Toronto Vol. 1 No. 3

OCT/NOV 2011• VOL.1• NO.3

PM40981004

T H E M A G A Z I N E M A I L E D TO I TA L I A N - C A N A D I A N H O M E S I N T H E G R E AT E R TO R O N TO A R E A

B I M O N T H LY • B I M E S T R A L E

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INTERVISTE A

ZUCCHERO ROBERTO LUONGO LIDIA BASTIANICH ITALY (1922-1945) UNDER MUSSOLINI’S FASCIST REGIME

5 GENERATIONS

OF LOVE 5 OF US • 5 DI NOI • CARMELA MOLINARI CONCETTA MANDARINO ANTONIO NATALIZIO DANIELLA NATALIZIO CHRISTIAN GIGUERE

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Montreal Managing editor Gabriel Riel-Salvatore VICE PRESIDENT – MARKETING & SALES Earl Weiner ADVERTISING SALES EXECUTIVES Dom Fiore ADVERTISING MANAGER Bruna Ruggiero

PUBLISHER AND EDITOR Tony Zara EDITOR-IN-CHIEF Filippo Salvatore MANAGING EDITOR Viviana Laperchia DEPUTY EDITOR-IN-CHIEF Adam Zara

Inviateci i vostri commenti e suggerimenti.

PHOTOGRAPHY Giulio Muratori ART DIRECTION David Ferreira GRAPHIC DESIGN David Ferreira Manon Massé PROOFREADER Marisa Pellegrino

CONTRIBUTORS

Congratulations! Great magazine! I loved reading it and could relate to it quite a bit. I am also one of those Italians who immigrated in 1966 on the big boats landing in Halifax. I am very proud to be born in Italy and raised in this, our beautiful country Canada. Reading about some of our people’s past experiences and what they went through, to get to where they are today is a good thing. I will recommend your magazine to many of my teacher friends and family members! I am looking forward to the next edition!

Alessia Sara Domanico Amanda Fulginiti Anja Karisik Sciltian Gastaldi Alessio Galletti Tony Cicero Tommaso Altrui

Nadia Giosia Josie Zocco Ola Mazzuca Joey Franco Serena Battista Jonathan De Sua

Subscription Form/Tuscany Contest ..9

Gina Mannella, Toronto

Editorial

Great magazine! I especially enjoy the history part of it. I also love the fact that I can practice my Italian reading. I am looking forwards to the next issues! Thanks.

From the Publisher’s Desk ......... 10 Editor-in-Chief ........................... 11 Italia che vieni, Italia che vai ....... 12 Rifiuti a Napoli ........................... 13

Lina, Oakville

RE: L’Identitá e Il Futuro Della Comunitá Italiana in Canada – Viviana Laperchia Viviana, complimenti per l’articolo in quest’ultima edizione, azzeccato nel giusto momento e per aver colto l’essenza ed il valore della legge 103, ovvero la proclamazione e riconoscimento del mese di giugno di ogni anno come “Giugno Mese Del Retaggio Italiano” nella Provincia dell’Ontario.

Con la “Proposta Di Legge”, ormai non più proposta, abbiamo voluto cogliere gli eventi dell’anno e sentita la necessità, come italo-canadesi di unirci al 150o anniversario dell’unitá della nostra Italia, con l’atto più nobile e riconosce i nostri emigrati di ieri, del passato. Dei loro sacrifici, la loro fortezza d’animo, quella grande voglia e desiderio di crearsi un futuro migliore – senza mai scoraggiarsi e superare estremi disagi e mille difficoltà.

Hanno fatto questo e molto di più. Se la storia, grazie alla legge 103, parlerà di questi grandi contributori, é perché ci hanno lasciato questa grande ereditá, il loro immenso contributo, alla crescita economica e sociale di questo nostro nuovo paese.

Sì, adesso l’obbiettivo principale é quello di affidare ai nostri giovani la responsabilitá che gli emigrati italiani ed il valore del loro contributo sia tramandato e riconosciuto dalle generazioni future.

L’amore, l’affetto per la nostra terra d’origine, la nostra lingua e la nostra cultura devono sempre vivere nei nostri cuori come quella partita di pallone che ci incita, e ci dà l’energia di ritornare…e ritornare per la prossima partita.

Yours truly,

Claudia Ficca Valerie Bevilacqua Daniele Bozzelli Veronica Frigeni Dante Di Iulio Gaia Massai

Alessandro Bozzelli Carlo Raponi Jenny Arena-Galati Barbara Baci Laura Nesci Giulia Scianna

Cooking For Friends .............. 30-31 Wine Guide: Autumn Glasses... 32-33 Tartufo......................................... 34 Nadia G’s Bitchin’ Kitchen........... 35 Shops & Restaurants of Corso Italia.............................. 36 Lidia Bastianich ........................... 37 Advertorial: Agrimondo ............... 38

Cover Story 5 Generations of Love ............... 14 L’amore di 5 generazioni ........... 15

Italia 150o Anniversario Italy: 1922 – 1945 ............... 16-17

Lifestyle Living Italian Style ............... 40-41 Fashion: Autumn Attractions .. 42-43

Arts and Culture

Villa Charities 40 years ................18 Tony Coscarella ...........................19 13 Dollars in the Pocket ............. 20 Cross-Cultural Hearts ................ 21 Club Bergamaschi ..................... 22 Future Leaders: Sabrina Fiorellino .. 23 One More Day ........................... 25

Cappuccini Crypts ...................... 45 Ninalee Craig: an Icon Recaptured ... 46 Rigoletto .................................... 47 Zucchero ............................... 48-49 Pete Bennett ......................... 50-51 McLuhan .................................... 52 Emanuele Crialese al TIFF .......... 53 Carlo Coppola ............................ 54 Triologia Desire .......................... 55

Travel

Community and Events

Venice: Take 6 in la Serenissima 26-27 Sardinia ......................................28

Italian Car Day Woodbridge ....... 57 Other Events ......................... 58-59

Food and Wine

Sports

Olio d’oliva .................................29

Roberto Luongo ......................... 61

Life and People

Mario Sergio, M.P.P. York West We look forward to hearing from you!

Hello to all at Panoram Italia. I picked up the Aug/Sept 2011 issue over the weekend while I was shopping. I quite enjoyed reading it. I found it interesting and informative. I like that it covers a variety of categories. I am one in many who is a proud italocanadese, and there is now a magazine to share our pride with other italo-canadesi. I thought the Living Italian Style section was great. I laughed when I read that three out of four said that their absolute must in the pantry was Nutella. I agree. I was also surprised to see a fellow peasan’ among the four (whom I never met). This magazine is exactly what we’ve needed for the younger generation to learn about their Italian roots and for the older generation, to never forget where they come from and the sacrifices they’ve made. I truly hope Italians will take advantage of this opportunity to have and embrace this wonderful magazine. Thank you all and keep up the good work.

Maria Vittoria Galati, Toronto

Thank you for your wonderful detailed magazine that I have been receiving. It is such a welcoming change to some of the magazines and flyers that have been around.

This magazine hits home in so many ways I look forward to receiving it. It is informative, size convenient and most of all colourful in photos and words.

Anna DeLuca, Etobicoke

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Ed i t o r i a l

10

Publisher’s Desk

From the Tony Zara

Time flies when you are having fun doing something worthwhile.

Creating and delivering a new issue of Panoram Italia magazine is a labour of love for me and my staff.

hope you will enjoy this third issue of the Toronto edition as much as the previous two.

Your letters of support and encouragement are the fuel we need to continue. Especially gratifying is the interaction we have from all age groups. The “Living Italian Style” section is a big hit with the 18 to 30 crowd, especially the young ladies. We have received hundreds of applications from them since the beginning. I would like to also invite young men to apply in greater numbers.

This section allows us to showcase the future of our community in a very classy way. Our pride, as a community, is in our children and Panoram aims to introduce them to you with glowing hearts – just like a parent would.

Please continue to pitch us stories, for without your interaction the magazine would not be the same.

The current cover story, “Five Generations,” would not have been possible if Daniella Natalizio had not emailed us with this idea. Five living generations in one family is extremely rare. Also included in this issue: Interviews with Zucchero, Roberto Luongo, Lidia Bastianich and Pete Bennett, great recipes and wine selections, profiles on Venice and Sardinia, and a vast array of Arts, Culture and People stories sure to peak your interest.

In our next December/January issue, “Newlyweds of the Year” will be featured.

If you or anyone in your extended family tied the knot this past year, you can upload your picture and info online at www.panoramitalia.com or send it to us by mail. I

I

would also like to remind you that the first issue of every year is our “Babies of the Year” issue. This has been by far the most popular feature in our history, with an overwhelming 260 baby picture submitted last February alone in Montreal. Once more, we encourage you to upload your pictures online, to be published in our February/March 2012 issue.

Don’t forget that while the magazine is currently mailed to 75,000 homes and businesses free of charge for an extended promotional period, recipients (those who haven’t already done so) should begin confirming their subscriptions by either subscribing to the magazine online at www.panoramitalia.com, or sending in the subscription form included on page 9. By doing so, you automatically enter our WIN A TRIP TO TUSCANY contest in collaboration with Transat Holidays and Slow Food.

A lucky winner and guest will get the unique opportunity to spend a week in Italy sampling all the finest foods and wines Tuscany has to offer!

Lastly, I would like to invite potential advertisers to consider our vehicle to promote their business within the community. With 100,000 copies, 75,000 of which are by addressed mail to Italian Canadian homes in the GTA, Panoram is a very powerful way to get your message out – especially considering the life span of each issue and our pass-along rate. Panoram Italia magazine is very quickly becoming as it has in Montreal over the past decade – an extended member of each family it touches, and therefore has tremendous advertising value.

Fate i bravi!

Tony

INTRODUCING THE NEW 2012

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Ed i t o r i a l

11

Berlusconi Must Go

Filippo Salvatore

oi italiani di nascita o di passaporto residenti in Canada e noi italo-canadesi siamo “Italiani senza Berlusconi” secondo una bella definizione di Roberto Benigni quando è venuto a Montreal a presentare uno spettacolo sulla Divina Commedia di Dante. Il governo del Cavaliere sta producendo dal 2008 conseguenze catastrofiche dal punto di vista economico e di prestigio per un grande paese come l’Italia. L’alternativa è ormai ovvia: l’era di Berlusconi è finita e c’è bisogno urgente di un nuovo governo. Ecco alcune considerazioni che spiegano perché.

Sapete che l'italia è forse il solo paese al mondo dove esistono una pletora di sistemi elettorali, uno diverso dallo altro a livello municipale, provinciale, regionale e statale? Inoltre i rappresentanti al Parlamento ed al Senato, non sono eletti direttamente, ma scelti dai partiti che, partendo da liste predeterminate, nominano gli eletti. La loro sedia al Senato ed alla Camera dei Deputati dipende dal buon volere del Capo. Questo spiega il servilismo e l'ignavia dei politici in Italia che hanno fatto della politica una carriera.

La maggioranza del governo Berlusconi dipende dall’appoggio determinante della Lega Nord, un partito che ha la secessione del Nord come fine ultimo. ‘Se l’Italia affonda, fonderemo la Padania’ ha ripetuto recentemente Umberto Bossi che ricatta il Cavaliere continuamente. Berlusconi rischia di dover sottostare nelle prossime settimane ad un altro processo a Milano dopo i tre gia’ in corso: i casi Ruby, Mills e Mediaset. Una quarantina di ragazze sono state indotte a prostituirsi con compensi monetari o offerte di carriera nel mondo dello spettacolo ha rivelato un’inchiesta dei magistrati a Napoli. Berlusconi è ossessionato dall’idea che la magistratura vuole la sua pelle e trascorre buona parte del suo tempo con i suoi avvocati a trovare cavilli procedurali per non subire i processi o comparire davanti ai giudici. A livello internazionale è diventato persona non grata e gli altri leader evitano di farsi vedere o fotografare con lui.La mancanza di prestigio dell’Italia all’estero è causata in gran parte dalle sue frasche.

La fragilità del governo si riflette drammaticamente sull’Italia e sulla sua economia. La finanziaria appena approvata contiene più tasse invece di puntare sulla spesa pubblica e sulla eliminazione dei tanti privilegi della Casta. Ne hanno approfittato, e ne approfitteranno ancora di più, gli speculatori e le agenzie di rating con conseguenze sempre più gravi per

N

I’Italia nel prossimo futuro. Stranamente, si è trovata una maggioranza d'intenti quando non sono stati eliminati, anzi nemmeno scalfiti i privilegi, visti ormai come diritti acquisiti, della Casta, quel mezzo milione di privilegiati che stanno portando il Paese alla rovina.

Sono tanti e tali gli emendamenti proposti ed approvati alla Manovra economica Bis del governo Berlusconi che è veramente difficile raccapezzarsi. Rimane il fatto che l'Italia è in piena crisi, non cresce più e le riforme -tanto necessarie- non si fanno. Le manovre economiche del governo Berlusconi sono, in fin dei conti, dei palliativi, dei cerotti, che nascondono il vero cancro economico, basato sui privilegi e sugli sprechi, che stanno facendo affondare la società italiana. Occorrerebbe un'operazione fatta da un chirurgo di prim'ordine per risanarla. Nè sulle spese militari, nè sulle ricchezze illecitamente sottratte al fisco, né sui privilegi del Vaticano, né sugli sprechi della politica, né sui costi delle concessioni pubbliche, né sui grandi patrimoni, le varie manovre finanziarie hanno voluto incidere davvero. Si è addirittura arrivati all’ipotesi di condono fiscale ed edilizio da parte dei Responsabili. E' ormai banale dirlo, ma amaramente vero: i costi della crisi sono a carico dei deboli. In Italia la disoccupazione giovanile è del 27,6%, al di sopra della media europea.

In 10 anni il costo della vita ha ridotto il potere d'acquisto delle famiglie italiane del 40%. I prezzi sono esplosi ed aumentati del 150%. Il problema di fondo dell’italia di Berlusconi è la mancanza di crescita economica.

Il 9 settembre, il presidente della Confindustria Emma Marcegaglia ha dichiarato: ‘L’Italia è in pericolo. Il Governo agisca o vada via’. Ed il Presidente della Repubblica Giorgio Napolitano ha ammonito: ‘I comportamenti diffusi (leggi la difesa dei propri privilegi) sono di ostacolo ad una sana gestione dei mezzi finanziari ed una ripresa su nuove basi, anche istituzionali, di crescita economica, sociale e civile’. Il 10 settembre scorso Beppe Grillo, ideatore del movimento popolare 5 Stelle ha guidato migliaia di persone, ognuno con una cozza nera in mano, davanti a Montecitorio a Roma al grido di: 'Fuori le cozze dal Parlamento.

Riprendiamoci il Paese. La crisi sono loro. Arrestiamo tutti i politici corrottì’. Gli ultimi sondaggi (15 settembre, 2011) rivelano che la maggioranza dell’elettorato italiano è stufo di Silvio Berlusconi e non è disposto a votare per lui. C’è da augurarsi, per il bene dell’Italia, che la maggioranza degli elettori si sbarazzerà del Cavaliere se si presenterà alle prossime elezioni.

Forse il giudizio più azzeccato e succinto nei confronti di Silvio Berlusconi è quello della sua ex moglie che ha detto: È malato. Quo usque tandem (Berlusconi) abutere patientia nostra? (Fino a quando (Berlusconi) abuserai della nostra pazienza? v

12

Ed i t o r i a l

Italia che vieni, Italia che vai

Viviana Laperchia

Nel 2009, ispirato all’omonimo libro di Antonio Incorvaia e Alessandro Rimassa, il film Generazione 1000 Euro dipingeva, con i toni forse un pò romanzati della regia di Massimo Venier, una realtà tutta italiana con la quale si scontrano i giovani precari. Restare o partire. Restare per cambiare il presente o per vederlo ripetersi fino all’abitudine, o partire per cambiare il futuro e guardarsi indietro con nostalgia. on un tasso di disoccupazione stabile all’8%, rilevato lo scorso luglio dall’OCSE (Organizzazione per la cooperazione e lo sviluppo economico), e un totale di 1,2 milioni di disoccupati registrati dal Confartigianato, l’Italia continua la sua lotta per lo sviluppo economico, lasciando ai giovani, soprattutto al di sotto dei 24 anni, la responsabilità di doverne cambiare le sorti.

Con amarezza si leggono storie di vita come quella di Martina Gherardi, 26enne romana intervistata da La Repubblica, che ha deciso di abbandonare il suo sogno accademico al secondo anno di dottorato per dare al suo futuro quella stabilità che solo un posto da capotreno può assicurarle.

Con altrettanta amarezza si leggono i commenti di chi, contro Martina, solleva pesanti critiche per aver gettato la spugna troppo in fretta o per aver addirittura sottratto un’opportunità di lavoro ad altri aspiranti capitreno che non hanno una laurea in linguistica, bensì un titolo da ingegnere.

Ci sono poi i consigli dei ricercatori, suoi coetanei, che divisi tra incoraggiamento per la nuova avventura professionale e piena disapprovazione, a difesa dell’etica della ricerca, trasudano un profondo senso di crisi giovanile.

La fuga dei cervelli, definizione ormai retorica, è un sintomo di disagio sociale

C

ben noto che vede giovani ricercatori e professionisti fare le valigie nella speranza di trovare un impiego all’estero che non li costringa a dover vivere con i propri genitori. Chi resta, invece, salvo casi più fortunati, nonché rari, è costretto come Martina a dover adattarsi a quello che offre il mercato. Eppure, fa notare il Confartigianato, le aziende italiane hanno difficiltà a reperire sufficiente manodopera, aprendo quindi un dibattito sull’effettiva capacità di adattamento verso lavori non qualificati, generalmente svolti dai nuovi immigrati in Italia.

A sostegno del ‘controesodo’, ovvero nel tentativo di riportare i cervelli fuggiti dalla disoccupazione nel Paese che li ha formati per favorirne la crescita e lo sviluppo economico, la legge bipartisan, approvata dal Parlamento lo scorso anno, propone un incentivo fiscale sul reddito per i laureati under 40 che abbiano trascorso almeno due anni all’estero.

Al di là delle incongruenze burocratiche che la legge presenta e che ne impediscono la corretta applicabilità e funzionamento, le lamentele che si destano più di frequente, soprattutto nella rete, sono l’assenza effettiva di un reddito al ritorno in patria e i meccanismi radicati di ostruzione alla meritocrazia. Condizione spesso assente in altri paesi e di fatto elemento scoraggiante per chi valuta la possibilità di un rientro.

Restare o partire, ovvero rientrare o restare dove un futuro c’è o si può concretamente costruire. Questo è l’eterno dilemma dei giovani italiani e questo, il tema del progetto di un mio concittadino, Riccardo Specchia. Documentarista televisivo originario di Taranto, Specchia ha catturato un istante simbolo di un’epoca nel suo video “Me ne vado dall’Italia”, presentato nel 2010 al concorso L’Italia che immagino.

Dopo un mancato finanziamento dalla Regione Puglia, un’esperienza allo estero, il ritorno in Italia con la promessa di un contratto durato appena due anni, il videografo vive ora in Italia con la speranza di un’opportunità, la voglia di ripartire e il sogno di ritornare.

Perché l’amore, cantava De André, va e viene, ma dall’Italia, dove lasciamo il cuore, non si va mai via del tutto. v

Ed i t o r i a l

13

Napoli non è solo spazzatura

Tommaso Altrui

‘Perché stai facendo una foto della spazzatura?’ Un uomo di carnagione olivastra, di nome Raffaele, nei suoi 35 anni, testa rasata e pancia flaccida, è apparso dal nulla mentre ero a Napoli pochi giorni prima della mia partenza per il Canada. E pensare che la sera prima di partire per Toronto avevo scattato una foto del meraviglioso Golfo di Napoli. apoli è la terza città più grande d'Italia. Il suo patrimonio artistico è tutelato dall'UNESCO (Organizzazione delle Nazioni Unite per l'Educazione, la Scienza e la Cultura). È la capitale mondiale dell'arte oltre ad essere una delle città a maggior densità di risorse culturali.

Napoli ha mille volti, uno dei quali, forse il più attraente è l’inesauribile vitalità che sembra derivarle dal fuoco nascosto della sua montagna simbolo. Il Vesuvio, il vulcano più famoso del mondo.

Per non dimenticare che Napoli ha dato i natali a ben 3 degli undici Presidenti della Repubblica Italiana, oltre al principe Antonio De Curtis in arte Totò, ad Edoardo De Filippo e alla grande Sophia Loren.

Sole, amore, canzoni, tarantelle, spaghetti, mozzarella e la Pizza. Napoli e la Pizza. Un binomio perfetto: una semplice schiacciata di pane condita con pochi ingredienti è diventato uno dei piatti più consumati e che ha reso la città di Napoli famosa in tutto il mondo.

Ecco perché mi sento profondamente ferito nel vedere la mia città sepolta da cumuli di spazzatura.

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Sono anni che Napoli raccoglie la 'monnezza' di tutt'Italia. Centinaia di fabbriche, complessi industriali e aziende di ogni tipo nel ricco nord Italia e in altre parti d’Europa contattano ditte per avere i loro rifiuti rimossi. Per ridurre i costi, queste ditte di smaltimento in Campania – quasi tutte, dicono i Pubblici Ministeri – sono controllate dalla Camorra. Questo e' il problema.

La criminalità organizzata, che è riuscita a prendere possesso del settore rifiuti attraverso la nascita di società miste di soggetti pubblici e privati. E per di più finanziate da milioni di euro di fondi comunitari. Il Consorzio privato-pubblico rappresenta il sistema ideale per aggirare tutti i meccanismi di controllo.

Nella pratica è servito a creare situazioni di monopolio sulla scelta di imprenditori spesso vicino alla camorra.

Gli imprenditori hanno ritenuto che la società pubblica avesse diritto a fare la raccolta rifiuti in tutti i comuni della realtà consorziale, di diritto. Questo ha avuto come effetto pratico di avere situazioni di monopolio e di guadagno enorme che in passato non esistevano.

Non so se in un altro paese il Presidente di una Commissione possa essere proprietario di un'impresa che raccoglie rifiuti senza avere addirittura il certificato

antimafia. Eppure non avviene in un altro paese che i rifiuti diventino un enorme business. Ci guadagnano tutti: è una risorsa per le imprese, per la politica, per i clan, una risorsa pagata maciullando i corpi e avvelenando le terre.

Il giornalista Roberto Saviano, che ha raccontato il business della spazzature nei suoi libri, è nella lista della morte della camorra e vive in clandestinità.

Queste società, ci spiega, collegate tra loro, non solo impediscono la raccolta della spazzatura, ma addirittura ne ignorano il corretto smaltimento.

Come si è arrivati ad una tale situazione? I potenti politici italiani, continuano ad impedirne il monitoraggio. Ma qualcosa sta cambiando. I napoletani hanno dato il primo messaggio durante le ultime elezioni dimostrando la loro infelicità semplicemente non andando a votare. Il "non-voto” si è attestato intorno al 35%.

Vedi caro Raffaele, Napoli non è solo spazzatura.

I napoletani hanno un cuore di generosità unico. A Napoli il sole sembra essere più caldo e splendente che in ogni altro posto. Camminare per le strade di Napoli ti infonde un calore indescrivibile e ogni volta che vai lungo quel tratto di Mergellina il cuore è un vulcano di emozioni.

Quando invece le lacrime ti escono perché ti sei trasferito e ci hai lasciato il cuore, allora non ti importa più quello che la gente dice oppure quello che scrivono i giornali di tutto il mondo, ma capisci che solo se sei un napoletano, riesci a vedere con occhi diversi ciò che tutti giudicano. v

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5 14

By Dante Di Iulio

Cover Story

Generations of

Love

The Molinari-Mandarino-Natalizio-Giguere Family

Home is where the heart is. Family bonds are a link to our beginning and a guide to our future. Family is where our roots take hold and from there we grow. For five generations, the Molinari-Mandarino-Natalizio clan has continued to carry on the same value: nothing is more important than family.

s Christian Giguere sits on his great great-grandmother’s lap, he glances up in awe, delivering a warm smile. As he plays with the designs on her red sweater, unable to sit still, Carmela Mandarino happily looks down upon her great great-grandson, with a grin of pride and delicately kisses him on the head. He’s too young to realize now, but he is the fifth generation, and every generation before him has sacrificed in order to give him a better life.

Carmela Mandarino (née Molinari) does not look her age. At 86 years of age, she has soft skin with very few wrinkles, large eyes and a gracious smile. Born in 1925, in Rende, Cosenza, in the region of Calabria, Carmela has lived a full-life. She married her late husband Pietro Mandarino, 10 years her senior, at the age of 15. Pietro and Carmela were one of the original couples to leave their hometown in search of greener pastures in “America,” and in fact, helped several people in the town find work when they decided to immigrate to Canada.

“They always spoke of America as a land of opportunity” says Carmela, who exhausted with years of hard work, did not see it that way. The Calabrese proverb, L’ossu spartutu, santitat e rhienti loosely translates to “The health of the teeth depends on their individual anchor”: Carmela’s strength is a testament to the prosperity of her very large family. She now lights up when she looks at her children, grandchildren, great grandchildren and her great great-grandchild.

Concetta Natalizio (née Mandarino) has the same eyes and smile as her mother, but possesses a more modern look. She was also born in Rende in 1942 and is the eldest of the three daughters of Carmela and Pietro Mandarino. Arriving in Canada in 1954 along with her parents, they settled at Lansdowne and Dundas where “there were not a lot of Italians, but the ones that were there were very united.” She met her husband, Giuseppe Natalizio, while he was cutting her uncle’s hair. After a year of dating, Concetta was married by 18 and had her first child, Antonio, by 19. Italian migration patterns always ventured north and the Molinari-Mandarino-Natalizio family was no different. Relocating from downtown Toronto to Scarbourough, then Newmarket and finally to Woodbridge, “where all the Italians were,” Concetta continues to celebrate and maintain her culture through her family.

Unlike his parents or nonni, Antonio Natalizio is a first-generation Canadian.

Born in 1961, growing up first in Toronto and then moving to Scarborough, Antonio speaks of his childhood: “I was very happy growing up and although we didn’t have much in terms of material goods, we had love and we had each other. In my mind I had everything that I thought I’d ever need.” A humble and modest man, Antonio happily explains that “since I was a kid, all I ever wanted to do was get married and have children.” After meeting his wife Olga in a “love at first sight” encounter, Antonio would go on to get married and have four children (Daniella, Joseph, Stefano, Alyssa). In the spirit of family traditions, he continued his father’s trade by becoming a barber. Antonio’s family motto amusingly borrows for the Godfather’s Don Corleone: “A man can never be called a real man unless he

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spends time with his family.”

As the fourth generation, 29-year-old Daniella Natalizio-Giguere has a key role and a great responsibility in not only maintaining her family traditions, but also to forge her and her new family’s identities in the Canadian landscape. Growing up in Newmarket, she was surrounded by Italians, and maintains that the customs of her family were passed down to her from her nonna and bisnonna as a child. Her favourite family experience lasted all four years at university when she chose to live with her grandmother instead of residence during her time at Schulich School of Business. She jokes that she and her friends regarded it as an “all-inclusive.” As a career-oriented woman, she explains, nonna Concetta reprimanded her for returning to work after giving birth to her now 3-year-old son, but after all, the MolinariMandarino-Natalizio’s are a hard-working family.

Indeed, the growth and strength of the Italian community in the GTA can be attributed to people like them and the values in which they believed correspond to the same values in which the majority of Italian-Torontonians see themselves reflected. As Carmela looks down at little Christian, she can only hope that those values she has instilled will help continue, one day, to the sixth generation and beyond. v

5

L’amore di Dante Di Iulio

Cover Story

15

generazioni

La famiglia Molinari-Mandarino-Natalizio-Giguere

Dove c’è amore, c’è casa. I legami famigliari sono l’ancora del nostro presente e la guida verso il nostro futuro.

Nella famiglia vediamo nascere e crescere le nostre radici. Per cinque generazioni, i Molinari-Mandarino-Natalizio hanno continuato a celebrare lo stesso valore: niente è più importante della famiglia.

eduto nel grembo della sua trisnonna, Christian Giguere la osserva meravigliato, regalandole un tenero sorriso. Con un pizzico di orgoglio Carmela Mandarino guarda felice il suo pronipotino giocare, un po’ irrequieto, con i disegni della sua maglia rossa, e posa delicatamente un bacio sulla sua fronte. Oggi è troppo piccolo per capire, ma lui rappresenta la quinta generazione ed ogni generazione prima di lui si è sacrificata per garantirgli un futuro migliore.

Carmela Molinari (in Mandarino) non mostra la sua età. A 86 anni, ha la pelle liscia e poche rughe, occhi grandi e un dolce sorriso. Nata nel 1925 a Rende (CZ) in Calabria, Carmela ha una vita vissuta. A 15 anni si è sposata con suo marito, Pietro Mandarino, più grande di lei di 10 anni, oggi defunto. Pietro e Carmela sono la coppia che ha lasciato originariamente il proprio paese in cerca di un avvenire in “America”, e che ha infatti aiutato molti concittadini a trovar lavoro una volta emigrati in Canada.

“Parlavano sempre dell’America come la terra delle opportunità” dice Carmela che, provata da anni di duro lavoro, non l’hai mai vista così. Un proverbio calabrese dice l’ossu spartutu, santitat e rhienti, ovvero, la salute dei denti dipende dall’osso: la forza di Carmela è la sua volontà di contribuire alla prosperità della sua grande famiglia. Oggi guarda i suoi figli, nipoti e pronipoti, e il suo viso si illumina.

Concetta Mandarino (in Natalizio) ha gli stessi occhi e lo stesso sorriso di sua madre, ma mostra un look più moderno. Nata anche lei a Rende nel 1942, è la più grande delle tre figlie di Carmela e Pietro Mandarino. Arrivata in Canada nel 1954 con i suoi genitori, si è stabilita a Lansdowne e Dundas dove “non c’erano molti italiani, ma quelli che c’erano erano molto uniti.” Ha incontrato suo marito, Giuseppe Natalizio, mentre lui tagliava i capelli a suoi zio. Dopo un anno di fidanzamento, all’età di 18 anni Concetta si è sposata e a 19 ha avuto il suo primogenito, Antonio. L’immigrazione italiana ha sempre avuto un percorso di spostamento in direzione nord e la famiglia Molinari-Mandarino-Natalizio non si è smentita Dal centro di Toronto verso Scarborough, poi Newmarket e infine Woodbridge – “dove c’erano tutti gli italiani” – Concetta continua a celebrare e a mantenere la sua cultura attraverso la famiglia.

A differenza dei suoi genitori o dei nonni, Antonio Natalizio è canadese di prima generazione. Nato nel 1961, cresciuto prima a Toronto e trasferitosi poi a Scarborough, Antonio dice della sua infanzia: “Ero molto felice e nonostante non avessimo molto in termini di beni materiali, avevamo l’amore verso l’un l’altro.

Dentro di me avevo tutto quello che pensavo potessi mai avere”. Uomo umile e modesto, Antonio spiega contento che “sin da ragazzino, ho sempre voluto sposarmi e avere dei figli.” Dopo aver conosciuto sua moglie Olga in un incontro di “amore a prima vista” Antonio si sposerà e con lei avrà quattro bambini (Daniella, Joseph, Stefano, Alyssa). Nello spirito della tradizione di famiglia, ha continuato il mestiere

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Photographer: Giulio Muratori

di suo padre diventando barbiere. Il motto della famiglia di Antonio si rifà simpaticamente alla famosa frase di Don Corleone ne Il Padrino: “ un uomo che sta troppo poco con la famiglia non sarà mai un vero uomo.”

Quarta nella generazione, la 29enne Daniella Natalizio-Giguere ha un ruolo fondamentale e una grande responsabilità, non solo nel mantenere le tradizioni della sua famiglia, ma anche nel forgiare la sua identità e quella della sua nuova famiglia in un contesto canadese. Crescendo in Newmarket, è stata circondata da italiani e sostiene che, da piccola, gli usi della sua famiglia le sono stati tramandati dalla nonna e dalla bisnonna. La sua esperienza famigliare preferita ha attraversato tutti e quattro gli anni di università, quando, iscritta alla Schulich School of Business, ha deciso di vivere con sua nonna invece dello studentato. Scherzando, ricorda che lei e i suoi amici lo chiamavano il ‘tutto incluso”. Donna in carriera, spiega, nonna Concetta le rimprovera di aver ripreso a lavorare dopo aver dato alla luce suo figlio, oggi di tre anni; ma in fondo, i Molinari-Mandarino-Natalizio sono dei gan lavoratori.

Proprio la crescita e la forza della comunità italiana nel GTA può essere attribuita a persone come loro e i valori in cui essi hanno creduto corrispondono agli stessi valori in cui si identificano la maggior parte degli italo-torontini. Guardando il piccolo Christian, Carmela può solo sperare che quei valori contribuiranno, un giorno, al futuro della sesta generazione e oltre. v

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Italy under Benito Mussolini’s Fascist Regime (1922-1945) Filippo Salvatore

Il Duce

Occupation of factories in Turin

1919-20: The Red Biennium. Giovanni Giolitti’s tenure as Prime Minister comes to an end in August 1920 when 600,000 workers in the metallurgical industries demand salary increases and occupy factories. The results allowed them to get better working conditions, but plunged the country into a deep crisis. The maximalist leadership of the Socialist party wanted to bring about a revolution in Italy emulating the Russian Revolution of 1917. It squanders its reformist heritage and creates the conditions that destroyed democracy in Italy. Industrialists and landowners turn to the para-military Fascist movement founded by journalist Benito Mussolini in Milan in March 1919. Mussolini’s Fasci di combattimento (combat groups) emulated Filippo Tommaso Marinetti’s futurists, Gabriele D’Annunzio’s volunteers after they were dislodged from Fiume in December 1920, war veterans and former revolutionary interventisti.

Mussolini also absorbed much of the neo-Roman symbolism first used by D’Annunzio in Fiume.

1921 (January 15) Birth of PCI: At the Congress of Livorno the left wing section of the Socialist Party led by A n t o n i o G r a m s c i , e d i t o rin-chief of Turin’s newspaper L’Ordine Nuovo and by Neapolitan engineer Amedeo Bordiga, change the party’s name into PCI (Italian Communist Party). The split had Antonio Gramsci disastrous consequences. It led to social violence and to the death of democratic government.

Under Bordiga’s leadership the PCI became rigidly extremist and fuelled nationalist reaction. An unsteady coalition of Catholics and Liberals allowed Luigi Facta, Giolitti’s lieutenant, to form a weak government. In November 1921 the Third Fascist Congress formally established the PNF (Partito Nazionale Fascista).

1922 - March on Rome: Facta’s failure to act against growing Fascist violence and the failure of Filippo Turati’s Socialists to cooperate with Sturzo’s Catholics strengthened Mussolini. Two wings existed within the PNF: Dino Grandi’s approach that pressed to come to power legally and Italo Balbo’s ‘insurrectional’ approach. This second had the upper

Part 3 of 4

The two decades between the end of World War I and World War II (1918-1945) were truly dramatic for Italy, Europe and the rest of the world. During the Red Biennium (1919-1921) factory workers emulated the Russian Revolution which led to the crisis of the liberal State, the rise of Fascism and the dictatorial regime of Benito Mussolini, his alliance with Adolf Hitler, Italy’s conquest of Ethiopia, the participation in the Spanish Civil War and in the Second World War. The results were catastrophic for Italy. The country was defeated militarily and only after a bloody civil war and the Duce’s death was democracy finally re-established. Here is a chronological presentation of the salient facts of the Ventennio Nero. hand. On October 28, the ‘March on Rome’ took place with the Fascist occupation of strategic sites. King Victor Emmanuel III refused to sign martial Law to restore order and the army failed to act. The fascists’ coup d’état thus succeded. On November 30, Mussolini was invited by King Victor Emmanuel III to become Prime Minister and, for all intents and purposes, the parliamentary constitutional tradition came to an end.

1923 - Acerbo’s electoral reform: Mussolini consolidates his ‘illiberal regime. On December 15, 1922 the Fascist Grand Council is formed. It assumes both party and state functions foreshadowing the one-party system Italy was becoming. Giacomo Acerbo’s bill on electoral reform is approved on July 10. It eliminates proportional representation and gives two-thirds of the seats to the electoral coalition that receives 25% of the vote cast.

1924 - Giacomo Matteotti murdered: National Elections are held in April. Internal disputes within the Socialist and Catholic ranks and Mussolini’s control of the voting machines allows the Fascists to win the election. The leader of the Socialists Giacomo Matteotti gives a speech contending that Giacomo Matteotti Fascist violence has invalidated the recent elections. Matteotti disappeares on June 10 1924. His body is found only in August. Did Mussolini give the order to kill him? Historians are still debating. On June 30, the Senate and the Chamber grant Mussolini a vote of confidence. The opposition is absent from the Chamber after the ‘Aventine Secession’ makes it easy for Mussolini to introduce repressive legislation and establish his fascist dictatorship.

1925 - Alfredo Rocco’s new electoral law: Between January 1925 and the end of 1926 the regime consolidates itself. Abolition of antifascist political parties, of free labour unions and of freedom of speech.

Italy becomes a Fascist state. Creation of special tribunals that have the power to confine persons who subvert the political and social order. Only Fascist unions can negotiate and enforce contracts. In 1927 the Confindustria becomes formally Fascist and its president enters the Fascist Grand Council. According to Alfredo Rocco’s new electoral law, political parties are eliminated and only persons on a national list can become members of Parliament. Voters can only accept or reject the list.

Mussolini announces the ‘Battle of the Grain’, to make Italy self-sufficient in foodstuffs. Only large landowners benefit from it and consolidate their position.

1929 - The Lateran Accords with the Vatican: On February 11 Mussolini signs the Lateran Accords with the Vatican. They end the dispute with the papacy that resulted from the annexation of the Papal States during the Risorgimento. The Accords created the small independent state of the Vatican City in Rome, paid the Pope compensation for the annexed territories and made Catholicism the official religion of Italy. The Accords had vast repercussions.

The Duce came to be seen as a man sent by Providence

The signing of the Lateran Accords

against the threat of communism and solidified Mussolini’s regime both at home and abroad.

1933 - IRI (Istituto per la Ricostruzione Industriale): As a means to face the Great Depression, to finance industries in difficulty and stimulate economic recovery, Banker Alberto Beneduce and finance minister Guido Jung founded a new state agency: IRI (Istituto per la Ricostruzione Industriale). IRI’s role was far-reaching and significant. It owned one fifth of outstanding stocks in Italian companies. IRI stimulated industries in Northern Italy, improved production methods and enabled the country to match the most advanced international industrial standards.

Italo Baldo with his ‘flying armada’ crossed the Atlantic ocean and visited Canada and the world Exposition in Chicago and flew back to Italy. A major achievement in the history of aviation.

1934 - Fascism, a Corporate State : Mussolini opposes Adolf Hitler’s attempt of annexation (Anschluss) of Austria into Germany after Chancellor Dolfuss’ assassination by the Nazis. Founding of the 22 Corporations, the ‘third way’ between Marxist class struggle and ‘plutocratic’ capitalism with equal representation of employers and employees. Fascism thus defined itself as a Corporate State and in 1938 a law abolished the Chamber of Deputies and replaced it with the Chamber of Fasces and Corporations. The Fascist State relied also on ONB (Opera Nazionale Balilla), which regimented boys and girls and prepared them to become militant members of the regime and the GUF (Gioventù Universitaria Fascista) to which university students were obliged to adhere. The OND (Opera Nazionale Dopolavoro) rounded out the Fascist socialization nework. The OND was in contact with millions of workers and was the regime’s most successful institution.

1935-36 - Conquest of Ethiopia: After meeting French Premier Laval in Rome and receiving his nod, Mussolini has a free hand to conquer Ethiopia. In October 1935, Italian troops under the command of generals Del Bono and Graziani invade Abyssinia. After a few months the Italian troops enter Addis Ababa and Ethiopia becomes an Italian colony. The shameful defeat at Adua is finally avenged. The king of Italy becomes emperor of an empire that includes Lybia, the Dodecanese Islands, Eritrea, Somalia and Ehtiopia. As a result of this conquest, economic sanctions are imposed on Italy. During the 1930s the Duce accentuates his personal power and slogans like ‘Mussolini ha sempre ragione’ (Mussolini is always right’

o nni versario Italia 150 A

and ‘Credere obbedire, combattere’ (Believe, Obey, Fight) cover Italian buildings. In 1935 radio, cinema and other means of communications become favourite tools for propaganda under the umbrella of the Ministry of Popular Culture (Minculpop).

1936-1939 - Civil war in Spain: A pro-Germany policy in Foreign affairs begins. In 1936 Hitler and Mussolini support Francisco Franco’s revolt in Spain and send troops to help him. The Rome-Berlin Axis is born and Mussolini’s sonin-law Count Galeazzo Ciano becomes Minister of Foreign Affairs. 1937. Fascist Italy and Nazi Germany adhere to the Anti-Comintern Pact.

1937-38 - Anti-Semitism in Italy: An anti-Semitic faction emerges within Italian Fascism. Only in May 1938, after Hitler’s visit to Rome, Mussolini lets Gerarchi like Bottai who identify Jews with the ‘bourgoisie’ have their way. There were only 50,000 Jews living in a country of about 40 million people. The Duce who wanted to transform Italians into a ‘warrior’ race and had prohibited racial interactions in Italian East Africa, allows the foundation of a racist magazine: La Difesa della Razza, and a law is passed in September 1938 which prohibits foreign Jews from entering Italy, bans Jews from the teaching profession and excludes them from receiving an education in public secondary schools. A ban on intermarriage, exclusion from the army and public jobs and a limit to Jewish economic activities are later added. Anschluss (annexation) of Austria by Germany takes place.

1939 - Conquest of Albania: In April Italy occupies and annexes Albania. Signing of the Pact of Steel between Italy and Germany. The Second World War begins. Mussolini declares Italy’s non-belligerence.

1940 (June 10) - Declaration of war: After the sudden and unexpected defeat of France by Germany, Mussolini finally decides to declare war against England, Canada and France. Italy’s campaign against Greece begins in October. It turns quickly into a great blunder.

1941: Mussolini meets Hitler in April and agrees to declare war against Yugoslavia. In June, after Germany’s invasion of the USSR, Mussolini sends on the Russian front an expeditionary corps. In December Mussolini declares war against the USA. 1942 - War in Russia and North Africa: Italian and German troops invade and conquer Tunisia on the African front. British victory at the Battle of El-Alamein in North Africa. Disastrous retreat of the Italian expeditionary corps from the Russian front.

1943 - (July 25) Mussolini removed from power: May, surrender of the Italo-German army in Africa.

Mussolini’s inept leadership and the Italian army’s unpreparedness and weakness lead Italy to defeat. When the military disaster is inevitable the Fascist Grand Council finally has the courage to challenge MussolinI’s erratic leadership.

In a historic meeting during the night on July 24 Dino Grandi’s motion to remove Mussolini from power is approved by a vote of 19 to 7.

At a meeting with the king the following morning on July 25, he is informed that he has been replaced with general Badoglio. Mussolini is arrested. Badoglio abolishes the PNF (Partito Nazionale Fascista) and initiates talks with the AngloAmericans. The announcement of an armistice with the Allies on September 8 provokes a furious German reaction. While a battle is raging in Rome Badoglio and the Italian royal family flee ignominiously to Allied-occupied Brindisi. The Italian army either resists German attacks or simply dissolves.

Mussolini is freed from his mountaintop prison on the Gran Sasso in Abruzzo by an SS commando led by Otto Skorzeny who flies him to Germany. There the Duce announces the creation of the Repubblica Sociale Italiana which has its capital in the Northern Italian town of Salò. Mussolini has his son-in-law arrested, put on trial at Verona and executed by firing squad. Italy is divided both ideologically and geographically. The center and northern part of the country is under fascist and German occupation whereas the southern part is under Allies’ command. On November 4 1943, American troops land at Anzio, south of Rome.

1943 (September 8 ) - 1945 (April 25) Civil war in Italy: June 1944, liberation of Rome. War rages in German - occupied regions of Italy. Italians still loyal to Mussolini fight against Italians that have joined the Badoglio reorganized army on the side of the Allies. In central and especially Northern regions of Italy. The resistance movement under the CLN (Comitato di Liberazione Nazionale - Committee of National Liberation) led by antifascists leaders like Pertini, Longo, Parri and others

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Italy divided after September 8 1943 armistice

helps the Allies to defeat Fascist and German forces.

This is a very dark moment in recent Italian history.

1945 (April 27) Mussolini captured and executed: Allied troops attack and break the German line near Bologna. In April Mussolini and his mistress Claretta Petacci are captured by partisans while attempting to escape to Switzerland. On April 27, both are executed by ‘Valerio’ (Walter Audisio) at Giulino di Mezzegra. Their Ferruccio Parri corpses are taken to Milan and left hanging to the crowd’s scorn where 15 hostages had been executed by the fascists. On April 25, the CLNAI (Comitato di Liberazione Nazionale Alta Italia) proclaims popular insurrection in Milan. On April 29, the last German troops surrender and the liberation of Italy is complete. April 30. Allied troops enter Milan and Hitler commits suicide in Berlin. v

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Li fe &People

Villa Charities 40 Years of Service

By Carlo Raponi

Villa Charities is a benevolent organization which focuses on caring for the elderly, fostering cultural development and promoting numerous educational programmes in the GTA. Through social assistance and high-quality living conditions provided by the senior residence Villa Colombo and its community cultural institution Columbus Centre, Villa Charities has been a focal point for Italian-Canadians in the GTA for the past 40 years. he dream of Villa Charities started off as just that; a dream. The ideas were big, the possibilities were endless and the excitement was uncontrollable. Bringing up the names of Orlando Fidani and Joseph Carrier - two iconic founding fathers immediately sparks smiles and long lost memories.

“I remember the initial drawings for Villa Colombo being created on Orey Fidani’s counter top!” says one of the founders Anthony Fusco, jolted by a past memory. The plans were extravagant, and by most accounts, Alfredo De Gasperis and the Del Zotto brothers (Elvio, Angelo and Leo), having a strong background in construction, placed everything into perspective from an architectural and structural standpoint.

Everyone had a part to play, and everyone on the team pursued the dream in a completely selfless way. At certain points, Consiglio Di Nino would become interim president and Paul Ariemma would become the chair.

All of these founders, and many others, had a particular vision in mind for Villa Charities. “I guess if there was a collective goal in mind when we began the project”, as Rudolph Bratty puts it, “it would have been to unite the Italian community in Toronto.” The inclusive nature of Villa Charities gave the Italian-Canadian community a reference point for the first time in its history; a metropolitan piazza where people could congregate, discuss and enjoy each other’s company.

The picture painted

by Italian-Canadian hisJanuary 1982: Tenor Luciano Pavarotti (centre) at Columbus Centre for a torians, such as Robert reception in his honour, with ICBC president Joseph Chiappetta, ICBC chair Joseph D. Carrier, women’s committee and gala event chair and Nicholas Harney, Georgina Madott and ICBC fundraising committee chair Rudolph Bratty. of the Italian-Canadian community of Toronto in the early 1970’s is one of a fragmented society with no focal point. Virginia Williams Ariemma, in her account of the founding of Villa Charities entitled, The Story of Villa Charities 1971-1996, states, “The Villa Colombo project united the old and the new immigrants, and transcended regional allegiances and campanilismo.”

In fact, the Italian community in Toronto in the early 70’s consisted of many distinct regional social clubs. Maintaining strong foundations in community and family, the initiators of Villa Charities began to think of ways to take care of aging Italian-Canadians, while also trying to bring together all of the Italians in Toronto, regardless of their regional identity.

The founders had roots in Italian regions as diverse as Friuli and Sicily, and

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everything in between. It is admirable how these founders, notwithstanding the regional division, managed to create and fulfill a vision of a unified Italian community in Toronto.

Today, Villa Charities opens its doors not only to Italians, but to people young and old, from different races and religions, making it a uniquely inspiring and welcoming experience.

For a community that is so benevolent, it is surprising to hear Joseph Chiappetta’s recounting of the initial months of Villa Charities when he says, “there were no occupants initially because the Italian tradition dictated that children should take care of their parents.” The founders of Villa Charities were, and still are, children of an aging Italian society, fulfilling their duties by taking care of those who came before them, yet always keeping a watchful eye on those who will come after them.

Anthony Fusco explains, “The reason why Villa Colombo is so revered is because we did not view retirement as an institution, we viewed it as a home.” It is a great example of Italian immigrants valuing the opportunity that Canada offered them and reciprocating that opportunity with a gift; a gift fundamentally rooted in the Italian tradition of family, community and goodwill.

With new Chairs to the board of Villa Charities, Columbus Centre and Villa Colombo - Nina Perfetto, Karen Manarin and Rina Tiberini, respectively - Villa Charities celebrates its 40th anniversary this October. Its current goal is to bring all of its facilities up to date: “You cannot stay what you were forty years ago,” says CEO Pal Di Iulio, “change is difficult but mandatory.”

With many Italians now North of Toronto, Villa Charities constructed Villa Colombo in Vaughan showing that the organization is very flexible and able to change with the times.

The next forty years will present a completely new demographic to Villa Charities, but as long as its founders’ dream is kept December 1983: Opening ceremonies of Caboto Terrace with (L-R) ICBC president Joseph Chiappetta, ICBC vice president alive, there will be nothing Rudolph Bratty, MP Roland DeCorneille, building committee to impede this project’s co-chair Angelo Del Zotto, Solicitor General Robert Kaplan and Senator Peter Bosa. progress and prosperity. v

Villa Charities 40th anniversary. (L-R) John Gennaro, Joseph Chiappetta, Nick Torchetti, Toni Varone, Senator Consiglio Di Nino, Domenic Alfieri and Elio Madonia. Missing from the photo are Joseph Carrier (deceased), Dino Chiesa and Anthony Fusco.

Li fe &People

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Tony Coscarella: The Fight of His Life

By Alessandro Bozzelli

For the past 20 years, Tony Coscarella has served our community as a member of the Toronto Police Service and currently holds the position of Detective Sergeant at No. 52 Division downtown. Born in Toronto to Italian parents from Lago and Cerisano, in the province of Cosenza, the 43-yearold is happily married for 18 years to his wife Michelle with three beautiful children John Anthony, Vanessa and Natalie. hat seemed to be a normal, happy life came to an abrupt halt in October 2010 when he was diagnosed with Acute Myeloid Leukemia (AML), a particular form of Cancer. Anyone who has been unfortunate enough to be affected by this horrific disease, in any of its forms, knows that it changes your life and that of your family forever. It is an uphill battle that can be fought only with courage and support, and today, waiting for a bone marrow transplant, Tony needs our help.

The best chance of finding a donor is within one’s own ethnic community and this makes it imperative for all of us to rally around Tony and help him as he has helped us by keeping our community safe for most of his life.

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PI: Tony, can you tell me how your illness came about and more specifically what it is?

TC: In October 2010, after being unable to recover from what I thought was a very bad cold, I was diagnosed with the blood cancer AML. I was hospitalized for almost one month to undergo treatment. I responded positively to the initial treatment and the disease went into remission.

After being released from hospital I underwent several more rounds of chemotherapy as an out-patient and continued to be closely monitored by doctors.

AML has a good chance of reoccurring in patients and they recommend a bone marrow transplant to cure the disease. A transplant requires a suitable donor to donate stem cells to the patient.

Unfortunately, I don't have a suitably matched sibling (probability of a sibling match is only 1 in 4) and am presently waiting for a suitable unrelated donor match.

There are almost 900 people, like me, waiting for a match across the country.

PI: How have people been helping you out and what sort of support have you received?

TC: As you can well imagine this situation has placed a great deal of stress on our family.

The support from my family, friends, work colleagues and even strangers has been tremendous and overwhelming.

My family and I are extremely grateful for the outpouring of love we have received throughout this ordeal. Everything from hospital and home visits, drives to the hospital, and helping out around the house and with the kids.

The staff at Princess Margaret Hospital has been fantastic. They perform miracles and we are lucky to have such a world renowned institution so close to home.

There are also a lot of people working very hard trying to find a stem cell donor; not only for me but for all of the nearly 900 other Canadians waiting for a suitable match.

For instance, my cousin Mario DiStefano, who works

From left: Vanessa, Michelle, Tony and John Anthony.

In the middle: Samantha and Rachel (nieces) and Natalie.

for IBM, has spearheaded a campaign to increase the number of stem cell donors enlisting on the Canadian Blood Services OneMatch worldwide registry.

IBM has teamed up with Tridel Corporation, the Toronto Police Service and Canadian Blood Services in an unprecedented collaboration to raise awareness about the OneMatch stem cell/bone marrow registry.

PI: How can people get involved to try to help you in your battle?

TC: People can help by signing up to become a stem cell donor either by attending a swabbing event in your community or by registering at OneMatch.ca.

Registering to be a donor is quick and painless. It involves filling out a questionnaire and supplying a swab from the inside of your cheek. If you are found to be a suitable match, the transplant procedure for the donor simply involves providing a blood sample. v

For more information visit: jointonysfight.com or OneMatch.ca.

IT’S HARD TO PLAY THE GAME IF YOU DON’T KNOW THE RULES….

People are unfortunately injured everyday, driving cars, crossing the street, walking in a mall or store, entertaining with friends at a club or even attacked by a dog. In each case, you are entitled to be compensated for your losses as a result of any injuries.

At this point, you have to make a decision to start a personal injury claim. It is no easy matter. It is not a game…big insurance companies are almost always involved.

Insurance companies create mazes that one has to go through to access benefits and compensation.

They play with your health, peace of mind and future. The Rizzotto Law Firm with years of experience helping injured people, will guide you through the maze. They help you access tiers of benefits and compensation.

Motor vehicle insurance is complex. The changes to motor vehicle insurance law in Ontario that came into effect September 1, 2010 added to the maze and consumer confusion. These changes especially affect the relationship with a person’s own car insurance carrier – the Accident Benefits carrier.

If you or your family members have been injured, you have rights that need protecting within the time limits permitted by law.

It would be in your best interest at this point to hire a trained professional lawyer to help you obtain the maximum benefits and compensation for your losses. Even the playing field.

Joseph J. Rizzotto, B.A.(Hons), M.A., LL.B., LL.M. of the Rizzotto Law Firm is such a lawyer and has many years of experience dealing with insurance companies and claims. “It is important to hire someone that will carefully review and research each case individually in order that the appropriate action is taken quickly and is effective. Knowledge is key.”

To them it’s a game...

To you it’s serious.

tel: 905.264.6799 toll free: 1.866.221.8588 www.rizzottolaw.com 3700 Steeles Avenue West, Suite 700, Vaughan, Ontario L4L 8K8

Li fe &People

20

Thirteen Dollars In My Pocket A Story of Immigration from

By Ola Mazzuca

Calabria to Canada

“Per ricevere, bisogna dare” are words that Francesco Spadafora, 79, has lived by since his arrival at Pier 21 in Halifax, Nova Scotia from his birthplace of Tessano, a small village near Cosenza, Calabria. With only thirteen dollars to support the beginning of a successful life in Canada, Spadafora’s journey saw many challenges in bouts of unemployment and manual labour. hen I came to Canada, I only had thirteen dollars in my pocket. This meant a lot,” Spadafora says of the small sum of money he received from his sister, Bice, who lived in Sudbury, Ontario with her husband.

Now retired, Spadafora worked his way to operate his own construction business, lending a hand to others from working on the concrete streets of Toronto to supporting his siblings and their families as each immigrated to Canada.

As he timidly recalls a memory of his father, who was working on a farm in a town outside of Tessano, it is evident that Spadafora’s willingness to make sacrifices for others began at a young age. “When I was nine years old, I delivered a sandwich to him, crossing mountain ranges on horseback,” he says of a panino his mother divided in nine pieces to feed the entire family.

On July 29, 1953, 20-year-old Spadafora left Calabria on a large ship for Pier 21, the immigrant gateway of Canada.

Arriving on August 13, Spadafora departed for Sudbury on a crammed train, sleeping on benches and eating very little.

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“When I arrived, it was very hard to find a job, looking on every street by foot as there were no cars,” he says of his first weeks in Sudbury.

At this time, the mining town was a hub for European immigrants to obtain employment, risking their lives working in blistering temperatures and harsh weather conditions at

factories and quarries.

After endless rejection from knocking on office doors in search of a job, Spadafora’s coin was tossed. A neighbour who worked at Inco Mining, now Vale Limited, had heard of his struggle and encouraged Spadafora to speak to a colleague named Anthony.

“Every week,” he remembers “I saved money to buy six beers and knocked on Tony ’s door asking him, ‘Tony, do you have a job for me?’ always with a reply of ‘No, Frank, not yet.’

By January 1954, Spadafora was hired at Inco subsidiary, First Empress, working at The Vale Superstack and rock quarries to help build the Canadian Pacific Railway.

Spadafora left his girlfriend, Delfina, in Calabria before marrying her one year later by proxy. When she finally joined him, their dreams to start a family were put on hold as Spadafora was discharged a few months later.

In winter of 1955, the couple traveled south to Toronto to visit Delfina’s two brothers, where Spadafora accepted a

job offer from a construction company developing a neighborhood on Dundas Street West.

After many years of working for others, a colleague encouraged Spadafora to start his own business.

“I met many engineers on the job sites and they began to tell me, ‘Frank, why do you need to work for someone else?

You already know how to do everything by yourself. Start your own business and you’ll be okay,’” he recounts.

This inspired Spadafora and thus Gold Park Construction was established in 1968, with his brother-in-law, Giovanni, until 1983 when Francton Construction was born – a new business and partnership with his son, Tony.

Francton became quite reputable in the Greater Toronto Area and never owed money: “I will pay you, even if I have to sell my wife!” Spadafora used to wittily reassure his clients, proud of his business’ credibility. With primary values of integrity and perseverance, Spadafora believes that “even if you have a dollar, you have to try to make another ten cents.”

Coming from a family of nine children, Spadafora has mirrored his upbringing by raising four of his own and nurturing nine grandchildren. After a life of sacrifices, Francesco Spadafora can finally enjoy his free time gardening and being with his family. Since emigrating from Calabria, he has visited three times the province “always in his heart”, but Canada has taught him a most treasured life lesson. “This country has given me great opportunities,” he says. “But in order to receive these opportunities, you must always give back.” v

Li fe &People

Cross-Cultural

By Sabrina Marandola

HERO IS PROUDTO GIVE BACK THROUGH SICK KIDS 1-CENT PLEDGE

Hearts

William Shakespeare wrote – hundreds of years ago – that “love looks not with the eyes, but with the mind.”Centuries later, it’s a belief that Eugenio Carpine embodies. “Love has no skin colour or race,” the 29-year-old mulatto says.

His big grin is contagious, and Carpine flashes it often when people in the Italian community learn that he too is Italian. “People look at me, they see the colour of my skin, and they say, ‘You’re Italian? Yeah, right!’” he says. “So they ask me something in Italian, I answer them back in perfect Italian, and then they switch to English!” Carpine says laughing.

Illustration by David Ferreira

arpine gets his impeccable Italian from growing up in San Remo, Italy for 16 years. Meanwhile, his rich café-au-lait skin complexion comes from his mother, Josephine Muakana Mbiya, who was born in the Congo. Carpine’s parents met in the Congo, while his father, Marius Marc Carpine, worked there in the 1970’s as a professor of electrical engineering. They got married, and had 4 children while they lived in Africa. But the Congo quickly became a dangerous place for the Carpine family, while Eugenio was just a child.

Under the authoritarian regime of Mobutu, a civil war broke out. “They wanted all white people to move out of the Congo,” Eugenio recalls. “We were in danger.” So the whole family moved to the Carpine hometown of San Remo. At the age of 7, Eugenio – who had been surrounded by Congolese people his whole life – was quickly plunged into a sea of italianità. “All I ever knew was my black side of my family. San Remo was very white!” Eugenio says. “At the time, you could count the number of black people in San Remo on one hand. It wasn’t easy. We faced discrimination, but I always embraced the Italian culture because it’s in my genes.”

Eugenio quickly picked up the language, and grew up embracing the culture and values of Italy, before moving to Montreal six years ago. His girlfriend Sara Holland can attest to that. “Eugenio is more Italian that any Italian I know here,” she says. “He embraces it fully. He can cook pasta better than any restaurant, and his attitude towards women is very different than the guys here,” she says. “He really wants to take care of me. He wants to be the man, and it doesn’t take much to make him happy.

If I am happy, then so is he.”

Eugenio says it’s time to get past superficiality. “Being Italian is something you have inside you. It’s the person you are, not the colour of your skin. It’s the way I cook. It’s the way I joke. It’s the way I talk to people.” And he says he’s proud to be Congolese-Italian. “I love who I am. It’s rare to find all these differences in one person. I’m unique.”

Numbers show Eugenio is in the company of about 340,000 other Canadians – who are the children of mixed couples. And according to Statistics Canada, this number will only grow. Right now, at least a quarter of a million couples are interracial. That’s 33 percent higher than the number of mixed couples in Canada just a decade ago.

Anna Cristarella and Leon Padida contribute to those spiking figures.

Cristarella was born in Montreal of Italian parents who immigrated to Canada.

Meanwhile, Padida’s parents are from the Philippines. The two met in 2005, and got married three years later. For the couple, their differing nationalities were a non-issue. “When I met her, it never crossed my mind that she was not Filipina.

Nationality or colour was never an issue at all for me,” Padida says. It was the same for Cristarella. But their parents disagreed.

“It was hard at first, because I knew my parents would have a hard time with it,” she says. “Also, I was the first of all my brothers and sisters to even date a non-Italian, so I was really breaking ground in my home.” For Padida, it was his mother who had to warm up to the idea. “My mom wanted me to marry a Filipina,”

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he says. But the two continued seeing each other, and Cristarella decided the best thing to do would be to introduce her Filipino boyfriend to her parents.

“You can’t really change our parents’ mentality. It’s unchangeable. I figured they just had to get to know him for themselves. So one night I invited him over for a movie night with my family.”

It’s a night Padida still remembers well. “Her mom was really nice, but it was tough with her dad!”

Padida also invited his Italian girlfriend to meet his parents. “Now his FRANCHISES AVAILABLE mom loves me,” Cristarella says laughing.

“And my family loves Leon!” Padida says he can feel the love. “When I go over, her dad talks to me non-stop. He asks me for my opinion on things, and he invites me to see his garden and tomato plants.” Padida is now surrounded by Italian culture and tradition.

“Filipinos are very traditional as well, and we have strong family values, but we don’t always have to be together. With Anna’s family, it’s the big Sunday lunches…There’s always an excuse to get together,” Padida says. “Her mom will call and say ‘I made pizza. Everybody come over!’ And literally everybody goes over. We end up being 20 people. I’m thinking to myself, ‘It’s just pizza.’”

But these new routines are things Padida says he would never trade. “I love it.

I’m always learning new things.” “It’s good to be proud – I’m very proud to be Italian – but there’s also a whole other world out there,” Cristarella says, adding that parents should keep an open mind.

Cristarella and Padida say that when they become parents, they’ll want their kids to learn about this diverse universe. “For sure our children will speak Italian, and I would want them to speak Tagalog too. I want them to embrace both cultures,” Cristarella says. “People should stop thinking, and just feel what’s in their heart,” Padida adds. “There is so much we can learn from interracial relationships and friendships.”v

www.heroburgers.com

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Li fe &People

Tra Difficoltà ed Entusiasmo: Il Circolo dei Bergamaschi di Toronto Veronica Frigeni

Domenica 17 luglio 2011. Cornice dellʼincontro, un rovente pomeriggio a Woodbridge. Ingorgo di auto che strozzano la via di accesso al parco e barbecue fumanti, nuovi focolari attorno ai quali si raccolgono le generazioni, rinnovando una ritualità insieme composta e chiassosa. roprio lʼudito è rivelatore: voci che alternano inglese e dialetto, masticando parole che si compongono in un preciso codice di appartenenza e riconoscimento.

Di fronte a me, i vertici del Circolo dei Bergamaschi di Toronto: Egidio Cortinovis, il presidente, Antonio Caruso, il vicepresidente, e Claudio Minali, segretario.

Una manciata di persone, lʼoccasione è del resto informale, restituendo però in questo la ragione stessa dellʼesistenza di tale gruppo. Loro, i membri, la definiscono socialità dei paesi, quel conoscersi e riconoscersi tutti, quella dimensione festosa che ti porta a condividere i pasti, le danze, le emozioni, le idee.

Ed è la socialità, lʼaggregazione insieme evocativa ma anche di reciproco sostegno nelle sfide della quotidianità da emigrato, a sintetizzare la mission del gruppo.

Ti sorprende la peculiarità del loro immaginario e dei loro comuni riferimenti: enumerando ogni più piccolo paese della valle, citandone a memoria le frazioni, ritracciano col pensiero strade percorse nella gioventù, sedimentate nella memoria, e che paiono così stridenti, persino irreali se accostate al contesto canadese.

Una manciata di persone, quasi anticipazione di quello che pare ormai un inevitabile futuro; il circolo è tra i più piccoli nella comunità italo-canadese, certo riflesso della natura di un popolo molto riservato. Ma la sua parabola non sembra troppo dissimile da quella delle altre associazioni.

Proprio per questo è ancor più entusiasmante la premura con cui mi accolgono e si raccontano, ed è ancor più malinconico ascoltare le criticità che sembrano dichiarare ormai obsoleta lʼesistenza del circolo stesso.

Se sono, infatti, un centinaio le famiglie iscritte, altrettanto numerosi si contano coloro che, pur di provenienza orobica, gravitano nel territorio della Greater Toronto Area senza aderire formalmente a questa comunità, la quale è di fatto la sola associazione di bergamaschi dellʼintera America settentrionale.

Inoltre, lʼetà ormai avanzata di numerosi membri ma soprattutto la dispersione geografica che le distanze canadesi approfondiscono, rendono sempre più difficoltosa la realizzazione di questi incontri.

A ciò si aggiunga lʼallentarsi del vincolo con Bergamo e con lʼItalia in generale nelle nuove generazioni, spesso nate qui, schive verso un passato famigliare che non gli appartiene, che non crescono sognando lʼAmerica oltre lʼoceano.

Vicendevolmente chi arriva oggi in Canada non sente più la necessità di inserirsi entro una rete di persone e riferimenti che ricalchino il proprio paese di origine; ciò poiché, dagli anni ʻ80, le motivazioni che spingono alla partenza alla volta del Canada sono profondamente mutate.

Non più la fuga dalla guerra, in condizioni di miseria, pronti a qualsiasi lavoro pur di avere la propria casa (irrinunciabile per un bergamasco, e soprattutto per una donna bergamasca, sottolineano) e un futuro per la propria prole. Oggi, piuttosto, entro la più ampia cornice della globalizzazione economico-finanziaria e dei flussi lavorativi, qui si viene per specializzarsi in università prestigiose oppure, già lavoratori qualificati, per trovare una corrispondenza tra le proprie abilità e il mercato, corrispondenza che spesso lʼItalia non è in grado di offrire.

Mi si fa infatti notare come il Canada abbia unʼestensione 33 volte superiore allʼItalia, e come, viceversa, la popolazione sia esattamente la metà: semplici numeri che moltiplicano però esponenzialmente le potenzialità e le offerte professionali di questo paese.

“Bergamo è bei ricordi” per chi è venuto qui da bambino. “Bergamo è una bella memoria da tornare un giorno a viverci” per chi bambino lo è stato in Italia.

Cinzia, figlia di Antonio Caruso, in Canada dallʼetà di 11 anni, non nega però lʼintenzione del ritorno, quando la situazione italiana sarà diversa, e forse, per lei inconsciamente, più simile a quanto già Toronto le offre e le ha offerto.

Perché infine se, nelle parole del presidente del Circolo, Egidio Cortinovis, “Bergamo è tutto, ancora”, altre voci, più timide e più numerose, si congedano da me con il sogno romantico dellʼItalia, ma con la consapevolezza che è questa la realtà in cui vivere. v

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Città di Bergamo

Li fe &People - Future Leaders

23

Future Leader:

Sabrina

Fiorellino

By Daniele Bozzelli

"Fashion is not something that exists in dresses only. Fashion is in the sky, in the street, fashion has to do with ideas, the way we live, what is happening" – Coco Chanel What do you get when you combine an Italian upbringing and culture, bilingualism, ambition, hard work, and a passion for fashion? The profile of a young Italian-Canadian entrepreneur, Sabrina Fiorellino, driven and focused on positively impacting her community. urrently an associate in the Business Law Group and the Fashion Industry Practice Group at Cassels Brock, 29-year-old Sabrina is also the co-founder – with Alexandra Battiston – of ICCO Forward, a new division within the Italian Chamber of Commerce of Ontario designed for entrepreneurs under the age of 40.

Raised in the city of Vaughan, Sabrina has firm roots in Italy and the region of Calabria. With all the hours spent studying, Sabrina knew how important it was to spend time with the family growing up. As a result, resorting back to the Italian language and culture was a natural reaction in the academic environment.

Sabrina studied Political Science and Law and Society at York University, paving the way for a successful future. When she was a student, often times her classmates would ask for her notes: "even though I would let them use my notes,” she recalls “they wouldn't understand them because they were half in Italian and half in English." While her peers probably thought that this was a strategic and covert way to gain a competitive advantage, she reiterates that it was just a natural reaction. "I grew up speaking Italian at home and sometimes words would only come to me in Italian. So when I had to quickly jot down notes in class, I would write the words in whichever language came to mind."

Sabrina's love for Italian culture extends beyond the classroom and into the fashion world. During her undergraduate studies, Sabrina started an import/export company for interior design with her mother called John Paul & Co.

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Photographer: Giulio Muratori Location: courtesy of John Paul & Co.

Her fashion sense began at a young age and was clearly a passion that snowballed to bigger things: "I went to my mom and told her what I wanted to do. She said that I was crazy and that it would be impossible to focus on school and on the business. But in the end we decided to grab the bull by the horns and venture on this journey." From one meeting with Missoni, Sabrina was able to expand the company to include the distribution from the likes of Fendi, Valentino and Etro.

However, the drive to succeed in the fashion industry was not enough. After a few years, Sabrina wanted another challenge. She enrolled in the Osgoode Hall Law School and still kept running the business with her mother. Upon being called to the Bar in 2009, Sabrina has continued her love for fashion in the legal forum, with her mother currently running the company.

She helped form the Fashion Industry Practice Group at Cassels Brock and has assisted in connecting industry players, drafting and negotiating exclusive distributorships, agency, retail and other agreements for numerous luxury brands, as well as start-up designers. For Sabrina, fashion is an impetus to be creative and law is the modus operandi through which she can help others.

In particular, through her active role within the ICCO Forward, founded in 2009 with the purpose to encourage young professionals in a changing economic environment, Sabrina contributes to create opportunities inside the Italian community.

"The goal," says Sabrina "is to target young Italian-Canadian entrepreneurs and to mentor them in their activities, to fight the common stereotypes, and to allow them to create a platform for success." It is an initiative through which Sabrina can share her knowledge, skills and experiences and help others achieve success at a young age.

With a drive to succeed and eagerness to provide a platform for others alike, Sabrina Fiorellino represents the upcoming generation of Italian-Canadian entrepreneurs. Despite her long days shared between the firm and her extra-curricular involvements, her efforts and passion do not go unnoticed, as she tackles each new challenge with a fashionable elegance. Sabrina is a genuine example of a future leader. v

To propose a future leader, contact us at info@panoramitalia.com

Li fe &People

One More Day

25

What would you do if you had one more day to spend with a deceased loved one?

In memoria della nonna Margherita Carnevale.

Quand’ero piccola, mi piaceva stare a casa della nonna, specialmente in estate. Ogni mattina, la nonna andava nell’orto per innaffiare le piante e lavava la veranda, sapendo che durante il giorno avrebbe preso un caffé con gli amici. Nonna faceva tutto questo prima che mi svegliassi. Quando scendevo al piano di sotto, sentivo la musica di Chin Radio. Lei era seduta al tavolo a leggere il Corriere Canadese, bevendo il caffé e mangiando i biscotti a forma di animali.

Le cose che ricordo di mia nonna non potrò mai dimenticarle. Amava molto i fiori. Voleva spesso giocare a carte con me e con mio fratello, Severino. Tutti sapevano che se volevano un bell’ espresso freddo la nonna era sempre pronta a prepararlo. Quando la famiglia e gli amici erano tutti riuniti, la nonna faceva sempre qualche brindisi.

Every night before bed she would kiss my nonno’s picture and we would pray together to God, Jesus, and nonno to keep our family safe. After this, she would tell me to go into her drawer and get an Italian mint. This happened everyday at nonna’s and I loved it. This showed what a wonderful woman she was. In her daily routine she showed to be hardworking, independent, compassionate, giving, funny, respectful, and loving.

She will be remembered for so many things in her life and so many accomplishments.

Everyone who knew her shares at least one moment with her that they will cherish forever.

I will always hold her close to my heart and keep her with me forever. I miss her very much already and if I had one more day with her I would go through that same daily routine with her.

Ti amo nonna, e già ci manchi...

I nipoti, Margherita Antonina Carnevale & Severino Carnevale

A mio padre Se t’avessi ancora accanto a me, vorrei dirti quale valore hai dato alla mia vita e che i tuoi insegnamenti non saranno mai dimenticati.

Vorrei raccontarti della felicità che ho provato quando, per la prima volta, ho tenuto il mio nipotino tra le braccia. È in quel momento che ho capito quanto amore avevi per i tuoi nipoti.

Vorrei tenirti vicino a me, perchè solo con te sentivo la forza che mi dava il coraggio di affrontare il futuro.

Vorrei dirti che farò tutto il possibile per la nostra famiglia, che l’amerò senza dubbi o compromessi.

Ma la cosa più importante che vorrei dirti è che ti voglio tanto bene e mi manchi tanto. A volte apro la busta con il tuo cappello, lo stringo tra le mani e so che sei con me.

Peppino

Nonno Sigfrido Biagioni My nonno, Sigfrido Biagioni raised my younger sister, Stefania and I. More accurately he cared for, cherished and nurtured us.

How fortuitous my young life was. As little as I was, I knew my nonno was our earthly custodian, an ethereal angel of a metaphysical kind.

Never did he judge me, when I had been foolish. Never did he raise a hand to me, even when I may have warranted such discipline. He spoke to me when he would reprimand me, knowing I was capable of understanding.

If I had one more day to warm my heart by his light, I would sit, so close to him, as to gently invade his space. I’d entangle my arm within his (as the Italian elders sometimes do). I would sit there so quietly by him, for fear my movement might interrupt his apparition. I would sit and be with him. I would be present with him as he had always been present for me. No words could content me like his presence. And he’d have known that I have always prayed to him for courage, strength, hope and guidance the very virtues which were the fundamental building blocks riding this tide, into my young and unsuspecting adult life, so many years ago.

And with all of life’s pandemonium and turbulence, he guides me still.

When I visit him, where he now rests, I know to my very swollen and pained heart, not only does he hear me, but he also listens. What a gift he was and remarkably still is.

Nancy Amadio Nelson

Want to share your story? Send your ‘One More Day’ submission to info@panoramitalia.com along with a picture. The best entries will appear in our October/November issue.

26

Tra vel

Venice Take 6

in la Serenissima

By Amanda Fulginiti

Trying to tackle the labyrinth that is Venice can be a daunting task, especially when you only plan to have a three day stint to experience all that the city has to offer. So, if you are planning a trip to la Serenissima, here are a few tips to help guide you through the city like the locals do. alking is the best way to see Venice, especially if you go during Biennale season where stumbling upon free contemporary art exhibitions in abandoned houses, palazzi and lesser known churches is quite common. The best piece of advice anyone one can give you is to not be afraid to literally get lost. On the other hand, vaporetti (water buses) while convenient are often filled to the brim with tourists. But they can make for a good break when you are tired from ascending and descending bridges. They can also be a great way to take some excellent shots of the island itself and are a lot more affordable than Gondolas (over 80 Euros for about a ten minute ride as opposed to the 6 Euro Vap Pass that is valid for about an hour).

Note that Venice is made up of six sestieri, or districts such as the boroughs of New York City or arrondissements of Paris. The word derives from the figure six, Venice having been historically cut up in six quarters in the 11th century: Cannaregio, San Polo, Santa Croce, The finishing touch of Dorsoduro, San Marco and Castello. any Gondola is the These sestieri are connected by an ferro, the ornament that intricate network of 3000 calli (the term adorns the bow of the boat. According to for street in Venetian), rio or rii in plural Venetian lore, the ferro’s (small canals), 420 bridges and three “S” curve is meant to mimic the bends of the official canals: Grand Canal, Cannaregio Grand Canal, the six and Giudecca. Beware wanderers that prongs - the six sestieri only three bridges cross the Grand and its rounded top the shape of the Doge’s Canal: Scalzi, Rialto, and the Accademia.

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(chief magistrate) hat.

Each district has its own buried treasure that no Fodor’s Guide or Lonely Planet will provide, so here’s how to Take 6 in Venice: 1. Dorsoduro: Spritz blitz!

When you land in Piazzale Roma (the bus station) or the Santa Lucia Train Station you are closest to Sestier Dorsoduro. This has become a very student area because the humanities university Ca’ Foscari and the Architecture University has many of its buildings located in this area. It is also now recognized for Campo San Margherita (or as it is written in Venetian Campo San Margarita). This is where many flock to enjoy the typical drink of choice in the Veneto, namely Spritz - a special Venetian aperitivo based on white wine, a bitter and seltzer water. There are five choices to be made ranging from the sweetest to the most bitter: Bianco, Aperol, Spritz Campari, Select, or Cynar. Note that if you sit down, drinks will cost 2.50 euro. If you go during Happy Hour (roughly between 5-7) drinks will be served with patatine and olives.

Heading towards the edge of Dorsoduro is Zattere, a long walkway that overlooks the island known as Giudecca. There one can enjoy an aperitivo at Bar El Chioschetto while watching a truly remarkable sunset. It is easy to see why Tintoretto was called the painter of light when his inspiration came from a city where the sun seems to brighten the colour palette of each building. If you follow

Tra vel

27

6. San Marco: House of the rising Phoenix The most famous and crowded of all the sestieri is San Marco since it is the district that is home to Basilica di San Marco and the Palazzo Ducale. Expand your repertoire of historical sites by checking out Teatro La Fenice (“The Phoenix”). It is one of the most famous theatres in Europe, the site of many famous operatic premieres, such as Verdi’s La Traviata. Its name reflects its role in permitting an opera company to "rise from the ashes" despite losing the use of two theatres (to fire and legal problems respectively). Since opening and being named La Fenice, it has burned and been rebuilt twice more. v

Santa Maria della Salute Venice the length of Zattere all the way to Punta della Dogana this is the ideal point to watch the sunrise light show since it overlooks Piazza San Marco, Lido and Giudecca. Sitting at the point one can watch all the buildings from a distance slowly change colour. If you do this on a Sunday you can later attend mass at Basilica di Santa Maria della Salute. The dome of the building is now emblematic of the city and was a constant inspiration for Canaletto, the Venetian artist known for his views of Venice.

2. San Polo: Walk-in cinema Turning over to a new district, San Polo can be thrilling in terms of the film festival and its very own Cinema Aperto. Starting from the end of July to the end of August, nominees from the last Cannes film festival can be viewed in both English and Italian. Later in the season, movies from the Venice Film Festival can be seen.

Watching a movie will never be the same again when your black backdrop is replaced by a 500 year old church and several typical Venetian styled palazzi.

La fenice (“The Phoenix”)

3. Cannaregio: More cicchetti please!

Before heading out to watch Clooney’s latest hit, you may consider having some cicchetti and, of course, some aperitivi with some friends. Cicchetti are small snacks or side dishes, typically served in Venice. Common cicchetti include tiny sandwiches, plates of olives or other vegetables, halved hard boiled eggs, small servings of a combination of seafood, meat and vegetable ingredients laid on top of a slice of bread or polenta. Like Spanish tapas, one can also make a meal of cicchetti by ordering multiple plates. They are usually accompanied by a small glass of local white wine, which the locals refer to as an "ombra" (shadow). Try heading out to Taverna del Campiello Remer, a small tavern tucked away in Sestier Cannaregio. Easily missed by most tourists because of its secluded location, the restaurant will not only serve you with a delicious meal, but will also provide you with an excellent view of the Rialto Bridge and Grand Canal from its private dock.

4. Castello: Overlooked gems Once in Castello, have a peak at the Scuola Grande di San Marco (Ospedale Civile), one of the six scuole grandi - the confraternities of Venice - now occupied by the city hospital. Often overlooked, it features magnificent trompe l'œil panels by Tullio and Antonio Lombardo representing two episodes from the life of St. Mark and his faithful lion.

If you are looking to head to a good restaurant in the evening, the historical Ai Promessi Sposi is located in this district. The cuisine is simple and they are known for their mixed antipasto plates. Try their polpette and their cipolle dolci al forno!

Most importantly, do not forget to order some of their house wine.

5. Santa Croce: Eating vegetarian in Venice La Zucca is not exclusively a vegetarian restaurant, but it continues to satisfy all those looking for a place in Venice to eat dishes made, created and inspired by seasonal vegetables. The atmosphere of the room is warm and modern, with oak cladding on the walls and a small kitchen from which you can observe the preparation of dishes. The specialties range from pumpkin custard baked potato and broccoli with ricotta and smoked vegetarian dish with rice or couscous. Do not pass on any of the dolci, especially the Panna Cotta whose toppings changes again according to the season. The restaurant is small, with 35 seats inside and 12 outside (only during the summer) and is located a few steps from Campo San Giacomo Dall'Orio, a site where many of the city’s Sagras (a local festival, very often involving food, and frequently a historical pageant) take place. The namesake festival occurs in mid-July.

View from Accademia bridge

28

Tra vel

Sardinia: Ancient traditions, pristine sea and longevity

originally inhabited by tuna and coral fishermen. One of its notable sights includes the Spanish Tower, built in 1594 by the Spaniards to defend the village from the Turkish raids. The Lido degli Spagnoli Hotel is a beautiful Spanish-style building that pays homage to history in its design. The hotel is situated on the southwest seafront overlooking the island of San Pietro.

Marina Piccola, Poetto Cagliari

Photos & text by Tony Cicero

Garbage collection and environment protection

Sardinia is commonly perceived as an island for the rich and famous: sandy white beaches, yachts and a jet-set lifestyle. What is often overlooked is that Sardinia is a place in which nature is still to a large extent uncontaminated and where its inhabitants enjoy one of the longest life expectancies in the world. The Sardinian lifestyle has literally been following the trendy ‘organic’ and ‘green’ living craze for centuries.

Sardinia has taken many initiatives to protect its environment, although the balance between generating economic growth via tourism and other industries, and protecting the island’s precious environment, is a difficult challenge and the subject of ongoing debate.

Disposing of garbage is a growing problem for the island. Landfill sites are under pressure and are viewed as a short-term solution. Most areas now have recycling schemes and colour-coded bins in the streets for plastic, glass, paper, aluminum and batteries.

There is also daily rubbish collection of either nonrecyclable (‘secco’) or compostable (‘umido’) items.

The sea around Sardinia is generally amongst the cleanest in the Mediterranean. The island's economy is very dependent on the clarity and cleanliness of the sea, and Sardinia works hard to ensure its preservation.

The reserved and genuine character of the people, the exquisiteness of the many typical dishes, and its ancient traditions, make of Sardinia one of the most different and enchanting places in the Mediterranean. Let us hope the island will wisely tackle environmental changes to maintain its beauty for centuries to come. v

Long life-span in Sardinia Sardinia is Italy’s second largest island. It is also known as a Blue Zone, one of those rare places in the world where people often live past 100. At least 220 of Sardinia’s current 1.6 million people have reached the age of 100, twice the average of the rest of the world, and 20 times as many as in the United States.

and Southern groups, is certainly not similar to other mainland Italian dialects. The Sardinian language is considered a different romance language, like Italian, French or Spanish.

Language is not the only peculiarity: a long life-span is another one. Interestingly enough, men and women share longevity equally, whereas elsewhere, women reach the age of 100 four times more often than men. Scientists believe Sardinian men share a genetic trait passed from father to son that makes them less likely than the general population to die from heart disease or stroke.

Sardinian diet Many think this is due to the Sardinian diet. It consists of a balance of healthy nutrients: fresh locally grown vegetables prepared simply with olive oil, lemon and garlic to compliment dishes. Meals are served in small courses usually with pasta or soup first, a main dish of vegetables, legumes, and nuts, and ending with a salad to aid the digestion.

Farms in Sardinia grow many different fruit and vegetable crops, such as tomatoes, oranges, figs, apples, apricots and grapes. The famous Sardinian cheese, called Pecorino Sardo, is made from grass-fed sheep’s milk, which gives the product a high content of Omega-3 fatty acids. Also highly consumed is the Carta de Musica, a thin, whole wheat bread high in vitamin D. Meat intake is low in Sardinia - typically only once or twice a week – and consists of local lamb, lean pork, oily fish, and shellfish, commonly cooked over a wood fire. Cannonau is the most common and known Sardinian wine. Sardinia’s sea-food includes tuna, which is fished in the southwest area of the island.

Sardinian, a romance language

Travel within Sardinia

As a general rule Sardinians have dark hair and skin, the genetic result of them many Mediterranean peoples, such as the Spaniards, that ruled the island.

The spoken language, although divided in Northern

Cagliari, the capital city, hosts a main harbour that is one of the gateways to Sardinia. If you take a short 50-minute drive out of Cagliari and head southwest towards the coast, you will find Portoscuso, a town

Fresh spring water

Spanish Tower, Portoscuso

Food & Wine

I secoli sulle nostre tavole: ulivi, olio di oliva e la stagione di raccolta

Testo di Serena Battista. Foto di Giulio Muratori.

Per la Natura è tempo di festa. Per gli ulivi italiani inizia in questa stagione il tempo della raccolta: un rito antico quanto la cultura delle terre in cui si celebra, sacro come lo sono le tradizioni più radicate. È tempo per la Natura di celebrare una delle sue bellezze, delle sue opere d’arte più vetuste e immaginifiche: non si può difatti non pensare, quando si osserva un ulivo secolare, a una scultura surreale che si contorce assumendo forme antropomorfe, quasi a esprimere una forza, una vitalità strenua che obbedisce solo alle leggi naturali. L’ulivo, nella sua monumentalità, sembra gridare che è nella terra il segreto della vita: forse è anche per questo che, in un’epoca di dispersione, di distanze così dolorose, ci affascina tanto? ianta secolare, la cui longevità è resa possibile in primis dai climi caldi e dalla cura degli uomini, l’ulivo è divenuto un simbolo del Mediterraneo, in particolare delle regioni italiane meridionali, con la Puglia che detiene il primato nazionale nella produzione di olio.

Alimento base della dieta mediterranea, c’è forse un’analogia fra i benefici nutrizionali dell’olio e la longevità del suo scultoreo albero. Ottobre e novembre sono i mesi, dunque, in cui si dà inizio alla raccolta delle olive, avviando così la produzione olearia. In cosa consiste questo rito? Ne illustreremo in breve le varie fasi.

Operazione preliminare è, ovviamente, la raccolta: questa deve avvenire quando le olive hanno raggiunto il giusto grado di maturazione necessario perché l’olio presenti un basso livello di acidità.

Ci sono molte tecniche per raccogliere le olive: la raccolta manuale (brucatura), direttamente dalla pianta, è indiscutibilmente quella migliore, in quanto garantisce al massimo la separazione delle olive dalle foglie, la selezione delle olive migliori e l’eliminazione di quelle eventualmente malate, assicurando alla pianta nessun danno. La purezza e la leggerezza dell’olio d’oliva è dunque sinonimo di raccolta manuale, ed è per questo che le regole per i marchi DOP disciplinano le tecniche di estrazione postulando l’uso delle tecniche più tradizionali.

Tuttavia la grande produzione ovvia alla carenza di manodopera attraverso tecniche meccanizzate che variano di regione in regione: dalla bacchiatura (con la quale si percuotono le fronde mediante bastoni) alla scuotitura (utilizzo di macchinari che scuotono e fanno vibrare i rami dell’albero provocando la caduta delle olive), all’utilizzo di teloni.

Una volta raccolte, le olive subiscono dei trattamenti in oleificio che prevedono quattro fasi fondamentali: la macinazione della polpa (molitura o frangitura), da cui si ottiene la pasta d’olio, un composto fatto di acqua, olio e parti solide (polpa, noccioli); negli antichi frantoi, tutt’oggi in uso in numerose aziende agricole, la macinazione avveniva in vasche circolari di pietra entro cui polpa e nocciolo venivano frantumati grazie all’azione di grandi mole, anch’esse di pietra, che circolavano.

Si passa poi all’estrazione del mosto d’olio o sansa, che deve avvenire sempre a freddo. Terza fase è la separazione dell’olio dall’acqua: questa, negli stabilimenti moderni, avviene per centrifugazione.

L’olio così ottenuto è sottoposto a filtrazione naturale, al fine di estrarne le impurità. La fase finale prevede lo stoccaggio in ambienti lontani da fonte di calore e

P

luce, essenziale affinché il prodotto mantenga le sue proprietà organolettiche fino al momento dell’imbottigliamento.

Questo accurato lavoro avviene nel giro di 48 ore dalla raccolta, tempi che assicurano un olio pregiatissimo e quel sapore di oliva che è sempre indice di qualità.

La preziosità dell’olio e il valore storico, ambientale, estetico ed economico degli ulivi hanno condotto nel 2007 la regione Puglia a varare una legge per la tutela e valorizzazione degli ulivi monumentali. Si tratta di una scelta legislativa esemplare, che potrebbe rivelarsi pionieristica ed essere emulata da altri Paesi il cui paesaggio è segnato dalla presenza di specie arboree di simile unicità.

Una legge, però, non basta: se i paesaggi subiscono una minore depredazione e se gli ulivi non sono più, come un tempo, sistematicamente trafugati per essere impiantati nei giardini del nord come complementi d’arredo, gli ulivi sacrificati dall’edilizia sono tanti. Li si espianta e si trapianta in altre zone, ma questa operazione costituisce un trauma per gli alberi, comportando il rischio che nella nuova location non attecchiscano e che si stravolga l’equilibrio idrogeologico assicurato dagli uliveti.

Una corona di ulivo cingeva il capo degli atleti vittoriosi nell’antica Grecia; un ramoscello di ulivo è posto sull’emblema della Repubblica Italiana a rappresentare la volontà di pace della nazione; nella tradizione cristiana l’ulivo è simbolo di pace: una simbologia che con coerenza ci indica la strada del ritorno alla Natura. v

29

Food & Wine

30

Cooking For Friends :

Fall Comfort Food Recipes and Photography by Claudia Ficca www.claudiaficca.com

Bresaola Carpaccio This simple appetizer consist of a few ingredients that marry together perfectly both in taste and sight.

Ingredients (Serves 4) • • • • •

1/2 pound (250gr) thinly sliced bresaola 4 handfuls of baby arugula 6 thin slices pecorino pepato 4 lemon wedges Extra virgin olive oil

Directions Arrange slices of bresaola, overlapping slightly, to cover 4 small plates. Top bresaola with baby arugula, add sliced cheese and drizzle with olive oil. Serve with lemon wedge.

Apple Hazelnut Crisp Fall comfort food at its best! This delicious dessert is a great finale to any meal.

Directions

• 3/4 cup brown sugar, packed • 1/2 cup all purpose flour • 1/2 cup butter, cut in cubes • 1/3 cup rolled oats • 1/4 cup hazelnuts • 6 apples, peeled and cored

Grease 6 small oven safe bowls or ramekins. Combine all ingredients except apples in a food processor and pulse until crumbly (if you don’t have a food processor just use your hands). Slice apples and place in greased bowls. Sprinkle crumb mixture over apples and bake at 375° for 35-40 minutes until the tops are golden. Serve warm with vanilla ice cream.

Ingredients

Ingredients (Serves 6)

Food & Wine

Tagliatelle con Funghi This recipe can easily be customized to your taste and needs, you can make your own fresh tagliatelle or use dry pasta if your time is limited. Check out a video of this exact recipe on my blog www.letiziagolosa.com

Ingredients (Serves 4) • • • • •

400 g fresh tagliatelle 4 tbsp extra virgin olive oil 2 shallots, sliced 1 cup shiitake mushrooms, cleaned and halved 1/2 cup dried porcini mushroom or 1 cup fresh porcini, cleaned and sliced • 6 basil leaves, chiffonade to garnish • Sea salt • 1/4 cup freshly grated parmigiano reggiano

Directions

Bring a large pot of salted water to a boil. Meanwhile place a 12-inch skillet over mediumhigh heat. Add the olive oil, the shallots and sauté until translucent about 3 to 4 minutes.

Add the shiitake and porcini mushrooms and cook, stirring often, until they have released most of their liquid, about 5 minutes. Sprinkle with salt and add 1/2 cup mushroom liquid.

At this point add the fresh tagliatelle to the boiling water cook your pasta until just under al dente (about 2 -3 minutes) and drain. Toss the tagliatelle in the pan with sauce. Add mushroom liquid if needed and bring to a boil for 30 seconds. Plate in serving bowls and top with grated parmigiano, basil chifonnade and a drizzle of olive oil.

Find more delicious recipes at www.panoramitalia.com

Ingredients

Place the dried porcini in a bowl and pour 2 cups boiling water over them. Set aside for 30 minutes. Scoop the porcini from the water with a slotted spoon, reserving the liquid. Pour the mushroom liquid through a coffee filter or paper towel, discarding the gritty solids. Set the mushrooms and the liquid aside separately.

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31

Food & Wine

32

Autumn Glasses

By Gaia Massai and Gabriel Riel-Salvatore

Back in Italy, the grape harvest is coming to a close. By now, most are boiling in tanks and wood barrels, in the process of becoming great wines we’ll savour in the coming years. The “Novello” wine, the Italian counterpart to French Beaujolais, is also released in November, young and still vinous - a perfect match with roasted chestnuts on a cool autumn day. Italian poet Giosuè Carducci’s poem “San Martino” evokes the spirit of this period in Italy:

“…ma per le vie del borgo dal ribollir de' tini va l'aspro odor dei vini l'anime a rallegrar…”

Legend The prices indicated are subject to changes relative to the L.C.B.O. price policy.

Piemonte

2015

Castello di Neive 2007 Cantine Del Castello Di Neive Barbaresco DOCG $18,90 L.C.B.O.# 160143 ★★★ (87/100) This Barbaresco (Nebbiolo grapes) shows a brilliant garnet colour given from its 24 months aging in oak barrels. At the nose, light eucalyptus notes combine with cherry and leather hints. Tannins are fine and balanced, medium body with a sweet spice aftertaste. Taste it with roast pork, mushroom tagliatelle or gnocchi with ragout.

Toscana

Veneto

Monte Antico 2007

Modello Bianco 2010

Empson & Co. Toscana IGT $15,95 L.C.B.O.# 69377 ★★★ (85/100)

Masi Bianco delle Venezie IGT $10,95 L.C.B.O.# 564674 ★★ (82/100)

This wine is an affordable Super Tuscan with medium body and deep ruby red colour. The fruity notes of plums and ripened red cherries are intertwined with earth and leather tones. Versatile wine that can go well with a variety of tomato based pasta dishes or with grilled meat.

Some toasty aromas with fruity, floral overtones; well-balanced with a viscous, slightly oily texture.

Veneto

Veneto

Veneto

Placido Pinot Grigio 2010

Modello Rosso 2011

Levarie Soave 2009

Placido Delle Venezie IGT $11,95 L.C.B.O.# 588897 ★★ (82/100)

Masi Rosso delle Venezie IGT $11,95 L.C.B.O.# 533026 ★★ (83/100)

Pale straw colour; steely, citrus aromas with hints of tropical fruit; crisp palate with lemony flavours and a long finish.

Ripe blackberry fruit nose with spice and floral notes; ripe plummy fruit and spice flavours with a medium finish.

Masi Soave Classico DOC $11,95 L.C.B.O.# 266221 ★★ (84/100) Pale straw yellow colour; light mineral, apple skin and lemon aromas and flavours; light bodied with a slightly nutty finish.

Veneto

Fattori Runcaris 2009 Fattori GiovanniSoave Classico DOC $13,95 L.C.B.O.# 207803

★★ (83/100)

This Soave Classico presents a combination of intensely floral and herbal notes. Crisp, medium-bodied and persistent with flavors of citrus fruits and mineral hints. Pair it with white fish, sushi or asparagus risotto.

Food & Wine Veneto

Veneto

Veneto

Veneto

Danzante Pinot Grigio 2009

Pinot Grigio Verduzzo Masianco 2010

Bonacosta Valpolicella 2010

Danzante Delle Venezie IGT $14,95 L.C.B.O.# 26906 ★★ (82/100) This Soave Classico presents a combination of intensely floral and herbal notes combining peach and honeydew fragrances. Refreshing wine with a slightly grassy finish.

Masi Bianco delle Venezie IGT $14,95 L.C.B.O.# 620773 ★★★ (86/100) Charmingly fruity peach and apricot bouquet paired with citrus and mineral hints. Crisp, medium-bodied wine with flavours of citrus fruits and a vibrant ending.

Veneto

Veneto

Masi Bello Ovile 2008

Campofiorin 2008

2016

Masi Rosso del Veronese IGT $17,95 L.C.B.O.# 155051 ★★★ (87/100)

Masi Toscana IGT $16,45 L.C.B.O.# 73106 ★★ (84/100) Deep ruby red with purple colour; ripe berry, plum and herb aromas with spice, mocha and vanilla notes; dry, medium to full bodied with balanced acidity; rich flavours of red raspberry, cherry, white pepper and plum with a medium to long finish.

Ruby red colour; dry with a complex nose of plums, prunes, leather, cinnamon spice and violets; dry, medium-to full-bodied with generous fruit on the palate; well balanced with a nice backbone of spice and tannins.

Masi Valpolicella Classico DOC $14,95 L.C.B.O.# 285585 ★★ (84/100) Black berry aromas combine with hints of liquorice, vegetal undertones and sweet spices. Warm and inviting wine ending on a slightly spicy finish.

Veneto

33

2016

Zenato Ripassa 2008 Valpolicella Superiore Azienda Vinicola Zenato Ripasso della Valpolicella DOC $24,95 L.C.B.O.# 479766 ★★★ (88/100) A fine example of Ripasso, it ages 18 months in oak and presents a deep ruby red colour, full body and smooth tannins. At the nose, predominant notes of plum compote, licorice, smoke with an interesting thyme finish. Ideal with stews and all game.

Visit www.panoramitalia.com for hundreds of wine reviews.

Serego Alighieri Rosso 2008 Masi Rosso del Veronese IGT $14,95 L.C.B.O.# 447326 ★★★ (85/100) Rich ruby colour; Intense aromas of dry berry fruit, raspberry and plum, with earthy and spicy undertones. Dry, medium body wine with a lovely spicy finish.

Veneto

2020

Amarone Costasera 2007 Masi Rosso del Veneto IGT $38,95 L.C.B.O.# 317057 ★★★★ (91/100) Deep purple ruby colour; rich, ripe, plummy cherry aromas and flavours with hints of chocolate, spice and earth; full- bodied with a firm, long finish

Food & Wine

34

Tartufo: Exclusively Delicious

By Alessia Sara Domanico

Twilight - somewhere in a Piedmont valley - an old man ventures out into the dark with his dog. The two scour the countryside in search of precious truffles, doing so in the dark of night so as not to reveal their sources to other hunters. Scratching the surface of ‘la cucina italiana’ there are many tales such as these that divulge a fascinating new chapter associated with Michelin chefs and haute cuisine. new standard of excellence in gastronomy has seen Italians take a vested interest in improving their culinary game from traditional to trendy. Today, gourmet supermarkets import plenty of tantalizing Italian commodities, often attached to a hefty price tag. The Italian truffle, ‘tartufo’ is one of the early success stories, in which the white truffle of Alba (located in the province of Cuneo, in the Piedmont

A

Alessandro Del Piero

region) is the main attraction. Bidding on this specimen is no child’s play with prices that start around $500 and reach over $300,000, as demonstrated by a Chinese business mogul who bid this for a pair.

The truffle (Tuber Fungi) has been a famed delicacy for centuries, first noted in 1700 BC during the time of the Sumerians. It was first introduced into Piedmontese cuisine thanks to the French-trained chefs of the royal Savoy family, but its modern appeal is credited to local hotelier Giacomo Morra who baptized the Tuber Magnatium Pico in the 1930s, calling it the ‘white truffle of Alba.’ Morra made headlines gifting the finest specimens to famous personalities like Rita Hayworth, Marilyn Monroe, NASA astronauts and US President Harry Truman. It soon became an object associated with high status.

The white truffle of Alba’s bulbous form is not much to look at, but its heady aroma and taste is something one learns to appreciate over time. It has the ability to add instant class to even the simplest

dish; just a few shavings can enhance an otherwise bland portion. Truffle shavings go best with risotto, pastas like tagliatelle, in a butter sauce accompanied by seafood like lobster and scallops, or even with scrambled eggs. What you’ll sometimes see in supermarkets is truffle oil, it often contains little to no real trace of truffle, but an artificial essence of truffle.

Aside from flavour, the truffle’s market appeal is due to the sheer amount of factors that need to coincide in order to achieve an ideal outcome. Tuber Fungi only grow in soils that are partially shaded bytrees, in soils mixed with rocks and coarse sands reaching a certain humidity. Determining factors to a successful truffle season include consistent weather conditions and good rainfall. A drought during the summer can affect the result of a fall/winter harvest, which is most often the best time to pick tartufo. The white truffle is at its best when found in altitudes that do not exceed 700 metres above sea level and while not always the case, excellent findings have been reported in northwest exposures. The truffle hunt commonly relies on the use of dogs to sniff them out (pigs used to do this job, but were soon replaced as they were notoriously unreliable for finding and then eating the truffles themselves!)

If you’re planning to visit Italy this fall or winter, you’ll be just in time for truffle season. Venture off the beaten path for a foray in Piedmont. One of the region’s most buzzed about events of the season is the International Fair of the White Truffle of Alba. The fair takes place in Alba’s old city centre from early October through to mid-November. Thousands of visitors come out to see some of the year’s finest truffle specimens on display in the various truffle hunters’ stalls. What you’ll find to be unique are the judges that give helpful tips. Truffle judges who know how to decipher the physical characteristics of a prime species go around to the stalls evaluating their quality levels, if

something doesn’t make the cut, it is withdrawn from the market. At any time during your purchase, you can consult a judge to give you their honest opinion on the truffle you are considering. Locally, tartufo has become a hot import which you’ll find on the menu of fine local restaurants. For cooking, look for a local dealer to liven up your meal and remember to inhale! v www.fieradeltartufo.org

“The truffle hunt commonly relies on the use of dogs to sniff them out (pigs used to do this job, but were soon replaced as they were notoriously unreliable for finding and then eating the truffles themselves!)”

Risotto al tartufo

Food & Wine

35

TV chef extraordinaire Nadia Giosia is back this fall with Nadia G’s Bitchin’ Kitchen: Cookin’ for Trouble - her brand new cookbook ready to hit shelves October 25.

Recently nominated for a Gemini – Best Host in Lifestyle Series for her quirky, larger-than-life persona on her Food Network Canada show, Bitchin’ Kitchen was also bestowed with the excellent accolade of #1 show on Cooking Channel in the US. The Italian-Canadian starlet is climbing the food chain quicker than you could say “Tsaketa”! Enjoy a sneak peek at two recipes from the new cookbook, exclusively released for Panoram Italia.

Saltimbocca Veal Cutlet Sandwich

Cutlet sandwiches are the best! I love them so much that I actually stole one from a classmate in fifth grade. Seriously.

This kid always had big paninis full of the good stuff. So I memorized his locker combination, sneaked outta class, broke into his locker, and stole his cutlet sandwich. If that doesn’t scream Italian, I don’t know what does.

Grocery List • 4 cutlets free raised veal • 3 eggs, beaten • 1 cup Italian seasoned breadcrumbs • 1/4 cup canola oil • 4 slices prosciutto di Parma • 1/2 cup mayonnaise • 3 sweet gherkins, minced • 1 tbsp minced fresh sage • 4 kaiser rolls, halved and toasted • 10 fresh baby romaine leaves

servings: 4 easy

Cutlets Using a meat mallet, pound the veal cutlets 1/4 inch thick. Then dip the veal cutlets in the beaten eggs, and coat them with the Italian seasoned breadcrumbs. In a large frying pan, heat the canola oil to 350°F, and fry the cutlets for 2 to 3 minutes per side, until golden, crispy, and cooked through. Drain the cutlets on paper towels. Add the prosciutto slices to the pan, and fry for about 1 minute, until very crispy. Drain the crispy prosciutto on paper towels.

Sage Mayo In a small bowl mix the mayonnaise with the sweet gherkins and sage.

Shkiaffing it Together Slather each kaiser roll with sage mayonnaise, add a cutlet and a slice of crispy prosciutto, and top it off with some baby romaine leaves.

Nonna’s Penne al Forno

This penne pie was my Nonna Carmela’s specialty.

Well that, and saying “Ye, ye, ye” when she didn’t understand a word you were saying.

Grocery List • 1 tbsp extra-virgin olive oil • 2 garlic cloves, smashed • 1/2 tsp chile flakes • 1 red onion, finely diced • 1 lb ground sirloin • 3 cups canned San Marzano plum tomatoes, hand crushed • 1/4 cup minced fresh parsley • 1/2 tsp dry oregano • 1 bay leaf • 1/2 tbsp raw sugar • 1/2 tbsp sea salt • 1/4 tsp freshly ground black pepper • 1 lb penne (1 package) • 1 tbsp unsalted butter • 1 cup grated mozzarella • 1/2 cup finely grated Parmigiano

servings: 4 - 6 easy Cookbook available for pre-order on amazon.ca, and all major bookstores.

Bolognese Heat the extra-virgin olive oil in a large saucepan over medium heat. Add the garlic and the chile flakes, and sauté for about 1 minute, until the garlic is golden and fragrant.

Add the red onion and sauté for 8 to 10 minutes, until the onion has some crispy edges. Add the ground sirloin and sauté for 5 to 7 minutes, until the beef crumbles. Pour in the plum tomatoes, and then add the parsley, oregano, bay leaf, raw sugar, sea salt, and freshly ground pepper. Stir and simmer for 20 minutes, partially covered.

Pasta Cook the penne in a large pot of boiling salted water until almost al dente, about 10 minutes. You don’t want to fully cook the pasta because you’ll also be baking it. Drain.

Shkiaffing it Together Preheat the oven to 350°F. Add the penne to a large bowl, and mix in half of the Bolognese sauce. Generously grease a baking dish with the unsalted butter. Add a 1-inch layer of penne, 1/2 cup of sauce, 1/3 cup of grated mozzarella, and a heaping tablespoon of grated Parmigiano. Repeat this until all the pasta is used. Top it off with grated mozzarella and Parmigiano cheese. Bake in the oven for 30 minutes, until the cheese is golden and bubbling.

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36

Food , Wine & Shopping

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Food & Wine

Lidia

37

Brings Her

Italy

to Toronto

By Jenny Arena-Galati

On a warm August afternoon in Toronto, the shop of a mid-town food purveyor became a hotspot, buzzing with activity when hundreds of adoring fans lined up for an opportunity to catch a glimpse of the first lady of the Italian-American kitchen, Lidia Bastianich. The beloved chef and restaurateur was on a whirlwind visit to our fair city for a book signing, wine tasting and product launch. The owner of the flourishing food and entertainment business created quite a stir at the meet and greet, coordinated in partnership with, All the Best Fine Foods, The Vine and the Cookbook Store. or those who may not be familiar with this celebrity chef, she is the host of the hugely successful cooking show Lidia’s Italy, where she showcases regional recipes from across the peninsula as well as providing her viewers with historical and cultural insight on each area. Among her many culinary endeavours are a string of best-selling cookbooks, acclaimed restaurants and most recently, awardwinning wines and a new line of food products.

Panoram Italia had an opportunity to sit with the matriarch at the helm of the incredibly successful Bastianich Empire and here are some of her thoughts on celebrity, inspiration, success and of course food.

PI: How do you feel about your celebrity chef status and what are your thoughts on the celebrity chef phenomenon?

F

LB: I don’t see myself as a celebrity, I see myself as a person who communicates Italian culture.

PI: You have become an inspiration and mentor for many young chefs. What advice would you offer to anyone thinking about a career in the culinary world?

LB: The important thing is to invest the initial time in themselves, to travel and experience other cultures. To submerse themselves and assimilate in the cuisine they are passionate about. Travel to Italy to learn about Italian cooking or France, and develop a profile of who they are as cooks. To go the farmer’s markets and look at what’s in season for inspiration. Most importantly, to have fun and be passionate because if there is no passion then they might as well get out.

PI: Who would you consider to be your inspirations?

LB: They are the farmers, the artisans and their products. I would also say that Julia Child has always

been my inspiration as well as a friend. It was because of her that I had my first television appearance. She was the one who taught me that it was about the viewers and wanting to teach them and I believe that my cooking is familiar, it is what women recall growing up which is why they watch.

PI: The Bastianich enterprise continues to grow successfully with Felidia celebrating its 30th anniversary and Eataly celebrating its first, what would you say is the secret to your success?

LB: The success definitely comes from the strength of the family, not just my immediate family, but the extended working family. The team has learned from me and then I give back to them. It is about being able to identify those people who have the passion to produce an honest product. I am a leader for the people who march with me and I do my best to give back to them because they trust me.

PI: Are there any plans for expansion into Canada?

LB: We have been asked to create the Eataly experience in other cities and have discussed expansion.

While there are no definite plans at this time, Los Angeles and Toronto are certainly on the radar.

PI: Besides your obvious passion for food, what else are you most passionate about?

LB: My children, my grandchildren and their wellbeing. I am also passionate about travel and sailing, I love the ocean. I am very blessed to have all that I have been given and it is easy to give back. I work

closely with my chefs and my apprentices and I give my time to UNIFEM (a United Nations women’s organization that provides financial and technical assistance to innovative programs and strategies that promote women’s human rights, political participation and economic security).

PI: How are you enjoying your visit to Toronto and have you had a chance to experience the Italian food scene here?

LB: It’s been a whirlwind, and I have so little time here, but I am having a great time. Today I had the opportunity to eat lunch and meet many of the city’s great restaurateurs at L’Unita. I enjoyed a great meal and they even sent me home with some cannoli.

PI: Speaking of food, what is an absolute must in your pantry?

LB: Olive oil and garlic PI: What would you say is your favourite meal and dessert?

LB: I love simplicity, a perfect fig with a slice of prosciutto or perfectly cooked linguine and clam sauce. I don’t really eat many desserts but I love fruit and one of my favourite treats would have to be sgroppino, it is fruit combined with ice and liqueur almost like a slushy and it is absolutely delicious.

PI: What is your favourite Italian saying or quote?

LB: “Mangiando non s’invecchia”, which translates to no one grows old eating.v

38

Food & Wine

European Flavors

The Mediterranean diet is a healthy eating style thanks to its mix of wholesome foods and a wealth of quality products used to create exceptional cuisine.

One of the predominant characteristics of the Mediterranean diet is that it is composed predominantly of fresh, natural, unprocessed foods, such as raw fruits and vegetables of the highest quality.

Promoting delicious, T fresh European fruits and vegetables abroad

he European Flavors campaign seeks to present the various benefits of eating healthy and quality fresh produce, as found in the traditional Mediterranean diet, which is highly regarded as being effective for maintaining a healthy body. The aim is to promote the extraordinary flavors, benefits and characteristics of both fresh and unprocessed European fruits and vegetables, produced according to Italian styles and traditions, and inspired by simple yet healthy cuisine. The delicious products of the European Flavors campaign are Italian grown KIWIFRUIT, PEARS, CITRUS, and PLUMS.

European Flavors Spotlight: Delectable Italian Pears Italy is blessed with an extraordinary variety of pears: the most common in Canada are the Abate Fetel and the Rosada pears, and are available to us from October to January.

In Italy, the pears grow in Emilia-Romagna, mainly in the provinces of Modena and Ferrara. Italian pears are rich in fructose, and are ideal for a boost of energy. They are also a good source of fiber, mineral salts, and mallic and citric acid (antioxidants). Although there are many ways to enjoy them, the classic Italian way of enjoying a pear is with a moderately firm wedge of Pecorino cheese. Test your pears for ripeness by pressing gently on the stem end with your thumb. If the fruit gives slightly, it is ready to eat. If not, leave it in a paper bag at room temperature for a few days.

The Abate Fetel, Italy’s favorite pear, is noted for its sweet, fruity flavor. Its shape is enlarged towards the base, with extremely oblong upper part, and a smooth russet color over a yellow background. The flesh is white and aromatic.

The Rosada pear is noted for its rounded shape and its pinkish-yellow colour. It’s generally juicy and sugary taste, along with the crunchiness of its pulp, make it an ideal snack for fresh consumption.

European Flavors Available at: Sobeys, Metro, Sobeys Urban Fresh, Foodland, FreshCo., Price Chopper, Food Basics.

Gorgonzola stuffed Italian Pears (serves 4) • • • • • • • •

4 Italian Abate or Rosada Pears, cut in half lengthwise, remove cores.

2 Cups Marsala Wine 2 Tablespoons Lemon Juice 1/4 Cup Sugar 2 Teaspoons lemon Zest 4 oz Gorgonzola 3 Tablespoons Mascarpone 2 Tablespoons Toasted Chopped Walnuts

In a medium pan combine wine, sugar, lemon zest. Bring to a boil, cover, reduce and simmer for 10 minutes. Add pears and cook 10-15 minutes until fork tender.

Remove pears, place on serving dish. Bring wine mixture to a boil, cook for 6 minutes until liquid thickens. Remove, let it cool and drizzle around pears. In a small bowl add mascarpone, Gorgonzola, and chopped walnuts, mix well then fill pears.

Discover the benefits of a healthy Meditarranean style diet.

Fresh fruits and vegeables from Europe in your diet can help you feel better and look great!

Agri-Mondo is a Canadian major importer of the finest European fresh fruits, such as Italian Kiwis, Plums, Pears, and Citrus. Agri-Mondo carries the highest quality produce,and imports only top European labels.

Discover the benefits of a healthy Meditarranean style diet.

Fresh fruits and vegeables from Europe in your diet can help you feel better and look great!

40

Living Italian Style

Lifestyle

Luca Muratori

Alessia Cincarelli

Nickname: Lukers Occupation: Future student at Dalhouise University (Halifax) in Management, BA. Age: 20 Generation: Second Dad from: Fano, Marche Mom from: Dublin, Ireland Speaks: English Raised in: Toronto

Nickname: Ale, Smidge, Peanut Occupation: Special Education Assistant Age: 25 Generation: First Dad from: Villalago, L’Aquila Nonni on mom’s side from: Villalago/Scanno, L’Aquila Speaks: English & Italian Raised in: Maple

Passion: Football (Soccer), Finance, keeping fit Clothes: Guess and Converse Favourite designer: Hugo Boss Restaurant: Sotto Sotto Favourite dish: Steak Fiorentina with a side of new potatoes, spinach and mushrooms Absolute must in the pantry: Olive Oil Favourite aperitivo: Scotch Favourite Italian saying or quote: “Buonanotte” Last time you went to Italy: 4 years ago Place you must go back to at least one more time in your life: Capri Favourite band or singer: Red Hot Chilli Peppers Best Italian movie: Cinema Paradiso Italian soccer team: Roma

Sexiest Italian: Monica Bellucci Dream car: Audi R8 What you like most about our magazine: The strong connection between Canada and Italy Suburbs or downtown: Downtown Best way to feel Italian in Toronto: Glass of wine and a good meal with family, especially.

Thing about you that would surprise most people: I lived in England!

Best coffee in Toronto: My father’s kitchen Best pizza in Toronto: Mercatto Pet peeve: Un-tied shoelaces You know you are Italian when or if: You compare someone’s cooking to your father’s or zia’s

Photographer: Giulio Muratori Make-up Artist: Adrienne Lauren Duncan Hair-Stylist: Laura Francoueur Make-up and Hair space: courtesy Pat's Barber Shop

Favourite thing to do in Toronto: Trip to the Toronto Islands You know you were raised Italian when: You use your hands to express yourself Italian artist or actor you would like to meet: Al Pacino Spaghetti o penne: Penne Favourite flavour of gelato: Strawberry Favourite Italian song: That’s Amore (Dean Martin) Favourite Italian city: Venice If never visited, which city would you like to visit: Palermo Best memory growing up as Italian: Trip to Italy with my father and brother Favourite thing about being Italian: Family get-togethers

Passion: Art, Music, Travel & Fashion Clothes: Mendocino & Aritzia Favourite designer: Marc Jacobs Boutique: Holt Renfrew Restaurant: Mercatto Favourite dish: Spaghetti alla carbonara Absolute must in the pantry: Nutella Favourite aperitivo: Amaretto Sour Favourite Italian saying or quote: “Chi dorme non piglia pesci” Last time you went to Italy: July 2011 Favourite Italian city: Firenze Favourite band or singer: Ligabue Best Italian movie: Mio Fratello è Figlio Unico

Italian soccer team: Inter Milan Sexiest Italian: Raoul Bova Dream car: Fiat 500C What you like most about our magazine: Showcases the evolution of our community and culture; appealing to all generations of Italians, young and old Best way to feel Italian in Toronto: Enjoying food and drinks on a College Street patio Thing about you that would surprise most people: Birds terrify me…even chickens!

Best coffee in Toronto: Dolce Best pizza in Toronto: Pizzeria Libretto You know you are Italian when or if: Pane e pomodoro is your favourite late night snack!

Favourite thing to do in Toronto: Shop in Yorkville Most common name in your family: Giuseppe (4) You know you were raised Italian when: You don’t make plans on Sunday afternoons, because you have a lunch date with nonna Italian artist or actor you would like to meet: Luciano Ligabue Favourite flavour of gelato: Nocciola Favourite Italian song: Pensieri e Parole If never visited, which city would you like to visit: Bologna Best memory growing up as Italian: Listening to Battisti, De Gregori and De Andre records with my dad Favourite thing about being Italian: Our unparalleled passion for life and love

See all past profiles on panoramitalia.com

Lifestyle

Robert Magarelli

41

Sasha Occhiuto

Nickname: Mags Occupation: : Sales Manager for family’s Chrysler dealership (Seven View Chrysler) Global broker for Gas and Electricity and Essential services.

Age: 30 Generation: Second Dad from: Salerno Mom from: San Pietro Infine, Caserta Speaks: English & Italian Raised in: Woodbridge

Nickname: Sash, SashaBear, Sashy, SoCuteO Occupation: Student at the University of Guelph Humber ECE & B.A Sc. Age: 21 Generation: Third Dad from: Cosenza, Calabria Mom from: Mangone, Calabria Speaks: English & Italian Raised in: Kleinburg, Ontario

Passion: Teaching average people how to make above average income Clothes: Blazer - Hugo Boss, jeans True Religion, shoes - Steve Madden Favourite designer: Giorgio Armani Boutique: Holt Renfrew Restaurant: Mistura Favourite dish: Penne alla carbonara Absolute must in the pantry: Nonna’s taralli Favourite wine: Amarone Favourite Italian saying or quote: Ciao bella!

Last time you went to Italy: 1990 Place you must go back to at least one more time in your life: Australia

Passion: Working with children, fashion, event planning and travelling Clothes: Zara Restaurant: Mastro Roberto Trattoria Favourite wine/drink: Nonni’s wine/Bellini Last time you went to Italy: This summer Favourite Italian city: Rome Favourite Italian saying or quote: “Mannaggia!”

Italian soccer team: A.C. Milan Sexiest Italian: John Travolta (Grease days) Favourite Italian song: The Prayer - Andrea Boccelli & Celine Dion

Favourite band or singer: The Beatles Best Italian movie: Il Postino Italian soccer team: Napoli Sexiest Italian: Sara Varone Dream car: Ferrari 458 Italia Best way to feel Italian in Toronto: Going for a ride on my Vespa on College St. Mare o montagna: Mare Thing about you that would surprise most people: Retiring at 35 years old Best coffee in Toronto: Seven View Chrysler's showroom Best pizza in Toronto: Nonna Dolcizia’s Pet peeve: Lazy people You know you are Italian when or if: Your mother still

makes you lunch Your fashion idol: Gianni Versace Favourite thing to do in Toronto: Enjoy the night life Most common name in your family: Pat (3) You know you were raised Italian when: Your first drink of the day is espresso Favourite colour: Azzurri Spaghetti o penne: Penne Favourite flavour of gelato: Limone Favourite Italian song: Vivo per lei - Andrea Bocelli Favourite Italian city: Salerno If never visited, which city would you like to visit: Venice Best memory growing up as Italian: 2006 World Cup Championship

What you like most about our magazine: It’s a great way to read up on the Italian community and appeals to all ages Best way to feel Italian in Toronto: Take a stroll on College Street or St. Claire while eating gelato Thing about you that would surprise most people: I still don’t know how to snap or whistle!

Best pizza in Toronto: Pizza Al Metro You know you are Italian when or if: You challenge your nonno to a competitive game of Brisk or Scopa Your fashion idol: Audrey Hepburn Most common name in your family: Paolo (3)

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

You know you were raised Italian when: You enter your nonni’s house and can be sure that a Serie A soccer game is being viewed on television Best memory growing up as Italian: Watching my brother (the first of my generation) get married. I could not have imagined a more perfect day.

Favourite flavour of gelato: Cioccolato & Fragola or Limone & Banana Favourite thing about being Italian: The endless food, family, traditions, respect and values.

Being Italian means being blessed with family who truly are your support system. Be aware you can never outrun a flying tapini when in trouble!

Lifestyle

42

Autumn

By Alessia Sara Domanico

Fall fashions that recall the flair and sophistication of the past with mod coats, floorlength dresses and fur wraps Salvatore Ferragamo

cross the runways from New York and London to Milan and Paris, models sauntered down in voluminous skirts, show-stopping coats, sumptuous furs and exotic skins for fall/winter 2011-12. We spotted the leading luxury brands reviving the elegance of past eras, often drawing inspiration from their own archive collections. This season has seen designers create a narrative for their collections in which each outfit plays a part. As Creative Director at Louis Vuitton, Marc Jacobs dreamed up a decadent tale of 1920s style fetishism in which super models Naomi Campbell and a smoking (literally) Kate Moss made catwalk appearances.

They arrived via black and gold gilded elevators, donning shiny driver caps, transparent pieces and bustiers along with the iconic LV monogrammed handbag in shiny emeralds and burgundies. Frida Giannini marked Gucci’s 90th anniversary with a romantic crime drama tale that used oversized coats draped in colourful furs and flowing tulle gowns in vibrant colours like red and violet.

Staple pieces we recommend for your elegant day and evening wardrobe this season include: the cape – a style straight out of old Hollywood, seen nowadays on the likes of Carey Mulligan and Natalie Portman, the long boyfriend blazer with thin lapels worn overtop a floorlength dress, skirt or high-waisted palazzo pants, a pastel-coloured minidress for drinks with the girls, a dark suit à la Chanel in tweed or solid wool for the office or a formal function (jacket + pants or skirt) and a satin, silk or jersey jumpsuit for something different accessorized with chains and large earrings. v

A

Pago Salvatore Ferragamo

Salvatore Ferragamo

Prada

DSquared

Salvatore Ferragamo

Lifestyle

Attractions

43

Salvatore Ferragamo

Valentino Garavani

Valentino Garavani Prada

Valentino Garavani

Prada Prada

Prada

Giorgio Armani

Sergio Rossi

Salvatore Ferragamo

A rts

& Cu l tu re

45

Cappuccini Marvels of the Underground

By Adam Zara

If you’re the type to sometimes stray off the beaten path while touring famous cities, by all means, take a stroll down to Rome’s Cappuccini Crypt on Via Veneto and be prepared to discover a spooky hidden treat. Beneath Santa Maria della Immacolata Concezione Church lay the bones of 4,000 Cappuccini monks, deceased between 1528 and 1870, methodically arranged and on display for anyone with the stomach to witness them.

Rome’s Cappuccini Crypt th

To back things up a little, the religious order of the frati minori Cappuccini arose in the 16 Century as an offshoot of the original Franciscan friars whom had supposedly strayed away from the manner of life that Saint Francis of Assisi had envisioned. Fast-forward over one hundred years, with the Cappuccini already well established in their Roman friary, and the issue of cemeterial space would push the order to take on a highly unusual practice regarding their dead.

It is said that because the soil in the Church’s crypt was directly imported from the Holy City of Jerusalem, it made for a very desirable resting place for many people. Hence, due to overcrowding, the friars began to exhume and dismantle bodies as of 1631 to make way for new occupants. The bones of the unearthed were then used to create intricate, macabre designs covering the walls and vaults of five rooms within the crypt.

The appropriately named ‘Crypt of the Skulls’, ‘Crypt of the Pelvises’, and ‘Crypt of the Leg Bones and Thigh Bones’ contain their respective artfully stacked bone-types, forming niches containing the still decaying bodies of monks dressed in their habit.

The vaulted ceilings are decorated with floral patterns, also made-up of bones. Even the hallway is adorned with strikingly beautiful chandeliers made from - you guessed it human bones.

Though unclear at first, the purpose of this whole gruesome display becomes transparent when coming upon a chilling inscription placed beside the skeleton of a child arranged to look like a grim reaper: “Quello che voi siete noi eravamo/ Quello che noi siamo voi sarete” (What you are now we once were/ What we are now you will be). The crypt acts not only as a reminder of the fragility of life, but also of how insignificant this life is when weighed next to eternity.

Palermo’s Cappuccini Catacombs Rome’s boney gravesite isn’t the only grisly gift our Cappuccini brothers have left us to gaze upon. Not to be outdone, the catacombs beneath Palermo, Sicily’s Cappuccini monastery arguably surpass its Roman counterpart in terms of shock-factor.

The Sicilian monastery also outgrew its cemetery in the 16th Century, prompting monks to excavate crypts below it to place their deceased brothers. In 1599, Brother Silvestro da Gubbio became the first to be mummified and placed int the catacombs. While they were initially intended exclusively for dead friars, being entombed in the Cappuccini Catacombs eventually became a sort of status symbol for the Palermitano elite who would specify these last wishes in their wills.

Until the early 20th Century, over 8,000 corpses were placed below the monastery.

The mummified remains are eerily displayed out in the open, lining the halls, with many pinned against the wall standing upright, and others stacked in shelves, open coffins, or set in poses.

The halls are divided into categories reserved for men, women, virgins, children, priests, monks, and professionals, each one dressed in their Sunday best. Religious figures would be dressed in their respective vestments, babies in christening gowns, soldiers in uniform. Relatives would visit the deceased to join hands in prayer and maintain the body in presentable condition.

Some bodies are noticeably better preserved than others. It’s believed that the particularly dry atmosphere in the catacombs allowed for the natural mummification of the bodies.

The dead were laid on shelves to allow them to be completely dehydrated. A full year later, the bodies would be rinsed in vinegar, dressed up, and sent to their proper room.

One of the last and most famous to be interred in the Cappuccini Catacombs is the body of two-year-old Rosalia Lombardo. Laid to rest in 1920, Rosalia’s body is so remarkably preserved that she has been dubbed “Sleeping Beauty.” The embalming procedure, which was recently rediscovered after being lost for decades, was established by Doctor Alfredo Salafia and consisted of formalin, alcohol, glycerin, salicylic acid, and, most importantly, zinc salts to give the body rigidity.

When all is said and done, it’s safe to say that these two tours aren’t exactly for the faint of heart. Few experiences can match the intensity of literally staring death in the face hundreds of times over. In terms of down-right disturbing locations, the Cappuccini monks have definitely set the bar high with these ones. Wandering through the Catacombs of Palermo and the Crypt of Rome will not only give you nightmares, but also forever alter your perception of mortality. v

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By Anja Karisik

An Icon Recaptured

Ninalee

Craig:

46

American Girl in Italy, by Ruth Orkin

On August 22, 1951, American photographer Ruth Orkin captured the iconic image of a crowd of men ogling a young woman in Florence’s Piazza Della Repubblica. Her monumental frame drew the men's attention; her downcast eyes distinguished her as a stranger. The self-assured gait of the 23-year-old passerby in the picture is apparent in the poise of 83-year-old Ninalee Craig. left for Europe because I didn't know where my place in the world was," explains Craig. A native New Yorker, she was only 23 when she embarked on a six month journey that took her from France to England, then Spain, and finally to Italy. Craig's fascination with Italian culture was born in her youth, growing up hearing tales of her mother and grandmother's artistic enlightenment in Italy.

In fact, Craig's grandmother, a painter and member of the Art Students League of New York, took her own daughter to Sicily. They spent most of the year in the town of Taormina, perched on the side of Monte Tauro, painting the surrounding seascapes and mythical atmosphere.

"Hearing about my mother in Taormina, I had the feeling that I didn't belong in New York, but that I would fit in somewhere else," she says, her eyes glistening

"I

Ninalee Craig

with nostalgia. Inspired by their peregrinations in Sicily, Craig braved a journey by ship in the company of only her cardboard suitcase. “You had to be ready for adventure,” she insists.

Neither solitude nor a scarred post-war Europe limited Craig’s boundless curiosity. Her romantic vision of her mother in Taormina propelled her to Italy. In her budget hotel in Florence, Craig bumped into Ruth Orkin, a 29-year-old photographer from Los Angeles who came to Italy after completing an assignment in Israel. The two Americans hit it off immediately. “We thought it would be fun to just shoot pictures of what it's like to be a woman traveling alone after the war," Craig remembers with a hearty laugh. "We were just fooling around," she says.

She shows me several black and white photographs from their Florentine shooting spree that were part of a series titled Don't be Afraid to Travel Alone. In the pictures Craig marvels at sculptures, pays with foreign currency, and flirts in cafes.

American Girl in Italy is an offspring of this series, but the image had a different fate becoming one of the most famous photographs of all time. It has endured trials in its sixty years since it was first published in Cosmopolitan magazine in 1952 in an article about morality and womanhood.

The image has not only garnered attention over allegedly having been staged by the photographer, but Craig has often been seen as the symbol of the vulnerable female, alone in a cruel manly world.

Yet Craig claims she wasn’t in the least disturbed by the attention the men bestowed on her. "I felt appreciated," she firmly states. Craig is sensitive to the socio-historic moment in the instant Orkin took her photo in the piazza. Italy was recovering from the war and had been devastated by it. “Very few of those men had jobs,” she explains, referring to the men gathered at the corner of the historic Caffè Gilli. “I can tell you that it wasn’t the intent of any man there to harass me," she says with sympathy. Though her towering figure attracted curious gazes, Craig felt self-assured wherever the road took her.

Albeit her instinct whispered to her that she didn’t belong in Europe, and despite the adventure it offered, she returned to New York in November of 1951 for the time being. However, Italy never strayed far from her heart. Years later, Craig's marriage to an Italian count allowed her to relive the sweet memories of a culture she fell in love with long ago in August of 1951.

Craig eventually divorced the count and later married a Canadian steel executive, moving once more to North America. Following her husband's death, she found her safe haven in Toronto and has never been happier, feeling incredibly at peace in her Yorkville residence.

“I am living in the best place in the world - in a city that is having its renaissance,” she says with pride. Craig is fascinated by and gives credit to the generosity of Italian-Canadians whose ardour for the arts has yielded ambitious projects such as Frank Gehry’s addition to the AGO. “I get misty-eyed when I walk through the Galleria Italia with its towering wooden ribs,” exhales Craig with admiration.

An avid patron of the arts herself, Craig is immersed in the city’s artistic fabric. Whether taking a night class in Venetian art at the University of Toronto or supporting the Canadian Opera Company, Craig has never felt more invigorated.

Though she is now rooted in Toronto, Craig advises me to seek, explore and be free.

“When there’s a fork in the road – take it,” she says with immeasurable wisdom.v

A rts

By Laura Nesci

& Cu l tu re

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A victim of his own jokes

Seduction, revenge, tragedy and fate encapsulate a tale of a father’s love for his daughter and his mission to protect her. The Canadian Opera Company presents Giuseppe Verdi’s Rigoletto upon its return to Toronto from September 29 to October 22 at the Four Seasons Centre for the Performing Arts. Under the production of an inventive team, including COC Music Director Johannes Debus, American director Christopher Alden and award-winning Canadian designer Michael Levine, this work demonstrates Verdi’s gradual movement away from the heroic music which contributed greatly to the idea and nationalism of Italy. Through his creative thinking and in search for a topic to present in February 1851, Verdi took interest in Victor Hugo’s 1832 Le roi s’amuse, a play that caused controversy and rioting after its Paris premiere, and never returning to the stage after the one performance. Aware of the risk he was taking by adapting the play, Verdi nonetheless created a masterpiece for the ages. et in Mantua in the XVI century, the opera sees Rigoletto, the Duke’s jester, engaged in the desperate attempt to save his secret daughter, Gilda, from the dissolute Duke of Mantua. Seduced by the charming Duke, Gilda is soon deceived by his cruelty, but Rigoletto’s plan to avenge her beloved daughter will lead to tragic consequences.

With its renowned success, the COC introduces its audiences to much acclaimed opera stars bound to light up the stage through the portrayal of Verdi’s opera. As Rigoletto, the COC presents Hawaiian baritone Quinn Kelsey and Verdi bari-

S

Rigoletto by Michael Levine

tone Lester Lynch. Sharing the role of the innocent Gilda, young Russian soprano Ekaterina Sadovnikova and rising Canadian soprano Simone Osborne. The persuading and handsome Duke of Mantua is played by American tenor Dimitri Pittas and Mexican tenor David Lomelí.

Rigoletto is part of an entertaining 2011/2012 season which also includes Giacomo Puccini’s Tosca and Christoph Willibald Gluck’s Iphigenia in Tauris.

To purchase tickets or for more info please visit www.coc.ca or call 416.363.8231 v

Visit Panoram’s Facebook page for a chance to win 1 of 20 pairs to Canadian Opera Company productions throughout the season!

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Z U C C

Barbara Bacci

Zucchero Sugar Fornaciari, un’icona della musica italiana, sta attraversando l’Europa con il suo “Chocabeck Tour” e sarà presto di ritorno in Nord America con ben quattro date in Canada.

Panoram Italia ha avuto il piacere di conoscere ancora più a fondo una delle voci italiane più apprezzate all’estero, nonché autore e interprete dalla grande semplicità d’animo. È la sua simpatia a rendere la musica più “dolce” e a portarla oltreoceano, facendo della firma musicale italiana un riconosciuto successo internazionale.

Panoram Italia: Come ci si sente ad essere uno dei pochi musicisti italiani che riesce a portare la sua musica all’estero con grande successo?

Zucchero: Beh, mi fa star bene, perché anch’io sono un pò un nomade e lo sono stato fin da giovanissimo.

Ho sempre girato e nonostante ora abiti in Toscana, mi sento anch'io un emigrante.

Essere sempre in tournée, ad un certo punto non lo si fa più per la gloria o per i soldi, ma perché ti piace incontrare la gente e ti piace trasmettere delle sensazioni, e la cosa è reciproca. Per questo anch’io mi sento un emigrante, nel senso che non mi sento mai veramente a casa pur avendo un posto dove stare.

Di solito, chi per motivi di lavoro o per altre ragioni è stato un pò sradicato dalle proprie radici ha una sensibilità superiore, una voglia di sentirsi a casa, e per me è un piacere trasmettere questa sensazione attraverso le mie canzoni.

PI: La musica italiana fa fatica ad affermarsi all'estero. Perchè?

Z: Non credo sia proprio così. Abbiamo tanti artisti che vanno in giro per il mondo, vedi Andrea Bocelli, Laura Pausini o Eros Ramazzotti, a suo tempo altri artisti come Toto Cutugno e tanti altri. Negli anni settanta poi erano ancora di più. Non so se tedeschi, svizzeri o francesi ne abbiano avuti così tanti, noi non ci possiamo lamentare (sorride, n.d.r.).

Abbiamo importanti cantanti d'opera. Purtoppo sono venuti a mancare due grandi tenori, Luciano Pavarotti e Salvatore Licitra, che è scomparso qualche giorno fa.

Diciamo che la buona musica italiana è sempre stata rispettata; certo, non possiamo essere paragonati agli inglesi visto che loro hanno il vantaggio della lingua.

Infatti, io all'inizio cantavo alcune canzoni in inglese, come una forma di rispetto, ma la musica è un linguaggio universale, la musica parla, trasmette, cosi ho deciso di cantare quasi completamente in italiano. A volte faccio una canzone in inglese ma vedo che viene apprezzata anche in italiano. Anche se non capiscono completamente le parole, sicuramente capiscono il messaggio e quello che vuole trasmettere, cosi almeno mi sento un prodotto originale, un prodotto doc.

PI: Le opere ad esempio non si traducono…

Z: Infatti, ho pensato, l'opera è in italiano, non viene tradotta. È un linguaggio internazionale e quando scrivo una canzone d'autore deve essere cantata in italiano, nella lingua originale. Io vado in giro per il mondo e canto in italiano, ed è verace; poi sai, è difficile tradurre certe cose, io uso molti modi di dire, molti slang che vengono dalla strada, espressini dialettali. È difficile avere la stessa ironia e la stessa poesia tradotta in un altra lingua.

PI: E allora parliamo di “Chocabeck”…

Z: Come dicevo, soprattutto nell'ultimo album ci sono anche parole dialettali.

Questo è un album di radici , delle mie radici, della Bassa Emilia, dove sono nato e quindi è un pò la mia storia. Mi sembra di rivedere quei paesini, con quelle storie tipo “Don Camillo e Peppone”. Io vengo da un paesino vicino a Reggio Emilia, nella bassa vicino al Po: lì c'è tutto un modo di vivere, di pensare, di essere, sai comunisti contro cattolici… E ci sono grandi talenti, ci sono persone che io amo, che ho amato, i miei genitori, quindi ho fatto un album di radici, dove ho raccontato la storia del mio villaggio che adesso sicuramente non è più così. C’era una chiesa, un bar, una scuola e quattro case, e l’ho descritto in undici canzoni, dall'alba al tramonto.

Più la domenica, la vita di una domenica qualsiasi in questo paese, cercando di rapportarlo ai giorni d’oggi. C'è molto amore, molta solidarietà; quando ero piccolo ci si conosceva tutti, la domenica aveva un suo suono, invece adesso sembra quasi un giorno come un altro. Quindi perché non raccontarlo?

Questo mi serve anche per star meglio. Quando giro il mondo, senti dai telegiornali, dalla stampa, tutte queste guerre, questa poca solidarietà, questa arroganza; un di mal di vivere che ci coinvolge un pò tutti , le religioni, i politici.

Allora uno dice, “beh, meno male che io mi porto questo paesino in fondo al cuore”,

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H E R O e quando non sto bene penso a come era la vita prima e a come potrebbe essere per stare un pò meglio. Non è un fatto nostalgico o un fatto di “amarcord”. È semplicemente constatare che si sono un pò persi dei valori fondamentali che erano semplici, ma che ti facevano stare meglio. Ora è tutto un pò disgregato. Non so in Canada , ma qui la gente è arrabbiata, non sta bene, non è tranquilla. Essendo un artista, queste cose le sento nell'aria; invece nei concerti si trasmettono cose genuine.

PI: Il tuo pubblico sente tutto questo, ed è per questo che ti ama Z: Penso di sì. Infatti, questo “Chocabeck Tour” è partito con il raddoppio del pubblico dal tour precedente. Aabbiamo già fatto 56 concerti in tutta l’Europa, compreso la Royal Albert Hall di Londra, lo Zenith di Parigi, l'Arena di Verona...

PI: Il 25 settembre è il tuo compleanno e so che lo festeggerai all’Arena…

Z: Sì, perché avevo fatto cinque date a giugno, poi data la richiesta ne abbiamo aggiunte altre due. Le uniche date disponibili erano il 25 e il 26 cosi festeggerò il mio compleanno suonando. Ho sempre suonato tutta la vita, non è un problema, e per un musicista è il miglior modo di festeggiarlo.

PI: Parlando di carriera, cosa desidereresti ancora?

Z: Io sono già molto contento così, per quanto riguarda la mia carriera.Per la vita privata forse ho sofferto abbastanza, ma per la mia carriera, anche se non è stata facile, non so cosa potrei chiedere di più.

Non dobbiamo dimenticare che sono italiano; se nasci in America è molto piu' facile, ma io vorrei restare così, andare avanti con lo stesso entusiasmo, la stessa curiosità, la voglia di incontrare gente, di far buona musica senza necessariamente inseguire la commercialità,tanto per fare la canzoncina che funziona in radio. Io ho sempre

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guardato più alla qualità che alla quantità e così vorrei continuare.

Ho collaborato con tanti artisti internazionali e penso che scambiarsi delle idee fa bene alla musica, perché possono nascere varie cose, ma soprattutto, ripeto, la musica non deve essere un business.

PI: Presto arriverai in Canada…

Z: Sono contento di ritornare in Canada. Mi ricordo di Montreal, una città molto viva, interessante, piena di giovani, dove c'è arte e creatività. La nostra chitarrista vi ha vissuto molti anni e mi dice sempre che è fantastica e che ci ritornerebbe subito…v

“Chocabeck Tour”

2011 in Canada:

Friday, October 14, ST CATHARINES, Sean O'Sullivan Theatre Saturday, October 15, TORONTO, Massey Hall Sunday, October 16, MONTREAL, Theatre St-Denis Tuesday, October 18, OTTAWA, Centrepointe Theatre.

Celebrating Italy’s

150

years of unification

La Scala Theatre Milan, Italy

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Entertainment Mogul

Pete Bennett

Pete Bennett and

John Lennon

By Joey Franco

The 20th century saw the rise of American/Anglo pop culture dominating the world through the power of new mediums such as motion pictures, television, and radio. Young men wanted to look like Elvis and teenage girls became besotted at the mention of a certain Albert Francis Sinatra. Then came The Beatles… and the world as we knew it suddenly changed at the mercy of four teens from Liverpool. The Rolling Stones followed suit. One man, though never a household name, also left a huge footprint in global popular culture. His name is Pete Bennett, an Italian-American once honoured with The Most Powerful Icon in the Entertainment World title, and once voted The World’s number 1 promotions man by Billboard magazine. ennett was born in New York City in a predominantly Italian neighbourhood. His parents were born in Reggio, Calabria, and immigrated to the new world in search of a better life for their son Pietro Benedetto. Little did they know that their son would make history in the music, film, and television world. He has made unknowns into stars and stars into superstars. He has graced the covers of magazines such as Billboard, Rolling Stone, and Performance, and many top papers around the world. He is the star of the stars.

Why did Mr. Benedetto change his name to Bennett? As he became a public figure in the entertainment industry and began to attract media attention, many Americans had difficulty with his name so he changed it to Bennett. “It’s not that I wasn’t proud to be a Benedetto, I was born Pietro Benedetto and I’ll always be Benedetto!” It was very common for Italian Americans to anglicize their names stresses Bennett. “Dean Martin was born Dino Crocetti, Steven Tyler is Steven Tallarico. In fact, many Italian-Americans changed their names from Frankie Valli to another Benedetto; Tony Bennett.”

Throughout his illustrious career, he has personally handled, promoted and enhanced the careers of The Beatles from 1967 to their breakup in 1971. Not only was he the promotional manager for the Fab Four, but he was also the head of Apple Records which was owned individually by the group members. Following the breakup of the Beatles, he went on to individually promote the careers of John Lennon, Paul McCartney, George Harrison, and Ringo Starr. In all, Bennett promoted five albums for the Beatles, plus a number of re-releases. The albums were: Magical Mystery Tour, White Album, Yellow Submarine, Abbey Road and Let it Be. In addition to working closely with the Beatles, he also promoted the Rolling Stones from 1963 to 1979. Both bands were on friendly terms, so there was no conflict of interest. “The Stones would get extra air-play after I would bring most of the major, local radio personalities and big-time record wholesalers to meet with them on their concert tours.”

Bennett was a man that got down to business with the stations. His shrewd approach allowed him to give his clients the maximum exposure necessary to get

B

them to the top of the charts. "To enhance an artist, to make them big, there's a lot of ways... you don't need 10,000 radio stations, or 5,000. I had the top 50. My top 50 controlled the country."

Despite his super success he has always been true to his heritage - travelling to Italy, working with Italian entertainers such as Sophia Loren and Marcello Mastroiani, as well as Italian-Americans such as Frank Sinatra, and his personal friend Steven Tyler, who credits Bennett in his latest bestselling book as having launched the start of his career.

One of Bennett’s fondest memories includes meeting Pope John Paul II during his first visit to the United States in 1979 at the United Nations in New York City. To his astonishment, the Holy Father took a liking to Bennett and invited him to Rome.

Several months later, he was received by the Pope in Castel Gandolfo. “He told me that when he was young in Poland, he was an actor and he wrote scripts.”

Bennett is a lover of Canada, he has promoted and produced many concerts and events from Montreal to Vancouver. Toronto, however, remains one of his favourite Canadian cities. In 1969, he was involved with the peace concert at Varsity Stadium in Toronto. The concert featured John Lennon, Yoko Ono, The Doors, Eric Clapton, Chuck Berry and Alice Cooper in front of a sold out stadium. “I travelled with John and Yoko to get to Varsity Stadium. When we landed with our private jet at Pearson International, there was a huge crowd of people waiting for John and Yoko,” recalls Bennett, who estimates the crowd to have been in the thousands. There was a small riot after the concert, thankfully nobody was injured.

The concert was such a success that Apple Records, which was lead by Bennett, decided to release a live album of the show called Live Peace in Toronto.

Another one of the most memorable events he staged in Ontario was a Julio Iglesias concert in June 1989 at the Copps Coliseum in Hamilton. Bennett recalls the enthusiasm of the crowd of nearly 18,000. “Everybody loved the show, including Mayor Robert Maxwell Morrow. People from all over Canada showed up, from the East Coast all the way to Vancouver.”

Bennett has also been a guest speaker at many Beatles Conventions in Toronto and Orillia. “The people in Ontario are very warm and hospitable. I have made many friends there and I keep going back just to see my friends in Orillia and Ottawa.”

One of Bennett’s fondest memories of Montreal includes the first time he met Prime Minister Pierre Elliott Trudeau during the bed-in with John Lennon and Yoko Ono at the Queen Elizabeth Hotel. “PM Trudeau was a real class act, we became friends and he welcomed me as a honourary Canadian. PM Trudeau and his lovely wife Margaret were regular visitors to New York and we had many fond memories together. Margaret was a real Stones fan and we invited her to a recording session with the band.”

Bennett is still going strong and looking for new talent. He is still producing, promoting, and managing artists. “I'm still looking for the next megastar!" he exclaims, adding "I'm never going to retire, just like two comics I worked closely with; George Burns and Bob Hope."

Over the years, Bennett has talked with legends, walked alongside legends, and has, without ever knowing it, become a legend himself. He is without a doubt the king of promotions - the Starmaker. v

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Pete Bennett Fact Chart: Pete Bennett with Elvis Presley

1

Pete Bennett with Muhammad Ali Pete has promoted the likes of Elvis Presley, Nat King Cole, Michael Jackson, Eric Clapton, Bob Dylan, The Who, Sam Cooke, Stevie Wonder, Marvin Gaye, the Supremes, the Marvelettes, and Aerosmith.

Pete Bennett with Andrea Bocelli

Pete Bennett with Keith Richards and Mick Jagger

2

5

Worked with Italians such as Gina Lollobrigida, Joe Pesci, Andrea Bocelli, and personal friends Federico Fellini, and Vittorio De Sica.

Pete Bennett with Michael Jackson

3

4

Worked with Muhammad Ali, Joe Fraser, and Rocky Marciano.

In addition to working closely with the Beatles, he also promoted the Rolling Stones from 1963 to 1979

Pete Bennett with Pierre Trudeau

Convinced Epic Records to sign a young Michael Jackson and his brothers.

6

Pete and PM Pierre Trudeau were good friends. The first time they met was during the bed-in with John Lennon and yoko Ono at the Queen Elizebeth Hotel.

Learn more about Pete at: petebennett.com

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kingofrocknrollmusic.com

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Buon centenario, Sciltian Gastaldi

ChissĂ quale gioco di parole avrebbe inventato Marshall McLuhan per festeggiare il centesimo anno dalla sua nascita. Un giorno a cui non ha potuto assistere (il teorico della comunicazione è morto nel 1980 a Toronto, era nato a Edmonton il 21 luglio 1911), ma per il quale se ne sarebbe senz’altro uscito con l’adattamento di un qualche detto, rendendolo ironico a sua volta, in pieno stile McLuhan. Il mondo ha festeggiato l’illustre intellettuale in modo sontuoso, quest’estate. cLuhan non solo è stato un precursore in diversi campi, dalla filosofia alla critica letteraria, dalla sociologia alla linguistica, ma soprattutto è stato l’inventore di concetti chiave della cultura contemporanea (uno per tutti: coniò il termine “mass-mediaâ€?), e fu colui che seppe prevedere, con trent’anni di anticipo, il sorgere di un “villaggio elettronico globaleâ€? e la nascita del world wide web. A chi opponeva alle sue teorie sulla lenta globalizzazione dell’umanitĂ la dura realtĂ della Guerra Fredda, McLuhan rispondeva negli anni Sessanta con la previsione del crollo del sistema comunista a causa della diffusione degli strumenti elettronici personali (i personal computer), che avrebbero consentito a ogni cittadino sotto qualunque regime di essere connesso con il flusso di informazioni (internet), pregiudicando cosĂŹ il controllo della “veritĂ â€? da parte dei centri autoritari di potere.

Il suo primo saggio, The Mechanical Bride. Folklore of the Industrial Man (1951) è uno dei testi capostipite di quella che oggi si chiama “pop cultureâ€?. Il libro si compone di diversi piccoli articoli, o riflessioni, che si possono leggere sia nel consueto ordine cronologico, che saltando da uno all’altro, a seconda del tema che interessa seguire. McLuhan chiamò questo “uno stile a mosaicoâ€? e da allora quello stile ha fatto fortuna presso altri studiosi post-modernisti. Ogni capitolo si apre con una fotografia o con la riproduzione di uno slogan pubblicitario del Nord America della fine degli anni Quaranta, seguito da un gioco di parole e dall’analisi testuale, contenutistica ed estetica proposta dal teorico. L’autore non solo offre la sua interpretazione, ma analizza anche il rumore sociale, ossia il tipo d’impatto che quel dato annuncio o articolo può avere nei confronti del pubblico verso il quale era proprio indirizzato. The Mechanical Bride fu tradotto nella lingua di Dante solo nel 1984 e, secondo il prefatore Roberto Faenza, alcuni soloni della cultura italiana potrebbero avere avuto un interesse nel ritardare la traduzione, avendo preso in prestito spunti e riflessioni da McLuhan, senza citarlo, ai limiti del plagio. Del resto il rapporto fra McLuhan e l’Italia è sempre stato controverso: nel 1978, durante il sequestro di Aldo Moro, fu interpellato dalla classe politica italiana per analizzare l’andamento della comunicazione fra Brigate Rosse e Stato; McLuhan suggerĂŹ di “staccare la spinaâ€?, nel senso di rispondere ai prolissi e frequenti comunicati delle BR con un totale black out dell’informazione. Atteggiamento che avrebbe rivelato – secondo il teorico della comunicazione – la completa identificazione fra rapimento e spettacolarizzazione dell’evento, depotenziando la strategia del crimine in quanto forma paradossale di strategia dell’immagine.

La Galassia Gutenberg (The Gutenberg Galaxy: the Making of a Typographic Man, 1962) è il secondo testo di McLuhan, nel quale l’autore spiega come la tecnologia della comunicazione (dall’alfabeto all’invenzione dei caratteri a stampa, fino ai media elettronici) ha influito sulla organizzazione cognitiva dell’uomo, che a sua volta ha determinato cambiamenti epocali nella sua organizzazione sociale.

Sempre tenendo fede alla sua struttura a mosaico, in questo testo McLuhan parla per la prima volta di “villaggio globaleâ€? riferendosi al concetto che la comunicazione di massa permette di intendere l’intero mondo alla stregua di un piccolo villaggio, nel quale ogni cosa detta in un punto della terra avrĂ effetti e conseguenze dall’altro capo del globo.

La nozione di McLuhan che molti ricordano è però quella che recita: “il medium è il messaggioâ€? - concetto introdotto nel suo testo piĂš famoso, Understanding Media: the Extension of Man, 1964 - significa che la natura di un mezzo di comunicazione (il medium, appunto, ossia il canale di trasmissione di un messaggio) conta piĂš del senso o del contenuto del messaggio stesso, poichĂŠ lo influenza.

L’esempio oggi sotto gli occhi di tutti è Internet: il modo elettronico e rizomatico in cui noi tutti comunichiamo nel web è molto piÚ sovversivo di ciò che in effetti diciamo nelle nostre email o blog, e potete chiedere conferma ai dittatori dei vari regimi che sono caduti o stanno cadendo proprio a causa di questa verità . v

McLuhan!

M

Il Prof. Donald J. Gilles presenterĂ 3 seminari gratuiti su McLuhan nella Toronto Public Library, Bloor/Gladstone Branch. Per maggiori informazioni visita il sito www.mcluhan100.ca

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Emanuele Crialese al TIFF

“Se non fossi partito, non farei il regista”

Alessio Galletti

“Penso che non sarei arrivato a fare il regista se non fossi partito per gli Stati Uniti”. Come tanti altri prima di lui era alla ricerca di un nuovo mondo perché rimanere in Italia voleva dire arrendersi “a una situazione già predestinata”. La racconta così la sua storia Emanuele Crialese, vincitore a Venezia del Premio Speciale della Giuria con quel Terraferma presentato in anteprima per il Nord America al Toronto International Film Festival, con un inizio che assomiglia a tante storie di emigrazione e ai suoi film. “Venivo da una famiglia di avvocati, ho tentato di fare cinema, di presentarmi come assistente volontario in vari set. Non c’è stato mai niente da fare”, dice. Non aveva legami con quel mondo e “anche solo l’esigenza di dover conoscere qualcuno mi dava molto fastidio”.

Allora l’urgenza di cambiare, di muoversi: la stessa cifra che poi tornerà nei suoi film. ono gli anni ’90 e con i soldi che ha da parte Crialese decide di andare a fare un corso di tre mesi alla NYU, dove girerà quattro cortometraggi. Il coraggio non gli manca e viene premiato: una professoressa gli chiede se può presentare la sua candidatura per una borsa di studio di quattro anni, per studiare regia. “Parlavo pochissimo inglese, però facevo filmetti interessanti”, dice. Davanti a sé ha lo scoglio degli scritti, ma sono i suoi stessi avversari che lo aiutano a superarli: “C’è un pregiudizio da sfatare sulla competitività americana. Io ho chiesto ai miei compagni di corso, che facevano domanda per la stessa borsa, di aiutarmi a fare i temi. Mi hanno aiutato, erano fatti bene e alla fine la borsa l’ho vinta io”. Allora ha capito che in Nord America aveva delle possibilità: “Non contava chi fossi, da dove venissi o a che famiglia appartenessi. Contava solo quello che stavo per fare. Così la mia visione del mondo è cambiata: all’italiano nichilista incartato su sé stesso, che pensa che senza conoscenze non si arriva da nessuna parte, all’improvviso si è aperta la possibilità di realizzare un sogno”. Finiti i quattro anni è di nuovo il momento di prendere una decisione. Alcuni suoi compagni di corso, stranieri come lui, tornano a casa. Crialese decide di restare nella Grande Mela: ha 31 anni, un permesso di soggiorno scaduto e, nonostante i premi per i cortometraggi, si deve rimboccare le maniche e per mantenersi deve lavorare come cameriere sulla 46esima strada. Ma mentre i suoi ex compagni di corso lavorano nelle produzioni di Scorsese, lui non aspetta l’occasione giusta: se la crea. Aiutato dal suo datore di lavoro che gli mette a disposizione una location, il catering e una piccola somma di denaro, impegnando anche gli orecchini della bisnonna – “ma poi li ho riscattati” e con 20 milioni ricevuti da un altro finanziatore, mette insieme un piccolo capitale che gli permette di raccogliere i fondi per il suo primo lungometraggio, Once We Were Strangers. Comincia così, ufficialmente, la carriera da regista di Emanuele Crialese. Finalmente può dare sfogo a quella passione totalizzante che è per lui girare un film. Le sue parole suonano simili a quelle del titolo di un libro di Antonioni, uno dei registi che sente di avere nel Dna insieme a Fellini, Bertolucci e

S

Regista Emanuele

Crialese (Paolo Le

one)

De Sica: “Quando faccio un film non vivo, o meglio, è come se vivessi all’ennesima potenza”. Un lavorìo interiore che lo consuma - dice - e spiega la media di un film ogni quattro anni: “Quando sto lì cerco di fare qualcosa di cui mi possa innamorare, tratto la materia come un amore a cui tengo molto e che non voglio mi lasci”.

E come ogni amore è diverso, a ispirarlo “non è mai la stessa cosa”. Semmai in comune c’è il fatto che “sono chiamato, non sono io che scelgo”. L’ispirazione arriva sotto forma di piccoli segnali, di immagini e visioni. “Vedo una scena e capisco che intorno c’è un film”. Lo interessa il momento del passaggio, inteso anche come movimento, azione e in ultima analisi evoluzione: “Nella nostra società senti spesso dire: sono triste, sono depresso. Sai perché? Perché ci manca il movimento.

Le persone che si muovono acquistano vitalità, curiosità, sono più aperte alla vita.

Secondo me è un bel modo per espandere la mente. L’importante è evitare l’eccesso, non muoversi in modo compulsivo, ma farlo con una rotta. Muoversi su quella dà ritmo alla propria vita”. v

Terrafe

rma

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Singer/Songwriter

CarloCoppola

By Josie Zocco

It is beautiful to come across a person who is so true to his words and beliefs. Such is the case with Toronto-based, JUNO nominated singer/songwriter Carlo Coppola. From an early age, Coppola was raised to believe in hard work, and today considers himself especially lucky to be a successful musician.

T

hough he never imagined that music could be a livelihood, Coppola was encouraged by teachers and mentors to pursue music as a career. Today, as an internationally recognized artist, Coppola has used his diverse musical roots to collaborate, write and co-write award winning songs and has also contributed

“

you are always trying to search for yourself, but all you have to do is be yourself.

“

music to documentaries and independent films. His latest solo album “Trasparente” (2010) has already won over international audiences.

Coppola, who considers himself first and foremost a Canadian, maintains that there are no limitations when celebrating one’s culture. He sings in a variety of languages including English, French, Spanish and Italian. For Coppola, writing in Italian in particular means that he can sing in a language that “has a beautiful natural ring and openness.”

Writing multilingual songs is just one of the ways Coppola is transcending the generational barrier. Understanding the boundless power of music - a power that is so sacred and so real - has empowered Coppola to move audiences no matter their age.

“Growing as an artist,” he explains “you are always trying to search for

yourself, but all you have to do is be yourself. Once you do that, and put your heart into it, whatever you say, whatever you write, wherever you are you’ll connect to people and they’ll truly feel the genuine quality of the music.”

Coppola believes that for far too long we have been exposed to visual music and all the fireworks and extraneous distractions that it produces, but it is considerably more important to write from the heart. Music that is “written from the heart will make your ears and heart ring and will touch you,” he declares.

The first single off his new album, “L’emozione non ha voce”, is a cover of Adriano Celentano’s classic. Incidentally, the video for the single was directed by Celentano’s nephew, Luca Rocchi. After working on the post-production for the video in Rome, the second camera crew was so enthusiastic that they approached him to shoot the video for his second widely celebrated and most awaited single “A Chi Tradisci”.

Coppola wanted more than just a standard music video that concentrated on shots of himself. He not only preferred to focus on a specific topic, but aimed to spotlight a controversial issue that people are often too ashamed to talk about. The video, directed by Steve Dazzi and produced by Rob Gallo, depicts the effects that marital infidelity has on individuals and their families.

In his words, the video underlines the “impact of cheating, which affects not just men or women, but the social stresses on families and the fact that we want and consume so much that sometimes we really neglect where our time and energy should really be spent.” Most often, we assume that it is only one party who is cheating, but the video throws in a little twist wherein the audience is not sure which party is more blameworthy, leaving the result open-ended.

Coppola describes the chorus and spoken verse in the song as “the subconscious of the unfaithful person” culminating in the final words of the song “I betrayed myself.” With this video, Coppola successfully broaches an unspoken topic, making people rethink their actions and ultimately their own lives.

Raised to believe in the merits and rewards of good actions, he doesn’t hesitate to reveal his philosophy: “If I act like myself, I’ll stand a chance. There’s nothing that separates me from anyone else. I’m at the same level, the same height as people in my audience. This is how I make such a special connection.” v Carlo Coppola’s latest album “Trasparente” (2010) is available now on iTunes and his website: www.carlocoppola.com

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Desire,Una Trilogia La “video arte operistica” di Paola Marino

la Carmen dell’omonima l’Irene del Bajazet

Giulia Scianna

Il desiderio come forza motrice della traiettoria di vita dell’essere umano. Nucleo da cui si sprigiona energia propulsiva, o verso cui si concentrano le energie altrui.

E infine cuore pulsante che si spegne, si impietrisce e muore. Su questa linea di movimento si disegna la trilogia Desire, ispirata a tre personaggi operistici, il Cherubino de Le Nozze di Figaro di Mozart, la Carmen dell’omonima opera di Bizet e l’Irene del Bajazet di Vivaldi, ciascuno personificazione di un volto diverso del desiderio. ulle note dell’aria Non so più cosa son, cosa faccio, la passione si disperde tra le stanze di un vecchio palazzo e si riversa vivace sui tanti oggetti d’amore che popolano un ambiente barocco saturo di colori brillanti. Le figure femminili si alternano veloci, ora schive, ora ammiccanti, tutte capaci in egual misura di attirare lo sguardo inappagabile di Cherubino.

La sensazione di disorientamento di fronte al movimento pluridirezionale di una passione incontrollabile, che sfugge alla volontà e si prende gioco della ragione, si placa non appena entriamo nella camera di

S

Carmen, in cui l’elegante sobrietà dell’arredo suggerisce immediatamente un’atmosfera di calcolato dominio. Dal letto che troneggia al centro della stanza si alza la figura regale di Carmen, oggetto di desiderio sfrontato e ammaliante, che sfida e cattura l’occhio della macchina da presa con la stessa sicurezza con cui attira a sé i suoi amanti.

Il ritmo cadenzato dell’aria Habanera accompagna il gioco amoroso. E se il movimento turbinoso di Cherubino indossa una veste più rigorosa in Carmen, in Irene si spegne definitivamente, , in un luogo arcaico, quasi immobile. Sullo sfondo di una terra ruvida siciliana, che si colora delle tinte dell’abbandono, si alza il canto Sposa Son Disprezzata di Irene, in un teatro di volti severi, estranei al richiamo del dolore.

Assistiamo così, all’esaurirsi del desiderio, la linfa indispensabile alla vita.

La regista, Paola Marino, italiana di origini calabresi, trasferitasi in Canada nel 1996 e che ha al suo attivo otto corti, sei documentari e un lungometraggio, descrive la trilogia come un tentativo di creare qualcosa di diverso dall’opera, dal musical e dal cinema, definibile come “video arte operistica, perché si tratta di video arte ma ispirata all’opera”.

L’idea di sperimentare con due linguaggi completamente diversi, l’opera ed il cinema, si traduce con Desire in una soluzione innovativa, che affida al magnetismo di un solo volto e di una sola voce, quelli della soprano Lauren Segal, il compito di incarnare i tre volti del desiderio. la Carmen dell’omonima

il Cherubino de Le Nozze di Figaro

Gli ambienti diventano proiezione degli stati interiori dei personaggi captati dalla macchina da presa,che, rimane ferma mentre entrano ed escono dal suo raggio visivo sia Cherubino che Carmen fino all’immobilità desolata di Irene. Il movimento materiale dello strumento che registra l’azione ricalca il movimento concettuale che sta alla base della trilogia, partendo da un dettaglio per abbracciare poi il racconto visivo vero e proprio. Se Cherubino si apre con una sorta di vestizione collettiva degli eroi in cui lo sguardo si sofferma sugli abiti-armi di seduzione, in Carmen è la decorazione essenziale di una parete a guadagnarsi da subito una scena dall’affascinante freddezza, mentre in Irene il sospiro aereo di una tenda ricamata nasconde e poi svela il mondo in bianco e nero in cui la protagonista canta la sua sofferenza.

Desire conserva così in ognuna delle sue tre parti una cifra stilistica che garantisce l’armonia dell’insieme e testimonia la forte personalità creativa della regista che ha trovato un originale canale di comunicazione tra opera e video. v

l’Irene del Bajazet

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Newlyweds Sposi novelli 2010-2011

Send us your wedding pictures!

Mandateci le vostre foto di matrimonio!

Submit your picture on www.panoramitalia.com click on ‘Magazine’ followed by ‘Newlyweds,’ or by mail, and include their names and wedding date. To be published in our December/January issue.

Cost: $30 + tax Deadline: November 2, 2011 Si prega di inviare la foto a www.panoramitalia.com e cliccare prima su ‘Magazine’ e poi su ‘Newlyweds’, oppure spedirla per posta con i nomi degli sposi e la data di matrimonio.

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Events

For the first time on August 27, 2011, a group of Italian car enthusiasts - Nick Puopolo, Domenic Lavalle, Gary McGillivary, Sadi Arbid, John Scolieri, Stuart Cork and their sponsors - presented Italian Car Day, an opportunity for owners of all Italian marque’s to exhibit their belle macchine in support of the Safehaven Project for Community Living.

Over 1200 spectators, owners and cult followers of Italian marquee vehicles, and just under 240 Italian automobiles, including many museum pieces, made the journey out to Boyd Conservation area in Woodbridge for a celebration of Italian classics, new and old. It was also an opportunity to see, hear, smell, and taste some Italian culture. Fresh porchetta, veal on a bun and spiducci together with a live band playing authentic Italian music, provided the perfect atmosphere for an Italian car festival for all ages.

57

Egon Van Furstenberg; the only driving Lancia Thema 8.32 in Canada; an Alfa Romeo Montreal, and many Ferrari's.

Not all the cars present were exotic sport cars: you could also see a Vespa 400 car, a Fiat Multipla work truck and a small army of Fiat/Alfa Spiders and Fiat 500’s in all different trims and styles, including an Abarth.

Over $20,000 was raised from car registrations, the sale of raffle tickets, t-shirts, and posters, to be donated to the Safehaven Project for Community Living.

Safehaven provides residential and respite care for children suffering from multiple disabilities and complex medical needs. For the most part, these children are unable to walk, talk, see or hear. For more information, please visit www.safehaven.to.

The highlight of the event was watching the winning cars from each marquee drive up to the stage to receive their awards with all of the spectators cheering them on.

If you think this was good, wait until you see what they have planned for Italian Car Day 2012! v www.italiancarday.ca

Some of the notable mentions were a 1956 Maserati 200 SI # 2401 driven by Stirling Moss in the Grand Prix OF Cuba; a very rare yellow Lamborghini Miura SV ; a 1972 Fiat Dino Spider once owned by Prince Sebastion

58

Events

The Traditional Feast of Maria SS. Delle Grazie

Navelli Social Club

After the Annual Picnic that took place on Sunday, July 24 at the Petticoat Creek Provincial Park, Navelli Social Club concluded an exciting summer with Family Day at Centre Island on Sunday August 28 at the Ferry Docks.

Founded in 1974 by a group of Navellesi, the Social Club continues to gather and unite as they once did in Italy, to celebrate, work, pray, and raise funds for the victims of the Abruzzo earthquake.

Dances, masses and celebrations of San Sebasitano, Navelli’s Patron Saint, as well as social nights and the special tradition of Zafferano on the Heritage Day are some of the most popular events organized by the Navelli Social Club, to maintain their culture.

Bowling League 2011-2012 and their annual golf tournament commenced in September and the Niagara Casino & Winery Excursions are highly anticipated events for October. v (Valerie Bevilacqua) For more info visit www.navelli.ca

Addiction and rehabilitation center Caritas has been promoting awareness for the past 30 years. Join them this fall for a host of events aimed at educating all in the fight against dependency.

On September 27, the Tremonti Ristorante hosted the dinner-event "An intimate evening with Fr. Gianni Carparelli and Ocean Drops," where complimentary copies of Ocean Drops were distributed among guests.

Sunday, October 16, Caritas will be hosting the Together Event "Face to Face," sharing in the struggles and successes of Caritas residents: lives that have been transformed with the support of our Therapeutic Community. The event will be hosted at The Jewel Banquet Centre (Woodbridge) from 4:30 to 9:30 pm. Carol Ring, the CWC 2011 Woman of the Year, will be a special guest speaker.

Finally, "Mario Romano and Canto for Caritas" will bring you an evening of globally renowned artists at the Richmond Hill Centre for the Performing Arts on Thursday, December 11 at 8:00 pm. v (Valerie Bevilacqua)

For more information, visit www.caritas.ca or contact Laura Tonelli at 416-748-9988

TUTTO ITALIANO in Vancouver!

On July 24, The Italian Cultural Centre Society hosted TUTTO ITALIANO: the 11th Annual Exotic Italian Car & Motorcycle Display at the Italian Cultural Centre in Vancouver. This free event showcased some of the globe’s most exquisite Italian vehicles, also enabling visitors to show off their own Italian bicycles, motorcycles, scooters, and cars. The Friends of Ferrari Children's Charity race raised funds for several children's charities around the city. v (Valerie Bevilacqua)

On Sunday August 28 the church Our Lady of Grace at Marylake, King City celebrated the anniversary of Maria SS. Delle Grazie.

Since 1964, the traditional feast, initiated by Founder Filiberto Jannetta and Antonio Uzzi, a priest from Civita Superiore di Boiano, takes place every last Sunday of August to perpetuate the faith within the community of Marylake and the Confraternita of Maria SS. Delle Grazie in Toronto.

The grounds opened at 9 am, followed by the mass in honour of Our Lady Maria at 11am and by a procession during which the statue of Maria was carried from the church to a tiny chapel.

In the procession, children held flowers, men wore Maria SS. delle Grazie sashes, and women wore royal blue capes, symbolizing the patron saint.

Once the statue was brought back to the church and visitors paid their respects until 5 pm, families and friends gathered to share a hearty potluck, played a bocce tournament and children were granted a joyful afternoon with games and prizes.

After over 40 years of existence, the Italian community of Marylake continues to keep the tradition alive for the future of its generations! v (Valerie Bevilacqua)

FREE ITALIAN LANGUAGE CLASSES Join our monthly newsletter at www.padrepioacademy.com to receive 4 FREE introductory Saturday Italian classes for kids ages 4 to 12.

Open to the first 50 subscribers to our education newsletter.

Subscribers will be contacted!

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905-265-9115

Events

Olive Oil, from the Mediterranean to Canada The Canadian Institute for Mediterranean Studies (CIMS) and the Royal Ontario Museum present Olive Oil: The Essence of the Mediterranean, a series of events including an academic conference, an exhibition on Olive Oil, and tasting events several fine restaurants in the Toronto area. The conference will be held at St. Michael’s College (UofT) on Thursday and Friday November 10 and 11, 2011, and will focus on the role of the Olive and Olive Oil from ancient times to present day. Designed and directed by Prof. Domenico Pietropaolo, former Chair of Italian Studies at U of T – who has just celebrated his recent appointment as Principal of St. Michael's College at the University of Toronto – the conference is also cosponsored by the Consuls of Italy, Greece, France, Israel, Cyprus and Turkey, and will precede an anticipated exhibit on Olive Oil at the Royal Ontario Museum next year. Whether as far as in the Mediterranean or here in Canada, olive oil is considered a nutritious ingredient with an ancient tradition, and a symbol of an entire culture. After all, famous historian and Mediterranean expert Fernand Braudel simply defines the Mediterranean as the olive. v (Valerie Bevilacqua) For more information to participate and support the event, contact: Alex Gropper, President, CIMS alexgropper@rogers.com 416.904.3495 or Mario Crespi, Executive Director, CIMS mario.crespi@bcsgroup.com 416.318.1197

Congratulations to our graduates!

Auguri ai nostri laureati!

Joseph Alexander Filice McMaster University Political Science - Summa Cum Laude 2011

Lorena Maria Elodia Novielli

Christina Maria Scalia University of Ontario Institute of Technology Bachelor of Education with highest distinction 2011

Rosalia Viviano Ryerson University Bachelor of Commerce 2011

McMaster University Honours Bachelor of Commerce 2011

Rebecca Guida University of Toronto Honours Bachelor of Arts 2011

Pinella Buongiorno University of Ottawa Medicine 2011

Stephanie Provato University of Toronto Honours Bachelors of Criminology and Urban Studies 2011

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Pirandello Inspires North American Poetic Theatre “Toronto’s enterprising One Little Goat Theatre Company” (New York Times) makes its comeback to Toronto with the world premiere of Like the First Time – a new play mused by Nobel Prize winner Luigi Pirandello’s Come Prima, Meglio di Prima (1920).

Pirandello's play about a pregnant mother who is caught in a love triangle between her most recent fling and ex husband, acts as inspiration for an unconventional and original play written by Adam Seelig, poet, writer and director of the critically acclaimed Antigone: Insurgency and Talking Masks.

The Equity production, with the support of the Italian Cultural Institute, runs from October 28 to November 13, Tuesdays - Saturdays at 8 pm, Sundays at 2 pm at the Walmer Centre Theatre, 188 Lowther Avenue (one block northwest of Bloor and Spadina) v (Valerie Bevilacqua) For information and tickets, call 416-915-0201 or visit www.OneLittleGoat.org

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Sports

61

Vancouver Canucks superstar goalie enjoys some downtime back home

By Jonathan De Sua

For about a week every year in August, Roberto Luongo makes his way back to his home town of Montreal to touch base with family and friends, but most notably for his annual charity golf tournament.

As an Olympic gold medalist, a runner-up in last season’s Stanley cup finals and holder of five NHL records, one might assume Roberto Luongo has quite a bit to boast about – yet he doesn’t boast. Humble and unimposing in interviews – despite his 6’3’’, 217lb frame, he is a well-spoken ambassador for his sport. Panoram Italia sat down with Roberto after practice with his brother Fabio, to get to know the home-town boy behind the NHL superstardom.

PI: First of all, congratulations, on behalf of Panoram Italia, for all of your recent success.

RL: Thank you.

PI: Briefly describe your upbringing in Saint Leonard.

RL: Well, you know, I grew up like a lot of Italian kids, playing soccer in the park. I started playing organized soccer when I was eight and loved it. I started playing hockey at the same time, so it was hockey in the wintertime and soccer in the summertime. I really had a passion for both sports, but as I was getting older hockey was starting to take up more time and they were starting to conflict with each other.

When I was about thirteen years old, I had to make a decision if I wanted to continue in soccer or hockey and I just felt that hockey was my bigger passion and something I enjoyed doing more than playing soccer.

Roberto winning the 2011 Jennings trophy with teammate Cory Schneider

PI: So both your parents were born in Italy. What was it like growing up in an Italian household and how does that distinguish you in the NHL? RL: It was great growing up: the great morals, values and things done a certain way.

I think the one thing I can say is that you have to earn what you get: you’ve got to work hard and things don’t come easy. That’s the way my parents were brought up and that’s the way I was brought up as a little kid, so I want to keep going with that. Even though I’m in the NHL and I’m enjoying some success, I still want to make sure that I instill those morals in my kids.

PI: Your wife is Italian-American. Did you have a similar background?

RL: Of course, her dad is from Naples and her mom is from Palermo, Sicily. They were both born in Italy and moved to New York when they were young and she was born in New York and moved to Florida at a young age.

PI: So the children are always exposed to the Italian heritage.

RL: Exactly. My son is only seven months old but my daughter is three years old and she doesn’t speak Italian but once in a while, we talk to her in Italian just so she can understand the language and maybe hopefully be able to speak it herself, one day.

PI: This is your third annual golf tournament and besides a bit of rain, it was a success.

RL: Well it only rained for twenty minutes, so it wasn’t that bad. At a certain point I said, “Jeez, if it’s going to be like this all day, it’ll be tough,” but it cleared up right away and it was nice the rest of the day. It’s for a great cause and being able to spend some time with family and friends is always nice.

PI: What’s it like having an arena named after you? Most active players don’t get that luxury.

RL: It’s special! Sometimes it’s still surreal: it doesn’t feel like it’s real yet. Every time I drive by, when I’m on the ’met’ (Highway 40 in Montreal) and I see the name there, it kind of hits me a little bit. It’s an awesome feeling to be recognized, like you just said, the fact that I’m still playing and that happened.

PI: Is there a message you have for the Italian-Canadian community?

RL: I would like to thank everybody for the support. Obviously, I know that there’s a lot of following back home and the Italian community has been behind me and every time I get a chance to come back here (Montreal), they always show me tremendous love and support, so I really appreciate that.

PI: Thank you, Roberto.

2011 Roberto Luongo Golf Tournament

PI: Do you have a favorite soccer team or player?

RL: When I was younger it was Maradona, because my dad’s from around Naples (Avellino) and we’d watch Napoli games every Sunday. Getting older, I started watching World Cups, so I like the Goalie “Gigi” Buffon.

PI: That makes sense. I guess there’s a parallel there.

RL: [laughing] Exactly.

Luongo’s NHL records: • Most saves in a single season 2,303 (in 2003–04) • Most shots faced in a single season 2,488 (in 2005–06) • Most shots faced in a single playoff game 76 (on April 11, 2007) • Most home games played in a single season 41 (in 2006–07) • Most regular season overtime wins, all-time 49 (as of 2008–09)

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By Cheryl Sandys

Financial headlines are pretty mixed these days – a particularly frightening prospect for people starting to think about, or even about to enter, retirement. The bad news? Canadians fear that they aren’t saving enough to retire, and that they will spend beyond their means when they do retire. The good news? With so many people in the same boat, companies are stepping up to the plate with products designed to help people meet their goals, and retire in financial comfort.

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Cheryl Sandys is a senior consultant for Standard Life’s individual products communications team.

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