by Filippo Salvatore

“Le Marche” region is part of Central Italy and has a charming blend of northern atmosphere and southern charm. Sea, mountains and hilly rural landscapes dominate its geography and these three aspects have shaped the temperament of its population.

In this issue, PanoramItalia has chosen to present another of the twenty administrative regions of Italy: “Le Marche”, a distillation of Italy. Author Guido Piovene, in his book Viaggio in Italia (1957), defined “Le Marche” as being Italy in one region: “if one had to decide which Italian landscape was the most typical, one would have to choose the Marche… Italy, with its range of landscapes, is a distillation of the world; the Marche is a distillation of Italy.” Giosué Carducci, Nobel Prize Winner and one of the great poets of 19th century Italy, described “Le Marche” in these terms: “This land blessed by God is full of beauty, variety, liberty, with protecting mountains slowly lowering towards the sea, an embracing sea, with greeting, rising hills and shining valleys.”

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Le Marche Th e i n f i d e l i ta s m a r c h i a n o r u m 4

Giacomo Leopardi (1798-1837), born in Recanati in the Marche, and Dante Alighieri, the greatest of all Italian poets, had this to say in defining the temperament of the marchigiani: “They are the shrewdest and the most ingenious of all the Italians.

As one sets foot in the Marche one notices a sharper, more animated character, a more penetrating gaze than their neighbors’ and more so than the Romans’, although they live in a great capital.” For centuries, this region has been under the temporal rule of the popes. Two key figures that shaped its political and administrative organization have been Pope Innocenzo VI (1352), who preferred to go back to Rome from Avignon, and Cardinal E. Albornoz, who managed to pacify a land wanted by many, too many warring lords. What the popes often stressed as the infidelitas marchianorum – a negative trait – is, on the contrary, considered to be their proud, indomitable temperament.

Marvels of Nature

“...As one sets foot in the

180 kilometers of coastline, stunningly beautiful beaches, 26 cities facing the

Marche one notices a sharper,

Adriatic Sea with elegant resorts, ideal places for a relaxing vacation, the port of Ancona and nine other harbors,

more animated character,

500 piazzas, over 1,000 important monuments, over 100 small and medium-sized towns, replete with great, impressive works of art, thousands of churches, 163 shrines, 34 archeological sites, 71 splendid theatre halls. “Le Marche” has the largest number of museums and art galleries

a more penetrating gaze ...”

Gran Sasso Monti Della Larga Waterfalls

A small region s t e e p e d i n h i s to r y

in Italy, 315 libraries with 4,000,000 volumes; several protected areas and

Marche is a small region; this rectangular-shaped area corresponds to about 3% of the

two National Parks: Monti Sibillini

Italian peninsula. It only has two important ports: Ancona and San Benedetto del

and Monti della Laga; four regional

Tronto, and yet its fishing industry ranks forth (after Sicily, Apulia and

parks: Monte Conero, Sasso Simone

Emilia-Romagna) nationally. History, culture and the countryside have blended to

and Simoncello, Monte San Bartolo, Gola della Rossa and Gola di Frasassi;

The population of Marche is close to 1.5 million, or about 2% of Italy’s 57 million. The

three nature reserves and more than

region is divided into four administrative provinces: Ancona, the regional capital,

100 floristic areas. Here are, in short,

Pesaro-Urbino, Macerata and Ascoli Piceno. Other important cities moving from North

the cultural and gastronomic jewels

to South are: Fano, Loreto, Fossombrone, Fabriano, Jesi, Osimo, Recanati, Tolentino,

of this still partially hidden treasure,

Camerino, Fermo, Porto San Giorgio, Castelfidardo and San Benedetto del Tronto.

particularly for North Americans.

22

create an extraordinary reality wrought by its inhabitants over the course of three millennia.

4

[ Pesaro–Urbino ]

4 Pesaro took its name from the river Pisarus. It was a Picene territory until it was Romanized. Goths, Byzantines, Longobards and Franks fought for its possession. It then became a city-state and later belonged to the Malatesta, Sforza, Borgia and Della Rovere dynasties. The famous musician Giacchino Rossini was born in Pesaro in 1792.

About 30 kilometers inland on a hill is Urbino, traditionally the cultural capital of the Marche. The cathedral and especially the ducal palace are important architectural monuments.

Humanists and artists of the highest caliber, like Leon Battista Alberti, Piero Della Francesca and Paolo Uccello, among others, were attracted to The Montefeltro Dynasty in Urbino, and especially Duke Frederick II (his portrait by Piero della Francesca is in the Uffizi Museum in Florence). Duke Frederick’s library was the richest of Europe and under his patronage Laurana built the Ducal Palace, one of the masterpieces of the Renaissance. Urbino’s University was founded in 1505. In 1626, the Duchy became part of the Papal States; it was robbed of many of its treasures and swiftly decayed. After the unification of Italy, Urbino rose again and is today an important cultural centre.

The courtyard of honor in the Ducal Palace, Urbino

For centuries, the history of these towns was shaped by local lords often only nominally under papal rule and by warrior bishops and popes who built castles and fortresses. [ Ancona ] Ancona’s origin goes back to the ancient Greeks who were attracted by the beauty of the gulf at the foot of Mount Conero.

It became a Roman municipium in 133 B.C. It was destroyed by the Sarazins in 839. At the beginning of the twenty-first century, it was rebuilt and became a free maritime city-state.

Between 1532 and 1860, the city became part of the Papal States, and then joined the Kingdom of Italy. Ancona’s most important monuments are the Roman amphitheatre, Emperor Trajan’s arch and the magnificent Romanesque cathedral (XI-XIII c.) dedicated to the patron saint San Ciriaco.

The cathedral porch, Ancona

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Le Marche [ M a c e r ata ] 4

Triple apse of the church of San Claudio al Chienti

The city is located about 20 kilometers from the seashore on rolling hills. The name of the city probably derives from maceriae, or ruins, and is a reminder of the destruction of the old Helvia Ricina. In 1138, Macerata became a free city-state. The Varano and then the Sforza families ruled over it. The city then became part of the Papal States and grew from the sixteenth to the nineteenth centuries. The Loggia dei Mercanti, built in the sixteenth century, is still in the heart of Macerata in the Central Square, and Santa Maria delle Vergini is its most important church.

A magnificent panorama can be admired from the walls that still surround its avenues. Today, Macerata is a prosperous, classy little city, proud of its neo-classical Sferisterio where important cultural events take place.

[ A scoli Piceno ] Along the rolling hills and the valley of the Tronto River, 25 kilometers away from the Adriatic Sea, stands Ascoli Piceno, an austere, noble town dominated by its medieval historical centre. Entering Ascoli, one goes back in time. This is especially true on the first Sunday of August when the Torneo Cavallesco della Quintana is fought. Over 1,000 costumed participants “fight” a heavy, revolving effigy of a sarazin. Built by the Picenes, Ascoli became a Roman municipium in 286 B.C. The Via Salaria crossed it and the Porta Genina, one of the gates, is still standing intact. The baptistery, the Palazzetto Longobardo, Palazzo del Comune, Palazzo dell’Arringo and the church of Saints Crivelli’s polyptych in the church of Santa Lucia at Montefiore dell’Aso Vincenzo and Anastasio are the main medieval monuments. Several magnificent baroque palaces such as the Palazzo Panichi, were built in the seventeenth century. Ascoli played an importanteconomic role during Roman times and in the late Middle Ages, and today is experiencing a remarkable industrial growth. A keen historical and ecological awareness is preserving both Ascoli’s architectural past and the integrity of its surrounding territory (the natural park of the Monti Della Lega bordering on Abruzzo and Lazio).

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Entering Ascoli, one goes back in time. This is especially true on the first Sunday of August when the Torneo Cavallesco della Quintana is fought.

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Liquori, Silvio Meletti, Ascoli Piceno

Pesaro

Seaside view, Pesaro

[ Pa g e a n t s ] 4 Nowadays, usually during the Duca takes place on the third Sunday of August; this is a summer months, many historical pageants and spectacular jousts are staged in the old town centers, to commemorate religious festivities during the carnival season.

Often the pageants are associated with the history of the noble families that used to rule the area. In Urbino, the Festa del

pageant with 15th century costumes, parades and jousts.

Other similar celebrations are the Trionfo del Carnevale at Frossombone; the Caccia al Cinghiale (boar hunt) at Mondavio; the Seduzione del Castello at Gradara, where Francesca di Rimini and her brother-in-law Paolo (as Dante narrates it in his Inferno), are said to have fallen in love and killed by Francesca’s jealous husband; and the Torneo Cavalleresco della Quintana at Ascoli Piceno. This is not, of course, an exhaustive list because practically every town of Marche celebrates a form of paganism, historical pageantry or religious event, like the Translation of the Holy House at the shrine of Loreto.

Armour la citadelle, Mondavio

[ Fo r t r e s s e s a n d C a s t l e s ] For centuries, two ancient roads, the Via Salaria and the Via Flaminia, shaped the historical reality of the region. The Via Salaria, built by the Italic Piceni tribes, was also used by the Romans to link Rome with the Adriatic Sea (referred to as the Salt Coast), whereas the Via Flaminia became the consular road to reach the Ager Gallicus and ended at Fano. At the Furlo Gorge, it is possible to walk along a stretch of this road. The natural scenery of the Marche consists mainly of farmland, and wandering through the hills, one comes across numerous small, awe-inspiring walled towns with red-tiled roofs, often with Romanesque churches, bell-towers and municipal town-halls. Like scenic balconies, they overlook the green valley slowly descending towards the coast.

For centuries, the history of these towns was shaped by local lords often only nominally under papal rule and by warrior bishops and popes who built castles and fortresses. In the 15th century, the Malatesta Dynasty benefitted from the suggestions of the great architect Filippo Brunelleschi and built the fortress of Fano, in present-day Pesaro, in the province of Urbino. The Sforza asked the great Luciano Laurana to build the Rocca Costanza at Gradara and at Pesaro, the Montefeltro used the talent of Francesco di Giorgio Martini for their defensive works, the fortress of Sassocorvaro, the Rocca Fregosa, the ducal palace at Urbino and Urbania. The Della Rovere had the imposing fortress at Mondavio built. Other remarkable fortresses are those of Senigallia, Offagna, Falconara (the Rocca Priora with portal by Luigi Vanvitelli), Jesi, Tolentino and especially Ascoli Piceno. Urbino, Pesaro, Urbania, Fossombrone and Senigallia, ruled by the Montefeltro and the Della Rovere still have their ducal palaces, some of the best examples of Renaissance architecture. 4

Bronze sculpture

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Le Marche [ M u s i c , Th e at r e a n d t h e A r t s ] 4 Marche is a region steeped in culture and Morandi, painters Scipione, Corrado the birthplace of great historical figures and illustrious artists. Emperor Frederick II of the Swabian Dynasty that ruled the Holy Roman Empire and the Kingdom of Sicily in the 13th century – referred to as Stupor Mundi, one of the most significant historical and cultural figures of European late middle ages –

Cagli, Edgardo Mannucci, Arnaldo and Giò Pomodoro among many others.

In the field of classical music, it is important to remember two illustrious composers, Gaspare Spontini from Maiolati, and Gioacchino Rossini from Pesaro.

Numerous towns in the Marche hold music festivals from April to September.

the Sea festival and in Civitanova a famous dance festival — Civitanova Danza.

Mention must be made of a unique architectural complex, the Mole Vanvitelliana. Designed in 1733 by architect Luigi Vanvitelli on a pentagonal plan and located in the port area of Ancona, it served as a lazaretto

The Rossini Opera Festival held in Pesaro in August is o n e o f t h e h ig h p o i n t s o f c l a ss ic a l m u s ic i n I ta ly. was born in Jesi. The great romantic poet Giacomo Leopardi was born at Recanati, as well as the tenor Beniamino Gigli; and 20th century playwright Ugo Betti (1892-1953) was born at Camerino; other contemporary writers include novelists Libero Bigiaretti and Paolo Volpone.

Architect Bramante and painter Raffaello Sanzio (Raphael) were both born in Urbino in the late 15th century.

They are two of the most outstanding representatives of the High Renaissance in Rome. Another Renaissance painter is Gentile da Fabriano. Other renowned 20th century artists are engraver Giorgio

There are 71 functional opera houses in the Marche (there were 113 in the 19th century) where opera, symphony concerts, dances and dramas are staged. They were built between the 18th century and the 1930’s, according to a typical Italian model: a round parterre and private loggias. This is an amazing musical and architectural patrimony unique in Europe and in the world. The Rossini Opera Festival held in Pesaro in August is one of the high points of classical music in Italy.

In summertime, important theatre festivals are held at Urbino, Pesaro, San Benedetto del Tronto and other smaller towns. At Fano, there is a yearly Jazz by

(leper-house) in the 18th century and has become today a centre for exhibitions and cultural events. Marche is a region studded with museums. Art treasures are kept in the 242 museums in both historic cities and small towns or villages.

The most important is the Galleria Nazionale delle “Marche” located in the Palazzo Ducale at Urbino. It holds masterpieces by some of the greatest Renaissance painters, especially of the Venetian school. Other important museums are to be found at Pesaro, Urbania, Fano, Ancona, Jesi (the richest collection by Lotto), Fabriano, Matelica, Camerino, Ascoli Piceno and Fermo.4

Mural, Ascoli Piceno

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[ Land of a Hundred Craf ts and Industry ] 4

Traditional skills and craf tsmanship have been mingled with sophisticated contemporary design

In the last forty years, agriculture, forestry, sheep and cattle grazing have been replaced to a large extent by small-sized industrial activity. Traditional skills and craftsmanship have been mingled with sophisticated contemporary design in fields like shoe, leather products and furniture manufacturing. Il modello marchigiano della piccola industria is flexible, capable of adapting easily to technological innovations, and has a great flair for entrepreneurship. It constitutes a solid segment of the national Italian industrial backbone and output.

[ Th e c u l i n a r y d e l i g h t s ] Pottery, copper, terra cotta tiles, majolica, lace work, hand-made carpets, wooden pipes, hats, wrought iron, leather, footwear, toys, musical instruments, furniture, gold-work, paper made using ancient techniques, cutting of travertine stone, marble, stonework, rush mats, straw, rush and bamboo works and restoration of antique furniture are among the crafts and industrial products of the Marche region. From the fish of the Adriatic Sea to the traditional cuisine of the hills and the mountains, the gastronomy of Marche is rich, tasty and varied. Several versions of the brodetto (fish soup) exist, like the one of San Benedetto del Tronto prepared with green peppers or Porto Recanati flavored with saffron. Stoccafisso all’anconitana (Ancona Stockfish) is a tasty version of this Italian dish. In the rivers close to the Monte Sibillini freshwater trout abound and are used in local cuisine.

Porchetta (roast suckling pig) originated from Marche and pork is a staple in the cuisine of the inland areas.

The prosciutto di Carpegna in the Montefeltro area is a “noble” cured meat which received its DOP (denominazione di origine protetta) in 1996. Prosciutto is also seasoned with garlic, pepper, rosemary, bay leaves and cooked wine.

Lentils are eaten with zamponi (stuffed pig’s trotter) and cotechino during the Christmas holidays. Other quality products

include salame di Fabriano, ciauscolo — pork lard minced and mixed with the lean meat to form a smooth paste, like French pâté and pancetta arrotondata (rolled pork). Beef, chicken, rabbit and horse meats form the basic staple for a variety of delicious recipes.

Pecorino cheeses are found around the Sibillini Mountains in the south of the Marche region. They are flavored with wild thyme, blackberry buds, cloves, nutmegs, pepper and olive oil mixed with the yolk of an egg. The texture of pecorino is compact, straw yellow in color when fresh and more intense as it ripens. The most famous of Marche cheeses is the Casciotta d’Urbino, shaped in the form of small cylinders, it is straw-white in color, with tiny holes and a delicate sweet taste.

It has a thin rind and a short period of maturation, about a month. It has a DOP classification. Another priced cheese is Formaggio di Fossa, also known as ambra di Talamello. The cheese is wrapped in cloth sack and placed in a pit carved out of tuff stone for three months. The process allows the cheese to become golden in color and acquire an intense aroma with a hint of sulphur and truffle. 4

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Le Marche 4 Truffles (Tartufi) – both the white and black variety – are Colli Maceratesi (white and red), Verdicchio di Matelica found inland in the province of Pesaro. Truffles are a type

(white), Rosso Piceno Superiore and Falerio dei Colli

of odorous and tasty fungus, very rare and expensive. They

Ascolani (white), Offida (both red and white).

are eaten raw by grating them onto the food.

Both durum and common wheat is used to prepare many kinds of pasta: the maccheroncini di Campolifone are a

For almost two centuries, Verdicchio dei Castelli di Jesi and Vernaccia di

unique blend of durum and egg pasta. They are highly sought after and only recently available internationally.

Marche olive oil, because of its low acid content and light fruitiness with hints of grass and almonds, has enjoyed an enviable reputation since antiquity. The Ascolana Tenera or Picena is a good tasting, crunchy, digestible kind of green olive, probably the best kind of olive in the world. It takes great skill to harvest this kind of olive, which has

Serrapetrona

to be completely whole to be stuffed and fried. This is the how

have been used to

olive all’ascolana are made. The taste is unforgettable.

produce spumante, a

Honey produced in Marche is sweet, has little aroma and is clear in color. Because of a weed known as erba della Madonna that serves as nectar, the honey produced by bees is particularly good. It is served warm with formaggio di fossa, making for an amazing culinary experience.

comparable to French champagne.The musician

G.

Spontini

drank a bottle of locally made spumante in his

Amaro with truffle, Caffè Sport, Anisetta (alcohol distilled

country home in Maiolati

from grape with aniseed essence) and Mistrà (rich in aroma

in 1805. In the last thirty

and with medicinal qualities) are the traditional liqueurs

years, wine production in

from Marche. Vin cotto, vin santo and vino di visciola

Marche as well as in the rest of

(made from wild cherries in the area of Jesi) are sweeter and

Italy has reached a very high standard

stronger than regular white or red wines.

of quality.

Many great wines are produced in Marche using vitigni (grapevines) like verdicchio, sangiovese, montepulciano, lacrima, trabbiano, pecorino, passerine, ciliegiuolo and vernaccia nera. Here is a list of Marche’s best wines: Colli Pesaresi Rosso e Bianco, Bianchello del Metauro (white), Esino and Verdicchio dei castelli di Jesi (both whites), Lacrima di Morro d’Alba and Rosso Conero,

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dry, sparkling wine

g

...highly valued and of rare abundance.

...frutti di gran pregio e di rara bontà.

In the central and southern parts of the Marche, Italy, the cultivation of olives is widespread and the Ascoli region is particularly renowned for its production of a sweet, juicy olive that is highly valued and of rare abundance. This olive is the prime ingredient of in typical, distinctive, local preparation.

Nella parte centrale e meridionale delle mache la coltivazione dell’ulivo è abbastanza estesa e la zona dell’Ascolano gode particolare rinomanza per la produzione delle ulive «gentili» frutti di gran pregio e di rara bontà. Legati anche ad una tipica e singolare preparazione locale.

In this classic recipe, these giant green olives with a soft and tender flesh are stuffed and filled. The resulting dish is delectable, but the delicacy of these olives derives from the procedure that begins prior to the preparation, when the olives are still raw and have yet to be brined. They are put in a wooden barrel, submersed in a light marinade, and flavored with wild fennel, which makes them even sweeter.

Le ulive Verdi, gigantic, dalla polpa morbida e tenera, vengono riempite e fritte. Il piatto che ne risulta è tra I più gustosi, ma la «gentilezza» di queste ulive deriva anche dal procedimento che viene asservato sin dai preliminari della preparazione, quando cioè le ulive sono ancora crude e da approntare per la salamoia. Vengono disposte in barilotti di legno, sommerse in una leggera marinata, aromatizzata all finocchio selvatico, che le rende più dolci.

Stuffed Olives (Elia’s recipe) Spanish Olives (green) Approximately 4 litres Extra Ingredients:

Stuffing: 2 lbs veal (1 inch cube) 2 lbs pork (1 inch cube) 1 lb beef (1 inch cube) 2 chicken breasts (1 inch cube) A few slices prosciutto A few slices of mortadella Zest of 1 and 1/2 lemons 1 juice of lemon

1/2 reserved juice of meat 3 eggs 1 cup breadcrumbs Pinch of salt Season to taste Dash cinnamon Dash crushed cloves

Oil Bread Crumbs Flour Eggs

[ Preparation ] Cure olives in water for 2 to 3 days. The last day leave under running water.

Make sure to prepare meat a day ahead or at least have plenty of time to cool.

The meat should all be cut in 1-inch cubes. Fry meat including prosciutto and mortadella in oil, salt, and pepper until blood is no longer visible on cubes. Save juices of meat for later use. Then while still warm, mince in food processor. Let it cool. Add zest of lemon, lemon juice, eggs, bread crumbs, juice of meat, salt, seasonings, cinnamon and cloves. Mix thoroughly.

Remove pits from olives. Stuff olives with meat stuffing. Roll in flour, egg, and then bread crumbs. Deep fry and enjoy.

These may also be conserved in a container and frozen. When ready to use, remove from freezer and fry immediately. Do not thaw olives otherwise the bread crumbs will come off the olives when you do fry them. g

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Bowl by Lalique

Stuffed olives by Pasta Casareccia

St u f f e d

Ol i v e s

Photo : Geraldo Pace

Sopressata Pantanolungo

by Shauna Hardy

traditionally, in Italy...

There are two very distinctive styles to life’s lessons. They can be straight forward: follow the instructions, complete the steps, achieve the desired result.

They can also be shaded in nuance and subtlety. In these cases, following the rules isn’t enough, the gentle guidance of an experienced hand is essential in understanding the process. At first glance, making “sopressata” might seem to fall into the first category of lessons.

Comprised of only four ingredients, it looks deceptively simple to make. But upon closer inspection, it reveals itself to be an instinctual recipe requiring the hands of a true master to produce a mouth-watering result.

Traditionally, in Italy, generations of family members would gather together to prepare “sopressata ” in country kitchens. It was a practical recipe that was conceived out of necessity. Meat wasn’t always plentiful - curing the coarsely ground cuts of fresh pork was a way to preserve it for longer periods of time and allowed farmers to use every

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scrap of meat that was available.

In addition, “sopressata ” was easily transportable, making for a tasty lunchtime break for labourers who were busy working the fields. By contrast, North America provided a completely different set of living conditions.

Immigrants had to adapt to city living.

Gone were the expansive gardens and the livestock, replaced by farmer’s markets and the local butcher shop. The role that “sopressata ” played within the Italian diet was also transformed. No longer an essential food, its preparation became a ritual. It is a time-honoured tradition that unites generations and acknowledges a family’s roots, a means of paying tribute to one’s past while enjoying the companionship of relatives and friends.

familial pride. “When I was a kid, I remember my parents, Pasquale and Maria, my uncles and aunts and friends coming over to help,” he reminisces.

“The basement kitchen was filled with people talking and laughing. In a single day we were able to make over 200 sopressate!” They are truly the stuff of legend, inspiring feelings of delight, envy, jealousy, love and pure unfettered joy. These “sopressata ” have such a gravitational pull at parties that guests will leave all other food untouched, hovering giddily over Maria’s platters. The attention has reached such epic proportions that some husbands have been forbidden from bringing out the “sopressata ”on special occasions lest it steal the focus from the hard work of the hostess.

Frank Reda has grown up making sopressata. As an only child, Reda laughingly jokes that he had no choice in the matter - the process requires many hands and it was impossible to pass his duties over to other family members. But beneath the humour, there is a hint of

But just what is Reda’s secret? Perhaps it lies in the yearly cooking rituals and traditions that were handed down to 4

Mamma’s

CANTINA

Photo : Geraldo Pace

Light fixture courtesy of Union Lighting

Sopressata is about tradition, it is about learning a technique 4 Pasquale and Maria from their parents when they were living in Pantanolungo, a small mountainous region of Calabria.

Rituals and traditions that the couple kept up after they stepped off the Queen Frederica in 1959 in Halifax and moved into Montreal’s Chabanel district.

Perhaps it lies in the cuts of meat that Maria has been buying from the same butcher since the year she immigrated.

Even the “spago”, a special cord that is used to tie the “sopressata” is brought specifically from Italy. Or perhaps it is found in her cantina, a cold room which manages to achieve the right degree of frigidity while holding the damp that might adversely effect the drying of the meat at bay.

Five years ago, after the passing of

Frank’s father, on the insistance of Frank’s son’s, the tradition continues.

Frank and his two best friends, Rocco Tassone and Tony Di Guglielmo have participated in this yearly task. A special guest, known simply as the “sopressatore”, is also invited to ensure that the size, shape and consistency of the sausages are absolutely flawless. The process is a rather laborious one, so the group typically gathers in the early hours of a wintery January morning. While the recipe is a simple one, it is experience and love of tradition that have raised the process into a true art form. A rectangularshaped wooden container, known as the “mainna”, is filled with freshly ground pork. The meat is carefully salted using a ratio of 25g per kilogram. The formula is incredibly strict - there must be enough

salt to preserve the meat, but not enough to interfere with the taste. Maria then adds the final ingredients that she has prepared the previous summer: a generous amount of spicy sundried flakes of red chile pepper and a sweet red bell pepper paste. The meat is thoroughly mixed, then small portions known as “braciola” are fried in olive oil for all to taste until everyone deems the meat seasoned to perfection. An assembly line is then formed with each person appointed a specific task. The first is in charge of shaping the meat into fist-sized balls. The second person takes the meat, places them in a meat-grinder and gently begins filling the pork intestines that form the casings for the 10 - 12 inch “sopressata”. (These casings have been carefully washed several times in order to 4

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that has been handed down from generation to generation.

4 ensure that all harmful bacteria has been removed.) Meanwhile, the “sopressatore” is carefully overseeing the process. He judiciously monitors the casing, certifying that the meat is densely packed, checking for air pockets and tying off the ends once the casing has been sufficiently filled. Finally, a fork that is specially reserved for the occasion is used to prick the “sopressata” to allow for drying.

The workers diligently apply themselves, stopping only for frequent sips of homemade wine and to tell a story or two.

Once the casings have all been filled the “sopressate” are placed in a crisscross pattern in a large basket.

They are weighed down overnight to ensure that all

excess water is released. The “sopressate” are placed in the cantina for three months and then vacuum sealed. They are then packed away for all occasions or as a treat for a drop-in guest.

For all of their efforts, the gang is rewarded with a delicious home-cooked meal prepared by Frank’s mom. The menu, which hasn’t varied in years, holds as much ritual and tradition as the rest of the day. Along with her homemade pasta and tomato sauce, a portion of the “sopressata” meat is specially reserved for the meal. The “braciola” is served with rapini and homemade bread. Following plenty of homemade wine and a strong cup of espresso, everyone returns home exhausted, falling immediately into bed with

visions of beloved dancing in their heads.

“sopressata”

Good food always inspires cooks to ask for the recipe. Sometimes it can just be scrawled on a piece of paper and handed over to the recipient. Sometimes, however, a little bit of reading between the lines is required. “Sopressata” is about tradition, it is about learning a technique that has been handed down from generation to generation. It is about standing in a kitchen while sipping homemade wine with family and friends. It is about embracing one’s heritage and making sure that one never lets it go. g

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• Mortadella • Capicollo • Pancetta •

CONTESA DEL SECCHIO GLI SBANDIERATORI una magia di colori, una viva, una tradizione suggestione unica…

Gli sbandieratori: uno degli spettacoli più genuini del folklore italiano. La loro abilità, il loro carosello di colori, la spontaneità dei loro giochi, fanno rivivere momenti di entusiasmo che si riallacciano alle migliori tradizioni italiane.

La loro parata, al passo cadenzato dei tamburi, trionfalmente accompagnata dalle note squillanti delle chiarine, è un tocco di colore che dà originalità e spettacolarità a qualsiasi manifestazione.

Il Gruppo Storico degli Sbandieratori e Musici della “Contesa del Secchio” di Sant’Elpidio a Mare

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(emanazione della omonima rievocazione storica in costume del ‘400, la prima delle Marche) vuole dunque proporre uno spettacolo nuovo.

Uno spettacolo che vuol dire colore, attrattiva , atmosfera storica, nel rispetto delle tradizioni italiane.

L’ Ente Contesa del Secchio ha per missione la promozione di uno degli spettacoli piu’ emozionanti del folklore italiano; spettacolo destinato ad animare iniziative culturali e tradizionali e ad attirare un pubblico sempre piu’ vasto. g

HISTORY, SPECTACLE AND TRADITION Recognized as the best historical reenactment in the Le Marche region, the Contesa del Secchio has been taking place annually since 1953 on the second Sunday of August and considered a most important and equally original event in Italy.

According to legend, during the Middle Ages, the town of Sant’Elpidio a Mare suffered severe water shortages. In an effort to avoid the daily hubbub at the town square well, a game between the four districts of the cities of San Giovanni, Santa Maria, Sant’Elpidio and San Martino was introduced.

The idea of the game was to allow the city whose inhabitants hit the well most times with a leather ball to be the first to draw water a medieval basketball of sorts.

Today’s reenactment features over 800 characters in splendid medieval costumes in a city brought back in time to the Middle Ages that features a spectacular parade and an enthralling match before thousands of enthusiastic spectators.

Contesa del Secchio has performed in Mexico, France, Spain, Russia, the former Yugoslavia, Portugal, Belgium, Switzerland, Austria, and Czechoslovakia among other countries and was also a guest performer of the European Parliament.

Every year, in Citta Medioeva, where this event is held, the city returns to a former time and presents a charming and original show that lasts for three days - an occasion well worthy of a visit. g

IL MOBILE DI DESIGN A MEDA

Nel percorso che si snoda lungo cinque decenni, questa mostra traccia la storia dell’innovativo rapporto che nei primi anni Cinquanta alcuni illuminati imprenditori di Meda, cittadina a qualche chilometro da Milano, stabilirono con architetti oggi con-siderati Maestri del Design.

Il successo di pubblico e critica della prima edizione - esposta nel novembre 2003 a Milano ha stimolato l’idea di rendere la mostra itinerante, a testimonianza dell’apprezzamento e del prestigio che i mobili “made in Italy” riscuotono in tutto il mondo.

Exhibition/Mostra IL MOBILE DI DESIGN A MEDA 1953-2003 Le Meuble de Design à Meda

En déroulant un parcours de cinq décennies, cette exposition retrace l’histoire du rapport innovant de collaboration que quelques entrepreneurs éclairés de Meda, petite ville à quelques kilomètres de Milan, avec certains architectes, considérés de nos jours comme des Maîtres du Design italien.

Le succès de public et de critique de la première édition de l’exposition – créée en novembre 2003 à Milan – a suggéré de la rendre itinérante, en témoignage de l’accueil et du prestige que les meubles «made in Italy» obtiennent dans le monde entier.

In keeping with the spirit of enduring Italian traditions, Contesa del Secchio will be recreating their distinctive medieval pageantry for your retro-enjoyment. Step back in time to the Middle Ages and relive the olden glory of Italian display as history is revived right before your eyes. Opening presentation will take place during La Festa della Repubblica Italiana on Sunday, May 30 at the Centro Leonardo da Vinci with daily shows scheduled at selected venues for the duration of the Echo Italia festivities.

And for the aficionados of Italian designer furniture, or anyone aspiring to be, Il Mobile di Design a Meda is a not-to-bemissed event. Discover the personality and individuality of the last 50 years of Italian design and find out how Italy perpetually delivers unique furniture concepts destined to become all-time classics. This eclectic 48 piece collection of function and fantasy period pieces will be on display at La Grande-Place in Complexe Desjardins from June 02 through June 09.

Enquiries: The Italian Chamber of Commerce in Canada tel 514 844 4249 Click on www.italchamber.qc.ca for complete and up-to-date information.

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Recently I had the good fortune of savouring an Italian delicacy that I hadn’t tasted in years. As a matter of fact, the last time I had the sweet pleasure of devouring this heavenly food is when my beloved father-in-law, Nicola Di Narzo was well enough to provide the entire family with as much of it as we could eat. Heavenly, I say because it is literally a gift from above. What is it, you ask? It is none other than that pesky little weed that, if picked at the right time, is transformed into the best bittersweet salad money can’t buy. Yes, it is the legendary “cicoria.”

Full

Circle Now I know that the mere mention of cicoria brings visions of little old ladies dressed in black on the side of a highway, bent over, risking life and limb to harvest this Mannah from Heaven. And yes, this scene was once all the ammunition our English and French Canadian friends needed to make us Italians the butt of their jokes, at any chance they got.

But I have definite proof that things have changed. No, we haven’t stopped picking cicoria. No, we all still love that little rascal too much to let go. After all, each spring, it is forever in our face. But what has changed is who does the picking, and on whose table you may find it.

“Surprise,” said my lovely wife, as I sat at the dinner table. “You’ll never guess what happened. Rita went cicoria picking, and, God bless her, had the kind heart to bring us some.” Needless to say I was stunned. Shocked not only because it was such a long time since I had eaten it, but also because Rita I found out - makes a habit of harvesting cicoria to the point that it seems she has a secret place where it grows in

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abundance. Rita is not a friend of our parents, but rather our friend and a dear childhood friend at that. She is a forty-something, some would say sexy, foxy lady who does not dress in black unless it is fashionable and is not embarrassed to get down and go out of her way to bring home that bounty.

They say lightning does not strike twice at the same place; well, I have news for you. La Cantina, that great little resto on St-Laurent Blvd, has it for special clients, or, shall we say for Freddy’s and Mimi’s special friends. I happened to be there for lunch and suddenly I saw a plate of cicoria on my table. I looked up at Freddy, our eyes met, we didn’t have to say anything.

Yes, we baby boomers have come full circle. We have taken up the cause. The torch has been passed on to us. We have become our parents and grandparents.

We are now picking cicoria, and I might add, with pride, too. Perhaps this is one way of embracing our nationality.

We are Italians. g Tony Zara

Photo : Geraldo Pace

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our people

by Shauna Hardy

Marisa Minicucci

Marisa Minicucci’s designs have always made an impression. Revered for their beauty and craftsmanship, her clothing pays tribute to a woman’s unique personality. The designer is a study in opposites, meshing conventional sensibilities with progressive idealism. A first generation Canadian, Minicucci’s voice is a colourful celebration of two cultures - North American and European. She delicately balances her heritage with her own tenacious drive, her beloved customs with her own individuality.

Both of Minicucci’s parents immigrated as teenagers to Montreal shortly after the Second World War. Italy’s bleak post-war economy offered little in terms of income. In the minds of most Italians it was North America that offered hope and prosperity.

At the age of 17, Marisa’s father, Mike Minicucci, moved from Campobasso, Italy to Montreal, Canada to join his own father, Francesco Minicucci who had immigrated to the city one year earlier. In doing so, Marisa’s grandfather had plotted the course for his family and generations to come. The young Mike Minicucci was enraptured with Canada’s possibilities. Minicucci’s entrepreneurial character was perfectly suited to the new country - it took him little time to begin working toward his goal of becoming self-employed and managing his own business. In the meantime, the young man had also fallen in love with a charming Italian lady, Gina Di Meo from Abruzzo. Due to the hardships that he experience in Italy, Mike Minicucci never expected to return to his homeland. But after attaining much business and financial success during his adult life, he began experiencing a desire for serenity. This yearning led him to rediscover the beauty of Italy. Now in the twilight of his life, the elder Minicucci returns with his wife to occasionally enjoy la dolce vita in the small Italian town of Prezza, where Gina’s parental home is located.

Minicucci’s childhood was dominated by a sense of community - their house proved to be a neighborhood magnet. “I always remember people coming to sit on our front steps and talk - everyone wanted to visit,” reminisces the designer. “Our house was the place where you just wanted to hang out.” Her childhood was also dominated by fashion.

Although she had no formal training, she was flooded with creative ideas, possessing an intuitive knowledge of exactly how to execute them. Her mother, who made all of Minicucci’s clothes, was often amazed by her daughter’s vision.

“The arguments at the sewing machine were some of the best ones we ever had,” she confesses with a grin. “My mother didn’t believe we could execute half of the things I suggested.

She just kept asking me, ‘How do you know how to do this?’, I still don’t have an answer - it just comes to me naturally.”

After studying fashion at LaSalle College, Minicucci began working as a pattern maker, soaking up as much of the industry as possible. “I just wanted to take it all in,” states the designer. “I didn’t place any boundaries upon myself, I just kept asking questions - my interest was limitless.”

The popular misconception that older generations have nothing to offer energetic, up-and-coming youths was lost on Minicucci. She viewed her senior co-workers as invaluable sources of information, capable of satisfying her almost insatiable curiosity. She attributes her outlook to her upbringing and to the Italian culture in general. “I grew up with a profound respect for my elders, there was so

much inter-generational contact, I learned early on that I can only gain from speaking with people who have more experience than I do.”

One person with whom Minicucci regularly consults is her father. Mike Minicucci’s daughter inherited his aptitude for business as well as his passionate energy; something she has poured into the variety of roles she has shaped for herself over the years. Minicucci has devoted over twenty years to the fashion industry, working initially as chief fashion designer for coat-magnate Irving Samuel and then designing the hugely celebrated Marisa Minicucci line, in partnership, for nine years.

Regardless of whether she’s engaging in her role as designer, mother, businesswoman or mentor, Minicucci is profoundly reflective. Her options are always carefully weighed, influenced by two distinct pools of thought - her familial ideals and her own instinctual vision. Reverence for family, the significance of being a mother and caring for her loved ones are core values instilled by her parents. The soft-spoken designer has incorporated them into her personality, but has by no means allowed them to dominate. “I’m constantly balancing my traditionalism with my individualism. It might be easier to simply let one set of values dominate, but that would mean letting go of a large part of myself. Both halves of my identity are equally important to me. The challenge is to move forward in a way that embraces everything that I am.”

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She just kept asking me, ‘How do you know how to do this?’

I still don’t have an answer - it just comes to me naturally.

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g Balancin Act

Photo : Geraldo Pace

Spring 2004 Collection

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Photo: Jean-Claude Lussier

“You have to keep looking forward, you have to grow,” she professes. “That’s what’s so great about life - there can never be any regrets.

Every event, every decision has brought me to exactly where I am right now.”

Marisa Minicucci

our people 4 Although her straight-forward, honest approach has garnered much respect from her peers, it is the courage and calm resolve that have led many, including her sixteen-year-old daughter Anissa, to name Minicucci as an encouraging force. “She came to me the other day and said, ‘Mom, you are my source of inspiration!’,” the designer reveals modestly.

“My daughter finds it amazing that I stay true to my goals.

Anissa understands that you have to keep striving - there might be obstacles to overcome, plans might sometimes have to be re-arranged, but you have to keep striving.”

While busy forging her own path, Minicucci has endured more than her fair share of personal and professional challenges - events that would send a person of lesser mettle scurrying for safer ground. Yet when she speaks of her experiences there is an intense, grounded satisfaction to her words. “You have to keep looking forward, you have to grow,” she professes. “That’s what’s so great about life - there can never be any regrets. Every event, every decision has brought me to exactly where I am right now.”

The challenge is to move forward in a way that embraces everything that I am.

Photos: Jean-Claude Lussier

The present moment, finds the designer in yet another new role, that of president and sole owner of her own company - M Siamo. The high-end ready-to-wear line of clothing, launched in 2002, is a true reflection of her evolution, embodying the completeness and complexity of a woman’s personality. “We are such a variety of different things - we are mothers, we are women, we are partners, we are individuals, we are vulnerable, we are assertive.” The pieces capture these intricacies, revealing a delicate sensuality combined with an understated

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edge. Minicucci admits that she does not design for a particular body-type, instead she is inspired by character. There is a confidence and a pride to the women who choose to wear M Siamo, they are united by their strength, by their open-mindedness, by their sheer willingness to revel and celebrate in who they truly are.

All raw materials for the designer’s twice yearly collections are furnished by internationally renowned Italian suppliers. Minicucci admits the travel to her parents’ homeland is one of

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Spring 2004 Collection

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Photo: Jean-Claude Lussier

our people 4 her favourite job perks.

When Minicucci first entered the business as a young woman, her goals were very specific. “My biggest dream was owning my own store,” she confesses with a laugh. “I even had the spot picked out - it was a little corner shop on St-Zotique and St-Urbain.

I would walk by every day on my way to work and think ‘Wouldn’t it be wonderful!’” But it wasn’t enough. Minicucci’s tenacity, vision and confidence propelled her beyond anything she could have initially imagined. “I’ve learned that you can’t cut yourself off, you have to be receptive to opportunities.

You have to keep those doors open because you never know what’s going to come through them.” In Marisa Minicucci’s case, one imagines that those doors will deliver everything her heart desires. g

Photo: Jean-Claude Lussier

“When I was a child, I was always telling my mother to stop speaking to me in Italian, but I’m so grateful that I learned the language,” she confides. “I feel so at home in Italy and being able to communicate with my suppliers in their own language has helped my business to evolve. We share an affinity, I’m able to pick up on subtleties, it would be difficult doing business in another country - I would miss that type of interaction too much.”

Spring 2004 Collection

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our people

by Nadia Signorino

Joe Morena, The Bagel Man His name is Joe Morena, and around the St. Viateur area, he is known as the Bagel Man. Ironic, really, because Mr. Morena is an Italian, originally from Salerno, and the bagel is anything but an Italian invention.

According to bagel history, it all started in 1683, when a Viennese baker, Jan Sobieski, grateful to the King of Poland for saving the people of Austria from Turkish invaders, decided to come up with a way to demonstrate his gratitude.

Using his imagination and a little dough, he created the “beugal,” a stirrup-shaped roll, as a reference to the Polish King’s horsemanship.

Two centuries later, hundreds of thousands of Eastern European Jews immigrated to America, taking with them their love of bagels.

In 1927, Polish baker Harry Lender opened his first bagel factory in New Haven, Connecticut. And in 1957, two young St. Lawrence Street bakers, Hyman Selikman and Meyer Lewkowicz, opened the first St. Viateur Bagel in Montreal, Quebec. The rest is history.

The interview took place in the original location, on 263 St. Viateur street West.

St. Viateur Bagel, now a Montreal landmark, is much the way it used to be.

As you walk in, the first thing you see is a collage of over a hundred pictures of Joe Morena with clients, old and new, compiled in honor of St. Viateur Bagel’s 40th anniversary. Another wall is plastered with newspaper articles and pictures of Joe Morena in the company of local folk. If you look carefully, you’ll even spot some famous faces who’ve dropped in for some of what many Montrealers claim are the best bagels in town.

As you walk in, you can’t miss the original, 1957 wood-burning oven at the back of the shop where quick-handed bagel makers roll out an average of 44 bagels a minute.

“When asked how many bagels are sold on an average day, Morena answered proudly, “2000 dozen bagels a day.” That makes 24,000 bagels.”

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Mr. Morena’s office is small and full of business and personal possessions. The wall behind his desk is lined with family pictures, amongst which, his favorite, a photo of his granddaughter that brightens up his day every morning when he goes to work.

Joe Morena got into the business by chance in 1962. Morena was a 15-year-old kid on summer vacation. “I knew the owner; I used to deliver milk to him at his house during the weekend. I had a cousin who worked at the bakery.”

“The day school ended for the summer, I was walking on St. Viateur and I bumped into my cousin. He says to me, ‘Hey do you want a job?’ I thought, what do you mean, do I want a job? I just finished school, I don’t want a job!

He says ‘the guy across the street is looking for someone.’ So just as a joke I went in looking for a job. Mr. Lewkowicz saw me and said, ‘Hey Yosel!’

– He used to call me Yosel – Jewish name for Giuseppe. I said ‘I hear you’re looking for someone to work here.’ He said, ‘Okay, start tonight. You work seven days a week.’ So I said ‘Okay.’ At that point, I had no intention of going back.”

Instead, that night, Joe Morena showed up for work at ten o’clock, intending to work only for the summer. He had never tasted a bagel. “I learned to make bagels in seven days,” he said, smiling. “It was natural for me. I was young, and as soon as I touched the dough, I took to it. The point is not to make a bagel. To go into production here, you gotta make forty-four bagels every three minutes – now it’s forty-four, in my day, it was forty-eight – and keep at it all day long. I just happened to pick up very fast. I used to be able to make fortytwo bagels a minute. That record was beaten, though. My son Vincent once made fifty! That record has never been beaten.”

After that first night, Morena continued working the night shift for eighteen months, seven days a week, until he was offered a day shift and a raise.

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Photo : Geraldo Pace

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our people 4 He finished high school at night and

went on to St. George University at night, at first just to keep a friend company, and to please his parents.

“My father always wanted me to study.

He told me, ‘Watch out, work is hard.’

Vedi che la zappa e amara. I never forgot that. In the daytime I rolled bagels, evenings I spent at courses which led me to understand what my father had told me.”

“In university, I met some nice teachers who captured my heart and mind. The guy who introduced me to accounting was a dean at Sir George Williams University and he was also a chartered accountant. After university, I went to work as an accountant for a company that made clothing. I worked there for a while but I wasn’t really happy.

I asked myself, ‘Is this what I’m gonna do the rest of my life? Work with numbers?’

I did a couple of other things. I sold insurance for six months. I even had my own garage for a couple of years.”

In 1974, Morena came back to St. Viateur Bagel and bought fifty percent of the business from Meyer Lewkowicz; he was part owner until Mr. Lewkowicz passed away in 1994 and Morena bought the rest of it. (Mr. Hyman Selikman, one of the two original partners and the man who introduced the bagel recipe which has not changed since, had retired many years earlier).

“When you make bagels, basically it’s hand labor, but the human contact, the interaction of the customers, the people that I’ve met and the friends that I’ve made over the years, that’s really, really nice. That’s the pleasure of working here.”

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Joe Morena was born in Teggiano, Salerno and grew up in the St. Viateur area. He is a friendly man, very satisfied, appreciative of what he has acquired from the Jewish community, not just the business, but the tradition of baking bagels. In addition, St. Viateur Bagel has given Morena plenty of stories to tell. Many customers, in fact, assume he’s Jewish.

“One of my favorite stories is one that I tell everybody; in the old days, we used to have line-ups outside the door. I’ve learned to speak Yiddish over the years, because in the old days I used to communicate with the older Jewish customers in Yiddish. Every Friday or Saturday night, there was always a line-up.

There was this guy coming in regularly, and he would speak to me in Yiddish. ‘Hey Yosel,’ he’d say, and we’d exchange a couple of words in Yiddish. Then, he would walk up to the line and talk to me a little while in English.

And I would give him a couple of dozen bagels so he wouldn’t have to wait in line.”

“All my life, I thought this guy was Jewish.

And he also thought that I was Jewish.

I spoke to him in Yiddish! One day – this guy was in the clothing industry – he walks in with two beautiful models. He’s in the back of the line and he’s talking to the models in Italian. And he’s telling them, ‘Here we don’t have to wait. I know this idiot over here, I tell him two, three words in Yiddish and he doesn’t make me wait.’ And he’s talking to them in Italian. So I’m thinking in my mind, here is a Jewish person who learned to speak Italian because he works with Italians.

But while he’s talking to them, he said a word that was almost Neapolitan, and I thought to myself, that’s a dialect, ‘nu dialetto.’ You can’t learn that. So I turned around and I said in Italian, ‘You son of a good mother, you’re a Neapolitan. Figlio di buona mamma, tu si Napolitano.’ The guy froze.

He said ‘Wow, you understand Neapolitan.’’’

“It turned out that he had started working as a kid for a Jewish family in the clothing business, I started working here, we both learned to speak Yiddish, and each of us thought that the other was Jewish. We even found out that our home towns in Italy were about sixty kilometers apart.”

When asked what his biggest accomplishments are, Morena does not hesitate. Although he is grateful for his success, and for the opportunity he had of providing his three sons with a good education, his biggest accomplishment is that of having been able to stay close to his sons, all of them businessmen.

Owning and operating five bagel shops and two cafés between them gives Joe Morena plenty of opportunity to interact with them daily as business partners.

“I get up every morning and I go have a coffee with one of my sons at his café and I am able to stay in touch with my family. On a daily basis I speak with all three of them. It’s a great pleasure. I feel myself very fortunate to be able to work closely with my sons.”

“If somebody asks me ‘What’s your biggest accomplishment?’ You know what, it’s not the business, because I’m not smarter than anyone else. I went into a business, I worked hard like everybody else, the business became successful, a landmark, and that’s fine, I enjoy the benefits that it gives me. But the fact that I get up in the morning and interact with my family everyday is a great pleasure.

Money can’t buy that. You can have a million dollars a day but if your children are far away and you can’t see your grandchildren…being able to have that is my biggest accomplishment.” g

our people

by Nick Di Narzo

From Montreal to Rome …quite a change the east end of Montreal, that is to say, in Rivière-des-Prairies, and then in Montreal North. I went to Nesbitt and Pierre de Coubertin Elementary Schools and then Henri-Bourassa High School in Montreal-North.

When I was asked to write an article for this wonderful magazine, I at first thought it was absurd for a young guy like me; but thinking over it, I thought maybe it was going to be a way to thank God, my family and my community for all they have done for me. From this point of view, I write this testimony:

Right after high school in 1998, I decided to go to Italy for a period of training in the Catholic religious community which I am now part of called The Knights of Charity. I realize that for whoever knew me before, this must be quite a shock, really hard to believe – because I was truly a careless teenager. But here I am today.

In all likelihood, many of my friends and teachers from the past still have no answers to their questions. How did I get here? What happened to me? Humanly unexplainable… but I will, however, try

Having finished elementary school, I had to make my entrance in the big league… High school! I had to be cool; even more, I had to be the coolest. as homage to God’s great love and for the wonders He has done in my life.

My name is Nicola Di Narzo and I was born in October 1980 in Montreal, the son of an Italian father (from Campobasso) and a French Canadian mother (from Montreal). I grew up in

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to give you an overview of who I was and how I got here, who I am now and what I hope to be tomorrow.

A tough background When I was merely two-years-old my family was touched by the strongest cancer in today’s society; that is to say,

the separation of my parents. This was an event that utterly distressed us all, and the source of many other sad events that followed. The battle for custody of the children lasted many years. From one court to another, for one reason or another, from one parent to the other.

After many years of fighting, my father passed away on September 15th 1988, leaving behind my sister and me with many questions. Why? Why him? How could this happen to us? Wasn’t the separation of my parents enough?

Questions to which no answers seemed valid. I can still remember the precise moment in which my mother announced the death of my father: I was playing outside when she called me into the house with tears in her eyes.

I asked her, “What’s wrong, mom?”

She answered with difficulty, “God came and got Daddy.”

“Why, Mom?” No answer.

“When is he coming back?”

“Never!”

Who is God? Why did He come and get my father? Why did God choose him?

From that moment, my life changed completely. For no particular reason I just started being angry at God, at society, at everybody, and I felt the need to be a4

After many experiments, I had my first contact with drugs.

“Nothing big,” I use to think, “Just hash and pot… nothing to worry about!!!” But sadly, it was just the beginning. Slowly but steadily, I started smoking really often, and next thing you know, I found myself desperately looking for money.

rebel, to get attention, to be loved. From that day, I started trying to get all the attention I could from schoolmates and teachers. My school principal kept sending notes to my mother for my bad behavior, but nothing seemed to stop me.

My entrance in the big league…

Having finished elementary school, I had to make my entrance in the big league… High school! I had to be cool; even more, I had to be the coolest.

Before the beginning of school, I bought my first, heavy metal rock band t-shirts, my first punk pants and my Doc Martin shoes. I had to be accepted, I had to rule… Since I was a great talker, I started making a lot of friends, and to add to my style, I started smoking cigarettes – all the tough guys had to smoke!!! At that time a pack of cigarettes cost about six dollars and fifty cents, and for a new teen with no job, it was too expensive. Solution? I started buying them on the black market for four dollars. It was still too expensive since I also had to go out with my friends…

New solution? I started selling cigarettes myself to earn money to pay my own.

That was the beginning of my fall.

The more time passed, the more I had to be tough and show others what I was capable of. Although my conscience was crying out to me, it was as if I couldn’t help it.

I just had to be on top of everybody.

I used to fool around all the time at school and do so many stupid things in order to be seen as a fearless person, one who does whatever he wants. A great part of my high school was spent in the hallways, because I was always being kicked out of class. I just had to impress my schoolmates by answering back to the teachers and engaging in all sorts of immature acts.

I was also obsessed with food, eating all the time and gaining more weight year after year. It was probably another way for me to escape from reality or to relieve myself from all my problems.

I just couldn’t help it. Although I had a great inferiority complex about my size, I couldn’t do without eating.

a girlfriend with whom things were going well for at least a year. That is to say, until I started missing my freedom; then, although I had a strong attraction to this girl, I broke up with her but continued seeing her for a while. It was as if we were still going out but without any obligations on my part. I felt as if committing myself to only one person would limit me. I just wanted to be free.

After many experiments, I had my first contact with drugs. “Nothing big,” I use to think, “Just hash and pot… nothing to worry about!!!” But sadly, it was just the beginning. Slowly but steadily, I started smoking really often, and next thing you know, I found myself desperately looking for money. Since I had no job, I had very little money and could not afford everything I wanted. 4

I was also a bit of a player and was strongly attracted to some of the girls I knew. I had a few girlfriends with whom I went out for no more than a month each, but at a certain point I had

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So I started selling weed. An easy way to make money in Montreal and an easy way to get all I needed.

God is knocking…

After having tried many chemical substances and being a bad influence on many friends, I suddenly found myself in the middle of a Christmas feast with all my family around me, angry with me because they had found out I was taking drugs. I still remember my godfather taking me by the arm and telling me with a firm voice: “If ever I catch you with a joint in your mouth, I’ll beat you up!”

All I could answer my family was, “Leave me alone, it’s my own life!!!”

Though I seemed careless for everything that had happened that night, I was shocked. For the first time, I fully realized that with my behavior I was getting the opposite of what I wanted and needed. I looked like a junkie. All I wanted was attention but I was turning everybody against me. God spoke to me that night through my family. For the first time, my reflections brought about a kind of conversion.

I was reconsidering everything my mother had taught me about going to Holy Mass and praying to God. Without any explanation, I found myself at the Sunday Mass at Pompei Church in St-Michel, and I started praying with the Rosary.

I was probably too blind to see it at that time, but looking back now, I see that

inspired by God, gave me work for the summer time, and it was a great way to keep me off the street and prevent things from getting worse. But since I was tough, all the occasions were good for me to find a way to get what I wanted.

I was truly a hypocrite and a great actor, behaving in different ways depending on the people I was with. Since my god-

I was expecting to be seen by the father as a junkie a n d t o b e j u d g e d f o r w h o I w a s . Bu t d e s p i t e m y earrings, shaved head, huge sideburns, little devil p i n c h a n d C a r i b b e a n s h i r t , t h e f a t h e r’s r e a c t i o n w a s that of a man who is happy to see one of his sons.

God was getting a lot of people to assist me and get me back on the right path.

Around the same year, I had a cousin, Giovanni Ricci, who was a hairdresser and who was truly a “Joe Cool”. After having praised Mary for having helped him when he realized he had been a slave of the world’s goods, Giovanni rediscovered his faith and had a great conversion.

He was a great support for me and taught me many things about faith. But regardless of all the help I was getting, after a while, I started falling once more.

Fortunately, my godfather, maybe

father used to give me a certain amount of money each week throughout the year for the work I did in the summer, I kept going to Mass. But my heart wasn’t in it; I was then a Sunday Christian living my whole week in contradiction to my Sunday engagement.

Second Fall…

My second fall was slower but greater than the first one, and though God was using my conscience powerfully to call me toward him, I was trying to stifle His call and kept going down. After listening constantly to Led Zeppelin, The Doors, and Jimmy Hendrix and wearing a long brown leather jacket from the seventies, my friends started calling me “Nick the Sixties.” I was back to the junkie style, the tough Nick who had nothing to worry about. Home, school, park, arcade… all the places were good to take flight from reality. I was constantly outside reality, but I was always reflecting on life and on the meaning of our existence.

I started sharing my reflections, which soon earned me the title of philosopher.

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It is around that time, more or less, when I was in secondary four, that I met someone who was to become (for a while) my best friend and with whom I had a band called Flem. Music then started taking a greater significance in

Rome or California…?

But God was working hard through my family, and despite the fact that I had written a letter to my cousin refusing his invitation, my family began insisting

During that one year and a half, I learned so much, from cooking to ironing, from car mechanics to house renovations and bricklaying, from the Italian language and culture to dealing with people and how to be myself and much more.

I was given the opportunity to make decisions on my own, choosing by myself what to do or not to do, without being a slave to the ideas of others, or of my instincts, which had previously caused me nothing but sadness. my life and slowly became my reason for being. I started falling deeper. God, through my cousin, kept trying to help me in many ways. But the help seemed to be in vain.

My cousin, Giovanni Ricci, with the aspiration to become a priest, then decided to join a Marian Community, the Knights of Charity, and left for Italy. I was constantly writing to him, trying to understand why he wanted to do this, but he couldn’t answer my numerous questions. To try to make things clearer, he invited me to come and see for myself, just like when the disciples asked Jesus, “Rabbi,” – which means teacher – “where do you live?”, He answered, “Come and see.”

(John 1, 38).

First of all, I was out of money.

Secondly, I had to be out of my mind to go on a vacation into a religious Community, and last of all, I was planning to hitchhike to California.

Decision? No way, I can’t go there!

It was too strong to be true and that is why I understood that God was demonstrating his love for me through this father.

Who would have thought…

Next thing I knew I was in Italy, stepping into the house of this new Community (a normal family house adapted for a Community – not a huge, sad convent like I had seen in Canada), and without being able to explain why, I found myself at home. I immediately saw more than a Community; I saw a family. While visiting the house I was impressed with the order and the simplicity of it and I made everybody laugh when the first thing I

that I accept, emphasizing that I would get the opportunity to see and be in contact with my Italian origins.

For some reason I accepted, and my only explanation was that I finally gave in to God’s efforts.

Because it was a last minute decision, I now had to hurry up and buy my ticket, and I had to meet one of the fathers of the Community, who had been in Montreal for a few months and was going back to Italy.

I was expecting to be seen by the father as a junkie and to be judged for who I was. But despite my earrings, shaved head, huge sideburns, little devil pinch and Caribbean shirt, the father’s reaction was that of a man who is happy to see one of his sons. Throughout our meeting, I thought I was dreaming; all I saw was unbiased love.

asked as I walked into the living room (being a typical couch potato and television addict) was, “There is no couch here? Where is the television?”

No, there was no couch but there was peace and a beautiful welcoming spirit.

The old television was on top of a high closet and it was the only thing in the room with dust on it. I had always believed that religious life was boring and repetitive.

Instead, while visiting this Community, I began to see that although it was a demanding life with sacrifices, religious life was above all a joyous life, with many new things to do everyday.

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Since the apostolate of the Community is about spiritual and moral counseling as much as spiritual and human training, all through the month I had many beautiful experiences and met many nice people who had come here for moral and spiritual help. I really felt they loved me and I was amused with all the practical jokes the priests played on me, and how these jokes were a manifestation of love and not designed to humiliate or pick on me. For instance, one time they made a tiny hole into the ceiling to put a tube in and sent water from another room at night. You can’t imagine how crazy it drove me trying to find out where the water came from…

What also impressed me is to see how they live, with all their needs met by

Divine Providence. They never go to the supermarket and still there is always good food on the table. They don’t have money to waste, but they don’t have debts. If they need something and they don’t have the money, they just pray and wait… somehow things get fixed.

Back to Montreal and back to Rome…

The month went by really fast and I went back to Montreal very enthusiastic about my experience with the Community.

Back in Montreal I worked and studied at the same time. My experience of only one month had already helped me live with a different spirit, I had rediscovered a sense to my life and I had a goal.

Still, it was really hard for me because I was tempted to resume my old habits and had a hard time sticking to my good intentions. Despite all the difficult moments, after a few months, I sent a request to the Community to renew my visit for a longer period. In January, 1999, I was back into the Community with another fellow from Quebec.

We had such a nice welcome. A man came to get us at the airport with a beautiful, huge Mercedes. He had a cardboard with our names on it just like for important people. But on one side there was a snowman and on the other side there were two young girls in bikinis….

It was too nice to be true. Then we found ourselves in a lost parking lot with the man saying he was upset because the fathers of the Community hadn’t paid him enough.

Then he told us to get out; he threw us out of the car with our luggage and he left! Thank God, a few minutes later one of the fathers appeared. It was the welcoming joke.

A year and a half that went by like a few weeks When I went back for a year and a half, I can’t say it was always easy. But I found in the Community great priests to confide in and other brothers with whom to share the good and hard times we were living. Times were tough when I would withdraw into myself, even for trivial reasons such as taking offence for something I was being taught to do in a different way.

To tell you the truth, at the beginning, I forgot to leave my pride at home and I often thought of my trip to California… to escape from reality.

In any case, God had granted me all I had been seeking: a great family in compensation for the loss of my father. And to help me make peace with my obsession with food, I was made responsible for the two cars (a fifteen-year old pulmino van which looked brand new, and a jubilee Fiat 127). Somehow, I always had to keep them running. The more weight I lost, the further I was allowed to drive, first in the yard, and then in the car entrance, then to the village of Ponte Galeria, and finally to Rome when I got to what was my normal weight. I didn’t even have a driver’s license!

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The training that the fathers give, based on the teachings of the founding Father, F. Stanislao C. Caban-Luszczynski, gave me great human, moral and spiritual strength, which made my faith grow, and helped me become a better person (by working, for instance, on my tough character). During that one year and a half, I learned so much, from cooking to ironing, from car mechanics to house renovations and bricklaying, from the Italian language and culture to dealing with people and how to be myself and much more. I was given the opportunity to make decisions on my own, choosing by myself what to do or not to do, without being a slave to the ideas of others, or of my instincts, which had previously caused me nothing but sadness. I hadn’t been to a professional school but to a school of life, and a great one at that!

Montreal here I come again…

After this period of training, I came back home. Even if I had already decided to continue a religious life, I had to contemplate my decision outside of the Community and in my own setting.

I decided to continue my spiritual journey into this Community. I, who had never opened a book to study before, managed to complete Cegep and graduated with an 85% average. I was in daily contact with kids my age who also had their dreams, problems and temptations.

I didn’t have to be an actor anymore or try to show off in any way. I was myself.

Instead of negatively influencing others, I was able to do some good. What a difference; I had actually become someone who could help others. What helped is truly the training, but also sharing with other youth from the Community the great ideals of living and the will to help others and to do good.

When I look back I can’t believe how sad I was, looking everywhere for happiness and freedom and not doing anything other than being a slave to material goods and fake pleasures. I can say without any fear that my decision to live a consecrated life has brought me peace and happiness. I have found the interior freedom I was looking for.

Some might say, “You won’t have a family and a wife with whom to share your life!” To this I answer with conviction that my family is larger because it is universal and that Christ fills me with all the graces one could wish for. I now try to live my life with God, and day after day I thank Him for He has truly performed a great miracle.

God is great to me and to everybody. g

Now and tomorrow I am now studying for the priesthood in the pontifical University Urbaniana and in my first year of philosophy.

If you would like to send words of encouragement to Nick please E-mail at ec.roma@aconet.it

“The Almighty has done great things for me, Holy is his name” (Luke 1, 49).

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our people

by Tania Tassone

“I AM ITALIAN” It was not until I visited Italy t wo years ago that I realized what being Italian truly means. It was not until then that I learned what an important role family values, customs and traditions play in defining who I am today.

Although I learned a lot about Italian history, architecture and art while visiting cities such as Milano, Firenze, Venezia, Verona, Pisa, and Roma, the places that left the biggest impression on me were in fact not cities at all but rather the towns in which my parents were born and raised.

Nardodipace, my father’s hometown, is a small village of 1,500 inhabitants surrounded by mountains in the region of Catanzaro, Calabria. Born in a metropolitan city such as Montreal, I had never visited a small Italian town and did not know what to expect.

Throughout my childhood, my nonna was always telling me stories about Nardodipace; how its people were very traditional and welcoming, how the city was adorned by fresh air and cherry trees, and how living there was like living among a huge family where everyone knew your name. From those stories, I developed the urge to visit and to see and experience it with my own eyes.

My parents and I drove there from Nicastro, a city in Calabria where most of my family is presently living. From a distance, through the car windshield, I could see Nardodipace and immediately felt a strong attachment to it. The greenery was vivid, the air fresh and the mountains stupendous. As we drove into this little town, I noticed children playing calcio on the unpaved streets, older women arm in arm taking their

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afternoon passeggiata, and men gathered playing scopa in the piazza. All stopped to look, and turned to each other and whispered as our car drove past them, intrigued and curious to know what we were doing in their village. Our first stop was the house in which my dad grew up.

It was nestled between other homes, and had a few windows facing the cobblestone street. I pictured my father and uncles playing on the road while nonna called from inside telling them that dinner was ready. We walked a little bit further into the Old Town and in front of me stood la Chiesa della Natività, a church that was built at the end of the 18th century.

It boasted a big bell tower at the top and was guarded by two statues of Santa Lucia and San Rocco.

San Rocco was known as the patron saint of Nardodipace and it was for this reason that my nonni gave this name to my father, their eldest son. We then went to visit the cemetery where we prayed for people my father had known. I spent several moments in front of the tombstone of my second cousin Katia, who had died at a very young age, and tried to imagine what she would be like if she were alive today.

As we walked around the town some more, we met an older man who learned

that my father was originally from there and he offered us some fresh cherries from his tree. He was overwhelmed to discover that my father had come back and had brought my brother and me along. We continued towards a beautiful little chapel surrounded by tall trees and I learned that it was here that my dad was baptized.

The day ended with a feast at my father’s aunt’s house where I had the opportunity to try all of Nardodipace’s traditional treats: zeppoli, capretto, Macaroni al Ferro and Coniglio Bruschiato. For dessert, we had my personal favorite – Pitte San Martino. At dusk, we left Nardodipace and headed back to Nicastro. I felt both happy and sad at the same time – happy that I had the opportunity to see for myself where my father’s family originated from, but sad because I knew that I would not be returning there the next day, next month and probably not even in the next year.

A few days after our trip to Nardodipace, we found ourselves on the road to Agnone, my mother’s native village in the province of Isernia. Agnone is known as a village of ancient craft traditions and has a little over 10,000 inhabitants.

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“I am Italian and there is nothing else I would rather be ”.

I was excited to visit Agnone and discover its beautiful simplicity because I hadn’t had the opportunity to hear about it as much as I had with Nardodipace considering my nonna on my mother’s side had passed away when I was quite young. Although I do not remember many of her stories, I can certainly remember the delicacies she cooked and I was looking forward to tasting them in their place of origin. It was already dark when we arrived in Agnone and I couldn’t see much out of the car window until we reached my mom’s cousin’s house.

Outside stood a young couple and two gorgeous dark-haired girls. I soon discovered that they were my third cousins, Pina and Tonia, and that I would be spending the next few days with them. That night, I slept in Pina’s room and we spent lots of time chatting and getting to know each other.

The next day, we woke up and my family went for a walk through the town.

Agnone and Nardodipace were quite similar in terms of its people; they were all very traditional and simple.

However, there were also some significant differences. First, the Italian dialect in Agnone was more difficult to understand and secondly, Agnone had many more churches than any other village in Italy. Agnone also seemed to be a little bigger than Nardodipace. We started by walking down the main strada which boasted little paninotecas, bars, trattorias and venditori di rano. As my mom told stories of her childhood, I listened and imagined it was me who had grown up here.

I pictured myself playing with my friends on the streets, spending some time chatting with the old ladies in the piazza, and stopping by the local bakery on the way

home to buy bread for dinner that night.

Everywhere we went that day, people seemed to know who we were – it was as though an announcement was made before we got there that Maria Rosa Saia and family would be visiting. People came up to us, give my mother big hugs and offer my brother and I some dolci.

Tania Tassone After indulging in a large plate of gnocchi for lunch at my nonno’s brother’s home and taking a quick riposo, we headed towards Agnone storico, where we visited a very old church.

have come to adore. I managed to watch how it was made and promised myself that I would make it every Christmas once I have my own family.

After dinner, Pina and I walked down to the piazza to meet her friends. I had brought my rollerblades with me and figured I would let her friends try them, as they had never even heard of them before. We sat in the piazza and chatted away, and by the end of the night, I had learned a lot about Italian youth and had made some great friends. Leaving Agnone the next day was one of the saddest moments of my life but I was so grateful to have met my cousins and to have truly lived the life of an Agnonese, if only for one day.

It is so rare that children of immigrants these days have the opportunity to visit their native countries, let alone learn its language, customs and traditions. I feel blessed that I have been able to do all of these; only now do I truly realize how important being Italian is to me.

Discovering your roots is like discovering a whole new side of yourself. Learning about your culture opens your doors to a completely new world. It makes you a more knowledgeable, open-minded and charismatic person. Being Italian has allowed me to indulge in some of life’s most fascinating elements: food, art, architecture, literature, language, tradition, history, and most importantly, family. g

I found out that the Pope had actually been there one year prior to bless the establishment. I felt so honoured to have been able to visit a place where the great Pope had also set foot. We had dinner with my mom’s extended family and I was pleasantly surprised when we were served Zuppa Santa, a traditional Christmas cheese and bread soup that I

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UP & Coming

our people

Young Chef Photo : Geraldo Pace

Nick De Rubertis 71

our people

by Nadia Signorino Located in the west end on Henri Bourassa Street, next door to Le Crystal Convention Centre, is a restaurant with a sixty-seat capacity called Vino Rosso, which specializes in nouvelle Italian

workday, getting into the spirit of the fine dining experience, we went ahead and ordered a glass of house red. It was the perfect accompaniment to our fine meals: farfalle con salciccie e cipolle

“ Cooking is not only a great tribute to my italian heritage, it has quickly become my passion.” cuisine. The dishes are as good looking as they are delightful to the palate.

Just about everything is homemade, from the crusty bread to the assortment of desserts, which are really to die for.

And everything is always fresh because there is just one table d’hôte and it changes everyday.

(butterfly pasta with sausages and onions), risotto con quàglie (risotto with quails) and cappellini con legumi (cappellini pasta with vegetables).

Along with our superb café latte, cappuccino and espresso, we were served biscotti — perfect, crispy, chewy and very fresh.

My companions and I had lunch at Vino Rosso on a pleasantly animated Wednesday noon. The restaurant caters to business people, couples and families; our meeting was a blend of business and pleasure. Although none of us was accustomed to drinking on a

The service was first-rate, everything prepared just right. One would assume the chef was a veteran with many years under his belt. Instead, his name is Nick De Rubertis, a talented 24-yearold who has been with Vino Rosso since its opening in February 2001 and who

handles most of the cuisine, along with chef Eric DeMontigny.

Nick De Rubertis switched to cooking school from interior design, which he studied in college. “I couldn’t see myself doing that for too long,” he said.

“For me, it was boring.”

Growing up, he watched his mother cooking; watching her gave him the inspiration to take it up professionally. His mother, he admits candidly, is an excellent cook and makes better sauce than he does. But his whole family comes to Vino Rosso to savor Di Robertis’ many creative inventions.

In addition to serving a variety of classic pasta and meat dishes, the Vino Rosso menu includes ostrich, wild boar, rack of lamb from Québec and deer.

No matter what your preference, Vino Rosso is a place you’ll want to return to again and again. g

Arugula salad with parmesan crisps and zesty orange vinaigrette Vinaigrette Juice of 2 blood oranges 2 teaspoons of blood orange zest Salt and Pepper 5 tablespoons extra virgin olive oil 1 teaspoon Dijon mustard 2 tablespoons of balsamic vinegar, preferably aged 12 years or more 1 teaspoon of minced shallots

Salad 1 blood orange (peeled and deveined) 1/4 cup of roasted walnuts 1 cup grated Parmegiano Reggiano cheese Arugula salad, washed and drained

• Heat oven at 350 degrees.

• Using a 1/4 cup of grated parmesan cheese per crisp, form a circle of approximately 4 inches in diameter on a baking sheet, lined with parchment. Leave 2 inches between each crisp. Broil until golden brown, keeping a close eye, so they don’t burn. Let cool on baking sheet until they start to harden and become crisp, about 10 minutes. Carefully, remove parmesan crisps using a metal spatula.

• Prepare dressing by mixing first 7 ingredients in a large mixing bowl.

Place Arugula salad, roasted walnuts, and blood orange segments, and toss gently, until all leaves are well coated.

For presentation: • Layer one parmesan crisp at the bottom of a serving dish, followed by some tossed arugula salad, finish with a second cheese crisp.

• Drizzle some dressing over final product and decorate with orange zest.

Buon appetito!

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ARUGULASALAD Photo : Geraldo Pace

our people Hard work, good people, and don’t try to own the whole world:

S

uccess

according to Joseph Sorbara

Where do you find the time for all of this, I ask?

“I’m very fortunate. My brother Edward, who has spent all of his working life in the family business, is very detail-oriented, and extremely capable of handling the day-today operations, which leaves me with extra time to get involved with organizations of my choosing,” he says, seated beneath a photograph of himself with Pope John Paul II, in the Sorbara Group headquarters at Steeles and Weston Rd. “And I love being around people. I am never tired of spending the whole day with people—I spend a day at my desk and I’m beat!”

As busy as he is, Joseph Sorbara, Toronto real estate developer and lawyer, has the air of a relaxed man. Together with his brother Edward, he operates and manages several million square feet of industrial, commercial and office properties, a residential apartment portfolio and hundreds of acres of land in various stages of development in and around the GTA. Family-owned businesses, under the name The Sorbara Group, also include an insurance brokerage (started in 1942), a construction company, a masonry contracting company and a company that focuses on low-rise housing. All of this and a role as partner in the law firm of Tanzola & Sorbara, would be enough to keep any one person continually occupied.

But in between the day-to-day operations of the Sorbara Group, Joseph finds time to give back in large ways to causes close to his heart like education and organizations that celebrate diversity. He is the Chairman of the Advisory Board of OMNI Television and Chairman and Director of the York University Development Corporation (YUDC). Along with his role as an Honourary member of the York University Board of Governors, he is also a member of the Board of Directors of the York University Foundation.

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A charming and spirited man, Sorbara exudes qualities identical to those he attributes to his Italian heritage—warmth, openness, and a welcoming nature. Growing up in the Township of North York, Toronto, he says he was exposed to people of all backgrounds, yet he always had an understanding of his own heritage.

“Nobody in my family had to tell me I was Italian, yet there always existed the knowledge that I was,” he says. “I have an innate affinity for all things Italian. I feel it. I eat it. I talk it.

It’s part of my life. Maybe it accounts for my openness and my love of people.”

One of four children, Sorbara grew up with distinct advantages. His father Sam, an Italian-Canadian immigrant, built a successful real estate and life insurance business from little more than ingenuity and the sale of chicken feed to farmers in North York and Vaughan, Ontario. Eventually, chicken feed turned into life insurance and then plots of farmland, which led to financial security for Sam Sorbara, the son of a largely absent CN Railway blaster.

Through hard work and his own example, Sam instilled in his children Joseph, Edward, Gregory, and Marcella, a wealth of values, including the obligation to give back.

“He always made us understand that there was enough to go around and that money is not the be all and end all of everything,” he says. “Money helped him do what he loved most—help other people.”

Helping others, especially York University students, is high on Joseph’s list of priorities.

Both Sorbara and his brother Gregory, who is the current Minister of Finance for the Ontario Government, are graduates of York University’s Osgoode Hall Law School.

Joseph also holds a Masters Degree in English Literature from St. Michael’s College at the University of Toronto and is the Chair of the University of St. Michaels’ Fund Raising Campaign. Through private giving and the Sam Sorbara Charitable Foundation, Sorbara and his family have given York University over $350,000 for various initiatives—most especially student financial support, a cause Sorbara is passionate about.

“York has been under-funded for years, yet it handles the second largest number of students in the whole province,” he says. “As donors, we have an obligation to help out.”

Working on behalf of York students, as a member of the York University Board of Governors since 1988, and on the Board of the York University Development Corporation (YUDC) for the past 14 years, the last three years as YUDC Chair, Sorbara sees York as very worthy of his time, money and expertise.

“At York, everybody seems to be connected to the centre. The students are part of the whole thing. It’s like a United Nations. I think everybody benefits from that diversity.”

For the past fourteen years, Sorbara has contributed his valuable expertise to the University on how to best manage York land, through the York University Development Corporation.

“Because my family has always been in the

real estate business, I welcomed the opportunity to get involved with the Development Corporation.”

In 1988, Sorbara was invited to sit on York’s Board of Governors by the late Bruce Bryden, the founder of the York University Alumni Association (YUAA) and the first alumni Chair of the York University Board of Governors. “Bruce’s enthusiasm for York was infectious. He really believed in the University.

He believed it was an exciting place for students and that it had a great future.”

As a tribute to Bruce Bryden’s vision, commitment and contributions to the University, York University created the Bruce Bryden Alumni Recognition Award. In May 2004, Sorbara will receive the Bruce Bryden Award in honor of his own many contributions to the University.

Sorbara recently became a member of the 19-person Board of Directors for the year-and-a-half old York University Foundation, an independent fundraising body dedicated to raising funds and building support for York University.

“The Foundation is an effective way of talking about York,” he says. “As ambassadors for York, all of the members of the Board are committed to its success. And the financial results, since its existence, have been superb.”

When asked what makes him want to give, he replies, “I guess I’ve been given a lot. I can’t eat anymore than I eat. I can’t drink anymore than I drink and I’ve never been impressed with having a lot of money in the bank,” he says.

Like his father, he likes to help people.

“I took from York, I took from St. Michael’s. I took from everybody. Why shouldn’t I give somebody else the same opportunities I had? If they make them work, they make them work. If they don’t, they don’t. I just feel good about providing the opportunity for somebody else to take a little bit. Hopefully, they will give a little back. That’s what it’s all about.”

“Fiercely Canadian, proud of our heritage” — johnny lombardi, chin radio/t v international

The Italian community in Ontario and abroad knows Johnny Lombardi as the founding father of multicultural radio and television. This entrepreneur, musician, soldier, impresario, broadcaster and family man gave a voice and presence to immigrants. From CHUM in 1946 and the birth of CHIN in 1966, Johnny dedicated over half a century of effort and energy in the fields of broadcasting and entertainment. He received countless awards for his work in public service and with charities, including Member of the Order of Canada, Member of the Order of Ontario and Citizen of the Year in Metropolitan Toronto.

Johnny was born in Toronto in 1915 to humble Italian immigrants. His passing on March 18, 2002 touched us deeply.

His three children, Lenny, Theresa and Donina, carry on his legacy and honor the dream of their father: that people of all lands, creeds and colors coming to our shores feel welcome and accepted as equals by those who preceded them, and that they be given the opportunity to participate and contribute to our Canadian way of life.

“Fana bona jobba” or “ti voglio bene assai, assai, assai” formed the closing remarks of all his appearances, whether in a radio program, a television address, or any one of his personal appearances at events highlighting Italian culture and concerns.

Those who left their beloved Italia behind cherished his radio and television programs, concerts, promotions and charity events.

Johnny Lombardi lived and worked with unrelenting energy and enthusiasm within the boundaries of ethnic Toronto, downtown at College and Grace Streets.

This gave him a razor-sharp insight into the pulse and heartbeat of the multilingual communities served by CHIN Radio/TV International. This year, CHIN is celebrating its 38th anniversary broadcasting from Toronto and Ottawa to local communities and abroad.

Today, Piazza Johnny Lombardi, a memorial parquet complete with a bronze statue spands a section of College between Clinton and Grace Streets. The radio stations, television programs and yearly events continue his legacy and his goal for us to celebrate our differences, while being “fiercely Canadian, proud of our heritage.”

To the Italians in Ontario, Johnny’s name is synonymous with multiculturalism.

Who could forget his unique Italian?

(He was born in Toronto and learned to speak an Italian dialect from his parents).

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Dynamic

Young For our Women in Business feature, we met Francesca Morena, General Manager of the Banquet Department of La Plaza Banquet Halls.

Ms. Morena, a pleasant, confident woman of twentyfive, began working part time for her father’s banquet hall business while in high school, later graduating with a diploma in Tourism from LaSalle College.

At sixteen years old, she started helping around in the kitchen, and was soon promoted to espresso, café latte and cappuccino maker.

Working for her father’s business for ten years now has been an invaluable experience that has helped her acquire the skills necessary to competently hold a managerial position. Her role as General Manager offers many challenges and opportunities. La Plaza boasts

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our people

by Nadia Signorino

B

usiness Woman

nine banquet rooms, ranging in size and in type of set-up.

The rooms are used for different purposes and can accommodate between 16 and 1000 people. Because of La Plaza’s ideal, downtown location, the rooms serve as venues for corporate events, conferences and expositions - both large and small throughout the year, in addition to an average of 85 wedding receptions annually.

Ms. Morena oversees a floor team of 10 full-time staff, in addition to part-time, seasonal staff, a kitchen staff of a chef and sous-chef and 8 employees, many of whom have seen her grow up. She works just about everyday, and is always present during wedding receptions, when her workday typically ends at 3:00 a.m.

Ms. Morena, who learned everything she knows from

her father, Vince Morena, before taking on the management responsibility on her own, still reports to him. Her father, she admits, is and has always been her mentor. When asked about where she would like to be in 10 years, she replies that she intends to continue learning more about her line of work, expanding the services of La Plaza. She envisions La Plaza catering outside the premises and continuing to keep up with the trends in the industry, which can be unpredictable — world events often determining corporate activities.

When asked which events she enjoys coordinating most, Ms. Morena replies smiling, and without hesitation — weddings are the most fun. g

Pier 21

by Carrie-Ann Smith, Research Librarian

From a

Train Window

Men on the train platform in front of Pier 21

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Over the last few years, Pier 21 has had many families visit to celebrate the fiftieth anniversary of their immigration to Canada. Several of the Italian families who have made the pilgrimage to Halifax have attempted to re-create the experience for their grandchildren by taking the train.

They always laugh when we ask if they have gone to any lengths to make the children physically uncomfortable and if they fed them food that they hated for the entire length of the journey. They laugh because they remember sitting on wooden benches, boiling or freezing depending on the season, eating terrible food and staring out the train window with no idea what they would see next.

In The Italians in Canada, Bruno Ramirez wrote, “According to data published by a 1904 Royal Commission, that year, out of a total workforce of 8,576 men in the employ of the Canadian Pacific Railway, 3,144 were Italians.� With contract railroad labour outlawed in the United States, railway jobs in Canada were a major draw. The Italian men that these jobs brought to Canada would establish the communities that through sponsorship would help enormous numbers of Italians immigrate in the twentieth century.

During the post-war heyday of Italian immigration to Canada, the railways were again one of the primary employers.

The CPR and CNR had lobbied for a more liberal immigration policy after the Second World War, and by the late 1940s, thousands of Italian immigrants were arriving. Many joined relatives already established in Canada, some came with the intention of working to save money and then returning to Italy, still others followed their sense of adventure into the unknown north.

In 1951, Giuseppe Leone arrived in Montreal to find that his sponsor was not waiting for him. He writes that if he had enough money in his pocket, he would have purchased a return ticket to Italy immediately but he stuck it out and seven months later, he had his first job.

He writes, “My first job was in Dorval, where I worked on the train tracks for a contractor from Vancouver. At night, I slept on the train.

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I took pride in whatever job I did and three months later, my boss asked me if I would move to Vancouver. I chose to remain in Montreal.”

In October of 1953, Mr. Leone’s wife and four children followed and in 1956 they all became Canadian citizens. 1959 brought them their fifth child, a Canadian by birth. Working on the rails and sleeping on the train were the sacrifices necessary to reunite the family; Mr. Leone has no regrets.

Another Montrealer, Serverino Andolfatto, recalls that discomfort and cold temperatures could not detract him

Dina Simon nee DeFilippis grew up listening to her father’s stories.

She recorded his memories of immigrating from Roccamandolfi, Italy with his brother, describing his journey with the loving detail of an attentive daughter who knew that her life would have been very different if her father had not been so brave.

“The two-day train trip would introduce them to Canadian food. Purchasing a loaf of white sliced bread and cold drinks with the money they were given, they sat down to have a sandwich. Being accustomed to the Italian crusty bread, they both agreed that the bread had gone

“The coach of the train from Halifax to Montreal had wooden benches and was very cold, but I did not care. I was seated with the new friends I had made on the ship and we were all fascinated by the new land, the ever-changing beautiful landscape going by outside the train windows.” from his interest in getting a first glance at his adopted country.

While high numbers of Italian men in the 1950s were sponsored by the railway companies, many, like Severino, would only see a railcar as a means to an end.

For most newcomers the train trip to their destination was an anxious and exciting time. Canada flew by the window and the first impression it made seems to have depended on the season, the weather, the mood of the passengers and their tolerance for sliced bread.

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moldy after a few bites, and left the rest of the bread on the train. Weary and homesick, they were anxious to meet their family in Toronto and have a good home cooked Italian meal.

Union Station was bustling with people when they arrived… Once outside, they were greeted by my great uncle and taken with his car. Both my father and uncle did not know anyone who owned a car and concluded that my great uncle was very rich.”

4

Nine months later Pasquale DeFilippis sent for his wife Filomena and his firstborn daughter Cristina. Dina was born the following year and by 1962, the young couple had sponsored their brothers, sisters, and both sets of parents. Transportation would again play an important role in Pasquale’s life in that he would spend his career with the Toronto Transit Commission a career that he probably could not have imagined as he stood in Union Station on his first day in Toronto.

Antony Caruso also paid tribute to his father by sharing the story of his origins in Pisticci, Italy, his arrival at Pier 21, and his train trip to Toronto.

Salvatore Caruso boarded the train that would take him to Toronto on the morning of November 23, which is when his son writes, “Dad saw snow. He had seen snow before in Italy, but never this much. As he looked out the window, he noticed that a great area was covered with it. He noticed small huts in this snow as well. Dad spoke to a person who spoke French. He told Dad that he was looking at water that was frozen, and those huts were ice-fishing huts.

He held out his hands to show how thick the ice was on that lake. Dad never believed that ice could be that thick.

He honestly thought that the French person was pulling his leg!”

“The train made a stop in Montreal.

It was to wait for six hours. Dad went to get some food. He saw the word “spaghetti” and bought some. It was

Pier 21 and the train yard.

Chef Boyardee spaghetti and it tasted terrible. Dad ate it with bread and coffee. He liked the coffee – in fact, it was one of the few foods he liked between Montreal and Toronto – Dad only drank coffee!”

Union Station and family would welcome Salvatore, and, like Pasquale, he would have two things on his mind: the bustle of the crowded train station, and how soon he would get some real bread.

Based on their reflections and the stories that they have handed down to their children, it seems that the era of train travel afforded immigrants time, a little time anyway, to look around and get used to the idea of Canada.

Whether they were in awe of the landscape, horrified by the food or charmed by the people, they reached their destinations with a sense of place.

Today, when we travel this huge land, it too often consists of looking down at an abstract landscape from the remote vantage point of an airplane - perhaps we as Canadians born in Canada have lost something truly special in not seeing our country, massive and varied and wonderful, from a train window. g

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Pier 21

by Mary Caravaggio

Memories of a

Train Ride from Halifax The train I am looking at is going to take us to our final destination, first stopping in Montreal and then in the city of Toronto. All this is new to me. We just stepped off the ship. We are very tired, exhausted from our trip. All of us are moving closer to the train, accompanied by our luggage, bags and belongings that are very dear to us all. These are the treasures that we carry to our new home.

I look at the many railroad cars waiting for the passengers. I climb to the top of the steps into the train. I’m standing on the flat floor, looking ahead of me.

I look straight in front at the full length of this railroad car. The bright sunlight shines through the windows. This is a July morning. I want to turn my head the other way to avoid the brightness that glares at my face.

The car feels bare. The wooden seats are positioned lengthwise on both sides along the windows. A black charcoal dust from the charcoal they use to run this train covers them. As we settle in, the women and men sweep it off with their hands, remarking how dusty it is.

We can’t believe it. “It’s not possible,”

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we all mutter, “that after the ordeal of a long voyage across the Atlantic, now we have to travel on this dusty train for another twenty-four hours.” We had not seen a train like this before. With our clean clothes, we sit on these wooden seats, facing the other families, sitting across from us. We are all complaining, saying that by the time we reach Toronto, we will be all dirty. We don’t like this, but we have no choice.

Everyone settles into their spot; it is almost time to leave Pier 21. The train is ready to depart, on its way to Montreal and Toronto. We look forward to our destination.

We are so tired and anxious at the same time. Each one of us feels all our bones

on the hard seats. The sun is still bright against my face as I look out the dusty windows. The train is moving faster and faster. All we see are vast farmlands.

We see houses that are like small cottages, small in size, scattered over the vast lands, far apart from each other.

Long stretches of land with no life on them. At least we couldn’t see any.

I hear the sighs of the mothers. “O mio Dio questo e dove siamo venuti.

O God this is where we have come.”

A little discouraged and disappointed in what we see in front of us, afraid of the unexpected, fear setting in all of us.

We are accustomed to living very close to our neighbours; we chat with them, almost anytime we want. Someone says, “I hope we don’t live like this. It looks

4

"Mary Leonetti (left) and her sister Cathy (daughters of Concetta Leonetti) photographed in the summer of 1955 in Toronto, Canada, shortly after arriving from Italy."

deserted to me.” Somebody else says, “Don’t despair, we haven’t reached our destination; we don’t know how it’s going to be over there.” A little bit of hope for all of us in this strange country.

We reach Montreal in the evening; it is nighttime. We have experienced our first sunset in Canada. A number of passengers get off; this is their destination. In the railroad station, we can’t see much of the city; we see only what is visible in the station. I also have to get off the train in Montreal. I am eleven and I have a very high fever; caused by a vaccination I was given before we left Italy. My arm is swollen and red; in great pain, I am crying.

Someone in charge escorts my mom, uncle, sister and I into the train station to see a doctor.

We are led to an office; the person escorting us tells the nurse to look at my arm. She then takes my temperature and says the fever is too high; she rushes to call the doctor. He comes in. One look at me and he says, “I want to admit her to a hospital for a few days.”

My mother is shocked by this and quickly says “No,” even though she doesn’t understand all that the doctor is saying. She says, “ I can’t leave her here; my daughter comes with me to Toronto.” The doctor who does not have another alternative gives me a needle for my pain and pills to take every four hours. I am advised to lie down until it is time for the train to leave Montreal. Two hours later, I’m feeling better.

We are escorted back to the train.

We take our seats, and the train is on its way again. Now we only see darkness, stars in the sky, a few lights when we come close to a town. We have to travel

all night, and it is going to be a long night for everyone. I try to lie down on the seat.

I put my head on my mother’s lap; I fall asleep.

These few hours feel long.

Sometime later I put my head up against the window. I can see daybreak. The sun rises. It’s another day. This means we are getting closer to Toronto, our destination and the end of our train ride.

Our trip has taken ten days. It’s a relief to put it all behind us and start our new life in this country called Canada.

Hours later we reach the Toronto train station (Union Station). The final stop for my family, the people and friends we have met on the ship. Now we are all looking for a familiar face that is waiting for us all. Now I am feeling much better; I’m anxious to see the land I have come to. Everything is new to me; I need more eyes to see and record all I’m looking at. Familiar faces in the distance finally reach us. I can’t wait for their touch and their empowering embrace to welcome us.

We come out of the station to the automobile that is waiting for us, with my aunt and uncles. We are on the outside of Union Station, on the corner of Front Street and University Avenue.

I look up at the sky and notice how blue it is. There is not a cloud floating on this day, only the sun shining ever so bright, as bright as my joy and the happiness I feel, anticipating a new life in a new country.

We wait for the comfort of home, even if this home is not owned by us. The excitement of being close to loved ones, people that care for us, is one step forward. This is the beginning that gives us the confidence to look ahead to tomorrow, and know that somehow we will make it. In the beginning, it is hard climbing these steep mountains, obstacles that are presented to us, especially for my mom who does not know the language. Taking care of her two daughters and not able to find work is difficult. As years go by, we settle in, a little at a time, always looking to tomorrow and then to the next day. g

M any years have gone by. We have reached the peak of many mountains on our way here, in the land I now call my home, Canada.

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Tony’s Story

by Tony Zara

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Whenever I look back at my past I feel as if I’ve already lived one life. A life that began that February day, long, long ago. A day, which in all probability was cold and damp but yet full of joy and hope for a very young couple that were about to welcome their firstborn.4 Ogni qualvolta che io rifletto sul mio passato, ho l’impressione di aver già vissuto un’altra vita.

Una vita che cominciò quel giorno di febbraio, tanto, tanto tempo fa.

Un giorno nel quale, con ogni probabilità, faceva un tempo freddo e umido ma c’era comunque molta gioia e speranza nell’aria per una giovane coppia che stava per avere il suo primogenito.4

One

Life or Two

Una Vita O Due Images of my young mother lovingly embracing me while rocking me near a warm fire, telling me stories of her childhood. Images of my young father coming home from the family farm, on his trusted mule, with whatever he had harvested that day. Images of my little older cousin, Pierina, comforting me at “L’asilo’’ when I found the time too long and I wanted my mommy.

Images of playing with my many friends in the village square until dark. Images of the many tears I shed convincing my father to buy me a bicycle. God only knows the agony I must have put him through for those three long weeks before he found someone to lend him the money to make me stop crying. I still have very vivid images of my beautiful blue bike and me riding down the hill, the few kilometers it took to get to our farm and then the drama that unfolded whenever my grandmother and her donkey were the unfortunate victims of my childhood tantrums. Victims because I insisted that she attach a rope from the donkey’s saddle to my bike and pull me up the hill all the way home even though the beast would not always cooperate.

Imagine being stuck between a donkey and a brat. ‘’Pazienza’’ she would say. Images of my ‘’Maestra’’, la signorina De Cristofaro, who made my two years of schooling in Italy a fruitful and unforgettable experience event though she had a habit of using that stick a little too often for my liking.4 Immagini di mia madre giovane, che mi abbraccia affettuosamente, mentre mi dondola presso un caldo focolare, raccontandomi storie della sua infanzia. Immagini di mio padre giovane, che ritorna dalla fattoria di famiglia sul suo fidato mulo, con quel che aveva raccolto durante la giornata. Immagini di mia cugina, più vecchia di me ma ancora bambina, che mi consolava all’asilo quando trovavo il tempo troppo lungo e sentivo la mancanza della mamma. Immagini dei giochi che facevo con i miei molti amici, nella piazza del villaggio, fino a che arrivava la sera. Immagini dei fiumi di lacrime che ho versato cercando di convincere mio padre a comprarmi una

bicicletta. Dio solo sa l’angoscia che gli ho causato, prima che lui trovasse qualcuno che gli prestasse i soldi necessari per farmi smettere di piangere. Ho ancora delle immagini nitide di quella bellissima bicicletta blu, mentre la guidavo giù per la collina, quei pochi chilometri che bisognava percorrere per raggiungere la nostra fattoria e il dramma che si viveva ogni qualvolta che mia nonna ed il suo asino diventavano le vittime dei miei capricci da bambino. Vittime perché insistevo che lei attaccasse una corda dalla sella dell’asino alla mia bicicletta per tirarmi su per la collina, fino a casa, anche se la bestia non voleva sempre cooperare. Immaginatevi, essere presi in trappola tra un asino ed un moccioso.

“Pazienza,” diceva sempre mia nonna.

Immagini della mia maestra, la signorina De Cristofaro, che ha fatto dei miei due anni di scuola in Italia un’esperienza fruttuosa ed indimenticabile, anche se aveva l’abitudine di utilizzare quel bastone un po' troppo sovente per i miei gusti. 4

My second life began that August day when we reached this beautiful city that is Montreal. We are truly blessed. La mia seconda vita cominciò quel giorno di agosto, quando raggiunsi questa bellissima città che é Montreal. Siamo davvero beati.

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Images of the summers I spent at my Nonna’s, my mother’s mother, in a village a few kilometers away, who would always wake me in the morning with a beautiful smile, a warm fire (even in the summer) and my favorite breakfast – Frittata with sausage. Images of my mother writing a letter, at my insistence, to Zio Peppino, who had emigrated to Montreal a few years earlier asking him to send me a present. I thought he was rich!

Immagini delle estati che passavo dalla nonna, la madre di mia madre, in un villaggio distante pochi chilometri. Mi svegliava ogni mattina con un bellissimo sorriso, un fuoco caldo nel camino (anche d’estate) e la mia colazione preferita – frittata con la salsiccia. Immagini di mia madre mentre scriveva una lettera, dietro mia insistenza, a Zio Peppino, il quale era emigrato a Montreal alcuni anni prima, chiedendogli di mandarmi un regalo.

Credevo

che

lui

fosse

già

ricco.

Ma il mio ricordo più caro é quello di Zio Nicola. Nicola De Santis era mio nonno d’adozione e svolse un gran ruolo nella mia crescita. Non scorderò mai le sue parole mentre salivamo sul tassì che ci portò nella prima tappa del nostro viaggio verso il Canada, in quella notte d’agosto del 1962. “Sii un bravo ragazzo, sii l’orgoglio dei tuoi genitori, vai a scuola,” mi disse, trattenendo le lacrime.

Suppongo che lui sapesse già che quello sarebbe ultimo saluto. stato il nostro Questi fantastici ricordi mi ritornano in mente ancora ed ancora, quasi come fossero immagini di un vecchio film.

Avevo otto anni.

But my most cherished memory is that of my Zio Nicola. Nicola De Santis was my adopted grandfather who had a large hand in raising me.

And whose words I will never forget while we boarded the taxi which took us on the first leg of our journey to Canada on that faithful August night of 1962. Be a good boy, make your parents proud, go to school, he said as he choked back his tears. I suppose he knew that this day would be our last goodbye.

These wonderful memories come back to me over and over again as if it were an old home movie.

I was 8 years old.

Images of a beautiful spring day with trees blossoming and rolling hills filled with green grass tall enough to hide in. Immagini di una bellissima giornata primaverile, con gli alberi in fiore e dolci colline ricoperte di prati verdi, con l’erba cosi alta da potersi nascondere dentro.

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PINO ASARO

“

ITALIA,

Cuore Di Calcio”

On May 15, 2004, the Italian National Soccer Team will celebrate its 94th anniversary. A period of history, fast approaching the century mark, in which Italy has succeeded to win three World Cups in 1934, 1938, and 1982, an Olympic Gold Medal in 1936 and one European Cup in 1968.

O

nly Brazil has won more World Cups — five. We should also note, that Italian soccer has been highly regarded in international competitions and the absolute best as a National Championship known as the Serie A. In these few pages we will focus our attention to when it all began and the unprecedented success of the thirties, which propelled La Nazionale to the top of the soccer world, forever.

Success for the Azzurri, did not come without its’ share of controversy, drama, and some embarrassing moments. We will never forget the loss to North Korea, 1-0, which eliminated Italy in the first round of the 1966 World Cup in England.

“Italia, Cuore di Calcio”, captures the passion Italians have developed over a century for “la Squadra Azzurra” and the “Tricolore”, beginning with the epic game against France on May 15, 1910.

The origins of the game.

Researching the history books I came across a quote attributed to an anonymous writer who described the game of soccer in this manner: “soccer is a public

game between two youthful teams whose players on foot and without arms compete for pleasure, honor, while using on the field of play a ball filled with air.” Not to be denied, the legendary French philanthropist Jules Rimet made famous this quote: “Football is morale elegance, and its law will be imposed to all those whom will accept to be courteous, disciplined and honest.” Jules Rimet went on to lend his name to the first ever trophy known as the World Cup which is now property of the Brazilian Federation. The Selecao was the first team to win three world titles.

Ironically, in 1983 the original Jules Rimet Trophy was stolen, and replaced with a gold plated solid silver replica.

Despite claims originating from China, Japan, Greece and Ancient Rome dating back to centuries BC, the real game as we know it today saw the light in England as early as 1855. The game was called football and gained in popularity among the affluent and the culturally adept youth in college circles. It was played with very few rules, and without a proper sanctioning body or manifest.

Nevertheless, the very first official club to be formed was Sheffield in the year 1855. In 1863, eleven clubs gathered at London’s Freemason’s Tavern to form the first regular league championship and to draft the foundation for the Football Association of England.

From England, the game was exported by traveling businessmen and sailors.

The first Italian city to be introduced to football was Genova, a seaport.

And it was no coincidence that in 1893 the first club to be founded was Genoa (notice the English version of the name), by a group of British citizens.

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SOCCER

Passion

Photo : Geraldo Pace

They convinced the British Counsel General, Mister Payton, to legally register a team. By 1898 the first Federazione Italiana di Football (today known as the Federazione Italiana Gioco Calcio or FIGC) was constituted. The first President was Count D’Ovidio and the Secretary General was an Englishman named Mister Jordan...

Within months of the start of organized competition, other groups emerged in cities like Genova, such as Torino, Vercelli, Alessandria, Udine and as far south as Palermo. Soccer was soon played in different regions of the peninsula and under local sanctioning bodies. The first full championship (from Fall to Spring) and in one group (girone unico) of teams, was played in 1909-1910. By this date, most teams like Genoa, Juventus, Torino, Andrea Doria, Milan, and Internazionale had a heavy presence of foreign players.

And it was this influence that prompted the Italian Federation, on the suggestion of several affluent media bodies, to have the first international game between Italy and…

The first National Team

The historical first game: Italy vs France On the 17th of January 1910, the Federation appointed five recruiters to scout the players involved in the championship to select the best 22 Italians who would make up the first ever National Team. That first season in 1910 ended in a tie between Pro Vercelli and Internazionale. It has to be noted that the “Pro”, was composed entirely of very talented Italians. It was also the best team at the time. “Inter”, founded only two years prior, fought hard to tie I Provinciali di Vercelli, at the top of the standings to finish the regular season. The need to declare the first league champion under the new formula, prompted the Italian Federation to chose the 24th of April as the date for the Spareggio (Tie-Breaker Final).

But the date for the Final posed a conflict for Pro Vercelli. Three of its star players were called for military duty: the goalkeeper Innocenti, and the two strikers Fresia and Milano II. The three were committed to a military soccer tournament and could not be excused for that date. The Federation’s decision was irrevocable, which managed to spark one of the most

controversial outcomes in Italian soccer.

Pro Vercelli team President, Avvocato Bozino, advised the governing body, he would instruct the coach to field the fourth team composed of eleven to fourteen year olds. Predictably, the game ended with a win by Internazionale by the score of 11-3. The referee for the game was the best at the time: Umberto Meazza.

He also happened to be one of the five recruiters responsible for selecting the 22 players for the National Team. And seven of these players had been selected from Pro Vercelli’s regular line-up. Sadly, these players along with the complete roster, would be suspended by the Federation until the 31th of December 1910, for the team’s refusal to play in the infamous Final.

Two weeks prior to the historical first international game for Italy, scheduled for the 15th of May 1910, France was chosen as the opponent. Some pressing issues remained however unsolved: the referee, the color of the sweaters, and the captain. The choice of captain was easy: Fracesco Cali, 28, he was the older of the recruits. 4

The first game in the history of the Italian National Team was set in the monumental Arena di Milano.

He played left full back for l’Andrea Doria (known today as Sampdoria).

The referee was to be the Englishman Goodley, who lived in Italy and was on the payroll of Juventus. In those days refs were not paid by the Federation, but by the respective clubs. The sweaters were white.

Historians claim the color white was chosen to honor the Pro Vercelli players suspended for the match.

The shorts and socks were part of their respective club uniforms.

Azzurro – Color of the Italian Sky

I Bianchi, under the guidance of the first CT Umberto Meazza, took the field with this line-up: De Simoni; Varisco, Cali; Trere, Fossati, Capello; Debernardi, Rizzi, Cevenini, Lana, Boiocchi.

Almost unnoticed to most, the second last paragraph of the game manifest included the following announcement:

These players were selected from the roster of 22 which formed the two working groups called the PROBABILI and the POSSIBILI. In front of a sell out crowd of 6,000, the Italians found the going easy against the more experienced French. The first historical goal was scored by Lana, the Milan striker, who scored at the 13th minute, followed by Fossati (Internazionale) at the 20th minute. The final score was 6-2 for Italy, with Lana scoring another two goals, one a penalty kick. The other scorers were by Rizi (Ausonia) and Debernardi (Torino). The euphoria which followed this match was short lived, since eleven days later the Italians traveled to Budapest for a friendly match scheduled for May 25th against Hungary.

One of the power houses at the time, Hungary was just too strong for the Italian amateurs. The final score was 6-1 with the lone Italian goal scored by Ausonia’s Rizi.

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The third game was scheduled for the 6th of January 1911, a rematch against Hungary. And Italy chose to play again at the Arena di Milano. For this game, the Pro Vercelli players, were available to the technical group composed of Meazza, Camperi, Livio, and Zeni. And the list of the 22 Probabili and Possibili was published only days earlier — but this time with a twist.

“You are hereby given notice, that our Italian National Team will finally have its very own uniform: a sweater marine blue in color.

On the chest a shield which will represent the colors of Italy.”

This historical sentence will remain forever chiseled in the annals of Italian soccer and its way of life. From this game in early January, the Whites had become the Azzurri. No one knows for sure why the blue was chosen. Some historians have said it was to honor the colors of the Royal Family. Others say it is because of Italy’s skies which are often blue or to respect the friendly ties Italy had with France which also wore the blue. The return match against Hungary produced another defeat. Despite losing 1-0, the Italians honored the new sweaters with one of their best performances of their early history. From this game on “la maglia azzurra” will forever be the ultimate goal of every Italian player. To be honored, respected and cherished while representing Italy in international games and tournaments.

Vittorio Pozzo

A color to be worn with pride while competing for the chance to become Campione del Mondo, European Champion, and Olympic Champion.

Vittorio Pozzo – Il Commendatore, Pozzo, was acting Secretary of the Italian Federation, and a founding member of Torino. He had played soccer in the reserves squad of the Grasshoppers, a Swiss team. Educated in business, he spoke French and some English.

He kept the National Team’s correspondence from his home and hand-wrote all letters. The Federation at the time could not afford a type writer.

The 1912 Olympic Games of Stockholm were fast approaching and Italy had confirmed its first ever presence. The regular championship had ended and the best players, all amateurs in the purest form, were mostly serving time in the army. In order to embark in such a prestigious event, the Italians were looking for a renewed form of leadership. The new Federation President, Marchese Ferrero, thought he had the right person in mind for the position: Vittorio Pozzo. Ferrero promptly sent an invitation to Pozzo to meet in Ventimiglia where he resided.4

It was at this famous encounter that the destiny of Italian soccer was to change forever. Pozzo was told by Ferrero:

“Andare, bisogna andare, altrimenti nasce un uragano. Lei se ne intende, lei parla le lingue. Prenda lei il commando, vada, faccia quello che puo’. Buona Fortuna!” (“To go, we must, otherwise we will cause a storm. You know what to do, and you speak the languages. Take the command and do what you can. Good Luck!”) This legendary phrase was recalled by Pozzo himself in his book Campioni Del Mondo.

And thus the long history of Vittorio Pozzo at the head of the Italian National team began. And it marked the end of the complex structure of the commissioni arbitri. No more ruling by committee.

Pozzo was the first designated Commissario Unico even though his first assignment was more of a traveling secretary than of a technical nature. In fact, Italy did not fare well at those first Olympic Games. Pozzo’s Eleven lost the first game to Finland, 3-2 in overtime which promptly knocked the Azzurri out of the medal round. Consolation came from beating host Sweeden 1-0. Pozzo soon grew in stature at the head of a team that few people in Italy cared for, from the media to the general public. And despite the early failures, Pozzo clearly demonstrated he possessed the organizational skills required to succeed in such an environment.

He led the team through the teens and twenties, calming the many storms which could have easily made him step down. Pozzo’s Italy reached the 1930 World Cup with a respectable record of 51 wins, 26 ties and 25 losses, which also included a bronze medal at the IX Olympic Games in Amsterdam in 1928.

Expectations were high to have Italy involved at the first 1930 World Cup hosted by Uruguay. But it was not meant to be. Italy and most European nations invited to the event, refused to make the long trip across the Atlantic. Of course it turned out to be a major disappointment to both FIFA (soccer world governing body) and to the Uruguayan hosts. The only European participants were France, Yugoslavia and Romania.

Thirteen countries competed; 3 from Europe, the USA and 9 from South America. With no qualifying and with direct elimination, the World Cup was won by the host Uruguay when it defeated Argentina 4-2. The trophy was presented to the winners by Jules Rimet, the then president of FIFA. It would later bear his name.

For the record, France’s Lucien Laurent was credited with scoring the first ever World Cup goal.

The 1934 World Cup – Campioni del Mondo.

La Coppa del Mondo of 34 was hosted

by Italy’s Mussolini. The number of teams in the competition had grown from 13 to 32 although only 10 were from outside the host continent Europe.

Uruguay, the defending champion boycotted for the no shows of Italy in 1930. The 1934 edition marked the first World Cup in which participating nations had to qualify. In Italy’s case access to the final round of 16 was accomplished by beating Greece 4-0.

This was to be the legendary Nicolo Carosio’s first World Cup, the communications icon. His voice on both radio and television, entertained Italian soccer fans for close to forty years. The final round of 16 drew Italy against the United States. For this game, Pozzo retired veteran of 59 caps Caligaris. He allowed Rosetta (52 caps) to play his last game. With Combi in goal, Rosetta and Caligaris formed the famous Juventus trio of those glory years. Combi, himself was over 30, and destined to be the reserve goaltender to Ceresoli. But, he was destined to play a key role in the final outcome. Ceresoli, broke his right arm in practice and Combi regained his spot as the starting goal keeper and captain.

The game against the US in Rome, ended with an easy win by Italy 7-1 with three goals by Schiavio , two by Orsi, and one each from Ferrari and Meazza. After the game the Italians returned to the hills above Florence in preparation for the game against Spain. (The new “Stadio Berta”, had been inaugurated in 1933 for a game between Italy and Czechoslovakia won by the Azzurri 2-0). 4

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In the game against Spain on May 31 1934, Italy had to beat Zamora, one of the greatest keepers in the history of the game.

It turned out to be a fierce battle. At the 31st minute Regueiro took advantage of a free kick by Langara and beat Combi.

Ferrari scored the equalizer just prior to half time when he managed to beat Zamora from a mad scramble in the Spanish goal area. The second half and the overtime periods ended with no goals.

The game ended 1-1, and with no penalty kicks to break the tie.

The rematch was to be played the next day.

Pozzo was forced to make changes to the line-up due to injuries. Pizziolo one of the greatest mid-fielders of his time, was sidelined as were Schiavio, Castellazzi and Ferrari.

The four were replaced by Ferraris IV,

With Caligaris as the flag bearer, the Azzurri took the field in front of a sold out Stadio Nazionale in Rome. The best reserved seats, I numerati, went first for 100 lire. The first half was scoreless.

At the 26th minute of the second, Puc put the Czechs ahead 1-0. However, the lead was short lived as Orsi scored at the 36th minute. The 90 minutes of regulation ended 1-1. Prior to the start of the first overtime period, Pozzo was faced with a tough decision. Schiavio, still suffering from muscular cramps was switched with Guaita from center forward to right wing and vice versa. Despite his problems, Schiavio hooked a pass from Guaita he beat Planicka. It was the 5th minute of the first overtime period. The Azzurri were not to be denied and the rest is history.

Italian National Team - 1934 World Cup Winners.

Italy, the reigning World Champion, was now challenged by England, whose Federation had refused to participate in both World Cups of ’30 and ’34. Pozzo, against the opinion of his closest advisers, decided to accept “la sfida”.

The game was to be played at Highbury Park on the 14 of November 1934.

At game time it was very cold. After one minute of play, Ceresoli, fully recovered from his injury, saved a penalty kick.

At the third minute, Monti fractured his left foot and could no longer run.

He would leave the game at the 15th minute of the first half and Italy short of a player. By then, England was up 3-0 with two goals by Brook and one by Drake. In the second half, Italy came very close to tying the game thanks to heroics from Meazza’ who scored two great goals. Final score England 3 and Italy 2. It turned out to be a moral victory despite the loss.

The Berlin Olympics of 1936 Il miracolo.

Bertolini, Borel II and Demaria. The Spaniards substituted 7 players including the great Zamora. Italy won the rematch 1-0 with a great goal by Meazza in the first half which qualified the Azzurri for the semifinal against Austria. The game, the third in four days at the new San Siro stadium of Milan, was won by Pozzo’s boys 1-0 with a goal by Guaita. “L’italia e’ in Finale” was the front page title in most of the papers. Four days later in Rome on June 10, 1934, Italy played in its first World Cup final against Czechoslovakia. Prior to the game, Pozzo, made one of his patented motivational speeches. It was short on technique and strategies, but high on emotions: “…think of your families, your wives and children…”

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Thanks to the Campioni del Mondo: Combi, Monzeglio, Allemandi, Ferraris IV, Monti, Bertolini, Guaita, Meazza, Shiavio, Ferrari, Orsi, Borel II, Demaria, Castellazzi, Pizziolo, Garisi, e Rosetta. Montesanto, Sarantoni, Ne re o Ro c c o , e Fa n t o n i I I .

Prior to the next major tournament, the XI Olympic Games in Berlin, Italy won the International Trophy, (the European Cup), when it finished first ahead of Austria and Hungary. Meanwhile new rules governing the eligibility of amateur players caused concerns in the camp of the Italians. But not for Pozzo. With the uncanny conviction which had distinguished his leadership over the years at the helm, he recruited the best university students who played in Serie A. 4

LEGEND NEXT PAGE 1- Nicolò Corosio - Radio commentator Linked to Italian soccer 2- Renzo De Vecchi 3- The National Team travelled by boat to Sweden for the Olympic Tournament in 1912.

4- 25th of January 1931 - Game between Italy & France. Orsi in action.

5- Italy consecutive World Cup Winners - photo 1938 6- Francesco Calli dell’Andrea - First National Team Captain 7- Italian National Team before final game against Czechoslovakia in 1934 - final score 2-1

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In the first game against the USA, the Azzurrini, all rookies and all eleven in their first international game won by the smallest of margins 1-0, thanks to a goal by Frossi. In the quarters against little known Japan, the Italians found their scoring touch. Final score 8-0 with 4 goals by Biagi, 3 by Frossi, and 1 by Cappelli. The semis painted a different picture. Norway, the last obstacle prior to reaching the Final, proved to be a much tougher opponent than anticipated. Italy with some difficulty managed to squeeze out a win by 2-1 in overtime. Negro, Brustad and again Frossi were the scorers.

In the Final, Italy was to face Austria.

Important to note, Austria had lost to Peru in the quarters 4-2. But the Olympic Committee annulled the result after a presumed invasion of the pitch by some Peruvian fans at the end of game. Peru refused to replay the game and was disqualified.

The stage was set for Italy and Austria to square off. Less than 20 years after World War I, the two nations were ready to do battle again. At stake was no longer the territorial rights of Trentino Alto-Adige, but a gold medal and Olympic soccer bragging rights. With both Mussolini and Hitler saluting the teams prior to the kickoff, the 100,000 screaming fans were all cheering for the Whites. The Anschluss (Austro-German pact) had not been signed, but the ties between the two countries were very close.

Italy was not intimidated and had good chances in a scoreless first half. Frossi, “l’occhialuto” (he wore glasses), gave Italy a temporary lead at the 25th minute of the second half, and K. Keinberger tied the score for Austria at the 36th minute. The issue was decided in overtime when Frossi scored his second goal at the 2nd minute of the first overtime after a great play by Bertoni. Final score: Italy 2, Austria 1.

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The much coveted Olympic Gold was finally won by Italy and Frossi with his 7 goals was the tournament top scorer. The miracle of Pozzo’s moschettieri , was complete.

The Olympic heroes were: Venturini, Foni, Rava, Baldo, Piccini, Locatelli, Frossi, Marchini, Bertoni I, Biagi, Cappelli, Negro, Gabriotti.

The 1938 World Cup. Again Champions.

The 3rd World Cup was hosted by neighboring France. And the Italians were called to defend the title won in ’34. In the first game, Italy drew Norway in a game scheduled in Antibes. Pozzo, had the venue changed to Marseilles as he was not happy with the field. The game proved very difficult. Ferraris II put Italy in the lead with an early goal at the 2nd minute of the first half. Norway tied the game with Brustad in the second half. Piola settled the hostilities in the first half of overtime.

Final score 2-1.

The quarters matched Italy with the host country France. The game was to be played at the Colombes Stadium in Paris. Before the game, a controversy arose over the color of the sweaters. Both countries national team colors were blue. France insisted to play in its traditional blue instead of the alternate white.

Pozzo, disenchanted with the French decision, ordered his men to be dressed in black, from top to bottom, a first for our National team. It was clearly a political choice. One which pleased the Camice Nere (Black Shirts) of the Fascist Party.

It should be noted that the previous year, Mussolini had visited Germany, and Hitler had returned the honor by going to Rome. The game turned out to be a lot easier than expected.

Italy won 3-1 with goals by Colaussi, and two by Piola. Heisserer scored the only goal for France.

For the semis, the Azzurri returned to Marseille to play Brazil. The Selecao had reached the semi-finals after three very intense games. In the first round Brazil eliminated Poland in overtime 6-5 after the game had ended 4-4. In the quarters, Brazil needed two games to eliminate Czechoslovakia. In all it took the Domingos (Brazil’s coach) men 330 minutes to reach the semis. Prior to the game, Pozzo was informed there was going to be only one air plane flight to Paris following the match.

He was informed the aircraft had already been booked by the Brazilian Federation.

Knowing this, Pozzo asked for a meeting with the Brazilians. He inquired about the possibility of the flight being available to the Italian contingency in case of a win by his team. The Brazilian flatly refused, convinced they would win. They did however, offer a ride to Pozzo in the only available seat. The Brazilian arrogance did not sit well with the proud Pozzo. He made sure this insult would spark the Azzurri who went on to beat Brazil 2-1. Italy dominated Brazil and outscored them with goals by Colaussi, and Meazza. Romeo scored with two minutes left in the game.

The Brazilians still forced the Italian squad to take the train for the long trip to Paris.

Back in Paris and in the friendly confines of the Colombes Stadium, Italy took the field against Hungary, in its quest for a second consecutive World Cup. The date of this World Cup Final was the 19th of June, 1938.

With the teams lined at midfield, French President Lebrun asked one of his aides: “…so these are the players?” “Yes,” he was told. “The blues are the Italians and the maroons are the Hungarians”... “And the French?” he asked with an air of surprise and consternation. “Well, the referee Capdeville, is French, your Majesty!” 4

Benito Mussolini, with the Italian National Team, World Cup winners in 1938

From the initial whistle, the Azzurri, wasted no time to go forward and pressure the Hungarian defense. At the 6th minute a great goal by Colaussi gave Italy an early lead. Titkos, equalized for Hungary at the 13th minute mark.

But Italy with goals by Piola and Colaussi prior to half-time put the game out of reach. The first half ended 3-1. In the second half, Sarosi I gave some hope to Hungary before Piola re-established the two goal margin for a final score of 4-2.

The second consecutive Coppa del Mondo was won by the Azzurri. The Jules Rimet Trophy was to stay in Italy.

The World Champions were: Olivieri, Monzeglio, Foni, Rava, Serantoni, Andreolo, Locatelli, Pasinati, Biavati, Meazza, Piola, Ferrari, Colaussi.

Italy, succeeded to win a third major trophy in a span of five years. Two World Cups and an Olympic Gold Medal. And with three different teams fielded by Pozzo.

An unbelievable achievement. And although Italy would win a third World Cup in Spain 1982, would finish runnerup twice to Brazil in 1970 Mexico and 1994 USA and a third place in ITALIA 90, nothing compares to the dominance of Vittorio Pozzo’s teams. La mano and il genio (the hand and the genius ) of Pozzo pushed a group of men to heights never expected. But Pozzo, knew his men could perform as he had always believed they would.

He knew they would win for “…Italy’s honor, their families, their wives and their children.” Vittorio Pozzo, ended his coaching career with La Squadra Azzurra after the London Olympic Games of 1948.

By then, it was felt he had overstayed his tenure, at the helm of one of the world’s soccer powers. Sadly, his resignation was met with great indifference, with little gratitude and without any formal recognition. Remarkably, Pozzo never wanted to sign a contract and had in fact

refused any form of salary for over 36 years.

It was rumored, that the only compensation he had accepted was an allowance to pay for his very modest two bedroom apartment. He proudly returned to be a respected sports writer in his native Torino.

At the time this article is being printed, the Italian technical staff led by Giovanni Trapattoni, is completing the roster of 23 Nazionali whose mission is to bring home the UEFA Euro 2004 Trophy, at the European Championship to be held in Portugal from June 12 to July 4. This is a competition reserved for the best 16 European Nations to survive an 18 month grueling qualifying process. Of the four groups, Italy who is in Group C, has drawn Sweden, Bulgaria, and Denmark. g

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