Segmento XVII - Autumn Edition 2019

UNAPOLOGETICALLY ITALIAN

Stonger and louder than words

Autumn 2019 - ISSUE XVII

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CONTENT COVER STORY

Founder and Managing Director Daniele Curto daniele.curto@segmento.com.au 0418 891 285

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Associate Editor Ivano Ercole editor@segmento.com.au

A Stylist speaking stronger and louder than words Raffaele Caputo

Italian Magazine

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Our tribute to Sisto Malaspina Jytte Holmqvist

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Matera: from Italy’s national shame to European capital of culture Haley J. Egan

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ENDORSEMENT

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Paola Bacchia: she learnt it all from her mamma Jenna Lo Bianco

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A nuanced tapestry Valeria Suriano

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Down under...a life not meant to be Archimede Fusillo

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The hospitality revolution: Ugento’s municipality launches Ostello Diffuso Hayley J. Egan

Creative Consultant Imbarani Poonasamy Photographers Paco Matteo Li Calzi - Daniele Curto Ksenia Belova - Jonathan Di Maggio Giorgia Maselli - Richard Shaw For features, articles and editorial submissions: segmento@segmento.com.au

Cover photo credits Richard Shaw

EDITORIAL 3

Translation Support Jenna Lo Bianco

Our new year’s resolutions Daniele Curto

Contributors Agata Grimaldi Archimede Fusillo Ivano Ercole Hayley J. Egan Francesco Ricatti Rachael Martin Elenoire Laudieri Di Biase Omar D’Incecco Daniele Foti-Cuzzola Mariantonietta Rasulo Jenna Lo Bianco Natalie Di Pasquale Elaine Bocchini Raffaele Caputo Jytte Holmqvist Valeria Suriano

DISCLAIMER The Editorial-Staff ensures that every details are correct at the time of printing, however the publisher accepts no responsibility for errors and inaccuracies.

ISSUE XVII

Bernardo Bertolucci’s epic legacy: a homage to an unorthodox filmmaker Jytte Holmqvist

Graphic Artist Elaine Bocchini marketing@segmento.com.au

For advertising equires please contact: marketing@segmento.com.au 0418 891 285

Canzoniere Grecanico Salentino Headline the first edition of Taranta Festival in Melbourne Hayley J. Egan

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The macramé master, Natalia Mastria Jenna Lo Bianco

Editor in Chief for Italy and China Elenoire Laudieri Di Biase elaudier@segmento.com.au

Daniele Curto

OUR NEW YEAR’S RESOLUTIONS Go to the beach. Don’t have desires. Don’t desire to not have desires...

Read a book in one go and get to the end panting like a sprinter, sweating like a marathon runner with the happy tears of someone who has just realised that they don’t have a care in the world.

Permanently welcome the concept of Buddhist ‘impermanence’. Use time wisely (for example, avoid writing useless editorials).

Soren Kierkegaard once said that the true artist is not one who travels the world in search of a face worth painting, but one who is able to convey the beauty of an ordinary person. Make that statement your own.

Make empty promises. Avoid those who ask about your resolutions. Do not get caught up in a manic quest to become a better individual. Take that food intolerance test. Do not abhor worldliness. Be nostalgic. Invest in your past. Be wary of those who make projections about the future.

Get out of that Whatsapp group.

Go running, without a phone, headphones or watch, just run. Be punctual. Practice a new sport, any sport (except golf!).

Never, in any circumstance, say on the phone, “Mi richiami indietro?”.

Let yourself be missed. Rest (O Lord, give us our daily nap). Take life lessons from cats. When asked, “Are you busy?” Answer with a certain, brash- “No, I am not busy at all!”

Hold off who asks for advice, a favor, a loan, a recommendation, and those who never seem to have enough, who are never satisfied and who never stop.

Avoid unnecessary foreignisms.

Go back home. Everyone, wherever or whenever we find ourselves, we all have a port to land in. Write poetry.

Smoke a cigar in good company.

Listen to Coleman Hawkins in good company. Toast to forgotten and ne-

Talk to the elderly, with their eyes full and sparkling. Be less critical. Be more critical. Walk in the bush. Cry at the cinema. Look for the dawn inside the dusk. Abdicate the miserable throne of banality and lies we’ve fallen for. You and I, appearing in the night with an empty glass and a train to take, hand in hand, we marvel at the world and we caress this music in the background. Close your eyes.

Listen.

These are the Editor of Segmento’s New Year’s Resolutions. What are yours?

Italian Magazine

glected dreams. Let your legs shake.

Visit at least one of the seven wonders of the world.

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Jytte Holmqvist

OUR TRIBUTE TO SISTO MALASPINA

Sisto Malaspina Photo courtesy of Nino Pangrazio - Source The Australian

A life taken during a random act of terror, Melbourne icon Sisto Malaspina was cruelly ripped away from the breathing fabric of the city in the recent Bourke Street attack on 9 November, 2018, as he generously offered his help during the commotion – only to be fatally stabbed instead.

The much loved and respected 74-year-old Italian restaurateur and co-owner of Pellegrini’s espresso bar, located in the vicinity of the scene of the crime, had run the establishment originally set up by Pellegrini brothers Leo and Valdo in 1954, for decades and is forever present in the hearts of those who remember him, his important contribution to local history and culture, and his warm smile as he greeted customers, telling anecdotes as he went along.

Pellegrini’s Bar Espresso Photo Daniele Curto

A native from Le Marche, Malaspina arrived in Melbourne in the early 60s and took over Pellegrini’s – an increasingly popular Italian establishment – in 1974,

Nino, who knew Sisto for 56 years and who kindly shares a few words with

running the bar with co-owner Nino Pangrazio. Melbourne was at that stage

me inside the bar on the busy morning of 19 November, first met his friend when

positively influenced by several waves of Italian settlers promoting their culture

they were working together at a reception room at Inkerman Street in St Kilda.

in suburbs like Carlton and Preston, and most definitely the Pellegrini’s part of

Nino says that for a long time the two were “conjoined at the hips” and sum-

Bourke Street which was a hub not only for Italian locals with an appreciation

marises Sisto’s personality as follows:

for simple but authentic Italian signature dishes, and the homely and accommodating feel to the bar, but also for a mixed nationality clientele who made Pellegrini’s their regular hangout.

Malaspina embodied the very essence and goodness of Italian style and values: cultural sophistication in simplicity, human kindness and generosity, narrative abilities, and appreciation of the family as a unit – in this case Sisto’s additional family was very much Pellegrini’s clientele and the staff who made and keep making – it such a special place.

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“Happy, outgoing, complete love of life, fantastic with the customers, a lovely family man, he’s got beautiful children, his wife, the whole lot.“

Nino, very accommodating, a warm and gentle man with a calm and steady voice and the ability to share at a time that is personally devastating for him, shows us what really matters: strength in adversity, undying love, respect and deep admiration for a man who meant so much to so many. Sisto himself gone, the memories of this great individual live on, as does his spirit and a light that keeps shining bright: inside Pellegrini’s, on the streets of Melbourne, and in the world at large.

That same evening, I come home and make myself a plate of spaghetti bolognese – in honour of Sisto and all the good things in life.

Sisto Malaspina’s friend and business partner Nino Pangrazio Photo Daniele Curto

Sisto indeed made his clients feel as if they were part of one big family. Often referred to as “the heart and soul of Bourke Street”, he is remembered by renowned Melbourne writer Arnold Zable who in his heartfelt tribute to the Italian the day after his death writes that “Sisto loved people, and I was one of the thousands who loved him”.

Friends, family, Melbournians, foreigners – we all remember Malaspina for his unobtrusive, friendly and charismatic manner behind and in front of the count-

Pellegrini’s Bar Espresso

er, for dedicatedly upholding a daily morning routine of sipping long blacks

Photo Daniele Curto

at the bar, and for his seemingly effortless ability to create a friendly and easy vibe and atmosphere in the venue as he greeted customers from all walks of life; young and old, foreigners and locals, workers and parliamentarians – with the 70s defined by Pellegrini’s receiving regular visits from politicians from the Spring Street Parliament buildings just up the road, in need of a caffeine kick and a friendly chat before commencing their busy days. As summarised in a recent article in Il Globo,

“Pellegrini’s started out as a coffee bar which aimed to satisfy the needs of the growing Italian community in the 1950s but, by the 1970s, it had become a favourite among intellectuals and arty types… and the politicians of Spring Street, of course.”

ENJOY THE VIEW ITALIAN PROPERTY WE COVER THE LEGALS

And in Nino’s words,

“Pellegrini’s was the first Italian espresso bar on the market. Pellegrini’s put coffee on the market in Melbourne and also in Australia.”

Beautiful and colourful bouquets of flowers are placed inside the window and the bar, Sisto looks back at us from photographs and his spirit is very much still alive and present. A decorative bread at the back reads SISTO in big letters.

Young waiter Dominic serves me an espresso, then another one, and is happy to let me take his picture. “Come back tomorrow morning”, he says, to talk to Nino. That I do. On the day before the State Funeral in St Patrick’s Cathedral on

advice | documents | notarial | translation

20 November – simultaneously broadcast live-stream on screens on Federation Square to crowds all paying their respect to an icon who represented an Italian institution and good, human values – his dear friend Nino (who during our interview is approached by individuals entering the bar, personally paying their condolences) expresses his gratitude to all: “I cannot say enough about the outpour of love and grief that we’ve had over the last week” … not only in Melbourne but in “Victoria, Australia, the whole of the world. Phone calls from Italy, America, Canada, New Zealand; all over, cards, letters, everything, it’s been amazing.”

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Hayley J. Egan

MATERA FROM ITALY’S NATIONAL SHAME TO EUROPEAN CAPITAL OF CULTURE

Matera - Sassi Photo Pixabay

It’s a familiar cycle throughout Italy and all over the world. The humble, traditional ways of living were abandoned for a newer, more comfortable lifestyle. Now, in the age of consumerism, environmental concerns and technology addiction, there is an international trend toward the return of simplicity.

All over the world millenials are turning in interest to their elders, seeking their knowledge of traditional ways, reclaiming their vintage belongings and cooking methods. There is a renewed appreciation for things that are natural and bespoke, that remind us of a simpler time.

The tendency to move from old to new, to old again is strong in Matera, where a return to the market place, traditional cooking and the historical centre is well alive, with its plentiful gastronomic offerings and up to 25% of the historical centre estimated to be available on AirBnB, providing the opportunity for visitors to experience the wonders of years past. It also appears to have undergone these transformations in fast-forward, because in Matera, just decades ago, a good percentage of the city’s population were literally living in caves.

They are known as Sassi (stones), and are a section of the historical centre predating to Paleolithic times. The sassi have no windows. Until the late 1980’s, they had no running water or electricity. Traditionally, large families would live inside them with chickens, mules and other livestock. Hygiene was poor and disease and infant mortality was high. The writer Carlo Levi, when exiled by Mussolini to Basilicata, gave the city international notoriety when he wrote that he had never seen such poverty and poor living conditions.

When World War 2 ended, Italian prime minister Alcide De Gasperi declared that the poor conditions in Matera were a state of emergency, and Italy’s ‘national shame’. With post-war funding, public housing was built in the city’s outskirts and the inhabitants of the sassi were evacuated from their homes.

Traditional living became, reluctantly in some cases, modern living. The people were forced to embrace running water and electricity. Health and infant mortality rates improved, but the city’s poverty took on a different face, as the public housing dwellers now had no-where to keep their animals, and the younger generations lost touch with their city and culture, as they joined the masses from the rest of the Mezzogiorno in their migration to the North, and overseas, in search of work.

We are nostalgic for an epoch we view now through rose-coloured instagram filters.

No city is a more extreme example of the phenomenon than Basilicata’s jewel, Matera. Matera is the first southern Italian city to be named the European Capital of Culture. This is a title that enables the city to apply for millions of euros in public funding for events and new infrastructure. The intention of the funding program is to create cultural awareness and interaction between the member states of the European Union, as well as to generate prosperity for the city itself.

In recent years it has been reported that public funds spent in the programme generated revenue of up to five times the investment. More than just prestige and international notoriety, being named a ECoC provides an excellent opportunity to improve local economy and industry, an opportunity that could not have come at a better time for this upcoming tourism destination in one of the most unexplored regions of Italy.

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Photo Pixabay

Matera’s city centre

So what happened to Matera? Well, it sat empty and ghostlike for a decade or two, waiting for the progressive types to arrive and make the old new again. Then the process of gentrification began, as it has in so many other places, with the artists and hippies, who ‘rediscovered’ Matera’s Sassi as early as the 1970s. By the 1980s, the council was approving the repopulation of the sassi and allowing electricity and water to be connected there. In 1993, Unesco declared Matera a world heritage site. The local tourism industry took off, focusing on history, artisan products and gastronomy, and the place that was once Italy’s ‘national shame’ and a symbol of destitution and squalor, was eventually selected as the European Capital of Culture for 2019.

What does this mean for Matera, now and in the coming years? The funding has been secured, over 400 million euros from Rome and Brussels has been allocated to Matera’s overall smartening up. Unfortunately, the slow, complicated bureaucratic system that Italy is renowned for could mean a lost opportunity for this resilient southern Italian city. ECoC cities are given six years to secure funding and prepare for their year in the spotlight, but 2019 has begun, and five of the seven buildings that were intended as venues for some of the cultural events are not ready, nor are they expected to be ready before 2020, according to labour unions and local businesspeople. Too late.

Above and below: a glimpse of Matera’s city centre Photos Daniele Curto

The Guardian reported in September, 2018, that there is still no dedicated railway to the city, despite 200 million euros of the funding allocated to build one, and the Bradanica highway, a road intended to connect Matera to the north of Basilicata, is still under construction after 40 years. Not even the influx of European funding was able to speed up the construction. Accessibility is going to be a setback for the city as it should be enjoying its year in the cultural limelight.

ISSUE XVII

Not everyone, however, is concerned about these setbacks. According to Enzo Acito, the former director of tourism for Matera, it was widely known that many of the deadlines would never be met. It was enough to ‘just be elected’ a European Capital of Culture.

Matera has, after all, still come a long way. It represents a shift in values throughout Italy and Europe, where there are many town centres that have been abandoned for more comfortable apartments at the cost of community living, a simpler life and of course, culture.

There are residents of Matera that remember this life, and it’s a memory that in the midst of all the notoriety, the younger generations are eager to preserve.

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Jenna Lo Bianco

PAOLA BACCHIA: SHE LEARNT IT ALL FROM HER MAMMA She told me that she was tall. Very tall. I spotted her arrive from across the bar and from over the top of the coffee machine. She was indeed tall, but also very elegant and refined. I was giddy inside, experiencing butterflies of a different kind – not the romantic sort, but rather what I can only describe as ‘fan-girl’ jitters. Paola Bacchia had arrived and I simply couldn’t contain myself.

In preparation for this catch-up I re-read (seemingly for the 50th time) both of Paola’s books, ‘Italian Street Food’ and the recently published ‘Adriatico’ (Smith Street Books), in the hope that their whimsical and dreamy Italian food-filled pages would inspire something of a poet in me, and that I might dazzle her with insightful questions about her work, travels and aspirations. In actual fact, all they did was make me hungry. Hungry and nervous! Paola sat across from me with such grace and confidence; it was hard not to get wrapped up in her life and journey as she spoke.

She knocked back her macchiato in two sips and I was hooked.

Paola is the beating heart behind not only the two

Paola and her Mother Livia - August 2016

aforementioned Italian cookbooks, but also the @ italyonmymind Instagram feed and blog. She is a passionate foodie with a lot of love, inspiration and

Sadly, like so many other migrants, they found their

One word that comes to mind when I reflect

joy to share. Paola’s family roots, which I will come

initial time in Australia very difficult. Nello and Livia

upon her extensive body of work is ‘integrity’. Paola

to in a moment, are the driving current that under-

eventually settled in once they sponsored her broth-

is exceptionally particular about the research that

pin her work and motivate her to create and inspire

ers to come out, forming their own little community.

goes into her books and travel adventures. This fact

other apron-clad home cooks. Though she has had

They returned to Italy, however, in 1970 to visit family,

is plainly clear as she explains in intricate detail the

no formal cooking training, she has learned all that

with Paola’s older sister, Barbara staying on. Paola re-

history of the Istrian peninsular and shifting borders

she knows from watching her beautiful mamma in the

turned to Australia with her parents only to help them

along the Adriatic. But beyond the formal publishing

kitchen. Livia, 91, features regularly on Paola’s social

sell their home in Melbourne’s Box Hill South and

work she does, she puts the same care and attention

media feed, and her timeless recipes adorn the glori-

migrate back to Monfalcone. “I was la cangura!” Paola

into her cooking classes. Paola feels most comfortable

ous pages of her cookbooks. “I trained with my moth-

laughs. “I spoke dialect and was so very tall!” She may

welcoming students into her own home. “It’s more

er,” she says. “Mum had one recipe book, Il tesoretto

not have fit in right away, but she certainly left a piece

intimate. It’s my own kitchen, not some commercial

della cucina which her brother, Fide, brought out

of her heart in Italy. Their time was short-lived, return-

space,” she explains. Students get a real hands-on ex-

from Italy in 1953.” As she speaks of the relationship

ing to Australia in 1972 where they remained and set

perience under Paola’s guidance, making and tasting a

with her mother, she becomes very impassioned. She

down permanent roots. Throughout it all, the to-ing

variety of pasta dishes, sauces and sweets.

adores her mother beyond words and is making the

and fro-ing, there remained one constant in their lives:

most of the sweet moments they share together.

good food and the traditions and passion that come

joy. In recent years she has been extending this love

with it.

across the continents, running food and cooking tours

Paola lost her beloved father, Nello in 2012. “Dad

Sharing her love for Italian food brings Paola great

was 70 when he retired”, she shares, explaining how

in Italy. Sicily in 2016 and 2017, Trieste in 2018 and in

Nello had always worked hard to support his family

2019 it’s Trieste and Puglia. “Pugliese food is my pre-

and provide for them. Recounting the story of how

ferred style of cooking,” she tells me. “I love Puglia. I

her parents met lights up her face, and she animatedly

love the simplicity and the people are genuine.”

explains that it all went down in Monfalcone, a little

On her blog Paola has a very beautiful black and

town not too far from Trieste. Livia’s parents owned

white photo of her parents taken on the day they

three bars in town, and her photo, which graced the

announced Livia was expecting Paola’s big sister. It’s

local photographer’s shop window, caught the at-

symbolic of the love her parents shared, her family’s

tention of 26 year old Nello. He popped in to share a

journey, and how she connects with their stories and

coffee with his father – he saw her and he was smit-

traditions. So where will this inspiration take Paola

ten. Their first unofficial date was at the local cinema,

next? She already has a few coals crackling away on

where he had followed her one day and sat down next

the fire – after all, there’s nothing that she can’t do…

to her. Nello planted a big kiss on Livia’s cheek, and

or cook, for that matter!

she promptly ran out to go home and wash her face.

Here’s to you, Paola! Cin cin! I’ll be waiting…with

Her feelings for him quickly changed and not long

fork in hand.

after they were married.

The aftermath of World War II set into motion a chain of events that forced Nello and Livia to make some critical decisions about their future in Italy. Nello had lost his home, and Paola, his native Istrian town had changed significantly, both geographically and culturally. He wanted more for their children than post-WWII Italy could offer, so he chose a free migration passage to Australia in exchange for two years of work. This exchange sounded like a good idea as it also allowed Nello to see more of the world.

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Paola Bacchia

Paola’s Parents in 1954

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ISSUE XVII

OFFICIALLY NUMERO UNO IN OCEANIA

Hayley J. Egan

CANZONIERE GRECANICO SALENTINO HEADLINE THE FIRST EDITION OF TARANTA FESTIVAL IN MELBOURNE

Canzoniere Grecanico Salentino Photo @ CGS Watching Canzoniere Grecanico Salentino (CGS) play live is a transcendental experience. It’s the power and intensity of the voices, the agile hands over the button accordion and the neck of the bouzouki. It’s the pulsing

The Pizzica genre comes from ancient pagan rituals. Despite its rural, mystic background, there is now certainly a place for Pizzica on international stages.

rhythm of the tamburello, the frame drum that must be heard to be believed.

‘In Italy, audiences understand the background.

‘After the initial shock, they feel invited to dance. It works in Malaysia, it works in Finland. Music and dance goes beyond borders, it builds bridges.’

When we go out of Puglia they don’t understand the lyrics, but they know the music,’ says Durante. ‘On the other hand, there is a surprise effect when we go The overall tightness of a group that spends most

out of Italy.’ He humbly puts this down to the inten-

Canzoniere Grecanico Salentino builds bridges not

days of the year together, living and working like

sity of the music itself, and the unexpected power of

family, and includes a sound engineer on the outside,

only between cultures, but also between past and

the seemingly innocuous tamburello. It could, howev-

leaving nothing to chance, making sure that each

present. Their new album Canzoniere is the most

er, also have something to do with the sheer virtuosi-

instrument sounds exactly as it should.

contemporary to date, and includes samples of tradi-

ty of each of the seven artists on stage.

tional recordings from an elderly singer.

Last year, CGS received the Songlines award for Best Group, one of the most prestigious music awards in the world, and very soon, Australian audiences will have the chance to see why.

The group will be part of the WomAdelaide line-up in March, and will also headline the very first edition of Taranta Festival in Melbourne, a new festival created with the intention to showcase music from Italy and the Mediterranean.

‘We are so excited’ says CGS’ Mauro Durante (vocals, violin). The group’s participation in Taranta Festival, (Thornbury Theatre, 15/03/2019) will mark their first performance in Melbourne, and they are conscious of what it means to play this music in another hemisphere. ‘Pizzica is starting to present itself as a new world music genre. The ambition is to make it as well-known as genres like Balkan, Samba, or Irish.’

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Silvia Perone dances Pizzica Pizzica on stage Photo @ CGS

‘There was a time in Italy that things changed. This cultural legacy from the past was something people started to feel ashamed of. The Italian government was making an effort to teach the Italian language to everyone, and was antagonizing the use of dialects in the process. Now, this has totally changed, because it’s the opposite. Engaging with our past, with our music is a way to feel special in the globalised world,’ Durante explains.

Taranta Festival will start on 13th March at the Museo Italiano with a presentation on tarantismo and the music of the healing rituals in Puglia by Massimiliano Morabito, ethnomusicologist and accordionist. The festival will include a dance workshop with dancer Silvia Perrone and a mixed line-up of Mediterranean and local Italian contemporary folk bands playing over the same week.

Photo from the band’s latest album “Canzionere”

Photo @ CGS

ISSUE XVII CGS will perform in Melbourne for the first time at Melbourne Taranta Festival.

The band in one of its explosive performances

Poster design by Giuseppe Lombardo

Photo @ CGS

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5

Raffaele Caputo

A STYLIST SPEAKING STRONGER AND LOUDER THAN WORDS The name might be unfamiliar to readers of Segmento but fashion stylist Ly-

founder of GAIA–Global Association of Interna-

nette Pater has had a big hand in making

tional Artists, the Italian community in Melbourne

known the talents of a man who has

would likely never have heard about Stefano or got

twice graced the pages of this magazine—Italian milliner Stefano Costabile.

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Indeed were it not for a fascinating chance encounter between Lynette and Giovanni Butera,

to enjoy his creations.

Giovanni and Lynette met in 2016 at the State Library of Victoria during a conference on one of Melbourne’s iconic photographers of the 1970s, Rennie Ellis. But it was more than an interest in Ellis’ photography that brought them together. They discovered they had something else in common, and I’m sure you’ve guessed what or who that was.

Yes, Stefano Costabile.

Their meeting must have felt like divine provi-

She has also for the past two years co-ordinated

dence. Lynette was immediately captivated by the

Stefano’s collection at Fashion on the Field on Mel-

concept behind GAIA, which resonated with her

bourne Cup Day, among several other high-profile

beliefs about style and culture.

shows during the Spring Racing Carnival.

‘Australia has some of the world’s best milliners,’ says Lynette, ‘but I fell in love with Giovanni’s idea of GAIA, and of bringing artists like Stefano here to

‘Lynette’s collaboration has been invaluable to

Melbourne to show what they have got. I’m a great

GAIA’, says Giovanni, ‘and not only because of

believer of the saying “Italians do it better” because I just love the culture, I love all of their style.’

Lynette threw herself wholeheartedly behind GAIA, to the extent that she has become the creative director for many of the organisation’s events, in particular for Stefano’s touring exhibition

the exposure, also because her focus is on people and her work is all about creating a lifestyle or way of living for people, and the importance to GAIA lies in it being more of a networked community rather than an organisation.’

Il Viaggio delle Dee in 2017, which included a millinery show hosted by the Kangan Institute.

ISSUE XVII

Lynette Pater on the set of a photo shoot Photo An La - ajcophotography

Lynette had not met Stefano in person but had been in touch via Facebook and had recently used one of his hats for a fashion shoot, a magnificent blue head-piece that has become an iconic symbol of Stefano’s creativity. Whereas Giovanni, who hails from Cosenza in Italy, where Stefano is based, and had known him since they were teenagers, was by this stage organising GAIA events to showcase Stefano’s creativity.

Lynette Pater, Stefano Contabile and a group of fashion models at the 2018 Melbourne Cup - “Fashion on the field” Photo Richard Shaw

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If truth be told, when watching Lynette at work one cannot help but feel that her styling is as much about the journey as it is about the destination.

Whether she’s working for the catwalk or on a shoot for a fashion magazine, the energy, tension, drama and beauty she creates on the spot is like a Happening, a valid form of art in and of itself. At several GAIA events, Lynette has seemed to discreetly wave a magic wand and a bevy of models, wearing amazing outfits, suddenly appear and mingle with the crowd, or do an impersonation of Marilyn Monroe, perform a belly dance or break into opera. (Sometimes, even her husband has taken to the microphone and belted out a classic Elvis Presley tune.)

She explains, ‘When that happens people ask, “Where do I look? What’s happening?” It’s excitement and I love excitement. I love creating it, and I’m so glad Giovanni introduced me into his world.’

While the focus of her work for GAIA has been on creating excitement and exposure for Stefano’s creations, Giovanni believes there is a fundamental aspect of Lynette’s work as an acclaimed stylist that is sometimes too easily forgotten. That is, she has an intimate understanding of style as a cultural touchstone, much like food or sport or art, in the sense that it speaks better and louder than words, both in how we see ourselves and how we see the world.

‘In that sense,’ Giovanni admits, ‘I would have to say that Lynette has an Italian heart even though she was born and raised in country Victoria.’

Lynette Pater, Australian most flamboyant fashion stylist, in her bedroom Photo Sam Tabone

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Lynette Pater, Giovanni Butera and a group of fashion models wearing Stefano Costabile’s hats Photo Richard Shaw

Photo courtesy of GAIA (Global Association of International Artists)

ISSUE XVII

Lynette Pater and Stefano Costabile

Lynette Pater, posing as a model for a fashion magazine Photo Sam Tabone

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Jytte Holmqvist

BERNARDO BERTOLUCCI’S EPIC LEGACY A HOMAGE TO AN UNORTHODOX FILMMAKER

Stealing Beauty, 1996 - Liv Tyler Source Vogue

I accept all interpretations of my films. The only reality is before the camera. Each film I make is kind of a return to poetry for me, or at least an attempt to create a poem (Bertolucci).

One of cinema’s all-time greats, Italian director

With plots revolving around the hallmark themes

Bernardo Bertolucci passed away in Rome three

and inspire Bertolucci artistically (he also held Luc

sex, gender and identity, youth versus aging, ide-

months ago, on 26 November. He leaves behind

Godard in high esteem). Bertolucci was catapulted

ology and contemporary history and politics, Ber-

a cinematic legacy like few others, with films that

into a career as a filmmaker and later established

tolucci wrote himself into cinema history with films

challenge, move, disturb yet engage and whose

himself also as an auteur in his own right, directing

like The Conformist (1970), highly controversial and

arguments are confronting yet cerebral, appealing

his first feature; drama-mystery La commare secca –

transgressive Last Tango in Paris (1972), which has

yet puzzling and always, ultimately, unforgettable.

based on a short story by Pasolini – in 1962. With this

received both fame and notoriety, praise and heavy

Born in Parma in 1941, Bertolucci learnt from one

he embarked on a career that would include a series

criticism – particularly in the wake of the highly reac-

of the best when, as luck would have it, he crossed

of major films that gained him worldwide atten-

tive global “me-too”-movement , the visually stun-

professional paths with older filmmaker Pier Paolo

tion and recognition, and which are visually stylish,

ning and carefully crafted Stealing Beauty (where

Pasolini – superbly skilled, impressively prolific; a

narratively captivating, and technically precise and

beauty operates on a both scenic and physical level

narrative and thematic poet and provocateur par

flawless.

– causing admiration and arresting hearts while the

excellence whose controversial 1964 interpretation

beauty of youth is captured against the backdrop

of the life and suffering of Christ Il Vangelo secondo

of a breathtaking Tuscan landscape and Siena gains

Matteo , shot entirely in black and white, is one of

visual prominence in the opening title sequence of

his absolute masterpieces, with a violent representa-

the film), and the ambitious and self-referential The

tion of a lead character fuelled by rage, passion and

Dreamers (2003) which in itself is an homage to

compassion; the narrative further enhanced by an eclectic soundtrack effectively drawing from Afri-

As Bilge Ebiri notes,

cinema throughout time and which connects past and present through intersecting real black and white

can mass, Hebrew songs, and classical strings and

Bertolucci’s “highly kinetic visual style” is

documentary footage. Here, Bertolucci further chal-

oboe through Mozart and Bach – as the latter was

characterised by “elaborate camera moves,

lenges the viewer in graphic sex scenes, and presents

filming Accatone (1961). The movie was screened at the Venice Film Festival that same year. Bertolucci would himself serve as President for the Cannes Film Festival Jury in 1990 and was conferred an honorary Palme D’Or for lifetime achievement in 2011.

16

Working as an assistant to Pasolini would influence

meticulous lighting, symbolic use of colour, and inventive editing.”

us with erotic images also of the almost incestuously intimate relationship between a brother and a sister.

Also absolutely outstanding are Bertolucci’s epic “faraway movies”: multi-award winning The Last Emperor (1987), The Sheltering Sky (1990), and Little Buddha (1993), which are all set in remote locations: China, North Africa, Nepal and Bhutan, respectively.

Geographically closer to home, Bertolucci’s majestic family saga 1900 (its uncut version is a whopping 5 hours and 17 minutes long) takes place in a both northern and southern Italy (Emilia-Romagna, Lombardia, Campania) impacted and forever transformed by the tumultuous events leading to the rise of fascism under Mussolini and the breakout of the First World War and later also the Second World War. 1900 (1976) is a majestic film that propelled a young Robert de Niro and Gerard Depardieu and, older, Burt Lancaster, and Donald Sutherland (the latter playing one of his most despicable characters) to international stardom. The film ambitiously spans across time and place, initially connecting then separating families, and allowing distrust, betrayal and violence to seep in, disrupting the Italian idyll forever.

The Sheltering Sky, 1990

With last year’s Melbourne Lavazza Italian Film

Source imbd.com

Festival screening, e.g., Paolo Sorrentino’s most recent film Loro (2018), it is easy to draw parallels between the stunning visual imagery and the ex-

It is Bertolucci’s keen observational skills, careful

Bertolucci filmography:

travagant party scenes in both Loro and La Grande

attention to detail, great research skills, fascina-

Bellezza (The Great Beauty, 2013), and Bertolucci’s

tion with the subject matter, and ability to guide

Stealing Beauty – which moves from intimate to so-

his actors and have them aptly inhabit their given

Il canale (short, documentary, 1966)

phisticatedly grandiose in a few swift camera move-

characters, combined with the director’s great sense

La via del petroleo (The Path of Oil – documentary film, 1967)

ments and carefully arranged scenes. Sorrentino’s

of aesthetics and appreciation for beauty in both its

Partner (1968)

influence from Bertolucci becomes evident. Calling

human and earthly form while at the same time he

Amore e rabbia (Love and Anger, 1969)

him a “great maestro”, Sorrentino has said of his fel-

does not shy away from representing the dark and

Il conformista (The Conformist, 1970)

low compatriot that:

ugly aspects of history and reality, which makes his

Strategia del ragno (The Spider’s Stratagem, 1970)

cinema so ground-breaking; standing the test of time.

La salute è malata (1971)

his long career, one is hit by the absolute talent of this filmmaker. The 77-year-old cineaste now gone,

He was an extremely curious man, sweet and

he has left a legacy where his films speak for themselves, and where other contemporary filmmakers

sincere, cultured and unpredictable, and, I

have a lot to learn from him, about the magic and

repeat, frighteningly intelligent. His was a

grandeur of cinema as both a medium and an art

free and razor-sharp intelligence, like that of a great jazz musician. He knew how to make people feel welcome, even the silly and the indolent. He would not fight them, but would study them

form.

Prima della rivoluzione (Before the Revolution, 1964)

12 dicembre (1971) Last Tango in Paris (Ultimo tango a Parigi, 1972) 1900 (Novecento, 1976)

ISSUE XVII

Re-watching his films in a year that marks the end of

La Commare Secca (The Grim Reaper, 1962)

Luna (1979) La tragedia di un uomo ridicolo (Tragedy of a Ridiculous Man, 1981) L’addio a Enrique Berlinguer (1984) The Last Emperor (1987 – awarded 9 Oscars) 12 registi per 12 città (12 Directors for 12 Cities – documentary, 1989) The Sheltering Sky (1990) Little Buddha (1993) Stealing Beauty (1996) Besieged (1998) Ten Minutes Older: The Cello (2002) The Dreamers (2003) Me and You (2012) Venice 70: Future Reloaded (documentary, 2013)

13 5

Hayley J. Egan

THE HOSPITALITY REVOLUTION UGENTO’S MUNICIPALITY LAUNCHES OSTELLO DIFFUSO

An Ipogee Crypt in Ugento, Salento Region that joined the project “Ostello Diffuso” promoting the tourism of young backpackers off-season.

Photo Daniele Curto

The beaches are packed and the restaurants are all booked out. The bar has a special on

Return to the Mezzogiorno in October, howev-

The Ostello Diffuso provides accommodation for

er, and the place looks very different. The piazzas

visitors by creating a network of existing houses,

that were crawling with tourists become wide, open

rooms and apartments within a town, and linking

Mojitos and a DJ is playing. The council’s

spaces. The people walking across them are running

them through a reception, or and ‘info point’. The

summer cultural program shows a long list of

errands, not meandering around between an aperitif

plus side from an economic and ecological point of

and the purchase of a souvenir. The restaurants are

view, is that no new infrastructure is needed. For the

serving simple, local meals for workers on their lunch

visitor, there are also advantages, as founder of the

breaks. Groups of kids wearing colorful backpacks

model, prof. Giancarlo Dall’Ara puts it,

events to choose from.

disappear within the school gates for most of the day. The churches that had lines pouring from them just a few months prior are still open, but now they may sit empty for most of the day. The weather is Moonlight cinema, anyone? You might want to take a bicycle tour among the local wineries, or visit

still quite warm. The food is still amazing. Life goes on, but the tourists have been and gone.

an olive oil distillery. ‘Have you been downtown today?’ The locals ask each other. ‘You can hardly move!’

The fact that many of these southern Italian towns host multiple times their own population for just one month of the year has economic and environmen-

This is the south of Italy in August, where there’s

18

tal implications. Italy, however, is the country that

plenty to do and it seems that everyone knows it.

brought us Slow Food, and the Agriturismo, and is

Recent years have seen a huge increase in tourism,

known for its innovation in the hospitality and tour-

particularly in the regions of Puglia and Calabria, as

ism industries. Enter the Ostello Diffuso, translated

foreigners move beyond the cultural capitals like

as ‘Dispersed Hostel’ or ‘Virtual Hostel’, that could be

Venice and Rome, and Italians take advantage of the

the answer to the Italian quest for a longer and more

long, warm days and beautiful beaches down south.

balanced tourist season.

‘An Ostello Diffuso does not sell rooms in the strict sense, but places to live as residents, even if temporary. In fact, the rooms of an Ostello Diffuso are real rooms, they are not built specifically for tourists, and so the rest of the services, which are the same identical services one would find in a hotel, with the same professionalism, are seasoned perhaps with a little more local flavour.’

The model has come to life in the town of Ugento, where Michele Viola, administration advisor for the agency of tourism and services, says the intention is to extend the tourist season into the winter months, from October to May. The idea is, he explains, to attract visitors during these cooler months by providing a range of activities that extend beyond the high tourist season. There are cultural events, dinners, and a range of services and activities for families and young people, including bike rental, equipment for water sports, fishing-boat and sailboat trips, trekking and horse riding in the Natural Park of Ugento, craft, cooking workshops and folklore festivals.

It’s not just about getting visitors to touristic areas

Above and below: harvesting olives for the extra-virgin olive oil is one of the experiences offered by Ostello Diffuso Photos Daniele Curto

in the off-season though. Viola points out that of the 8200 municipalities in Italy, around 5000 of these are tiny historical villages. Many of them are almost completely devoid of young people and some even almost completely uninhabited. ‘This’, he says, ‘as well as the overcrowding of large cities, is the problem that AIG (Associazione Italiana Alberghi per la Gioventu) has decided to tackle with the new format Ostello Diffuso.’

The president of Hostelling International (HI) is Australian Rob McGuirk, who is positive about the Italian initiative, and sees it as a return to the origins of hostelling itself, which has been around for over a century and began in farms and barns.

A local farm manufacturing typical Salento products Photo Daniele Curto

ISSUE XVII

A local showcasing artifacts from Salento’s museum Photo Daniele Curto

Lake Pescara, Truffle gathering with Truffle expert and dogs Photo Daniele Curto

19

‘In today’s world, Hostelling International (HI) is competing with alternative ways of arranging accommodation for travellers, so I believe it is worth exploring different ways as to how we can achieve our mission of education through travel.’

According to McGuirk, Italy is the perfect place to trial the concept.

‘Being “embedded” in locals’ houses could well be of interest to Australian travellers as a means of becoming immersed in the local culture.’ He says, also noting the potential to apply the model in Australia.

‘Encouraging travellers to visit regional locations is something we also want to encourage in Australia. We will be interested to find out how this initiative works in Italy to see if it might be possible to adapt it to suit local conditions.’

Photo Daniele Curto

Above and below: Ostello Diffuso’s travellers can sleep on a sailboat and experience fishing and sail boat trips.

There is certainly something special about visiting a place where real life is going on, and the Ostello Diffuso model invites tourists to do just that. ‘Trying to put the true Italy forward, not a theme park or ‘illusion factory’, is the real purpose of this format,’ says Viola.

‘(In Italy) There are no resources, there is no system creating employment,’ he says. But Viola insists that the immense cultural heritage that is so unique to Italy is currently undervalued in the tourism and hospitality industry, and he is adamant that the Ostello Diffuso is the way forward.

Photo Daniele Curto

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16

Jenna Lo Bianco

THE MACRAMÉ MASTER, NATALIA MASTRIA When you think of macramé, perhaps images of bell bottom jeans and coloured sunglasses come to mind. Knot-tied fringed t-shirts, woven bags and wall hangings might conjure up memories of the 1970s, but the intricate art of macramé, an art which dates back to the 13th century, is making a come back in a big way.

“When I am inspired, which can happen in any given moment - for example, looking at a colourful wall, a child’s sweater, the colours of the sunset – they help me find the right combination of colours to work with. The same goes for flowers, plants, and their shapes.” Natalia’s work therefore draws simultaneously on nature and the elements for both inspiration and form.

Natalia Mastria

Photo Daniele Curto

Once she has a design in mind, she carefully chooses her materials, as she is quite particular about the importance of the pieces she creates. “I like natural materials that also have a particular importance,” Natalia says, usually opting to work with pearls, precious stones, silk and interesting cottons.

The one thing she does aim for despite her free sense of style is elegance. Her main clientele is comprised of women seeking to appear and feel important. They are seeking a sense of exclusivity and want an important personalised creation, and that’s why Natalia’s bespoke designs hit the mark every time. “I define my necklaces as ‘exclusive’ because it’s not something you do from one day to the next. Behind it all there’s the mental preparation, the design construction and plan.

Production times can take up to a month if I find difficulties in the execution.”

Taking a look through her back catalogue of work it’s clear that Natalia’s designed aren’t defined by one restrictive style. Up until now she has worked many different approaches in her macramé, African and ethnic, single-coloured, multi-coloured, symmetrical and a-symmetrical.

Macramé designers and artists are always seeking out new creative adventures, and Natalia is definitely one of those. One of Natalia’s creations, ‘Gioia’ won first prize in the 2018 international ‘Sleep for peace’ campaign, and was auctioned to raise funds to support victims of the most recent Indonesian tsunami. The intrigue of macramé as an art form is due to the fact that it is still very much a niche form one doesn’t come across every day. Natalia is therefore very passionate about passing her creative skills onto other budding artists to ensure the continuation of the macramé legacy into the future.

ISSUE XVII

One key player in the art form’s resurgence is Natalia Mastria, native of Ugento on the southern coast of Puglia. “My passion for macramé was born around 9 years ago. It started as a hobby, creating and working earrings made from coconut straw for my own personal adornment.

I was most probably predisposed to create these small items.” So it seems that her keen artistic eye did indeed start from a young age, as she recalls enjoying making rings from random scrap materials, such as copper wire. “It was something I did just for fun, but then this ‘creativity’ returned, and now it’s an important part of my day to day life. I am so in love with the technique of macramé, that it’s almost as if it chose me, and not I it.”

Natalia’s initial relationship with macramé was one of love at first sight.

She describes her passion and love for the art as a drug. “If I have a design in mind that’s waiting to be created, I won’t be able too rest until it has been realised.” I asked Natalia if she has a particular method or approach to creating her work, to which she assures me she doesn’t. “It all comes about quite naturally,” she explains.

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21

Valeria Suriano

A NUANCED TAPESTRY It was the first very hot day of my first Australian summer. I was in Melbourne on an exchange program, studying at the University of Melbourne for a semester during the last year of my Master’s degree from the University of Bologna.

That day, my mission was to find an Australian book to translate into Italian, and analyse for my thesis in Specialised Translation.

I had spent the previous few weeks browsing the University databases. I had found many accounts of the topic that I was interested in, Italian identity in Australia, but none of them seemed to overcome a nostalgic narrative focused on groups rather than individuals. What I was looking for, instead, was a work of YA fiction relating to the Italian-Australian community. Most of the texts were a binary representation of Italian and Australian culture. They presented people in regional communities with contrasting customs and traditions, who were ultimately bonded by traditional values such as family and hard work. These are extremely valuable documents, but they don’t account for the complexity of personal stories, beyond the broad outlines of a stereotypical ‘Italian-ness’..

Maria with her parents Stefano and Dora Palotta in Marden, Adelaide.

Soon, however, she will discover something that will make her question all her certainties and turn her young mind upside down; her parents have an open relationship and her mother also loves Nathan, a family friend. The discovery of a polyamorous relationship within the family generates anger and confusion, and the emotional turmoil that Pina experiences leads her to embark on a journey of personal growth.

I must have been lucky that day because I came across a small bookshop in Fitzroy, ‘Hares and Hyenas’. My interest in gender identity had taken me to independent LGBTI bookshops, where it seemed unlikely to find work about Italian migrants. However, after a chat with the owner, I left the shop holding a piece of paper with an email address scribbled on it. And that’s how I met Maria.

Maria Pallotta-Chiarolli is an extraordinary

Maria’s auntie and uncle, Zio Fiore Antonio and Zia Maria, on one of their many Sunday roadtrips. This one to the Barossa Valley, South Australia.

woman. She’s an Italian-Australian lecturer, researcher, and activist. She is also an author of both non-fiction and fiction books.

Born in Adelaide in 1960, her parents - both originally from Squillani, in the province of Avellino, emigrated to Australia and settled in Adelaide, where Maria spent her youth. In her autobiography ‘Tapestry’, the writer describes her childhood in Australia, the point of convergence of several different lives. A fragmentary, multi-faceted image, a colourful tapestry in which the threads that represent different places, spaces and times are intertwined. The book is the story of migration, of customs and traditions, of dialect and language, of food, of community.

Maria grew up with parents who have always guaranteed fair treatment and equal opportunities for both her and her brother, and she has always been able to count on strong female role models within her family. As a result, she developed an early awareness of the danger of stereotype as a

22

social mechanism, and came to realise that stereotypes ignore differences within a group to facilitate categorisation, at the expense of the complexity of the individual. It generates erroneous and partial representations and makes the narratives of minorities impossible. Stereotype particularly affects those who identify with different groups and don’t identify with traditional ‘labels’, too sharp to include all the nuances and to tolerate possible contaminations.

Maria’s book ‘Love You Two’, the book I chose for my thesis, is a novel written from the point of view of sixteen-year-old Pina, a third generation Italian-Australian teenager. Pina lives in Adelaide with both her parents and her younger brother, not far from her Italian grandparents’ house. Her friends belong to the Italian-Australian community and she seems to face the same problems as most other girls: peer pressure, first relationships, school and self-esteem issues.

‘Love You Two’ addresses polyamory, homosexuality, bisexuality, interracial relationships, AIDS, and adolescent sexuality. It is also a representation of Italian migration culture and its impact throughout generations within an Italian-Australian family.

The reader follows Pina through an inner-negotiation of the concept of normality, while painfully overcoming conflicting phases, emotions and perspectives.

Maria Pallotta-Chiarolli’s literary works and her research aim at exploring the ‘mestizaje’, this blending process or border-dwelling self with particular attention to the issues of social justice relating to the concepts of ethnicity, gender and sexuality, as well as differences and hierarchies within the various communities, groups and minorities.

Maria wants to show that one is not only Italian, but a particular type of Italian. The product of a particular version of a gender and sexuality, a specific geographical place, age and level of education, all generated in a certain economic framework.

‘Love you two’ is exactly the kind of contemporary literature that I was looking for, and not only for the cultural challenges that it presents to an Italian reader, but also for the inherent linguistic obstacles. The language used in Maria’s book is, in fact, ‘impure’. It is a mix of English, Aussie slang, Italian and Southern dialect, hard to translate into a strictly gendered language like Italian, but very entertaining to read, as it mirrors that colourful ‘tapestry’ that is today’s multicultural Australia.

Archimede Fusillo

DOWN UNDER...A LIFE NOT MEANT TO BE ‘I couldn’t imagine Australia. I did not have a sense of Australia, other than being a place where I would work.’

I ask him why he left.

‘Because my mother-in-law took ill suddenly,’ he replies. ‘And since my wife was the only daughter of

This is Mr Luciano Marchionna’s succinct response when asked what he knew of Australia before he set out from Viggiano, Basilicata, on what would be a 10 year sojourn away from home.

eight children she felt obliged to return to help her mother. My wife made it clear to me that if she did return to Italy she would not then return back to Australia. And so it came to pass.’

That was in 1976. And so, not long after his

‘I left Italy for work reasons,’ he tells me, echo-

mother-in-law became ill, the young Marchionna

ing the words of so many other returned migrants

family relocated to Italy. It would be another two

I have met. ‘My brother was already there, and he

years before Mr Marchionna returned to Australia,

was the one to sponsor me. My brother had work

and then only to sell the family home he and his

so there was a way for me to find work too.’

wife had established. This proved to be a difficult decision for him as his brother stayed on and made

It is 1966, Mr Marchionna is twenty years old,

a life in Australia, and Mr Marchionna makes no se-

Italy is beginning to have an economic renaissance

cret about the fact that had he not sold the house,

of sorts, but it is very slow in coming to the South.

he most likely would have insisted the family return

Economic prosperity and development seem to

to Australia, even if not immediately but certainly

have stagnated for much of the rural and agricul-

Luciano Marchionna

tural regions of Italy, with industry and commerce

within a few years.

Photo Archimede Fusillo

largely confined to the more affluent north.

This however, was not to be, and when she was

‘My brother hadn’t been in Australia for long,’

19, Mr Marchionna’s daughter had to decide be-

‘I got engaged in Australia,’ he informs me at one stage. ‘My wife had left Italy in 1966. For us the

a year before me, but he’d settled in well enough

hardest thing was missing our language. When you

that I thought there’d be a chance for me too.

work, there’s no time to learn a new language. You

There hadn’t been opportunities for us here in our

pick up a word here and there, you hear the same

town for a while.’

words at work but it’s not like going to school, and it’s not like using the language you were born into.’

tween either an Italian or an Australian citizenship.

She chose Italian. By the time the youngest child came of age she was able to have duel citizenship.

Interestingly enough, while both daughters live in Italy to this day, neither lives in the Basilicata

ISSUE XVII

Mr Marchionna reminisces. ‘He’d gone in 1965, just

region. They too are migrants of sorts, according to their father.

He is quick to point out that he never had any intentions of remaining in Australia for good. Yet it

When asked how he found Australia in the de-

‘I sometimes regret having left Australia,’ Mr Mar-

would be a decade before he returned to his native

cade he lived there, Mr Marchionna says that he

village, and then with two children, the eldest 4, the

had heard stories from Italians who had gone be-

youngest 13 months, in tow.

fore him that Australia could be a harsh place, that

chionna offers without prompting. ‘Not so much for

many migrants were victimised for their lack of

me, but for our children. Who knows what life they could have had there? I think about it often.’

education, for their seemingly boundless desire to He is, like so many I had the pleasure to meet

‘I never forget about Australia,’ he says. ‘Actual-

work at jobs many Australian’s didn’t want to take, and what he referred to as a kind of underlying sus-

ly, I thank Australia because they give me a small

dignity. When he speaks of Australia it is with

picion that Italian migrants were out to take both

pension from there, and its thanks to that pension

gratitude for the chances it gave him to make some

the jobs and the opportunities away from Austra-

that we are doing as well as we are. Neither me nor

economic headway at a time when there were so

lians who had been there for generations, especial-

my wife can say anything negative about Australia.

few prospects back home.

ly since there was some post-war resentment.

Australia doesn’t deserve that.’

IT L

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